First, let’s tackle what happened with MediaFire and all the scripts. In short, it’s all my fault. Yes, I’m owning up to my own mistake here. I fucked up. The short version is when the Twentieth Century Fox DMCA notice hit my inbox, I decided that rather than change the text of each script entry on the site to read something like “Script removed at the request of Twentieth Century Fox,” that I would instead just delete the entire script page. Some people were getting a little frustrated when loading a page in hopes of finding a script only to find a “removed” message instead. Understandable. It would piss me off, too, so I just deleted all of the offending script pages and their respective download links. Meaning, I changed my usual routine for removing scripts, so what I didn’t do because of that was delete them from the MediaFire account as well. At least, not all of them, I think. You can already see the problem here, I’m sure…

So, one morning last month, MediaFire sent me a DMCA notice regarding one script. I didn’t react immediately because that wasn’t out of the ordinary. I routinely received notices from them. Most of the time, their DMCA notices were from the RIAA thinking our PDF files were actually mp3 files masquerading with alternate file extensions. I’ve had to contest the removal of files like “Freebird.pdf” and “Fury.pdf” more than once, especially considering those are Amateur Scripts and I’ve been given explicit permission by their authors to post them. Annoying? Yes. Anyway, a little later that day, I received another DMCA notice from MediaFire. Then another. Then a list. At that point I realized what I had done, but it was too late. I tried to login to my account only to be greeted by this wonderful screen:

Part of me wanted to contest it with MediaFire, to get them to allow me to log in to my account, so I could prove that no one had downloaded those scripts since I had removed them from the site, but then another part (the really pissed off part that knew I would inevitably make a mistake like this) decided to hell with it. Contesting wouldn’t have mattered anyway, the scripts were there in my MediaFire account among all of the other scripts and, in the end, that was all that did matter. So, I’m an idiot, and it was my fault and mine alone.

I will now pause briefly and allow you to curse my name and hurl vile obscenities in my general direction. It’s okay, I deserve it, I can take it…

…

…

…

You good?

No?

Okay, keep ‘em coming…

…

…

…

So, how am I choosing to move forward with scripts on the site? Excellent question.

With all of the DMCA notices from the studios and their e-mails and the legal brouhaha surrounding screenplays and scripts at the moment and my increasingly busy schedule, I think it’s time for a change of pace, a different approach, a new direction. I’ve done some serious soul-searching and I’ve come to a conclusion. But before I tell you that conclusion, let me explain how it is that I came to it.

You see, I love this site. I created it for a reason, because I love screenplays. I love writing and reading scripts. I love helping people find screenplays that they’ve desperately been searching for. I love to talk about the process of screenwriting with other writers. Simply, I love all things screenwriting. I do. I spent two-and-a-half years working really, really hard to post all of the scripts that were here and molding this site into what it has become today. Well… what it was a couple months ago… So, what I don’t like is spending hours upon hours upon hours posting screenplays only to be told to remove them days, weeks, or months later. I don’t like receiving DMCA notices. I don’t like receiving e-mails from individual writers who ask to have their scripts removed. I don’t like feeling like a “bad guy.” I don’t like silly producers who call me a “clown” and threaten legal action. I don’t like the ring-around-the-rosie that I get from studio legal departments and their lawyers. Most importantly, I don’t like to be bullied, so why would I choose to continue to do something that ultimately leads down a path that intersects with all of those things that I don’t like? Doesn’t make much sense does it?

Every week I spend my hard-earned money on some film-related media, whether it’s going to a theater or purchasing a DVD, Blu-ray, screenplay, book, what have you. But I’ve realized something: why should I support a studio that’s more concerned about the online availability of a forty-three-year-old script than they are about releasing a good movie today? Does it matter if the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid screenplay is freely available online? I mean, does it really, really matter in the greater scheme of things? The movie is sitting here on the shelf next to me, and it’s my third copy. I owned it on VHS, then I bought the very first version of the DVD, before upgrading to the latest DVD release. Twentieth Century Fox has gotten money out of me for that single film not once, but three times! I would buy the Blu-ray to make it a fourth, but you know what, I’m not going to. I wanted to, and had planned to, but dealing with Fox has left such a sour taste in my mouth that I don’t want to buy it. F**k them. There’s protecting copyright and then there’s just being ridiculous. Currently in production scripts are understandable, I get it, that makes sense. What I don’t get, and what doesn’t even remotely make an ounce of sense, is being asked to remove How Green Was My Valley. I mean, c’mon, really? And guess what, I’m not stopping with Fox or Butch Cassidy. No, sir. There’s a whole list of movies here on The myPDFscripts No-Post Script Index that won’t see a single red cent from me ever, or ever again.

That said, I’d much rather support writers and artists who “get it.” Sometimes I’ve spent my hard-earned cash because of people I’ve interviewed or made contact with in some form, either through or because of this site. These purchases I do not regret in the least (except The Thing, which Fox made me remove):

Why did I purchase Faintheart? Because David Lemon is a cool guy. Why did I purchase Brick and The Brothers Bloom? Because Rian Johnson is a cool guy. Why did I purchase Harry Brown and Madam Samurai? Because Gary Young is a cool guy. Why did I purchase The Losers? Because Andy Diggle is a cool guy. Why did I purchase 3:10 To Yuma? Because Derek Haas is a cool guy. Why did I purchase The Thing? Because Eric Heisserer is a cool guy. Why did I purchase X Films? Because Alex Cox is an amazing guy (for reasons I will soon illustrate). They all took time out of their day to share their thoughts and their work, and I don’t mind repaying that gratitude by purchasing their products. I’m happy to support writers and artists who “get it.” And you can bet for damn sure that I’ll be purchasing Grabbers the moment it hits DVD/Blu-ray. Why? Because Kevin Lehane is a cool guy! Add to that list the film Deviation because writer/director J.K. Amalou and producer Lara Greenway personally sent me their script for inclusion on this site. They get it!

And that’s the conclusion that I’ve come to: I want to support the people — and only the people — who get it.

Thing is, it may not work in every instance, which brings me back to Alex Cox. After the Universal DMCA notice and subsequent removal of scripts, Mr. Cox contacted me and had this to say:

I am the author of the screenplay REPO MAN. I believe you have received a ‘takedown’ notice from Universal to remove the script. I do not agree with this. I’m very pleased you have my script on your site and would like to see it remain. If you would like to add any other of my scripts, get in touch. You are welcome to post them.

Did I want to immediately repost the script? You bet I did, but what kind of legal ramifications would that cause? I decided to check with Universal. Their response?

Mr. Cox is the author of the Repo Man screenplay; however, his rights to and interests in the screenplay for the film were granted to Universal Pictures, which is the exclusive owner of Repo Man throughout the world in perpetuity, including, without limitation, all copyrights in the film and in the underlying screenplay. Accordingly, Universal stands by its request that you take-down the Repo Man screenplay from your website.

Fair enough, I suppose. The more adept of you might point out that the script is actually available on Alex’s personal website, which is where I’d actually gotten it to begin with. I decided to mention this to Universal and ask if it would be okay to link to the script on Alex’s site, knowing full well what their response would be, but wanting to actually see it in print.

Sure enough, they responded.

Ready for this?

You sure?

It’s disgusting…

Please don’t post the links. I don’t believe Mr. Cox is authorized to post the script on his personal website either.

It’s a sad, sad state of affairs when a screenwriter asks me, nay gives me FULL PERMISSION, to post their script and I can’t because if I did I would get sued by a studio. It’s an even worse state of affairs when you’re told a screenwriter can’t even post their own script on their own website because some legal “expert” somewhere thinks that the screenwriter doesn’t own it.

Why is it again that we want to be a part of this industry?

This correspondence with Universal absolutely disgusted me. It made me physically ill. The only — with a very strong emphasis on the word “only” — thing that gave me any hope afterward was Alex’s response to it:

Sheridan,
Your site is extremely valuable – yesterday I downloaded several scripts including BONNIE AND CLYDE which I’ll use next semester in my screenwriting class (unable to make a living as an independent filmmaker I’m also teaching film at Boulder, CO). You are welcome to download any and all my scripts at

http://alexcox.com/writing.htm

and re-post them. Since you’re doing this for no money as far as I’m concerned it’s obviously FAIR USE and very beneficial to film enthusiasts, students and academics.

The studios, including Universal, are pretty clearly a criminal enterprise, operating an illegal blacklist and functioning as a price-fixing cartel. They actually have legislation which permits them to operate as a cartel abroad (the law is called Webb-Pomerene) but absolutely no right to operate as a cartel domestically. They do so because they’re powerful and have politicians in their pockets. If the cops ever went after them using the RICO statutes the whole studio cartel would collapse like a pack of cards, and individuals like their “litigation counsel” would have to look for honest work.

It’s unlikely that this will happen, but we can dream.

See what I mean about Alex being an amazing guy? After that e-mail I’m an Alex Cox fan for life… and I’m seriously considering moving to Boulder for some film classes.

A couple e-mails later and Alex had this to add:

Univesal are both right and wrong. Right because in many cases writers do cede all their rights to a purchaser, and lose them. Wrong because REPO MAN wasn’t a work for hire, and in three years time all rights to the script will revert to me under an obscure provision of US copyright law. This may be why they haven’t sent me a takedown notice: but it’s disgraceful that your site has been kneecapped in this way. Have you thought about transferring all the material to a server outside the US — in Brazil, perhaps? I know of others who have done this to keep valuable sites alive.

Good luck, and think about a server south of the border. As an academic (!) I found your site very useful and have shared several of those scripts with my students — fair use!

Many thanks,
Alex

See, Alex gets it.

The only reason you’re reading this right now is because of Alex and those few other writers that get it. Otherwise, I would have already pulled the plug on this site, but because of those writers out there that are willing to share their work and their time with us, the aspiring lot, I’m choosing to continue on and persevere and only support the writers/artists/companies that truly deserve my support, and in a way that won’t absolutely disgust or disappoint me any further.

Again, there will be scripts on this site soon, but they will only be scripts that I’ve been given explicit permission to post by the writers themselves.

Yes, that means that there’s going to be far less scripts, but it also means far less headaches for me and, most importantly, no more DMCA notices or lawyers or e-mails or studio cartel stupidity.

If this decision disappoints you, then I apologize. I’m not saying it without a certain degree of disappointment myself. There are still other script sites out there where you might be able to find the script you’re looking for. They’re quickly dwindling, but they’re out there.

On the other hand, if you approve of this decision, then maybe you can help me and this site. Maybe you could show a fellow writer this post. Maybe they’ll want to share their scripts. Then maybe other writers will want to share their scripts, too. And maybe before long, this site will be populated with scripts like it once was, but with legitimate scripts, shared by writers, for writers, without any studio interference. That’s my new dream for this site. Will it happen? I really can’t say. It seems like the writers that “get it” are few and far between these days, but that won’t stop me from hoping for the best.

If it doesn’t happen, then I’m still proud to share the scripts of Alex Cox, Rian Johnson, David Lemon, Matthew Grainger, Craig Mazin, Jeff Lowell, Andy Diggle, Bob DeRosa, Derek Haas, Brian Bird, Gary Young, Kevin Lehane, Matt Manfredi, Dan Fogelman, Brian Koppelman, and J.K. Amalou.

You know… the guys that get it.

At any rate, I’ve removed all 152 scripts. It’s whatever. Here’s what I removed:

Note: List doesn’t include the multiple drafts.

1. (500) Days of Summer
2. 127 Hours
3. 27 Dresses
4. A-Team, The
5. Alien
6. Aliens
7. Alien³
8. Alien: Resurrection
9. All About Eve
10. Avatar
11. AVP: Alien vs Predator
12. Battle for the Planet of the Apes
13. Beneath the Planet of the Apes
14. Big Trouble in Little China II
15. Black Swan
16. Braveheart
17. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
18. Cedar Rapids
19. Cleopatra
20. Conviction
21. Crazy Heart
22. Darjeeling Limited, The
23. Date Night
24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
25. Die Hard
26. Die Hard 2
27. Die Hard with a Vengeance
28. Epic of the Planet of the Apes
29. Fantastic Four
30. Fantastic Mr. Fox
31. Fight Club
32. Flight of the Phoenix
33. Full Monty, The
34. Grapes of Wrath, The
35. Home Alone
36. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
37. How Green Was My Valley
38. Hunt, The: Alien vs Predator
39. Independence Day
40. Jennifer’s Body
41. Joy Ride
42. Jumper
43. Juno
44. Kingdom of Heaven
45. Knight and Day
46. Little Miss Sunshine
47. Live Free or Die Hard
48. Machete
49. Marley & Me
50. Minority Report
51. Monte Carlo
52. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
53. Mr. Popper’s Penguins
54. My Cousin Vinny
55. Napoleon Dynamite
56. Patton
57. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
58. Phone Booth
59. Post Grad
60. Predator
61. Predator 2
62. Predators
63. Princess Bride, The
64. Ramona and Beezus
65. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
66. Road to Perdition
67. Rocky Horror Picture Show, The
68. Sexy Beast
69. Sideways
70. Silver Surfer, The
71. Slumdog Millionaire
72. Tree of Life, The
73. Unstoppable
74. Walk the Line
75. Wall Street
76. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
77. Water for Elephants
78. We Bought a Zoo
79. What Happens in Vegas
80. What’s Your Number?
81. Whip It
82. Win Win
83. Wolverine and the X-Men
84. Wrestler, The
85. X-Files
86. X-Men
87. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
88. X2 (X-Men 2)

Television Shows

1. 24
2. Angel
3. Burn Notice
4. Dollhouse
5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Question is: do you care? If so, what are you going to do about it?

And how do the WGA Separated Rights of individual screenwriters play into all of this? I’d love to get some feedback from actual screenwriters on this one…

Hey, guys. Sheridan here, and I’m really super-excited to announce that I’m currently taking pre-orders for the first ever Official myPDFscripts T-Shirt!

That’s right, now you can tell the world (or maybe just your screenwriting friends) how much you love myPDFscripts by wearing this silk screened, American Apparel 4.3 oz. 100% fine ring-spun combed cotton jersey!

Oh yeah, did I mention they’re silk screened? Just like real shirts. No dodgy fade-after-one-wash-laser-printing here. I accept nothing less than the absolute best quality for these shirts.

How much, you say? They’re only $25 with free shipping to absolutely anywhere in the world! Yep, free shipping.

So, what do I mean when I say I’m currently only taking pre-orders? That means that once a minimum of ten people have placed a pre-order, then the shirts will go to press. The more people that pre-order, the sooner you’ll receive your shirt! So, don’t wait, pre-order today!

Color and Size

Black – Small Black – Medium Black – Large Black – X-Large Black – XX-Large White – Small White – Medium White – Large White – X-Large White – XX-Large

After having a chance to take stock of what I had posted on the site, that list ballooned to 139 scripts with multiple drafts, so, obviously, this lil’ do-si-do wasn’t going to be as quick and easy as the Warner Bros. pother.

At any rate, I’ve removed all 139 scripts. Yes, it pained me. Why? Just look at the list:

Note: This list doesn’t include the multiple drafts.

1. 2 Fast 2 Furious
2. 9
3. Adjustment Bureau, The
4. American Beauty
5. Apollo 13
6. Back to the Future
7. Beautiful Mind, A
8. Being John Malkovich
9. Billy Madison
10. Blue Collar
11. Blues Brothers, The
12. Born on the Fourth of July
13. Break-Up, The
14. Bridesmaids
15. Carlito’s Way
16. Change-Up, The
17. Charlie St. Cloud
18. Charlie Wilson’s War
19. Children of Men
20. Cowboys And Aliens
21. Death Becomes Her
22. Despicable Me
23. Dilemma, The
24. Do the Right Thing
25. Eastern Promises
26. Erin Brockovich
27. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
28. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
29. Farenheit 451
30. Fast & Furious
31. Fast and the Furious, The
32. Field of Dreams
33. Frost/Nixon
34. Funny People
35. Get Him to the Greek
36. Getaway, The
37. Gladiator
38. Green Zone
39. Greenberg
40. Hanna
41. In Bruges
42. Inside Man, The
43. It’s Complicated
44. Jackal, The
45. Jaws
46. Jaws 2
47. Jurassic Park
48. Kids Are All Right, The
49. Kull the Conqueror
50. Larry Crowne
51. Leap Year
52. Lorenzo’s Oil
53. Love Actually
54. Mallrats, The
55. Midnight Run
56. Milk
57. Mummy Returns, The
58. Mummy, The
59. Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
60. Nine
61. On Golden Pond
62. One Day
63. Out of Africa
64. Out of Sight
65. Paul
66. Pianist, The
67. Psycho
68. Public Enemies
69. Repo Man
70. Repo Men
71. Robin Hood
72. Sanctum
73. Scent of a Woman
74. Schindler’s List
75. Scott Pilgrim
76. Sea of Love
77. Searchers, The
78. Sense and Sensibility
79. Serenity
80. Serious Man, A
81. Shakespeare in Love
82. Sin Nombre
83. Soloist, The
84. State of Play
85. Sting, The
86. Sweet Hereafter, The
87. Switch, The
88. Taking Woodstock
89. Thing, The
90. Traffic
91. U-571
92. Uncle Buck
93. Undercover Brother
94. Vertigo
95. Village of the Damned
96. Wanted
97. Waterworld
98. Wolfman, The
99. Your Highness

I don’t think anyone is really going to miss Waterworld, but Back to the Future, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Hanna, On Golden Pond, Out of Africa, Vertigo: those are some great scripts, to name a few.

And it absolutely killed me to remove Walter Hill’s The Getaway. Yes, both drafts. If you’re a frequent visitor, then you should already know why. If not, read this: Writer’s Style: Walter Hill.

What does it hurt for the scripts to be loose in the wild? I’ve had countless conversations with many of you regarding this matter, and, quite matter-of-factly, it’s the studios prerogative to protect their interests. It’s hard to argue with:

And I don’t argue. I just comply. Willfully. Then wonder why I took the time to post those scripts in the first place…

Hey, all. Sheridan here. So, have you cleared your schedule and made plans to attend the 13th Annual Nashville Screenwriters Conference? I sure hope so because, if not, you’re going to be missing out on a whole lot of awesome-ness. Last year, I couldn’t make it because of the day job, but this year I’ll be attending (for the very first time!) along with J.C., who was lucky enough to attend last year’s conference.

Since this is my first year attending, and you may be attending for the first time yourself, I decided to do a little of my own research, ask some questions, and put together this post that covers the need-to-know essentials. Let’s get started!

Who?

The Nashville Screenwriters Conference was inspired and created by the multi-talented Karen Murphy (producer of For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, and This is Spinal Tap), Les Bohem (writer/executive producer of Taken, Dante’s Peak and Daylight), as well as business manager and Nashville businessman, Gary Haber of the Haber Corporation.

Previous panelists of NSC have included industry leaders from a variety of genres including John August (writer of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Go), David Self (writer of Road to Perdition and Thirteen Days), Randall Wallace (writer of Braveheart and Pearl Harbor), Greg Walker (writer and executive producer of Without A Trace) and David Hudgins (writer and executive producer of Friday Night Lights), as well as executives from New Line Cinema, Miramax Films, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, HBO, TNT, Fox, 821Entertainment, UTA, CAA, William Morris, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.

What?

For those of you who still don’t know what the Nashville Screenwriters Conference is, then you should start by visiting their website: nashscreen.com. You can also visit their Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter!

Founded in 1999, the Nashville Screenwriters Conference is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. In its history, the conference has produced many success stories such as music placement within feature films including August Rush, optioned screenplays and scriptwriters that have gone on to produce major television miniseries.

When?

This year the conference is being held May 20 – 22.

Where?

The Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

The hotel is offering reduced room rates for Nashville Screenwriter’s Conference attendees while space allows. Book early to secure the reduced rate of $155/night. Telephone (615) 726-1001 and please reference the Nashville Screenwriters Conference when reserving your room.

Union Station is located at 1001 Broadway in downtown Nashville.

Why?

Do I really have to answer that question? If you’re an aspiring screenwriter, then this conference is for you!

But if you still need convincing, then you can check out this series of articles that J.C. wrote covering a few of last year’s panels to get a better idea of what the conference has to offer:

Nashville Screenwriters Conference: War Stories
Nashville Screenwriters Conference: Who the Hell is Going to Buy My Script?
Nashville Screenwriters Conference: Writing Alone or With a Partner

And you can also check out these great CUT TO: interviews with some of the screenwriters who attended last year as well:

CUT TO: Craig Mazin (Writer/Director/Producer)
CUT TO: Jeff Lowell (Writer/Director/Producer)
CUT TO: Derek Haas (Screenwriter/Novelist/Producer)

Here is what those guys had to say about the conference:

This Year?

Craig, Jeff, and Derek will all be returning this year and they will be joined by (prepare yourself for this list!):

John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Alamo, The Blind Side)
Michael Brandt (Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma, 2 Fast, 2 Furious)
Scott Frank (The Lookout, Minority Report, Out of Sight)
Dave Jordan (Captain America, Iron Man 1&2, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle)
Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise, Something to Talk About, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood)
John Requa & Glenn Ficarra (Bad Santa, I Love You Phillip Morris, Crazy Stupid Love)
Marti Noxon (Fright Night, Mad Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Phil Hay (Clash of the Titans, crazy/beautiful, Aeon Flux)
Matthew Manfredi (Clash of the Titans, crazy/beautiful, Aeon Flux)
Dan Fogelman (Crazy.Stupid.Love., Tangled, Cars)
James Mangold (Walk the Line, Cop Land, 3:10 To Yuma, Knight and Day)
Álvaro Rodriguez (Shorts, Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Hangman’s Daughter)
Julianne Jordan (Hop, Valentine’s Day, Mr & Mrs Smith)
Julia Michels (Sex & The City (1 & 2), The Blind Side, The Devil Wears Prada)
Jojo Villanueva (Arthur, Prom, Something Borrowed)
Malcolm Spellman (Our Family Wedding, Balls Out, Hot Wheels)
Tim Talbott (South Park,The Stanford Prison Experiment, Balls Out)
Anastasia Brown (August Rush, Footloose, Taken)
Alec Berg (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eurotrip)
Michael Shamberg & Stacey Sher (Contagion, Erin Brockovich, Pulp Fiction)
Nancy Pimental (Shameless, The Sweetest Thing, South Park)
Will Akers (the book Your Screenplay Sucks!: 100 Ways to Make It Great)
Les Bohem (Twenty Bucks, Dante’s Peak, Taken)
Donald Zuckerman (The Man From Elysian Fields, Casino Jack, Green Street Hooligans)
Carla Shamberg (Erin Brokovich, Extraordinary Measures, Feeling Minnesota)
Phil Rodak (Vice President, Fox Television Studios, Production Accounting and Finance)

And here’s a rundown of this year’s schedule:

Questions?

Since this is my first year attending and I’m not quite sure of what to expect, I decided to ask J.C. some questions:

Q: What should I pack?

A: Clothes, obviously. Casual is fine, no one is judging you, except me. Seriously, though, it’s very laid back. Jeans and T-shirt are fine. If you want to dress up, go for it. Be that guy.

Q: What should I take to the panels?

A: Depends if you want to actually take anything away from them. You can take a notebook, laptop, whatever note-taking accessory you would like. You by no means have to, but a lot of people are there to try to gain some type of inside knowledge into the industry so it might help you.

Q: Are there handouts or anything of that nature? Should I be prepared to carry something?

A: No. On the first day, when you pick up your pass, you get a T-shirt and a program. This is based on my one year of experience at the con, but I don’t see them upgrading from shirts to fruit baskets, so I think you’d be fine with not bringing a bag.

Q: What question(s) should I NOT ask the panelists?

A: Unfortunately, not everyone attends every panel, so a lot of the same questions are asked to each group of writers. I’m sure there are questions that they don’t like to hear, but I can’t really answer what they are as they do try to answer every question the best they can.

The most popular questions were: “Do I have to live in LA?” and “How do I get IN the business?” Obviously, you can Google these and find the appropriate answers or you can read my round-ups from last year’s panels where I hit home on these two questions. Either way, I look forward to someone asking them at every panel and I mean that with all sarcasm.

Q: I know they have a schedule, but will some panels run overtime?

A: Not unless there is a video that is being shown or something. Most panels are just the panelists giving you a little history about themselves and then they open up into a Q&A format where audience members can ask questions. I only remember one panel running a little over and it was because the panelist was showing clips from films.

Q: Will there be food/snacks/beverages available or should I bring my own?

A: Last year there were tea and water glasses available outside the conference room all day, every day. And there were coolers with Vitamin Water as well. All were available, all were free. This could change from last year, but I would bet they will still, at least, have water available to everyone that attends.

Q: Will I actually get to meet any of the panelists?

A: Yes. Most panelists actually sit in on a lot of the panels as well and when the panels are over you can find them wandering about in the hotel lobby. They love to shake hands and hear you talk about how much better their script was than the final product.

Q: Should I print a hundred copies of my latest screenplay and desperately try to give a copy to every panelist?

A: If you read this question and think, “My God, that’s a brilliant idea!”, then you should probably give up on a writing career.

No, you should not.

These are writers, not agents, not producers (save a few), and also not interested in what you are offering. Most of them seem to enjoy the laid back environment of Nashville, and seem to be happy to be away from L.A. for a weekend. So, yeah, they don’t need you reminding them of it.

I’m Sold! Now What?

All you have to do is register online at nashscreen.com/registration.html and you’re all set!

Also, J.C. and I are tentatively planning the very first myPDFscripts Meet Up, so if you’ll be attending the conference this year, then let us know and maybe we’ll see you there!

Check out more:
Nashville Screenwriters Conference Official Site @ nashscreen.com
Nashville Screenwriters Conference @ Facebook
Nashville Screenwriters Conference @ twitter.com/nashscreen

Take Them Down. Take Them All Down.

As I’ve said before, it’s no fun to check your inbox to find a Cease & Desist or DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) request from a studio, but given what I offer on this site it’s par for the course, so to speak.

Concerning scripts and script reviews, I’ve received enough C&D/DMCA requests that I’m aware of the standard protocol that accompanies them. Each is worded slightly different, but the general idea is the same: immediately refrain from making [insert property name here] available and provide [the requesting law office or individual] with written documentation within X number of days. The Warner Bros. request this week was no different. I’ve been a bit busy as of late and couldn’t remove the scripts from the site immediately, so it was just easier to take the site offline temporarily until I had time to comply with their request.

So, what was their request, exactly? They sent a “non-exhaustive” list of 245 infringing scripts. The list is what one person described as a “blanket list:” a list of properties that, for whatever reason, Warner Bros. is most concerned with at this moment in time (which isn’t to say that they won’t be concerned with other scripts in the future) and will be using when contacting several websites. And regarding the wording of the request and demands, it looks like they’re using a template that will also be used for notifying for-purchase script sites and stores as well:

Given that you’re not standing in a myPDFscripts brick-and-mortar store reading this and I don’t sell scripts, it sure looks like a template to me. Agreed?

If you’re curious which scripts they’re most concerned about currently, I’ve created — for reference — a new No-Post Script Index that lists them. It also lists every other script that I’ve been asked to remove or not post on this site. And, yes, I fully expect that list to grow within the coming months. Possibly exponentially.

Of the 245 scripts named, I had 42 on this site, which, as previously mentioned, have been removed:

1. Accidental Tourist, The
2. All the President’s Men
3. Any Given Sunday
4. Arthur
5. Batman
6. Batman and Robin
7. Batman Forever
8. Batman Returns
9. Battleground
10. Casablanca
11. Clockwork Orange, A
12. Cop Out
13. Dark Knight, The
14. Dennis the Menace
15. Departed, The
16. Designing Woman
17. Dog Day Afternoon
18. Empire of the Sun
19. Gigi
20. Gone With the Wind
21. Goodfellas
22. Goonies, The
23. Gremlins
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1
25. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
26. Informant!, The
27. Million Dollar Baby
28. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
29. Nightmare on Elm Street, A
30. North by Northwest
31. One Way Passage
32. Outlaw Josey Wales, The
33. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
34. Troy
35. U.S. Marshals
36. Unforgiven
37. Valentine’s Day
38. We Are Marshall
39. Wild Wild West
40. Witches of Eastwick, The
41. Woman of the Year
42. World According to Garp, The

Of the 42, the script I hated to remove the most was Unforgiven because that’s such a damn fine script and a great one for aspiring writers to read and study, but what can you do? I also preemptively removed any other screenplay concerning Batman just because it seemed like a good idea.

Plot Summary Say What?

Now, some of you are aware of the fuss I was raising about plot summaries being a violation of copyright earlier this week after receiving this notice. Let me expound on that a little. Several people have attacked my claim of “fair use” on this site. Granted, the gray area created by fair use is weak at best. I’m the first to admit it since getting properly schooled in its ways. I only ever posted the fair use notice because a friend mentioned it might help in some cases. Some. Not all. Some. And as this copyright debacle rages on it will soon be “not any.” So, it’s not as if I’m hiding behind the notice, shielding and justifying everything I do here with it. It’s simply there. And I simply want people to be able to read scripts.

Now, back to the plot summaries. Here’s an excerpt from the request… which I think that can really be considered the building blocks of the destruction of Fair Use:

Interpret that however you like. I think it’s pretty straight forward and gives you an idea of what the future holds. For a bit more commentary on the copyright hoopla you can check this site, which came to my attention this morning: 20th Century Fox vs Patricia McIlvaine, Does 1-10. The site owner, Ian, weighs in on and examines the Fox lawsuit and how and why other studios, like Warner Bros., will follow suit. I don’t entirely agree with everything he says, but he makes some very valid points.

Do We Have a Choice?

So, I’ve just removed 42 Warner Bros. scripts and 25+ other various scripts from this site since it began…

As a student of screenwriting, what are your alternatives?

And that’s the very question that frustrates me most.

This all really reminds me of the mp3/Napster and movie/Torrent arguments that have been around for what seems like ages now. The studios always seem to be behind the technological curves. I mean, what saved the music industry? It certainly wasn’t the music industry itself was it? It was a company called Apple and their device, the iPod, that effectively legitimized mp3s. In the same breath, Apple also legitimized downloading movies. And Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have legitimized streaming films and TV shows. And now Warner’s own Warner Archive Collection has legitimized poor quality, print-on-demand DVD-R films.

So, why can’t I go to iTunes or Amazon and purchase a legitimate PDF of Unforgiven for my PC or Mac or iPhone or iPad or Kindle if I want to? The technology exists: why issue ultimatums without alternatives?

This is the same argument I had with Don Murphy regarding Splice: by offering the screenplay for download, that isn’t officially released in any medium whatsoever, then how am I impeding his revenue as a producer?

I understand that as copyright owners they get to decide how, when, where, and why their works are made available, but if screenplay websites — just like this one — the world over are proving there is a demand for the product, then why wouldn’t a studio take advantage of that? It’s not like we’re asking for nice, perfect-bound versions of each and every script with storyboards and a bunch of extraneous garbage. We could give a s**t. We just want to read the words on the page.

So, Warner Bros., if you don’t approve of what I’m doing here, then legitimize it. Provide an alternative. I’d be more than happy to shell out $1.99 for an instantly-downloadable PDF of Unforgiven. And I’d buy multiple drafts if you had them as well.

And you know, while we’re at it, I just noticed Warner Bros. is the distributor of Point Blank, so can you guys also make Alexander Jacobs’ draft of Point Blank available, too, please? Pretty please?

Why? Because we’re going to exercise a little quality control from the outset. Remember, we like scripts that look like scripts.

So, if you would like us to consider your script for addition to the Amateur Scripts category of our site, then there are 4 steps you will need to complete.

Step 1: Prepare your script.

Features Only

We are only accepting feature-length scripts for now. We may allow short film scripts in the future.

Create Your PDF

We will only accept scripts in PDF format. No exceptions.

This step is pretty simple, actually, since you can print directly to PDF from most current screenwriting programs (i.e. Final Draft, Movie Magic, Celtx, Scrivener).

Title Page

All scripts must contain a title page with the title of the script and a byline.

Simply having the title of the script on the first page won’t do, so that means you Final Draft 7 users will need to find that ever-elusive Document > Title Page option.

WGA and/or Copyright Registration

Also on the title page, all scripts must display a WGAw or WGAe registration number and/or a U.S. Copyright number. No exceptions. You must have one or the other. Or both.

Haven’t registered your script yet? We recommend using the WGAw online registration. It’s quick and painless: http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/

Step 2: Review the Terms of Agreement.

I request that you, myPDFscripts, evaluate said material and consider it for inclusion on your site and by submitting my Script, I understand that it is for consideration only and may not guarantee inclusion.

I am at least eighteen (18) years of age.

I warrant that I (we) am/are the sole owner(s) and author(s) of said material, that I (we) have the exclusive right and authority to submit the same to you upon the terms and conditions stated herein; and that all of the important features of said material are summarized herein. I will indemnify you of and from any and all claims, loss or liability that may be asserted against you or incurred by you, at any time, in connection with said material, or any use thereof.

I acknowledge that it is my (our) responsibility to copyright or register the submission prior to submitting it to you, myPDFscripts, and hereby release you from any claims that arise from my failure to do so.

I recognize that you have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas that may be similar or identical to said material in theme, idea, plot, format, or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by you of such similar or identical material, which may have been independently created by you or have come to you from any other independent source. I also understand that many stories, ideas, and concepts are similar, and that different ideas, stories and concepts frequently relate to one or more common underlying themes and may closely resemble other works.

Notwithstanding any provision herein, I understand and acknowledge and agree that you would have no liability to me for any actual or alleged unauthorized or improper use, plagiarism or appropriation of the Script by any other entity or individual unrelated to you, including any entity or individual who learned of or obtained access to the Script through your efforts. I hereby waive any and all claims whatsoever against you in connection with any misuse, plagiarism, or appropriation of the Script by third parties and I hereby release you from any and all claims, demands, or liabilities that may arise in relation to any claim now or hereafter made by me that any other entity or individual unrelated to you has used, plagiarized, or appropriated the Script, regardless of whether you brought the Script to such other unrelated entity or individual’s attention.

I understand and acknowledge that you do not guarantee that the Script will ever be purchased or will ever be the basis of a motion picture, and I understand and acknowledge that only a small percentage of scripts become the basis for a motion picture.

I understand and acknowledge that you are not obligated to assist me in any way on negotiating the terms with respect to the purchase or the use of the Script if a third party evidences an interest in purchasing or otherwise using the Script.

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to constitute either party a partner, employee, or agent of the other, nor shall either party have authority to bind the other in any respect, it being intended that each party shall remain an independent contractor solely responsible for his or its own actions. Neither party shall be liable under any contracts of the other.

No provisions of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged unless such waiver, modification or discharge is agreed to in writing signed by you and me. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, express or implied, with respect to the subject matter hereof have been made by either party which are not set forth expressly in this Agreement and this Agreement constitutes the entire understanding and agreement between the parties with respect to all matters herein. Either party to this Agreement may assign or license his or its rights hereunder, but such assignment or license shall not relieve such party to his or its obligations hereunder.

I grant you the right to mention my name and the Script on your website or elsewhere, or in any advertisement in any periodical, as evidence of services rendered, without your having an obligation to pay any compensation to me.

I understand that if I wish my script removed from myPDFscripts, I will notify myPDFscripts using the same e-mail address with which I submitted the script and I understand that it may take up to 14 days or more before the script is removed from the site.

I understand that once my script is posted to the site certain third party search engines, such as Google or Yahoo or Bing, may show the Script in search results and may also cache those results. I understand that myPDFscripts has no control over the appearance or removal of my work from those search listings.

By typing my name and submitting the below form I hereby state that I have read and understand this agreement and that no oral representatives of any kind have been made to me, and that this agreement states our entire understanding with reference to the subject matter hereof.

Step 3: Upload your Script.

If you do not see the above dropbox, then you can also e-mail your script to me at info [at] mypdfscripts [dot] net after you complete the Submission Form in the next step.

Step 4: Complete the Submission Form.

*(denotes required field)

First Name: *

Last Name: *

E-Mail Address: *

E-Mail Address again: *

Please enter your E-mail Address a second time.

Script Title: *

Genre: *

WGA Registration Number (if available):

U.S. Copyright Number (if available):

Logline/Synopsis (2 lines max): *

Type your FULL NAME here if you agree to the above terms:

Date:

CAPTCHA Code: *

By now, anyone that visits this site and has read Writer’s Style: Walter Hill knows I’m searching for Alexander Jacobs’ draft of Point Blank. It is, indeed, my single most sought-after script at the moment (with Jacobs’ draft of The Seven-Ups running a close second).

There are, currently, two tangible drafts that I’m aware of, neither of which seem to be the draft I’m searching for. So, to better aid in its search, I’m going to give you the details I’ve gathered in the hopes that, if you know what I know, maybe together we can locate the whereabouts of this holy grail. Just like a real, live Indiana Jones crusade!

Draft #1

The first draft that I became aware of is a non-circulating copy available at the the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library. If you’re an Academy member, I assume, you’re allowed to view items, but not copy, so I’m not sure what version or draft this truly is. Any Academy members willing to help out with this one?

Credits: David & Rafe Newhouse and Alexander Jacobs
Pages: 153
Date: No date.
Link: http://bit.ly/d6y6CD

Draft #2

Credits: Writer: Alexander Jacobs. Previous writers: Rafe and David Newhouse.
Pages: 92
Date: February 13, 1967. Revised through April 17, 1967.
Link: Point Blank

While this draft definitely appears to be a production draft, it is not the draft I’m looking for. Why? Because of these details:

1. On the Point Blank DVD commentary with John Boorman and Steven Soderbergh, Boorman tells an amusing anecdote concerning the script around the 35 minute mark:

When we put the script in, he sent for me, and he had it on his desk, and he said… he picked it up and was sort of slapping it, as though he was trying to punish this script, and he was saying it was only 70 pages long and this is not a script, he said, in any sense that we at MGM know how a script should be. And you’ll have to explain it to me, he said.

The first clue: only 70 pages long.

2. There is an interview with Alexander Jacobs available in Film Quaterly, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Winter 1968 – Winter 1969), pp. 2-14, in which he answers this question (I’ve placed the interesting clues in bold):

How did the script for Point Blank come to be written?

There were three main versions of the script. The first I did during my first stay in Hollywood, in four weeks, and that consisted of writing the script once and then rewriting it completely. I only had four weeks because I was working on a picture in England. John gave me the script that the Newhouses had written, which was a craftsmanlike piece of work but very old-fashioned. And the idea was to make a thriller that was enterprising. What I argued from the beginning was we couldn’t make an Asphalt Jungle, we couldn’t make a Harper, we couldn’t make a Sweet Smell of Success. I thought all those days were over-television had scraped them clean.

We had to do something completely fresh. We wanted to make a film that was a half reel ahead of the audience, that was the whole idea. We made a vow that we’d have no people getting in and out of cars, no shots of car doors opening and closing, unless there was a really important reason. And then I wrote a second version which consisted mainly of long letters from me in England to John in Hollywood, plus long telephone conversations on casting and all sorts of things, and of course letters from John, which were amalgamated into a second-draft script.

And then I went out to San Francisco on the shooting of the picture the first two weeks. The ending and the beginning of the film take place in San Francisco and that’s where we shot. I then wrote a lot more stuff including a completely new ending and a new beginning, some of which was done in script form, some of which was in discussion, and some of which was literally dictated to a girl and rushed out to location as they were shooting. This included the whole idea of using the sightseeing boat as a means of linking the past and the present. I wrote a new ending which wasn’t used. I don’t really agree with the ending in the film at the moment — I think it’s evasive — but that’s the one that was finally shot.

3. In this same interview, it actually shows the opening that Jacobs wrote for the film:

Which we can see is definitely not the opening in the draft available from Between the Covers, which now given the information Jacobs relayed in the interview, their draft seems to be one of the later drafts that he wrote while on set in San Francisco.

And I’m not entirely sure which draft Film Quarterly is quoting, exactly, but I have to assume it’s one of the first two drafts Jacobs wrote based on the interview.

So, now what?

Indeed, now what.

The clincher here is I have no idea which draft Walter Hill is referring to in his interview, but, again, I have to assume it’s probably Jacobs’ first draft: the one he wrote and then rewrote while in Hollywood.

So, there you go. Those are the details I have concerning the Alexander Jacobs draft of Point Blank.

And, yes, myself and Scott Myers are still offering the $200 reward for the first draft. While the version available at Between the Covers is tempting, I’ll close with this quote by Scott on why we want that first draft:

We want the script that Walter Hill read and inspired him to write haiku style. Not something futzed with by a script supervisor.

UPDATE: June 19, 2011 – I have procured a copy of the 92-page draft mentioned above. It is now linked for your perusal. And I’m still very much searching for that 70-page version Boorman has made mention of.

In light of the recent copyright hoopla, I’d like to preface this article by stating this: the article that you’re about to read is why I do what I do; it’s the reason this website exists. My intention isn’t to violate anyone’s rights, it’s to simply educate myself and others. Without this site, and the many, many people that utilize it, I would never have stumbled across the Hard Times screenplay. A script that I can say has single-handedly and radically altered my approach to screenwriting as much as Alexander Jacobs’ Point Blank altered Walter Hill’s. I can only hope that you are — or soon will be — as fascinated and enamored with his style as I am. As you’re about to read, it is, indeed, a revelation. Enjoy.

In my screenplay studies, I’ve noticed that, in regard to overall style, there are usually three different types of writers. Let’s take a closer look as I break them down for you:

EPIC: These are the writers who fill their scripts with so much description and detail that it’s wall-to-wall black on the page. Blocks of text so long you feel like you’re reading a novel rather than what’s supposed to be a screenplay. These writers detail for us the petals of a flower, the pollen on its surface, the minute size of it, how the pollen feels knowing it’s so small, and how it wants to be a towering mighty oak tree, but it’s really just this small, infinitesimal, microscopic bit of pollen with a dream, but maybe someday… someday… All this before we even get to FADE IN! And it becomes such a chore to turn a single page of their 220-pager that it’s like taking out the garbage, or mowing the lawn, or watching Reflections of Evil.

MODERATE: These are your writers who know and abide by the rules. Their flower is a flower and if it’s important they’ll let you know because they write by the book: they dot their i’s and cross their t’s, no more than four lines per action block, with a nice balance between action and dialogue. Their 110-120 page script looks pretty vertical and it’s a pleasant read.

LEAN: Zen masters. F**k the flower. Short. Sparse. Terse. Haiku-like. Details? Just enough; move on. 100 pages, maybe.

There are those who linger and frolic about in the middle ground between two of the three styles, but given the current industry standards regarding formatting, etc., most writers are MODERATEs. Full on EPICs and LEANs are rare, but they do exist. I should make it known now that, all jokes aside, I don’t personally have a problem with any one type of screenwriter. If your scripts are well-written and engaging reads, then I’ll read them, but here’s my two cents: do not be an EPIC writer if you can absolutely help it because if you’re an EPIC writer, then, inevitably, a lot will be lost from script to screen because there’s just so much that has been written that can’t be shown visually. How do I know? Look at the scripts for Cleopatra or Doctor Zhivago and you may start to get an idea of what I’m talking about here.

If you’re a MODERATE writer, then some of what you write will be lost and there may be some additions too, but, for the most part, the majority of what you write will make it to the screen.

If you’re a LEAN writer, well, then, everything you write is making it to the screen, and then some, because you’ve engineered your script in such a way that almost nothing can be taken from it.

Again, lest it be thought otherwise, I am not damning any of these types. If that’s your style, whichever style it may be, and that’s how you choose to write, then write. My goal here isn’t to detract or discourage anyone from writing. I’m simply getting to the point that your style — in a sense — could be determined by how much of your vision you’re willing to surrender to compromise on your story’s journey from script to screen.

My other point, and on a personal level, is that as a screenwriter I much prefer being a LEAN. Part of this is from my own experiences and the learning process I’ve gone through writing and directing my own small projects and realizing that if I write too detailed, like an EPIC, then ultimately I’ll be disappointed with the end result because of the inherent compromises involved, whatever those compromises may be, from minute details to locations to specific dialogue. In short: the less I write, the less that is compromised.

Also, I like short, choppy sentences. I want energy in my words. I want rhythm. I want to surprise and engage the reader. In the words of the late Mystery Man: the less you write, the more they’ll read. And that’s the point: to make people read your script. And in this age of ADHD and thirty-second attention spans, I want my scripts to be a quick read. Maybe so much so, they read it twice. If I’m lucky.

So, obviously, by choosing the zen-like approach to my own screenwriting, it wasn’t long until I found Walter Hill. Considered by many to be the granddaddy pioneer of modern haiku-like screenwriting prose. And, my god, the scripts that he’s written in that style are an absolute revelation in regard to how absolutely, minimally lean a screenplay can actually be.

The Point Blank Effect

Several websites around the web have linked to and shown excerpts from this Film International article entitled Walter Hill: Last Man Standing and, without hesitation, I’m going to join that long list because the wisdom in these words begs to be shared yet again.

Film International: How did you teach yourself screenwriting?

Walter Hill: The usual story – read a lot of scripts, saw every possible movie. Wrote a lot at night. My big problem was finishing – I must’ve written twenty-five first acts – abandon and move on, abandon and move on. This went on about three years. Funny thing, once I was able to finish a script, I was able to make a living at it right away.

Film International: I don’t mean the format so much, I mean the essence of it, as well as the kind of style you preferred. Were you influenced by specific scripts?

Walter Hill: Alex Jacobs’ script of Point Blank (1967) was a revelation. He was a friend (wonderful guy, looked like a pirate, funny and crazy). This revelation came about despite a character flaw of mine. I have always had difficulty being complimentary to people whose work I admire, when face-to-face with them. This is not the norm in Hollywood, where effusiveness is generally a given. Anyway, a mutual friend told Alex how much I admired Point Blank and John Boorman. Alex then very graciously gave me a copy of the script. This was about the time he was doing The Seven-Ups (1973).

Anyway, by now I’d been making a living as a screenwriter for maybe two or three years, and had gotten to the point where I was dissatisfied with the standard form scripts were written in – they just all seemed to be a kind of sub-literary blueprint for shooting a picture, and generally had no personal voice.

Now, he touches on two very good points in that single paragraph. Two points that any aspiring writer should make serious note of.

The first: writing style. He mentions a “standard form.” Does your script look like everyone else’s? Obviously, you don’t want to stray too far from the accepted and conventional screenwriting form, but that doesn’t mean that your script has to be homogenized. You can use the form, but your writing style can — and should be — yours and yours alone.

The second: personal voice. For my thoughts on that, check out the introduction to Writer’s Style.

He goes on:

Walter Hill: Mine were tighter and terser than the average, but I was still working within the industry template and not too happy about it. Alex’s script just knocked me out (not easy to do); it was both playable and literary. Written in a whole different way than the standard format (laconic, elliptical, suggestive rather than explicit, bold in the implied editorial style), I thought Alex’s script was a perfect compliment to the material, hard, tough and smart – my absolute ideals then. So much of the writing that was generally praised inside the business seemed to me soft and vastly overstated – vastly over-sentimental. Then and now. I haven’t changed my opinions about that. But I have changed them about the presentational style.

Anyway, I immediately resolved to try to go in that direction (that Alex had shown), and I worked out my own approach in the next few years. I tried to write in an extremely spare, almost Haiku style. Both stage directions and dialogue. Some of it was a bit pretentious – but at other times I thought it worked pretty well. I now realize a lot this was being a young guy who wanted to throw rocks at windows.

So, reading Point Blank was the artistic turning point for him. If you’re a regular visitor to this site and/or you follow us on Twitter, then you know how much I long to read Jacobs’ draft of Point Blank. I freely admit my desire to do so is solely based on this Film International article, but more than that, that screenplay had such a profound revelatory impact on Hill that it changed his entire writing style forever.

If you take a moment to think about that – how reading one script can alter a writer’s entire process – then I think it’s easy to see how that screenplay has quickly achieved an almost mythic status in my eyes. What words are on those pages, and in what form, that they so thoroughly resonated with and radically revolutionized the very way in which Walter Hill wrote? I want to read it! But, in the same breath, do I really want to read it?

He also makes another very good point: he “resolved to try to go in that direction” and he worked out his “own approach.” This is important because, although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, simply aping a writer’s style won’t get your far.

Anyone remember the gluttony of pop-culture-spouting Tarantino-like writers after the success of Pulp Fiction? Or, more recently, the slew of people attempting to mimic the sharp wit and crunchy dialogue of Diablo Cody?

The lesson here:
DO be inspired.
DO NOT ape and imitate.

The Implementation of Inspiration

Film International: What scripts did you write in that particular style?

Walter Hill: Hard Times (1975) was the first, and I think maybe the best. Alien (1979) – the first draft, then when David and I rewrote it, we left it in that style. The Driver (1978), which I think was the purist script that I ever wrote, and The Warriors (1979). The clean narrative drive of the material and the splash-panel approach to the characters perfectly fit the design I was trying to make work. Of course all this depends on the nature of the material; I don’t think the style would’ve worked at all had I been writing romantic comedies.

Don’t misunderstand his last sentence. What he’s suggesting is that the extreme style that he was utilizing for those specific scripts maybe/possibly/probably wouldn’t translate well to a genre such as romantic comedy, but that’s not to say that a LEAN-like prose wouldn’t work, period, never, at all, because it very well could.

So, just because you’re writing a romantic comedy, that doesn’t mean that you have to alter your writing style to say a MODERATE, or just because you’re writing a historical biography means that you need to adopt an EPIC style.

Your style will work in any genre because, as he mentions, it’s all about how you approach the material.

Hard Times

So, exactly how lean of a style are we talking here? Let’s take a look at the first page of Hard Times and you can judge for yourself.

So, pretty lean, right? But not lean enough for some of you? Don’t worry, it gets leaner… and meaner.

Hard Times was released in 1975. The scripts clocks in at 101 pages, but when you subtract the title page and the quote pages that separate the story into parts, you’re looking at 97 pages.

97 pages, even by today’s standards, is pretty light, but to help illustrate just how light the script was in 1975, take a look at the Academy Award-winning scripts of that year: Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. They clock in at a whopping 140 and 127 pages, respectively. And when you glance through Dog Day Afternoon, you can very quickly discern why it’s 140 pages: long novel-esque action blocks; the mark of an EPIC.

Granted, to compare Dog Day Afternoon and Hard Times as films is a no-brainer. Dog Day is, hands down, the better film in my own opinion, for many reasons that I don’t need to illustrate. But, based solely on the style of the scripts, my money is on Hard Times all the way. Just take a look at the first fight scene:

Chills, man. Chills. That’s what happened as I read this script. How unbelievably lean is that? Can you get leaner? Are you beginning to see just how much you DON’T need to show in your script? Sure, you may be telling your story with a lot of action, which is good, that’s very good, but just how many lines are in your action blocks?

Don’t answer because it doesn’t matter… Walter Hill just kicked your ass one word at a time. I love it.

The Driver

Three years later, in 1978, Walter Hill wrote and directed his next picture: The Driver, which he described above as the “purist script” he ever wrote. Now, what we find here is a revision of his lean style, so it appears that he was still finding and refining his approach. With Hard Times, he separated each line into its own double-spaced action, making the script very open and airy on the page, but with The Driver he formed his action into single-spaced, stanza-like blocks. With the script weighing in at roughly 115 pages, I’m guessing this was borne out of necessity. To separate the lines the way he did in Hard Times would surely have doubled the page count here, if not tripled. But this script is no less tight or terse. Let’s look at the first page (Note: the Scrippets plugin doesn’t like the single-spaced action blocks, so I’ve had to provide screenshots of the pages):

A little more on the first page than Hard Times, right? But it’s a quick read, and that’s what’s important. What I love about this style is he’s giving you the necessary info and quickly moving you down the page, not back and forth across it. This helps give the impression that you’re reading the script faster, turning the page faster, not bogging your reader down in minutiae.

And since this script is called The Driver, we’ve gotta have chase scenes, right? What’s different about how he’s written his chase scenes here, than say Bullitt or a similar film, is his lack of INT and EXT shots. Bullitt carefully walks you through every shot of its famous chase scene [which starts on page 76 of the available script] and, I’ll admit, after a couple pages it gets tedious to continually read from which perspective the action is taking place, when it should all be very seamless. We’re in a chase scene for crying out loud! It should be fast, fast, fast!

Whereas, here, Walter Hill simply leads you through the action with a scene heading of THE POKER CHASE and allows you, the reader, to discover and decide in what sequence the shots should be. Why is this so important? Simple. He’s writing, not directing. Not directly directing, anyway. But if you take note of the way in which he’s chosen to word his action, you’ll find he’s subversively directing: the perspective isn’t blatantly stated, but casually implied. Sneaky, smart, effective.

Although they read fast, the only problem I see with his chase scenes in this script (and this is simply personal preference) is I would have moved the geography of the chase — lines like “long straight” and “four way junction” — from action lines to shots or simple scene headings. Much like he does throughout the rest of the script. That way, it’s still not cluttering the page with INT and EXT shots, but further breaking the action into parts to make it a quicker, faster, easier read.

Alien and The Warriors

The following year saw the release of two Hill films and the final two scripts that he mentions in the above interview: Alien and The Warriors. Here, we can see that he finally cemented his approach to this lyrical haiku-like style by using the single-spaced, stanza-like blocks of action.

What’s interesting regarding his and Giler’s Alien script is in their rewrite. Their original draft seems pretty lean on the page:

But with their rewrite, they opted for a more atmospheric and moody opening, void of the crew, that draws us further into the workings and details of this physical space, while paring the overall length of the action lines further than before.

It’s an interesting look at the process of rewriting, but, also, how we can take what we’ve already written and simplify it further and, at the same time, make it better. I mean, compare how fast your eyes move down this page as compared to the above page. And you’re getting more info from the rewritten page, too!

The Corroboration of Alteration

As I’ve stated, I find it amazing how much of an effect Point Blank had on Walter Hill as a writer. The fact that this entire style you’ve seen was borne out of the reading of a single screenplay boggles the mind. But seeing is believing, and the best example I can use to illustrate the enormity of this impact is with Hill’s scripts for The Getaway.

The first and better-known version of the film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw was released in 1972 and was only Hill’s second screenwriting credit. What you see here is a more traditional, MODERATE approach to the writing:

The second and less-known version of the film came twenty-one years later, in 1993, when Hill decided to revisit the film, which was then directed by Roger Donaldson and starred Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. Here his haiku-like style is firmly in place and should, by now, be instantly recognizable.

The same writer. Two very different styles. Fascinating.

Medium Determines Method?

It’s a style that makes absolute sense when paired with certain projects. In 1992, he and Giler wrote what was going to be an American remake of John Woo’s Hong Kong action-thriller The Killer, which was to also be directed by Hill. Again, when you think about the style of the writing and the nature of the material, it seems a perfect marriage. Sadly, the script remains unproduced, but it’s still a great read.

And, naturally, his drafts of Alien³ are written in the same style.

But, earlier in the above interview, Walter Hill states:

So much of the writing that was generally praised inside the business seemed to me soft and vastly overstated – vastly over-sentimental. Then and now. I haven’t changed my opinions about that. But I have changed them about the presentational style.

And he stays true to that regarding several of his scripts. Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire, and Red Heat — all written during the 80s and the height of his career — appear more MODERATE in style. It’s also worth mentioning that all of these scripts were collaborations with various co-writers, so if the presentational style was altered because of that, I’m unsure, but certainly that aspect of the process had to have an impact.

In the mid-nineties, Hill wrote and directed two films, Wild Bill and Last Man Standing, which take a surprising turn in regard to their writing style: massive blocks of text on the page; much, much more EPIC than anything he had written before. Longer blocks of action than even his scripts from the early 70s, pre-Point Blank.

I can understand the heavy-handed and EPIC, biographic nature of retelling the story of Wild Bill Hickok, but when you consider Last Man Standing (a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo) in which the very premise of the story — a drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town — almost screams to be written in that LEAN, terse, haiku-like prose. Yet, it isn’t. I’m sure you can imagine my disappointment when I cracked open the script and found novel-like paragraphs from the outset. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an engaging read, just not what I was hoping for.

So, why the sudden change-up in his writing style? Especially at this point in his career? Was it due to the time period in which the scripts were written? The intended audience? The nature of the material? He just felt like writing them that way? I guess only Walter Hill really knows… and I’d love to be able to ask him.

Conclusion

It’s been interesting to dissect the evolution of Hill’s screenwriting process and how vastly different his approach has been from script to script. As I’ve mentioned, I’m most taken with his LEAN style. I love it. Hard Times has been the revelation and game-changer for me and definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities and true value of “less is more” on the page. Much like Hill did after reading Point Blank, I’ve already resolved to go in that LEAN direction and find my own approach.

So, if you’re looking to read just one of the scripts I’ve made mention of here, please make it Hard Times. While I don’t think the story itself may be for everyone, the many lessons that can be gleaned from its use of style should be invaluable to any screenwriter. If I were to make my own list of scripts that aspiring screenwriters should read, it would most definitely sit very proudly in the esteemed first slot.

So, fellow screenwriters, what is your writing style? Are you an EPIC having problems getting people to read your 220-pager? Maybe you should rethink your approach and, just for the hell of it, try rewriting it as a LEAN. Who knows, you may surprise yourself and that next reader… who buys it.

And, finally… if anyone has a copy of Alexander Jacob’s Point Blank, I think you’ve figured out by now why I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands.

Why?

Yesterday, at his request, I called Angry Films and spoke to Don regarding the matter of copyright, Splice, and some other screenplays for approximately twenty minutes.

First, he’s actually not a bad guy on the phone. He did try to interrupt me several times, but, ultimately, he did allow me to finish my points of the discussion. I emphasized my desire to have a polite and courteous conversation and by the end our call he was exactly that, for which I was appreciative. He apologized for calling me a pussy, for which I was also appreciative, but he did not apologize for calling me a thief, which is his right and I’m not going to argue that point.

Second, we came to an agreement that was finalized a couple hours ago via e-mail. By choice, I have removed another script that he mentioned during our phone call, and I will not make available any Don Murphy-related scripts in the future.

I’ve also closed the comments for this post because I don’t feel the need for another 120+ comments on the matter. We came to an agreement and, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in this matter.

If you haven’t already read my original post concerning all of this, then you can do that here: http://www.mypdfscripts.com/thelatest/concerning-the-15-million-script-trading-lawsuit

You should also read screenwriter Max Adams’ post concerning this case here: http://celluloidblonde.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/pj-mcilvaine-goliath/.

I was criticized yesterday for not knowing all of the facts concerning this case. Something to which I openly admitted. I didn’t know, but I wanted to know, so I tossed what I did know into the wild and sure enough a lot of knowledge and fact came back fairly quickly. First, I’d like to apologize to P.J. McIlvaine because some of what I did say yesterday wasn’t true, and I don’t want people to think that all of the information that I posted is concrete fact, but was simply the information I had as it was relayed to me at the time. As I said yesterday, secondhand information is unreliable at best.

Because of the article I posted yesterday, I found that all of the currently filed documents concerning this case are available to the public for purchase here: https://www.rfcexpress.com/lawsuit.asp?id=67553. I purchased the files last night for about $8 and I have reviewed them.

You can also view them here for free via the RECAP program: http://www.archive.org/download/gov.uscourts.nyed.311523/gov.uscourts.nyed.311523.1.0.pdf

Now, before we go any further and lest it be thought otherwise, I do not intend for any of the following to appear dismissive, unsympathetic, or negative. I’m simply going to review the facts stated in the Complaint filed by 20th Century Fox. Again, this information is not secondhand and you can purchase this complaint yourself and see exactly what I’m going to be talking about. I’m also going to give my opinion on what this means for the future of EVERY SCREENPLAY WEBSITE CURRENTLY ON THE INTERNET.

So, let’s start at the beginning of the Complaint:

What does “Does 1-10″ mean, exactly? It means that P.J. is not alone in this lawsuit.

Does signify currently unidentifiable individuals whose true identities may or may not be revealed once the Plaintiff (Fox) begins the discovery process. It’s a way of saying “we know there are more people involved.” So, once the discovery process starts, up to 10 more people can be named in this suit. And, if found guilty, will be individually responsible for settling with Fox.

It could mean $15 Million x 11. That’s including P.J.

How does the discovery process work?

In American law, discovery is the pre-trial phase in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the opposing party by means of discovery devices including requests for answers to interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions and depositions. Discovery can be obtained from non-parties using subpoenas. When discovery requests are objected to, the requesting party may seek the assistance of the court by filing a motion to compel discovery.

You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_(law)

More than likely, Fox will subpoena Done Deal Pro and MediaFire (if they haven’t already) in order to discover the IP addresses of its users, which they can then use to trace back to certain individuals. This is exactly what happens in cases concerning pirated music and movies that we’ve all heard and read so much about.

And don’t think Fox won’t add names. Paragraph 6 of the the Complaint reads:

And Paragraph 10 reads:

And Paragraph 19 states:

Paragraph 8 of the Complaint finally touches on the offending scripts:

This lawsuit is why trading or making in development scripts available can be a very, very bad thing. Fox makes their point abundantly clear in Paragraph 12:

Yesterday, I said there are three unspoken rules regarding script websites. These are the same unspoken rules that have allowed sites like Drew’s Script-O-Rama and Simply Scripts to exist for as long as they have. In Drew’s case, fifteen years now. Fifteen years!

The rules, which I actually learned from Don over at Simply Scripts, are simple (and have already been implied):

1. Do not make available a currently in development screenplay.
2. Do not make screenplays available until their respective films are released in theaters or on home video.
3. Respond immediately to studio requests.

But, as we are about to learn rather quickly, Paragraph 8 doesn’t care about the unspoken rules and this is where it gets scary for EVERY screenplay website in general:

Oh. S**t.

They went there.

And, please, before any of you wish to point out that I’m guilty of this, too (much like the gentleman FoxyOne pointed out in the comments of my previous post), stop for a second and listen to me: I KNOW. Yes, I make available several produced screenplays here for free. You don’t have to tell me. You don’t have to remind me. It’s my website. I’m fully aware of that fact. Why? Because it’s a screenplay website. And I am one of many. As I said yesterday, posting produced screenplays up to this moment in time has been an accepted practice. As already noted, Drew’s Script-O-Rama has been doing it for fifteen years.

Now, Paragraph 9 is where all of the current information available to me gets a bit hazy. It states:

And this is what commenter Mary Snow responded with in my previous post:

When her Mediafire account was deleted, PJ contacted Mediafire to ask why. They assured her there was NO PROBLEM on their end, and indicated she had created some sort of glitch on her end. She had back-up of all files and reloaded them. No one at Mediafire told her they were either ordered to take down her account. Or, that some authority had taken down her account.

Obviously, some more information is needed regarding this aspect of the Complaint. Everyone is maintaining the first contact P.J. received from Fox was the delivery of the Complaint. But, as it reads, Fox attempted some form of contact prior to that. Were they responsible for the deletion of her MediaFire account? It would appear so, but due to the ambiguous nature of Paragraph 9, nothing is overtly evident. And from Ms. Snow’s account, MediaFire denied any knowledge as to why her account was deleted.

But here’s the kicker: it doesn’t actually matter because I’ve now learned that the studios (or anyone for that matter) are not obligated, by law or otherwise, to send a Cease & Desist notice first. In most cases, they simply do that as a courtesy. So, in a court of law, it does not matter that P.J. wasn’t notified prior to the delivery of the lawsuit. If Fox’s first contact was the delivery of the Complaint, then that is their legal right.

What does Fox want? In Paragraph 22 it is stated:

But that directly contradicts the previous paragraph, 21, which does attach a dollar amount to each offense:

There are 79 scripts listed in the Appendix.

79 x $150,000 = $11,850,000

Now, this is just the Complaint. Nothing has been decided in a court of law, yet. This suit could eventually be dismissed or overturned or settled out of court. A Complaint doesn’t prove P.J. is guilty, and I’m certainly not stating that she is guilty of anything. This Complaint just states what Fox believes to be fact and what they feel can be proved in a courtroom based on laws and precedents previously set.

So, why am I interested in this case? Because I’ve often wondered how Copyright laws play in to what we do, exactly, which is share scripts. I’ve never been able to get a concrete answer from anyone regarding the legalities because so many gray areas exist.

What gray areas?

Let’s say I purchase a published screenplay in book form. Inception, for example. Now, I own that book, right? I paid for it, so it’s mine. But there’s a catch: I don’t actually own the words on the page. Christopher Nolan does. So if I sell that book to my friend, am I then in violation of a copyright law because I’ve sold and profited from something that does not actually belong to me, but legally belongs to Christopher Nolan? Aren’t all book resellers in violation of copyright law, then?

Yesterday I asked how sites such as The Script Shack, Script City, Script Fly, Script House, and Planet Mega Mall manage to legally do what they do?

I received an answer:

They make money off copyrighted materials, and it’s wholly and completely illegal. What they and other script sellers do is wholesale theft and profiteering.

Until a script seller contacts me and proves to the contrary, I’m going to have to believe that statement is true.

So let’s take the scripts that have been named in this Complaint and see who has what currently available.

Sites where you can purchase screenplays:

BC = Book City: http://www.bookcity.net
PM = Planet MegaMall: http://planetmegamall.com/screenplays/screenplays.html
SC = Script City: http://www.scriptcity.com
SF = Script Fly: http://www.scriptfly.com
SH = Script House: http://www.scripthouse.com
TSS = The Script Shack: http://www.scriptshack.com

Sites where you can download screenplays for free:

AF = Awesome Film: http://www.awesomefilm.com
SoR = Drew’s Script-O-Rama: http://www.script-o-rama.com
IMSDb = Internet Movie Screenplay Database: http://www.imsdb.com
SS = Simply Scripts: http://www.simplyscripts.com
MyPDF = myPDFscripts: You’re here.

The scripts not marked are because I wasn’t sure what they actually were, nor could I find relevant info for them. Also, I’d prefer not to talk about how long it took me to create that table.

So, what are you looking at in that table? A combined 325 counts of copyright infringement based on the way this lawsuit has been presented.

325 x $150,000 = $48,750,000

As I stated yesterday, if Fox wins this lawsuit it sets a difficult precedent that endangers the future of every screenplay website currently online. Especially if other studios follow suit. If you try to return to this site tomorrow and it’s not here… you’ll know why.

Please Note: I am NOT aware of all of the facts concerning this issue, but I felt that I should address it due to the volume of inquiries I was receiving about the future of this website.

For those of you who aren’t currently aware, this appeared online this morning:

A Long Island screenwriter was slapped with a $15 million federal lawsuit for posting 20th Century Fox movie scripts on the Internet — including a major comic-book flick still in the works, court papers say.
Patricia McIlvaine, of Mount Sinai, said she maintains a script database that she was using to help educate other screenwriters.

Fox, owned by The Post’s parent company, News Corp., declined comment.

You can find that article here: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/web_script_uit_QGbPfYJSNMSsmTm0RIGphL

After reading the article I tweeted this through our Twitter account:

This is why we respond immediately to studio removal requests and DO NOT post/trade in development scripts…

I should probably have sat down then and typed this response instead of limiting myself to 140 characters on Twitter because I did not intend for that to sound dismissive, unsympathetic, or in anyway negative. I get several requests monthly for in development scripts and I simply wanted to point out that this is the very reason why I do not trade or respond to those requests. Also, some people have voiced concerns over my removal of scripts and script reviews from the site after receiving requests from a studio or producer. Again, this is why.

Creating and maintaining this website is a continual learning process. And, because of it, I’ve learned that there are certain unspoken rules regarding script websites. These are the same unspoken rules that have allowed sites like Drew’s Script-O-Rama and Simply Scripts to exist for as long as they have. In Drew’s case, fifteen years now. Fifteen years!

The rules, which I actually learned from Don over at Simply Scripts, are simple (and have already been implied):

1. Do not make available a currently in development screenplay.
2. Do not make screenplays available until their respective films are released in theaters or on home video.
3. Respond immediately to studio requests.

Now, someone has posed to me a series of questions concerning all of this that I feel raise very valid points, and rather than respond to them privately, I’d like respond to them here, publicly, so that some light can be shed on the matter.

First, regarding the removal of scripts and script reviews from this site; specifically, our recent review of Deadpool, this person states:

Please don’t remove the review. As long as you don’t quote the script, you can certainly write about it all you want. It sets a dangerous precendent for journalists. I understand you want to keep the studios happy, but this goes too far.

Script reviews are an iffy proposition these days as Christopher Eads (aka Carson Reeves) of ScriptShadow has made it a dangerous avenue in which to tread. Much like Roy Scheider “chumming s**t” into JAWS-infested waters.

I personally read every script review before it’s posted. And in a couple of cases, I’ve posted my own script reviews. It’s an easy subject to be torn on. Once I read John August’s and Craig Mazin’s view on the matter and also had the chance to chat with several other writers via our CUT TO: interviews, it became clear quite quickly how disrespectful it can be to the writer themselves to post a review of their in development script. As an aspiring writer myself, I can certainly understand the logic. We all should.

Like Craig Mazin has stated:

Here’s my problem. Here’s my one single problem. Sometimes, Scriptshadow posts reviews of screenplays that are in development.

So?

THE SCRIPTS ARE NOT DONE.

Let me repeat that.

THE SCRIPTS…ARE NOT DONE.

You would think writers would understand. And yet, so many don’t get it. When we write a draft, it’s a draft. It’s an attempt. We may find it absolutely awful and horrifying, and yet necessary as a basis for the next draft, which will be good. We may be writing the draft to address notes we think are completely misguided, with the optimistic (and often rewarded) belief that once the note-givers read the draft, they’ll finally see the light. We may be writing the draft to race a deadline, and we’ll fix it after. We may be writing the draft for an actor who is hopelessly miscast, and once that actor is gone, we can do it right.

And yes, of course, maybe we just stink, and this one isn’t very good.

Yet.

But on the other hand, sometimes I feel compelled to post a script review in the hopes that a single voice may be heard for a purpose. Yes, I thought long and hard about posting my review of Chad St. John’s script, Motor City, based on everything stated in the above paragraphs, but dammit, I love that script so much that it thoroughly pisses me off to even think someone asked for a version with more dialogue. The purpose of my review? It’s f*****g brilliant as-is! Please, make this film!

In the case of the Deadpool review, I’m a comic book fan from way back. I spent my fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years creating my own comic books when I probably should have been focusing a little harder on math. During my ninth and tenth grade years, I could be seen carrying the latest issue of Wizard: The Guide to Comics with me everywhere. I was, undoubtably, a comic book geek. And, as evidenced by the several graphic novels and trade paperbacks sitting on the shelf behind me, I still am. And no one could be happier than me that comic books have hit the mainstream in a big way and good comic book films are finally getting made.

So, why post the review? Because, sadly, s****y comic book films are being made, too. Still. And, God help me, I do not want to see another s****y comic book-adapted property if I can absolutely help it. I agreed with some things Matthew Klekner said in his review, so I posted it.

Now, why did I remove the Deadpool review? Very simply, because I received this from Fox:

To Whom It May Concern:

We are writing concerning the recent review of the Fox film project Deadpool (the “Film”) which was published on the MyPDFScripts website at http://www.mypdfscripts.com/scriptreviews/matthew-klekner-reviews-deadpool.

While we appreciate your interest in the Film and your enjoyment of the script, the Film is a confidential project in development. Your purported review provides important qualitative details about character, plot, setting and mood, thereby violating Fox’s rights in and to the copyrights to the screenplay. As you are likely aware, copyright law protects an author’s right of first publication. Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises, 471 U.S. 539, 554-55 (1985). Fox therefore demands that you immediately remove and not re-publish your “review,” in whole or part.

The review is harmful to Fox and to the filmmakers hard at work on the project. Disclosure of uncontrolled information about the Film prior to its release diminishes the value of Fox’s rights in the Film and deprives the filmmakers of the opportunity to present the film to the public the way they intended. It also spoils the theater experience for fans who do not want to know even the rough storyline beforehand.

The Film and its screenplay are confidential. The script you reviewed is Fox’s property, and we consider copies of the script disseminated outside the development process to be stolen property.

Please confirm in writing upon your receipt of this letter that you have removed the infringing material.

This letter is without prejudice to any of Fox’s rights and remedies, all of which are expressly reserved.

For those of you who have never received a Cease & Desist notice from a studio, that’s what they look like. Each studio has their own version, of course, but they’re always pretty cut and dry and they’re not much fun to find in your inbox. Especially the bit about stolen property. It does sort of make you feel like a criminal.

At the end of the day it’s not how I personally feel about the Deadpool script or how big of a comic book geek I may be or how much I enjoy screenwriting. It’s about the legalities of what I’ve done. Legalities that are hard to argue with. Legalities that trump everything. And that’s why I removed the script review because it doesn’t matter what I think… they didn’t ask for my opinion, I’m not an active part of the development process, and they’re not really concerned with little ol’ me until it comes time for me to visit the local cinema and vote with my dollar.

So, then, is it fair that sites like io9 get to keep their review of the script online? Certainly, I have an opinion, but, ultimately, it’s not for me to decide.

Will I republish Mr. Klekner’s review? Certainly not. As I mentioned, the above notice from Fox is pretty cut and dry.

Moving on, and back to the scripts themselves, this person continues:

You have no problem retweeting a ‘sale’ by The Script Shack?

No, I don’t. Their $5.99 a script Black Friday sale is pretty damn good, considering you’ll usually pay $15 for a script, which I have done several times at different places around the internet.

And while we’re on the subject of scripts and copyrights, how do sites like The Script Shack, Script City, Script Fly, Script House, and Planet Mega Mall manage to legally do what they do?

No one has ever explained to me how their system of reprinting and selling scripts is actually legal.

Anyone?

Do you think the ‘fair use’ section of your website could also apply to her library?

Yes and no.

But it’s a delicate balance on a tight rope because it goes back to the unspoken rules of script websites, which she clearly violated by making available to the public several hundred in development scripts. And she also didn’t have a “fair use” notice posted. Granted, that shouldn’t matter much, but it does help.

Also, I have a clear and direct form of contact available on this site for communication with me. There is nothing like that available on a MediaFire page, which is what she was using.

Did Fox send her a cease and desist request? No, they didn’t. The very first time they contacted her was the lawsuit.

I’m not wholly aware of the entire course of events, but I do believe that her MediaFire account was deleted first. She then reposted all of the scripts, which subsequently resulted in the $15 Million lawsuit.

She was using an assumed online identity on a public forum and, again, I don’t believe there was anyway for the studio to contact her directly. Perhaps had there been, then this entire thing could have been avoided.

UPDATE: The commenter Mary Snow (seen below) has provided the following information:

When her Mediafire account was deleted, PJ contacted Mediafire to ask why. They assured her there was NO PROBLEM on their end, and indicated she had created some sort of glitch on her end. She had back-up of all files and reloaded them. No one at Mediafire told her they were either ordered to take down her account. Or, that some authority had taken down her account.

As for her identity — her profile on the message board you refer to has her email address which includes her surname. It still does as of today. Everyone knew her real name. Anyone could email her. Strange that this email address was spammed with a couple 1000 emails, and the provate messages in her message board account was hacked, a couple of weeks before private security showed up at her home to serve her with the lawsuit. Who did this? It would seem either Fox or their investigators may have before filing the suit. They clearly had plenty of opportunity to send a cease & desist letter.

I’m not a member of Done Deal Pro, so I wasn’t aware of the facts about her account. And as I have stated, I’m not aware of many of the details because all of the information I’ve received has been secondhand. Admittedly, secondhand is unreliable, at best. Again, I am addressing this issue simply due to the volume of inquiries I have received.

If you don’t post scripts that are currently in development, then what is your ‘unproduced’ section?

Our unproduced section is for screenplays that are currently NOT in active development or production.

I mean, I think we can all agree that Lem Dobb’s Edward Ford isn’t getting made any time soon.

How do I know? I don’t exactly. But by keeping an eye on the trades, industry websites, magazines, IMDb and friendly notifications from others I can usually discern fairly quickly if a long-unproduced script has finally clawed its way out of development hell. At which time I promptly remove it from the site.

This is a scare tactic by Fox, meant to make an example out of her. This message is meant for every script site online.

Agreed.

And not just every script site, but every script trader currently loose in the wild at this very moment. And if you look around the web today, you’ll find that the majority of the various sites featuring script trading lists have disappeared, so the message has obviously been received and understood.

You shouldn’t point fingers at others so quickly, especially someone as altruistic as this screenwriter that’s being sued. In short, you should find sympathy for someone who does exactly what you do and who does it for the same reasons you do.

I’m not pointing fingers and I do sympathize with her situation. It would not be a pleasurable experience, by any means, to wake up to a $15 Million lawsuit. Who wants that?

And, yes, we do the same thing: we share scripts, but I have self-imposed restrictions on exactly what I share, how I share it, and I abide by the three unspoken script rules. As does almost every other script website online (i.e. IMSDb, Screenplays for You, ScriptCrawler, The Daily Script, The Weekly Script, Horror Lair, Movie Page, Awesome Film, Comic Book Script Archive, etc.)

So, what lesson is to be learned from all of this? DO NOT publicly trade in development scripts. If you do, you risk becoming the catalyst of a major script leak. And a major script leak could result in a major lawsuit.

I also empathize with aspiring writers. I’m one myself. But is reading the most recent draft of that hot in development script really worth the potential legal hoopla? I don’t think so.

And, yes, I know that she was also cited for having several hundred produced screenplays as well. To that, I’m not sure what to say, exactly… because every website I’ve previously listed, including this site, is guilty of that very act. Up to this moment in time, that has been an accepted practice, but maybe the tides are turning. This lawsuit sets a difficult precedent, especially if decided in Fox’s favor on all counts.

Without any clear answers, the questions are quite difficult. Perhaps tomorrow this site will cease to exist. Perhaps every script website online will soon cease to exist. Perhaps publicly accessible screenplays, whether for free or purchase, will soon become a thing of the past.

Remember, legalities trump everything.

UPDATE: I’ve been asked to alter and paraphrase the questions posed to me due to privacy concerns raised by the individual who originally asked them. I have complied with that request.

I have also added details to the article as they have become known or available.

UPDATE 2: All files concerning this case can be found online here: https://www.rfcexpress.com/lawsuit.asp?id=67553

I have purchased the files and I am currently reviewing them.

UPDATE 3: After reviewing the Complaint, my continued thoughts concerning this case seemed a little too much to add to this already overly long post, so you can read part two here: http://www.mypdfscripts.com/thelatest/concerning-the-15-million-script-trading-lawsuit-pt-2

Recently, I was reading about the National Film Registry, which many of you may know is the United States National Film Preservation Board‘s selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. Every year since 1989, they have chosen up to 25 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films,” showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation.

All of their preservation business got me to thinking about the preservation of scripts, which then led me to thinking about what scripts other people would choose to preserve if given the opportunity, which then led me to the thought, “Hey! Why not ask them?” And that in turn led me to wonder how I could include it as a feature on the site, which led to another thought, “Hey! That Seven Scripts feature is pretty popular, why not that?”

So here’s what I’ve come up with: let’s take the end product of a screenplay – a produced film – completely out of the picture and just look at screenwriting as an art form in and unto itself. Now think about all of the scripts that you’ve ever read, either produced or unproduced, doesn’t matter. Compiling a list already? Great. Now, think about which of those scripts, exactly, you feel are not only culturally or historically significant, but are also the best representations of screenwriting as an art form. The quintessential reads. The best of the best. The crème de la crème. The uberscriptabulous screenplays of all-time. The– you get the idea…

Narrowing that list down? Good, because now picture that you have a time capsule that can only contain seven of those scripts. Just seven. Which seven scripts would you choose, from all of the scripts that you’ve ever read, to be placed in said hypothetical time capsule to be preserved for the yet-to-be screenwriters of our future generations?

You game? Sweet! All you have to do is fill out the form below with your seven script choices. Remember, you can choose any seven scripts ever written: produced or unproduced. And, no, you are not limited to the scripts that are listed on this site. You also have the option to explain why you’re choosing each script.

Again, why you are choosing it is optional, but if you choose to include your thoughts, please be a little more detailed than, “Because it rocks!” I’m looking for reasons a little more specific because I’d like to include the best or most interesting comments from your submissions once the final seven scripts have been decided. To help you out, try to give an explanation as to why someone should read the screenplays you’re choosing. How did they effect you? Change you? Teach you? Wow you? Capiche?

Ready? You sure? Okay, go! You’ve only got until January 31, 2010 March 31, 2010 December 18, 2010, to submit your choices!

UPDATE: Now that the traffic to the site has increased over the year, I’ve decided to post this article again in the hopes that I’ll get better script choice submissions.

*(denotes required field)

Name:*

E-Mail Address:*

E-Mail Address again:*

Please enter your E-mail Address a second time.

Subject:*

Message:*

CAPTCHA Code:*

Powered by Fast Secure Contact Form

But with a pro there is a con and, by far, the largest complaint I get from script readers is being sent to SendSpace to download the scripts. Some people don’t get it, they get confused, they purchase SendSpace Pro accounts when they don’t need to, and some people storm off in frustration without ever downloading the script they want.

While others of you use it with no problems, but do agree that it’s a ginormu-pain to navigate away from the website to download the scripts.

The resounding question as of late has been: can it be easier, faster, simpler?

The answer is… yes. Yes, it can.

How? Well, it’s start with you. I’m taking donations to raise $70 for one year of direct downloading capabilities, and you can help us reach that goal by making a donation via PayPal using this ChipIn! Widget:

So, what will direct downloading do, exactly? It will eliminate the need to navigate away from this site. You will no longer have to look at those ugly SendSpace pages, and your downloads will start automatically. That’s right. Just one click, instead of two or three or four. Easier, faster, simpler.

UPDATE:

Four generous contributors have helped us reach our goal of $70 for one year of direct downloads! Join me in thanking them! Thanks guys!

Now what? Over the next couple weeks (hopefully) I will be converting all of the linked scripts currently available on the site (which is just over 1400 at the moment) to the new direct download system.

Please be patient with me, as this will take some time because I’ll more than likely be doing it all by myself. Guess I better put some coffee on to brew…

Hey all, J.C. again with another article covering the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. This article is about the “Writing Alone or With a Partner: How to Make it Work” panel. It was moderated by Craig Mazin with guests Jeff Lowell, Malcolm Spellman, Phil Hay, Rita Hsiao, and John Lee Hancock. There was a lot of great content during this panel. I tried to hit the main points that would be of interest to young writers that aren’t sure about writing with a partner or not.

Mazin was quick to say during introductions that the theRobotard8000© wasn’t getting anything from Balls Out until he told them to put it on the Internet and everything that’s good that has happened is because of him.

Craig Mazin: “There are things that are universal and relate to everyone and one of them is the monumental decision of whether to write with a partner or not. I was in a bad partnership [with a] good guy. We were writing together because it seemed like a good, safe thing to do. And as it turns out, it was not. It was neither. I had five tough years where I was working with a partner and then just like in a marriage there was property to divide, money, so many issues and, of course, fear of totally being on your own.”

Mazin asked Phil Hay: Is there a type of writer who ought to be in a partnership and why? Hay: “Well, I’m not sure there is a type of writer who ought to be in a partnership, I know for me it always made sense because I think there is two types of writing partners. One is: oh, we are friends and we do improv comedy together, but we are like brothers and we have similar strengths and weaknesses. And then the other type of writing partner is where they may be very different, but they compliment each other either in their approach to writing. Ours [Hay’s writing partner is Matt Manfredi] always seemed very natural. There is nothing that I write that I think he wouldn’t be great on or a great part of. My biggest piece of advice is, if you are looking for a partner and you feel like that relationship might be useful to you, you really have to be careful and really choose carefully because in success you are stuck together.“

Jeff Lowell added, “I worked in TV for a while and worked with many teams, and as an observer of teams I saw a third kind of team, which was a really good writer who’s shy which isn’t an unusual thing about writers. They would hook up with a writer who was great in meetings but a s****y writer and make a great team. One person is great, one person talked to much. If you’re shy and thinking that person is a go-getter and great, just learn to do that, [but] don’t hook up with that person.”

John Lee Hancock: “I tried once to write with someone and it didn’t go well. Again, no fault of personality or anything, it’s just, I think, for me… I tend to be a bit of a people-pleaser and if I’m working with someone I admire I tend to not take chances. “

Jeff Lowell: “I have done it twice with two different people and both times it was really great friends of mine and it was like, “Let’s write a movie together this will be fabulous!” and both times it ended the friendship. I don’t talk to either of those people anymore. It ended badly. I worked in TV a lot and I’m a good chief, but I found in a partnership I was a very bad partner because to me every word in the screenplay could be mine and I found whenever my partner would put something in I didn’t like, I would be the dick and say, “I don’t want someone to read that and think that it was mine, so we can’t do that and you can see why I was difficult to work with.”

Mazin made a great point about writing with another writer or just writing with someone you are friends with: “If you’re going to have a writing partner you have to want to write with them because of who they are as a writer. “

Mazin asked Malcolm Spellman how he and his theRobotard8000 co-writer get through their arguments: “We gotta stop, all the time and it happens all the time. First off, me and Tim both mostly write alone and we just met recently and started this team so that has been an interesting dance to try and figure out how two people can do that. I wrote a scene first, gave it to Tim and he re-wrote the whole thing and I said “F**k You, dude. We’re never doing that again.”

He continued, “We have such different personalities, I tend to be much more thoughtful up to a point, and then more nuclear. Tim can stay simmering the whole time, so when he gets to the point where he says, “No, dude, the way I wrote it.” And he’ll never say s**t like, “The way I wrote it is better than the way you wrote it,” but I’ll say, “Tim, I’ll f*****g kill you. I’m serious, dude, don’t talk to me like that.”

Mazin asked how he deals with wasting all his energy on fights instead of writing. Spellman: “Yes, and it’s all his fault. We do lose a lot of time. It’s a special relationship because we both have other projects to fall back on.“ And then how to move past the fighting: “Number one thing is trust. I do think that most writers would benefit from working with other writers, but the personalities make it impossible. “

Mazin asked Phil Hay how he and Manfredi divide up the writing duties, as in does one specialize in dialogue and characters and the other at story. “I think we started so early as a team and found our voice together… there is no such thing as Matt and Phil, it’s just we. We can write almost the same scene. There is so much trust. Like Malcolm said, trust is the bottom line. I genuinely think that both of us think that the other is the better writer.” How touching.

Mazin asked Rita Hsiao, “I am fascinated by the thought of the writing teams that are married couples. Have you ever thought that you and Paul?” To which she responded, “No. When I give notes I’m really honest and I don’t think it would be good for marriage to give those notes.”

Spellman added, ”I tried writing with my wife once. By page 15 she was telling me, ‘You are a terrible writer.’” To which Mazin quickly quipped, “Compared to her you are.” FYI: It’s debatable but the facts don’t lie.

The topic of how Hollywood sees you if you are a writing team came up as well and it’s not a great thing to read, but it’s the truth. Spellman: “If you break in as a team, you are with that person, and if you think it might not work out, it probably won’t work out.” Mazin added, “I can tell you from my own personal experience that when my partnership broke up we had done fairly well, we had a couple movies made, we had a quote that was our price [we received] and we were an entity. Then, when we broke up, it was very scary six or seven months because the feeling is that one of you is the one and one of you is the not one. And nobody wants to hire the not one.“

The panel was also asked if a solo writer ever get notes and feedback from individuals who then want credit on their script. Mazin replied, “Writing with a partner is a business arrangement, so the one thing you have to be careful about is suddenly picking up an unwanted business partner that you didn’t have before. We are creating intellectual property. This is a real thing that I have possession of that has value. If you don’t want a business partner, then let them know right away: I’m looking for advice, not writing.“

Check out more:
Photos courtesy Kelly J. Parsons @ Kellyjparsons.com
Nashville Screenwriters Conference @ nashscreen.com
The Robotard 8000 (Tim Talbott and Malcolm Spellman) @ therobotard8000.com
Contact J.C. @ E-mail

Hey all, J.C. here again with Round Two of my coverage and thoughts from the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. The second panel I will be discussing is the panel Derek Haas hosted with guests Jeff Lowell, Malcolm Spellman, and Tim Talbott.

The panel was titled, “Who the Hell is Going to Buy My Script?” And subtitled, “What the Studio World, Indie World, and Television World are looking for from Spec Writers.” I don’t think either of those topics were hit dead-on, but there was still some interesting and fun discussions with each of these guys.

The panel opened with Haas introducing each of his panelists. I was quite happy with the loud ovation that Balls Out got when he mentioned it. It’s nice that there are others out there who get it and also have my odd sense of humor.

Each of the panelists got their start with spec scripts. Jeff Lowell has sold a few specs over the last five years and had this to say about why he does specs: “I write specs because I find that once you break in, people forget you have a voice.” Lowell got his start in television by writing specs of existing shows and sending them to everyone that he could. Finally, with his thirteenth or fourteenth spec, he got in the door. Haas said of selling specs, “Most of us started with a spec sale and I still think that’s the main way to get in.”

Tim Talbott took an idea from a college film he did and worked it into a feature that eventually led to an agent. He and Spellman also talked about the genesis of why they went viral with Balls Out: they had no other choice. “All four of our reps said no.” Talbott added, “My manager said that we can’t send this out with our cover on it because it will damage our reputation around town.” They eventually parted ways with certain reps and found new ones that would take a chance on Balls Out.

Talbott then went on to add that the script for Balls Out has now been downloaded over 30,000 times and has led to a lot of opportunities for the pair even though the script hasn’t sold. Not only that, but Balls Out is the only script released exclusively to the internet first to make the coveted Black List.

Which brings up the next topic that a lot of up-and-coming writers think: “I have to sell a script to be a writer.” Everyone of the panelists discussed how this train of thought isn’t good for you. Talbott, in the case of Balls Out, had this to say: “There is a lot of value to a spec even if it doesn’t sell. As of right now Balls Out hasn’t sold but we’ve met with everyone in town.”

Lowell had a similar story about a spec that didn’t sell, but got him a lot of attention: “I wrote a black comedy, [it didn't] sell. About Hollywood, [it didn't] sell. And in the span of a few months I had 15 meetings. All the meetings started the same way, “Hilarious script, we’ll never make it. What else do you have?” As most of you out there know: getting a foot in the door is the hardest part, so even if your script doesn’t sell, you have gotten further than a lot of writers have.

And then there is also always the fact that, in most instances, you can reclaim the rights to your script. This is what happened with Haas and Brandt’s spec script, The Double, from pitch to the screen. The first time they took out The Double, they took it out as a pitch and Haas stated that it lasted one pitch. “It was with a producer who was an older guy and we meet outside the office and he tells us, ‘Guys, I might fall asleep during this pitch.’ So we get in there, we’re on the edge of our seats, we always try to pitch with energy, and we look over and he’s asleep! Needless to say it didn’t go well and we fired him as a producer and eight years later we’re making it without him.”

For whatever reason [MGM] decided they weren’t going to make it and there’s this nifty thing that the Writers Guild has called reversal rights. We got paid very little at the time. Then you can get another production company to come in and pay the same amount to get the rights back. We got the rights back, Richard Gere [signed on] and with that we got the financing and are making it as an indie. It’s a fifteen million dollar spy thriller and studios don’t make 15 million dollar spy thrillers.”

Later, another interesting topic was brought up: being typecast as a writer. Haas talked about how in Hollywood everyone is put in a box. If your spec is comedy, then they only want you to write comedy. Spellman talked about how he had to prove he could write other genres, “I’ve had to re-invent my career two times and both times it was with a spec. I got put in a box, which is typical in Hollywood, then that genre died so I had to write something else. The spec that got me Hot Wheels is another script that will never get made.”

Oh yeah, if you didn’t know, Malcolm Spellman is writing the new Hot Wheels movie for Warner Bros. He is also working on a feature with Jamie Foxx.

So, then, do you have to write something commercial to get noticed by agents or anyone in Hollywood? I personally believe that you should just write whatever comes natural to you and you feel good about. Here are Spellman’s thoughts on the matter, “I spent 2 years working on a script that I thought would fit the market. Every time I’ve done something it’s been something that doesn’t fit. Writing for the market has never worked for me.” And Haas gave his advice as well, “You just have to write something really good that shows your voice.” He went on to add, “A lot of times writers say [readers] didn’t get it, but it’s not that they didn’t get it, it’s that the storytelling isn’t good enough.”

A good way to help hone your storytelling skills is simply by watching movies and reading scripts or hell, even plays for that matter. Haas told a story about inspiration when it comes to writing, “I’m always fascinated when I hear that people want to be screenwriters, but they don’t watch movies or television. It’s your job and if you’re too good to watch them, then I don’t see how you can be a successful filmmaker because so much of what you see might trigger another idea. I was on a panel with the guys who wrote The Hangover and I asked them, ‘Did you guys go to Vegas and one of your buddies got knocked out and then you came up with this plot?’ And they were like, ‘No, we were watching Dude, Where’s My Car and thought: this thing’s s****y!’”

Here is a couple more questions that were asked by audience members. When asked if there is a future in viral scripts Spellman said, “Yeah, it can work. If you write a great script, something will happen.”

Anyone who has sought out advice on what to do with your first script after you’ve written it has surely read that you shouldn’t send it out or you should put it in your desk for a few years, etc. Here’s the exchange that happened onstage between Spellman and Talbott. You guys out there can decide for yourselves what to do with it. Trust me, chances are it won’t be the worst idea that execs have heard (but it might be.)

Check out more:
Nashville Screenwriters Conference @ nashscreen.com
Derek Haas’ official site @ derekhaas.com
Derek’s Popcorn Fiction @ popcornfiction.com
The Robotard 8000 (Tim Talbott and Malcolm Spellman) @ therobotard8000.com
Contact J.C. @ E-mail

Pictured left to right: Scott Frank, Richard LaGravanese, Phil Robinson, Lawrence Kasdan, and Ted Griffin.

Hey all, J.C. here. This is the first in a series of articles covering the 2010 Nashville Screenwriters Conference.

I was lucky enough to cover the event and throughout the event I noticed a few things. One major observation is that a lot of the aspiring screenwriters had the exact same questions for the panelists. So, throughout these blogs I will try to answer some of those questions in hopes that the writers will not be asked the same five f*****g questions over and over next year.

Seriously, it was amazing how when each panel opened up to Q&A people would ask the same questions as they did to the panel before. Most were common sense questions that I still wonder why someone who REALLY wants to be a writer would even ask but who am I to say what makes a good question?

The first panel I will be discussing was called “War Stories” that Scott Frank hosted with guests Lawrence Kasdan, Richard LaGravenese, Phil Robinson, and Ted Griffin. Frank later said that the panel should have been called, “The Sum of All Fears.” The panel opened with Scott letting each of the other writers describe how they got their start in the business. These guys were obviously friends and there was a lot of joking around going on during the panel that just would not transfer well to a blog so I will just try to get to the informational stuff for you guys.

Ted Griffin was sleeping at a dry cleaners where he worked at during the day when he got his break. He had a friend who had an office down the hall from Neil Tolkin and shopped his script around for six months eventually landing him an agent.

Lawrence Kasdan and his brother were both huge film buffs and after his brother came back from Harvard he explained the filmmaking process to Lawrence and after he saw Lawrence of Arabia he decided he wanted to be involved in the business. He worked in advertising for five years while writing and then, out of nowhere, his scripts started to sell. Steven Spielberg bought Continental Divide and that is how he eventually got the Raiders of the Lost Ark job.

An interesting story he told was that Spielberg told him George Lucas was going to offer him More American Graffiti but Spielberg insisted that he turn it down and two weeks later he was sitting with Spielberg and Lucas working on the story for Raiders, which is now available in a transcript on numerous sites [including this one]. And yes, Kasdan let the entire audience know that. Kasdan would later explain how when he turned in the draft for Raiders, Lucas threw it on his desk and asked him to lunch and then over lunch asked him to write [Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back]. Kasdan mentioned to him that he hadn’t even read Raiders to which Lucas replied, “I’ll read it tonight, if I don’t like it I’ll pull the offer.” Lucas then told Kasdan, “You know… Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s dad.” To which Kasdan replied, “No s**t!” Kasdan then went on to write Empire in a mere six weeks!

Phil Robinson discussed the difference between working with a director that keeps you on throughout the filmmaking process and one that doesn’t. During All of Me, Carl Reiner kept him on the set everyday and took him into casting, location scouting, etc. At the same time he still had to re-write Rhinestone for another director, except that Sylvester Stallone had changed all of his lines already and Robinson was instructed not to change any of them. It was during this time that he decided he wanted to be a director.

When it came to talking about relationships, in terms of working with people you already know, Richard LaGravenese said that he learned early on it was a director’s medium. As a writer you fight for what you want, but you have to learn to give the director what they want, and at the same time try to keep in some of the things you want as well. If, as a writer you want power, then you should write for television. In film, the only power you might have is in picking what director you want to work with and whom you give your script to.

Scott Frank said a producer once told him that even if you force a director to do something, they wouldn’t understand. Even if you held a gun to their head they will do it horribly and it won’t work.

An audience member asked how serious anyone in Hollywood would take a query letter. Kasdan responded, “Not at all.” Ted Griffin added that everyone in Hollywood wants to read something that is really terrific because it’s like finding a pot of gold and on the other hand to get a query letter is just kind of scary. He said that sending a script is better because more people will pass it along. An audience member let him know that most places will not accept any unsolicited mail and he was quick to take back everything he said.

One of the most asked questions was, “Do I need to live in L.A. to get noticed?” Ted Griffin thinks you really need to live in LA. He got his break because his friend knew a guy and that would have never happened if he did not live there.

One attendee asked the panel how they deal with writer’s block. Phil Robinson believes that writer’s block is a severe psychological disorder; that most writers don’t get writers block, they just get hung up on one thing. He said he has problems and the way he gets through them is by telling himself that no one will ever see this draft, so he just throws stuff down on the page so that he can work on it later. Kasdan added that the problems as a writer are the same everyday: you ask yourself constantly how you did it again and no matter what, you run into roadblocks. Robinson thinks that if you don’t have these small bumps along the way, then you aren’t doing your job because writing isn’t easy. He said he has numerous people come up to him, hand him a script, and say, “This script wrote itself.” To which he always replies, “Well, then, it can read itself.”

The closing of this panel was the best of any panel of the weekend and it also deals with a lot of the questions that were asked at the Conference: should I be a trendy writer and try to write for what is selling in the marketplace? And also: should I follow an exact formula from McKee or anyone else selling writing books?

After Scott Frank told a great story about a pitch that went wrong, he explained how some writers are great pitchers and some are horrible at pitching. He said that he thinks there is too much focus on the pitching and the query letters and that people are trying to teach you how to do everything but write: “The business is writing but now there is a business of people trying to teach how you to write and it’s all b******t. The best thing you can do is write. Just sit and write and make the mistakes that these people are telling you that they’ve made, it’s hard, it’s not supposed to be easy.

“If it’s easy, I promise you you’re writing s**t. There are days where it may really flow and there are days where you may just have ideas that are really far and between. They are like balls of dough that you then roll out and you hope that has that dough is getting thinner and thinner that another ball of dough will appear and you can roll out that one. It’s very hard, but the only thing you can do is struggle through it.

“And the truth is, most of the time, the most brilliant things in your script are the happy accidents. The things you never planned on, something that just popped out of someone’s mouth while you were writing and just not thinking about it or following some template that Syd Field told you, not trying to organize it in the way McKee told you to, just some thing that happened and the best movies are built on those happy accidents not how I got an agent, should I live here, should I live there.

“Write the script, build it, and they will come.“

All photos courtesy of Kelly J Parsons Photography: kellyjparsons.com
Contact J.C. @ E-mail

So what’s this all about, then?

Well, I’ve often thought about and, especially, as of late, have become increasingly interested in writing style.

As I pore through the many screenplays that I currently have – organizing, reading, and reading, and reading, etc. – it’s hard not to realize the effect a writer’s style can have on a screenplay and the film overall. I know some of you are uttering the words duh! at this very moment, but honestly, how many people, especially we burgeoning lot, are actually aware of this fact?

The more I read the more I begin to realize that some writers have an indisputable style that is all their own. A style so eccentric, so different, that without ever seeing a cover page, you can instinctively and intrinsically just know who wrote it. Just take a look at action lines by Wes Anderson or dialogue by John Sayles or the dark undertones of Paul Schrader or the balls out craziness of Tim Talbott or the fourth-wall-breaking of Shane Black or the heartfelt absurd themes of Charlie Kaufman.

If any one thing is quickly apparent when studying the craft of screenwriting, it’s that good screenwriters do, indeed, have their own style. They may tackle myriad genres or a host of varying stories, but one thing is always overtly certain: it is their story.

And it makes sense: if directors can be known for their visual style, well, then, why not writers for their written style? Sure, most of the writers I mentioned earlier also wields a director credit or two, but that’s the point: at some point their voice became so uniquely their own that no one else could tell their story the way they could. And as an aspiring writer/director myself, this is a lesson I’ve taken immense pleasure in discovering and learning.

It’s exactly like that lesson you’ve read in every screenwriting how-to book currently gathering dust on your bookshelf: give me the same thing, only different. But here’s the bit that I think has been routinely left out: give me the same thing, only different, and make it your own. The goal isn’t simply to parrot what’s come before and modernize it and/or give it a different twist. The goal is to tell me the story in your voice.

I can’t tell you the number of screenplays that I’ve read that are absolutely, atrociously, make-me-wanna-take-hot-spoons-to-my-eyeballs boring. Why? Most aspiring screenwriters can grasp structure fairly quickly; to connect A to B to C isn’t that difficult to comprehend, but what they seem to overlook is that they’re supposed to be telling me a story.

No, I mean you are supposed to be telling me a story.

You.

Yes, you.

Still not getting it?

If I were to walk into the room that you’re currently in, take a seat with my cup of coffee, and say, “Okay, tell me your story.” How long could you hold my attention?

One cup?

Two cups?

Four pots?

It’s no different on the page. When you write, I want you to tell me the story. What I don’t want is the same cookie-cutter b******t everyone else is throwing at me.

No, g*******t, I want you to rip your f*****g larynx out of your throat and staple that f****r to the page and sign the byline in blood.

Because I want YOU to tell me the story. I want to hear your voice when I read it. I want the story to be so uniquely your own, and I want it to command my attention so ragingly, that it makes me weep when I have to read the words FADE OUT.

So, as a good introduction to Writer’s Style, I suggest you download The Robotard 8000′s Balls Out and, for better or worse, I dare you to argue that – from the very first line of the script – it’s not uniquely their own.

And while you’re reading that, I’ll be working on a write-up of the writer whose style I’ve been wanting to spotlight for quite a while now: that of Walter Hill.

Also, recently, and increasingly, I’ve been asked about the submission of tangible scripts for me to scan because some of you don’t own or have access to a scanner of your own. Well, the good news is I just moved and purchased a P.O. Box for this purpose, so if you’d like to submit some of your old scripts that are lying around collecting dust, please feel free to mail them to the following address:

I would prefer not to return them after they’ve been scanned, but if you’re partial to the scripts and would like them returned to you, e-mail me and we can work out those arrangements.

For anonymous submissions, do not include a return address. If I don’t know where it came from, then I won’t be lying when the Script Police start breaking fingers.

If you happen to find any broken links or pages, please leave a comment on this page instead of e-mailing me, so that all of the issues are condensed into one place. It’ll make tracking these problems easier for me. Thanks.

How’s the pulse?

For those of you that don’t know, this site officially launched on August 1st and I’m pleased to announce that it appears that we’ve finally curbed the bandwith and traffic problem. Granted, the scripts are hosted through SendSpace and that’s not a choice I made lightly because I know it can be an annoyance, but it’s proved a stable enough resolution to allow the site to continue breathing and stay online.

Want more?

If you’d like to know a little more about the site beyond checking out our About and FAQ pages, you can check out the interview I did with Scott Myers for his site Go Into the Story here: Blog spotlight: MyPDFscripts.

I can’t believe I’m just now getting around to posting that link. Sheesh, I’m a little behind. Scott has also agreed to undergo a polygraph for one of our CUT TO: interviews. So, be sure to look for that in the coming weeks.

And while you’re over at Go Into the Story, I highly recommend that you check out Scott’s 14 Days of Screenplays: Version 3.0 challenge that we supplied the scripts for. It’s a great idea, as Scott states:

Per the previous 14 Days of Screenplays challenges, the idea is simple: Read 1 script per day for 14 days. Reading scripts is one of the single best ways you can increase your understanding of the craft of screenwriting. And reading 14 scripts in 14 days multiplies the benefit as you begin to intuit things, I guess you could say. You pick up pacing and tone, style and scene transitions, and on and on and on.

Maintenance Mode?

Some of you may have noticed that the site drifts in and out of Maintenance Mode. Usually, if you see that, it means I’m tinkering with code or some such. I’m always trying to improve the overall functionality of this site, so it will continue to happen randomly and sporadically. I try not to hinder your browsing with it for too long and I do apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.

Again, it’s all in an attempt to make functionality, browsing, and categorization better.

Seven Scripts

Similar in idea to Scott’s 14 Days of Screenplays, I’ve created a feature called Seven Scripts, which most of you are probably familiar with by now. The idea came to me while interviewing David Lemon by simply wondering what scripts he would recommend to an aspiring screenwriter. Between his list and Mystery Man’s, it’s proven to be a popular addition to the site with just over 12,000 combined views between their lists. 12,000 views! That’s incredible considering I didn’t realize this site was getting that much traffic to begin with, which brings me to…

Advertisement, Banners, and Donations

I had someone ask about how much revenue this site generates. Ha. Hehe. Hahahaha. HehehehAHAHAHA. Sorry. Got the giggles there. Ha. It actually doesn’t generate any. I’m not a fan of advertisements and banners. And I never have been, really. Some sites plaster their sites with ads and that’s okay. It’s their site. I understand it’s a revenue stream, helps pay bills associated with the site, and in some rare cases is the only source of income for regular bloggers, but I don’t ever intend to clutter your browsing experience with banners and ads. Why? Because when I go to a site, I want the content. Content, content, content. If there is something cool I should check out or something cool I should purchase, then that respective site should feature an article about it.

That said, this site is now incurring a monthly hosting fee that I could use some help with and if you’d like to donate to this site I’ve placed a non-intrusive PayPal Donation Button in the sidebar to the right. Scroll to the bottom, it’s there.

Do you have to donate? Of course not. It’s strictly voluntary. Many, many thanks in advance to those of you who do, though. Every little bit helps.

The Indexes

I’ve just created some indexes to help with your script browsing needs. You’ll find the link in the top menu, clear to the right. There you’ll find: the Top 250 Script Downloads, the Script Index, and the Writer Index.

The Script Index collects every script available from every category on the site and lists them in alphabetical order. It’s a very quick way to see what’s on the site and what isn’t.

The Writer Index lists writers by Last Name, First Name. And, for now, it only indexes the first credited writer of each script, so whomever is listed first on the title page is who’s listed there. It’s not perfect yet, as I just created it, but it should help out significantly if you’re searching by writer. Again, it’s something I’m working on and, hopefully, I’ll be able to list all credited writers in the future.

I’m also working on an Academy Award Winning Screenplays Index that will also link to the respective scripts on this site. And if I have time, I may also try to get all of the Black Lists and Brit Lists up as Indexes, too.

Note: all of the scripts from these lists may not be available on the site due to their production status, which reminds me–

Script Reviews

You should see an increase in script reviews in the coming weeks. Six gracious script readers have agreed to contribute their services to that department routinely. Two of which have already posted reviews, so if you get the chance, hop on over and check out Rob Grant’s review of Akira Part One and Mike Breiburg’s review of Hack/Slash.

Again, some of the scripts that will be reviewed may not be available on the site due to their production status.

Final Thoughts…

Hope everyone is enjoying the site. It’s always great to see some of the comments when people find a script that they’ve been looking for. Makes the painfully tedious task of adding scripts to the database worthwhile.

Speaking of… if you’d like to share in that painfully tedious task, I could definitely use some help adding scripts to the site. I now have around 575 scripts listed on the site. And about 3,500 more to be added. If you’re interested in helping out (I’ll warn you again: it’s painfully tedious) just contact me.

Finally, keep up to date with all the latest scripts and additions to the site by following us on Twitter: twitter.com/mypdfscripts. Like my sister likes to say, “Tweet, tweet, motherclucker.” Hey, it makes me laugh.

Seven scripts. Seven days. Check ‘em out and dare to become a better writer in a week.

1. The Apartment

For me, this is just one of the most touching and beautifully structured scripts ever written. It’s about the loneliness of the big city, the misogyny, putting career before love and a clock puncher finally becoming a ‘mensch’. It’s also a masterclass in dramatic irony and has the second best final line in film history (the number one being ‘Some Like it Hot’).

While I pray it never gets re-made, it could be as its themes are as fresh now as they were then. ‘Genius’ is an overused term but on this film Billy Wilder and I.A.L Diamond had it in spades.

2. Little Miss Sunshine

A film I really loved and which really leaps off the page. It’s also inspiring to first time feature writers as Michael Arndt’s CV prior to the film is pretty thin. Now he’s writing ‘Toy Story 3′.

The opening is a brilliant example of setting up a lot of characters with great economy. There’s hardly any dialogue, but five minutes in we already know a lot about this family and their wants and needs.

Like ‘The Apartment’, it’s also a film about something; in this case the American obsession with being a ‘winner’. Paul Dano’s sullen (and largely mute) teenage son even gives a speech just before Olive’s climactic dance in which he tells his uncle (and us) how meaningless other people’s labels of ‘success’ and ‘happiness’ really are. Also worth checking out as the ending in the finished film is ever so slightly different.

Editor’s Note: Little Miss Sunshine was a casualty of the Twentieth Century Fox DMCA Request, so it is not currently available here. Apologies.

3. Back to the Future

A script that’s assembled with Swiss watch precision. There isn’t a single thing that’s set up that isn’t paid off later. It’s also worth comparing with a 1980 draft that’s also floating about on the ‘net.

The essential story- kid goes back in time, has to play matchmaker to his parents- is the same but so much of it feels convoluted and just plain wrong. It makes you realise that films aren’t so much written as re-written. It’s one of the few films I remember with nostalgic affection that’s even better than I remembered it.

Editor’s Note: Back to the Future was a casualty of the Universal DMCA Request, so it is not currently available here. Apologies.

4. Aliens

I know- not ‘Alien’? What gives? While I think ‘Alien’ remains a high benchmark for sci-fi horror, there’s just something so compelling about the way James Cameron writes hard-boiled action.

Brilliantly paced, spare dialogue, memorable characters- what more could you possibly want?

Editor’s Note: Aliens was a casualty of the Twentieth Century Fox DMCA Request, so it is not currently available here. Apologies.

5. The Sixth Sense

M. Night Shyamalan’s recent output may have been, ahem, patchy (have you seen ‘The Lady in the Water’ and ‘The Happening’?) but this really is a terrific script that gives you chills as you read it.

It’s very spare, but every word is well chosen.

6. Sling Blade

Oddly enough, I read this years before seeing the actual film. Both are terrific but on the page, the script really grips you, and the underlying tension of waiting for Billy Bob Thornton’s profoundly disturbed child-man to show his dark side really drives it.

Even on the page your mind’s eye is drawn to him even when he doesn’t seem to be doing anything.

7. Slumdog Millionaire

Really exciting to see how this great film looks on the page. Although based on an acclaimed novel, it was screenwriter Simon Beaufoy who came up with the love story which gave his hero a much stronger drive; after all, do you want to see someone succeed because they want to be rich, or because they want to be re-united with the one they love?

It also gave a sense of unity to what could have been a series of interesting but slightly disconnected incidents; great and charming in a book; not so much on screen.

It also manages to incorporate suspense and some pretty traumatic stuff into what critics labelled ‘The Feel-Good Hit of the Year’. While it does leave you on a high, the story takes you to some pretty dark places…

Check out more:
David Lemon’s official blog @ jetpacksandsuch.blogspot.com
David Lemon @ IMDb

Over 40 industry players across all levels of seniority and sectors took part in the voting which is conducted confidentially and over 150 unproduced screenplays were nominated. To qualify, a screenplay had to be unproduced at time of the list’s circulation, be written by a writer who is non-US by birth, have at least two votes and have not featured on previous Brit Lists.

The list was created in 2007 to mirror the influential US Black List which had drawn attention to subsequently produced projects like Juno and Lars and the Real Girl. Last year’s Brit List was topped by Matt Greenhalgh’s Nowhere Boy script, which of course was produced this year with Sam Taylor-Wood directing and is closing night of this year’s London Film Festival.

As usual, the Brit List includes some big names like Neil Purvis and Rob Wade, whose Corsica 72 (also Ruby Films) tied for second place with Ol Parker’s Now Is Good (Blueprint Pictures) and Simon Beaufoy’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Kudos Pictures).

Other high profile projects on the list included Terry Gilliam and Tony Grisoni’s long-gestating The Man Who Killed Don Quixote which is at Recorded Picture Company, Dan Mazer’s Eurovision at Working Title and Hamish McColl and Paul King’s A Bear Called Paddington at Heyday and Warner Bros.

Daniel Hardy and Rupert Wyatt’s The Rapture also at Warner Bros was also on the list, as was Steve Knight’s Red Circle, a reworking of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge for StudioCanal, and Francesca Brill and Luke Watson’s Cuckoo at up and coming production outfit CMP Ltd.

Good Luck Anthony Belcher by George Kay (Ruby Films)
Corsica 72 by Neil Purvis & Rob Wade (Ruby Films)
Now Is Good by Ol Parker (Blueprint Pictures)
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen by Simon Beaufoy (Kudos Pictures)
Balance Of Power by Deborah Davis (Element Pictures/Scarlet Pictures)
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach & Ol Parker (Blueprint Pictures)
The Rapture by Daniel Hardy & Rupert Wyatt (Warner Bros)
Conviction by Bill Gallagher (Neal Street/Red Productions)
Frank Sidebottom by Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan (Producers: David Barron & Stevie Lee)
I Wish I Wish by Peter Souter (Hartswood Films)
Love Minus Zero by Emma Forrest (Origin Pictures)
A Million Miles An Hour by Brendan Grant (Big Talk)
The Shimmering Essence Is Approaching Its Target (aka Ponte’s Tower) by Michael Thomas (Sprout Pictures)
A Bear Called Paddington by Hamish McColl & Paul King (Heyday Films/Warner Bros)
The Beautiful Fantastic by Simon Aboud (Producer: Kami Naghdi)
Cuckoo by Francesca Brill & Luke Watson (CMP Film)
Embassy by Jon Baird (Producer: Stefan Haller)
Eurovision by Dan Mazer (Working Title)
Flawless Skin Of Ugly People by Jack Thorne (Big Talk)
Grabbers by Kevin Lehane (Forward Films)
Great Expectations by David Nicholls (Number Nine Films)
The Haven by Mike Lesslie (Element Pictures)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote by Terry Gilliam & Tony Grisoni (Recorded Picture Company)
Now, Love by Virginia Gilbert (Element Pictures)
Rafta Rafta by Ayub Khan Din (Left Bank)
Red Circle by Steve Knight (StudioCanal)
Rookwood by Steve Sarossy
Snatched by Lee Patterson
Trap For Cinderella by Iain Softley (Forthcoming Productions)
Treasure Island by Nail Johnson Under
The Skin by Jonathan Glazer (Producers: James Wilson & Nick Wechsler)
The Wettest County by Nick Cave (Red Wagon/SPE)
What Was Lost by Jeremy Brock (Heyday Films)
Wingman by Mat Kirkby (Peapie Films)

Article Source: http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/other-festivals/uk-brit-list-topped-by-george-kays-good-luck-anthony-belcher/5006384.article

M*A*S*H

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Hailed as arguably the most successful sitcom in American television history, unflinchingly portrayed the grisly realities of a US Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) during the Korean War of the early 1950s, offset by the gallows humour of the medical team and assorted nurses.

Gelbart developed M*A*S*H, which aired in Britain between 1973 and 1984, from Robert Altman’s film of the same name (1970). This in turn had been adapted from a novel set in the Korean War by Dr Richard Hooker (real name Hornberger), who was disparaging about Gelbart’s television version. “I like the theme song,” Hooker told him. “After that it gets kind of dull.”

Indeed it was the film’s haunting theme – entitled Suicide Is Painless – that had originally drawn Gelbart to the project; he later noted that it had flavoured his scripts to the extent that he found himself writing “comedy in a minor key”.

As in the film, Gelbart portrayed the antics of the cynical, war-weary personnel of the 4077th MASH as they performed hurried “meatball” surgery on incoming wounded. Although set in Korea, the show was really about the Vietnam War which, by the time M*A*S*H aired in America in 1972, was proving increasingly unpopular and unwinnable.

The show lasted 11 years, compared with three for the real Korean War, breaking audience records in the United States and for BBC Two, where it built a cult following. The strong ensemble cast included Alan Alda as Captain “Hawkeye” Pierce, Wayne Rogers as his fellow-surgeon Trapper John, Loretta Swit as Major “Hotlips” Houlihan, Gary Burghoff as the telepathic orderly “Radar” O’Reilly and later Jamie Farr as Klinger, television’s hairiest transvestite.

Gelbart’s quickfire, gag-laden scripts, underpinned with frequent references to sex, often dealt with such hitherto taboo issues as inter-racial marriage, adultery and homosexuality, and his decision to leave the show in 1976 was due partly to the exhaustion of relentlessly battling studio executives over controversial storylines. (“War is hell,” Gelbart commented, “So is TV.”) He had presided over 97 of the show’s eventual 251 episodes.

M*A*S*H was showered with awards, earning 14 Emmys and 99 nominations. It continued to win big audiences until February 1983 when Alda called a halt, believing it would soon run out of things to say. The last episode attracted 125 million viewers in America.

Mel Brooks, who worked with him in the early 1950s, called Gelbart the “fastest of the fast, the wittiest man in the business”. During the filming of Tootsie, when he fell out with the star, Dustin Hoffman, Gelbart fashioned a typically mordant put-down: “Never work with an Oscar winner who is shorter than the statue.”

Larry Simon Gelbart was born on February 25 1928 in Chicago. His Latvian father worked as a barber, his Polish mother as a seamstress, and young Larry spoke only Yiddish until the age of five. His parents encouraged his cultural stirrings, starting him in tap dancing lessons when he was seven and later clarinet lessons with Duke Rehl, who had taught the young Benny Goodman. In 1942 Larry’s father moved the family to Beverly Hills, enrolling his son at Fairfax High School where the boy put together sketches and comedy monologues.

Every week Harry Gelbart shaved the comedian Danny Thomas, then considered the funniest storyteller on radio. When Gelbart mentioned his son’s comedy writing ambitions, Thomas (on the strength of a sample of his work) introduced Larry to his scriptwriter Mac Benoff, whom the boy visited after classes to work on jokes.

Larry found radio work followed on NBC’s popular show Duffy’s Tavern and by the time he was 17 was earning $50 a week. His first full-time job was as a writer for Sid Caesar on Caesar’s Hour, followed by stints working for Bob Hope, Jack Paar and Red Buttons. In 1950 Gelbart moved to New York to write for Caesar’s television comedy series Your Show of Shows. Of the other young writers there, three – Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Woody Allen – were future stars.

Gelbart’s first big success came in theatre with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, one of biggest musical hits of the 1960s, which he co-wrote with Burt Shevelove. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, whom Gelbart considered his greatest single influence, and with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the original Broadway production of 1962 starred Zero Mostel. When it transferred to London’s West End the following year, with Frankie Howerd starring as the slave Pseudolus, the critic Alan Brien in The Sunday Telegraph called it “the cleanest dirty musical of the decade”.

Gelbart had moved his wife and family to London during rehearsals for the British production, intending to return to the US once the show had opened. In the event he remained for nearly nine years, in part drawn to British television which he lauded as “entertainment and information without titillation, programming devoid of censorship”.

He ventured into British television comedy in 1971, producing The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine for ATV. The project kept him so busy that when his old friend Gene Reynolds, a producer at Twentieth-Century Fox, suggested he might write a pilot script for a television spin-off series of M*A*S*H, Gelbart felt too pushed for time. Two months later he finally dictated his pilot script to an ATV secretary in a 48-hour creative frenzy, mailing it to California from an all-night post office in Trafalgar Square. The series made its American debut in the autumn of 1972.

Shot on film with a single camera, the series M*A*S*H used the elaborate set left over from Altman’s feature film. As it found its voice, Gelbart developed his scripts to weave several different plot lines together in single episodes, becoming the first television writer to use this multi-layered storytelling technique in a single half-hour format.

A lifelong Anglophile, Gelbart returned frequently to London, often to oversee theatrical projects with which he was involved. These included, in 1993, the award-winning musical City of Angels, which attracted rave reviews. Gelbart published his memoir Laughing Matters: On Writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a Few Other Funny Things in 1998. “I just hope they remember to put RIP on my tombstone, and not M*A*S*H,” he had told The Daily Telegraph five years earlier. “Or maybe it will be R*I*P – with asterisks.”

Larry Gelbart married, in 1956, Patricia Marshall, with whom he had two children and raised three from her previous marriage. His wife and four of their five children survive him.

Article Source: The Daily Telegraph

Check out more:
Tootsie @ IMDb
- Download the Script
Larry Gelbart @ IMDb
Larry Gelbart @ Wikipedia

If you’d like to know a little more about this site and what is that I’m up to, exactly, then check out this post and our about page. And if you have any questions, check out our FAQ. If your question isn’t answered there or you’d like to request a script, then contact me. I may not reply immediately, but I will reply. Promise.

Moving on, I’d like to thank Stefan Blitz at Forces of Geek! for the mention on his site late last month. And if you have a moment to spare, mosey on over and check his site out. It’s chock-full of interesting articles from myriad contributors spanning everything from television and film to toys to video games to music to any and all things geek.

I first came into contact with Stefan last year while my first versions of pdfscreenplays were still alive… barely. Our very first conversation, via telephone, took place moments after I had finished reading Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, so the first twenty minutes of the conversation Stefan just sat patiently and listened (sorry Stefan!) while I ranted and raved about how horrific an experience I had trying to read that script. And sadly, that opinion hasn’t changed even after having seen the film, but I digress, I’ll save that rant for an epic post that’s in the making.

Anyway, earlier in the year I had agreed to write a screenplay review column for Stefan’s site entitled Smash Cut, but I’ve taken a hiatus from that monthly column due to moving across the country and trying to finish several other projects that have been keeping me busy. This site included.

I’d also like to thank Don over at Simply Scripts for the mention on his site earlier today. Thanks Don! I also first came into contact with Don last year soon after I launched the very first version of pdfscreenplays. Don has helped me out along this bumpy road with some wise, learned advice regarding the etiquette of how and when to make screenplays available online among some other tidbits. His input has been invaluable, and has definitely helped make this ship stable. So, again, thanks Don.

If any of you reading are interested in contributing to this site with screenplays or a movie or script review just contact me!

And if you’ve got a moment, leave a quick comment below and let me know what you think of the site.

Wait, you’re really back?!

Yep. Sheridan here, and as most of you know, the Darabont draft of Indiana Jones 4 was the ultimate undoing of the original pdfscreenplays. After I took the site offline I posted a brief message that contained the following quote:

I failed. I started over. This site is the result.

And before I get too far into this, I’d like to thank J.C. and CWB for all of their help and patience over the past few months helping me iron out the kinks and functions of this site. Two servers, four themes, hundreds of ideas, thousands of lines of code, and nearly a year later, here we are. Thanks guys.

Okay, so what’s with the name?

I felt that since J.C. and Adam picked up the torch and ran with pdfscreenplays in their own vision, that I’d think of something new, and so I did, but with reason:
my to suggest community ownership, especially since this site has the Submit a Script feature,
pdf because, well, in my opinion, it’s still the gold standard for screenplays and scripts, and
scripts because even the old site encompassed far more than just screenplays.

This isn’t to negate what J.C. and Adam have done in any way, mind you. I love the forum and I do use it, but I’ve always felt that if Lil’ Ahmad, the boy whose dreams are far bigger than his tiny village in Timbuktu, wants to check out the screenplay for Every Which Way But Loose so that he, too, can study the art of screenwriting, which could ultimately lead to his writing of yet another Hollywood masterpiece. Well, then, he should be able to find that monkey-lovin’ script with ease.

That said, if you’re a member of the forum and you prefer using it, then by all means please continue to do so. This site isn’t and shouldn’t be thought of as a replacement for pdfscreenplays. It’s an extension of and a separate entity at the same time… if that makes sense.

The Scripts

DO NOT ask for any scripts that are currently in development, please. This site isn’t about the latest and greatest script that just sold yesterday (although we may post a news story about said script). This site will feature only scripts for films, television shows, comic books, video games, et cetera that have been released.

And as far as the Unproduced scripts are concerned, those are what we consider to be dead or no longer in development. Sometimes that status can change, and if that happens then the respective script will be removed.

If there are any questions regarding copyrights, please refer to our Fair Use Notice.

CUT TO:

In this column we chat up various industry professionals about their lives, their careers, their projects, and how the art of the written word affects their given profession. Other bits of randomness may also occur. It happens…

Reviews

We’re starting with some script and movie reviews, but this section will eventually (and hopefully) expand to include “novel or original source material to script” reviews, “script to screen” reviews, film book reviews, and possibly more.

Want to submit a review for consideration? Contact us.

Submit a Script

We’re trying this as a beta sort of thing. We’re hoping it will streamline the process of adding scripts to the database. Again, it should be considered beta as we may change or alter the form or process of script submission as we go.

What else?

Oh yeah, you can keep up-to-date with the latest posts and scripts by following us on Twitter.

And that’s about it, I think. I hope you enjoy the site as it’s something I’ve been coming back to and tinkering with since around October of last year. Hopefully, this iteration will last longer than a month. Maybe?