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Hey guys. So a short script of mine (called "Need", which can be found in the shorts section) was discovered not that long ago on here, and is currently going through th casting process. The director who picked it up is from Haiti, he lives in Olando, but his English isn't the best.
So, he discovered my short, and we signed a contract to shoot it.
Now, my road with this guy hasn't been the smoothest. It's been troublesome. Because of the language barrier, it's been hard for me to understand some of the things he says. His English is fine, it's just the way he words stuff is hard to get.
He's told me that he's shooting this in the hopes that well find backers to due a FEATURE version, which is cool. But then, last night, we had a conversation.
Basically --
He shot me over a few "suggestions" that he thinks I should make to the short. He kept saying to me, that these were just suggestions and "it was just a suggestion" and "it's up to you". He said "you don't have to agree" outright.
My short starts in the present with a character at 30. Then it goes through her past from when she was 25, to when she was 18 and them to when she was a little girl. And then it jumps back to the present with the main character and her daughter now (in the latest draft.)
Basically, he wants to start in the present, and then go into the past but tell her past chronologically. So, start when she was a child, then 18, then 25, then back to the present.
He wants to create another character to point stuff out and all this stuff (if you don't understand, then shoot me a PM and I can copy and paste all the FB messages).
But I woke up this morning to a message from him. He says the way I've told the story, it has too many critics (people he knows who have read it). He say he is not going to shoot something that he has too many negitave critics on and it'd be a waste of time. And then at the end he said: "If you're not willing to modify it, then good luck."
So I'm in a pickle. Why did this guy agree to shoot my script if he wants to make all these changes? I mean, we signed a contract? I'm just so stressed and this is actually upsetting me to some extent. I would love your advice guys, really would.
Curt
"No matter what you do, your job is to tell your story..."
If these critics are the ones looking to finance the feature, then I'd say make the changes so you can get paid! Plus, if it's not going to change the integrity of your film or you don't mind it being changed, then make the changes. After watching Tales from the Script and reading a few other anecdotal sources about the writing process, you're extremely lucky the director's still wanting you to make these changes, rather than making them himself.
I'm not familiar with your short, but it sounds like the changes he wants to make probably aren't going to warp your story too badly. In fact, reversing the order of the flashbacks doesn't sound like a bad idea. I don't know about adding a character, but as long as they contribute to the story and you give them plenty to do, then why not?
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
But I'm not being paid. For the short. Or it it's turned into a feature, either. I allowed him to use it for free.
Reversing the order of the flashbacks is something I'm not sure about because the reason I have the, the way they are, is that in the final flashback to the past when she's a kid it reveals something shocking that wouldn't have the same effect if told in the reverse order.
"No matter what you do, your job is to tell your story..."
To be honest with you, if it's being filmed for free I wouldn't get too worked up about anything at all. It's only when money comes in that you should start to think about what direction you want it to be in.
What is he using the film for? Festivals? etc?
"We don't make movies for critics, since they don't pay to see them anyhow."
This guy seems a little erratic, from what you have posted.
In the space of hours it turned from 'suggestions' to either 'change it or fuck off'? Bit odd, and dare I say rude.
Changes to a script brought about by discussion between writer and director should be for the benefit of the movie, and should be a positive process for all. It's necessary in any production at any level. But who are these 'critics' he speaks of? Is he the Captain of the ship like a director should be? Does he have a clear vision of what he wants to do or is he listening to other people and forming his vision on their opinions?
Is this his first shoot or does he have previous experience? I'm guessing the latter.
Trust your gut. At the 'entry-level' you have the ability to say no if you want. If you aren't getting paid you have nothing to lose. I know this won't make me popular with the 'getting produced is all that matters' brigade, but you don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with especially if those changes don't IMPROVE your story.
Hey Curt - I'd stick with it, simply for the sake of experience. At the end of the day, if you are going to stick with screenwriting, then you're likely to have to negotiate story etc with people, and the more often you do that, the more adept at it you'll become. Not for the sake of this script, more so for ones that will come in the future.
I wouldn't get too worked up about this. It is a natural part of the production process. I rewrote So Dark a dozen times. Sometimes I had to add stuff the director wanted, other times it was stuff producers wanted. That's not to mean I didn't say no to changes I didn't feel were right. I did. As long as it didn't disrupt the flow of the story, I added it.
Have you seen any of this guy's work? If he's a straight up amateur I would argue changes with him that you don't like. If he's got nice film work then maybe you should listen to him. Either way a short film is a nice score on you IMDB page and good for your résumé. Try to work with him to get it done. Just keep your eyes on the prize and that's potentially selling the feature that could spawn from it.
Don't sweat it. Keep in mind that the stakes aren't huge here. Best case scenario, you end up with a writing credit on a good film. Worst case scenario, you end up with no film. Neither outcome is going to be a huge deal a year from now.
If dealing with this guy is stressing you out -- he sounds like a bit of dick, frankly, from the way you've described his behaviour -- I'd just ignore him. You can go about that two ways...say he's welcome to use the script but you don't want to change it, or just completely stop responding to him. You shouldn't need to suffer a ton of emotional stress to get a short made for free by a wishy-washy filmmaker.
If you're up for going forward, though, I do think it'd help to just keep in mind that the most valuable thing you'll be getting is a learning experience. I don't know if you plan on making it to Hollywood one day, but what you're gonna suffer there as a writer is way worse than anything you describe above (not that there might not be lots of good stuff too!).
Does your contract include anything about what changes can be made, who's responsible for those changes, who has to be credited, etc?
If I were in your position and had no previous credits, I would probably make the changes just for the sake of getting the film made and getting that writing credit. But I personally thought that the reverse narrative made your story unique. In chronological order, it seems rather ho-hum.
It's tricky when you sign a contract for no money. Did it state in the contract the possibilities of turning it into a feature? Sounds like a bum deal if they make it into a feature and you don't get paid for that.
And did they mention anything about prize money if it places well in competitions? Any other residuals? Percentages? Usually, especially in contracts for features, all that stuff is mentioned including details about the possibilities of turning it into a stage play, possible sequels, VOD, etc. There should at least be some money on the back end.
If you disagree strongly with the way things have gone with this filmmaker thus far (the fact the he waited until a few months after the contract to have anybody else read it and offer a professional opinion makes him seem a bit unprofessional and ill-prepared, especially for a low budget short) maybe you should ask to break the contract and bring the script elsewhere. Did you get interest from other parties for "Need"? If I recall correctly, I believe you did.
And how far along is he in pre-production? Doesn't sound like he made much progress if he's just now getting second opinions.
It's a combined effort to get across your vision and the filmmaker. In a situation like yours, I would hope the filmmaker would have aligned himself with your vision, but don't underestimate the power of pitch. It sounds like a communication issue 100%. Overall, sounds to me like an experience worth having.
My natural instinct with this guy would be to tell him to get lost. He seems like a tough guy to deal with, which is something I personally refuse to do. I can understand suggestions (I'm usually happy to accept them) but he seems to be making demands more than anything else. So my INSTINCT would be to say "Bye-Bye!" but the SCREENWRITER in me would be something completely different. I would make the changes, in the end. Why? Because, as James pointed out, dealing with Director's needs is something we all have to learn to do.
However, don't make a habit of letting people push you around. It seems like this guy IS holding your script hostage ("Make the changes or we drop the project"). To me that seems a little unprofessional. Perhaps it's the way you've worded it in your original post, but I can tell you I wouldn't have been happy with the way these "suggestions" have been made. There's a right way and a wrong way. The least you could ask is for some courtesy.
Remember, it is entirely up to you. I know which script you're talking about and I can't say I agree with the critics. Your non-linear structure in that script works and I honestly don't think it would have the same impact if it was linear. If you don't feel comfortable with him, don't let him film it. Another film maker could come along and see the short for what it is.
Don't sweat it. Keep in mind that the stakes aren't huge here. Best case scenario, you end up with a writing credit on a good film. Worst case scenario, you end up with no film. Neither outcome is going to be a huge deal a year from now.
Great point here by Chris!
Yeah, tbh with you if I'd written a short I'd ideally want it to be produced by somewhere near me so I could be involved. But then again with a short it's normally unlikely that you would get any money for them, they're also more likely to be picked up by either amateur or student filmmakers. One of the reasons why I normally avoid writing shorts. Unfortunately shorts very rarely make any sort of mark in the industry, so it is normally better to focus on feature length or at least longer pieces.
Thing is as you're not getting money for this there's really no reason to worry about how you deal with him, the stakes are low - as Chris (Heretic) says.
If this guy gets really annoying tell him to find another script and get it made by someone near you, as opposed to somewhere as far away as Haiti.
"We don't make movies for critics, since they don't pay to see them anyhow."
Guys, thank you for all the advice. I sent him a message, and he's going to meet me half way.
He's going to keep the non-linear story (which basically made the story unique) as long as I add supers, another character and another scene. Yay for the saviour of scenes in non-chronological order!
ThAks for all the advice again guys, appreciate it!
curt
"No matter what you do, your job is to tell your story..."