Story by...; Screenplay by... ???

[Randall_Oelerich]

How is the pay usually split up for a screenplay spec sale when a story is developed by one or more people, and then written up by another person as screenplay? Let's say I have a chance to get some good story material from someone with some really interesting life experiences that allow for a story, make a story together with them using their life experiences plus fictionalization, but then I would write the screenplay. Short of negotiating free interview time to discover story material, how would someone work a deal to share any profits of a potential spec sale of a screenplay based on the story material from that person's life? And what would be a typical profit deal-- 10% of a spec sale for the story, for example?
randall

 

[wcmartell]

Totally between you and the others... and credits are not part of it. You make some sort of deal with the person (people) to write the screenplay based on their story, then you sell the screenplay... and the WGA decides credits based on *written screenplays*.

I have no idea what the standard deal is, because I'm not sure there is one.

- Bill

 

[clang]

Yeah, I doubt there are any standards, there are so many variables, and story writing tends to be done independently of script writing, the writers frequently hhve zero involvement with each other Many films end up with multiple stories written for them (each sometimes contributing just a few elements to the final screenplay), and of course many have multiple scripts written, based on both previous drafts by other writers and also any story treatments that happen to exist.

But something like the situation you describe, where you'll interview someone with a great story but zero writing skills and then turn their fascinating but rambling recollections into a coherent script (after getting a release from that person, of course!) - something like 10% of any spec sale proceeds doesn't seem unreasonable. Maybe higher if they're happy for you to fictionalise/dramatize/change the hell out of the true story (meaning you can keep the good bits and ignore boring old reality), and lower if they insist the screenplay be 'accurate' (and especially if they'll be wanting signoff approval!)

 

[Yeddi]

What type of deals do people have to write up for biopics when the people are still living - like "Walk the Line" or "The Runaways" for instance. I would say it was similar to that.

 

[JonathanLB]

That's one thing I admit I've never understood, basically. I don't understand why anyone has a "right" to "their story" because I don't think anyone has a story that's just theirs. I mean, granted obviously if it's someone relatively unknown you interview, but with a public person I don't see why that would be necessary at all. Something like W., I guess. A public figure, their life is documented by numerous sources, everything they do that is significant, and everything "in private" can be extrapolated from that or from what friends / family have said in the press or in books already published, etc. So it makes no sense to me as a writer why they would have any right to any money or, well, ANYTHING, related to "their" story.

It's just like how I wrote two non-fiction books on the Star Wars prequels -- "their" story is public knowledge, and I was fully authorized to write about them because they are public events / products that anyone is free to write about. So I don't see why in principal a person should be any different. I suspect that in point of law, it really is not. That's why you can write an unauthorized biography about anyone, but you just have to make sure there aren't libelous comments, because those are what you can be sued on, not on just writing the biography.