Download the "Article 18 Notice" form letter here or contact the Guild's Credits Department at (323) 782-4528 to obtain this form.ĭ. ![]() The Guild has an "Article 18 Notice" form letter available to facilitate your request for information from the Company regarding other writers on the same project. In the case of a remake, if the prior television or theatrical motion picture was written under the Guild’s jurisdiction, the credited writer(s) of the earlier motion picture will be eligible to compete for writing credit on the remake and will be the first writers if the credits on the remake are subject to arbitration. It also may affect the likelihood that you will receive writing credit, as the rules for determining credit often differ depending on whether you are the first writer or a subsequent writer on the project. It is important to know whether other writers have worked on the project since this information is critical in making informed employment decisions. Generally, source material is defined in the MBA as material written outside of the Guild's jurisdiction, such as a spec screenplay, or previously exploited material such as a novel, comic book, or a produced play. Also, you should inquire as to whether there is any assigned source material. You should raise this issue with the Company before you agree to write or sell anything. Don't rely on the Company to volunteer this information. If you are invited to pitch on a project, you should inquire as to whether an invitation has been extended to other writers. Article 18 of the MBA requires a Company to notify you of any writer assigned to the same project, whether that writer wrote prior to, concurrently with or, in certain circumstances, subsequent to your work on the project. You should know whether there are other writers who have worked on the project before you or who are currently working on the project. If you have questions about whether you qualify as a professional writer under the MBA, please contact the Guild and we will help apply the MBA contract language to your situation.Ĭ. Guild membership does not automatically qualify you as a professional writer. You may also negotiate with a Company to be treated as a "professional writer" even if you don't meet the MBA criteria. The MBA generally defines a "professional writer" as a person who has received employment for a total of thirteen weeks as a television or theatrical motion picture writer, or received credit as a writer on a television or theatrical motion picture (including series), or received credit for a professionally produced play or a published novel. ![]() “Professional writer” status is not required if you are employed by a signatory company to render writing services. If you are optioning or selling material to a signatory company, you must be considered a "professional writer" to be eligible for writing credit. If you are employed by, or sell material to, a company that is not signatory to the MBA, it is likely that the Guild will not determine the writing credits or, if it does, you may not be eligible to compete for writing credit on the picture. So long as your agreement is with a non-signatory company, you may not be eligible to compete for writing credit because the company with which you are contracted did not agree to be bound by the MBA. Generally, if the project on which you were employed or sold material is later covered by the MBA, that may not be enough to make you eligible to compete for writing credit, even if the non-signatory entity licenses or sells your material to a signatory company. Do not rely on an agent, manager, or attorney to check for you, or a representation by the company that it will become signatory at some point in the future. It is important that you personally call the Guild's Signatories Department to check the company's status. A company that has asked for, or signed, an application to become signatory may not have completed the process. Guild Working Rules prohibit members from working for, or selling material to, a company that is not signatory to the MBA. Make sure you are dealing with a signatory company (“Company”) meaning that the company is signatory to, and bound by, the WGA Theatrical and Television Basic Agreement, commonly called the Writers Guild Minimum Basic Agreement or MBA (“MBA”). To ensure that you will be eligible for writing credit on a project produced under the Guild’s jurisdiction, before you enter into a deal with a company to perform writing services or to option or sell your written material, there are a few important questions you need to ask. ![]() A company cannot guarantee that you will receive writing credit or any particular form of writing credit. The Guild has the sole authority to determine writing credits on theatrical, television, and new media projects written under its jurisdiction. Screenplays of the 21st Century (so far).Discrimination in Hiring & Representation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |