Where does the film industry begin? Where does it end?” From the screenwriter’s perspective, these two questions often lead to the same answer: the “development stage.” The development stage, the stage wherein screenwriters are given the chance to define a film through its script, begins with a studio’s search for projects that will provide a definite return on investment. Established novels, comic books, and stage plays often provide a safe bet. Wherever the material comes from however, the next step is to pass along the task of penning the script to a screenwriter.
Whether the studio sides with an adaptation or original material, they will then open up the project as either an “exclusive assignment,” in which a certain writer is offered the chance to draft up a script, or they may go with the “open assignment,” which allows for any eligible writers to work towards drafting up a script, with the more established writers often having their scripts chosen. In writing their draft, the writer typically develops a treatment (or sometimes scriptment) before converting a final green-lit treatment into a polished script. With the plethora of spec scripts floating around, the studio may also choose to pursue this direction, often turning to the heralded Black List, a list of top-rated unproduced scripts.
Finance also comes into play here. For screenwriters, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) works to make sure that writers are granted creative rights, such as rights to spin-offs, prequels, sequels, and merchandising. Writer contracts also include a 2-3% cut of the budget, as well as a 3% of producer’s net gross, which rewards based on the film’s box office earnings. From there, the next financial concern lies in gaining funding for the project. With a polished script at hand, producers will also compile a production package that includes the plot synopsis and budgeting figures in hopes of attracting investors.
With the development stage all sorted out and enough producers backing the project, the script is then written into a shooting script, cast and crew are hired, and every angle of pre-production is carefully measured out, leaving the screenwriter’s job complete for the most part. From there, the pre-production leads to production, which is followed by post-production. All that’s left for screenwriters at this point is to cross their fingers and hope that the film performs well enough that their 3% producer’s net gross cut will pay off.