Publishing an Original Sci-Fi Screenplay

[Matthew Raymond]

I'm planning on releasing to the public an original screenplay using a Creative Commons license in about a week. I plan to publish it as a PDF. Does anyone have suggestions on how to go about this? Is there a particular website I should host it on? How do I let people know it's available?

 

[TribbleFeeder]

You might have more luck in the fan productions forum.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

You might have more luck in the fan productions forum.

I've been informed that original content is off-topic in that forum, and if I just ask as a general question ("Where do I post a screenplay?"), I suspect they'll just say "Right here".

 

[Starkers]

Have you considered the Blacklist? You would have to pay but people in the biz will see it. I think there'll be lots of file sharing sites you could post in on, as for pointing people towards it I guess you'd need to just get the word out there via Twitter, there are a lot of script related hashtags.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

Putting it on the Blacklist might be contrary to what I'm trying to accomplish, as the whole idea is to make the script available to them masses under an open license rather than sell it for profit. Twitter might be a good idea, though. Can you suggest any hashtags? I'm thinking something like this:

#Scifi #sciencefiction #drama #screenplay #creativecommons #ccbysa #ScreenplayOrSeriesTitleHere

Hmm... Should I pare this down?

 

[DigificWriter]

Google Docs or Dropbox are your best bets, IMO, for hosting, and Twitter and Facebook are your best bets for promotional purposes.

 

[Starkers]

I'd say use as many #s as you can fit into the tweet tbh

 

[fireproof78]

I would use as many platforms as possible, including if Kindle will support the format. Amazon has its own way of tracking how many pages are read. There is also a site called "Create Space" that allows you to publish and print (if desired) books and the like.

You can control the price and then use the link to promote it.

Hmm... Should I pare this down?

No.

Add as many descriptors and tags as possible that could reasonably be associated with the screenplay, from title, to style, and the like.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I would agree about using as many platforms as possible, including places like Tumblr and Wordpress, if your goal is to get as many eyes as possible.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

Google Docs or Dropbox are your best bets, IMO, for hosting, and Twitter and Facebook are your best bets for promotional purposes.

Actually, I already use Google Drive. I actually used Google Docs to write the script.

I'd say use as many #s as you can fit into the tweet tbh

I'd forgot they doubled the character count, so good point.

I would agree about using as many platforms as possible, including places like Tumblr and Wordpress, if your goal is to get as many eyes as possible.

Also, I intend for my script to be the pilot for a series. Might not want to leave open the potential for imposter accounts on other platforms. Such is the risk of expressing opinions on the Internet.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

Guess the cat's out of the bag now. https://twitter.com/Barrier_15/status/1084150970613944320

 

[RJDiogenes]

Good luck with it. I can't promise I'll have time to read it, but I'll try to take a look.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

That's alright. Feel free to give me feedback even if you don't read all the way to the end. The pilot was intended to be about two hours when produced, so I understand. I'm going to try to make future scripts around 50-60 pages.

 

[Professor Zoom]

That's alright. Feel free to give me feedback even if you don't read all the way to the end. The pilot was intended to be about two hours when produced, so I understand. I'm going to try to make future scripts around 50-60 pages.

You need to add character descriptions to characters. At the very minimum age.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's alright. Feel free to give me feedback even if you don't read all the way to the end. The pilot was intended to be about two hours when produced, so I understand. I'm going to try to make future scripts around 50-60 pages.

I looked at the first few pages last night. Nice homage in the captain's name. There are a few minor typos, but there's one you might want to update: "Own" instead of "owe," and I think it was on page five. It completely changes the meaning of the sentence.

You need to add character descriptions to characters. At the very minimum age.

Agreed. Character descriptions are needed. Preferably in the script, but a separate character sheet would do.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Don’t do a separate character sheet. You don’t want people to have to flip back to see how old someone is, or what they look like.

Character descriptions should be in the body of the script. You don’t want to give someone a reason to stop reading. Flipping back and forth is a good reason.

 

[Mike Farley]

You don't need detailed character descriptions. They'll just be ignored by whoever makes it anyway. Just include what's important.

One thing I noticed skimming through: you shouldn't describe the captain as a dual-sex transhuman without explaining what that means.

 

[Mysterion]

One thing I noticed skimming through: you shouldn't describe the captain as a dual-sex transhuman without explaining what that means.

What does that mean?

 

[RJDiogenes]

I assumed a hermaphrodite with enhanced physical and mental abilities.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

One thing I noticed skimming through: you shouldn't describe the captain as a dual-sex transhuman without explaining what that means.

What does that mean?

I assumed a hermaphrodite with enhanced physical and mental abilities.

The Captain is intended to be an exploration of a specific school of Postgenderism. Some people postulate that differences in the sexes themselves create inequity. Thus, if you genetically alter humans to remove differences between the sexes, you can remove the inherent inequity in society. One way is to simply remove all sexual characteristics entirely and use artificial wombs for reproduction. The other way is to give the characteristics of both sexes to all individuals, so that everyone is both male and female. The Captain is the product of a world that adopted the latter philosophy.

So, basically @RJDiogenes is correct (although I haven't decided if the Captain will have additional genetic augmentation).

I refrained from using the term "hermaphrodite" because it's often used as a derogatory term for intersex individuals. I can't use the term "intersex" because it's simply inaccurate; The Captain is not between sexes, they are both sexes. That said, I'm certainly open to suggestions on what terminology to use.

Captain Le Guin is actually not from Earth. They're an immigrant from a distant colony, for reasons which will be revealed in the fullness of time...