Reader Question: Should we be concerned about profanity in a spec script?
From Daniel:
As I was about to start page work on my next spec, I realized: all my prior scripts and shorts have been peppered with expletives, with no real thought about possible future ratings. Should us writers assume (within reason of course) that producers and story analysts will ignore the use of swears (and references to nudity for that matter) at the spec stage, or would too much R-rated language sway opinions on possible profitability?
Hoping you can shed some f***ing light on this for me.
And by the way, best of luck with the classes. I have always gotten so much out of this blog and read it daily.
As fate would have it, we’re dealing with a very public issue of the F-word in movies with regard to The King’s Speech. Here’s one article about what’s transpired:
You might think the Weinstein Company would be pleased with The King’s Speech. It’s been a critical darling ever since it premiered last September, and a success with audiences since its theatrical release at Thanksgiving. To date, the film has grossed more than $123 million in the United States, a healthy return on the Weinsteins’ investment. Oh, and it won the Oscar for Best Picture, too.
But Weinsteins were deeply unsatisfied. For you see, The King’s Speech was rated R, thus depriving children of the opportunity to experience the inspiring story of a British king who stuttered and then didn’t. The cries of these millions of children filled the Weinsteins’ ears until they could stand it no longer. Children MUST be able to watch Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in a historical drama, and they MUST be able to do it without a parent or guardian! Sometimes a 14-year-old wants to a see a critically praised Oscar-winner and doesn’t have a parent or guardian handy.
So the Weinsteins bleeped out the movie’s F-words, got the new version rated PG-13, and will soon put it in theaters, swapping it out with the filthy, filthy R-rated one. Mind you, the scene where the king delivers a flurry of profanity — which he does as an exercise when he realizes he doesn’t stammer when he swears — is still in the movie. It’s just that now the sound is muted when he drops the F-bombs. Viewers will still see the whole drama, and see his lips move, and know what word he’s saying. They just won’t be able to hear him say it. This will presumably help the Weinsteins make an additional $400 million.