Yes, a good IP lawyer is important. Not just any lawyer, but one who understands the nuances of intellectual properties — and preferably in the film industry.

Just one more point…. Of course, it’s good to try to work with honest people, but even so, people can legitimately and honestly have understood something to be different from the way you do! So, best bet is to put it all in writing, addressing all the points of concern.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Louis.

But now I have received many accolades for my work, and I am continuously prompted by skilled writers and experienced authors to share my work more publicly.

I am now in the process of writing a beautiful love story for the screen. It is a gay-themed romantic comedy which I hope to see presented at independent film festivals and available on DVD.

I am going to be very careful to protect my work, seek out the most successful filmmakers of this genre( i.e. Casper Andreas, Rob Williams, Matthew Montgomery, Charlie David, etc.), and hopefully collaborate with honest people who will see that I get the credit I deserve.

I will start by seeing a good lawyer experienced in protecting intellectual properties and copyrights.

Hi Skye, if you want to learn indie filmmaking, I highly recommend Dov Simens 2-Day Film School.

I took Dov’s class years and years ago, and it gave me the understanding from the ground up — from how the deal is put together, the money raised, to the physical production, and finding distirubtion. This is a core class that I would recommend to every single person starting out in the film industry or who wants to understand the whole process. Dov teaches the course live and also offers DVDs. If you can to to the live event, it’s even better because you can meet other aspiring filmmakers and exchange ideas.

Would love to see you take it…. You’ll love it.

All the best.

Melody

Since I don’t write strictly Action or Horror, yes, I have an emotional investment in my work and how I want it to ‘come out on the screen.’

Is that a foolish idea? Perhaps, but the whole reason I write is the subject matter of each script. If I wasn’t invested in them, they probably wouldn’t have been written (and I’ve finished seven now). I have saved most of them to produce4 and direct myself, so they haven’t been made yet.

But the ones I have tried to sell (and let go of the outcome on) have not sold either. They are too ‘off message’ — i.e. don’t fit into a High Concept — and the answer is always the same. “if you’d only re-write the characters to fit the market…”

But then, I wouldn’t be writing what I do. I’d only be doing re-writes and polishes if that were the case (not that I wouldn’t mind those).

The only way to have “Creative Control” these days, is Indie Filmmaking. “Someday my ‘prints’ will come (or working copy processes).”