Writing Credit Changes Proposed

The Writers Guild of America has released a set of proposed changes for determining television and screenwriter credits, some of which have already raised the ire of rank and file union members.

The four proposed changes, which must be voted on by the Writers Guild’s 12,000 members, were sent out Thursday. Critics say the two most controversial proposals would erode the importance traditionally placed on the first writer of a script.

The proposals include:

* During determination of credits, writers would be anonymous to the people deciding who will get credit. Currently, unless they request anonymity, writers’ names are placed on a script when credits are being determined--something that could lend itself to favoritism.

* When there is a disagreement over who should get credit for a screenplay, a group of arbiters will decide and list writers’ names according to who made the most substantial contribution to the material. If the arbiters cannot decide who made the most significant contributions, the screenwriters’ names will be listed in chronological order of when they worked on the script.

* The third, and one of the most controversial proposals, clarifies an existing rule in a way critics feel de-emphasizes the primacy of the writer who adapts a screenplay from other material. Under the proposed change, that writer will not automatically get credit for simply picking up elements from previously published material.

* Another controversial proposal would make it easier for directors or producers who also write to receive credit. Historically, to prevent producers and directors from usurping credit from writers, the guild had set a heightened requirement for them to prove they had written 50% or more of a script to receive credit. In recent years, some of the most successful writers have also become directors and producers and feel unfairly penalized because of the guild’s rule. The new proposal would allow these writers to be held to the same standard as other writers with some safeguards.

“The one thing that writers can control in this industry is the credits,” said Stephen Schiff (“True Crime”), co-chairman of the credits review committee. “It is our duty to make them fair and make them mean something. We are not trying to divide the union or politicize the union, we are just trying to make the credits as true and meaningful as they can be.”

But critics of the proposed changes say that they will take credit away from the people who are the first writers of scripts. In Hollywood, where most scriptwriters work on a freelance basis, getting a green light for a script can be an arduous process, said J.F. Lawton (“Pretty Woman”), who resigned from the credits review committee six months ago in protest.

“Some writers spend years trying to get a project set up,” said Lawton. “When you finally get it set up then a high-profile, well-connected, famous writer can jump in and, in a month, take credit from you. That happens all the time.”

The rewriters are usually brought in to reorganize a story or put finishing touches on a script. Some high-profile scriptwriters are paid between $150,000 to $250,000 a week for their work. Some credits can also trigger hefty bonuses.

Lawton said rewriting is different from first writing and should get appropriate credit.

“The hard work of writing is construction and form and dialogue,” he said.

But Schiff said Lawton is trying to politicize the union.

“It think it is very dangerous for anyone to try to divide the union into a union of first writers and rewriters,” he said. “We are all writers and we work in a collaborative industry.”

The vote on the proposals is scheduled for Nov. 14.