As of 2011, the typical hour-long drama has an open, plus six acts. This is up from just a few years ago, where the norm was four acts. Half-hour multicamera comedies typically have an open, two acts, and a tag, while single-camera half-hour comedies can have either two or three acts sandwiched between the open […]
Who decides who gets credit for writing a movie?
When a movie is complete, the producer submits a list of final credits to the WGA, and gives a copy of the final script to all writers involved. If any writers disagree with these credits, they can file for arbitration. (Arbitration is automatically triggered if the director or any producers are credited in any writing […]
What is a feature film?
A feature film (or just “feature”) is a full-length film, the kind you buy a ticket for at your local theater. The term is also used to distinguish between films that are first shown theatrically versus those made for television. A modern feature is typically between 80 and 180 minutes long, but different groups have […]
How many acts does a movie have?
A typical movie is said to have three acts, but this is not a steadfast rule. Film acts are not defined as strictly as play or TV show acts, which are set off with act breaks. The johnaugust.com glossary explains that “Since screenplays never show act breaks, an ‘act’ is really a theoretical concept. Screenwriters […]
Why is the last “w” of WGAw lowercase?
The “w” refers to “west,” as in “Writers Guild of America, West.” There are two Writers Guilds, East and West. They are separate unions but work together on many issues. Usually when writers refer to “the WGA,” they mean the West. Presumably the w is lowercase because it is not part of the WGA’s name, […]
What is the WGA?
The WGA is the Writers Guild of America. In their words: [The WGA is] a labor union composed of the thousands of writers who write the content for television shows, movies, news programs, documentaries, animation, and Internet and mobile phones (new media) that keep audiences constantly entertained and informed. Most movies and scripted network television shows in the […]