What protection do I have if I tell you (or anyone else) my outline idea?

Unfortunately story ideas alone cannot be protected. For example, there have been many films made along the theme of two people from different & opposing cultures falling in love and having to battle through peer and family opposition before realising their dream of happiness together. What makes each story unique and recognisable for copyright is the creative body of work based on that concept: i.e. the fully written screenplay. So since the writing is the most difficult and time consuming part of the process, there is no real value in “stealing” an idea: and if you want your story turned into a screenplay, the idea will have to be revealed to the person writing it.

Can I be sure my screenplay will be made into a movie?

There is no guarantee that your script will be bought by a studio and made into a film, but I will not take on a project unless I think the idea has genuine originality and potential, as it is very important to me that the many hours of work I put into the writing translates into a finished onscreen production. Because of my track record and experience, I can help ensure the finished screenplay gets read by the right people to give it the best possible chance. If, for example, a well known actor can be attracted to a strong role in the film, then this can make the whole package very attractive when combined with a good script. We would discuss those factors before making a decision whether to proceed, and then it is for you to decide based on your confidence in the concept. However, if the script is accepted, the remuneration can be very high, particularly for a big budget production.

Costs

I would be writing your screenplay as a full time commitment once commissioned, so I do have to charge a fee. The fee level depends on a number of factors: whether you have just a simple concept or a well developed detailed storyline; the complexity of the story itself and the characters; whether you want to have complete ownership of all rights in the script once it is finished, or whether you would prefer to pay less and share in any future sales proceeds. Once we have discussed all those aspects so I have a clear idea of the scale of the writing work involved, and what approach suits you best, then I would provide a fixed quote for the work. As a guideline, a detailed treatment developing a basic idea into a full storyline would cost from around £1,500; while a complete screenplay could be from £10,000 upwards (payable in stages) depending on the factors above.

First step

Give me a call to have an initial discussion and to get a feel for whether you might wish to take things further. If you do, we can meet to look at your idea in detail and decide the best way forward.

Click on CONTACT above for contact details