Screenwriter’s take note
I’ve been thinking about movies a lot lately; or rather, I always think about movies, but recently it’s been about what makes a movie great. There’s no single answer, of course, but one of the fundamental things that makes for classic cinema is that a movie is, at root, an excellent story. It should be easy then, right? Find a good story, tell it faithfully and you have a block buster. If only it were that simple.
Let’s assume that a writer pens the greatest story ever told, another Casablanca. The problem with most movies produced today is that the final product often bears little resemblance to the screenwriter’s source work. Or more specifically, out of all the ways that the current studio system of producing films is flawed, one of the most fundamental is the overwhelming impulse that studio executives feel to insert their imprimatur. They must give their notes; comments that are often ridiculous and misguided. Then, when the movie hits the theaters, they can brag about their contribution. Unless it flops, of course, and then everything’s the writer’s fault.
It’s another of the quandaries that screenwriters are confronted with. Studio’s have the money to get your movie made, but usually, once they buy your story, the writer’s part of the process is over. And the guys who bought your work own all of the rights to it. They can make it, or not, and if they do, it may look nothing like your original idea. When you take that check you give up your right to say anything else about it.
A lot of writer’s wouldn’t complain about getting paid; for most of us it doesn’t happen all that often. But it is worth mentioning – you need to understand where your contribution ends when you sell a screenplay.
Of course that still doesn’t address what makes a movie great. The truth is there are a lot of components to a successful film. Sure the actors and directors play a big part. Think of those classic roles, movies that everyone can quote, whose characters became a part of the popular culture. But for every great movie, there are hundreds of others that stink up the place, often using those same great actors and directors. What gives?
It all comes down to the story.
Stories are about someone that something happens to. And that someone must want something desperately enough to make the audience care about what it is he wants. And, usually, in the end, he has to get it. That’s a story. If it’s a really compelling narrative, if the characters act in ways that are unexpected but still within keeping of what we know of their circumstances, if the eventual resolution is something that the audience really cares deeply about, then there is the basis for a great film. That’s all there is to it. And Hawaii’s Iron Man triathlon is just a race.
There are a million ways to screw things up after that, but if that basic structure is there, you’ve done all you can. Then, as a writer, it’s time to turn your attention to the next project, let your baby go and hope for the best. Of course, there’s always the chance that your project will go straight into production, just the way it’s written. And there’s also the chance that you’ll hit the mega ball with your next lottery ticket; neither scenario is one that I’d bet on. You may not have a lot of control about what happens after you sell your script. What you will have is the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done the best job possible, that you got paid and that it’s now out of your hands. It’s not everything but it’s not too shabby, either. Just don’t get upset when you get your notes.
— Ric Hess, Mar 26, 10:05 AM
