Legal Junk And The 12 Week Cycle

Recently, I posted a couple of questions into the blogosphere and was lucky enough to get responses. Jon Deer over at The Thinking Writer helped me out in a timely manner with regards to the legal matters that are involved when you are interviewing someone for a screenplay. As did Craig Mazin from The Artful Writer with my other inquiry on the typical turnaround time of a screenplay under WGA terms. Thanks to both for their professional guidance.


Q: When interviewing a subject for a screenplay do you need to take any legal precautions like having the subject sign a waiver before you start that process to protect yourself from any future litigation?

A: The Thinking Writer

Q: In an ongoing quest to improve my skills as a screenwriter I have planned to write my next project under a strict timeline. I want it to reflect what it would be like if I was in the real world, getting paid, on an assignment. Of course I won't have the real world challenges of a producer giving me notes but I want to see if I can do it. A test. A challenge if you will. So my question is, what is the typical turnaround time for a screenplay in WGA terms? As in delivery of treatment, first draft, rewrites and final draft. Is it all negotiable or is it written in stone?

A: The Artful Writer