Screenwriting : Looking For a Screen writer by Christopher Gaines

Christopher, perhaps post in the Jobs section found in the upper menu bar. That's where members post various "want ads" or searches for creative partners, paid or not paid. The forums are for topic discussion. :) I wish you the best with your project!

This isn't how you get people to write something for you. First of all if you're not offering something in return, no one is going to write for you. I'm not saying necessarily money, but do you have guaranteed production? Do you have names attached? Do you have ay amount of money even if it's just a few dollars? You might get someone to help you write it, but they probably won't be good. Also we need to know what the Web series is ABOUT. If you're NOT offering anything and it's a cool concept maybe we'll be interested. You don't want to be too specific in case someone will steal it probably, but that's not really a worry because no two people will make the same idea the same way. At least tell people the genre, because if your web series is a drama and a writer only wants to write comedy, it won't help you much. My advice: Write at least PART of it yourself. Maybe get a cowriter (though if you want to make money on it make sure you sign a contract AS SOON AS YOU START THE PROCESS. Even if it's your best friend you've known for 40,000 years. I got screwed over by a friend I knew for 15 years). I really don't think any writer worth their salt will write something for someone else unless you can offer them something out of the deal or have a killer idea, because every writer in the world has a million ideas, way more than they'll ever write, and they want to write their own stuff HORRIBLY badly. And if they don't they have literally hundreds of people telling them ideas every time they tell someone they're a writer. I might be wrong, you might find someone. Try the jobs section, but don't just say "I'm writing a web series" for god's sake tell us something ABOUT IT.

Or at least credit. Clearly your thinking ahead if you're doing a web series, but if you don't offer (screen) credit UP FRONT, especially if it's a no-low budget, it seems kinda shady.

I think it's telling that so many nonwriters come up with ideas and want writers to write their scripts for them without offering them anything in return. A lot of times I've had people who randomly tell me "I've got a great idea for a story you can write it and you can take 20% of the sales." So I do all the work and you get most of the money? And you don't think I have 5,000 other scripts I'm working on? Unless you're going to pay me, guarantee that it is going to get produced (or have a really good chance at least), have some clout, know someone with clout, going to give me ALL the credit other than a story by to you, or have the best idea I've heard in a long time that I'm sure is going to be life changing somehow, I'm not interested in doing all the writing for you. I might write it with you, but I'm not doing all of the work for you. You want to have all the fun and have ME do all the work and You get all the money and credit? It doesn't work like that. Imagine a person who watches a janitor pick up after telling him there's trash on the floor, who doesn't do anything else, getting four times as much money a the guy cleaning the floor. Plus I'm repeating myself, but saying nothing about the web series? That's like telling someone that you'd like them to do a hard job with no pay and not telling them what type of job it even is and expecting them to work for you. Plus the fact that your own friends won't work with you should tell you something.Obviously something isn't working about your approach. Writing, contrary to what a lot of people who don't write think is not easy. It might just be the most challenging thing in the film industry (except maybe raising money). It's not grunt work like grips or electronics or as physically demanding as stunts, but it takes a lot of dedication. . Sometimes writers take YEARS to perfect something and when they work for someone else they have to cram a lot of work in a short amount of time. It can be tedious as hell too. Proofreading can take hours I've spent six hours going over my script over and over again making sure every comma was in the right place. It can be rewarding and a lot of fun, yes, but it's not glamorous and the writer doesn't get a lot of credit usually either. For years writers work for free and don't know if they have a shot of making a living at it. Simply saying "I have a web series and I want someone to write it for me" ain't gonna cut it.

Not to come off as rude guys but those kind of details are to be discussed between the creator and the artist. I have no budget right now but we're on the table for a smaller 10k budget. I didn't want to draw the attention of someone who is not motivated. My friends got fired because they chose to fight on my set. I'm not in this for money and believe me when I say I totally understand not wanting to work for free. However, until I personally can promise x amount of dollars I won't place ,yield in position to become a liar. I've done everything else, actually shot some footage to show investors, but without an additional guideline I Feel as if the project may not work out as well as I'd like. My approach is cautious. I have everything minus a good screenwriter. I've built everything on my own without spending millions. My goal is to make dreams come true not enhance the rich or become rich.

Screen credit (story by, screenplay by) and, or partnership/producer credit is perfectly reasonable in the absence of funds :)

Actually they get screen credit and 25% on the back end as well as producer credit. Access to dailies and Input

Wonderful. Consider re-posting in the jobs section, and be sure to mention there will be a contract stipulating screen and producer credit :)

Yeah you should have mentioned that BEFORE we went into our rants lol.

Honestly though it's NOT to be discussed between artist and creator. That's like saying that you put out a job request and don't say the job pays. You need to say "no pay upfront but percentage of profits and screen credit" when posting that you want a writer and at the very least the genre. You don't have to say what percentage, but give the people who may apply some idea you're not ripping them off.

I apologize for the confusion and unnecessary banter. I'm still learning the production aspect of this because my beginning was theater. I've been relatively successful in the film and television industry and just feel that the world around me cannot be trusted with too much information. I work tirelessly like I'm sure we all do but I refuse to be a victim of theft again. I'm 25 and have gotten to the point where this is nerve wracking because I never mean to cause issue. However I've learned from this and will promise to better prepare my words before pressing send. Thank you guys

And back end never happens. Writers all know this, BTW (or at least they should). So lead with writing and production credit.