ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

8 years, 8 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

What does the contract say?

I would think that it would be in the best interests of all parties to agree a way forward. How many writers are there? Whats their level of experience? How much more than 50% is it? If it's like 80-90% then I would say yes they would have control, but if its more like 51-49% I'd hope that the contract is specific enough to delineate control.

Tricky if nothing specified.

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

It doesn't say much yet. We're figuring it out.
2 writers for now. Multiple screenplays on both sides, already produced work on one side.

8 years, 8 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Aleve, I'm a bit confused by the question. At first I thought you might be talking about creative control over the script itself, but then you mention "business decisions." I've not had the experience of a writer having any control in the business aspect of getting a movie made, unless it was a hyphen; writer/producer, writer/director. Would you be able to explain further?

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Dan, I mean business decision as in: which deal is ok to make with which production company (or agent).

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Indeed, we haven't been hired to write this (yet)

8 years, 8 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Oh! Good one, Aleve. I have to say, the initial sky is always clear. You have to consider who is going to fuck you more down the road. While I've never had a writing partner, if you can write well together, you'd probably pick the same person or company together. In the event of a tie breaker, the one that came up with the story in the first place wins. I tend to adhere to the old adage: if people were meant to have partners, God would have had one. Given that, how much do you want to remain a partner to this person? Does he/she bring more to the table than you could on your own? That's worth something, and worth considering in your final assessment, whether you consider your involvement 55% or 80%. Think about what they bring. If they are the difference between a script sitting on the shelf or getting it produced, that's a lot. If not, it's all about the origin of the story. Don't be me. Get that first script produced if that's an option.

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Yes I definitely think that they make the difference for making the film happen. The trouble may be: my acting in it is a precondition. Whereby I proposed the idea and collaboration, so the producers we'll pick must agree on that. Our relationship is a healthy one in our case, I believe. We've briefly worked together on another occasion before.

8 years, 8 months ago - Adam Ethan Crow

This is a problem many people get into, whenever a screenplay is written with more than one person working on it you need to have a contract at the outset stating who has the overall control. You will find that when you go to raise money for it or to move the project forward it will be asked who has the chain of title. If it is muddied people will walk away. I'd personally drop the project if no consensus can be reached.

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Adam so the question is: how should I then formulate this?

8 years, 8 months ago - Peter Spencer

Adam is exactly right. What you do is have an honest conversation, if you can't agree then walk away.

8 years, 8 months ago - Peter Spencer

As for the writer in question being more liikely to make the film happen I disagree entirely - the greatest, most succesful and lauded screenwriters in the world, people who get paid millions to write and have won Oscars all have scripts they love that they can't get produced.

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Peter, yes that is what we're having. And I don't want to - and I don't think it would be right to do this in our case, because we're quite positively involved already - walk away a great writing partner, so I want to do things right, hence my question here.

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

erratum: away *from* a great...

8 years, 8 months ago - Franz von Habsburg FBKS MSc

It all sounds a bit weird, especially in advance. With www.MargeryBooth.com I initially asked Ralph to write the first draft because being set during WWII he's expert in German militaria so got all the ranks correct for the different characters but I then did the historical research into both Margery (someone who knew her etc) and John Brown (his daughter) plus other WWII espionage events and added/changed/honed until it's now "complete" (i.e. Scripts are always never finished!!) and I'm doing all the production development work BUT Ralph and I are not going through the script arguing about who wrote which line. We're both in the budget as sharing WGGB rates 50/50. There is one other participant who contributed to one long scene but he's on board as an associate producer so just gets that fee. Ralph and I have produced a script which attracted Stephen Fry who is now in the cast. Don't forget about too many cooks... and that a camel is a horse designed by a committee!!! Keep in simple!!

8 years, 8 months ago - Alève Mine

Franz yes, I'm trying to do that.
The camel thing reminds me of a few recent elections for some reason.