PenName/Registration

[righter]

Hello, quick question... if you use a pen name on your screenplay. When entering in contests and/or sending it out to people, which contact information do you put down.?

On your title page, in the center you have your pen name. In the lower left ,which name do you use for contact information and in the lower right which name do you say it's copyrighted to? Also, can you use a P.O. for your contact information? In the contact information, can you just leave an E-mail only?

If anyone has some experience in use a Pen name, any information on the subject would be helpful.

Thanks in advance~

[Shanked]

The only place for a pen name would be on the center middle under the title. All other info should use a real name. Notice I said "a" real name, not necessarily yours. On the first page of the script, the contact person is often someone OTHER than the writer. Here you can put the name of anyone you trust. And, no, just an email address is not enough. You need a phone number and, ideally, a postal address of some sort. Some people may not want to write their response to your script. They may want to call you. Don't eliminate that possibility by failing to provide enough info.

Are you hiding your gender? If so, use a first initial for your first name. If you're hiding your ethnicity, then use a last initial for your last name. If you're straight up hiding your whole goddamn identity, then use your neighbor or your friend or whoever's passing by outside the batcave at the moment, as the listed contact.

Note that many entry forms online will allow two totally different names to be inputted for "person registering" and "author of work." As for copyrighting, did you actually copyright your script? Sounds like you haven't actually done that yet. This is an official process. You do it here...

http://www.copyright.gov/eco/

Or you can simply register it at WGA, which is not the same thing as a copyright, but it's useful in certain ways...

https://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/dataentry.asp


Shanked

[righter]

Yeah, I plan on doing both shortly. I appreciate the info. It just kinda seems pointless to put a pen name, and then down on contact info you have your real name, ya know? Also with the copyright info down on the bottom right side of the title page. I see most people put "Copyright by Their Name" -- which once again defeats the purpose of a pen name. I suppose I'll figure something. Once again, thanks for the info.

Oh and ...

"or whoever's passing by outside the batcave at the moment, as the listed contact."

Haha.

[Shanked]

Originally Posted by righter

I see most people put "Copyright by Their Name" -- which once again defeats the purpose of a pen name.

It only defeats the purpose of a pen name if your goal is stay anonymous from even the professionals.

I hope you're clear that scripts are not meant to be read by the general public. We're not talking about novels here. The cover page to a script has somewhat of a mystique for pretty much only one filmmaker in the world right now -- Quentin Tarantino. He's a guy whose entire process will be bought buy teenagers and fans and geeks. I mean, true you could argue that there are small allegiances for Kevin Smith and Paddy Chayefsky and William Goldman, etc, but it's a trivial following. And what we're talking about in their cases is publishing a screenplay AFTER its movie becomes extremely popular. At that point the contact info is usually removed. It's a whole different ball game.

The script in the early stages is merely a production tool. Its cover page is seen only by professionals.

Are you trying to hide from EVERYBODY? If so, yes, you should then avoid putting your real name on the cover page. But if your goal is simply to have a pen name, then you need to understand that the cover of the script page is for agents, producers and festival judges to see. At this stage, that's it. Nobody else sees it. It's not even a situation where the screen credits have been established -- you sign that form WAY down the road, a form that has nothing to do with what's printed on the cover page of the script.

good luck,
Shanked

[righter]

Another quicky question along the same lines... if you copyright your script and register it. Then, you make minor changes ect. do you need to reregister/copyright it again? How about if you do another draft?

If you did copyright another draft would simply copyright/register it is as "Your Original Title (Draft 2)" ?

If anyones not too busy and knows a bit about it. Thanks, appreciate it.

[directorik]

Originally Posted by righter

Another quicky question along the same lines... if you copyright your script and register it. Then, you make minor changes ect. do you need to reregister/copyright it again? How about if you do another draft?

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/fa...er.html#change

[righter]

Great link. Thanks.