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How to register a film/movie script/story?

What should any movie writer do with their script/story if they want to make it into a movie/film? How do they register their script/story to avoid their stories being copied by others? What is the registration process and the format required for it? Where do the author register their story/script? .... Many more such questions are answered here in detail.

Conceptualising a story and writing it to amuse or persuade is an art by itself. A small idea/concept in our mind becomes a story. Sometimes it might take days, sometimes it might take months and sometimes years but a writer/author will never cease to write/narrate it until it is done. Story-telling is also an art again. Each writer/author chooses a different method/style of telling their story depending on their target readers/audiences. Some might write a book, some might use micro blogging, some might tell it through cartoons, or through drawings, some through audios, puppet shows…the list goes on, and finally some might want to depict their story through a movie/film/cinema on big screen.

 

Film-making requires the coordination and cooperation of a lot of people. Without teamwork, movie-making is next to impossible. So, a [cinema/movie] writer/author has to approach a lot of concerned people, narrate their story to them and convince them to come together to make their story into a movie.

 

In this process of narrating the story, every writer/author will be perpetually worried whether someone will steal their story/idea and publicise it as their own. Their months or years of hard work will be washed away without a trace if their story/idea is copied from them without their knowledge. So what should any film writer/author do with their story/script, especially if they want their story/script to be made into a movie? How do they stop anyone from stealing/copying their story? How and when do we safe-guard our idea/story? In order to help and answer all these questions of any film story-teller, I thought of giving the actual basic steps to safe-guard your work.

 

At the national/all India level, we have an organisation called, Screen Writers Association (SWA). Especially for our Telugu Film/Movie/Cinema Industry, we have Telugu Cine Writers’ Association for all the writers to register their script/story in this organisation. Once you register your story here, your work is stamped as yours and nobody can copy or steal your story/script.

 

Basic requirements to register your story/script in Telugu Cine Writers’ Association

  1. You should be a member of the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association. Or Else

  2. You should be a member of the Telugu Film Directors Association.

 

Script/story basic submission steps

  • An author/writer can register their story/script in the form of a story, or in the form of a narrative story-telling, or the entire story/script in the form of dialogues.

  • The script/story can be in any language.

  • A minimum of 25 pages of story/script should be registered. The registration fee for the 25 pages is Rs 300/- (Rupees Three Hundred only)

 

See below the Telugu Cine Writers' Association's original receipt after the script/story is registered.

How to prepare or format your 25 pages script/story?

  1. In the first page title of the script or your story heading should be there. [Please note that your script/story registration won’t apply for the title or heading of your story/script. You can keep any working title and change it later as per your convenience.]

  2. Script/story writer’s name should be mentioned in the first page.

  3. Your (author/writer) membership number either from the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association or from the Telugu Film Directors Association.

  4. The total number of pages of the script/story

  5. Page number on each and every page of the script/story, eg. 1/25 (first page), 2/25 (second page)…

  6. Do not leave white/blank spaces unnecessarily in between the paragraphs or lines of your script/story

  7. Leave 3 inches of blank space at the bottom of each and every page. This space is used by the officials at the registration office to sign and stamp your script/story.

Registration office timings and needed documents

  • Stories/scripts are registered on every Thursday evening between 4 pm and 6 pm at the Telugu Cine Writers' Association office.

  • If you are a member of the Telugu Film Director’s Association ONLY, then you have to first get a No-Due certificate from the Director's association, photocopy of your membership card along with your script/story to the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association office to get your script/story registered.

 

See below the signed and stamped page of the script by two executive officials from Telugu Cine Writers' Association.

How does a script/story registration process happen?

  • The Telugu Cine Writers’ Association will record and register all the details - the title of the story/script, author/writer’s name, the date of submission, the total number of pages - on a receipt and give it to the author/writer.

  • At the bottom of script/story two executive members of the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association will sign and put a stamp on each and every page of the registered script/story. The 3 inches space we left at the bottom of each page during formatting of the script is used for this purpose.

  • The entire script/story with all its pages intact, duly signed and stamped will be given back to the author/writer. No one holds back any photocopy or the original script/story except the writer himself.

  • The script and the receipt have to be filed carefully for future use. If the author/writer finds/thinks that someone, somewhere has stolen their story/script and used it without their permission, then they should immediately register a complaint with the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association showing the proof of their registration first - the receipt and duly signed and stamped script/story. Looking at the receipt, the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association will take necessary action against the culprits.

To enquire about the membership details at the above mentioned associations, please call the below numbers:

Telugu Cine Writers’ Association Phone - 040-23738455 / 9989990229; www.telugucinewritersassociation.com

Telugu Film Directors’ Association Phone - 040-23743414; www.tfda.in

Telugu Cine Writers' Association's original receipt after the script/story is registered
Receipt

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