Free is NOT
an Option
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union
registered at 134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU
A Good Practice Guide
for TV Writers, Agents
and Programme Makers
www.writersguild.org.uk
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has also
produced a booklet, Working with Writers:
A Good Practice Guide for TV Programme Makers.
This is available for download from our website:
www.writersguild.org.uk
Hard copies are available by emailing
the WGGB Head Office (admin@writersguild.org.uk)
or by phoning 020 7833 0777.
You can also contact our TV Chair by email:
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Contents
Introduction 4
Development 5
Options and treatments 6
Development with broadcasters 8
Shadow schemes and trial scripts 8
How to say ‘no’ – 10 easy steps to make
sure you get paid 10
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Introduction
Working on spec is part of a screenwriter's life. Writers
work in their own time and at their own expense to research,
create and develop ideas and scripts. Production companies,
for their part, are understandably reluctant to commit
financially to an idea at an uncertain stage of its development.
But after the initial spec stage it is unacceptable to expect a
writer to continue to bear all the risk and expense. Beyond
this line it is unacceptable to expect a writer to carry on
working for free.
A survey by The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) found that 87% of
UK TV and film writers had experienced a significant increase in the amount and
kinds of work they had been asked to do for free. Many programme makers now
regard it as acceptable to ask writers to work for free. Irresponsible companies
are undercutting those who want to build constructive relationships with writers
and invest sensibly in their creativity. If we are to have a sustainable industry,
Free is NOT an Option.
JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Free is NOT an Option is our campaign to tackle the growing trend of
asking writers to work for free. As well as publishing these guidelines, and a
‘right to pitch’ template contract for producers, we are also gaining support
from MPs, peers and influential people in the industry. We are monitoring
the situation by asking writers to let us know when they are asked to work
for free, and we are providing support to our members in saying ‘no’. We
hope to organise an industry-wide seminar and ultimately get broadcasters
and independent production companies to sign up to practices that will
protect writers’ livelihoods, and one of the UK’s most valuable exports. Find
out more about the campaign, including what you can do, on our website:
www.writersguild.org.uk/wggbcampaigns/free-is-not-an-option/
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Development
GETTING STARTED
For all screenwriters, getting started involves years of struggle, rejection and
failure before they catch a break. Learning the craft of screenwriting demands
study, training, practice and a level of commitment that is beyond most people.
But once a writer has acquired a few credits, they should be treated with respect
and paid properly for their work.
Writers who are waiting for that first commission are vulnerable. Many new
writers persevere with young, inexperienced and sometimes unscrupulous
producers who ask for more and more work for free when there’s little chance
it will see the light of day.
Writers must learn to say no if someone asks them to work for free.
One of the hardest things for writers, especially new writers, is talking about
money. In the absence of an agent to negotiate fees and terms, this is a business
skill that all freelance writers need to master. Our 10-point guide on how to say
‘no’, at the end of these guidelines, should help, and WGGB also offers free
business skills training via FEU Training. You can find out details at
www.feutraining.org
THE SPEC STAGE
All writers develop ideas on spec. A lot of work goes into the development of
an idea into a fully formed concept with substance, characters, relationships, and
conflicts that has potential to engage an audience’s interest.
The first step is to meet with programme makers and verbally pitch the idea. In
most cases a writer will have done a fair bit of work on their pitch to have the
punch it needs to grab a producer’s interest.
Let’s say it’s a good day. A producer hasn’t touched her coffee the whole time
during the pitch and she’s gripped. She loves it but wants more. She asks to see
something on paper. Fair enough. Write the page for nothing. A one page – two
at the most – that sells the story with a strapline, a basic outline and the story’s
unique selling point (USP).
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This is already quite a lot of work. “Just do a page of A4,” sometimes implies this
is as easy as typing 500 words. It isn’t. Condensing the complexity of a television
series to one or two pages, without losing any of the twists of plots, the emotional
journeys of the characters, the relationships between them, the dramatic conflicts,
the tone, the underlying power of the subject matter and 100 other things is
anything but easy.
A writer has to give a producer enough to show that they have really thought
about this and to convince them the idea has legs. For an experienced writer, this
will take two weeks’ work.
But this is as far as a writer should go without being paid.
At this point the writer has invested a substantial amount of time in the idea. So
far, he or she has borne all the risk. From this point on, if a programme maker is
interested, the risk must be shared. If the producer wants to take the idea to a
broadcaster they must obtain the right to do so. And they must pay for it.
If the programme maker wants to develop the idea into a treatment or a script, if
the producer wants the writer to carry on working on the idea in any way – from
this point forwards the writer must be paid.
Options and treatments
OPTIONS
If a producer is interested in the idea and wants to ‘shop it around’ but is unwilling
to sign or pay for an option agreement then they have no legal interest in or right
to exploit the work. Technically the writer is free to carry on pitching the idea to
other production companies. In practice this can cause problems for everyone.
A writer’s idea may be pitched to a broadcaster by two different producers.
One may have invested in, worked with and paid the writer. The other may have
simply met the writer, liked their idea and decided to ‘test the waters’ with a
broadcaster. Even if the broadcaster likes the idea, it will not touch the project
for fear of a dispute between the two producers.
No one wins. The broadcaster misses out on a potentially successful programme.
The producer who has paid nothing still has nothing. The producer who has paid
for a treatment is left with a loss of money and damage to the relationship with
the writer. The writer has nothing to show for weeks of work.
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Allowing a producer to shop an idea around without an option agreement is not in
the writer’s interest. A responsible producer will try to avoid such a situation.
In cooperation with agents who have struggled with this problem for some time,
WGGB has devised a template ‘Right to pitch’ template contract.
This gives a producer the sole right to pitch an idea to a broadcaster. It is a simple
document that makes it clear to a broadcaster who has the right to pitch an idea.
It does away with the need for expensive legal work at an early stage. It can be
used by anyone and is available from WGGB (it can be downloaded from the
Resources section of our website: www.writersguild.org.uk/resources/)
A £500 minimum fee for a ‘right to pitch’ agreement is fair.
Broadcasters should check that a producer has the ‘right to pitch’ before any
discussion of the project.
TREATMENTS
Producers may want to develop an idea further than the one or two page
document before taking it to a broadcaster. This will require a formal agreement
either in the form of a commissioning contract (from a broadcaster) or an option
agreement (from an independent producer) that sets out the basic contractual and
financial terms and specifies the role of the writer if the idea is commissioned.
At this stage a first full draft should not be required. A treatment may contain a
detailed synopsis of a first episode, major plot lines and character arcs, a flavour
of the style of the series. It is typically 7-12 pages long and will take four weeks
to write.
The treatment fee should be 10% of the eventual fee and will be deducted from
the fee should the project eventually be commissioned. Where the treatment fee
is included in an option agreement it is customary for it to be repayable in the
event that the option lapses and the project is picked up by someone else.
Prior to signing any agreement, it is advisable to negotiate the timescales for
delivery of scripts, notes and number of drafts and tweaks – this avoids nasty
surprises later on.
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Development with broadcasters
It is not only writers who suffer from the delusion that script development comes
for free. Often a broadcaster will express interest in an idea but ask for more
work to be done, without any discussion of how it will be paid for.
At this point, both the production company and the writer will have invested time,
energy and money in development. If a broadcaster is genuinely interested but
wants more work then it must share the risk. It is unacceptable for a broadcaster
to expect the writer and production company to work for free.
Shadow schemes and trial scripts
Although not directly related to the problems writers face in development of
their own ideas, shadow schemes and trial scripts account for a large part of the
substantial increase in work that writers are expected to do for free. In the past,
trial scripts were used to vet new writers with little or no experience of writing
for television. Increasingly, even experienced writers with substantial hours of
television credits are being asked to produce trial scripts and to work on lengthy
shadow schemes, particularly for long-running series. These pay the writer little
or nothing.
Writers are being asked to spend weeks or months working on trial scripts, even
when there are few commission slots available.
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Where shadow schemes and trial scripts offer a new writer a genuine chance to
learn something, or a realistic chance to earn a commission, they are welcome and
worthwhile initiatives. However, they must:
Include a training or mentoring element.
Pay the writer a living wage for the time she or he is engaged on
the scheme.
Be transparent and well-advertised. It must be clear how many writers
are being invited to participate, and how many commissions there will
be for successful participants.
Must make clear previous success rates, in terms of commissions
earned by writers in the past.
Experienced writers should not be asked to produce full trial scripts or to
undergo lengthy shadow schemes. They can be judged by their record. A few trial
scenes are sufficient to demonstrate familiarity with the show and its style.
Hopeful writers should be wary of offers to let them write trial scripts or
participate in shadow schemes. It can be easier to tell a writer to have a go than to
tell them there is little prospect of them writing for the show. If the chances of
getting a commission are slim then writers are better off putting their efforts into
their own original projects.
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How to say ‘no’ – 10 easy steps to
make sure you get paid
1. Don't be afraid to talk about money. Writing may be your passion
but it is also your business. It's not a hobby.
2. If you have an agent tell the producer they must speak to your
agent before anything is agreed.
3. Let your agent know that you can't afford to work for free. If your
agent encourages you to work for free you may need a new agent.
4. Always be polite but firm.
5. If a producer wants to shop your idea around without taking an
option on it, make it clear that – without an option – they don’t
have exclusive rights to your work. You are free to show the idea
to other producers. And you intend to do so.
6. If they suggest you do a treatment or an extended synopsis or a
first draft or any other development work, ask them what they
will be paying.
7. If they say they have no money for development, tell them your
overheads mean you can’t afford to work for free.
8. It is rarely, if ever, true that there really is 'no money'. If you stand
firm you may be surprised by what you achieve.
9. Be prepared to walk away. If a producer is really interested they'll
find a way to pay you. If they won't pay, they probably don't value
your idea enough.
10. If at any point you are unsure what to do, contact WGGB
and ask for advice. Helping WGGB members is our job (you can
contact us on 020 7833 0777 or by email:
[email protected]). If you are not a member, you
can join online: www.writersguild.org.uk
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Published in June 2015 by The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union registered at
134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU
Design: www.savageandgray.co.uk
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has made every effort to ensure that the
content in this document is correct at the time of publication, but cannot take any
responsibility for any loss arising out of use of the information in these guidelines.
The content in this document is for general guidance only and should not be
regarded as constituting legal or business advice or opinion. Legal and business
advice should be sought and taken in relation to the specific circumstances of
each case and nothing appearing here is intended to be a substitute for obtaining
specific legal and/or business advice from a competent professional.
Please contact us if you need a large-print or text-only
version of this document.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7833 0777
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