As a newer screenwriter, I understand that sometimes what you write may not end up on screen for many reasons but, I always thought that the bulk of what was originally written was up there. Perhaps this is just my naivety as a new writer. However, after reading this article I think I understand why Television and cable shows have become so much better with shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead among others. As writers we want to tell great stories that entertain and touch others on some level. This article seems to represent a chasm between studios and writers that seems insurmountable. I have to say, it is somewhat disheartening. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/09/screenwriters-heavy-hande...
Screenwriting : Script Mutilation by Marc W. Johnson
Script Mutilation
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I don't know why people are surprised. That has happened for a long time
Is changing a script to make it more marketable really mutilation? Are our word so prefect they cannot be improved on? Of course not all changes are improvements - especially from the POV of the writer. What I find fascinating about this (from an American TV writers perspective) is reading past the headline I see the issue is "a failure of manners". They want to be "fired" in a more mannered way. It's a tough business, isn't it? The people with the money have more say (even creatively) than the people who are paid for their work. and more often than not the people with the money don't have the same needs and sensibilities as the people who are paid employees. What I took from this article is what screenwriters have known since the beginning of the industry; if you want control over your script you need to control the money.
I don’t disagree with any particular comment and, even agree for the most part. I do not pretend to understand the business of Hollywood being that I am scratching at the edges of it. Having held several mid-level positions outside the world of Hollywood in the information tech business world I am not so stern to think that my ideas, thoughts, or suggestions are the best and cannot be improved upon. Executives are executives for a reason and, their ultimate goal is to make money for the company, which is why they invest in talent but sometimes that talent needs direction in order for a product, or project to succeed. I can’t count how many times, in my career as an IT professional, that I have had to fight to convince my superiors to undertake a project that would help the business goals, the course a project should take or how their suggestion for adding a pet functionality to a piece of software might not be the best, sometimes I’ve won, some I have lost ;-). That’s the way of business. I think Hollywood, is one of the most collaborative businesses there is and, from the few short years that I have been writing while reading various articles, I believe where most writers stumble is on their definition of collaboration along with how that fits into the Hollywood business model. I guess, when I read this article, I let my objectivity get clouded. It’s just I am excited to be undertaking this part of my life right now and found it a little deflating, but hey, we all need reality to slap us in the face once in a while. Right? ;-) Thanks for commenting!!
At some point in the creative process someone has the final say. That is rarely the writer. It is usually the person (or people) with the money. In TV the director has no final say. In movies very few directors have the final say. In TV the Show Runner has the most say - until they overstep the money people (Darabont comes to mind). I am not yet convinced that writers are more "correct" than anyone else in the process. No one really knows what the audience will like or dislike. So changes are made. Many writers feel that changes are mutilation. And there is no argument that sometimes they are. I think an argument can be made that some changes actually help.
The studio buys the script from the writer. They give you money for it and they now own it, it's their property. If they don't want the writer working on it anymore, they will replace the writer. If they want to tear it into little squares and use it as toilet paper, that is their right. If they want to film those little squares of toilet paper and show it around the world as their new release, that is entirely up to them. Yes, they could be nicer about it but since when have producers been nice?
D Marcus - I would have to agree that some changes actually help. I got some feedback on my spec sometime ago and thought, "this person is nuts," but after mulling over, sleeping on it and looking at it objectively, I realized they were right. It killed me to cut it and rework the script but, sacrifices have to be made. ;-) Ultimately, everyone wants the story to make money so, I guess, as writers we need to start carrying a flask of our favorite libation to help the medicine go down. ;-)