Whats an effective way to get a script copyrighted and out for people to see without spending a lot of money?

Question

My question is really a two parter.
1: what is the best way to copyright and keep your script from being stolen or rewritten just enough to steal, without spending too much.
2: I live in a small town in central illinois and dont have the ability to run around california slipping scripts into directors mailboxes, what is a good way to get the script out there for directors to see and read without spending time and a fortune running around the country.

Answer 1

The first thing you do is register your script with The Library of Congress http://www.copyright.gov/register/literary.html
and the Writer's Guild http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/
Then you can either get funding to make it yourself and shop it around at film festivals or try getting help from your local film associations. State Film Alliances may be eager to help a young local screenwriter with a project. You won't know until you ask. Do a web search for Illinois Film and see what you get. You'll likely get a handfull of sites for your state. Explore them all and see what they offer.

If you make it yourself, you can try making deals with a local production company. Using their crew and equipment in exchange for points on the back end if you ever get distribution, etc. You'll need an agent though to help you make that deal. Don't sign anything without someone on your side who understands these deals. You can also try bartering with local businesses. Get them to invest money in your project in exchange for product placement. Use their place of business in a scene and show the store front prominently, etc.

Agents in Illinois may or may not represent writers. The WGA has a list of agents but they're all in CA. http://wga.org/agency/agencylist.asp#top Once your script is registered with LOC and WGA send copies to some agents and see if you get any bites for reps while you're talking to your local film people as well. Maybe you'll have an epiphany on which way to go :-)

good luck!

Answer 2

Hire a good agent after you have proof read it and gotten a good opinion from a good English teacher who cares about your efforts.