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You want to write for screen? Look deep into your producer's eyes. What do you see there? How much will you earn? Will your rights be respected? And if you see few rights and fewer expectations in those gleaming pupils, how can all that be changed? David Kavanagh of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild answers a barrage of questions from Paul Farren. [Extract]

PF: What basic deals and conditions should Irish screenwriters be looking for?

DK: There are two absolute basics. If there is a relationship with a producer, definitely don't write unless you are getting paid. That's principle number one. Number two is don't do anything with the producer unless there is a signed contract. Things will only change when writers say to producers, "Of course I'll write for you. How much are you going to pay me and where's the contract?" We do have to set certain bench marks, and I think the minimum terms we should be thinking about in terms of mid-budget films should be somewhere around €50,000. As a minimum payment. Not standard or average, but minimum. And that means €25,000 during the process of writing drafts and polishing the film and €25,000 on the first day of principal. I also think there should be 2-3% of producer's net written into the contract as a matter of course. Even if the prospect of profit is remote, at least it should be acknowledged that if it is a success, the writer is one of the causes of the success.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 92