When it was time to send the script for Weapons out, Zach Cregger wanted to control who could read it and when.
This was going to be a hot spec, and they didn't want details to leak out, and they certainly didn't wait for AI to suck it up and summarize it.
They wanted producers who believed in their work and were passionate about it.
So Cregger used a new program in order to make sure this was a safe and secure process.
Let's dive in.
What is Embershot?
Like I said up top, Weapons was a secret script that Cregger and his team wanted answers on ASAP. So, to send it out, they did something new.
Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter, "Roy [Lee] and I hatched a plan where we would distribute it to all of the studios at the exact same time, through this program called Ember shot. It is a very secure software where you can only read [a screenplay] through the app. We told everybody: “We’re going to give you this script at 8 a.m. on Monday.” We gave it to all the studios, and at 9:30, [Warners co-chief] Mike De Luca called me and was like, “I have to make this movie with you.” It happened very fast, and by that afternoon, it was done. It was a half-a-day of craziness. It was exciting that day, don’t get me wrong, but the stress didn’t shed until a week later, and then I was like, “Wow, I’m going to make this movie. And I’ll have the resources to make the movie!”"
Obviously, that's a really cool story about heat and sending your screenplay out into the world.
But I want to take it back to Embershot, and how cool that software sounds.
The company's mission statement is as follows: "Your content is valuable. Start treating it that way. It’s your intellectual property; you shouldn't be in the dark about who has it or what they are doing with it. Take control with Embershot."
The idea is you send your script via the app, and it comes with a password that only certain people have. To read your script, you type in the password and then have a certain amount of time to read the file.
This is a great way to send your secure ideas out in the world and to show a sense of urgency around a project that you don't want passed around or fed into AI, like many other PDFS are in today's feature film development.
So, What Does It Cost?
Embershot has a few different price ranges, as you can see below. I think in a professional setting, you would hope your agent pays for this program for you, but maybe if you wanted real protection, you'd only see the need to pay for the single script usage version at $29. But if I ran a company, maybe you would need more.
Credit: Embershot
Would I Use It?
My quick answer is "no," and that's mostly because I am just so happy when people actually want to read my writing. I'm not at a stage in my career where I can be gatekeeping ideas from people or making them jump through hoops.
I'm sending out PDFs hoping peoplel ike them so much that they share them with ease.
But if I were Cregger, I would definitely use it. Same with Shyamalan or Peele, anyone writing scripts with big twists who is also established can make their stories feel special and necessary if they use a program like this to dictate whether or not someone can read my spec and how.
Especially if I were famous enough to be in the incoming call business.
It proves humans read it, had a reaction, and decided whether or not to buy it.
Summing It All Up
This is a cool piece of software that feels relevant for today's Hollywood. I'm not sure how much an amateur or someone breaking in would use it, but this seems crucial for people writing at the studio level who want to share things that need answers quickly or the utmost secrecy.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
