THE MOST FRIGHTENING TWO WORDS

THE MOST FRIGHTENING TWO WORDS.

What are the most frightening two words one person can say to another?  You’re fired?  Hands Up! You’re what? In-laws coming?  Those pale in comparison to the words every screen writer fears.  Director’s vision.

What does that mean?  It means everything you’ve worked on for weeks, months or even years is now laying on Doctor Frankenstein’s table about to be arranged to suit the mad scientist.

Let’s take your passion project for an example.  Every writer has one, I know I do.  It’s the one where you say, “I don’t want a word changed. Or a scene. Or a character or location or hair color or age or…or…or”  You get the idea.  It’s your baby and you wanted it treated as such.  Look at it, coo over it, smile and tell me how much it looks like me, but DON’T TOUCH IT!

You’ve written a screenplay about a little girl and her kitten.  It’s based on your life in part because…well, you’re a girl and you once had a kitten, so its grounded on things you know.  You work on the project off and on for two years while reading books on formatting, scene structure, dialog etc until you are absolutely certain you have it right.  Almost a hundred very nice rejection letters….just not right for us, but good luck….we don’t accept unsolicited.. if you will have your agent submit it…returned unopened and a few that questioned your sanity, you finally find someone who is a fan of stories about little girls and kittens. 

They contact you and the negotiations begin. “We’re a small company and don’t have a lot of development money, so we’ll give you one dollar as an option and….” ONE DOLLAR! Are they crazy? No, so get used to it. We’ll talk about options sometime, but not now. You accept and have a party because now you can tell everyone you have a screenplay under option.  They get serious and actually have a director who wants to be a part of your story. You have another party to celebrate.

You take a meeting, probably by phone with the director. He gushes about your script and how it’s amazing that a first-time screenwriter got it right. Then he says, “I really love it and I think I can make it better.” That’s Director’s Vision.

“I know you want this to take place in a little town in GA, but I’m thinking of moving it to India.  And I think the little girl should be a boy who has never spoken and becomes friends not with a kitten but a lion.” You look around to see if you’re still on Planet Earth before you laugh and ask if he’s kidding. And besides, you say, “There are no lions in India. They have tigers. Lions are only in Africa.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. I really like lions. Good visuals, you know. How about if we have one escape from a traveling circus?  What do you think of that?”

What do you think? You think he’s certifiably nuts but you’re wrong. He’s exercising Director’s Vision. If you are a screenwriter and plan to play in the television and film arena, get used to it. Unless you are the writer and director or at least a producer, once your name is on the contract they can change your passion project to something you refuse to watch.

And NEVER celebrate till the check clears.