Thread by @unikunka

A quick thread about the quote system, how much it sucks and how the studios are the real reason our wages are lower especially if you're not an A-list writer.

For those who don't know -- the idea of the quote system is that when you book a job as a writer, that becomes your quote. Basically how much you get paid to do your job.

Then when you get hired the next time the studio asks for your quote and makes a slightly larger offer.

It's sort of an "unwritten rule" that leads to writers getting paid more for the next job than they did the last.

Except it's bullshit, the system doesn't work, and the studios know there's no recourse to just ignore it cause after all, it's "unwritten".

Sidenote: the idea of guild minimums are in some ways a quote system. The minimums guarantee you won't make LESS than this if you're a guild member. But they in no way guarantee above scale pay.

So I sold my first script way back in 2007 or so. It was called 12 ROUNDS and starred John Cena. It's also my only produced credit. Still, even without other credits, the idea is the quote system would ensure that I make more the next deal than I did the last.

The next script I sold was called AGENT OX. It sold to Sony, a Major Motion Picture Studio, with Neal Moritz as producer.

This was my first Studio sale. One things Studios love to do is only count Studio Deals as part of the quote system.

So despite 12 Rounds being released by Fox, my script was purchased by the WWE. They're an Independent. Not a studio. So that quote doesn't count.

Sony winds up paying me a very fair wage that is almost exactly the same as my first deal in guaranteed money.

Sidenote 2: When you sell a script or get hired on a project, the only dollar amount that really means anything is your Guaranteed Money. This is what the studio HAS to pay you whether it be for a sale, first draft, first rewrite etc.

So you sell a spec, they pay you 100K for the script sale, 100K for one rewrite (nobody gets two steps, yo) -- your deal is worth 200K guaranteed.

Now behind that they try to wow you with a credit bonus -- if the script gets made, you get a chunk of money if you get sole credit -- say 600K for a studio movie. If you share credit, you get half that.

Also note -- it's your bonus LESS all the fees you've already been paid.

Anyway -- for AGENT OX they said 12 ROUNDS wasn't a Studio Deal, so they basically threw that quote out.

They wound up guaranteeing me about the same money, plus a little bit of a bump in my bonus as a "kind gesture". So magnanimous!

So I set up a few other projects. I even got hired once or twice at a studio. These weren't sales, these were jobs or pitches so now instead of getting paid say 200K (100K sale, 100K rewrite) it's 200K (125K first draft, 75K rewrite).

But then you make a couple of deals outside the Studio System cause by now it's 2012 and Studio Deals are all based on IP.

But Indendependents sometimes don't have the $$ studios do so you take a bit of a pay cut. You have your lawyer tell them to make them "no quote".

You're also lucky enough to work with a few Independents who are good people and value your work! Your quote goes up! You get paid fairly on both your guaranteed quote and your credit bonus quote.

But when you go back to the Studio on your next project they say "We can't honor that quote. That's an Independent Studio and we don't do those deals."

You say hogwash! They say -- we're going off your quote from 7 years ago and even that we're just gonna match with no bump.

It also works both ways! I've taken a lesser deal on an Independent only to have the Studio say "well, that last deal was X, that's your quote".

Long story short -- with a few exceptions in either spec or attachment situations -- the studios are paying the same or less than what they paid us 10 years ago.

The quote system doesn't exist as it's meant to be applied.

Is this the fault of our agents? I've heard my agent fight tooth and nail for a better deal and too often you're met with "take it or leave it".

And it's good money so you take it.

But it's not just they're making fewer movies that screenwriting income is down, it's that the writers who are getting hired are not being paid the same way as they were 10 years ago.

Another part of the squeeze? The One-Step Deal. So now you'll sell a pitch and they'll respect your quote, they say. They'll even give you the standard bump.

But they won't guarantee all of it. Instead of say 250K total guarantee (150/100) they'll only give you one step.

So yes, the 250K is fair and good, but you're only guaranteed 150K and you have to "earn" the back half of your quote.

Also -- get ready for this to be the work around when the guild fights for mandatory two-step deals...

Your quote was 150K for one step but now you want two steps?? Great. That's 75K and 75K.

Your guaranteed money won't increase, but your time committement will.

I have argued (unpopularly) that we should codify Producer Passes and not worry as much about one-step deals.

For me what matters most is Guaranteed Money. That's the number we need to find a way to increase deal to deal.

Also -- in a world with several buyers outside the regular Studio System (independents, streamers etc) we need to fight to get all contracts covered by the WGA to be part of your quote. If you write a movie, that shit should count no matter who pays you.

And if the studios aren't gonna stand by that (and really, as an unwritten rule they don't need to) we need to organize through the WGA and tell our reps that any deal we close that is covered by the WGA counts toward our "quote".