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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Questions or Comments  /  Work for hire
Posted by: MarkItZero, October 3rd, 2018, 12:37pm
I have a question for anyone who's written a feature as a work for hire. If you have the time, please shoot me a PM.

Or you can post here. Not asking for like contract specifics... I'm fairly certain the pay is in line with what's considered standard. Just want to know generally how was the experience, any issues/regrets, did it actually get filmed in the end?

Any advice is welcome. When I jump into things without asking questions I tend to fall flat on my face.
Posted by: ReneC, October 3rd, 2018, 2:06pm; Reply: 1
I have. Basically, you get paid what you agreed to, and that payment usually comes in stages. You don't own the rights to any part of it, and once you're done, you're done.

As for what to expect afterwards, it's case by case. Mine haven't been made, which is pretty normal. I got paid, that's all that matters. Even studio scripts get handed from writer to writer for years, even decades, and don't get made until the stars align. Spider-man was worked on for twenty years by dozens of writers before it finally made it onto the screen.

Don't expect anything beyond getting paid. If it gets made and you get a credit, that's the icing, not the cake.

If you have any questions you don't want here, PM me.
Posted by: AnthonyCawood, October 3rd, 2018, 3:07pm; Reply: 2
I have and I've just PM'd you Mark
Posted by: MarkItZero, October 3rd, 2018, 5:26pm; Reply: 3

Quoted from ReneC
I have. Basically, you get paid what you agreed to, and that payment usually comes in stages. You don't own the rights to any part of it, and once you're done, you're done.

As for what to expect afterwards, it's case by case. Mine haven't been made, which is pretty normal. I got paid, that's all that matters. Even studio scripts get handed from writer to writer for years, even decades, and don't get made until the stars align. Spider-man was worked on for twenty years by dozens of writers before it finally made it onto the screen.

Don't expect anything beyond getting paid. If it gets made and you get a credit, that's the icing, not the cake.

If you have any questions you don't want here, PM me.


Okay, thanks, yeah that's about what I expected.

Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), October 4th, 2018, 1:41am; Reply: 4
Yeah, if it's a ghostwriting job there is only pay and no credit. Mostly though, these projects go nowhere. Somebody with cash has a story they want to tell, they need a writer. I wrote a TV pilot for a guy in LA that just wanted to keep it in his drawer to show people. I've also written things where I do get the credit but they still haven't been made.
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