In the world of German film and television, Ghostwriters play a major role, since they come from the scripts of both films and various shows. Nevertheless, nobody knows the writer, although they influence the content that we can see every day in the entertainment program.
In this post, we take a closer look at the effects of this on a cultural basis on our society.
Ghostwriters are the invisible creators of the content

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The ghostwriters always act undetected in the background and often only implement the ideas of the known authors. Nevertheless, they consciously or unconsciously exercise a significant influence on the content, which ultimately serve as the basis for the end result presented.
This applies specifically when professional help from ghostwriters has been used, which is becoming increasingly common in the German film and television industry.
Ghostwriters Germany change significantly without the viewer really noticing it. You have to be aware of this fact if you approach this topic mentally.
Because screenplays for films, dialogues of television shows, texts for contributions from documentary are prepared by ghostwriters. Ghostwriter no longer only offer help when formulating ideas, but now also when finding new content.
They do research and prepare difficult content for the respective format. This trend is no longer to be stopped because the spectators have to be offered more and more. That is why companies that offer a ghostwriter service are booming due to the high demand.
International success by ghostwriters in the film industry
More than a decade ago, investigative journalists were uncovered that famous Hollywood blockbusters such as “The Hunger Games” and “50 Shades of Gray” were described as a ghostwriter.
In the meantime, nobody makes a secret of the fact that the screenplays for famous German films with ghostwriters were also written.
Perhaps it is also because the local film industry is celebrating international success again. The only question is whether we should consider this to be reprehensible or whether it is something completely normal. The supporters agree that it is only natural that a person who has an idea for a film or a show does not necessarily have to be good in formulating them.
Instead, the spiritual creator tells of an idea that this is a ghostwriter service and answers all questions. The copywriter finally brings the intellectual achievements into a form that can be used as a script for a film or a television show. But there is another argument.
Should we appreciate the influence of the ghostwriters?
The discussion develops at this point as to whether the ghostwriter should in future be out of the shade during film and television. After all, it is clear to everyone that the influence on the content is great. Even with a pure translation of a book from English, the translator decides how certain passages are perceived by the reader.
Just imagine how much greater the influence of the actual author on the original idea of the author of a content. That is why the media are currently wondering to what extent you should disclose who is behind such texts.
Especially public, legal channels like ARD or ZDF have to ask themselves these questions and also answer politically:
- Should the ghostwriter be mentioned in the credits?
- Is it responsible to continue to keep such information?
- Who deserves a larger proportion of the added value of the end product?
The role of the ghostwriter as a representative of Germany
It is also questionable how far we should leave the cultural representation of German content to an unknown ghostwriter in the background. After all, films from Germany are now available worldwide on the Internet. Even local restrictions can be easily overcome via VPN access
from watching the content from German television and films from German productions
It would be all the more important to keep control of the messages in the content. Especially in times like this, where Germany plays a global pioneer in many topics, such as in transgender, vegan nutrition, climate protection and in many other areas. But how can you make sure that our values are also preserved by a ghostwriter service?
The simplest solution is obvious. Especially public, legal transmitters and the media should definitely be obliged to employ only local ghostwriters. In the second step, it would then have to be clarified whether the identities of the ghostwriters have to be disclosed at least wherever the taxpayer is asked to checkout.
Conclusion on the cultural analysis of the ghostwriters in the media
Ghostwriters are definitely a topic that is not openly discussed in Germany in the film industry and television. Many still think it is a kind of cheating when a ghostwriter service helps to formulate scripts for inspiring films and shows.
But it has long been common internationally that many media are looking for help with a ghostwriter to ensure the higher quality of the content. It is time for the German film and television industry to do this topic in a public discussion.