NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Screenwriting credit

Screenwriting credit for motion pictures and television programs under its jurisdiction is determined by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The Guild is the final arbiter of who receives credit for writing the screenplay, the original story, or creating the original characters, a privilege it has possessed since 1941. If a production company is a signatory to the Guild's Basic Agreement, it must comply with the Guild's rules; nearly all films widely distributed in the United States are subject to this jurisdiction. (Hereinafter, "film" will refer to both motion pictures and television productions.) The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries. ... See also: 1940 in film 1941 1942 in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Academy Awards Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress...

Rationale

Before 1941, it was common for studios, producers, and directors to arbitrarily assign credit to favored writers or to themselves. One of the best known examples of this practice is Citizen Kane (1941). Orson Welles, the star, producer, and director of the film, assigned himself a writing credit in addition to Herman J. Mankiewicz, when Welles did not write the script. Despite Mankiewicz saying Welles was nothing more than "a juvenile delinquent credit stealer", Welles received his only competitive Oscar for the screenplay to Citizen Kane. (Mankiewicz's contract was signed three months before the agreement that gave the Guild control over credit and so he was not protected. Mankiewicz was also hypocritical to complain because he later had to pay a biographer of William Randolph Hearst whose work he had plagiarized.) Citizen Kane is the first feature film directed by Orson Welles (he had directed two short films previously), and is loosely based on the life of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and the reclusive aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes. ... See also: 1940 in film 1941 1942 in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Academy Awards Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress... Orson Welles, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 - October 10, 1985) is commonly considered one of Hollywoods greatest directors, as well as a fine actor, broadcaster and screenwriter. ... Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (November 7, 1897—March 5, 1953) was a Polish-American legendary Hollywood screenwriter. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate, born in San Francisco, California. ... Plagiarism refers to the use of anothers ideas, information, language, or writing, when done without proper acknowledgment of the original source. ...

The system is seen as important to writers first and foremost for reputational purposes. Nearly all sources list only the official credits certified by the WGA (e.g. the Internet Movie Database) and ignore the contributions of others. John Howard Lawson, the first president of the Screen Writers Guild (the former name of the WGA) said "a writer's name is his most cherished possession. It is his creative personality, the symbol of the whole body of his ideas and experience." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ... John Howard Lawson John Howard Lawson was born in New York on 25th September, 1894. ...

Second, the credit system affects writers' eligibility for membership in the union, which is determined on a point system awarded on what a writer has done. Third, it affects future income. While all writers, credited or not, are paid for their work at the time, residual income from future exploitation of a film on video, pay-per-view, broadcast television, and the like, usually is paid only to the credited writers.

The process

Upon completion of a film, the producer must submit his proposed credits for screenwriting to the guild. If any of the writers object or if credit is to be assigned to a producer or director of the film who rewrote someone else's screenplay the WGA requires the parties to compile drafts of the screenplays and an account of their work on each. This information is submitted to arbitration by a panel of three members of the Guild, which renders a decision.

The WGA resolutely rejects the auteur theory that only the director is the "author" of a film and so when a "production executive" (a producer or director) claims credit, he must meet a higher standard than others to receive credit. A writer must contribute at least one-third of the final screenplay to receive credit. If subsequent writers labor on an original screenplay, they must contribute more than half of the final screenplay to receive credit. If a production executive works on a script, he must contribute at least half the final product to receive credit. The Auteur Theory is a way of reading and appraising films through the imprint of an auteur (French: author), usually meant to be the director. ...

Credit can be apportioned for the story, a short treatment of the plot and characters, and the screenplay itself when all writers were not equally involved in the creation of both. A credit might read "Story by John Doe. Screenplay by John Doe & Richard Roe."

Where a team of writers works on a screenplay, the names are joined by an ampersand (&) and when two teams of writers work successively on a script, the teams are joined by and. So, a credit reading "John Doe & Richard Roe and Jane Doe & Jane Roe" means that there were two writing teams, the men on one and the women on the other.

Where a film has been based on a previous film but does not remake it, a "based on characters created by" credit is given, such as on the show Frasier. Every episode gives credits to James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles, the creators of Cheers, the show where the character of Dr. Frasier Crane originated. A screenshot from an episode of Frasier. ... Cheers is the name of a long-running sitcom made by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC. The show premiered on September 30, 1982 and had its widely-watched series finale on May 20, 1993, followed by a long and ongoing run in syndication. ...

Only three writers may be credited for the screenplay if they collaborated and a maximum of three teams of three may be credited no matter how many actually worked on it. For example, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) had about a dozen writers, as did The Hulk (2003). The film adaptation of The Flintstones (1994)) supposedly had over sixty writers. Those awarded credit for creating the characters elsewhere and the original story are not included in this limit. Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 film starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. ... See also: 1997 in film, other events of 1998, 1999 in film, list of years in film. Events February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein Top grossing films Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks Armageddon Theres Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz A Bugs Life... The Incredible Hulk The Hulk, often called The Incredible Hulk, is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... See also: 2002 in film, other events of 2003, 2004 in film and the list of years in film Events February 24 - The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, wins 7 Cesar Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Cinematography. ... The cast of The Flintstones, from left to right: Betty, Barney, Fred, Wilma and Dino. ... See also: 1993 in film, other events of 1994, 1995 in film, list of years in film. Events October 3 - George Lucas begins writing the three Star Wars prequels. ...

The Guild also permits use of pseudonyms if a writer requests in a timely fashion. A pseudonym is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to their legal name (whereas an allonym is the name of another actual person assumed by one person in authorship of a work of art; e. ...

Examples of Guild Approved Credits

Here are some examples of more complicated credits the WGA has approved in recent years.

The Rock is a nickname for Alcatraz, a maximum security prison. ... See also: 1995 in film, other events of 1996, 1997 in film, list of years in film. Top grossing films Independence Day, starring Will Smith Twister, starring Helen Hunt Mission: Impossible, starring Tom Cruise Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise Ransom, starring Mel Gibson 101 Dalmatians The Rock, starring Sean Connery... Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an American actor. ... Armageddon is a 1998 action adventure and science fiction film about an group of blue-collar deep-core drillers who are sent by NASA to deflect an asteroid on a collision course the Earth. ... See also: 1997 in film, other events of 1998, 1999 in film, list of years in film. Events February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein Top grossing films Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks Armageddon Theres Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz A Bugs Life... Bruce Willis Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955 as Walter Bruce Willis) is an American actor. ... Jeffrey J. Abrams (usually credited as Jeffrey Abrams or J.J. Abrams) (born June 27, 1966) is an American film and television producer, writer, actor, composer and director. ... Scary Movie 3 (2003) is an American comedy film directed by David Zucker and is a sequel to Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. ... See also: 2002 in film, other events of 2003, 2004 in film and the list of years in film Events February 24 - The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, wins 7 Cesar Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Cinematography. ... Shawn Wayans is an actor who stars in In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. ... Marlon Wayans is an actor, producer, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in Im Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988. ...

Arbitration

The arbitration process has been vocally criticized by some Guild members but the Guild has won most lawsuits against it. In 2002, the WGA membership overwhelmingly rejected changes to the arbitration procedures. Writer Eric Hughes made reform a centerpiece of his unsuccessful campaign for the WGA West presidency in 2004.

A chief objection is the secrecy of the process. The identities of the arbitrators are secret and so the parties have no way to object to the qualifications or possible biases of their judges. Second, the decision itself is secret, even from the parties to the dispute, so they have no way of knowing why they lost or won credit. Secret decisions also make an appeal impossible and leave no precedent for future disputes. (There is an appeal panel, but it only concerns itself with technical details as to whether the rulebook was followed.)

One criticism is when existing material, such as a book, is adapted the first writer to work on it will naturally appropriate the most cinematic elements of the story. Barry Levinson, the director of Wag the Dog (1998) and a disputant over screenwriting credit for the film (which was adapted from a novel), says "if a writer creates an idea from scratch, that's one thing. Even if the script is given to other writers and rewritten, that first writer created the seeds of that idea and he or she should get some regard. But for a script from a book, it's different." Even if little of his efforts remain in the final script, he often is awarded credit because he was first on the scene. Barry Levinson (b. ... Wag the Dog (1997) is a film starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Anne Heche about a Washington spin doctor (De Niro) who distracts the electorate from a presidential sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) to create a fake war. ... See also: 1997 in film, other events of 1998, 1999 in film, list of years in film. Events February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein Top grossing films Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks Armageddon Theres Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz A Bugs Life...

Examples of credit conflicts and resolutions

"Just by virtue of being the first guy in the door, you're going to get the credit," says Scott Rosenberg. For example, Miracle (2004), the film about Herb Brooks and the 1980 American Olympic hockey team, was based on a screenplay by Eric Guggenheim, a writer who had never had a screenplay produced. Mike Rich came in, worked with Brooks's family, and labored for over two years on it, leaving nothing of Guggenheim's original except for the historical facts the story was based on. Despite his work, the WGA denied Rich any credit at all. Guggenheim himself was surprised by Rich being cut out completely. Miracle (2004) is an American biographical sports film about an event that took place during the 1980 Winter Olympics, dubbed the Miracle on Ice, involving the United States mens hockey team, which was largely made up of college hockey players, lead by player-turned-head coach, Herb Brooks, that... -1... Brooks calms his players nerves during the Miracle on Ice game against the Soviet Union. ...

Graham Yost, the credited writer of the film Speed has stated publicly that, "Joss Whedon wrote 98.9 percent of the dialogue...We were very much in sync, it's just that I didn't write the dialogue as well as he did. That was a hard part of the whole Speed thing. It's my name up there, but I didn't write the whole thing. But I fought hard to get that credit, so I'll live with it." Writers are often granted credits for generating overall ideas, setting up story arcs or creating plot points, as would seem to be the case with Speed. Graham Yost is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. ... Movie poster for Speed Speed is a 1994 film directed by Jan de Bont, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock (her breakout role), and Dennis Hopper. ... Joss Hill Whedon (b. ...

Frank Pierson, formerly WGA president and the current (as of 2005) president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says "the large majority of credits are still straightforward and uncontested" but "when they go wrong, they go horribly wrong." Phil Alden Robinson says "No one can trust the writing credit. Nobody knows who really wrote the film." 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization, founded on May 11, 1927 in California to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ... Phil Alden Robinson (born March 1, 1950) is an American film director and screenwriter whose films include Field of Dreams, Sneakers, and In the Mood. ...

When Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) was adapted for the screen, Alex Cox and Tod Davies did the initial adaptation. Terry Gilliam was brought in to direct and he rewrote it with Tony Grisoni. The Guild initially denied Gilliam and Grisoni any credit at all even though Gilliam claimed nothing of the original adaptation remained in the final film. "As a director, I was automatically deemed a 'production executive' by the Guild and, by definition, discriminated against. But for Tony to go without any credit would be really unfair." After complaints, the Guild did award Gilliam and Grisoni credit in addition to Cox and Davies but Gilliam resigned from the union over the dispute. "It's really a Star Chamber," said Gilliam of the arbitration process, which he claimed took more work than the screenplay itself. Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (born Louisville, Kentucky July 18, 1937) is an American journalist and author. ... Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, which describes the protagonists (Raoul Duke, a fictionalised representation of Thompson) chasing of the American dream to Las Vegas through a drug-induced haze with his... See also: 1997 in film, other events of 1998, 1999 in film, list of years in film. Events February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein Top grossing films Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks Armageddon Theres Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz A Bugs Life... Alex Cox (b. ... Tod Davies (born 1955, San Francisco) is a screenwriter and producer. ... Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) is a film director. ... This article is about the historical court of law. ...

From 1993 to 1997, there were 415 arbitrations, about one-third of all films whose credits were submitted.

See also

Screenwriters, or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies are made. ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ...

References

When the article focuses on certain films, they are noted in parenthesis after the citation

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External links

Categories: Cinema | Screenwriters | Film production Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) is a film director. ... Aaron Sorkin (born on June 9, 1961 in New York City) is an American screenwriter and producer now working in film and television. ... This article is about a movie. ... Ben Stein Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944, in Washington, D.C.,) is an American attorney, former game show host, actor, screenwriter, former political speechwriter, law professor, economist, author, columnist, as well as a commercial personality. ...

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