WGA screenwriting credit system
Okay kiddo, have you ever watched a movie or a TV show and wondered who wrote it? Well, the WGA screenwriting credit system is a way to give credit to the people who came up with the story and wrote the script.
You see, making a movie or a TV show is a lot of work and many people are involved. But the people who write the story and the dialogue – called the screenwriters – are really important. They come up with the story and the words that the actors say.
But sometimes, more than one writer works on a screenplay. So, the WGA has rules to figure out who gets credit for the writing. It’s like giving out trophies for different parts of the story.
Here’s how it works:
First, there’s the “written by” credit. This means that the person or people who get this credit wrote most of the story and dialogue in the final version of the screenplay. It’s like being the captain of the team.
But sometimes, another writer comes in and changes a lot of the script. That’s called a “rewrite,” and the person who does that may get a “screenplay by” credit. It’s like being an MVP or a really important player on the team.
Then there’s the “story by” credit. This is for the person or people who came up with the original idea for the movie or TV show. They might not have written the whole script, but they still had a big influence on the story. It’s like being the coach of the team.
Finally, there’s the “based on” credit. This is for when a movie or TV show is based on a book, play, or other source material. The writer who wrote the original material gets this credit.
So, the WGA screenwriting credit system is like a way to make sure everyone who worked on the script gets recognized for their hard work. And just like in any team, everyone who plays a part is important!
You see, making a movie or a TV show is a lot of work and many people are involved. But the people who write the story and the dialogue – called the screenwriters – are really important. They come up with the story and the words that the actors say.
But sometimes, more than one writer works on a screenplay. So, the WGA has rules to figure out who gets credit for the writing. It’s like giving out trophies for different parts of the story.
Here’s how it works:
First, there’s the “written by” credit. This means that the person or people who get this credit wrote most of the story and dialogue in the final version of the screenplay. It’s like being the captain of the team.
But sometimes, another writer comes in and changes a lot of the script. That’s called a “rewrite,” and the person who does that may get a “screenplay by” credit. It’s like being an MVP or a really important player on the team.
Then there’s the “story by” credit. This is for the person or people who came up with the original idea for the movie or TV show. They might not have written the whole script, but they still had a big influence on the story. It’s like being the coach of the team.
Finally, there’s the “based on” credit. This is for when a movie or TV show is based on a book, play, or other source material. The writer who wrote the original material gets this credit.
So, the WGA screenwriting credit system is like a way to make sure everyone who worked on the script gets recognized for their hard work. And just like in any team, everyone who plays a part is important!