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Aporia 
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Joined: 02 Mar 2025 Location: US Status: Offline Points: 14 |
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 Topic: To Post or Not to PostPosted: 10 Mar 2025 at 10:33am |
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This is my first time writing for this competition and I’ve been debating whether to post my screenplay in the forum for feedback and add it to the master list, but I have some reservations. The biggest one: once an original idea is out there, it seeps into the collective consciousness. Not saying anyone here would outright steal it, or that I’m an exceptionally original writer, but ideas have a way of spreading, sometimes unintentionally and I do work hard on the originality aspect. Also, I’ve noticed no one else from my group has posted theirs. How common is that? Are most people hesitant for similar reasons or just not that engaged? I see the value in getting notes from a wider audience, but at what cost? What are your pros and cons on this subject? Anyone here regret posting theirs—or regret not posting (past or current)? Curious to read everyone’s thoughts. Edited by Aporia - 10 Mar 2025 at 10:34am |
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Jesswarriner
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Joined: 26 Mar 2024 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 349 |
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 10:55am |
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Personally, I don't see the harm. The chances of getting a screenplay produced are very slim anyway and should someone steal it, you have an electronic paper trail. The cost of lawyers would probably override the price of the script.
For me, the feedback is the most valuable part of the competition. Writing can be a solitary exercise and having other eyes on your work it is a rare treat! <3
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Aporia
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 11:23am |
Would your opinion change if the path to production was short and tangible? It is rare to find a group like this to converse with about screenwriter-y things.
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John.Needham
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 11:24am |
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Well, I've read a lot more scripts than people have returned reads for me, but I've really enjoyed the process because it has taught me so much. So I'm grateful that people are posting and letting me learn from them. I kind of think that I have a responsibility to post comments as a thank you.
Of course, I am proud of my own script: I worked very hard on it. But even then, I was given pointers by some very helpful beta readers and I don't have any illusions at all that anyone would actually want to film it. That doesn't mean I am giving it to the world; but it does mean the value I have had from this whole process (for a cost of less than $100) is way greater than the statistically-adjusted probability of making any money out if it. Finally, without in any way dissing this year's scripts, there has only been one that I have read where I thought the concept was truly unique, though I am not saying which.
Edited by John.Needham - 10 Mar 2025 at 11:27am |
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Suave
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Joined: 25 Jan 2015 Location: Thailand Status: Offline Points: 26041 |
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 11:49am |
You have valid reasons for not wanting to share, those same reasons used to bother me as well, lol. But to tell you the truth, I am more interested in the enjoying the moment of having people read my stuff and leave comments than any pie in the sky selling of said script, but that may just be me. Nothing feels as good as someone telling you good stuff about your work. And it is fun reading others stuff as well. Quite often there are only one or two that post anything in a heat, lots of none at all too. If you do decide to post, you will have to start doing some reading and leaving comments and a way to find your story, the forum starts to slow down after a week or so. I think you would have fun! But that may just be me, haha
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elephino17
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Joined: 04 Mar 2025 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 55 |
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 11:58am |
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I think for what this is, the community aspect is as valuable as anything else.
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asterism
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 12:17pm |
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Anyone who has produced a quality short would probably say that there is no such thing as an easy production. It takes a ton of hours from a surprisingly large team of people, it takes money and/or strong relationships, even if your short is a 5min, single location, 2-character piece. There is still prep work, set & sound design, editing, color, etc. People like to talk about the one famous thing that was shot in 2 days with their i-phone and two friends - and they do exist (although usually the makers are grossly exaggerating about how little it took - it is definitely the film equivalent of the 'start-up in my garage myth'.) And for every one of those that is well-regarded & gets positive attention & festival play, there are six hundred that are completely unwatchable or just die in post-production. Most people who do everything it takes to create a quality short are being very strategic about why they do it - to learn an aspect of the craft, as a proof of concept for a feature, an actor they know is financing it as a means to further their own career, or they are writer-directors who want to showcase their style. Which is to say, it's a labor of love where they are very excited about their idea. If, in fact, you had something so original and shootable that someone falls in love with it - odds are decent they would message you & you'd have an opportunity to collaborate with them on getting it from page to screen - which would be an amazing outcome of this contest (probably better than the cash prize.) That being said, I didn't post my script either - it's definitely a personal choice. And I did enter this contest with the intent of writing something I want to make. (It won't be this one, due to genre) If you wrote something you like so much you plan to make it, don't post it - share it with your creative team & get notes that way. I can say I've worked on some films, I know a lot of people in the industry, and I only personally know one person who had their idea stolen and made. If you're running in circle adjacent to Shia LaBeouf and Jonah Hill, then, yeah, maybe keep your best ideas to yourself, but otherwise, I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about idea theft. |
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horrorshaun
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Joined: 27 Mar 2024 Location: Arizona Status: Online Points: 584 |
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 12:41pm |
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To me, the benefits of peer feedback FAR outweighs the risk of someone stealing my screenplay or idea. If I only last one round (which the vast majority of us will do), I want to get everything I can out of it. A decent screenplay that I never would have otherwise written, valuable peer feedback, AND judges' feedback? Hell yes for me. But if you want to keep your content private, there's no issue with that. I'm the only one with an entry in my group (#38). I would love to read what others came up with, just for my own curiosity! So far, I'm the only one though.
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John.Needham
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Posted: 10 Mar 2025 at 2:14pm |
I hear you on that one! (#40)
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Ethereal Burn
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Posted: 11 Mar 2025 at 1:33am |
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This is my first writing competition as well! Go rookies!
I used to write screenplays as a dream/hobby in college and I was worried about even Googling topics because I was afraid someone would steal it. Even though I'm not totally happy with my current work, I think my old work was really bad and I didn't know it because I didn't get feedback from anyone. Now I'm quite sure that even if I write something good it's much more likely no one will care, than someone stealing it. Also, I've been looking to make short film for a while now. If I saw a script I definitely wanted to make here I'd much rather try to option it than steal it and hope no one notices. My understanding is you generally don't pay a lot to use a script unless it has a pre-existing audience (either because it's existing IP or the writer is famous enough). The writer takes a chance that the film gets made and the result makes money or gets famous etc. So stealing a script you randomly see online risks getting you sued or your film getting killed instead of maybe finding a good writer collaborator for little upfront cost. Also I didn't realize there are groups with 1 person! G44 is like that too. Now I have to wait until round 2 to directly compare my work to others.  (watch me somehow get eliminated anyway  )Edited by Ethereal Burn - 11 Mar 2025 at 1:42am |
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Jesswarriner wrote: