Editing Screenwriting (section)

===Rewriting and script doctoring===
Most produced films are rewritten to some extent during the development process. Frequently, they are not rewritten by the original writer of the script.<ref>Skip Press, ''The Ultimate Writer's Guide to Hollywood'', pg xiii. Barnes and Noble Books, 2004.</ref> Many established screenwriters, as well as new writers whose work shows promise but lacks marketability, make their living rewriting scripts.

When a script's central premise or characters are good but the script is otherwise unusable, a different writer or team of writers is contracted to do an entirely new draft, often referred to as a "page one rewrite". {{anchor|polish}}When only small problems remain, such as bad dialogue or poor humor, a writer is hired to do a "polish" or "punch-up".

Depending on the size of the new writer's contributions, [[screen credit]] may or may not be given. For instance, in the American film industry, credit to rewriters is given only if 50% or more of the script is substantially changed.<ref>[http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=171-screen credits policy<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} from wga.org</ref> These standards can make it difficult to establish the identity and number of screenwriters who contributed to a film's creation.

When established writers are called in to rewrite portions of a script late in the development process, they are commonly referred to as [[script doctor]]s. Prominent script doctors include Christopher Keane, [[Steve Zaillian]], [[William Goldman]], [[Robert Towne]], [[Mort Nathan]], [[Quentin Tarantino]], [[Carrie Fisher]], and Peter Russell.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Setoodeh |first=Ramin |date=2008-12-18 |title=Turning Point: Carrie Fisher's Latest Star Turn |url=https://www.newsweek.com/turning-point-carrie-fishers-latest-star-turn-83217 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>Virginia Wright Wetman. "Success Has 1,000 Fathers (So Do Films)". ''[[The New York Times]]''. May 28, 1995. Arts section, p.16.</ref> Many up-and-coming screenwriters work as ghostwriters.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}