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Ding-dong the Strike is Dead
My Fellow Writers,
First off, I'd like to say that I'm thrilled with the WGA settlement. It's not exactly the one I was hoping for, and the director's vanity credit is still alive and well (though hopefully, they'll use it with a bit more discretion), but I'm glad because so many companies in town were basically paralyzed and shutting down in the months leading up to the strike. Projects weren't getting read, and even when an executive wanted to get behind something, nothing was getting sold.
I haven't looked at the details of the settlement much. And yet, ignorance of the facts has never stopped me from giving my opinion before. From what I gather, the settlement involves small, realistic gains. Some things that really are something - the change in status of the FOX network to a full-fledged network - and others that amount to cost-of-living adjustments, at best.
I think there's also some hazy language about giving writers more access to the set - with the permission of the director and producer, of course. I guess I understand this need to control the writers' access to the set. I've met a lot of writers in my time. Let's face it, writers are an unruly and generally poorly groomed lot. They eat like one-armed baboons and use big phrases like "collaborative effort" and "original creative intent." Often, they're so thrilled to be allowed outside that they hit on actors and actresses with wreckless abandon. This creates disharmony among the crew members, who are often waiting for their own opportunities to hit on the on-camera talent.
Most of all, though, having writers on the set detracts from the timeworn notion that the sole visionary genius behind every great film is a great director. Having a writer hanging around the set is a pesky reminder that the script wasn't written by a Ouija board, but by an actual person, who probably understands the script's creative intent better than anyone.
As a writer who has been around a few sets, I just wanted to share one thing on this front: when you go on a set, you should know that script far better than everyone. Every emotion of every line. Every expression, costume, prop, music cue, visual transition, and theme. Because if you don't, then you're useless. As the writer, you are supposed to be the expert on the creative. You may not know how to shoot it or light it, but you can certainly add to the process by knowing what emotion the scene should have. Moreover, you can add to the process by writing a great script in the first place.
Every opinion you give in a production - every line you write, every piece of action you suggest - will be challenged. You must be ready to back it up. If you have just thrown down a scene without much thought, you're going to lose the arguments, every time. Executives, actors, directors, and other writers will come up with a better way to do the scene, and you'll be left with something that's different from your original creative vision. That's not always a bad thing, of course - but if you want the movie to turn out a certain way, you best make sure that your creative choices make sense and are, well, to put it plainly, better than everyone else's.
So write scripts you can believe in. It's the best way to truly contribute to the collaborative process of filmmaking, and it helps you stay involved down the road.
Keep on writing.
Strike-free,
Grady
P.S. Thanks to those of you who are keeping me posted on your individual writing streaks. It really is working magic for some of you. Keep at it, and keep me posted. I'm at EmailGrady@aol.com - and I apologize in advance for any delays in response, but I'm in production until the end of June.
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