Assistant writer - which department?

adrian's thread : https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/data-issues-policy-discussions/weird-problem-adding-assistant-writer-credit/5f84ca50917fbb13d21bbf4f

@Peter_pbn 

Thanks. It was after 2 am and I didn't feel like searching for it.

That it is accepted by the form doesn't mean that it's accepted as policy.

I think Will's answer was pretty clear, again, 'any "assistant" writer role should be listed in the "other crew" bucket, not in the writer section.'

@Peter_pbn 

I think the problem is there is no clear answer as to why "assistant writer" isn't a writing position. In actuality, it almost definitely is. By title, it would seem that they assist in the writing. It seems like a titling problem. If they were listed as story editor, story consultant, etc. (which probably all have similar roles in development of the screenplay/teleplay) then they would be listed in the writing department.

Rules without an good explanation rarely sit well with me. This is one that really needs to be evaluated as to whether it is correct. (And, it most certainly isn't. I think the software is doing pattern matching and considers "assistant writer" and "writer assistant" to be equivalent. They aren't.)

The following statements of mine may be impertinent to the conversation at hand. I find it unfortunate that the industry and academia, or perhaps society more generally, cannot get away from using the word "writer" to refer to a storyteller/testifier. By how we understand it, technically somebody who purely verbally conveys something to a scrivener or a typist is just as much a writer as somebody who expresses themselves directly through text. As if to make things even more interesting, the meaning of the word "dictator" extends far beyond merely orator or speaker. I still have no idea what exactly an assistant writer does, but I get the feeling such a person isn't merely a scribe or typist, yet that is exactly the kind of thought that crosses my mind, given the IMDb data editors attitude on the matter. Maybe "assistant writer" can vary wildly in meaning, that it could merely be consultant who actively participates in brainstorming, or a "script doctor", or even a "grammarian" (with a red ink pen).

@eboy

I have to believe that there are different validation rules for different sections. IMDb won't accept "assistant story editor" as a valid writing credit either. So, I believe the word assistant in the writers' section is absolutely the problem. The system does accept "junior story editor" which I have to believe is almost the same thing just with a different title.

I think the problem is more historic than anything else. Both "assistant writer" and "assistant story editor" are new credits. In the past, the only thing that people might thing would fit in the writers department was "writers' assistant" or "writers' pa", so IMDb wrote validation rules against them but didn't think of the future when new types of credits may be valid. For me, I've only seen "assistant writer" on one show and that's the new DuckTales. "Assistant story editor" was new to me on the Italian show, Devils.

I'm currently editing a TV show where someone has added a "stand-in" in the continuity department. I frequently find pas and floor runners in the unit director department. IMDb is nothing if not inconsistent. 

I tried "assistant screenwriter", which eboy said was accepted, but it was moved to Additional Crew. You can always move it back to Writers, but I don't suppose it would be approved.

I'm not arguing against any changes being made to the policy or programming, but it was already considered three months ago based on adrian's thread.

@Peter_pbn 

I've tried moving it back to the writer's department and the form accepts it but it still ends up in additional crew.

Ah, yes, it seems that also "assistant screenwriter" is "moved" to Additional Crew. There was another warning before the move that originally confused me.

In any case, sometimes IMDb doesn't really explain why some rules are not consistent and why some guides are not updated with more information (even when IMDb acknowledges the problem at times). I fully understand that they cannot list every exception and question that comes along (that's why we have this forum), but sometimes it would be good to expand/update the guide.

With Writers guide, I would add something like "Unlike some other departments with "assistant" credits, all assistant writers/screenwriters are added to the Ádditional Crew". Or something along those lines, anyway.

I mean it's bad programming if they're added to the Additional Crew just because it's too difficult to move them all to the Writers department (or some "technical" reason like that). If the main reason is some other, then it's probably another story. I don't work as a screenwriter, so I don't know all the nuances or the possible "rules/instructions" from the Writers Guild of America. All I know that in many countries outside the US, the rules of how to credit "screenwriters" are probably not that strict (they could add "assistant writers" without even thinking about it).

@eboy 

I don't believe it is a problem moving them from additional crew to writers. After all, story editors, story consultants, etc. were all listed in the Additional Crew section for a long time. (I'm currently working through Friends and deleting them from there and adding them to the writers section).

Hi, Grayson. That's fine and all, but this question will probably keep coming up over and over and over, until the IMDb site authorities provide an actual explanation.

@Grayson 

As Jeorj states, there needs to be a reasonable explanation as to why people, who almost definitely contribute to the writing process, are not credited as writers.

The fact that this question has been asked twice, recently, verifies his point that it will continue to be asked as it does not make a lot of sense to the people who actually contribute to IMDb.

6 months later, I am once again seeing "assistant story editor" credits which are almost certainly writing credits that we cannot move out of additional crew and still no explanation why "assistant story editor" is an additional crew credit but "junior story editor" is a writing credit as they probably describe the exact same job.