The DGA recently revealed that script delivery has significantly improved during the 2003-04 television season. Scripts delivered on time increased to 60% of all scripts, up from the 47% of on-time scripts in the 2002–03 season. This represents a 28% increase in the proportion of scripts delivered on time.
In addition, the number of scripts delivered two or more days late has been reduced by almost 50%, with only 22% of all scripts delivered two or more days late in 2003-04, as compared to 41% in 2002-03. The number of scripts delivered exceptionally late (5-15 days) has also declined significantly, from 20% of all scripts in 2002-03 to just 7% of all scripts in 2003-04.
"I think this is very significant," said director Rod Holcomb, chair of the DGA's Television Committee. "Over the course of our meetings with the CEOs it became clear that it was an educational process that I believe they took very seriously. [CBS Chairman and CEO] Les Moonves thanked us for bringing the problem to their attention and emphasized the importance of our pointing out to them the financial impact of late scripts and they really took it to heart.
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Some Late Script
Success Stories
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These six shows
had 100% or
substantial
improvement in
On-Time Scripts
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"At their own level, they've instituted procedures where they've talked to showrunners at the beginning of the year and emphasized to them that late scripts are becoming less and less tolerable," Holcomb added. "The dollars that one has to make on any episodic today is becoming less and less and that everyone has to pitch in. I believe they believe in that and I feel they want their company to be looked at as not only improving, but as doing well against other companies. What's really important is that our data supports their efforts to turn this around."
Six series, Law & Order, The District, JAG, Judging Amy, She Spies and Strong Medicine, delivered 100% of their scripts on time in 2003-04. For the first three of these series, this represents a substantial improvement in their performance. Last season, only one show, Six Feet Under, delivered all its scripts on time. Seven series showed substantial improvement (defined as a more than 25% increase in timely script delivery): 24, Angel, The District, ER, The Guardian, Law & Order, Third Watch and The West Wing. Of those seven, three increased more than 40% and two increased their on-time script delivery by 60% or more.
CBS, Disney, Fox, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. all showed substantial improvement in delivering timely scripts in the 2003-04 season. HBO and NBC demonstrated slight improvement. MGM maintained their 100% script delivery record.
Of the 821 episodes studied in 2003-04, 498 (61%) were on time — while 323 (39%) were late from one to 10 days. A further breakdown of the data reveals that 135 scripts were late by one day, 127 scripts were late by two to four days, and 61 scripts were late by five or more days. In comparison, of the 642 episodes tracked in the 2002-03 season, 303 (47%) were on time, while 339 (53%) were delivered late. Eighty scripts were late by one day, 133 were late by two to four days and 126 were late by five or more days.
It was during the last round of contract negotiations that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the DGA agreed to take an industry-wide approach to identify, tackle and solve a problem which affects every aspect of single-camera production. To determine the extent of the problem, the studios agreed to provide the DGA with script delivery tracking information beginning in the last quarter of 2002 — and that data, which covered a partial programming season, proved the directors' earlier estimate to be on the mark. In addition, members of the Guild's Creative Rights Committee who direct single-camera shows have conducted a series of meetings to discuss with showrunners and producers how to achieve timely script delivery.
"This has been a real effort on everyone's part, including the CEOs. This is a nonpartisan issue, and I think the mission plan was embraced by all," Holcomb said. "I think the data reflects that this issue was important to them. Now, the contentious issues are smaller, and more narrow, so our future discussions will hopefully have a greater influence and less contention during the negotiations and I hope we'll be able to find some real and enforceable dialogue that can be incorporated into our Basic Agreement and that everyone will see this is good for everyone."
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