> The solution to their "attribution" problem was found by directors a long time ago when they didn't want their names on a film: it's directed by "Alan Smithee

> The solution to their "attribution" problem was found by directors a long time ago when they didn't want their names on a film: it's directed by "Alan Smithee." That’s not exactly how that works. A director can’t just decide to take their name off a film because they don’t like it. They have to petition the DGA for permission to do so, which is only granted in the event that the director can show that the producers took creative control away from the director and substantially changed the product from the director’s creative vision as a result. In practice, this rarely happens, as the DGA is extremely reluctant to allow directors to take their names off of movies simply because they weren’t happy with how it turned out. Also, “Alan Smithee” isn’t actually used as a pseudonym anymore, but that’s beside the point.