Hi!
A foreign film production company that found my logline etc. at a script info posting site for screenwriters sent their “Release Form”. Their email requesting my material be sent to them via email included a link to their company's very professional looking website with impressive studio grounds pics etc. and mailing addresses. They have one office in the US. The actual production studio is in their small country. At their site I find their company name is attached in some way to another very famous big company name that is in several other foreign countries. I live in the US. I imagine this foreign film company has at least as much as an office space here in the US, but there are no impressive US studio pics or website I could find, only a US street address.
I splurged, searched IMDbPro directory just to find out more about this particular producer as at their website all their “Contact” info is just an email message form that doesn't list staff people's names etc. to write back to. They noted if I had any questions to email. So I asked in two different emails for a name of someone rather than their nebulous “Creative Team” name, and their only response in that regard was the nick name of the person who was emailing me and the first name of their creative director.... They are open about expounding on their facilities world class settings etc. but that's almost it. All they have listed at IMDb is 2 foreign films they produced and one staff member's name - their CEO's name. At this producer's own site their film credit list is 16 films and some fairly major ones, a huge difference from IMDb list of them only having 2 Latin American foreign films to their credit.
Their Release letterhead at top of their page 1 has a third company name. Also, centered at bottom of the same pg 1 is yet another name with 2 other mailing addresses.... Their release is written all in their favor. I went to InkTip and copy/pasted their very simply worded fair to producer and fair to writer universal release. I feel like filling that out and sending it to them instead.
Would that be taboo and eliminate me?
Other questions:
Would you submit to them if you were me?
Would anyone PM me so I could send you the Release to see what you think? It's 2 3/4ths pgs long. I can't afford a lawyer.
I have no agent. Just one agent who read my stuff a year ago was nice enough to even the same day email back to me. In all caps he wrote: “NEVER SIGN ANYTHING UNLESS THERE IS A DEAL ON THE TABLE AND A CHECK STARING AT YOU.” I just asked him briefly as possible and didn't forward to him names or a copy of the Release....
I don't think a producer would ever put a check on the table without reading my script, right?
The agent still didn't take me as their new writer, but he was nice enough to say that much.
Should I ignore that advice and take the big gamble?
This could be my only “big break” and doubt any agent will ever take me under wing with only one reading after many dozens of cover letters via snail mail and many dozens more via emails.
Is my US copyright invalidated because their studio is in another country?
At least they have one office in the US. Would that make them accountable to US copyright laws? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kindest Regards,
Winfred
A foreign film production company that found my logline etc. at a script info posting site for screenwriters sent their “Release Form”. Their email requesting my material be sent to them via email included a link to their company's very professional looking website with impressive studio grounds pics etc. and mailing addresses. They have one office in the US. The actual production studio is in their small country. At their site I find their company name is attached in some way to another very famous big company name that is in several other foreign countries. I live in the US. I imagine this foreign film company has at least as much as an office space here in the US, but there are no impressive US studio pics or website I could find, only a US street address.
I splurged, searched IMDbPro directory just to find out more about this particular producer as at their website all their “Contact” info is just an email message form that doesn't list staff people's names etc. to write back to. They noted if I had any questions to email. So I asked in two different emails for a name of someone rather than their nebulous “Creative Team” name, and their only response in that regard was the nick name of the person who was emailing me and the first name of their creative director.... They are open about expounding on their facilities world class settings etc. but that's almost it. All they have listed at IMDb is 2 foreign films they produced and one staff member's name - their CEO's name. At this producer's own site their film credit list is 16 films and some fairly major ones, a huge difference from IMDb list of them only having 2 Latin American foreign films to their credit.
Their Release letterhead at top of their page 1 has a third company name. Also, centered at bottom of the same pg 1 is yet another name with 2 other mailing addresses.... Their release is written all in their favor. I went to InkTip and copy/pasted their very simply worded fair to producer and fair to writer universal release. I feel like filling that out and sending it to them instead.
Would that be taboo and eliminate me?
Other questions:
Would you submit to them if you were me?
Would anyone PM me so I could send you the Release to see what you think? It's 2 3/4ths pgs long. I can't afford a lawyer.
I have no agent. Just one agent who read my stuff a year ago was nice enough to even the same day email back to me. In all caps he wrote: “NEVER SIGN ANYTHING UNLESS THERE IS A DEAL ON THE TABLE AND A CHECK STARING AT YOU.” I just asked him briefly as possible and didn't forward to him names or a copy of the Release....
I don't think a producer would ever put a check on the table without reading my script, right?
The agent still didn't take me as their new writer, but he was nice enough to say that much.
Should I ignore that advice and take the big gamble?
This could be my only “big break” and doubt any agent will ever take me under wing with only one reading after many dozens of cover letters via snail mail and many dozens more via emails.
Is my US copyright invalidated because their studio is in another country?
At least they have one office in the US. Would that make them accountable to US copyright laws? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kindest Regards,
Winfred
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