It's one of the most duplicitous things done to aspiring writers... and isn't a dodgy contest for a change. In an age where companies are really anal about copyright, it's bizarre to think that not only are these allowed, but there are new ones being uploaded all the time!
What am I talking about? Up on Amazon, there's a deluge of supposed 'script books' from hit movies, and often for knock down prices. A bargain for new writers who are constantly told to 'read read read' if they want to improve and understand screen storytelling. They even come on Kindle, so no worries about shelf space, right?
Nope - it's just someone uploading a transcript, not a proper screenplay. Not formatted in anything resembling an industry standard, usually next-to no action lines or slug lines: it might as well just be a collection of the DVD subtitles. The audacity makes it almost not qualify as theft, as theft implies some kind of effort - this is the lowest, laziest type of screenwriting-related literature I've seen in the near-decade I've been involved with this scene.
How can you spot them and not be conned out? Sometimes, it's super easy as they'll use generic Createspace covers with ugly word art, but over time, they've gotten more savvy and use official images and art from the movie. Instead, here's some ways:
1) If the author is not the actual screenwriter. In the example below, the book is credited to one Charlene Kiser, but Changing Lanes was actually written by Chap Taylor & Michael Tolkin.
2) Its publisher is Amazon and not a proper publisher or studio affiliate. Some of the real guys include Picador, Faber & Faber and HarperCollins among others.
3) Check the title: if it doesn't something akin to 'Official Script/Screenplay of the Movie', or if the release date is years, or decades, after it was released and its not marked as an anniversary edition, those are red flags.
Hope that was useful as this is something that has been grinding my gears for some years now and it's an insidious way that writers are being preyed on. Not to mention, y'know, you're profiting off of something YOU DON'T OWN. If you want screenplays, you can find the real ones, often for free online. Here's a handy list of them:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts
- https://indiefilmhustle.com/free-screenplays-download/
- http://www.simplyscripts.com/movie-scripts.html
- http://www.la-screenwriter.com/script-index/
- http://www.imsdb.com/
- https://www.scriptslug.com/
- http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml
- http://www.moviescriptsandscreenplays.com/
- https://sfy.ru/
Writers already deal with enough in trying to make a go of a career - don't make the learning process more difficult too.
