Twitter Rant: @ORachaelO on Writers, Script Notes, and the “Gap”

Yesterday Rachael Prior, head of development at Big Talk Productions, took to Twitter to venture into the sticky subject of script notes. Her ‘rant’ provides excellent insight into how creatives on the other side of the desk approach the exec-writer relationship… or at least how Racheal does.

https://twitter.com/ORachaelO/status/662389691967283201

The understandable reaction is to rant or roll eyes. Particularly if you think you are getting the full picture from your exec/script editor.

Well, perhaps you are. Also, perhaps not. I’m going to posit that the more oblique or blindsiding your notes are…

https://twitter.com/ORachaelO/status/662391119158845440

It’s easy to assume you have all the answers. If only you were in charge, you’d have this thing sorted.

Why isn’t X calling Y? I thought we were going to Z, why haven’t we heard from Z???

My job is an exciting, but diverse and curious one. It’s principally a creative role, but it’s also a pastoral/person management role.

https://twitter.com/ORachaelO/status/662391921256628228

It’s not always possible, bc we are a flawed species. Sometimes it’s all too much & we are going to have to eat a lot of Haribo & cry a bit.

But, for the most part, I’m the oil between two powerful pieces of machinery: you, the creative powerhouse, and them…

….The Money, the…big… pounding, piston of HARD CASH YO.

I have to keep the two of you working together without sparks flying or everything grinding to a halt.

So, when I hear a note like this:

https://twitter.com/ORachaelO/status/662393238305812483

It might go something like this:

Me: Hey, so, the scene is heading in the right direction…X and Y are working, but somehow it’s still missing Z. You know what I mean?

You: NO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU MEAN YOU FUCKING MORON.

Me: So let’s put our heads together about the Z of it all and see what we can come up with.

You: WHY IS SHE HARSHING MY HAPPS WHAT DOES SHE MEAN FIND THE Z OH GOD I WISH SHE WOULD TAKE A DAY OFF OR GO HAVE SOME SEX OR WHATEVER.

Me: *weak smile, eats donut*

Sometimes, I’m going to deliver you good news, and I’m going to deliver it in such a way that it has full and best impact on your confidence

Because good news is rare and its power is infinite.

But, there may also be a gap. The gap will be the carefully constructed passion/commercial value plea I have made on behalf of your project

…to a busy, uninvested and on the fence development £££ green-lighter.

The gap might be the OH ALRIGHT THEN IF YOU LIKE IT AND BELIEVE IN IT which comes back to you as THEY LOVED IT, WE’RE ON!

Because really, what’s the point in starting out any other way than you full of confidence and excitement?

The gap might be this actor finds you annoying.

The gap might be we just heard of an advanced competitive project but we don’t want you distracted by it.

The gap might be no, the author hated your adaptation but that’s not helping you right now.

The gap might be we lost finance yesterday but please keep your eyes on a twice as good ending at half the price.

The gap might be this director we brought on wants to do the rewrite unless you nail it next go around.

The gap might be every other fucker on this project but me thinks it’s dead but we r going to prove them wrong & rise from these cold ashes.

https://twitter.com/ORachaelO/status/662396865170796544

So next time you see your exec take a breath before they try and articulate to you why you need to do this super annoying thing…

… or they stumble over their logic…Spare a thought. Chances are they are constructing a tactful verbal bridge across The Gap.

This tweet series was sponsored by The Gap*. Please mind it. *Lol no it wasn’t.

None of this is a subtweet, I just rarely think of industry stuff to talk about that I haven’t already covered. Today this struck me.

Script development can be both a mystery and a miasma. Fundamentally that’s because it’s about human beings attempting to wrangle magic into what they think will translate into a viable movie. Some production executives take a less, shall we say, enlightened approach than Rachael (oh, the horror stories I have heard, even experienced some myself). The fact Rachael has as a bottom line working with a writer to engender the process toward a “great script” demonstrates why she is an exec writers want to work with.

If you are on Twitter, follow @ORachaelO.

For other Screenwriting Twitter Rants, go here.