Reader Question: How to handle a shooting script with post-production issues?
A question from Patrick:
Hello Scott!
I have a question about the seemingly paradoxical task of writing a screenplay while it’s in post production.
I am currently working on a low-budget film that’s been shot and in post-production for some time now. There are numerous scenes that need to be reshot and rewritten to strengthen the story and production value. What would be the best way to go about this task? Would I rework the shooting script, adding scenes and dialogue? Would I delete scenes I know not to be in the final cut? Is rewriting certain aspects of the script at this late stage prudent?
Is rewriting in post a common practice in the film making process?
Thanks for your time Scott! Your copious advice continues to inspire me.
Patrick, I think you should ask yourself this question: To what purpose would you be rewriting the script? If it’s to provide the necessary pages for all the scenes to be re-shot, that’s one thing. Beyond that, what is the point?
* Is there going to be some question of writing credit? If so, you’re probably smart to have a draft that is most representative of what is in the final cut. That way, you position yourself as the sole author of all that story material.
* If there’s no credit issue involved and assuming you think the script could be a good writing sample, then that’s another reason to create a final draft as you and/or your representatives can shop it to producers who traffic in that movie genre.
* If on the other hand, this movie was just a gig for which you got paid money and you’re not remotely invested in it emotionally or want to use it to promote your writing, then perhaps you can simply move on to other more beneficial things, such as beginning your next spec script.
While we’re on the subject of shooting scripts, there’s been a marked change on that front over the last decade or so. It used to be that many movies got produced on the fly, so there never was a finalized shooting script (Casablanca being a famous example). However as the interest in screenwriting has exploded since the 80s, thus increasing the demand for movie screenplays to be read and analyzed, the studios have begun to see this as an opportunity. A polished, clean final draft of a script representative of the movie is another source of revenue, such as a book with special features like comments from the screenwriter. These also act as good PR when the studio pushes films during award season, sending out shooting scripts to members of the WGA and the Academy.
The interesting thing is that in some cases, it’s not entirely clear who is responsible for putting the final touches on what is presented as a shooting script. In a situation where a director shoots a movie and cuts it in a way that closely reflects what the screenwriter wrote, that’s one thing. But what about where there were several writers on a project? Script doctors reworking scenes or massaging dialogue for this actor or that? What about if the story changes considerably during the editing process? Or like Patrick’s situation where they have to do re-shoots and the original writers are long gone onto other projects? I don’t know this for a fact — perhaps someone in the know will be kind enough to tell me — but I suspect that studios may be hiring what are essentially ‘ghost writers’ to create a ‘shooting script’ that does reflect accurately the final cut of the movie. If so, that would require a certain set of skills including the ability to write in a style consistent with what is present in the original draft.
In any event, are you familiar with The Newmarket Shooting Script Series? If not, you should be. They have a nice library of shooting scripts in book form. Little Miss Sunshine is essential because Michael Arndt’s comments and reflections about the writing life are as wonderful as his script.
UPDATE: If the main concern is what Steve suggests below, his comments are spot on:
Hey Patrick,
It sounds like your real issue is what script coordinators deal with on a daily, if not hourly, basis in TV. I’m assuming your concern is with avoiding confusion for cast and crew as you go into the reshoots. This will be of the most concern to your director and ADs because they will be doing the daily breakdowns and you don’t want them prepping scenes that don’t need to be reshot.
If you’re using FD or MM you can lock the script and put out only the revised scenes in a new color of paper or just print those pages. By locking the script, you can turn on revision marks which puts a little asterisk in the margin of every line that’s been changed. To be on the safe side, I would recommend just printing out the scenes that will be reshot.
Just my $0.02, your mileage may vary.
-Steve
Thanks, Steve, for that.