The Outsiders
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Francis Ford Coppola rewrote the entire script for this film. Mikayla Daniels has the details.
Francis Ford Coppola rewrote the entire script for this film but he was unable to be credited as a writer in the film. Mikayla Daniels has the details.
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The Outsiders
Clip | 3m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Francis Ford Coppola rewrote the entire script for this film but he was unable to be credited as a writer in the film. Mikayla Daniels has the details.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Welcome to my web comments on the Saturday Night Cinema broadcasts of “The Outsiders” from 1983.
I'm Mikayla Daniels here to share a bit more about the film.
I mentioned in my on air remarks that Coppola directed and wrote the film script, but didn't receive credit due to a decision made by the WGA.
Also known as the Writers Guild of America, they're the guild for screenwriters, and they are often called in to make final decisions on writing credits.
When there's a disagreement on who should get what type of writing credit on a film.
Sometimes these issues come up because the production thought they had secured optioned rights but didn't.
Sometimes it's having the wrong language in a contract, or an original writer creates a script and then someone else finishes it.
Who gets the credit for when it's unclear?
These are all reasons why the WGA might get involved in an arbitration around a screenplay.
In this case, the credit did go to the original screenplay writer.
The author of the novel that this film is based on is said this in a more recent interview.
Hinton said, “Francis Coppola and I wrote the screenplay.
Not a word of [credited screenwriter Kathleen] Rawls script was used, because of an arbitration with the WGA.
Francis was told he could claim co-authorship with Raul, but not me.
He refused and quit the WGA for a while over it.
He cut pages from a paperback copy of The Outsiders, outlined the action in one color dialog and another narration in another.
He then cut these up, arranged them into a script form, and handed it to me, saying, “cut it for me, Susie,” which I did.” So even though Coppola didn't get screenplay credit on the film, he did work directly with the author.
The script was adapted from, which means regardless of the credit situation, he is the real writer of this screenplay.
Things like credits and copyright ownership in film are very complicated, which is why even the most knowledgeable people need to consult an entertainment attorney before signing anything.
More than once I have seen a producer or a production company lose ownership of their work simply because they did not have the correct contracts signed with everyone who worked on the film, from development to distribution.
This is true for IP and screenplays as well, though the copyright for a screenplay and the copyright for a film are actually two separate entities.
So just because someone owns the copyright on a script, it doesn't mean they own the copyright on the film.
For writers, once you have a solid screenplay, you should both register it with the WGA and the Copyright Office.
Then when someone comes to optioned your script, this is when a producer pays for the option to buy the screenplay.
This allows them to go around and secure financing and talent attachments.
They're not required to buy the script at the end of the option.
They can release it back to the writer if they don't want to move forward with turning it into a film for any reason.
Now, making sure your optioned agreement is solid is how a writer and those optioning the piece keep their work safe.
In this case, it was a screenplay credit that Coppola lost.
And while we don't know all the details on why the WGA made this decision, I think we can all agree.
This is a Coppola film in every sense of the word, and at least for him, made no real impact on his career.
Thank you for watching my extended comments on The Outsiders, and be sure to look around our Facebook page and ksps.org for more blogs, polls, and trivia from all the host and Movie Maverick Mike.
And don't forget to tune in to Saturday Night Cinema on KSPS PBS.
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