JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Acting, Theater, Film and TV Forum Screenwriting $$$ breakdown

Hey Folks,

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but here are the basics.
Keeping in mind that dealing with a very small Independent film is a whole other animal.

The WGA (Writer's Guild of America--either East or West)has set down these guidelines for major motion pictures.

The writer's take on films depends on the film's budget. Films are broken down into 2 categories.

Small...5 Million and under....Writers $ starts at 50K.

Big.....Over 5 Mil....Writers start at 90K

All of this is upwardly negotiable.

If a screenplay gets 'optioned', and most produced screenplays start out this way, then the 'option' is 10%...

As in songwriting, there are Sharks....The most common these days is the $1.00 Option...I think it speaks for itself that a Producer will spend a lot more energy trying to get a film made that he's paid $5,000 to option than one she's paid only a buck for.

The other horror stories I've heard about options, is the 'renewable' clause...Options generally go for 18 months & are then renewed...The trouble comes, when the 'Optioner' is the one with the right of renewal, not You, the 'Optionee'.....Sure, getting $10,000 up front for your blockbuster sounds pretty Kewl, and I wouldn't turn it down because 'Options' are the way things are done....The horror part comes when an, oh, let's say an Actor, a Star, simply loves your script and options it...Then they get caught up in other projects...18 months later, They renew their option...Another $10,000 for you...Another 18 months of waiting....This can go on perpetually to the point where the film never gets made because the Star has become too old for the part(this is based on a true story of a 15 year Option, names withheld).

But then, there are a lot of writers in Hollywood who make a very decent living and have never had a film produced. But again, they live in L.A. & write a bunch!!!...Whereas WE, don't.

It's along period of time between writing FADE OUT & seeing the $$, so I wouldn't advise giving up the day job...But the $$ IS out there, waiting for the next big Hit.

Well, enough rambling for a start, but those are the basics.

Midnite

Hey Midnite,

Yep, heard that one a bit. The other one is that once you get your first $50k, from a major studio, you may as well kiss your film good-bye, as there are around 50 films in the pre-development stage, and only maybe 5-10 will be produced. So the chances are fairly dismal. Anyone want to borrow my camcorder ?

Back to waiting tables.....No, that's actors right ? Back to sitting around in public, tapping away on the laptop right ? Am I on my way ?

cheers, niteshift

The first 50k won't come until production actually starts...I believe 1/2 at the beginning of the "principle shooting", and then the rest to follow at different stages. Until then, you'll have to live on the %10 option money...

And I believe that the law is that Actors wait tables, and writers drive cabs(or perhaps horse & buggies in your charming neck of the globe:-)) between nervous breakdowns, and hope that the next DeNiro is his waiter while he's typing at a WIFI friendly cafe.

Midnite

......too true, must be the law the world over...........

cheers, niteshift

ps - no buggies and horses here, we haven't yet invented the wheel

Hey guys,
I had one script optioned twice and I got $5,000 each time. As for the writer's share of a script, from what I am observing right now, it depends upon whether it's an independent production or if it's done with a major company.

I currently have an independent producer putting together the financing for another film script which I co-wrote. Since she's doing all the leg work, she has set up an LLC with herself, myself and the other writer to all share in the profits of the film. If she succeeds in getting the financing, casting, shooting, distribution, etc. all done, it will at least give me one script out there that has been made. I guess it's like anything else. I just want to get something out there so that the next one will be easier! We'll see. Until then, at least I don't drive a cab or wait tables! LOL!

Heidi

Heidi,

Well done!!!

The $5000 option sounds like it lines up with the option being 10% of what the WGA guidelines have set for the writer's Rate for a small budget film...And yeah, Independent Films is a whole other, much smaller, Animal.

Two quick questions...Was it the same film optioned twice or two different films?...And who is in control of the 'Renew Option' clause?

Again, Kudos to you, and thanks for all the effort you put in to JPFolks in sharing your experiences.

Midnite

Hey Midnite,
It was the same film script that was optioned twice by the same producer.

As for the renewal, in our agreement, she had optioned it for one year. When the year was up, the rights reverted back to me. I did not have a renew option clause in the first contract. I felt that one year was plenty to do something with my script and I didn't want to tie it up with a renew option. I mean, if the producer had gotten the ball rolling, then she would of had the option to sign another contract for the production of the film, right?

She came close and had even spoken to Janet Jackson about doing the film, but it did not come to fruition. It sure would be great for this other film script to get funded and produced. The producer is a small, independent who just did another film, so at least there is motion on it! Wish me luck!

Take care,
Heidi

Heidi,

Luck! Luck! Luck! Blessings and may good things find you!

Midnite