How ‘dangerous’ is it to upload your synopsis or even your scripts to your Stage 32 profile? Maurice is especially bold with sharing his scripts — and he’s even had success with it.
Still, I’m wondering what you all think: is there a risk that someone might run off with your idea?
Cheers!
4 people like this
I have never tried uploading any synopsis so far (I'm new here btw)... I guess it's safe, since many people do it, but I'm still not sure. Your doubt has been my doubt too since I arrived here. I hope somebody answers to your question better than I did, lol.
4 people like this
adding a comment just to boost your post as i too would like to know if anyone has had any issues with this
2 people like this
... It is save. It is unsave. Both answers are wrong. It depends.
2 people like this
It depends on what...?
4 people like this
There's no conclusive answer. It's also something that's a concern throughout your career. Sites like Stage 32 may seem more risky with them being public, but the stories I've heard about getting stuff stolen has happened mainly within production companies.
The critical thing is having LoC copyright registration. WGA is next to useless in comparison.
5 people like this
Hi, Dolf Van Stijgeren. I haven't heard of anyone stealing ideas on Stage 32. I suggest registering a project with the Copyright Office in your country before posting it on here -- or posting it anywhere -- though. But it depends on the copyright laws in your country. You might not need to register your scripts.
I wait until I'm ready to pitch a script before posting the logline and synopsis online. A producer, director, executive, etc. might want to read the script after seeing the logline or synopsis and if the script isn't ready, it could be a missed opportunity.
4 people like this
Thanks Maurice. There is no single 'international copyright' law. Instead, protection is mostly granted through international agreements, primarily the Berne Convention. Since both the US and the UK and my country the Netherlands, are Berne Convention members (and so are most major territories), our work is automatically protected in all other member countries from the moment of its creation. This is due to the principle of National Treatment—meaning that any member country treats a foreign creator's work the same way it treats its own citizens' work.
4 people like this
You're welcome, Dolf Van Stijgeren. Okay, great! You could either upload your script to your Stage 32 profile or put a note in the synopsis area saying the script is available to read upon request.
4 people like this
I feel most neophyte writers overestimate the risk of sharing their work.
7 people like this
Another way to look at it is; Posting your synopsis, logline and/or screenplay creates that public record that this was your IP at the time of posting so if anyone where to try and take it for themselves there is a very clear and public trail as to where it came from.
2 people like this
US sadly does't respect the Bern Convention, despite being a member. Owning copyright and registering copyright are different things too. Having an LoC claim entitles a claimant to statutory minimums should they win. That's a big deal when hiring a lawyer - especially for a penniless writer. Any prodco worth their salt is going to want to know a script is with the LoC before they'll accept a chain of title too.
Those who can't find the price of a pizza to protect their work deserve what's coming to them.
3 people like this
Holy crapy, this is how I feel.
5 people like this
What people don’t talk about enough is that in creation,
the real danger isn’t always the blatant plagiarism you can see coming.
No… the worst is the millimeter-perfect plagiarism.
That moment when someone doesn’t copy your words, but your breath.
They don’t take your sentence, they take your direction.
They don’t steal the text, they steal the dizziness that led you to write it.
You can have a pure idea, born in some quiet corner of the night,
and the following week you see someone show up with the same atmosphere,
the same intention, the same vibe…
not close enough to call it theft,
but far too similar to be a coincidence.
And there you are, powerless.
Because even if your work is protected,
its vibrations aren’t.
A vibe can’t be filed at a notary’s office.
The momentum, the color, the way you approach the world…
all of that can be taken without leaving a trace.
3 people like this
As CJ says, Dolf.
4 people like this
It’s the big fear, right? Put it out there and risk it, or don’t put it out there and risk it. I think as long as you’ve registered it with the copyright office (or the equivalent in your country), you’re good to go. I usually do WGA registration immediately after finishing a draft, then copyright once it’s in a full-on, ready-to-go state.
I’m always still hesitant, of course. That fear is natural. You pour so much work into something, and the thought of someone stealing it is horrible. But it doesn’t happen nearly as often as we fear. And if you plan on doing anything with it eventually, it has to leave your hard drive. Whether that’s here, a manager, an agent, or a production company, once you’ve got those protections in place and you’re smart about who you’re sending it to, you’ll be fine.
1 person likes this
sharing my findings on what is the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS:
Foreign authors must register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office to gain the full spectrum of protections offered under U.S. law for:
- Unpublished works, regardless of the author's nationality. - Works first published in the United States or in a country with which the U.S. has a copyright treaty. - Works created by a citizen or domiciliary of a country that is a party to a U.S. copyright treaty. While copyright protection for foreign authors is automatic in the U.S. due to treaties, formal registration is highly recommended. Registration provides significant benefits, such as establishing a public record of your ownership and being able to sue for statutory damages and attorney's fees in U.S. courts if infringement occurs.3 people like this
Now that I think about it, my fear would be an idea being stolen rather than an entire script. But I believe that’s exceedingly rare, and perhaps it’s simply my (un)healthy sense of distrust getting the better of me.
Interesting comments, by the way.
4 people like this
Ideas can't be copyrighted. They're stolen all the time. Just look at all the rip offs of successful movies that come out. Most writer's "original" ideas tend to be highly derivative.
A infamous example of this was Lynda Obst buying the rights to adapt the book Crisis in the Hot Zone. After being outbid, Arnold Kopelson still went ahead and developed a similarly themed film that became Outbreak. That caused the project Obst was working on with Fox to collapse when the actors dropped out just before production.
Our inherit value is in our voice and thus how we express ideas. Most people going to see a Nolan or Tarantino film are doing so because they value their expression over their concepts. Smart writers keep their ideas close to their chests, especially if that idea has inherit commercial value. However, as artists, we shouldn't really be in the business of selling concepts as it's incredibly unlikely to build a career on that.
Theft happens. It's happened to both me and my regular producing partner. I was able to shut mine down, he wasn't, mainly because he found out his WGA registration wasn't enough.
Watching the response here lean toward "posting it is proof" over LoC registration is highly worrisome. There's basic professional behaviour expected of writers and filing a claim is quick, cheap, and easy. I know of writers who've nearly had productions shutdown on the first day of shooting because they didn't have their paperwork in order.
1 person likes this
When someone is afraid to share their ideas, it's a sign of a big ego. Creative people actually have the most subtle and sophisticated egos and sense of self-importance. But when a person is constantly aware of their own mortality, they stop being afraid and start to share ; ) That was explained to me by Osho...
2 people like this
A real-life example that proves my point. Here's a Google Drive link where I share sketches for the vast Gradstein universe I'm currently working on:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FA0Zj6URCAfgL4h7FluEHJCmvOFIdC3S
And I have no fear that someone might steal it all because, in the end, death will take everything anyway... : )
4 people like this
I agree with CJ Walley to copyright your work with Library Of Congress. WGA registration last only five years and then you have to re-register. A copyright with the Library Of Congress is forever.
Also, just to CYA, make sure when you email your material to the producer/prod-co, request that they confirm receipt in an email so you have a record of it, then save the entire email chain in a PDF and store it in a file.
1 person likes this
Vladimir Romantsev I appreciate the Osho lesson on mortality and ego, but I was really asking about the risk of having my work nicked.
How could I have possibly overlooked the great guru’s advice on Stage 32..?
3 people like this
It's less about your idea and more about your execution.
1 person likes this
Dolf Van Stijgeren, Good point. You're right, my comment was a bit off-topic
2 people like this
GJ Harvey Absolutely agree. Someone absolutely CAN have a similar idea OR even (for the sake of this topic) steal your idea. But they won't be able to execute it as you did.
2 people like this
Funny but interesting how the subject is moving into new territory. Actually, no one has said they have synopses or scripts stored on Stage 32. ;-)
1 person likes this
Dolf Van Stijgeren it’s cool how the topic’s evolved. there are unique ideas. i like to think the top three of my works in progress have not been done before—at least in my combination or execution. they would i fear be stealable.
as for your earlier—much earlier—question: what did the other commenter mean, that putting up synopses here is both safe and unsafe: my own take is this—i wouldn’t steal your killer concept, and you wouldn’t steal mine. this goes, I’m sure, for every other commenter who’s taken time to sensibly post responses in this conversation. but S32 is public and there are a number of shady characters I’ve seen floating around. so perhaps the answer lies in direct swaps with connections that you click with. personally i believe we should do such swaps—if nothing else, to salve the loneliness of us long-distance writers
nod to Alan Sillitoe
2 people like this
You can't copyright an idea, but I would register all your work with the US Copyright office and/or the WGA. As I have learned, it's rare for ideas to be stolen because the cost of litigation is usually more than stealing the project is worth. Best of luck!
3 people like this
Yes, register it to show it's yours. As far as theft, I like what my friend, a writer, said, "No legit person is going to risk their reputation on stealing your script. If they do, you drop the lawsuit on them when the film releases so you can get their profits too. Second, do you really think you have this one of a kind idea, that's so good, that people will want to steal it?" Good words...
1 person likes this
I'd just put up the first 10-20 pages. If something catches someone's eye to the point where they want to read the read of your story, they'll contact you. You won't be giving anything away and they'll see how you create your set up before they swoop in and change everything.
1 person likes this
Do producers or agents check our profiles to find good synopsises, scripts or pitches?
2 people like this
Dolf Van Stijgeren as i understand it there are 100,000 writers hoping to sell, 10,000 producers hoping to negotiate a deal, and 1,000 investors willing to fund. i exaggerate of course but the situation is so lopsided that I’d be surprised if producers look beyond scripts pushed by influential managers/ competition winners/ self funded proofs of concept.
i hope more experienced insiders here will chime in and say that I’m overly pessimistic and incorrect…
2 people like this
Dolf Van Stijgeren I think producers and agents do stop by sometimes. They take a quick look, they scroll, they spot two or three interesting things. But let’s be honest: it’s not their main hunting ground. They don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “Alright, let me dig through Stage32 to find my next creator to sign.”
Most of the time, they show up only when someone is already on their radar, or after a recommendation.
2 people like this
Fares: Are you also going to tell me that I’m not the first one they think of in the morning? :-)))
3 people like this
lol Dolf Van Stijgeren : Here, it’s like any creative community:
if you want to get noticed, you need to show up, post, interact, leave a mark.
People are naturally curious, but they only become curious once they actually see you.
When you put something out there — an idea, a thought, a logline, a sincere question — you create a little movement.
And that movement attracts other movements.
You saw it yourself: you posted, and suddenly several people commented, discussed, engaged.
That’s not random.
It’s proof that visibility creates visibility.
On Stage32, the ones who end up getting noticed aren’t always the most brilliant at first…
they’re the ones who show up regularly in other people’s line of sight.
Posting, reacting, supporting others, sparking reflection, launching original topics —
all of that builds presence.
And presence eventually triggers curiosity.
Producers, script consultants, indie directors, other writers…
they don’t find you while you’re hiding in the dark.
They find you because, by being active, you become impossible to ignore.
Basically, Stage32 is like a crowded creative bar:
if you stay quietly in a corner, no one will ever know who you are.
But the moment you speak up, share, bring something real…
heads start to turn.
4 people like this
I don't know if agents check profiles for projects, but producers do, Dolf Van Stijgeren. That and networking are how I sold four short scripts to a producer. And producers, companies, etc. look for projects through Stage 32's Open Writing Assignments in the Writers' Room. Here's a post that explains what a Stage 32 OWA is: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/What-is-an-OWA
3 people like this
Yeah, low budget producers will have a look and loglines and having good synopses are a must. Reps are inundated with material and tend to want to work with writers who are already established. Still might get some new startups looking.
As ever, a lot of it comes down to people's willingness to work the trenches. I started with giving away free short scripts to students. Not a lot of people are willing to entertain that.