What Is a Scriptwriter?

Every movie, miniseries, or television show you have ever seen has one thing in common. They all started as scripts. Scriptwriters are generally referred to as screenwriters, and come in all forms. From a paid professional commissioned to do a job, to a kid in his room with a pad of paper, anyone can be a scriptwriter. Breaking into the business of writing is difficult, but if you have a good script, you may be able to find someone to give you a chance.

Screenplays

"Screenplay" is the accepted term for a script that is meant to be turned into a movie. Scriptwriters produce screenplays on spec. In other words, screenwriters write scripts with no commission or guarantee of selling. Once a scriptwriter has completed screenplay, he shops it to literary agencies and tries to get it read by any and every person he can. Often, a writer's first screenplay serves as a showpiece. It won't get made, but it may land the writer a job writing something that will. Studios offer jobs to established scriptwriters through the writer's agent.

Teleplays

Teleplays are scripts written for television shows. There is some argument over whether or not the term teleplay should be used, or if they should just be called screenplays. The terminology changes based on who you are talking to, but they are essentially the same thing. Teleplays have less of a conventional structure than screenplays. Teleplays can be broken up into anything from one to seven acts, depending on the format of the specific show, and the network it airs on. Teleplays are nearly always written on spec. Unless a scriptwriter is staffed on a show, all of her scripts are spec. Spec teleplays come in two forms: the spec and the spec pilot. Spec pilots are the first episode for a never-before created series. Specs are scripts that are written as if they were episodes of a show to be aired. A scriptwriter needs both to land a job as a writer. Pilots display the writer's voice, while specs display her ability to enter a show and match an existing style.

Programs

Scriptwriting can be done on any word processor, but some are more suited to it than others. Regardless of if you are writing film or television, there are a certain set of formatting criteria scriptwriters must meet. The margins for scripts are not consistent. Scene headers have different margins than dialogue, which has different margins than action paragraphs, which have different margins than character names. While it's possible to format a basic word processor to display pages with these margins, most scriptwriters approach it a different way. Final Draft and Screenwriter are two popular scriptwriting programs. They come preloaded with templates and automatically format pages. They also log character names and locations, so that screenwriters can save time . These programs cost money, but most serious scriptwriters find them valuable.

WGA

The WGA is the Writer's Guild of America. There are two factions of the WGA: the Writer's Guild of America West, and the Writer's Guild of America East. When scriptwriters write screenplays or television scripts, most immediately register them with the WGA. This protects their intellectual property and also put them in a database that allows anyone to access their script. Writers must have produced scripts in order to become a member of the WGA, but for a small fee, anyone may register his work. Registering with the WGA is not the only way to copyright a work, but it is generally accepted as the best way. It is especially important for scriptwriters to register their work before showing it anyone or entering it in any form of contest.

Salary

The salary for screenwriter is completely arbitrary. They earn whatever the studio wants to pay for the script, minus expenses and any percentages their manager or agent receives. Experienced screenwriters who write highly sought after scripts can earn up to six figures for one piece of work. Television has a somewhat more standardized payment system. WGA guidelines, as of 2009, guarantee a payment of roughly $30,000 for a half hour script, and roughly $43,000 for a one hour script. These figures are standard and have nothing to do with popularity of the show or the ratings.