Based On A True Story...

At least once a week, someone on a messageboard asks about what they legally need to do in order to tell a true story. Something they read in the newspaper or the story of a famous person or sometimes just something that may have happened to them.

My answer is always - you need a lawyer before you write anything to make sure you don't get sued. A bunch of screenwriters on a messageboard do not know all of the legal issues you're going to run into - a lawyer will probably know most of them.

Well, here's an article about the the film THE RUNAWAYS and some of the interesting issues they ran into when they did not by life rights from all band members... and one of them went from punk rocker to entertainment lawyer:

** Runaway Law **

- Bill
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
TODAY'S SCRIPT TIP: LOCATION IS CHARACTER - a new tip about one of the specs I wrote last year.
Dinner: Del Taco Soft Chicken Tacos... I rode my bike to get them.
Bicycle: Taco ride to Burbank.