John August

QandA

Dead copyright holders, and being too young

QandA, Rights and Copyright

I read the section on your site pertaining to copyrights and adapting a book or novel to a screenplay.  My only question is, if the copyright hasn’t expired, but the author died some time ago, what is one to do?  I’ve started the adaptation, but I don’t know if I should continue due to my uncertainty. 

Also, I’m a young screenwriter, a teenager, and although I’m confident in my writing, will my age hold me back from breaking into the world of screenwriting?  Thank you very much for your time.

–Brandon
New York City

When an author dies, the copyright passes on to his heirs. For instance, Roald Dahl wrote *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*. He died in 1990, but in order to make a movie version of his book, Warner Bros. had to negotiate with the executors of his estate to obtain the rights.

In your case, someone, somewhere owns the rights you seek. In all likelihood, the publisher is sending royalty checks to someone, so the standard advice (call the publisher’s “sub-rights” department) still holds.

[Reminder: It’s copyright, not *copywrite*; the past tense is copyrighted, not *copywritten.* I changed the spelling in Brandon’s question because it hurt my eyes. And yes, there is such a word as copywriter, but that’s a person who writes copy for advertising.]

As for your second question, yes, your age may hold you back from breaking into the world of screenwriting. But guess what? You’ll get older. Age is the only quality which increases without any effort on your part.

Getting a reader job

Film Industry, QandA

I’m heading to LA to begin the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and would love to get a day job as a reader if possible. Where do you start looking for reader jobs being offered and what gets you hired as such?

–Angel
Fabens, Texas

For those unfamiliar with Hollywood parlance, a reader is someone who writes coverage on a screenplay — essentially a summary of the plot, along with a short critique of the the script’s characters, narrative, dialogue and structure. Along with answering phones and working in the mailroom, being a reader is one of the classic first jobs in the film industry.

In order to get hired as a paid reader, you need samples and references. The best way to get these is to intern somewhere. Pretty much any small production company would be fine for this. There are a few ways to find one:

1. When you get to Los Angeles, pick up a copy of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. In the classifieds section, you’ll find ads for “readers wanted.” Some of those are scams; some are real. You just have to meet with them to figure it out. (Trust your gut.)

2. Since you’re going to be at UCLA, check the bulletin boards in the film school. There will likely be some “interns wanted” flyers there.

3. The classic resource is the UTA job list, which is published every week and lists every assistant-level job open in Hollywood. Technically, you’re not supposed to get it unless you’re on the official distribution list, and if you call UTA, they’ll deny it exists. But if you’re already working one internship, chances are someone else in the office gets the UTA list, and if you ask nicely they’ll let you see it. A sample listing from this week would be:

> Feature film production company with Academy Award-winning Producer needs one more intern. Candidate must have experience writing coverage and should be a student or recent graduate. In addition to assisting with daily office management, our interns take on the role of story analysts, evaluating our current projects. Must be available to start immediately and be present in the office at least two days a week. Unpaid. Please fax cover letter and resume to 310-555-5555 5/14

The goal with this first, unpaid reader job is to get experience, a recommendation, and stack of 10-15 good examples of coverage. You can have multiple internships at the same time, and you don’t need to stay with one for very long — not more than a few months. Everyone leaves; you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Take your good sample coverage and look for a paid job. The same resources listed above are good places to start looking, but hopefully you’ve made some contacts by now who can help you as well. Many of the more interesting jobs are never listed.

Do screenwriters make anything from video rentals?

Film Industry, QandA

You are so honest about how much money you got from the sales of Big Fish, and I want to thank you for that because that was always a question I wondered but never knew who to ask. My question is:

Do screenwriters make anything from movie rentals? Big Fish sold 2 million in its first week, but it also took in an estimated $13.5 million in gross rental revenue. Do you see a dime of any of that?

–Peter

Shortest answer yet: No.

The writer doesn’t get residuals on rentals, except for whatever Blockbuster paid for each videotape or DVD it bought it from Sony. Those 10 copies of BIG FISH on the shelf net me $0.50, if that. This disparity is one reason DVD has been a windfall for almost everyone: many people buy the disk, rather than just renting. Sucks for Blockbuster, though.

Sending a script to an actor

Film Industry, QandA

As a writer without an agent or manager, would it be beneficial to me in any way to send a script to an actor via his/her agent? If I did send it, is there a possibility it may actually get to him?

–Chris Storer
Chicago

The odds are pretty slim, but there are a few cases where it might make sense:

**1. For actors with very unique attributes.**
[Matthew McGrory](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570067/), who plays Karl the Giant in BIG FISH, will be on the casting list for any movie involving a giant. So if you’ve written an acromegaly gangster drama called BIGFELLAS, it may make sense to send it to him. And, obviously, [John Malkovich](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000518/) would be a prescient choice for BEING JOHN MALKOVICH.

**2. For stars who can’t find roles.**
[Angela Bassett](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000291/) is a star, no question. But there aren’t a lot of great roles written for 46-year old African-American actresses. So if you’ve written one, it’s worth a shot.

**3. For actors with a special affinity for the subject matter.**
If you find out that [Reese Witherspoon’s](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000702/) family is Armenian, and you’ve written the definitive wacky Armenian ethnic comedy, go for it. (By the way, I’m pretty certain Ms. Witherspoon is not of Armenian descent, but just by typing that last sentence, I suspect I’ll find “Reese Witherspoon Armenian” among the search engine phrases in the referrer log.)

In other words, Chris, if you’ve written a role that’s “perfect for Tom Cruise,” you have almost zero chance of getting it to him. But the more specialized the actor you’re targeting, the more reasonable it is to try.