Titles...

[matthewrobertblack]

Just wanted to see what everyone thought about titles: how important are they to you. Obviously they are an integral part of a script --- the author's chance to either enshrine a certain character or theme into the film's title. They're also important as far as getting somebody's attention: a reader or development exec may pass simply because he or she was not moved or drawn to the title on the front of your script. Anyways, those are my thoughts, what does everyone else think. Also, I wanted to know about a legality that I might face in the near future: my second script is nearly finished, and I'm hoping to title it ________________. However, my title also exists in the form of a poem: is the title of the poem copyrighted, or are short sentences/other titles up for grabs. My guess is I'm fine, and that I don't need to search out the author/publisher: who has the right to copyright or trademark a saying? Help somebody!

[dpaterso]

Short answer, you can't copyright a title, so name your script whatever you want, but don't use registered trademarks. The only real danger is whether the "used" title might give the wrong vibe, e.g. my latest Sci-Fi action/thriller Wuthering Heights hasn't been getting a lot of requests...

Using a snippet from a poem or song or other copyrighted work as a title... depending on complexity of the snippet, could be you'd have to seek the permission of the copyright owner, but that seems unlikely given that you'd only be borrowing a couple of words, right? (Man, was I surprised to learn that Born To Run wasn't Bruce Springsteen live in concert.)

-Derek
My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)
The practice of art isn't to make a living. It's to make your soul grow. ~The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (Kurt Vonnegut)

[TwoKeys]

One thing I love about Two and a Half Men is that they name each episode based on a memorable line from the dialogue. It makes it even more fun to watch to see if you can pick up the title.

Love the technique, but I've yet to use it. 99% of my yet-to-be-purchased stuff was titled just from something that came to me while typing. Although I am working on a spec right now that got named based on one line of dialogue....