A Film By Steve Martin
By Steve Martin
 

"I'll get the 'A film by...' credit right? I really need the 'A film by...' credit because it's different than the 'Directed by... credit. They say two different things. 'Directed by...' says I'm the guy who directs the actors, approves the sets and costumes, approves the script, and that's all. 'A film by...' says I'm much, much more. I'm more of a -- how can I say it?

A film personality, I guess. I'm a guy who makes films. I supply the aura. What if someone watching in Oklahoma sees the film and there's no 'A film by...' credit? He sees the 'Directed by...' credit and wonders 'Yes, but who made the film? Whose film is it in the existential sense?' This lack of information could spoil the film experience for him. Frank Capra didn't have the 'A film by...' credit and today he's practically forgotten.

"If I don't get 'A film by...' I don't see how I can make the film. Oh yes, I could direct it. But I'm certainly not going to be able to supply the magic that makes it a film. See that's what the 'Directed by' credit implies, that I'm just standing around directing it. Like I'm some kind of idiot. And what if, while I'm directing a film while not being given 'A film by...' credit, what if I passionately imbue it with my spirit and personality and my elan? Won't this confuse the audience?

 'Whose elan is this?' they will wonder.

"WHAT? WHAT? The writer wants 'A script by...' credit? In addition to 'Written by...'? OH PLEASE. 'A script by...' and 'Written by...' mean exactly the same thing. A script is a thing the audience never sees. While the film is a thing -- not in the sense that they run up to the projection booth and view the celluloid -- but it's certainly the thing the audience is seeing on the screen. The audience wonders 'who made this celluloid thing I'm looking at? I need to know.' But they never wonder, 'Who made the paper thing that the actors work from?' Tell jerk‑o that he's not getting 'A script by...' It's absurd.

"And I'd like the credits to be at the end of the movie. Credits at the top bore the audience --  I'm just thinking about the audience here. This way they can get up and leave while the credits are rolling. My position is really about the audience, and not that instead of last, my credit comes up first. Really, it's not. And that Tom Cruise's name would be eighth instead  of first. Really.

"What did you say? Tom Hanks wants the credits at the end, but not reversed? WHAT? Everyone knows that if you take credits from the front of the picture and put them at the end,

THEY SHOULD BE REVERSED. It's common sense. As you bring credits from the front to the back, they flip over. It's a cosmic thing.

"Okay? Done deal? Great.

"Now, let's see, what should I direct?"

 * From Written By, Writers' Guild of America (February 2001).

NOTE:  In 2001, there were labor negotiations between the Writers' Guild of America and the Directors' Guild of America.  The issue of the vanity credit 'a film by' was one of the bones of contention which almost brought Hollywood to it's knees.  This was Steve weighing in satirically on behalf of the WGA.