How Much Money Does a Screenwriter Make? Industry Insider Doug Richardson Reveals the Range
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- čas přidán 7. 01. 2020
- The competition for screenwriting for movies or TV writing jobs is fierce, but you already knew that. It’s a cool job, and it’s rewarding to watch your own words come to life on screen, and that’s why so many people want the gig. But is it rewarding monetarily? The answer is yes. And no.
“Screenwriters can make as little as $25,000 to $30,000 a year doing very small jobs,” said screenwriter and author Doug Richardson. “If they’re members of the WGA, they can make millions of dollars a year.” He would know because he’s come up through the industry ranks with scripts for “Hostage,” starring Bruce Willis, and “Bad Boys” starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
If you’re a member of the Writer’s Guild of America union, you’ll be guaranteed certain wages and paycheck timelines, but most writers still don’t count on a steady paycheck. You may sell one script, ever.
Want something more reliable? TV writers typically stick with a show for months or even years. It’s less of a “one and done” situation. Or, if you’re really great at your job, and you don’t mind working on someone else’s story, screenwriters can make a good amount of money as script polishers.
“It’s called the Golden Handcuffs in Hollywood,” Doug explained. “Being a rewrite expert, who is so in demand, they just keep throwing you hundreds of thousands of dollars per week to work on this movie and work on that movie and polish that script. And once actors know you’re the writer that did the polish on that movie, they want you to come in and do the polish on their movie, and that polish is two or three weeks, and yeah, you can make a million dollars out of that.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median, though, is $28.50 per hour for most writers in the arts and entertainment industry. That could include writers for TV, film, video games, comics, and more. If you work fulltime, that amounts to just over $59,000 per year. It’s a good wage in many places, but probably not enough to retire on in Hollywood.
“And the rest? You can do the math,” Doug said. “There’s a low-side and an up-side, and the up-side is up!”
Here’s hoping you find the up-side.
#screenwriting #screenplay #screenwriter #writingtips #makemoneywriting - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Well that shits about to change with bitcoin
I can’t find any videos like this in 2023 or 2024. I’m a nurse who worked on set during Covid and I looove it! I loved being the world of film and TV and I always had a passion for writing and I would love to enter the realm of screenwriting, but I can’t find any current info on the earning potential. Any idea of how the market is looking nowadays, especially with AI and the recent writers strike?
Hi Nicole, we love to hear that you want to try your hand at screenwriting! We have just the software to help you do it :) We hope you'll try out SoCreate. It is an amazing tool for newer screenwriters.
In the meantime, the best place to find info on screenwriting compensation is through the Writers' Guild of America (WGA). Currently, their schedule of minimums states that a screenwriter is to earn around $117k for an original screenplay for a high budget film, whilTV gets a little more complicated. You can check out all the salary data here! www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/contracts/2023_Schedule_of_Minimums.pdf
You won't get work as a writer. You'll have to write for years to get good at it and even then, getting a producer to consider you is near impossible without representation. That is why so many writers just shoot their own material.
Making a living as a screenwriter is extremely difficult. Now back when Quintin Tarantino write his first script and had it sold in 1995 that wasn't hard because back then people watched tv and also back then the movie theaters used to be packed with capicity, now when I walk in a movie theater it only 8-10 people in a room. Also back then in 1995 (175 ) screenplays were sold, now in 2022 only (20) scripts been sold. See the difference.
That is all very true. The world has changed, and how screenwriters get paid has also changed.
@@SoCreate I saw this video of all these screenwriters talking about how they left their day jobs to move to California to pursue there Screenwriting career, one lady even left her $100k job to become a screenwriter in Hollywood. She got three scripts sold, written three books, and now is a screenwriting consultant doing proofreading on clients screenplays. I would've kept my $100k job instead of pursing screenwriting, that was a crazy thing that lady did. When I look at these screenwriters they look so unhappy, it just looks like they have been through so much to get there script sold. I notice I was feeling the same way when people was telling me you have to know people in the film industry and you also have to know the A-list actors as well and the fact that I'm a female trying to be a screenwriter and work my way up to be a producer would not ever happen. I had a script consultant ask me. "So, do you want to be a filmmaker or a police officer?" I told her I'll rather be a police officer because at least I know my bills will get paid, I will have money to buy me food, and I will have a retirement plan being a cop. Being a filmmaker even a screenwriter I don't know if my bills will get paid.
@@starbright6579 it's true, most creative endeavors - screenwriting included - mean that you are working as a freelance artist. That means that you don't necessarily have a steady paycheck like say, a police officer. But, some people find that the creative fulfillment is worth it to them. Others don't find it worth it. It is very dependent on the person and their life goals.