In short, no, that person is not inherently entitled to any credit, especially if his contribution was just notes or feedback. If that person came up with the idea for the screenplay, he is still not entitled to credit. Much in the way ideas are not copyrightable but screenplays are, it is the execution of […]
If I am adapting a classic work that is in the public domain, should I credit the original writer?
When adapting and updating a well known property in the public domain, it is a bit of a judgement call as to whether or not the original work needs a “based on” credit. If it feels dishonest not to note it, note it. If not, it’s up to you. For a case like West Side […]
What is a script doctor?
A script doctor is an accomplished screenwriter hired to help a script overcome a few specific, nagging problems, usually just before the movie goes into production. Script doctors almost never rewrite the entire movie, but instead just work on specific issues that need last-minute addressing. Script doctors are not credited on films, and therefore do […]
What is the television writer/producer pecking order?
Television seasons are written by writing staffs, not a single writer. Individual episodes will have a credited writer — the person who actually penned that particular script — but the plot of that episode and the season as a whole are constructed by a room full of a staff of writers (known as the “writers […]
What does a screenplay title page look like?
All title pages should include following, centered on the page: * the title (in uppercase) * written by * the writer’s name(s) * based on (if any) The date goes in the lower right-hand corner. For a spec script, the title page should include contact info for the writer or her representation on the left […]
What do the different writer credits mean?
Writer credits are complicated, and unparsing them for any particular project may be an impossible task without talking directly to those involved. Every detail matters: “&” and “and” mean two different things, for instance (writers connected with “&” are a writing team, while those connected with “and” are not). Generally, different credits represent how much […]