mithrandir_111

This girl is a schoolmate of mine whom I 've been friends with for years and I guess we always liked one another, but our relationship is still mostly intellectual (she is a very interesting and open-minded person). She is taken and I know she has plans to live with her guy abroad. At the same time, she wanted to see me as she visited my city and to stay overnight. She talked about some troubles she has with her boyfriend (she has a soft spot for troubled and problematic guys). I can't quite put my finger on whether she wanted me to make a move or not, or whether she would go along with it if I did - it seemed to me she wanted an adventure while she and her boyfriend have a long-distance relationship.We drank, talked and had fun; parted this morning rather intimate, but nothing really happened. What are your thoughts on this - do you think she wanted me to do something or not? Do you think it would be ethical if I did? What do you think about dating girls who are taken in general? Thanks.

Hi. This is a problem my parents have with their computer. After it froze up, they turned the computer off and now it won't start. In fact, it won't do anything at all, no bios, no hdd, no leds will turn on, nothing. Any idea what this is about? Thanks.

The script is for a rather expensive sci-fi/action movie which I need to perfect to have a chance to sell (it is well-polished over a period of time, but I know given its budget and genre such script has to be positively earth-shattering to stand a chance). The script is WGA registered and copyrighted (with changes since). Is there a serious risk, such as plagiarism, or leak which could render a script public domain and therefore unsellable? Can it realistically help get a big film produced, or get access to agents from big companies like CAA or WME who are more likely to make things happen?

A management/production company (Zero Gravity Management) requested my screenplay and sent along their release form. What I worry about is this clause below. I believe it is relatively common, but generally considered risky for the writer.

"You agree that you will not use the Material unless you shall first negotiate with me compensation for such use, but I understand and agree that your use of material containing features and elements similar to or identical with those contained in the Material shall not obligate you to negotiate with me nor entitle me to any compensation if you determine that you have an independent legal right to use such other material which is not derived from me (either because such features and elements were not new or novel, or were not originated by me, or because other persons have submitted or may hereafter submit material containing similar or identical features and elements not derived from me which you have the right to use)."

I add that this seems to be a managing/prodco with relatively good name, but the thing is, they have been around for some time and they still are actively seeking new scripts and like to hear a lot of pitches from people (and then tend not to be heard from again). They never even send a note that they don't want the script they requested (and presumably read). What do you think?

The thing is I have polished my screenplay to a point where I don't expect to make any changes to it (if I sell it, any amendments and revisions will most likely be done by other people). Is it a good idea to copyright it to make sure that no part of my screenplay (i.e. my execution, not idea) is stolen? Would agents/production companies likely have a problem with it? Thanks.

Is there a place (a screenwriters' forum on the web) that is good for this?

Is it safe?

The idea is to increase chances for a good sale.

If yes, would you tell them?

Thanks.

Well, it’s actually more than a couple, but I tried to keep it short:-). I have finished my first script (essentially a character-driven sci-fi action movie). I’ve been writing, re-writing and polishing it for more than a year and now I want to start off on the right foot pitching it while I delve more deeply into the next one. These are the questions:

When registering at WGA, does it matter if it is west or east office? (I’m from Europe)

Given that the Hollywood Creative Directory is out of print, what are the best current sources to get contacts for representation? What are the best free resources (Is the list of agencies that WGA presents on their pages a good start)?

When I find an agent who promises to represent me, should I still talk to other agents to increase my chances for a good sale? Would you tell them?

Is it safe to send WGA-registered script to people I don’t know very well to get their feedback (I’m considering my former fellow classmates of English philology who I mostly know through Facebook or screenwriters’discussion forums such as at Celtx website)?

If I make slight changes in WGA-registered script, should I register it again before sending it to agents?

Is there a realistically possible way to contact producers from a particular, well-established production company (20 C. Fox - yes, I know it’s a long shot but it is probably the most suitable big production company when considering their output).

And the last one:

Is it true that you should always put colon after the addressee’s name in the query letter – like this?

Dear Mr. Agent:

Blah, blah…

(I’m not from the States and this looks strange to me, we always use comma and continue lowercase below)

If you have any other piece of useful advice, please feel free to share as well. Thanks!

Jet fighters often fly missions in pairs of a lead and a wingman (whose primary function is to protect the leader's six o'clock). Now my question is: Could this be similar for fighters in space where the attack could easily come from any direction and fighters won't maneuver the way jet fighters do?

Seems to me it could still be useful to have a wing who protects the leader on the mission and covers his blind spot(inasmuch as there can be such a thing). So, would an instruction such as "Watch your six" (e.g. given by a wingman who needs to move away from the lead) make any sense? Do you think there would be a different, specific command/procedure instead?

Thanks. Question for my sci-fi writing.

Basically, I want to keep basic formatting of .txt files so that the files they look the same in my tablet reader (i.e. with empty lines and indentation). How can I best do it? Thanks.

Is there a way (or a format) I can use to view basic .txt files from my computer so that they are formatted the same way (i.e. not aligned to the left or otherwise)? Thanks.

E.g. by way of sabotage of some of its systems/components or as a result of a crash. Thanks!

Question for my sci-fi writing.

Theta Cygni binary system is suspected to harbor 1 gas giant (2.3 Jupiter mass) orbiting the bigger main sequence star in distance of 0.635 AU. If this system has more planets, is it realistically possible that some of the others are smaller and terrestrial? Thanks.

Also about the binary system, (from wikipedia):

"Theta Cygni has a faint companion star at an angular separation of about three arcseconds and a position angle of 56°". Could you please explain what this means?:-) Thanks.

When I put an address to a black list to block it, does it in effect decrease the amount of spam email I receive, or am I just telling spammers that the address is alive, so they can continue to send from other random addresses?

Is it better to create filters to delete messages from spam addresses? Or do something else(in a common email account)? Thanks.

If I were on a station in high orbit of a planet orbiting Theta Cygni (a "white" - F (F3V) class star, watching a sunset (or sunrise) from orbit - what would be the color of it?

Could it be orange and red (given that there's more atmosphere in the way from orbit), would it be more toward white or blue (given the F type star), or would there likely be a special color based on the type of atmosphere of the planet (which as far as I know is unknown). Examples?

If orange and red (or violet) are unlikely, can you think of another system and planet which could produce them?

Thanks a lot. Question for my sci-fi writing.

For screenplay writers and enthusiasts. What do you think are the most readable, gripping scripts ever written (esp. sci-fi or drama)?

E. g. for me it's probably James Cameron's Aliens and Stephen Zailian's Schindler's list.

A question for my scifi screenplay writing. How can one sabotage the containment field so that it would threaten to do something nasty and how do I then repair it (e.g. electromagnet sabotage)? I'm trying to make it realistic - not too detailed or technical, just something that could possibly happen and can be portrayed in a scene. Thanks!

Yes, I know this should not happen. Yet, fusion reactors explode in movies all the time, so I could at least make it remotely realistic:-)

Any tips for a chilling/scary music that is inspiring but unobtrusive - good for sci-fi writing? Thanks.

I take it there would be less atmosphere between the sun and the viewer on the station, which would make the scene look less yellow (?), more towards blue or white. Is that correct? Could there be a really golden sunset (as there is still atmosphere between the star and the viewer)? Would it be limited to a particular star type (G, K, M...) Or, to put it differently, would there be a peculiar shift in the color when related to viewing from the planet? Thanks.