December 6, 2010
Amazon Studios Isn’t the Devil — Redux
Category: filmmakingI recently posted a short piece defending Amazon Studios, because it seemed to me that Amazon was getting attacked unfairly for attempting something new with filmmaking. I obviously need to be more clear about the potential problems with uploading to Amazon, because I don’t want anyone to be misinformed about the risks.
Amazon makes it clear that if you upload your work, they automatically control the work by optioning it. On their website, they make it appear that the option lasts for 18 months, and that they have to right to re-option for an additional 18 months. What they don’t make clear is the fact that they retain the rights to your work permanently. If you read the agreement, you will discover this, but I agree that they need to make this point more clearly.
So, all writers should understand that uploading to Amazon any screenplay that you care about, or one that you believe has any chance of getting made, is a bad idea.
However, if you have a screenplay that you aren’t attached to, or that you are willing to test to see how the Amazon experiment works, then why not give it a try? I uploaded a screenplay as an experiment. I understand that it is no longer mine. I’m okay with that. If someone else tries to rewrite it, I will find that interesting. If they do a terrible job but someone decides to make their film instead of mine, then I will find that interesting, but I will hold no grudges, because I knew I was putting it out there as an experiment.
In order to make a living as a writer, you have to be able to control your work. So don’t give away your rights without seriously considering the consequences of doing so. On the other hand, if you want to try something new just to see what happens, and you understand that you may lose your investment, then don’t be afraid to do it.
So, I still don’t think Amazon Studios is the Devil. But I do agree that they should make it more clear that you are giving up your rights to the work that you upload.
2 Comments
Trackbacks and Pingbacks
Leave a Comment
Since writing for a living isn’t that important to you, how about you give me your manuscript to your book of poetry, so I can rewrite it, take credit for it and sell it. After all, I have to feed myself.
Read the fine print of the Amazon deal. It’s not good at all for professional writers who want to retain the rights to their own work and be properly compensated.
And by the way, in Hollywood, granting an option is not giving away the rights to your work in perpetuity. An option allows a production company a limited time period to try to package a deal with your script, for a fee. Then all rights revert back to you.
Don’t misinform people. That’s just ignorant.
Dave,
All of your points are well taken. You’re completely right in saying that writers who want to retain the rights to their work should not upload their scripts to Amazon.
Making a living as a writer is not an easy task, and many people will be tempted to test the Amazon waters with screenplays that they are deeply committed to. Amazon’s marketing pitch is very smooth, and they make it sound like you will have a great opportunity to win a contest or get your movie made. I grant you that it’s highly unlikely that either of those things will happen.
But I’m curious to see what could happen, so I risked a script. It may be that nothing at all will come of it, and I’ll simply lose the work, in which case, I will have learned an expensive lesson.
Thanks for your comments.