Credits

What You Need to Know About the New Additional Literary Material Credit

As of January 1, 2022, an Additional Literary Material credit is available to writers who have rendered WGA-covered writing services on theatrical features who do not receive writing credit. Their names can now appear in the end credits of the movie and on industry databases, allowing ALM writers to acknowledge that they rendered writing services on theatrical features.

As part of the determination of credits on a movie, the Guild will reach out to all confirmed participating writers to offer them the ALM credit. At that time, a writer may decline the credit or opt to be credited under a pseudonym. The Credits Department will distribute the ALM credits to industry databases such as the WGA’s Find a Writer, IMDb, and Studio System.

The Guild will offer a waiver to the studio to allow them to list ALM writers in the end credits of the movie. The studio will then decide whether or not to pursue the waiver. If they pursue the waiver, they must list all ALM writers who have not opted out in the end credits, with no exceptions.

ALM writers will be listed alphabetically in the end credits and on databases.

This new credit does not change the way the traditional writing credits are determined or arbitrated.

This credit is not retroactive. Writers may not claim ALM credits on films on which credits became final prior to January 1, 2022.

The ALM credit does not come with any residuals.

An ALM credit cannot be used to contradict the final WGA determined credits of a film.

The ALM credit reflects that the writer rendered WGA-covered writing services on the film. It is not an authorship credit. In accordance with the Guild’s Working Rules 15 & 16, which we will continue to enforce, we ask for the following Best Practices:

  1. ALM credits should be listed separately from authorship (i.e. “Written by,” etc. ) credits in bios, resumes, press packets, articles, social media posts, personal websites, etc., and be clearly denoted as an ALM credit.

    For example, if Writer X is credited as a writer on Big Boots and Casablanca 2 and has an ALM on The Brown Desk, bios, press releases, etc. should read: Writer X (Big Boots, Casablanca 2) and The Brown Desk should be listed in another section and labeled as an ALM credit, if included at all.
     
  2. Out of respect for your fellow writers’ contributions and the final determined credit, when discussing one’s ALM credit in interviews, on panels, or in any public-facing setting, please always name the credited writers of the film.
  3. When talking about your ALM credit, do not overstate your contribution. “I worked on the movie” or “I helped out on the movie” reflect that your credit is for writing services, not for authorship. TV credits can be a useful guide here; a writer staffed on a show would say they "worked on" a show and wouldn't claim that they wrote any specific episode, or scenes in that episode, unless they were awarded writing credit on it.

We are all acting in good faith to honor the credited writers, acknowledge the ALM writers, and be respectful of each other’s work.

If you see a writing credit attributed incorrectly to yourself or others, we ask that you fix it or reach out to the Guild’s Credits Department for help. It is all of our responsibility to make sure credits are accurate.

You can call the Credits Department at (323) 782-4528 with any questions.