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Fast Facts
WHAT
Acknowledges the writers behind your favorite movies and show
WHEN
Celebrated each year on January 5
FOUNDER
Founded in 2016 by ScreenwritingU.com
VIBE
Appreciative, Creative, Grateful
NATIONAL SCREENWRITERS DAY
January 5 is National Screenwriters Day on the National Day Calendar. When you sit down to watch your favorite movie or show, don’t forget to admire writers on National Screenwriters Day!
You’ve probably heard of Steven Spielberg, the great director, who is known for Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of The Lost Arc, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. But do you know that Spielberg didn’t write any of those movies? They were all written by the screenwriters Robert Rodat, Lawrence Kasdan, and Melissa Mathison, respectively.
“I’d like to take this chance to thank the screenwriters, not just the ones on Deadpool, but everywhere. It is a hugely undervalued asset in Hollywood. They are the architects. They make us look good.”
– Ryan Reynolds accepting the 2016 Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor
Inside the industry, screenwriters are well known for their ability. They crack the story, create great roles for actors, and write memorable dialogue. But there are also writers in living rooms all around the world, tapping away at their keyboards, writing what could be the next breakout movie. So why haven’t we heard of these creative souls?
Screenwriters remain largely invisible to the public because the film industry’s marketing machinery, artistic traditions, and production workflows are built to credit other roles. While a film cannot exist without a script, there are a few reasons why screenwriters are often out of the spotlight.
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Auteur Theory – In the 1950s, French film critics (and later American critics like Andrew Sarris) popularized the auteur theory, which posits that the director is the primary “author” of a film. It’s easier to brand a film as “A Christopher Nolan Film” or “From Director Denis Villeneuve” than to explain the complex division of creative labor. As a result, critical acclaim, blame, and cultural prestige naturally flow to the director rather than the person who crafted the plot, dialogue, and structure.
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Nature of the Screenplay – A screenplay is considered a technical blueprint for production, and not a finished product. In cinema, audiences consume visuals, sound, performance, and editing. The writer’s contribution feels abstract compared to what is seen and heard on screen because casual viewers rarely read scripts.
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Rewrites– In mainstream Hollywood, a screenplay is rarely the work of a single vision. Studios routinely hire multiple writers to punch up jokes, fix third acts, or polish dialogue. Because the writing process is fragmented and heavily altered by studio executives, producers, and actors improvising on set, it is difficult to pin a film’s creative identity onto one writer.
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Visibility and Promotion – Actors and directors drive the promotional press circuit. Actors have faces are placed on posters, billboards, and late-night talk shows. Directors represent the overall project in feature interviews and behind-the-scenes retrospectives. Studios rarely send screenwriters on international press tours because they don’t generate the same visual engagement or tabloid interest.
IDEAS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL SCREENWRITERS DAY
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Research the latest interviews with top screenwriters to learn about their mysterious vocation.
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Look up the origins of your favorite movie. Who is the screenwriter?
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Encourage a screenwriter you know or work on your screenplay.
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Take a course on screenwriting to boost your career.
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Share your favorite screenwriter on social media using the hashtag #NationalScreenwritersDay.
NATIONAL SCREENWRITERS DAY HISTORY
ScreenwritingU.com, the leading educationDay. Its purpose is to recognize the talents behind the scripts coming out of the television and film world
The Registrar at National Day Calendar® declared the day in July of 2016.
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