This comes to us from Mark Fogarty:Hello screenwriters,
I spoke to Mr. Corrente's assistant, Ryan Murphy, regarding details of the upcoming screamwriting contest. I wanted to make the people at Scare RI aware of concerns that some people had expressed.
The two major concerns have been:
1. Will the screenwriter be paid for their idea?
2. Is there anything in place to protect the screenwriter from having their idea stolen?
After speaking with Ryan, I now feel fully confident that I can answer these concerns.
Question #1: Will the screenwriter be paid for their idea?
Answer: Yes. The creator of the idea will be guaranteed screen credit and paid a sum equivalent to the standards of low budget Hollywood movies. There is not an official answer on how much that will be, however, by the standards of Hollywood filmmaking, it will be a respectable amount of money.
Question #2: Is there anything in place to protect the screenwriter from having their idea stolen?
Answer: Yes. First of all, there will be paperwork that you will get a copy of. That paperwork can be used as a record that you pitched your idea. Be sure to read the paperwork before signing it and pitching your idea, of course.
Also, the event will be documented and well publicized, so it would be easy to find witnesses and prove your idea was stolen. Of course, Scare RI has no intention of stealing anything, we never thought they did, but we need to make sure you are protected. After talking to Ryan, I now feel confident that the people at ScareRI want you protected as well, and will have things in place to make sure you feel safe sharing your million dollar idea.
Another interesting point is that you don't necessarily have to be a writer to pitch an idea. If you have a great idea but are not capable of writing it, they would be willing to find you a writer and you would still get credit and payment for the idea. And for you writers that want to write a horror but have not gotten around to it yet, you can still enter the competition. Just pitch your idea and you will be given time to write it after it is selected.
I hope this helps answer your questions and encourages you to come to the event with your best work.
Mark Fogarty
RIFC President
This is a non RIFC Production.