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Duties: Write the screenplay upon which the film is based, whether the story is original or adapted from another source, such as a book, play, or magazine article
Salary Range: $0 to $1 million+
Education and Training – College or an advanced degree are useful but optional
Experience – Writing background helpful but not essential
Special Skills and Personality Traits – Ability to create an original story or an adaptation based on other material; creative writing skills with competence at writing dialogue, creating action, and adhering to the specific style and format of screenplays
Special Requirements – Union membership may be required by those studios and production companies that are signatories of the Writers Guild of America (WGA)

Position Description
It used to be said that practically every writer wanted to pen a great novel. Today, writing a screenplay that becomes a hit movie has become a new literary dream.

Movies begin with a script. The Screenwriter writes the script. It is the blueprint for the dialogue and the action that will be spoken by the actors and performed in the feature film.

Screenwriting is very distinct in its style and format. Even the length of a screenplay is specific, depending upon whether the writer is aiming for a typical 90 minute, 120 minute, or longer feature film. Screenwriters create screenplays for feature films in a variety of genres: romantic comedy, action adventure, thrillers, comedy, historical dramas, political dramas, family features, and scifi.

There is no mistaking the huge impact one screenplay can have on the millions, even billions, of viewers worldwide who see a movie based on that writer’s screenplay. The glamour and excitement of being a writer associated with the film industry is hard to match in any other industry that uses writers, especially since a successful Screenwriter could command fees upward of a million dollars per script.

The Screenwriter, who is usually behind the scenes and rarely gets the attention of principal actors and actresses or directors (except for those occasional celebrity screenwriters, like William Goldman), were front and center in fall 2007/winter 2008 when their strike dramatically affected the film and TV industries. The key issue was over revenue and residuals to screenwriters from writing that would be distributed through the Internet. Until an agreement was reached, production on new movies was halted, as was the development of new TV series episodes and even most late-night television writing, also covered by the Writers Guild of America contract.

With a loss to the industry estimated in the millions, even billions, the power and importance of the often anonymous Screenwriter was brought home to everyone, within and outside of the film industry. Because actors refused to cross the writers picket line, even the highly regarded and much watched Golden Globe Awards, granted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was reduced to just reading aloud the names and credits of the winners rather than the airing of the live televised star studded red carpet event. What makes a terrific Screenwriter? Someone who is a creative storyteller with the writing skills to compose memorable dialogue and characters as well as the ability to pace the movie just right. Every so often, overnight success stories are heard about the unknown writer who sits down, creates a screenplay, and sends it out to an agent “over the transom,” only to have it picked up and sold, within days, to a major studio for a million dollars. For most, however, it is a very long and slow process from writing the first screenplay to seeing it put into production, filmed, and released in the theaters. The reality is that more screenplays are sold than actually get made into movies.

Although only a few Screenwriters are household names, compared to how many actors and even directors achieve celebrity status, the Screenwriter, the mastermind of the story, along with the characters and dialogue that are created, are the key beginning elements to every feature film that eventually gets produced.

Screenwriters may create a screenplay completely from scratch or adapt other written material, most often a book or a play, but sometimes from a magazine article. The Screenwriter might buy the right to adapt the material and pay a flat fee to the copyright holder of the original material or he or she may agree to share the future fees or profits on any films that are created by the Screenwriter based on that material.

There are Screenwriters who only write or have only written screenplays; others first wrote newspaper articles, short stories, novels, nonfiction books, or plays, and then learned the craft of screenwriting. Those unfamiliar with the art and techniques of screenwriting are surprised at how rigorous and demanding a skill it proves to be, especially if they are accomplished fiction or nonfiction writers. Of course, having a fresh and original idea is an important starting point for a Screenwriter, as well as creating memorable characters and engaging dialogue.

There are other distinctions between screenplays and other kinds of writing. First of all, it is well known that screenplays are not just written, they are rewritten, often by a writer or writers other than the original Screenwriter.

Screenwriters, once they sell a screenplay to a signatory of the Writers Guild of America, a union for Screenwriters, and have an employment contract, can join the union. As union members, they are then entitled to certain financial guarantees for each aspect of their work, such as the minimum allowed for creating a treatment for a screenplay (a detailed synopsis of the plot and characters in the screenplay that is usually 20 to 30 pages long), an option for the completed screenplay (a fee paid to give a director, producer, or studio the exclusive right to the screenplay for a period of time in order to get the production of the film underway), and, once the film is actually in production, a purchase price for the screenplay (either a flat fee or a flat fee plus a percentage of the film’s budget and/or the film’s net or gross profits). There are other important issues that the Writers Guild of America has negotiated on behalf of its Screenwriter members, such as when and how the screenwriting credits will be posted on a screenplay or, if rewriters are called in, how much rewriting needs to be done to the original screenplay before the first author’s name is removed or shared with any other Screenwriters.

Screenwriters may be self-employed, selling their screenplays “on spec” once the screenplay is completed. Or they may be hired by an independent film company or a studio to work on a screenplay “under contract” with payment on a per project or a salary basis. Because of the legal implications of reading unsolicited material that may lead to future accusations of plagiarism, almost all major studios are unwilling to read screenplays by Screenwriters who lack an agent or an entertainment lawyer who is known to that studio. Some independent feature film companies, however, may be willing to read treatments or screenplays if they are queried first never send a treatment or screenplay unsolicited and a signed submission agreement is included.

Before a Screenwriter sends a treatment or a completed script to anyone, the material should be protected by establishing the date of authorship. The Writers Guild of America offers this service to members at a reduced fee ($10 per registration) or $22 per registration for nonmembers. The Writers Guild of America, East, Inc., has automated the registration process, and most registrations are now done online. The material is sent as an attached file. A receipt will be sent approximately two weeks later. For more information, go to the Web site of the Writers Guild of America, West: http://www.wga.org. (Please note that registering your original treatment or screenplay with the Writers Guild does not replace or substitute for the protection your material receives if you register with The Library of Congress, the U.S. copyright office. For more information on the cost and procedures for filing a copyright, as well as forms you may download to submit with your copyright claim, go to the government’s The Library of Congress Web site: http://www.copyright.gov.)

A Screenwriter who is looking to make a career out of writing screenplays is well-advised to find a literary agent who will submit work on the Screenwriter’s behalf as well as keep his or her ears open to any potential writing assignments suitable for his client. In order to even be considered by an agent, however, an aspiring Screenwriter will usually have to write at least one complete screenplay entirely on speculation. It may take a few weeks, months, or even years for a satisfactory screenplay, often known as the work sample, to be well-written enough to give the Screenwriter a chance at representation and a possible sale. (For a discussion about how to approach a literary agent, see the entry under Literary Agent.)

There are numerous excellent books that a Screenwriter may read, such as Linda Seger’s Creating Unforgettable Characters or Making a Good Script Great, as well as Story by Robert McKee or The Screenwriter’s Workbook by Syd Field. There are also seminars that may be attended, not to mention studying screenwriting at college or in graduate school as part of a degree (or non-degree) program in film or creative writing. The format for writing a screenplay can be learned, and there is software now that enables writers to adhere to the screenplay format as they write. Skills and techniques can be taught. However, the magic of creativity and originality is still very much an individual matter and, alas, a talent and gift that can be nurtured but cannot be taught if the basic proclivity toward screenwriting is missing. Screenwriters need an ear for language and dialogue as well as the ability to write action and to “show not tell.”

Screenwriters also need to keep up on what movies are being made and shown as well as what is in the works. Being called “derivative” is one of the biggest insults you can give a Screenwriter; being called innovative, creative, fresh, and memorable are what most Screenwriters strive for (and for which there are the greatest artistic and financial rewards).

Although you can write from anywhere in the world, especially in the beginning of your screenwriting career, it may be useful to live near a center of filmmaking, such as Hollywood or Manhattan, so that it is easier to “take a meeting” with a studio executive or independent film producer if there is interest in you as a Screenwriter and your screenplay.

For Screenwriters, as for any other kind of writer, you are only as good as your most recent effort. The adage goes that you can’t make a great film from a bad screenplay, but you can make a bad film from a great screenplay. So, a Screenwriter needs to take pride in his or her work and to write the best film he or she can, but, since making a movie is a collaborative effort with forces and creative elements impacting the final product beyond the Screenwriter’s control, he or she must also be able to “let go” of that final screenplay as it becomes another entity, a film.

Salaries
Salaries vary widely, from writing “on spec” or for free for nonunion films to receiving $1,000 for an option or several million dollars for a completed, acceptable script (plus such negotiable terms as profit-sharing in the net or gross revenues of the film).

The Writers Guild of America has developed a new program to encourage low-budget filmmakers to become signatories: In general, low budget is considered a film with a budget of less than $750,000; a high budget feature film has expenses of more than $5 million. Here are the basic minimums, from the 2004 Basic Agreement, for Screenwriters who are members of the Writers Guild of America: For writing a treatment that is an original story, $24,129: for writing a completed screenplay, including a treatment for a lowbudget movie, $53,256, (an option is 10 percent of that minimum); $99,980 for a high budget. An original story treatment for a high budget film is $39,957. Note that these minimums may be raised each year, so check with the Writers Guild of America (http://www.wga.org) or your literary agent for the most recent minimums. Salaried positions on staff are rare for screenwriters, although many work as story editors or directors of development while awaiting their big break.

Employment Prospects
The film industry is a growth business, and since the Screenwriter is fundamental to every film, employment prospects for Screenwriters are good. Screenwriters are basically in two employment groups: freelance Screenwriters, who sell their work and live by those sales, and Screenwriters who have an employment contract with a producer or a studio for a specific movie or time period.

There is little job security for most Screenwriters, unless they write a screenplay for a movie that becomes a big box office hit and it is clearly their authorship of the screenplay that is acknowledged (and thus they get multiple job offers).

Screenwriters need to get their movies made in order to advance, even if they have to find the money to make the movies themselves. Getting a movie made, seeing how the words on paper actually sound coming out of the mouths of actors, will help to elevate the Screenwriter’s work from an outline for a movie to the basis of a real movie. That is why some Screenwriters, growing impatient and weary of the frustrations of failing to see their screenplays turned into feature films, are making a short trailer of a film based on their screenplay to show as a work sample.

The Screenwriter who lacks a major movie to his or her credit will want to have another source of income, whether that job is in the film industry or in an unrelated industry. Fortunately, screenwriting is a job that can be done anywhere and anytime, although, at some point, when a movie is being made, if the producer and director want the Screenwriter there for any rewrites that occur during shooting, he or she may have to take time off from another job to be present during those days, weeks, or months of shooting the script.

Advancement Prospects
This is a very competitive part of the business and advancement will only occur if the Screenwriter’s screenplays are bought, turned into movies, with his or her credit recognized, and are commercial and creative successes.

There are no guarantees in screenwriting for advancement, but a track record of successful, wellreviewed films will certainly help seal a Screenwriter’s future.

Education and Training
Although some Screenwriters are self taught, a more typical path is to already be a writer, whether of fiction, nonfiction, or drama, and to study at a film school in a degree or nondegree, undergraduate or graduate, capacity. Since the style of screenwriting is so specific, including the number of pages for a film of a certain length as well as the standard formatting of each page, some training is necessary to acquire those skills, even if self taught or through the use of screenwriting software.

Basic English composition and writing skills are certainly beneficial to anyone aspiring to screenwriting. Depending upon the kinds of screenplays someone chooses to write, different kinds of educational backgrounds might prove helpful. For example, someone who wants to specialize in historical screenplays, or period pieces, might benefit from studying history, someone looking to write thrillers might benefit from studying or working in criminal justice programs or facilities, and someone interested in writing sci-fi adventures might benefit from studying astronomy, biology, or paleontology.

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits Screenwriters need to relish and study movies, so they can understand what makes a movie work or fail. They need to be willing to write and rewrite until they perfect the script, not just for themselves but for the cast that is assembled to speak their words and act out their scenes, once a screenplay is put into production.

The hardest part of screenwriting, getting the screenplay down on paper, is also the part that, for most, has to be done alone. Therefore, a Screenwriter should be comfortable spending hours, days, or weeks alone, although he or she may live and work among others as long as they are able to find some writing “alone” time.

Their personality hopefully enables them to work as part of a team, once their screenplay is completed, taking beneficial suggestions from everyone involved in the film, from their agent, the entertainment lawyer, director, or producer to the actors, stunt coordinators, and publicists. The Screenwriter has created an imaginary world on paper, but these other members of the film “team” are the ones who will tell him or her if that world works or not. Some scenes may be too expensive or dangerous to film; others may slow down the action or confuse the story.

It’s a cliche, but for the Screenwriter it is a truism that bears repeating: Screenwriters need to have stick- toitiveness and a thick skin. There are few overnight successes in the screenwriting business and those examples, though few and far between, still need to be followed up with hit after hit after hit.

Taking pride in a well written script should be its own reward; a Screenwriter needs to take a very long view of his or her career. Being pleasant to be around is certainly a valuable trait for a Screenwriter, in addition to the obvious one of having good writing skills, since Screenwriters may be involved with a production team on a film for months or years till the film is actually released.

Unions and Associations
Membership in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is required if a Screenwriter sells a screenplay to a studio or production company that is a signatory of the Writers Guild of America.

Since networking is a key aspect of the film industry, membership in associations increase the chances of knowing more players in the industry and may be beneficial. There are associations, such as IFP (Independent Feature Project) or Women in Film, with affiliate chapters in New York, Chicago, Orlando, and numerous other cities and countries including Canada, the Netherlands, England, and France, as well as other related associations, listed in this book’s appendixes.

Tips for Entry
1. During middle school, high school, college, or graduate school, get involved in any aspect of filmmaking or writing available to you, from writing for the school newspaper to writing a play to creating student films with a video or digital camera.

2. Attend seminars that are given by successful Screenwriters and learn how they got started, what books they read, how they trained, and how they got their first break.

3. Discipline yourself to write, and keep writing, until you have a completed spec script that you can show to an agent, producer, or director. If you’re short on ideas of your own, option the play or book written by another and buy the right to adapt that material into a screenplay.

4. Enter your completed screenplay in screenwriting contests. Even if you don’t win, you will be exposing your writing to others who might help you get started by recommending you to their agent, attorney, producer, or director. You can also submit your completed screenplay to film associations that have readings of works in progress. Not only could you benefit from hearing your words spoken and acted out, someone might read your work, or attend the reading, that could help you get your first break as a Screenwriter.

5. Attend film festivals and network with those in the film industry, from entertainment lawyers and producers to actors and directors.

6. Study screenwriting as part of a degree or nondegree college or graduate school program in writing or film. There are also credit or noncredit summer screenwriting courses available at many colleges and universities including New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and The New School. Online courses are also available.

7. Job postings for writers may be announced through free industry employment Web sites such as http://www.mandy.com, http://www.infolist. com, or http://www.entertainmentcareers.net, as well as through the fee and subscription based e-mail newsletter, available for purchase through http://www.inktip.com.

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