Very interesting article over at Deadline Hollywood about Warner Bros’ new policy of delivery date enforcement. Be sure to read the comments. Lots of interesting back and forth between writers and producers.
In a move that has writers and their reps buzzing, Warner Bros has just put out word that it will start to enforce delivery dates on first screenplay drafts. That means writers who signed contracts had better deliver on time, or risk the wrath of the studio. Deadlines are rarely enforced by studios, under the “better late and great” rationale. Writers function better under deadline, but scribes say procrastination isn’t the reason they fall behind on delivery dates. Low to mid-level writers are double-booking to make ends meet in an age when studios routinely slash writer quotes and offer one-step deals that leave scribes wondering if they’ll be jobless in three months. Some writers saw the Warner Bros move as another example of a studio imposing its leverage over writers, wondering how long before they return to the days when scribes reported to writer’s rooms on studio lots, turning in a day’s worth of pages when they clocked out.
Read the rest here.
