I need help giving people proper credit

B

Blade_Jones

How much input does it take before someone gets a credit as one of the screenplay writers? Let's say someone comes up with a unique name of a character... do they get a credit under "screenplay by"? Let's say someone comes up with a general idea as to where a scene takes place (ex - Bill and Bob go to a grocery store and then steal some food). Then do they get credit as one of the screenplay writers? Or would it be a sub credit as something like "Additional screenplay input by" or "revisions by"?

Also how many minutes of a movie does one have to direct before they get a "director" credit as upposed to "2nd Unit Director"? Is there a SAG guideline or guild guideline for this stuff?
 
There are no SAG guidelines regarding the script or the director. Scripts fall under WGA and the directors fall under DGA.

If you made your film using these unions they will take you through the process. It's going to be different for each project so one, all inclusive answer won't really do it.

When hiring a DGA second unit director the contract won't have anything about minuets of footage used. It's a union job with very specific responsibilities.

The WGA has an arbitration process where a panel will read each draft of the script and all the notes and then assign credit based on their rules. I don't think these rules are made available to non members.

Assuming you didn't make your movie using the guild agreements then it comes down to your best effort. I wouldn't give someone a "screenplay by" credit for coming up with a character name. Maybe a "thank you"?

Ideas would be tricky. My producer came up with a great idea that solved several problems in my script - but he didn't ask for credit and I didn't offer it. Our film is a collaborative effort. But if you feel the idea person should get a credit then either of the suggestions you make would be fine.

A good friend of mine gave me a great joke for my script - I gave him credit as "Additional dialogue by". He didn't expect it and was really pleased. Since both of us are WGA members (this isn't a WGA project) we both knew the WGA would have never allowed that credit.
 
Yeah, as a writer, it would irritate me if someone say... drafted ONE horribly written scene, had me revise it, and then put themselves as a "Writer" in the credits anyway...

I'd just give them special thanks, if I were you!
 
A screen credit of "Additional thanks to ..." is appreciated and more than is usually given to "ideas, lines or suggestions."

I did a credit to "the horse people...you know who you are..." cause they worked for a fee a lot less than normal and didn't want anyone to know that they did a short film for half their normal fee. They got a kick out of the credit.
 
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