Mike Fleming



WGAE president Michael Winship and WGAW president John Wells announced that members overwhelmingly approved amendments to the Screen and Television Credits Manuals that make it easier for hyphenates to get screen credit. On the movie side, 85.7% of membership (1237 yes votes, 197 no votes) approved a change where writers who are also on the project in directing or producing capacities and subsequently get involved in rewriting, need to be judged responsible for a 33% contribution to receive credit on a non-original screenplay. The former standard was 50%. There is potential for good and bad in this one for writers. The upside: as more screenwriters become producers, they won’t be penalized for become entrepreneurial. The challenge: directors who run a script through their typewriter are now more likely to get shared screenwriting credits. There is a lot of residuals money on the line here, particularly on big hits. If more directors take it upon themselves to write, this is a potentially important issue.

A whopping 91.4% of membership approved a proposal that calls for a teleconference between arbitrators on decision where they have reviewed credit appeals but did not come to a unanimous arbitration decision. The identity of the arbitrators is always kept secret, and that would remain so in the teleconference, but it is an opportunity to discuss and perhaps come to a consensus. If no unanimous decision is reached, the majority will win out. A total of 1310 voted yes and 86 voted no. Previously, there was no conference. A final proposal to consolidate, reformat and clarify the Television Credits Manual and Separation or Rights Manual was approved by a 92.9% margin, with 1341 voting yes and 64 voting no.