Under the DGA's proposals, most first-time film directors would not be allowed to receive the possessory credit. But the DGA's proposal would require directors to have at least one film credit under their belt before being allowed to negotiate for the credit. The DGA's proposal is a far cry from the WGA's proposal, which would sharply reduce the number of directors who receive the credit. But the DGA has flatly rejected that proposal. It doesn't matter if you're a first-timer or not.
Every director wants that credit.
Even before contract talks broke off March 1, the DGA was negotiating not directly with the WGA but with company reps who shuttled between the guilds trying to find an acceptable deal. But the gap between the guild's proposals made that very difficult. Some progress was made on a wide range of other creative rights issues, including provisions that would give screenwriters more participation in the production process. Our proposals were based on the concept of 'preferred practices' suggesting how the writer-director relationship ought to work, rather than contractual provisions attempting to mandate the relationship. We think these proposals address the WGA's concerns in the areas of credits and writer participation without damaging the filmmaking process or the role of the director.