Movies – Are You Worried That Hollywood Will Steal Your “Great Film Idea”?

Movies – Are You Worried That Hollywood Will Steal Your “Great Film Idea”?

A reader asked me what she should do if someone tries to steal “her idea” for this great Hollywood movie.

This is the e-mail I’ve sent to her:

“Dear Reader,

Here is my PERSONAL OPINION on this matter:

You cannot copyright an idea. But if you write a 20-page treatment and then register it with Writers Guild of America you can perhaps claim credit for it. The registration is good for 5 years. The best is of course to copyright it with U.S. Copyright Office.

But even better is to write a full screenplay. Then the idea becomes a PRODUCT and you can copyright it to make it your INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.

An idea is not property. However, I’m not an attorney and you should not take anything in this e-mail as valid legal advice. Please consult a licensed attorney.

But after all is said and done, you can’t worry too much in Hollywood about someone stealing “your idea” for a number of reasons.

According to my personal experience:

1) Most people in Hollywood won’t steal your idea. They are professionals and they do this for a living. Their reputation is important to them. Also, when an average film costs anywhere from $ 50 to $ 100 million, it makes more sense to pay and buy an idea or script (for $ 1 mil max) rather than get sued and perhaps pay ten times as much. Stealing an idea does not make any economic sense in the larger scheme of things. Most Hollywood producers do not need to steal anything. If they like your idea (should you be so lucky!) they can just buy it, easily.

2) Most people want a lot more than just ideas from you. They want screenplays (plural). Not one but dozens of them. Even one screenplay is treated only as a calling card, as an indication of your talent. One professional screenwriter I know who sold 19 scripts says you need to have A DOZEN GREAT scripts ready at all times in order to sell ONE.

3) Even if someone steals your idea, it is not easy to fight it. That’s the ugly truth. The studios have more lawyers and money than you do. If you have the tens of thousands of dollars (and even perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars) to successfully sue a studio you perhaps wouldn’t try to sell a script in the first place? Think about it.

4) To get credit for your idea when collaborating with another writer you can sign a Nondisclosure Agreement and have it legally signed and sealed to commit the other writer to secrecy. But what if the other party does not keep his or her promise? See 3 above.

In sum, I’d say, if the idea that someone might steal your idea keeps you awake at night, screenwriting might not be a good vocational choice for you. After all there are people who are giving their movie ideas for FREE on the Internet!

Question by : Is this a legit acting class to to take?
i have no experience and In the real acting world other than little plays in 1-5 grade which i love acting even if its just me reciting scripts from movies and Im good At it,
Well im 13 and i want to actually start acting in the past since i was atleast 7 ive wanted to be an actor but it was to much of a hassle back then and no one would pay the fees
But now since im older and stuff i came up with a great idea and its making game apps which i did and i sold of downloads for 1$ each 😀
So now i have enough money And im gonna pursue my dream but this is the acting class i have in mind So yeah is it good or can u reccomend any other better ones in the New England Area (New hampshire ,rhode island,Etc.)
So yeah and some tips will be greatly greatly appreciated
THANKS!!
Oh ps sorry or telling u my whole life story i just go carried away 🙂

Btw this is the acting class

http://www.dramakids.com/x_index.php

Best answer:

Answer by that girl
Oh my gosh!! I did this camp when I was really little, like second grade little, and I remember loving it! I’m same age as you and honestly almost exact same backround and stuff. I’ve been trying to find this camp, but i couldnt remember the name, or remember if they had stuff for older kids! I definitetly wouldnt say its a scam because I did it when I was younger. I’m definitly going to look more into it now that i know its still around in my area. Thanks so much!! Sorry if I didnt answer your question. But i do know that it does focus a lot on acting for little kids, so you may not get the best experience, but it seems great for beginners! They also have a summer program for kids ages 11-15, so you wont be the oldest, or the youngest
Thanks for reminding me about it!! 🙂

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