Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, Inc. (AMPTP)

739 Pages·2007·14.51 MB·English

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Title: Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, Inc. (AMPTP) (Theatrical
and TV Basic Agreement) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) (2001)

K#: 7950

Employer Name: Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, Inc. (AMPTP)
(Theatrical and TV Basic Agreement)

Location: National

Union: Writers Guild of America (WGA)

Local:

SIC: 7812 NAICS: 51211

Sector: P Number of Workers: 7800

Effective Date: 05/02/01 Expiration Date: 05/01/04

Number of Pages: 738 Other Years Available: Y

For additional research information and assistance, please visit the Research page of
the Catherwood website - http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/

For additional information on the ILR School, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/
WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA
2001
THEATRICAL AND TELEVISION
BASIC
AGREEMENT
EFFECTIVE
May 2. 2001 through May 1, 2004
Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, Inc.
15503 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91436
Writers Guild of America, west. Inc.
7000 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, California 90048
Writers Guild of America, East, Inc.
555 West 57th Street
New York. New York 10019
2001 WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA -
ALLIANCE OF MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION PRODUCERS
THEATRICAL AND TELEVISION BASIC AGREEMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents i
Preamble Regarding So-Called "Possessive Credits" xvi
ARTICLE PAGE
1. DEFINITIONS
A. General 13
B. Theatrical 16
C. Television 22
2. TERM AND EFFECTIVE DATE OF AGREEMENT
A. General 35
B. Theatrical 36
C. Television 37
3. WORK LISTS, LOAN-OUTS AND RECOGNITION
A. General 38
B. Recognition (Theatrical) 40
C. Recognition (Television) 41
4. PARTIES BOUND BY THIS BASIC AGREEMENT .
A. General 42
B. Theatrical 42
C. Television 44
5. GEOGRAPHICAL APPLICATION OF THIS BASIC
AGREEMENT (GENERAL) 44
6. GUILD SHOP (GENERAL) 46
7. NO STRIKE, NO LOCKOUT CLAUSE (GENERAL) 52
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ARTICLE PAGE
8. CREDITS FOR SCREEN AUTHORSHIP (GENERAL) . ... 55
9. MINIMUM TERMS (GENERAL) 55
10. GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION
A. Matters Subject to Grievance and Arbitration (General) 55
B. Limitation of Matters Subject to Grievance and Arbitration 57
C. Matters Subject to Arbitration but Not Grievance 58
D. Refusal to Arbitrate 59
E. References 59
11. GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION RULES AND PROCEDURES
A. General Rules 59
B. Grievance 68
C. Arbitration 71
D. Arbitration of Disputes Which Involve Questions of
Jurisdiction or Arbitrability 74
E. Arbitration of Disputes Concerning Credit Provisions 74
F. Expedited Arbitration of Certain Disputes Concerning
Reacquisition of Unproduced Literary Material (Theatrical) 77
G. Arbitration of Certain Disputes Concerning Residuals
Provisions 84
H. Arbitration of Disputes Concerning Tri-Guild Residuals
Audits 90
I. Equal Status of Parties 90
12. COURT PROCEEDINGS
A. Disputes Concerning Credits 90
B. Disputes Concerning Compensation 91
13. COMPENSATION
A. Theatrical 92
1. a. Minimum Compensation 93
b. Discount - New Writers 94
c. Additional Payment - No Assigned Material 95
ARTICLE PAGE
2. Narration by a Writer Other Than any Writer of
Screenplay or Story and Screenplay 95
3. Initial Payment 96
4. Maximum Period of Employment 97
5. Computation of Writer's Period of Employment 98
6. Waiting Time 9$
7. Extension of Employment Period 99
8. Failure to Deliver Material Within Allotted Time Period .. 100
9. Teams 100
10. Week-to-Week, Term, Flat Deal 101
11. Applicable Deal Minimum Compensation 102
12. Inapplicability of Provisions 103
13. Purchases 104
14. Payment of Compensation Under Deal Contract 104
15. Minimum Weekly Compensation 105
16. Theatrical Motion Picture Released on Free Television ... 106
17. Remakes 107
18. Script Annotations 108
B. Television
1. Minimum Basic Compensation 109
a. Options 109
b. Other Compensation Minimums 109
2. "High Budget" Films 110
3. "Low Budget" Films Ill
4. "Negative Cost" Ill
5. Story Claim by Production Executive 112
6. Step Outline 113
7. Schedule of Minimum Compensation 113
a. Story 113
b. Teleplay 114
c. Story and Teleplay 115
cc. Story with Options 116
d. Network Prime Time and Fox Broadcasting Company
("FBC") Prime Time 117
(1) Story 117
(2) Teleplay 117
(3) Story and Teleplay 118
dd. Segment Rate 119
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ARTICLE PAGE
e. Serials 121
f. Installment Payments 122
g. Plot Outline - Narrative Synopsis of Story- 125
h. Compensation for Rewrites and Polishes 126
(1) Rewrites 126
(2) Polishes 127
m. (1) Format 128
(2) Bible 129
(3) Rewrite or Polish of Format or Bible 130
n. Narration 131
o. Remakes 134
p, Non-Commercial Openings and Closings 136
q. Total Writing Cost 137
r. Pilot Scripts, Back-Up Scripts and Spin-offs 137
s. Week-to-Week and Term Employment 139
8. Reading Time and Obligations of Freelance
Writer Re Revisions 142
a. Story 142
b. Teleplay 143
c. Teleplays Over 30 Minutes 143
d. Writer's Obligation 143
e. Company's Best Efforts 143
f.. Writer Entitled to Script 143
g. Revisions in Plot 144
9. Time of Payment 144
10. Cut-Off 145
11. Script Annotations 145
C. Claimed Overpayments 145
D. Payment Procedures (General) 145
14. WRITERS ALSO EMPLOYED IN ADDITIONAL CAPACITIES
(TELEVISION) 146
A. Definition 146
B. Contracts of Employment 146
C. Forms of Employment 147
D. Amount, Nature and Extent of Services 148
E 149
F 150
G. Program Fees 154
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ARTICLE PAGE
H. Suspension, Termination and/or Offset 155
I. Hiatus Periods 155
J 157
K. Minimum Compensation 157
L 158
M. Better Terms 159
15. TELEVISION EXHIBITION
A. Theatrical 159
Literary Material Assumption Agreement 173
B. Television - Reruns & Foreign Telecasts of Television Motion
Pictures
1. United States and Canada 179
2. Foreign Telecasting Formula 187
3. Application of Excess 194
4 194
5-6 195
7-8. Television Literary Material Assumption Agreement ....." 196
9. [deleted]
10. Use of Excerpts 199
U. [Deleted]
12. Small Accountings 205
13. Additional Compensation for Theatrical Exhibition 205
14. Additional Compensation for Certain Use of Material to
Which Separated Rights Do Not Apply 211
15. Simulcasts 225
16. Basic Cable 225
17 225
16. SEPARATION OF RIGHTS
A. Theatrical
1. Definitions 226
2. Initial Qualification 227
3. Final Qualification 229
4. Separable Material 245
5. Sequel and Interactive Payments 247
6. Arbitration 250
7. Miscellaneous 255
- V -
ARTICLE PAGE
8. Writer's Right to Reacquire Literary Material 258
9. Hot Line Dispute Resolution 273
10. Publication Fee 274
B. Television
1. General Qualifications 274
2. Television Rights 276
3. Other Rights 284
4. Sketches and Routines 291
5. Upset Price 292
6. Adapter's Royalty 294
7. Exrricable Material 294
8. Continuing Rights and Obligations 294
9. Hot Line Dispute Resolution 295
17. PENSION PLAN AND HEALTH FUND
A. General Provisions 295
B. Pension Plan 296
C. Health Fund 301
D. Supplemental Health Insurance Plan 305
E. Audits 306
F. Committee on Pension and Health 309
18. NOTICE TO WRITERS EMPLOYED ON SAME MATERIAL
A. General 310
B. Theatrical 311
C. Television 311
J 9. USE AND DELIVERY OF STANDARD FORM CONTRACTS
A. General 312
B. Theatrical 312
C. Television 314
20. SPECULATIVE WRITING
A. Theatrical 316
B. Television 317
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21. LOCATION EXPENSES (GENERAL) 322
22. TERM CONTRACTS - OPTIONS (GENERAL) 324
23. LAY-OFF (GENERAL) 325
24. GUARANTEED EMPLOYMENT (GENERAL) 326
25. NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT (GENERAL) .. 327
26. FORCE MAJEURE 327
27. MOTION PICTURES TO WHICH AGREEMENT NOT
APPLICABLE (THEATRICAL) 328
28. WARRANTY AND INDEMNIFICATION (GENERAL) 328
29. SEPARATE AGREEMENT (GENERAL) 330
30. WRITER EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT WITH COMPANY
(THEATRICAL) 331
"31. OPPORTUNITY TO EXECUTE SIMILAR AGREEMENT
(THEATRICAL) 331
32. REFERENCE TO AGREEMENT (GENERAL) 331
33. JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES (GENERAL) 331
34. [Deleted]
35. RECOGNITION OF AGREEMENT (GENERAL) 332
36. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN
CATEGORIES OF PROGRAMS 333
37. NAMES ON LITERARY MATERIAL (GENERAL) 333
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ARTICLE PAGE
38. NON-DISCRIMINATION
A. Policy and New Programs 334
B. Representatives 335
C. Human Resources Coordinating Committee 335
D. Data Submission Program 336
E. Script Submission Program 338
F. Writers' Training Program 338
G. Arbitration 341
H. '. 342
39. PILOT SCREENING (TELEVISION) 342
40. SECURITY INSTRUMENTS (TELEVISION) 343
41. NOTICES (GENERAL) 344
42. POSTING BONDS (GENERAL) 345
43. COMPUTATION OF TIME (GENERAL) 346
44. SEVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS (GENERAL) 346
45. LABOR-MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVE COMMITTEE 346
46. FOREIGN PERFORMANCE FEES (THEATRICAL) 347
47. RESIDUALS PROTECTION 348
48. PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF WRITERS: WRITER
PARTICIPATION IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
(GENERAL) 349
A 349
B. Theatrical 350
C. Television 353
D •. 355
E. "Hot Line Dispute Resolution" 355
F. Committee on the Professional Status of Writers 355
G. Authorized Expenses 356
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