Amazon Studios Script Collaboration Questions and Answers

Amazon Studios is a movie development process that invites filmmakers and writers from around the world to put their work in front of an audience and respond to feedback while competing for monthly awards. To make this process even easier, Amazon Studios has added script collaboration settings that allow a writer to choose how much of a role others may have in revising an original script.

What are the script collaboration settings?

Upon initial upload or at any point thereafter, a writer may set their level of collaboration as follows:

Open (Any participant can add a revised script to your project)

By permission (Only participants who obtain your permission can add a revised script to your project)

Closed (Only you can add revised scripts to your project)

How do I contribute a revised script to a project?

If a project is open to script revisions or open by permission (and you received approval to add a revised script), you can add your script revision as long as the original writer does not change the project to a more restrictive script collaboration setting. You may want to coordinate your work with the original writer.

What if a revised version of my original script wins an Amazon Studios award?

Under current rules for contests, the original writer of an eligible script will receive a minimum of 50% of the award. We’ll evolve our contest rules over time, so you’ll want to check for updates. See the contests page for information on individual contests, or the detailed rules for all contests. Rights payments are handled separately. If Amazon Studios decides to purchase a script, all rights payments will go to the original writer.

I have a script on the site with revisions already. Can I change the collaboration settings?

You can change the script collaboration settings for your project at any time. The change affects how other participants can contribute from that point forward. You cannot remove revised scripts that have already been added to your project, but if a revision is outside of Amazon Studios Participation Guidelines, you can click “Report this” to let us know about it.

What if I don’t like a revision of my work? Can I veto a revision once it has been made?

If someone revises your script or test movie in a way that you don’t like, you can discuss the changes in the project forum, give substantive feedback in a review or even provide a revision based on their version, but you can’t veto a revision. We believe the Amazon Studios community will embrace the good revisions. Bad contributions are sometimes just part of the creative process.

What if someone wants to make a test movie, such as a table read, based on my script?

Script collaboration settings do not affect test movies. Anyone can contribute a new test movie based on a script in any project, or add a revised version of any test movie. If a test movie based on your eligible script wins, you’ll get 20% of the award.

Learn more about Amazon Studios: http://studios.amazon.com/getting-started