Payment for Writing a Screenplay

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  • Payment for Writing a Screenplay

    Hey!

    I answered one of those Ink Tip leads, and got a hit back. I submitted my script, director liked it. We met today, wants me to write script on spec, then once he goes into production I would be paid first - which I'm semi uncomfortable with. I like both the director and the material, would be a great script to write, but would take up several months of my life. He said to write out my deal terms, to what would be fair. He wants me to feel comfortable, and we'd write up a contract...

    Okay - what do non-WGA writers (who are good writers and work on their craft!) charge for writing a low-budget feature? I'd love to know what is the average since WGA only posts 47K -67K for WGA writers on a low-budget feature film. Personally, that's crazy high to me.... I'd be thrilled with half that, but that seems unreasonable too. I'm at that point that I want to be paid for writing for others.

    Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

  • #2
    Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

    No, on so many levels.
    InkTip? Write on spec? Asking you what's fair instead of making an offer? This is amateur hour and you'll never see a penny.
    Has this director ever made a movie? Made a short? What have you seen of their directing to even consider this?
    What's his/her plan once you have a script? Do they have the financing in place or are they going to shop your script around? Do they have reps?
    I see nothing but trouble here.

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    • #3
      Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

      Thank you for saying that....

      The director has credits, and won some awards, although not big ones. His biggest feature grossed a couple million. He's done some work with Fox, (spanish TV) and a lot of commercials. Yes he basically said he'd like me to write spec and then shop it around. Once it goes into production he will pay me, which I bawked at. He told me write up my terms, what I think would be fair... Now this is what I'm thinking...

      I'm thinking this is what I'm going to ask:
      -1500 for the outline - payment up front/per week
      - 2000 for the 1st draft - due upon completion
      -1500 for up to two re-writes
      -5000 for when it goes into production

      Total- 10K, but 5K for my payment whether or not it gets made... I think that's affordable and doesn't make me feel like I'm being used...

      Btw- whats wrong with Ink Tip, should they be avoided?

      Thanks!

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      • #4
        Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

        Originally posted by chloesam View Post
        Thank you for saying that....

        I'm thinking this is what I'm going to ask:
        -1500 for the outline - payment up front/per week
        - 2000 for the 1st draft - due upon completion
        -1500 for up to two re-writes
        -5000 for when it goes into production

        Total- 10K, but 5K for my payment whether or not it gets made... I think that's affordable and doesn't make me feel like I'm being used...
        This sounds fine to me. People many times get worked up over the "correct" amount one should charge and artificially drive it up just because of whatever and automatically asume everyone is out to get us.

        But the truth is that indie directors struggle to find good screenplays to get the funding process started. Without one there isn't much a director can do. So it sounds like someone has to "invest" in the seed money of actually having one written. And it sounds like he hopes you are the one to do it.

        This in itself doesn't mean it's automatically scammy or anything. The reality is if you ask for a lot of upfront money he is not going to have it. On the other hand he should invest himself somehow in this deal so it's not completely lopsided.

        I think you have basically 3 choices:

        CHOICE ONE
        Charge like you suggested so both parties feel confortable, and it becomes a straight forward writing contract. But he would end up with all rights to the material since it would be a work-for-hire arrangement.

        CHOICE TWO
        Write it completely on spec, but retain all rights and the director doesn't get any exclusivity on it. In essence this would be an unpaid first-look deal. You would be using him for motivation to get it done, and he would be using you to potentially land that screenplay he can finally use to get funds. You would basically be giving out an option for free after having written it for free.

        CHOICE THREE
        Become partners. You write it, but you also become producer with percentage points on the project. Then just for shits and giggles, value your investment in the movie at full WGA rate at the appropriate funding level. Your 10k could then become a 100K investment.

        Or a fourth choice... decide not to trust other humans or your karma, walk away and wait for the elusive "right" opportunity.

        In the end trust your instinct. Take a hard look at the person you will be dealing with. Does he strike you as someone with long-term integrity? If so, then go for it. History is filled with people that went for it.
        Manfred Lopez Grem
        WGA Writer - Director | Zero Gravity Management

        REEL - IMDB

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        • #5
          Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

          This puts me in mind of some friends of mine, who acted in another acquaintance's indie movie. They all got super cheap upfront payment - the understanding was basically that they'd all have fun together and maybe the movie would show at a couple festivals and that would be it.

          Well, a year or so later, the producer/director wound up finagling a bunch of international TV deals for the film. He's not a billionaire or anything, but he made a good amount of money on the project.

          But all his friends, who took pittance fees because they were buddies and wanted to help him out without seeming too pushy? Well, they never got more than their pittance fees.

          You should do what's best for you - sometimes working for very little in order to get something made (or even just shopped around in front of the right people) is worth it. But if this guy has a track record of making decent money on his projects and actually getting them done, then consider that asking for a small amount upfront may end up a raw deal for you if this thing actually goes anywhere.

          It sounds to me like a producer deal with some percentage included might be the best deal, especially if he doesn't have upfront cash and you're comfortable working for free in the meantime.

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          • #6
            Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

            Originally posted by chloesam View Post

            Total- 10K, but 5K for my payment whether or not it gets made... I think that's affordable and doesn't make me feel like I'm being used...
            Those numbers seem a little low for me, compared to what I've seen people get for non-union work. Not hugely so, but it also depends on the budget. (As a point of reference, if you had said $10k and $15k, I'd sort of shrug and say "sure." That's about what a friend of mine got for a nonunion TV movie).

            I would ask for a reversion of rights if he doesn't pay the full amount within a certain amount of time. That is to say, from the time you hand in your final draft he has (say) two years after which you own the script free and clear (or maybe you have to pay him back the $5k if it actually gets made by somebody else).

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            • #7
              Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

              What's his input in this? Idea for the movie?

              Is he going to produce that? If so, demand co-producer position with backend on first dollar. You're going to be the first person here that invests something (your work which is a commodity as much as funding money would be) and it would be stupid to give up all rights for 10k

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              • #8
                Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

                You'd be writing the director's concept, right?

                Depending on how much he's fleshed out the idea, a reversion of rights might be difficult. Go ahead and ask, but if he's paying you a few thousand out-of-pocket to write his brainchild, then he probably won't be willing to let you walk with it.

                I only bring this up because, before entering a negotiation, you should have a clear idea of the minimum that you're willing to accept.

                Time is a commodity. Odds are that at the end of this experience, you'll have spent months of writing time on a script that you don't own the rights to, and a project that's not moving toward production. That's just how it is.

                Depending on where you are in your career, $15k, $10k, or even $5k might be a worthy tradeoff. There might even be value in the experience of collaborating and writing someone else's idea.

                Just know that most likely, nothing will come of it. The payment you receive up-front will likely be the only tangible benefit from this experience.

                At this stage of your career, how much is your writing time worth?

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                • #9
                  Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

                  ALWAYS take a % of budget, with a floor and ceiling.

                  ie. 3% production budget, with a $15k floor, $150k ceiling.

                  YOU are taking the risk here, not the director. They lose a concept if the film never gets made - YOU lose months of your time if they don't get the film made.

                  Settling for low ball figures devalues your worth and the worth of other writers.

                  The terms above would be different if this director wanted to buy a script you had already written and he only had $200k as his production budget. Obviously taking $15k minimum would be a stretch - 7.5% of the production budget - but since he has NO GUARANTEE you will be paid, you have every right to nominate a realistic fee.

                  Unless this is a film for The Asylum - in which case, you're looking at peanuts.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

                    Originally posted by evan_g View Post
                    but since he has NO GUARANTEE you will be paid, you have every right to nominate a realistic fee.
                    Can't you atleast specify that you require half upfront BEFORE you will start writing. That's how alot of freelancers (in various fields) work.

                    So you'd at least get 50% of the price... sounds like this person is pretty legit though according to OP.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Payment for Writing a Screenplay

                      Legit or not, it's whether the director hiring this writer, or any writer, even has 50% of a writer's fee to pay the writer before commencement of script. A lot of the times, they don't have a dime.

                      That's a personal decision the OP has to make - write for free, taking on all the risk in the project, or refuse to begin unless they get some form of payment upfront.

                      When you go with the latter, you're forcing the producer - or in this case the director - to INVEST something in the project. Without any investment, what do they care if in 6 months time when you've finished a cracking screenplay they can't sell it? They've faced no risk at all in the project, whereas the writer has.

                      If the director has no money to pay the writer upfront, and the writer insists on working with this director, then I'd suggest the writer negotiate that their payment upon principal photography is a little juicier since they're the ones taking the risk here.

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