Screenwriting : Having your script changed by Pete Whiting

I have always looked at screenwriting as a collaborative effort anyway. Same as a play. Novels, that;s what I write if I don't want anyone to mess with it. My last edit was almost non-existent.

Kay Luke, I hired on as a ghostwriter for a publisher for a while, (novels) 90,000 words in 90 days. That was a killer, but I got good at it. I quit after three, because I was giving away a lot of good descriptions for nothing, really. 20K a book and no credit. It was the credit part that sealed it.

You have a product for sale in a specific market. They - the ephemeral they - may know the market better than you. It could mean more $$$ for you.

Great point Kay Luke

Yes. This is why I have a VERY secure hold on my novel (which I also adapted into 3 separate screenplays, one for each of its 3 acts or parts) - I own the rights to the novel and source material and I intend to make sure no reboot, remake, sequel, prequel, whatever (outside of the core trilogy) is made without my explicit permission in my lifetime.

As Kay already said, once you sell your script, it's no longer yours so it's entirely up to the studio to do with as they please. Would it annoy me? probably, but I'd have as much say over it as I would with someone else's story and the same amount of influence.

I would kind of be mad. However once the spec is purchased, whatever changes happen are gonna happen whether you like it or not. Now as for the bank account part, can't be mad about a little cash added to it. LOL But in all seriousness what ever royalties come is what is in the contract between the original writer and the production company. So frankly could not tell you anything about your last question.

Seen Pretty Woman?

Monster hit back in the day. Gere was a heartthrob. Julia Roberts? It made her a Star.

The o.g. script was a dark affair titled 3000. Yep. About hookers and Johns trading needs for cash. Ending of the original script had the protagonist shoved out of a car in a dirty alley and $3,000 thrown in her lap.

Nice.

But dark and gritty works. Ask Klute.

Then Paramount execs and Garry Marshall trot along read the script. Light bulb! Boom! He sees it as a fairy-tale Princess movie - okay, okay - but with with lots of sex, buying crappy Rodeo Drive dresses, diamonds, and the Prince kisses the Princess in the end saving her from whoredom. (Don't worry the comedy hid some really dark psychosexual shit.)

What did the original writer get? Well he was lucky and talented. They gave him the rewrite. Turned it into the smash hit romantic comedy and he had success from there as a writer and director.

His name? J.F. Lawton. IMDB him.

So the answer is, let them throw cash in your lap. Change your story to get it made. Just don't let them throw you out of the car. Dark alleys in Hollywood suck.

Stefano Pavone Have you read this blog post?

https://www.stage32.com/blog/Get-That-Built-In-Audience

Do so and you'll realize how unsustainable your view of your work is - unless you have the money do produce it all yourself.

The other posts here give you an idea of how the industry works. That's the reality.

Read about the Oscar-winning script for MASH. The director cut the original screenplay to pieces and the writer swore, if he got an Oscar, he wouldn’t accept it (he did). Massive script changes happen every day throughout the industry. It can be frustrating, but being fluid is part of the job. I would argue it’s the most important part and a skill we must develop along with dialogue and pacing.

"So I married an Ax murderer" was written originally to star a Woody Allen type and was more introspective as opposed to a broad comedy.

Once you sign the option/purchase then it's no longer yours. Your final draft is someone's first draft.

Conversely, consider Star Trek: First Contact. The screenwriters were told to make massive changes, but they leaned into the challenge and their solutions elevated the story to not only one of the best Star Trek movies but one of the best sci-fi/action films ever. If they instead shunned their producer and told him to shove his changes back where they came from, we wouldn’t have The Borg Queen, now venerated as the best villain in the series. So be a writer who sees story changes for what they are: opportunities to transcend bruised egos and craft a more complete story, even if it feels like a kick in the ‘nads.

How many screenwriters does it take to change a light bulb? It doesn't matter, the director will change it anyway. This is a collaborative business. The screenplay will be changed to accommodate location, the director may encourage improvisation, and the actors hired won't always match your vision. Most of the time, I'm asked to make the changes but once filming starts, it's out of my hands and that's okay. It's like selling a car. The car might have twin mufflers added and the paint job might be changed, or it could be sent to a chop shop and come back unrecognizable. It's okay. I did my job and got paid. And I know I will work again because word is getting out that I'm easy to work with because I don't complain, "No! That's my art, you can't change it!" No it's not art, it's a blueprint. The owner can take the blueprint and ask the builder to add windows or move the doors. It's fine as long as the support beams stay!

Royalties (residuals) are for union writers hired by union companies. Writers Guild of America, in theory, decides on writing credit and enforces payment. Lots of successful box office movies where original spec/assignment Writers didn't get screen credit (which translates into millions$$$ of loss residuals). "The Last Samurai", "National Treasure", "Marvel: Thor", and the current Star Wars trilogy.

Another theory: Screenwriters make more money writing other people's ideas than writing specs.

That's Screenwriting. if you don't want your story changed, write novels.

Not really, Damian. Even when producing your own stuff, the use of actors, sets and equipment compels you to compromise all the time. If a location gets rained out, or a hard drive full of footage gets stolen, or an actor decides the project isn’t for them, changes are made that sometime require alterations to the story, sometimes big alterations. William is right: Don’t like changes? Save it for your novel.

I would think that changes could sometimes be a good thing. Whether it be a better location or an actor that takes the dialogue to another place.

Dillon, in the play that I had produced they changed a number of things about the script and for the most part, I thought they were good. I liked it. They brought more to it than I had. I just wrote it, they performed it. Big difference.

Damian, once you sell it to ANY in producer any film industry, the buyer has no obligation to inform you, unless you specify it in a contract. But good luck getting a buyer to agree unless you are an Oscar winner or otherwise renowned writer. I say it is collaboration because I do write for producers and directors who have told me what they want. Even if I was looking to sell a spec script, I'd change it based on the needs of the buyer.

So, let me get this straight: if you're a screenwriter in Hollywood all you can expect is your screenplay to be metaphorically slapped around by whoever once you sell it, and that all you can do is accept the money and move on like nothing happened. Did I misread that at all, or is this just me waking up to the smell of grinded down coffee beans in hot water?

If I buy your car - It's mine. I may have it repainted pink and give it to my granddaughter You okay with that? What's the difference between a script and a car? They're both chattels. .I've had my scripts rewritten and I've rewritten other folk's scripts So?.

Kay Luike, it was a practical thing for me, if you write six novels and can claim none of them, when you go to a publisher, they don't exist and you get some $2,000 advance, but if all the novels had your name on them, it would be a $70,000 advance, or more depending on the sales figures. Without being able to build any of my own advance, and spending all of my time putting other people's names on them, and they get some really good reviews, I can't claim, it just got to be too much. That was after three, taking up a year and a half. There were 90 days, but not consecutive.

Consider this: Two people go to a restaurant and order the prime rib, but the kitchen just ran out. One person huffs and hollers and dives into an impassioned speech about integrity and ethics and causes such a scene they get kicked out, and the other says they’ll have a porterhouse instead. Which of these people had a more enjoyable experience and, more importantly, which of them got to eat? Compromise feels personal, but it’s usually not. It’s practical.

Thanks for all the comments and thoughts. I hope one day to be in a position to answer my own question by having a script option/sold and then changed on me!

I strongly suggest people check out

tvwriters.org

the website appears to be abandoned. No updated since 2016/17 from what I can see. I didn’t do much looking. I think an organisation that is sponsored by Final Draft (the only sponsor - these people sponsor anyone) isn’t the same as a recognised labour union like the WGA.

There's a time and place for everything - there's a time to stick to your guns and a time to bend and give (get your minds out of the gutter).

Kay Luke: Your comment above has been reported. Personal attacks are not appreciated here at Stage 32. Offensive or abusive comments can also lead to their deletion and/or your suspension from the site.

Hey Kay, so the Roosevelt is still around? I always tried to stay there when I traveled to LA on business. I always tried to get Bungalow #2 (that was Bogart's hangout). I've had many a meeting there - they had a really good buffalo steak in the restaurant, and a lot of fond memories of lunches out on the patio. I hope it hasn't changed much.

Going back to the question at hand. My answer is no - I sell you my script, you give me your money. I guess that's just the way I roll.

Damian - which is more important to you - a paycheck or a 'credit'? My last residual check - from a few years back - was $0.37 if memory holds. My last outright sale was low 6/mid 6. Hell, I'll take the cash - you can have the credit.

Dan - I know that but I'm old & still like my credits based on personal relationships. I guess I'm not quite ready for this 'new' fangled internet social environment.

John Ellis I know how to defend my own work. I'm fully aware of what happens to a script once sold. I'd hardly call my perspective unsustainable, more of a defence mechanism, some "insurance". :)

That's a great strategy, Dan! It also gives you the opportunity to see what happens to the first screenplay.

Dan Guardino who did you secure the rights with? I'm not trying to call you out or anything, truly. I'm interested to find out. If you can't tell me on this post for whatever reason, send me a message about it. =)