Creative Rights Checklist:
Features & Long-Form Television

BEFORE PREP

1. Were all the company’s script, casting, approvals and budget commitments revealed to you before you took the assignment?
2. Did you get to choose your First Assistant Director?

DURING PREP

1. Were you provided with an office?
2. Did you participate in all casting?
3. Was there a reasonable purpose for each person present at the casting session(s)?
4. Were you told what material would be shot by a second unit?
5. Did you approve the selection of a second unit director?
6. Were you given a full below-the-line budget before assignment, as well as all subsequent revisions?
7. Were you consulted on all script revisions?

DURING PRODUCTION

1. Did you see dailies at a reasonable time?
2. Did you approve the use of video assist? Did you decide the number and placement of monitors?
3. Were you informed about any electronic transmission of sound or images from the set?
4. Did all notes to cast and crew come directly from you?

FOLLOWING PRODUCTION

1. Did you see the editor’s assembly before anyone else?
2. Were you allowed adequate time for preparing your cut?
3. If your cutting time was curtailed because of a delivery or release date, and that date was postponed, were you offered more time for your cut?
4. Did you get your cut without interference or “cutting behind”?
5. If the editor was replaced, were you informed two days in advance and consulted on his/her replacement?
6. Did you screen your cut for the producer and person with final cutting authority?
7. Did you preview your cut of your feature film? Was it in a format superior to a simple Avid output?
8. If your film involved substantial special effects, were you given the opportunity to incorporate temp effects for your preview?
9. Were you notified of the date, time and place of every post-production operation, and allowed to be present and consulted?
10. Were you offered the opportunity to direct all additional scenes or retakes?
11. Were you offered the opportunity to direct looping or narration?  For long-form TV, if you were not sent to the place of looping, were you provided communication to the looping site through ISDN, T-Line or a similar device?
12. Were you offered the opportunity to take part in the spotting and dubbing of sound and music?

SECONDARY MARKETS

1. Were you advised about editing of versions for ancillary markets, the amount of time to be added or removed and any change to the aspect ratio, and given the opportunity to participate in this editing?
2. Were you consulted on the contents of the DVD and advised of its release schedule in a timely manner?

AT ALL TIMES

Were you consulted about every creative decision?

The Director’s creative rights are codified in Article 7 of the DGA Basic Agreement.
If you have any questions, please consult the Guild office or a DGA field representative.

DGA Contract Line: (310) 289-2010