Screenwriter

Screenwriters, scenarists, or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U

Most screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation. That means they write without being hired and paid for it. Selling such a script calls to sell a "spec-script". Only a handful of spec-scripts are produced every year.

Many of them also work as "script doctors," attempting to change scripts to suit directors or studios; for instance, studio management may have a complaint that the motivations of the characters are unclear or that the dialogue is weak. A script doctor is a skilled Screenwriter called in to assist a Film project by rewriting parts of the Screenplay to improve dialogue pacing and other A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. A movie studio (aka film studio) is in the established sense of the term a company that distributes films.

Script-doctoring can be quite lucrative, especially for the better known writers. David Mamet and John Sayles, for instance, fund the movies they direct themselves, usually from their own screenplays, by writing and doctoring scripts for others. David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American Author, Essayist, Playwright, Screenwriter and John Thomas Sayles (born September 28 1950) is an American Independent film director and Screenwriter who frequently In fact, some writers make very profitable careers out of the script doctoring food chain, being the ninth or tenth writer to work on a piece; in many cases, working on projects that never see exposure to an audience of any size.

A few screenwriters have also found work by selling a treatment (approximately 10-30 pages) or synopsis (usually 1-2 pages), of their screenplay even if it isn't completed yet. This is however extremely rare.

One of the most important elements in bringing an idea to fruition for a studio to produce is attaching the right screenwriter to the project. Often projects are sold to studios who then assign their own preferred screenwriters to complete the script or write the final draft.

Most professional screenwriters are unionized and are represented by organizations such as the Writers Guild of America. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE representing The WGA is final arbiter on awarding writing credit for projects under its join. In the United States, Screenwriting credit for motion pictures and television programs under its jurisdiction is determined by either the Writers Guild of

Dictionary

-noun

One who writes for the screen, who writes drama for film or television; especially a professional who is knows the conventions appropriate to such work.

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