Beyond Words 2017: Celebrating WGA-Nominated Screenwriters

The Black List reports on recent WGA event

Last week Kate Hagen, director of communications at @theblcklst, attended the annual Writers’ Guild of America “Beyond Words” event, celebrating members whose scripts have been nominated by peers for the upcoming 2017 WGA Awards. Kate provided a thorough overview of the event at the Black List blog. Here is an excerpt, the question provided by moderator Andrea Berloff:

Berloff then asked the writers an important development question: What was the worst note they’ve ever gotten?

Chazelle kicked off the fun by saying that he once received a hand-written note that said “He’s good at drumming, we get it,” while making WHIPLASH.

Reese and Wernick talked about a parody of THE SOPRANOS they created, THE TOMATOES, about fruit and vegetable crime families. Naturally, one of the notes was “Do they have to be fruits and vegetables?”

Lonergan told the crowd he goes into a “self-induced hypnotic trance” whenever he receives development notes and that he always tries to “blank out notes while appearing not to do so.”

Schroeder talked about a thriller she had written with two female leads… which led an executive to ask if they could be men. Or if incest could be involved. Melfi discussed a studio back-and-forth regarding Kevin Costner’s receding hairline that ended in a compromise of allowing his character to chew gum instead.

Jenkins says his biggest notes on MOONLIGHT asked “why there was no funeral for Juan,” and “where the white people were.” Without missing a beat, Eric Heisserer replied “they’re in the audience” — Jenkins then took Heisserer’s own mic, and dropped it for him to much applause.

Heisserer talked about once pitching ARRIVAL to a male executive who asked if he could remove “the wife character,” which ended the pitch, since Louise is the center of the story.

Sheridan described the notes process as sounding like “the teacher in PEANUTS,” and then discussed his dismay of the idea of finding “the note within the note.” “They don’t even know what the note is, Sheridan quipped.

Black said that while making THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, he was asked if “cowboy hats and facial hair” were essential, and when making THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, he was asked if Will Smith’s character had to be homeless.

For the rest of Kate’s post, go here.