| True Life to TV
Movie: How to Option, Write, Market, and Sell True Stories. by Shannon Richardson Excerpts from Ms. Richardson's book, How to Rewrite your Screenplay Right Credits, fees, Impossible Stories, True Story Labels GENERAL INFORMATION Credits: Most Likely you will not get "written by" credit on your first television movie, unless the script is exceptional. The networks want to cover themselves with an established writer. Producers and networks cannot guarantee "Story by" credit on a True Story. This is decided by the WGA after the movie is made. If you don't get "Written by" or Story by" credit, what can you expect? "Technical Consultant," Associate Producer," or "Co-producer." "Technical Consultant" means you answer technical questions about the story for the writers/producers. You are also a go-between for the producer and the person the story is about. "Associate Producer" means you do the same things as a Technical Consultant but you also may be present for story conferences. "Co-producer" means you do the same things as a Technical Consultant and an Associate Producer but you are taken more seriously at story conferences and may be "on set" during shooting. The Fees for each o0f these jobs is negotiable and you should have and agent or attorney negotiate for you. OPTION MONEY There is very little if any development money, therefore, you will probably not get a paid option. If you are lucky enough to get paid, the feed may be between $1 and $2500. WRITING FEES Most likely you will not get more than WGA minimum on your first teleplay. They will often want to buy the story, not the script. WGA minimum for TV movies:
Every thing is negotiable. These are only the minimum amounts. STORIES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SELL TO THE NETWORKS Stories involving drugs, battered women, sick, retarded, or dying children, discrimination, old people, romantic comedies, cop stories, period pieces, big budget, special effects film and now angels. TRUE STORIES These are general rules for giving a story a "true story" label. It is not an exact science, however. once the final draft of the script is ready for production the Network or Studio attorneys will comb through the script line by line and want to know if each thing is true or fiction. They will make the final decision. Be prepared for this meeting. Keep good notes. It's sometimes difficult after you've worked on a project for a long time to remember what's true and what's not.
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