NationMaster - Encyclopedia: WGA screenwriting credit system

In the United States, 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. Credits of the movie A Christmas Story &copyw; 1983 MGM/UA Entertainment Co. ... Credits of the movie A Christmas Story &copyw; 1983 MGM/UA Entertainment Co. ... A Christmas Story is a 1983 semi-biographical film based on the short stories of author Jean Shepherd collected in the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. ... 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 1942, 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, though 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 himself was accused of stealing when he was sued by a biographer of William Randolph Hearst for plagiarizing his work and paid a settlement.) Citizen Kane is the first feature film directed by Orson Welles (he had directed two short films previously), and is loosely based on the lives of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the reclusive aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes, and the Chicago utilities magnate Samuel Insull. ... 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 â€“ October 10, 1985) is generally 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 William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 â€“ August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate, born in San Francisco, California. ...

The system is seen as important to writers primarily for reputational purposes. Nearly all sources (e.g. the Internet Movie Database) list only the official credits certified by the WGA 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. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries. ...

The credit system also affects writers' eligibility for membership in the union, which is determined on a point system awarded on what a writer has done, and 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. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Process

Upon completion of a film, the producer must present the 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 or she 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 or she 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, 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, John and Richard on one and the two Janes on the other. The roman ampersand on the left is stylised, but the italic one on the right is clearly similar to et. This article is about the roman character, ampersand, to learn about the group called Ampersand, see Team_Ampersand An ampersand (&) is a logogram representing the word and. ...

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. Frasier was an American TV situation comedy. ... James Burrows is a prolific American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s. ... 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 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... Hulk (2003) is a movie based on the comic book series The Incredible Hulk published by Marvel Comics. ... 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 Flintstones is a 1994 Universal Studios live-action movie based on the animated television series The Flintstones. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1994. ...

The Guild also permits use of pseudonyms if a writer requests one in a timely fashion but has been known to refuse to accept one which makes a statement. For example, screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski wanted to take his name off the Babylon 5 spin-off series Crusade and substitute "Eiben Scrood" to protest the changes made by the production company. The WGA refused, however, because "it 'diminished the value' of the show and basically made light of the studio" said Straczynski.[1] A pseudonym (Greek: false name) 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. ... J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ... The Babylon 5 Station Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynskis Babylon 5. ...

Examples

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. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1996. ... Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland) better known simply as Sean Connery, is a Scottish film actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. ... Nicolas Cage Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an American actor. ... The album cover Armageddon is a 1998 disaster film/science fiction film about a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers who are sent by NASA to deflect an asteroid on a collision course with 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. ... Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde, is the 2003 sequel to 2001s Legally Blonde. ... 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. ... 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. ... He was born July 23rd, 1972 in New York city. ... Craig Mazin is an American screenwriter, director, and labor leader. ... Pat Proft is a comedy writer and actor. ...

Arbitration

The arbitration process has been vocally criticized by some Guild members. However, the Guild has won most lawsuits against it, the WGA membership overwhelmingly rejected changes to the arbitration procedures in 2002, and writer Eric Hughes — who made reform a centerpiece of his campaign for the WGA West presidency — lost the election in 2004. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

A chief objection is the secrecy of the process. The identities of the arbiters 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 of the process often raised concerns existing material, such as a book, being adapted to film. Generally, the first writer to work on such a project will naturally appropriate the most cinematic elements of the story, but in other teams subsequently working on the script may take their cues not from the first draft, but, again, from the original text itself. 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: 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...

Even if little of the initial efforts remain in the final script, the original writer is often awarded credit because he or she was first on the scene.

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 American 1980 Olympic ice hockey team's "Miracle on Ice", was based on a screenplay by Eric Guggenheim, a writer who had never had a screenplay produced. Mike Rich came in, worked with Brooks' 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... This is a list of film-related events in 2004. ... Brooks calms his players nerves during the Miracle on Ice game against the Soviet Union. ... The 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, came at a rough time for the United States. ... The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team celebrates the goal that led them to victory over the USSR. The Miracle on Ice is the popular nickname for the ice hockey game in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the United States... Eric Guggenheim (born c. ...

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. ... Joseph Joss 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. ... Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of 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 (July 18, 1937 â€“ February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro in the film adaption of Hunter S. Thompsons book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, illustrated by Ralph Steadman. ... 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) is an Anglo-American film director and a member of the Monty Python comedy group. ... The Star Chamber was an English court of law at the royal Palace of Westminster that began sessions in 1487 and ended them in 1641 when the court itself was abolished. ...

From 1993 to 1997, there were 415 arbitrations, about one-third of all films whose credits were submitted. 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

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

The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 2004 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Promotional poster The Last Samurai is a film released in the United States on December 5, 2003. ... Towne in the 1960 movie Last Woman on Earth Robert Towne (born November 23, 1934) is an American actor, screenwriter and director. ... The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Grishams 2005 Novel The Broker John Grisham (born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist and author best known for his works of modern legal drama. ... The Firm DVD cover The Firm is a thriller film released in 1993 starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter. ... The Hollywood Reporter is the second major trade paper of the film industry in the United States. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Spider-Man (often incorrectly spelled Spiderman), the alter ego of Peter Benjamin Parker, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August, 1962). ... The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. ... Portland skyline. ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 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... Variety (linguistics) is a concept that includes for instance dialects, standard language and jargon. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1998 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 2004 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Variety is a daily magazine for the entertainment industry. ... October 24 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily magazine for the entertainment industry. ... November 18 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily magazine for the entertainment industry. ... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tom Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American critic of television programming and operations. ... The Chicago Tribune, formerly self-styled as the Worlds Greatest Newspaper, remains the leading newspaper of the Midwest of the United States. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Wallenberg listen (born August 4, 1912, in Stockholm, Sweden – [date of death uncertain]) was a Swedish diplomat and a member of the influential Swedish Wallenberg family. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Rock is an action movie released on Friday, June 7, 1996 that takes place on Alcatraz Island. ... The Cable Guy DVD cover The Cable Guy is a 1996 movie directed by Ben Stiller. ... The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1998 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1998 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Contents

Rationale

Process

Examples

Arbitration

Examples of credit conflicts and resolutions

References

See also

External links

Contents

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Process

Examples

Arbitration

Examples of credit conflicts and resolutions

References

See also

External links

Rationale