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Writing Plays/Screenwriting/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| rights | 2/3/2012 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: How can I find out who owns the rights to Sherlcck Holmes and how to get permission to write a ... A: Not necessary to deal with the estate. Note the quote below from this web site: ... | ||
| Copyright and trademarked characters | 1/31/2012 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: Mr. Lovett, When I write a spec script for a TV show with trademarked characters, do I still put my ... A: Phil, You can send a script to anyone you want. Their reading of the document is another matter. ... | ||
| Local film commission? | 1/30/2012 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: You replied to another person's question by saying: "Also, go to your local film commission. They ... A: Phil, Check with local and state government listings. I don't know where you live, so I am unable ... | ||
| Copyright and trademarked characters | 1/30/2012 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: Mr. Lovett, When I write a spec script for a TV show with trademarked characters, do I still put my ... A: Phil, If you have copyrighted the script, then the little circle c with the year goes in either the ... | ||
| How to find out whether a show takes spec scripts | 1/29/2012 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: In paper publishing, publishers put out writers' guidelines saying whether they want new ... A: I'm afraid I've got some bad news, Phil. You won't find any published listing of TV shows that are ... | ||
| Selling my Screenplays | 1/12/2012 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: Mr. Lovett, Before I ask my question I would like to thank you beforehand for taking time away ... A: Dr. Keoseyan, I am not sure how anyone would be forced to work in medicine, but I will try to ... | ||
| Selling my Screenplays | 1/12/2012 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: Vasicek, Before I ask my question I would like to thank you beforehand for taking time away from ... A: Robert, I commend you for your diligence and hard work with respect to following your passion ... | ||
| Selling Screenplays | 1/12/2012 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: Schulman, Before I ask my question I would like to thank you beforehand for taking time away from ... A: First, let me apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I was out of town and neglected to flip ... | ||
| Selling my Screenplays | 1/12/2012 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: Pearson, Before I ask my question I would like to thank you beforehand for taking time away from ... A: First of all, let me congratulate you on your tenacity. There aren't many developing writers who ... | ||
| Cartoon Series | 1/4/2012 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: Good Morning Mr. Vasicek, I've read your past article titled "Cartoon Series" on this topic, ... A: Jeremy, It is hard for everyone to decipher a good agency from a website or any other way. You ... | ||
| Cartoon Series | 1/3/2012 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: Good Morning Mr. Vasicek, I've read your past article titled "Cartoon Series" on this topic, ... A: Jeremy, I have ever written an article titled, "Cartoon Series." To find an agent, go on the ... | ||
| Cartoon Series | 1/3/2012 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: Good Afternoon Mr. Schulman, Over this last summer, I made a joke about an idea to a close friend ... A: As I mentioned, I am not a technical expert at animation (rather, I have experience in writing and ... | ||
| legitimate production companies | 12/30/2011 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: I read your good answer before about MUSIC OVER SCENE below the slugline, but where and how do you ... A: This is a very good question about companies that are soliciting screenplays. The majority of ... | ||
| Formatting a scene | 12/30/2011 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: In a script I'm writing, there is a scene where the main character is at a party. I want to write a ... A: Mike, This works: INT. FLASH FORWARD NIGHTCLUB/BAR - NIGHT Mike nudges a blonde female with a ... | ||
| GETTING INVOLVED | 12/28/2011 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: I am currently invoved with a play that is on a nation wide tour as a Stage Manager . There has been ... A: Mack, You should have an agent who can help you get involved in other productions. You should also ... | ||
| Cartoon Series | 12/27/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: Good Afternoon Mr. Schulman, Over this last summer, I made a joke about an idea to a close friend ... A: First, let me apologize for my delay in responding. Year-end business got in the way, and then the ... | ||
| Unsolicited Material | 12/27/2011 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: I recently purchased the Hollywood Representation Directory to search for literary agents. Some ... A: Jared, The simple answer to your question is yes, maybe, sorta. The words "no unsolicited ... | ||
| MUSIC | 12/21/2011 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: I read your good answer before about MUSIC OVER SCENE below the slugline, but where and how do you ... A: Please note that in formatting the scene heading you should always give the time of day. One of ... | ||
| Writing a Musical | 12/16/2011 | Anthony T. Carter |
| Q: I have recently embarked on writing my own musical. I feel pretty confident with the score, but as ... A: Okay forget about the italics for a moment. Let's focus on the plot, the story. Do you have one? If ... | ||
| To who is may concern | 12/15/2011 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: Mr. Oni, In Nigeria, no. In the US, most all production companies offer jobs as production ... | ||
| Trade Marking | 12/15/2011 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: I would like to know, how do you safe guard your play or script when you are self-producing? Is ... A: Kita, Go to the Library of Congress website. There, you will find a copyright application you can ... | ||
| How should you work at night? | 12/14/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: I'm asking as someone who has a full-time job, a family and finds it hard to work. During the day ... A: This is a great question, and it's the first time I've been asked it on this site. Writing is a time ... | ||
| Agents | 12/13/2011 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: How many agents who accept unsolicited material should I send my screenplay to at once? Thank you in ... A: Jared, The movie business is not like the publishing business. You do not have to put "multiple ... | ||
| writting a play for the book her bak. | 12/13/2011 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: I am writing a play from the book Her bak. the original Her bak was privately printed in a limited ... A: The original author of Her Bak is deceased. Her daughter Lucie Lamy may still be alive, I don't ... | ||
| To who is may concern | 12/12/2011 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: Mr. Oni, How many scenes are there in a movie? How long is your movie? A scene is normally 3 - 5 ... | ||
| To Whom is may concern | 12/7/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: To Whom is may concern , I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure ... A: I'm sorry your Internet connection is slow. That means it will take some time to download any ... | ||
| Re: Writer's block | 12/6/2011 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: When you say "pilot," that means the first script in a TV series. The story you're proposing sounds ... | ||
| Re: | 12/5/2011 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: Osie, Read Viki King's "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days". This book will give you all of the ... | ||
| Re: Writer's block | 12/5/2011 | Barry Pearson |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: There are two issues here. The first is the fact that English is at least your second language. ... | ||
| To who is may concern | 12/5/2011 | John M. Lovett |
| Q: To who is may concern, I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure it ... A: Mr. Oni, You start writing by, well, writing. You do not need to know how to write a script to ... | ||
| To Whom is may concern | 12/5/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: To Whom is may concern , I thank you for your time, you have spent on this site and I am sure ... A: It sounds as if English is not your first language -- at least not written English -- so I hope my ... | ||
| Is Final Draft only for English writers? | 11/29/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: I have a question about the software Final Draft. Is it meant for writing the script in English ... A: I don't have the definitive answer to your question as I am not a software expert. However, I did a ... | ||
| Do many American screenwriters seek work abroad? | 11/24/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: We all know that the movie/TV industry in the United States is the most difficult and competitive in ... A: I don't have a grasp of exactly (or even roughly) the number of American screenwriters who seek work ... | ||
| The next step. | 11/21/2011 | Anthony T. Carter |
| Q: Mr.Carter, I've recently written a full length play and would like to know where to go from there: ... A: I think what you should do is gather some actors or even some friends, and read it a loud. Have a ... | ||
| MTSU | 11/15/2011 | Anthony T. Carter |
| Q: can i go to MTSU and still be a successful screenwriter? A: I say one thing, I don't know if you will be successful or not. And that term is very loose because ... | ||
| Any reason why a certain premise hasn't been done for a while? | 11/14/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: I'm outside of the industry so I'm often curious why some certain ideas haven't appeared on TV more ... A: You know something, Tony? I'm inside the industry and I'm just as curious as you. The reason ... | ||
| Lack of historical evidence for your script? | 11/7/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: Could you pls help me with this question? I'm writing a tv series about a group of spies who ... A: The straight answer to your question is, no, it doesn't matter. You're not creating a documentary; ... | ||
| A question on writing about actual events | 11/3/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: There is one thing that gives me confusion. As I understand, if you want to write about a real ... A: My answer must be categorized under conjecture and supposition, because I am not a lawyer and I am ... | ||
| "Quoting" an unproduced script | 11/2/2011 | Donald L. Vasicek |
| Q: In the final "lap" of writing an ancient historical biopic, I have come upon the English translation ... A: Steve, Based on my experience, I can only say that you need to have an entertainment lawyer advise ... | ||
| "Quoting" an unproduced script | 11/2/2011 | Roger S. H. Schulman |
| Q: In the final "lap" of writing an ancient historical biopic, I have come upon the English translation ... A: This is rightfully the domain of an attorney. In fact, I should've declined to answer your question ... | ||
Writing Plays/Screenwriting
Answers by Expert:
Roger S. H. Schulman
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions on the creative aspects of writing for features and television comedy: brainstorming, character development, plotting, story structure, dialog, rewriting, editing, etc. I can also address the business side of show business: pitching, writing and presenting treatments, "taking" meetings, common pitfalls, etc. I'm also well versed in the relationship between screenwriting and computers: software for scriptwriting, brainstorming, presentation, outlining, an d general organization. I'm also a producer, and so can answer questions regarding the ins and outs of television production, specifically the half-hour arena. Visit my scriptwriting blog at http://scriptwriting.tumblr.com/
Experience
I have been working in Hollywood as a screenwriter for both TV and features for many years. I'm an Executive Producer and "showrunner" who has run several prime-time and cable comedies. I've written several featurs and contributed to many more for several major studios.
Organizations
Writers Guild of America, West
Publications
Newsweek, BusinessWeek, GQ, Connoisseur, UPI, New York Daily News, please visit my blog at http://scriptwriting.blogspot.com
Education/Credentials
I have a Masters of Science in Journalism from Columbia University.
Awards and Honors
Academy Award Nomination, Best Adapted Screenplay
British Academy Award, Best Adapted Screenplay
Emmy Award Nomination, Best New Series
NAACP "Image" Award, Best Television Comedy
"Annie" Award, Best Animated Film
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