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A screenwriting I know recently embarked on a script about an historical figure. He told me the person's name and I knew the name, but I didn't recall offhand what she was famous for.
It was just a name that sort of rang a bell.
Then he told me. I was amazed that this historical person had accomplished so much. (I'm not going to mention her name because I think it's such a great idea I don't want to jeopardize his chances).
Anyway, after hearing about the woman's life I was a little concerned that her story would be of interest to today's moviegoing audience.
Then he started showing me pages. I was hooked by page 3 and other than some third act problems, he ultimately finished a terrific script that is now making the rounds.
The only problem he had was altering a few real events. For example, should there have been a romantic subplot? All of the books on the woman indicated that love and romance weren't important to her. She married late and had no children. But a romantic subplot was required to help the story move along.
There were a couple of other minor adjustments that my friend had to make in order to better dramatize certain true events. He was concerned about this. I advised him to take poetic license and go for it. 97% of the woman's life is accurate. And the fictionalized parts captured her spirit.
I've known a number of screenwriters who want to tackle stories about real people. Frankly, some facts have to be massaged for storytelling purposes, otherwise you're making a documentary. |
