The Rough Draft

Well, the word has finally come back from the agent. My current script is ready to proceed to the next level. This has been an interesting project from the start. I’d like to say it was like writer’s boot camp but it was more like advanced training. Glen brought together a very diverse group of individuals and pushed us all a lot further than we ever would have gone ourselves. I think he overestimated our ability to meet the deadlines set a little. Not that it matters too much, it’s been a learning experience for all of us, especially me. I wrote a script I’d never have written, and went places inside myself that haven’t seen daylight for a very long time. As Steve O’Hearn says, we deal in brutal truth but the other side of that coin is brutal honesty with yourself and the fear that walks hand in hand with it. As well as other things

As writers, we have a tendency towards arrogance. It comes from long periods alone bashing stories into shape. From deep research onto some obscure subject so that your back-story will ring true. And it comes from the delusion that your doing it all yourself, that the only person you can depend upon is you. It’s both true and utter bullshit all in the same breath. Of course being in the thick of it, you don’t see it until you absolutely have to. Some never see it at all.

Which is probably why when you first get an agent you haven’t a clue what to do with them. It sure feels like they don’t know what to do with you. How can they really? It’s new relationship neither of you know the other. He or she is judging you on your attitude and what you’ve let them read, or if your lucky that short film you shot last year. I know it drives Glen nuts that I’m a gadget freak but he appreciates what I do with my gadgets (hey enough of that gutter brains). Now as we have grown to know each other better over the course of this year we’re a lot freer with our exchange of ideas (he can give me shit for writing dreck because he knows I can do better), believe it or not it is a two way street. It’s a lot easier to pitch an idea and have it shot down than to submit a screenplay you’ve just spent eight months on and have it cut to ribbons.

But as usual, I digress. The groups as was originally envisioned consisted of fifteen writers, male and female, of varying ages. A few dropped out because of personal crisis or just plain bad timing for the project and it’s ability to be fit into their lives. Which left twelve of us. Glen split us into two groups of six for convenience. Neither group was to have any contact with the other or discuss our ideas or projects with each other. A pretty easy job for any writer. We then went to work on our individual projects, getting through the treatment, outline and rough draft stages. We met, we cajoled, we argued points of story and we critiqued each others work. It was at this point that I realized just how far I’d come as a writer. Not because of some arrogant notion that I was the best writer in the group, far from it. It was more a reflection of the quality of scripts I read in the rough draft stage of everybody’s work. Bearing in mind the fact that nobody ever shows anybody their rough draft, euphamistically called, “The Vomit pass.” I mean I’ve read for a couple of prodcos so I’ve gotten the over the transom stuff. Ninety nine point nine nine percent of which is pure crap. Hell I’ve even read the, “We need a second opinion stuff.” And binned them because of poor third act execution or I hated the main character. So I wasn’t expecting to be blown away but I was. These were good scripts, these were run to the producer’s office and bang on his window scripts. Well they were going to be at least… In a few more drafts, I could feel it.

The second draft gave everybody fits. I think, I know Glen wasn’t too happy with mine but then I did hand it to him telling him it was a steaming pile of crap. This earned me a bit on an ass chewing later (see free exchange of ideas) and it was well deserved. I knuckled down on the next draft resolute to do better. Which brings us to now.

My group has split again. Three of us from each group have been placed in a new group, the other three of each have been left behind. Not you’re out of the band left behind. I think it was more of a time issue. Some stories need a longer gestation than others. There’s no shame in it, it’s simply the way it is. If I’d been held back I’d have accepted it too. I wouldn’t have liked it but I’d have accepted the outcome. It’s a long journey sometimes you have to detour.

So what’s the dilemma? Notes. I’m supposed to give notes on five screenplays, three of which I’ve never read, two others, I’ve followed from conception. What the hell do you say at this stage? The work is good, it’s really good. Solid dialogue, good story, the works. It’s no love fest but I’m having a hard time critiquing these works because there’s not too much to bitch about. It’s humbling. I sure hope they’re having as hard a time with my stuff.

I’m not sure when these scripts are heading south. There’s talk of mid August, there’s talk of October. I don’t know how many will sell, I don’t know who they will sell to or for how much. I don’t know if they’ll get made or languish in turnaround or molder on a shelf in some studio back room. I will however share this with you. For the first time in a very long time, I can see a light at the end of a very long tunnel. It strong, it’s true, it’s pure and it sure looks like daylight to me.

So hang in there, it’ll happen.

Good luck and good writing.

Well my Internet Gateway is down again. I won’t name names suffice to say it’s part of a huge telecommunications conglomerate who with their copartner have divided up all of Canada’s Entertainment and internet like it’s one huge pizza. And yes, they suck. But it does provide me with the opportunity to write yet another article for this ever burgeoning web presence of mine.

In the last article, Steve wrote about writers and their quest for brutal truth. As we all know, it works well on the page not so well out loud in real life. If you doubt me, try telling the truth the next time your significant other asks you if those jeans make them look like they have a big butt. Bottom line though he is right. Brutal truths are almost always the only ones worth having.

The brutal truth of the film industry is you can’t do it alone. Not now, not ever. There are a number of players involved. For brevity’s sake I’ll lump them into singular groups. First and foremost there is the Producer (including the Executive Producer) as has been so eloquently stated in the past, they are the money. No money, no film. Because they have money, they get to say what goes in their movie and what does not. Next in line is the Writer. He had an idea and was dumb enough to write it down. The Producer was smart enough to read it and see a film there. He liked it enough to buy it. This shocks the Writer because he is a creature of low self esteem and figures the Producer is having him on about loving the script. That is until the first cheque clears. He should have know because his Agent told him it would and wasn’t he the one who showed the Producer the script in the first place. That makes him well worth his ten percent. Enter the Director. This is the person who is going to make this film come alive through the lens. He could also be the one to kill the script and drive a wooden stake through its heart (but that’s another story). The writer should align himself with the Director and not the Producer. Money or not it’s the Director they’re going to bow to at the executive level. So bind yourself to him unless they’re a nutter, in which case bail and kiss your baby goodbye. So, you (the Writer) and the Director huddle together and discuss his vision of well… your vision. If you’re both in synch, this can be a pretty cool time because you can really explore theme and character within your story and for the most part, the Director will run interference with the studio for you and they’ll kow tow because they want as good a product as possible too. All too soon you’re deep in preproduction, enter the Actors. A good actor is worth his weight in gold, a great actor in diamonds. Here is the stage that elevates the script to a new level as they come at things from different angles, styles and motivations. Mostly stuff you never even looked at. Not because you are lazy, well not mostly because of that but because actors love character and t is what they know better than anybody, even you. Of course all this only works if you all trust implicitly in each other’s skills. Any faltering on the part of anybody involved will bring it all crashing down. During the shoot, your DP and camera team and the rest of the film crew will break their backs to bring it all home. After shooting is done, there is of course the Editor and all of the CGI and Foley, dubbing etc. but these with the exception of the Editor are the ends to the means.

We are now at the near end of the process only two steps left. Distribution and the Audience. Distribution is of course secured through either having a studio be the money for your film therefore guaranteeing the film will see the inside of a theatre or if you’re going the independent route, securing distribution through successful festival play. Not that it’s ever that easy. A Studio may for reasons of its own pull distribution, be it a row with the Director or even more simply, “This is not the film we paid for.” Eye of the Beholder suffered this fate. Never heard of it? My point is made. The festival route can be short and sweet as is the case of Blair Witch or it can be long and arduous like Two Hands. If you have never seen Two Hands, look it up. It won an Australian Oscar and it was one of Heath Ledger’s first roles.

But lets for argument’s sake say you’ve made it through all of these hurdles. The film is in the can, distribution is in the bag and you open in theaters nation wide on Friday. This brings you head to head with the most frightening of film monsters, the Audience. William Golding was so right when he said, “Nobody knows anything.” The Audience if fickle and it is smart, it knows what it likes and it knows what it hates and as you can see any Summer if they go and you don’t deliver, you get a box office hit the first weekend and nearly nothing the next because the word of mouth is out and it’s not good. Or as in the case of Titanic, it can have everything going against it and very little advertising or even word of mouth and be a huge hit with repeat audiences (this is very difficult to achieve).

Now at the Audience stage, you say, “So what if it’s a flop? I got paid.” The answer is simple, while movies, “Never make money,” studios don’t like to lose millions of dollars on any project. Who are they going to blame? The Audience? They didn’t get the film? While this might be said at cocktail parties (but never too loudly because who knows who is listening) nobody really believes it. Distribution? While poor distribution can certainly hurt a film, good word of mouth can save it. My Big Fat Greek Wedding being an excellent example of word of mouth driving its market. The Actors? Not a chance, actors are sacred cows, not to be touched by the sullied world of the money. The Editor? He’s not even on the Radar, nor is the film crew. Which leaves the Writer and the Director. Now here is where I split from the program. The Studios can go either way on this. Nailing the writer is cheap and easy for them but writers can bounce back and worse, they can write tell all books. So going after the writer and wrecking his career aren’t as palatable as they once used to be. However, that’s not to say it can’t happen or that it doesn’t happen. Smart writers eventually become even smarter Writer / Directors.

So I’m firmly in the camp of, if it’s a flop it’s the Director’s fault. After all, he knew the shots he wanted and it was up to him to direct the Actors in their scenes. Any rewrites he went to the Writer, if he needed more money he went to the producer. If the movie sucks, it’s his fault.

But back to the original idea of this article (at last). The point I was trying to make is that you can’t do it alone. Writing is a lonely business but sooner or later you have to hand the manuscript off to somebody for critique. I usually use three people, that way you at least get a quorum. If you align yourself with a Director and there is no shame in being somebody’s pet writer. This too can propel your career upwards. Of course if it starts to go bad you need to be able to tell when it’s time to cut loose or if needs be stand on their head to climb higher. Cold words but it goes back to the brutal truth my friend Mr. O’Hearn was speaking of in his article. Producers also like o keep pet writers. This keeps you close to the money and allows you to make discouraging noises about directors you’d rather not work with. Though all that can go out the window based on the director’s connections. Remember as a writer, the grips get more respect than you, though this is changing, slowly, very slowly.

So if none of this has discouraged you, welcome to the people’s collective of screen writers. We’re a surly and outspoken bunch but bottom line we try to get the job done no matter what.

Good luck and good writing

Steve Abbott

Sabot Productions