December 2002

Located in the heart of North Carolina, the Triangle is an area defined by the cities at its three points (Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh) and the universities within it (the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State). Each point of the Triangle is about half an hour away from the others.

Dear Doc Doctor:

I’m shooting abroad and want to make sure I don’t miss anything since I can’t go back to reshoot. Is there a way I can know the “story” or “script” of my documentary in advance?

In the last year I’ve won some screenwriting contests (Pillage Hollywood, New Century Writer finalist) and lost some (Slamdance, American Accolades) and entered about a dozen others. The scripts are now in revisions based on feedback either from the contests themselves or producers who requested copies of the screenplay. When I was asked to write this article I found myself facing the same questions that I had when I finished my first screenplay and didn’t know what the hell to do with it.

Copyright is the law that protects the creations of artists and authors by allowing them to have exclusive rights to their creative work, and to ensure that only they benefit financially from exploiting these rights. As an author of a written work, you are the only one who has the right to exploit that work. In the language of copyright law, you (and/or others you authorize) have the exclusive right to make copies of your work, prepare derivative works based on your work, distribute copies of your work to the public by sale or rental, and perform or display your work publicly.

The Short List, the Emmy award-winning television series showcasing short films from around the world, celebrated the premiere of its tenth season on November 3. Produced by Jack Ofield, San Diego State University’s filmmaker in residence, and veteran writer/producer Helen-Maria Erawan, this season boasts forty-three shorts—ranging from documentary to fiction to animation—from sixteen countries, all making their North American television debuts.