Screenplay Collaboration Agreement

From some writers, writing a screenplay with a partner offers many advantages over writing alone. The writing process itself is challenging, and it often helps to have another person to share the responsibilities. Working together, partners can find motivation and support in one other, and bounce ideas off of each other to help keep the project moving.

Whenever you put two or more creative people together, there are bound to be differences of opinion. Oftentimes, working to solve these creative differences will lead to an even better finished product. But differences about non-creative aspects of the partnership can be detrimental to the project as a whole. Disputes about earnings and credit sometimes rear their ugly heads and can derail a project entirely.

Such situations may be avoided if there's a screenplay collaboration agreement drafted and signed before work starts. This agreement is essentially a contract between two or more people to create a "joint work." The completed agreement protects each party's ownership interests and provides for a division of all profits or debts arising out of the project. The agreement can also outline any limitations on withdrawing from or terminating the writing partnership.

If you and another person(s) want to get together to create a screenplay, it's essential to write the terms of your agreement down. Download and customize LegalZoom's Screenplay Collaboration Agreement to help you set the tone for a smooth project.

A LegalZoom Screenplay Collaboration Agreement gives you:

• Essential Documentation: Steer clear of disputes about ownership and control of the final product should your writing team separate.
• Dos & Don'ts: Discover what terms and conditions need to be included in a collaboration agreement.
• Detailed Instructions: Learn how to understand the terms of your agreement.