When you are beginning the process of producing a film one of the key elements you are going to need is a script. You can either find a script that has already been written or write your own. However you decide to go about doing this it is important to register the work with the United States copyright office before going into production on the project. This guarantees that once the film is produced no one can come back and claim you produced a work that they had written. The United States copyright is a must before going into production on any project no matter how small. The copyright is a form of protection for both you and anyone else involved in the project.

If you have written your own script it is very easy to register for the copyright. You can either go through an attorney or you can register the script on your own. If you choose to register the script on your own you should either contact the copyright office in Washington D.C., or go to the copyright website. Their web address is www.copyright.gov and on this site you should be able to find all the information you will need to properly file the copyright. Since this is a written work you should file for a copyright of a literary work. This is on of the tabs listed on the homepage of the copyright office's website. The rest of the instructions are available on this site as well and can be downloaded to your computer in PDF format and then printed. You will have to submit a copy of the literary work and with this form and a check or money order as a form of payment for the registration. Once this is has been reviewed the copyright office will send you a copy of your application with the copyright number on it for your records.

Continued in Part 2