Creative Commons as a business model for entertainment… and my book.

Traditional copyright did not have computers in mind when it was designed. Computers are very good at copying. When I move a file from my computer to my memory stick, I am in in a very strict sense violating copyright.

Instead of updating the copyright laws to reflect twenty-first century technology, many people have decided to force twenty-first century to adapt to eighteenth-century business practices.

There’s also Creative Commons. It lets an author specify the ways and conditions in which it’s OK to copy, modify, redistribute, and make money from derivative works using their intellectual property.

I’ve chosen to release my book, book 26 Short Screenplays for Independent Filmmakers, under a Creative Commons license.

Here’s how that helps you as a filmmaker.

• Portfolio enhancing. The screenplays are flexible enough to be changed to work for your actors, your audience, and your strengths as a filmmaker.
• Customizable. You want to make those changes yourself. You don’t want to deal with complex legal crap governing attributions every time you change something in the script. You just need a solid first draft to get past the blank-page syndrome.
• Royalty free. You don’t pay usage fees or a “success tax” on your source material.

The book is designed with each of these benefits.

All you have to do is credit me (the book explains how) and you owe no money for any piece you film from the book. It’s simple. Designed for emerging artists who want quality, affordable short film scripts without haggling.