Hi - I've been looking at a site that helps a writer bring their spec scripts to the "powers-that-be" for current television shows. Have any of you used such a service? I'm just wondering how I would protect my idea. It doesn't seem to happen often, but every once in awhile I'll read about a lawsuit against a studio claiming that they stole someone's idea after it was pitched to them. I want to concentrate my writing, for the time being, on scripts for current televisions shows so I'm concerned with how I can protect my ideas if they do get pitched. Another question I have is can a person make money just pitching ideas for an episode?
No. And those sites aren't worth pursuing. The 'powers-that-be' work with current producers and screenwriters. Existing series will not entertain outside ideas or scripts, especially in the US where there are strict union guidelines. New pitches can be sent to heads of development at a production company, but they must be thorough and complete. There is no way to protect these ideas. You will agree to a disclaimer that if they have a similar idea or make a similar idea that you have no rights. If you do not agree to this they will not look at your proposal in order to protect any existing developments. That's just from my experience.
unfortunately that doesn't fly in the states, where tv industry legal departments won't let anything from unagented writers even be opened, much less read, release or not... as for film scripts, you need an agent, or a personal connection to a producer, director, or talent, to be able to submit a spec script... those website things are total scams, or at best, a waste of time you could better spend querying agents... and pitches get you nowhere in either industry, unless you're an established writer with a solid gold track record... for tv, you need to have a full proposal, complete with a 'bible' and episode scripts, etc.... and for film you must have a completed, polished script ready to submit, before querying agents...
Thanks for all the feedback. I guess this is why it is so hard to break into writing for television. It's too bad that Hollywood is such a closed system. Are we allowed to post link to websites to get other's opinion/knowledge of them? There is a specific spec-script site I have been looking at but I don't want to post the link if that is not allowed.
i don't think you can... but if you send me the link via email, i'll be happy to check it out for you... hugs, m maia3maia@hotmail.com
I was looking at a website dedicated to Hollywood script writing and it warned that studios don't even open scripts in case they are sued for plagiarism. Apparently it's happened so many times.
...if you wanted to submit a script to a studio, you would have to sign a release first... however, unagented, unsolicited queries or scripts are most often returned to the sender unopened, so you most likely wouldn't even get to the release-signing stage... ...new and unknown screenwriters should be querying agents, not trying to send unagented, unsolicited scripts to studios... the best way to get your script read is to query agents till you snag one and let your agent shop the script around...
