Getting down to Brass Brads
STORYNOTES
Agents, producers, & development execs expect to see brass brads -- aka "Round
Head Brass Fasteners."
It's important that they be SOLID BRASS, not brass-plated. The plated ones are
too flimsy, too wimpy. The script starts falling apart halfway through the
reading process.
Few stationery or office supply stores carry solid brass fasteners, however.
So ... you must special order them. Corral a clerk and ask how to do special
orders or catalogue orders.
Get either the 1 1/4" (#5) size, or the 1 1/2" (#6) size. Use the #5 brads for
scripts 110 pages or less. Use the #6 size for scripts over 110 pages.
They come in packages of 100. But they aren't expensive -- under $10 per pkg.
I wouldn't use washers (on the back side) unless you have a left margin of
1.7," since it binds the pages more closely together, and with a 1.5" left
margin (or worse, 1.25", which shouldn't be used anyway), it makes it too hard
to easily read the first letters along the left margin.
I only know of two brands that make the solid brass fasteners (brads), at least
in the #5 & #6 sizes. The most-known is Acco. Get Stock #71505 for #5 (1
1/4"), and Stock #71506 for the #6 (1 1/2").
The other brand is Labelon/Noesting. No stock numbers on my box ... just
specify #5 and/or #6 Round Head Brass Fasteners (solid brass). Call
800-428-5566.
By the way... just use two per script; one top, one bottom.
And to make the prongs lie flat on the back, and not snag other scripts or
clothes: lie the script flat on a hard floor, place a cloth over the brad,
then give it a mildly strong tap with a hammer ... twice, if the brad now looks
unevenly tweaked. This makes the prongs on the back lie flat. Lots of
industry script assemblers do this.
Use #65 pound cover stock or card stock for the script covers -- white, black,
pale blue, or cream-ivory-manila. Don't use garish colors. Don't put titles
or artwork on the covers (or on the "spine" of the script).
Now all you have to do... is write a great script!
Jeff Newman, StoryNotes .... www.storynotes.net
story...@aol.com
Alby Reid
available from me for $15 a piece, expensive, but worth it.
Alby "The Salesman" Reid
--
Alby Reid
E-mail: Alby...@bigfoot.com
SMS: alby...@sms.genie.co.uk (case-sensitive)
"STORYNOTES" <story...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000618155613...@ng-fj1.aol.com...
Richard A. Bartle
however.
> So ... you must special order them.
2-hole punched in 297mm by 210mm, is weight-measured in g/m2 and the
word "brad" is unknown, I must admit to feeling a special sense of irony at
reading the above.
I can get paper of the right weight cut to the right size, and I'm in
the
possession of a 3-hole punch for those occassions where I can't get the
stationers to drill me the holes in the right places. Brads, though - forget
it!
The best I can get are stainless steel ones with octagonal heads that are
strong
enough to clip wings onto military aircraft but don't look like brass brads.
When
I contacted Acco, I was told that #5 brads are only available in North
America,
but they would ship me some: their minimum order was a crate of 50 trays,
each
tray containing 100 boxes, each box containing 100 brads.
I told them I would instead try phoning random Americans and asking them
to drop into their local stationery store on the way home from work to buy
me
a box. No luck yet though...
Richard
Joe Myers
{snips}
> I can get paper of the right weight cut to the right size, and I'm in
>the
>possession of a 3-hole punch for those occassions where I can't get the
>stationers to drill me the holes in the right places. Brads, though -
forget
>it!
>When
>I contacted Acco, I was told that #5 brads are only available in North
>America,
Acco could make more were it not for all those screenplay street dealers in
New York and a relatively minor heretical cult in LA that insists on three
brads, thereby upping consumption by an unnecessary third.
In the crash and burn spree that followed the Lakers' championship last
night, I tossed a rock into my neighborhood Staples and looted a couple of
armloads of #5s. I'm willing to establish a highly lucrative smuggling
ring, slipping brads past customs and curing Brit brad junkies' solid brass
jonesin'.
Joe Myers
"'Brit brad junkies' solid brass jonesin'?'
My god, is it haiku season already?"
Bob Miller
> I told them I would instead try phoning random Americans and asking them
>to drop into their local stationery store on the way home from work to buy
>me
>a box. No luck yet though...
>
> Richard
>
You should be able to get a box from this New York joint...
http://www.nyscreenwriter.com/script_supplies.htm#2
Bob
Alby Reid
the simple answer. Besides that I can't even find a three-hole punch, at the
moment I'm using A4, four holes four brads.
Alby "FUCK!" Reid
--
Alby Reid
E-mail: Alby...@bigfoot.com
SMS: alby...@sms.genie.co.uk (case-sensitive)
"Richard A. Bartle" <ric...@mud.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8in5fu$92l$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> STORYNOTES <story...@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:20000618155613...@ng-fj1.aol.com...
> > Few stationery or office supply stores carry solid brass fasteners,
> however.
> > So ... you must special order them.
> Suffering from the disadvantage of living in England, where paper
comes
> 2-hole punched in 297mm by 210mm, is weight-measured in g/m2 and the
> word "brad" is unknown, I must admit to feeling a special sense of irony
at
> reading the above.
> I can get paper of the right weight cut to the right size, and I'm in
> the
> possession of a 3-hole punch for those occassions where I can't get the
> stationers to drill me the holes in the right places. Brads, though -
forget
> it!
> The best I can get are stainless steel ones with octagonal heads that are
> strong
> enough to clip wings onto military aircraft but don't look like brass
brads.
> When
> I contacted Acco, I was told that #5 brads are only available in North
> America,
> but they would ship me some: their minimum order was a crate of 50 trays,
> each
> tray containing 100 boxes, each box containing 100 brads.
MC
<Alasta...@kcl.ac.uk> wrote:
> Where the fuck can you get 11*8 paper in this fucking country? Nowhere is
> the simple answer.
London. There is at least one stationers that stocks it, but I can't
tell you which.
Suggestion: If all else fails, call the US embassy & ask them where they
get theirs.
Richard A. Bartle
news:8io96c$a3o$1...@willow.cc.kcl.ac.uk...
> Where the fuck can you get 11*8 paper in this fucking country? Nowhere is
the
> moment I'm using A4, four holes four brads.
get at many independent stationers - the ones you keep next to your phone
so you can take notes when Hollywood producers call in the middle of the
night? Well those come from offcuts. Someone goes to a stationer and
says "I want a ream of A3 paper, but I only want 11" by 8.5" of it.". They
charge you for A3 and for two cuts, but it's not usually THAT expensive.
Besides, they get to sell the offcuts as phone blocks.
The hard part is getting them to drill holes in the right place, as
often they
don't care to move their drills' positions (having thrown away the manual
the
day they bought the machine, and therefore having no idea how to do it). I
tried
using a household drill set at super-fast speed with my script held fast in
a vice,
but it wasn't as effective as the proper drills that stationers use - it
looked OK,
but the pages didn't want to separate from each other after the drilling...
If you
don't know a tame American who can get you a 3-hole punch, all I can
suggest is you make one out of 3 2-hole punches where you've disabled one of
the hole-making bits on each one.
Richard
Richard A. Bartle
news:u2xPORZPM2zANt...@4ax.com...
> You should be able to get a box from this New York joint...
> http://www.nyscreenwriter.com/script_supplies.htm#2
billing software insisted I filled in which state I live in ("constant
bemusement"?)
despite knowing the order was for Europe, so I'm not entirely sure it'll
work.
Still, worth a try!
Richard
Richard Milton
> Alby Reid wrote:
>
> > Where the fuck can you get 11*8 paper in this fucking country? Nowhere is
> > the simple answer.
>
> London. There is at least one stationers that stocks it, but I can't
> tell you which.
You can tell me -- I'm a screen writer.
Richard (And don't call me Shirly).
--
Alternative Science Website
http://www.alternativescience.com/
Bob Miller
Hmm, I hope that $18.50 includes shipping. Solid brass brads in the
1-1/4" size normally sell in the range of $7-10 per box of 100 (at
least the Acco brads do -- I notice these are the Gem brads the
"Hollywood studios use" :-)
Bob
MC
"Richard Milton" <richard...@virgin.net> wrote:
> > London. There is at least one stationers that stocks it, but I can't
> > tell you which.
>
> You can tell me -- I'm a screen writer.
Sure you are. Problem is, I'M an amnesiac!
I just remember this question coming up on Compuserve & someone posting
the name & address of a London stationery shop... and I can't remember
it.
One suggestion: There is a screenwriters group that meets in London --
someone there would know. Again, I don't hav eany coordinates for them,
but a bit of noodling around on line might get you in touch with them.
If anyone ever does find out, maybe it should go into the FAQ.
MC
"Richard Milton" <richard...@virgin.net> wrote:
> You can tell me -- I'm a screen writer.
>
Follow-Up
The London Screenwriting Group has a web site here:
*Somebody* there must know....
MC
<copeS...@total.net> wrote:
> Follow-Up
>
> The London Screenwriting Group has a web site here:
>
> http://www.lsw.org.uk/
>
> *Somebody* there must know...
Furthermore... I just checked the site and came across this classic
note:
"The UK's only charity devoted to the promotion of new screenwriters.
A writers' organisation run by and for writers."
I didn't know whether to applaud, laugh, cry or head for the hills!
Alby Reid
consider going to Grovesnor Square and knocking on the US Embassy's front
door and ask them.
True Story (everyone else is doing it):
During the gulf war a group of students (who'd been drinking, can you
believe it?) decided it would be fun to go shoot the Iraqi embassy with
water pistols.
So they got a troll - sorry, shopping cart - loaded up their water pistols
climbed in and pushed themselves past the Embassy, attempting some sort of
drive-by water-pistoling. They got within about twenty feet when a group of
heavily-armed SO19 police (our SWAT) jumped on them, pinned them to the
ground, threatened to shoot them, handcuffed them and took them to jail.
They got away with a caution.
Alby
--
Alby Reid
E-mail: Alby...@bigfoot.com
SMS: alby...@sms.genie.co.uk (case-sensitive)
"MC" <copeS...@total.net> wrote in message
news:copeSPAMZAP-5B69...@news.total.net...
> In article <8io96c$a3o$1...@willow.cc.kcl.ac.uk>, "Alby Reid"
> <Alasta...@kcl.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> > Where the fuck can you get 11*8 paper in this fucking country? Nowhere
is
> > the simple answer.
>
> London. There is at least one stationers that stocks it, but I can't
> tell you which.
>
Alby Reid
$10 for the paper. $35 for postage.
Alby "Not that desperate" Reid
--
Alby Reid
E-mail: Alby...@bigfoot.com
SMS: alby...@sms.genie.co.uk (case-sensitive)
"Jeri Jo Thomas" <kata...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.13b9d3347...@news.earthlink.net...
> Richard A. Bartle said ...
>
> Q:...don't know a tame American who can get you a 3-hole punch, all I
can
> Q:suggest is you make one out of 3 2-hole punches where you've disabled
one of
> Q:the hole-making bits on each one.
> Q:
> Why can't you all over there just order from USA stationery
> sites?
> --
> <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
> Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear--
> Stop by my web page
> http://home.earthlink.net/~katana365/jjthomas/
> <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
Richard A. Bartle
> sites?
Besides, most American stationery stores don't recognise the existence
of
non-America. The first time I looked for brads, about a year ago, I could
only
find half a dozen sites and none of them would send abroad (except maybe
Canada, for the ones that wanted to be "international").
Things seem to be looking up now, though.
Richard
Zladislaw
the
> possession of a 3-hole punch for those occassions where I can't get the
> stationers to drill me the holes in the right places.
I would simply get over to http://www.officedepot.com/ or
http://www.staples.com/ and order 8.5"x11" 3-hole punched paper there. They
ship internationally.
Tom McDonough
constantly remind you to change your underwear in case you were run over
by a truck and had to be taken to the hospital? In your child's mind
you would conjure up the image of a doctor saying, " I'm not treating
this kid. His underwear is filthy. Throw the little beggar into the
street and let him die."
Now, if you substitute brads and paper for underwear, and use your head
for something more than a spot to park your hair piece, you might lurch
accidentally into the truth about what happens to your screenplay once
it arrives at it's appointed destination and has a 60-1 shot at becoming
a part of film history. And brads and quality of paper haven't got a
thing to do with it. I used to keep company (oh, did I ever!) with a
script girl from Paramount, so I know from whence I speak.
The legendary Dudley Nichols delivered his completed screenplay for
"Stagecoach" to John Ford unbound and in a brown paper bag. Did you
think that "Stagecoach" would have been an easier sell for Nichols had
he written it on gild-edged paper and secured it with brads of 24 karat
gold?
In screenwriting, as in all things, concentrate on what's important --
and treat trivial things with triviality.
Regards,
Script Girl And Starlet Afficionado
("Hey, Mona, I think them smart-ass Micks at the pub is pullin' my
joint. Was there ever a movie called "The Brad And The
Beautiful?"----")
STORYNOTES
>it arrives at it's appointed destination and has a 60-1 shot at becoming
>a part of film history. And brads and quality of paper haven't got a
>thing to do with it.
Wrong.
In the relatively early days of Hollywood, things like this hadn't become
standard practice, or if so, they weren't long-time traditions.
Also, an established writer -- then or now -- can hand in a script in whatever
form or format he or she wishes, and it will get read and considered seriously.
Not so with a new writer ... an outsider.
Things like using decidedly wrong format or using something other than two #5
or #6 solid brass round hole fasteners (brads) will inform the reader that you
are a newbie -- and one who is clueless, too lazy to find out the "right" way
to do things, or someone who just doesn't care. Or is stubborn and insists on
doing things his or her way -- signs of a potentially unwelcome and
uncooperative "attitude."
Things like that act as firewalls to identify the outsiders and the amateurs.
>In screenwriting, as in all things, concentrate on what's important --
>and treat trivial things with triviality.
>
Of course, what's most important is content. But why put yourself in the
position of having to overcome a bad first impression? Why needlessly inflict
a "strike" against yourself?
I've spoken about this to many agents, producers, and development execs. They
say certain things are red flags, warning signs. When they see them, they lose
respect for the writer, and their "critical mode" becomes more highly engaged.
Why do that to yourself?
Jeff Newman, StoryNotes
www.storynotes.net
Tom McDonough
>Things like using decidedly wrong format
>or using something other than two #5 or
>#6 solid brass round hole fasteners
>(brads) will inform the reader that you are
>a newbie -- and one who is clueless, too
>lazy to find out the "right" way to do
>things, or someone who just doesn't care.
>Or is stubborn and insists on doing things
>his or her way -- signs of a potentially
>unwelcome and uncooperative "attitude."
There's a grain of truth in what you say. I know that a screenplay
written in long hand on legal pad sheets and bound with paper clips is
certain to be promptly consigned to the circular file. I'm extremely
bright that way. But that was not my point.
One of the longest threads in the group last year dealt exclusively with
brads. Tempers were flaring over whether a #5 brad was preferable to a
#6 brad. At one point there was near bloodshed over whether or not
three holes were preferable to two and whether or not Poster X was
justified in binding his script with imitation brass brads in lieu of
the real thing. If memory serves me, this vitally important last point
alone drew a response of about sixty replies.
As the thread lengthened, I jumped in and pointed out that every script
reader has a magnet that when placed on the brad will determine whether
or not this crucial part of the assembled script was genuine brass of a
rank imitation. How many posters believed that nonsense? Scads, my boy,
scads. One enterprising soul even described at great length the process
for outwitting the magnet. I believe it had to do with coating the
brads with tranparent nail polish or some similar substance. If you
have eight or ten hours to spare, you can read the entire thread at
deja.com.
And so, Doug, I reiterate the point that I made in my previous post:
Treat trivial things with triviality.... (Hmm, I wonder if that nail
polish suggestion has merit. Figure 2 brads per page and 90 pages per
script and 400 scripts a lifetime and a 70% saving on an imitation brass
brad over the real thing and 4 copies per script and, and.....)
Regards,
Been There Guy
(Brad: from the Old German "Bradenaspecker." archaic - A sixteenth
century surgical clamp used to attach a severed penis to the left
buttock. Webster's Unabridged World Dictionary. (Random House: 1996)
Used by permission.
MC
com...@webtv.net (Tom McDonough) wrote:
> One of the longest threads in the group last year dealt exclusively with
> brads.
One of the longest threads on Compuserve was called "Dropped My Brads"
-- it went on for months, and is archived somewhere. You could try doing
a search under the thread title.
If you wanted to...
STORYNOTES
Of course, one can tell the difference between brass-plated and solid brass
brads very quickly -- the plated ones are flimsy and the script starts falling
apart by the time you get to page 60. Most annoying.
Tom, don't make folks more anxious than they already are. Yes, compared to
good content, this stuff is unimportant. But ... it's easy to learn what's
preferred in matters like this and easy to do it (except for the folks in UK,
perhaps, where it's hard to get ahold of 8 1/2 x 11 paper, etc.).
And, given the "newbie alert, warning flag" consequences of doing it the
non-standard way, it actually is important. Not AS important as writing a good
script -- not nearly. But still important. And easy to get right.
Jeff Newman
Adam Fulford
Tom McDonough wrote in message
<127-395...@storefull-115.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
>snip
>In screenwriting, as in all things, concentrate on what's important --
>and treat trivial things with triviality.
Correct formatting is easily attained with screenplay templates--many kinds
are free--or the screenwriting programs. So, it really shouldn't occupy
one's thoughts much.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but, essentially, the basic guidelines to
screenwriting are:
1) Use words economically and succinctly
2) Separate action description (generally not more than three lines) that
would probably mean a significant change of shot.
3) Use Sluglines and CAPS sparely, and, only when it enhances the reading
experience, clarifies events in the story, and emphasizes something
significant.
4) the less successful you are as a writer, the more rules you have to
follow to hedge your bets. And, the more successful you are...
5) Rewrite it all the time as the-powers-that-be dictate and try your
damnedest to prove that "too many cooks spoil the stew" doesn't always
apply.
6) Write anyway you damn well please if you are also the director and
producer and have all the resources and capital you need to make a movie and
distribute it.
Richard A. Bartle
news:8iomjm$g45$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
> > You should be able to get a box from this New York joint...
> > http://www.nyscreenwriter.com/script_supplies.htm#2
> I've made an order with them - $18.50 for 100 brads.
Just to keep fellow Europeans informed, I have now received my
brads just a week after ordering them. Isn't e-commerce great?
Well it would be if they'd sent me the #5 brads I asked for and
not the #6 brads that were in the box...
Richard
The Skipster
>Richard A. Bartle said ...
>
> Q:Just to keep fellow Europeans informed, I have now received my
> Q:brads just a week after ordering them. Isn't e-commerce great?
> Q: Well it would be if they'd sent me the #5 brads I asked for and
> Q:not the #6 brads that were in the box...
> Q:
>If #1 brads are the least hardy, wouldn't #6 brads be even better
>than #5?
I use #6. I just like 'em better, even though they seem a little long
with shorter scripts.
--
"If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this
business."
-- Sam Goldwyn
D C Harris
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In article <NOSPAMTOskip_press-4...@news.earthlink.net>,
The Skipster
In article <8jj5sc$lae$1...@supernews.com>, "D C Harris"
D C Harris
art shop taught us!
----------
In article <NOSPAMTOskip_press-B...@news.earthlink.net>,