Hollywoodreporter.com | Hollywood begins talks with WGA on residuals

And as usual, the studios are crying poor. The WGA, however, has a different view. WGA West pres. and my former instructor says,

"There is no one from Wall Street to the studios to the North Pole or the South Pole that believes the American entertainment industry is losing money. It is making record profits, (and) writers are simply going into these negotiations asking for their fair share."

We here at ScreenwritingSource tend to believe Dan.

Hollywoodreporter.com | Disney's 'Ruprecht' coming to town

Walt Disney Pictures has picked up "Ruprecht," a broad comedy pitch about Santa Claus' former partner by "The Simpsons" writers/executive producers Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley. Andrew Gunn is producing.

The story recounts how, in Victorian times, Santa left presents for all the good children and Ruprecht was responsible for leaving switches and coal for the naughty ones. Ruprecht went away when the partnership soured, and kids eventually stopped getting coal. The story picks up in the present day when Ruprecht resurfaces, determined to balance out Christmas and today's naughty kids with some overdue lumps of coal, causing a battle that turns Christmas on its head

Black will use gorilla tactics in 'Kong' redo

Jack Black has been cast as adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong."

"I've been wanting to work with Jack Black ever since I saw him in 'High Fidelity,' " said Jackson.

Script Magazine | Writer to Writer Network

scr(i)pt magazine's Deb Eckerling sits down with writer-director Mitch Klebanoff to discuss the creation of his new mentoring program, the Writer to Writer Network.

Spidey 2 ... and 3!

Not only has the studio just moved up the release date for Spider-Man 2 from July 2 to June 30 to get a jump on the competition, but Sony suits are feeling so good about the webslinger's box-office potential that it's staked out May 4, 2007 for a third installment that hasn't even been shot yet. And many more could be on the way.

In hopes of building a franchise that will give James Bond a run for his money, Sony has inked principals Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and director Sam Raimi for the third big-screen go-round.

MI:3 Going to Ink

Green Mile scribe Frank Darabont has been signed to pen Mission: Impossible 3. The writer joins forces with star Tom Cruise and Narc helmer Joe Carnahan to bring the third installment of the spy franchise to cineplexes next year.

Yahoo! Movies: Hollywood Scribes Lose Battle Over Free Rewrites

In a ruling that comes as a blow to screenwriters, arbitrator Anita Knowlton found that studios weren't liable to pay writers who submit multiple free rewrites to producer, even if those producers are under contract to the studios.

The WGA West argued that producers were acting as agents of the studios in asking for rewrites, therefore making a first draft a form of official delivery.

The studios argued that scripts should be considered a work in progress until it is delivered to the studio and not to producers. They further stated that writers had the right to end the revision process by delivering the script and collecting their fee.

Screenwriters and the WGA West feel that that could cause damage to careers as producers have come to expect free rewrites before scripts are officially delivered to the studios.

Knowlton agreed with the studios. She stated that producers do not act as agents of the studios and that the WGA failed to press the issue as a bigger problem in past bargaining periods with the studios.

"There's no way around it -- this ruling went against us on every ground that we put forward," said WGA West president Daniel Petrie Jr.

Script Magazine | Manager Interview: Trevor Engelson at Underground Management

When asked about advice for young screenwriters trying to break in and find representation, Engleson says:

"Find a friend who is an assistant to a producer or an intern at a management company or the guy who sweeps the floor at an agency and get them your script. Call in on owed favors and do whatever you gotta do to get your script into the right hands. Don't just sit on your ass and practice your academy-award speech, do something about it. Cream floats to the top. A great script will find its way to the right hands. You just gotta start that process of getting it into the hands at the bottom of the ladder."

Sounds like good advice to us.

No amount of good writing can replace doggedness when it comes to starting a writing career. Talent alone will get you nowhere. It's the relentless promoter who will get his/her script noticed. Then let your talent shine.

Need an agent, but don't know where to begin looking? Try the Hollywood Creative Directory- Representation #26.

It's filled with over 2,000 companies, including 1,500 talent & literary agencies and management companies. It also includes addresses, phone & fax, and staff & titles.

It you're looking for an agent, this is the best place to begin.

Spec Screenplay Sales Directory - 2004 Deluxe Edition Vol. 7

So you've finally finished your first spec screenplay! Now what do you do? The best thing to do is start to research your market. What producer and prodcos have purchased similar material? Which agents have repped whom?

The best place to find all of that information, and much more, is the Spec Screenplay Sales Directory. This comprehensive book lists more than 6 years of sales including, title, 2-3 sentence logline (storyline), genre, agent, producer, date-of-sale, purchase price, buyer, lawyer and more.

Tips for Getting Your Script Past the Gatekeepers

Susan Kouguell writes for the WGA and wisely says:

"Don't submit your script unless it looks perfect! No typos. No coffee stains. No photocopying lines. No missing or extra blank pages within the script. Believe me, you don't want us to become irritated because we are attempting to decipher text between the spots and smudges, and trying to figure out which page belongs where."

You'd be surprised at he number of people who painstakingly craft character, story arcs, and plot development only to turn in a script that looks like a dog slept on it.

Don't do this! As a fledgling screenwriter trying to get your work noticed, you cannot under any circumstances submit a script that is less than perfect shape and form. Every overworked reader or story analyst is looking for any reason to cull their huge slush pile. Don't give them any reason to round file your script. If you don't care enough to submit a perfect looking script, they won't care enough to read it.

Let them see a script that is professional and clean then let them read it. Only then should they make a decision whether or not to recommend it to the boss. You simply are not that good of screenwriter ... yet ... for a bleary-eyed reader to recognize your genius amongst the doughnut crumbs and pizza grease.

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Happy writing!

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