Someone wants to make a short film of my story

[scullars]

Just got an email today from someone named Steven Cerritos, who read my short story, Nona, somewhere (have it posted a couple of places) and wants to make a short film based on it. I looked up his site, and he has some experimental shorts on his site. Haven't emailed him yet; just got a kick out of the prospect.

What do y'all think? Couldn't hurt, right?

[scullars]

...here's the link to his page.

http://www.brownfish.com/cgi-bin/searchengine.pl?director=Steven%20Cerritos

[Jamesaritchie]

Just got an email today from someone named Steven Cerritos, who read my short story, Nona, somewhere (have it posted a couple of places) and wants to make a short film based on it. I looked up his site, and he has some experimental shorts on his site. Haven't emailed him yet; just got a kick out of the prospect.

What do y'all think? Couldn't hurt, right?

Sounds tremendous on the surface. Just make sure what rights he gets, and what you get to keep. It's always, always, always a good idea to talk something like this over with someone who specializes in such things, such as an agent or a lawyer.

But at the very least it means your fiction is catching the attention of some people.

[zeprosnepsid]

I'm a writer and a filmmaker and thinking it over, I don't see anything wrong with it. If it's bad no one will see it and anyone who does wouldn't blame you. If it's good, the publicity could be a plus.

James suggestion is good but also sort of funny -- rights? Most people who make short films don't/won't have any kind of real contracts, they probably won't even think about rights. Short filmmaking is not a real business, no one makes money off them. I don't think you need an agent or a lawyer -- I'm sure the filmmaker won't have one.

But definitely write up a bit of an agreement with the guy. If you want to specify that he has film right for a certain period of time and even ask for script approval.

[scullars]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely check things out before I agree to anything. I just emailed him back asking for more credentials.

Here is the link to the full story; wonder how well it will translate to film.

http://www.sffworld.com/authors/c/cullars_sharon/fiction/nona1.html

[Jamesaritchie]

I'm a writer and a filmmaker and thinking it over, I don't see anything wrong with it. If it's bad no one will see it and anyone who does wouldn't blame you. If it's good, the publicity could be a plus.

James suggestion is good but also sort of funny -- rights? Most people who make short films don't/won't have any kind of real contracts, they probably won't even think about rights. Short filmmaking is not a real business, no one makes money off them. I don't think you need an agent or a lawyer -- I'm sure the filmmaker won't have one.

But definitely write up a bit of an agreement with the guy. If you want to specify that he has film right for a certain period of time and even ask for script approval.

If they have no contract, write one of your own or avoid them. If you don't, it can come back to haunt you down the road. It isn't so much about making money as it is about losing money that might be available from someone else at a later date.

And miracles do happen. Every great now and then a short film takes off, or catches the eye of a big filmmaker, and if this happens you don't want to be left out in the cold.

It's because most short filmmakers won't have a contract or a lawyer that means you need both. Short filmmakers seldom make money, but short stories can be worth a fortune. You have to make certain that no matter what the filmmaker does with his film, it won't affect your right to do something else with the short story at a later date.

Rights can be tricky, and it's always best to have a contract. If you don't want to use an agent or a lawyer, then do the research and look around the net for sample contracts, but get everything in writing.

It's unlikely a big producer or director or agent or actor will want the short story for a big movie, but it does happen, especially after a short film maker has done something with it. And if it happens you need to have everything in writing because short filmmakers have been known to come out of the woodwork claiming all sorts of rights to a story. Unless you have a solid contract, this can be a nightmare of long and expensive court battles.

[katiemac]

Either way, scullars, no matter what you chose to do in the end, congratulations! You've inspired someone.

[scullars]

Thanks for the advice James. I'm waiting back for a return email. It'll be interesting to see how this develops. I don't have the foggiest notion what any of this entails. He might turn out to be a total flake. But, it is nice to be asked. :)

Thanks Katie for the congrats.

[reph]

scullars, it's wise to do everything James said and then some. Specifically, a contract isn't anything to make up without a lawyer. It should be a lawyer experienced in intellectual property.

[scullars]

Thanks Reph. I'm going to do that.

[scullars]

Here is the email I received today as follow up to my query:

Hi Sharon,

I actually saw your story at www.sffworld.com (http://www.sffworld.com/). It's a website that posts short stories. The site's a great source for filmmakers, plenty of great material! But yours really caught my attention.

Thinking ahead, we can make it dark and artistic- think Sin City but with color. Furthermore, it wasn’t only your concept that caught my attention but your narrative really inspired me. I just love the way you eloquently unravel the story. If we we're to go forward, I would want your narrative in there as well. Obviously we would have to turn into a script, I can do that, but I do want you to be involved as much as possible. I definitely don’t want to change anything from your story, I think it’s perfect, but making it into film is another thing. And like I said before, I really want to add your narration into the film. We can bill the movie as Sharon Cullars “Untitled Movie. This is where I stand on this: I just want to see this concept made into a short film.

A little bio on myself:

I’ve been producing and directing short films for the past few years. I actually just wrapped-up a 25 minute short, we shot it in super 16. I have a few other projects slated for a summer shoot and other projects slated for next year. I’m really young for this industry, barely 23, but I’ve got a plethora of experience to show for, and my crew is great and experienced;. Of course, with any Director and Producer, it’s hard to break into the professional industry without a great demo reel! It’s also hard to achieve a great demo reel without the proper resources and finances. But, this is where it gets good, that isn’t a problem anymore; I have the resources and financial back up from another production company. I also have a group of talented individuals working with me. From composer to DOP (what exactly is a DOP), these people are extremely talented. However, as I continue to grow as a director, I will eventually have to give up on producing, but I have other people producing for me as I speak. We’ll also make sure we land a few established actors for your film. It'll be run as a professional movie shoot.

So , Sharon, let’s get your vision into a visual format! You can call me at my business line, xxx-xxx-xxxx (x'd out for privacy reasons). We can further discuss this and plan out any arrangements.

Best Regards,

Steven Cerritos

[zeprosnepsid]

DOP is the Director of Photography.

I still think you don't need to be that cautious. Just because I've worked in the short film world and I know what it's like. But I suppose it couldn't hurt. People here are so cynical! Lawyers and all that! But I know they're only saying that because they've had bad experiences and whatnot.

But in the film world, it really comes down to what you feel about the people you are working with. His letter seems good. You might even want to talk to him on the phone. Because your impression is the best thing to go on most of the time.

Good luck!

[arrowqueen]

Whatever you decide to do, it's a very flattering offer. Congrats.

[William Haskins]

here's how i would handle it:

strike a written agreement that stipulates he place "based on the short story ("title") by (your name)" in the opening credits.

further stipulate that, while you claim no rights to the film and are not free to sell it, you can freely circulate it, post it on the web or use it on a media reel as an example/extension of your work -- into perpetuity, unless and until he sells the work.

then negotiate a nominal percentage in the (very long shot) event that he sells it outright, or the rights to it. i'd say 10% of the purchase price.

[scullars]

Thanks for all the good advice; to be on the safe side, I will draw up an agreement stipulating most of the advice given (incl. from my agent who's dealt with one of her author's book being adapted to film) and have him sign it. Then it's a done deal.

[mudflat_marsh_hawk]

Congratulations, scullars. How absolutley flattering to have someone interested in your short story.

[Jamesaritchie]

DOP is the Director of Photography.

I still think you don't need to be that cautious. Just because I've worked in the short film world and I know what it's like. But I suppose it couldn't hurt. People here are so cynical! Lawyers and all that! But I know they're only saying that because they've had bad experiences and whatnot.

But in the film world, it really comes down to what you feel about the people you are working with. His letter seems good. You might even want to talk to him on the phone. Because your impression is the best thing to go on most of the time.

Good luck!

Anyone who hasn' had bad experiences in the film world just hasn' been around nearly enough. The film world is where 90% of all ripoffs in teh writing world occur, and it's the only area of writing where the writer's work is actively aand blatantly stolen on a daily basis.

His letter worries me even more. It claims this and claims that, but doesn't offer any concrete facts to support the claims. He doesn't name names, doesn't name places, doesn't name events, doesn't name anything.

Read the bio part of the letter again. Not a single thing in there to support any of his claims. It's the kind of letter you writer when you want to sound experienced, but lack the credits to back it up. At the very least, this is a perfect example of how not to write a bio.

And ro be honest, the language he uses about narrative makes me wonder if he's ever turned anything into a film, short or otherwise.

And in the end, this isn't about the film world, it's about the writing world. Having a short film made might be great exposure, and it might be disastrous. No writer should ever go into a deal like this without an agent or a lawyer to back him up, unless he's perfectly willing to lose that short story, and any possible future earnings it may have.

There's nothing about the film world, short or long, art or commercial, that should inspire confidence in any writer. There are more sharks in teh film world than in all the world's oceans put together, and approaching a new writer about making a short film of one of his stories is a very common lead-in to a scam.

Be as trusting as you like, but always cut the cards and count the chips.

[scullars]

Thanks James. Yes, I did catch the hyperbolic claims, but size this up as a youngster wanting to be taken seriously. I am searching for a sample contract to mimic and pass to him. I'll want some input, and will make sure my name is attached. I'm definitely going to ask about the production team he has put together, then google my butt off.

I appreciate the advice.

[Jamesaritchie]

Thanks James. Yes, I did catch the hyperbolic claims, but size this up as a youngster wanting to be taken seriously. I am searching for a sample contract to mimic and pass to him. I'll want some input, and will make sure my name is attached. I'm definitely going to ask about the production team he has put together, then google my butt off.

I appreciate the advice.

Just watch out for the two most common scams in this area. One is he starts to make the movie, runs low on funds, and starts asking you for money, probably a little now and a little then. The other is that he gets you to sign all movie rights over to him, and now he owns them and can try to sell them to really big producers. There are other scams, but these are the two you see most often.

There are those who basically steal the movie rights to as many short stories and novels as they can in the hope that one or two will be worth a lot of money someday.

There are crooks in every field, and the short film arena has more than its share.