THOUGHTS
ON WRITING - STYLE, VOICE, FORMAT, BUSINESS
and
other knobby screenwriting questions
PROTECTING YOUR IDEAS
The only way you can keep original ideas from being stolen is to never ever let anybody hear, see, or read them. But then they never get bought, made or read.
The next best way is to include an original idea in as compelling a package or form as possible ie: well-written, well-executed script, outline, book etc. that someone much prefers to buy it rather than borrow/steal it. And if someone does misappropriate an idea, it will most likely be in such a different form or format as to be unrecognizable (you write a thriller set in the Outback about someone being murdered while looking for a lost cat and someone makes a romantic comedy about a young couple in New York who meet while one of them is looking for a lost cat - but that person never read your script but only heard the idea about a lost cat from someone who had read some "coverage" of your script and remembered thinking the lost cat might be interesting in a story).
There are incredibly few original ideas. Most compelling stories or bought and marketed stories are not so much original as more a recent unseen combination of ideas that seem to have an original feel. Studio movies are mostly repackaged old ideas. And very often several people are working at the same time on some form of the same idea. Writers and producers are always looking around trying to figure out what hasn't been done lately, or what ideas seem to be coming into the social consciousness. So your "take" on the idea has to be better than the other guy. And usually you have to be the first one in the door with it.
You can protect your work by registering it through the Writer's Guild registry service, which can be found on the Guild website www.wga.org or you can copyright the work, but I don't know that process in Australia. And you should know that registering a script only serves as a "time stamp" on when a work was created so that if it comes to a dispute you can show whether your work was created before (hopefully not after) someone else's. You cannot register or copyright ideas, only created written works of sufficient detail to make them protect-able, ie: a 7 page outline might be protect-able, a 1 page synopsis most likely not.
The process for getting scripts read either by finding an agent or manager who wants to submit your work, direct marketing of the work to production companies, usually through queries. Or through contests, workshops and consultants who help good work be seen.
A list of WGA signatory agents can also be found on the WGA.org website. There are some listed who accept work from new writers. There are also listings of agents, managers and production companies like the "Hollywood Creative Directory" which you can order online at www.hcdonline.com. Go through the lists, determine who seems most likely to be open to looking at your type of material and then "query" them. A query is basically a letter with a "pitch" of what your material is and a little bit about who you are that may be of interest to someone considering writers or material. Being a continent away, email or fax would seem to be the best vehicle for queries. You can also try telephone pitching, but it can be difficult getting through to the person you want to hear your phone pitch. And expensive internationally, especially since they'll keep you on hold then come back and tell you to email a query.
Agents, managers, companies get many, many queries everyday and very often they are looked at only very briefly and then set aside or thrown away, so you need to make them as compelling and interesting as possible in a short space. You might send out 50 queries and maybe hear back from two (if that) at least one of which will be a courteous "pass". And try to avoid tricks and stunts. Everyone tries them. But it's probably good if you can get some personality to shine through in a query. And if there is something in your personal history that reflects on the writing that would be good to include (you've written a political thriller and you once served as Ambassador to Zimbabwe).
There are numerous books and guides on breaking into Hollywood which can be ordered online through LA based book and software stores, such as www.larryedmunds.com (books) www.samuelfrench.com/store/ (books, plays, actor scenes, writing guides) or The Writer's Store (use the link on this page to search for books & software specifically for screenwriters and movie pros, including screenwriting software).
Michael January's credits and films can be found at wingedlionproductions.com
