This Deal Point Checklist is designed to highlight areas of importance when entering into a Screenplay Option Agreement for your film project. Attorney Michael Norman Saleman offers these Deal Point Checklists as a courtesy to users of this website. Contact Mr. Saleman if you need help with any of your project’s legal documentation.
Download (Screenplay-Option-Agreement.docx
) and use this checklist when negotiating a Screenplay Option Agreement to assist you in reaching an agreement on major deal points. Return this Word document with the details to facilitate the drafting of your agreements.
- Copyright
- Chain of title satisfactory
- Application on file or to be filed
- Option
- Amount for option (not purchase price)
- Length of time for first option period
- Exclusive or non-exclusive (usually exclusive)
- Territory (usually the Universe)
- Extensions
- price
- length of time
- will extension payment(s) apply toward purchase price or not
- Purchase Price
- amount
- fixed vs. percentage of budget
- contingent (back-end) compensation
- amount
- Sequels
- conditions (sole credit on original movie?)
- price-usually 50% of original purchase price
- Remakes
- conditions (sole credit on original movie?)
- price-usually 1/3d of original purchase price
- Television
- cable fee
- series (per episode produced royalty)
- Additional Writing Services
- rewrites
- polishes
- additional money or done for free as part of option/purchase price
- expenses
- travel
- Credit
- size of type
- single card or not
- story by if not sole written by
- which position if shared card with later writer
- Reversion
- how long after purchase if buyer fails to make film will writer get back the property
- turnaround payment or not
- Reserved Rights
- novel
- stage
- radio
- audio book