An agreement between authors and film producers that guarantees a minimum remuneration to scriptwriters of fiction feature films was signed on Wednesday under the auspices of the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC), the Ministry of Culture announced.
This agreement provides for a guaranteed minimum for screenwriters – even if the film project does not come to fruition – of 17,000 euros gross minimum for a single author.
“Writing is the heart of our creation and its renewal: therefore, it is in the general interest of the sector that the role of authors is fully recognized and that their remuneration reflects this role,” reacted the president of the CNC, Gaëtan Bruel, in a statement.
Signed by all organizations representing film producers and screenwriters’ organizations, it is the culmination of several years of discussions, according to several participants in the dialogue.
“The entire sector, by uniting around this agreement, has demonstrated a spirit of collective responsibility,” greeted the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, in a statement, seeing in it “the key to the renewal and diversity of our creation.”
“Fight against the growing precariousness of authors”
For the Society of Film Directors (SRF), this agreement “represents an improvement for 35% of director-screenwriters and 63% of screenwriters of a first feature film.”
However, this minimum should not become “a norm, but rather a minimum limit that limits abuses,” he warned.
An important part of this guaranteed minimum must be paid from the first stages of writing the film. The screenwriters will also be entitled to additional remuneration, depending on the financing obtained by the film. Finally they will be interested in the income from the films, once amortized.
This agreement “will make it possible to fight against the growing precariousness of authors,” declared the co-president of the SCA (Associated Film Screenwriters), Marion Desseigne.
Other provisions provide for the screenwriter’s name to appear at the beginning of the film’s credits when the name of the director and producer appear there, as well as on posters and press kits.
Source: BFM TV
