Wanted: A bad screenplay to analyze!
I will get to the subject of the post title eventually. First have you heard about ScriptChat? One of the main people at the site is Jeanne Veillette Bowerman who sent along this description of what they do:
Scriptchat was created for the purpose of bringing new and seasoned screenwriters together to learn and grow. We meet every Sunday night, (EURO 8pm GMT and USA 8pm EST) to discuss a variety of relevant topics, ranging from character development to how to sell your script.
You can’t be a writer without being a reader, therefore the first Sunday of every month is Script Night, where we discuss a select draft version of a script to see the changes from page to screen. We also invite industry professionals to guest on certain chat nights. You can’t get access like that just anywhere! Best of all, it’s free!
We have only one rule: bring your tequila and leave your ego behind. Instructions on how to participate in scriptchat can be found on our blog, as well as chat transcripts and important screenwriting resources: www.scriptchat.com
Nate Winslow reached out to Jeanne about doing a GITS night there and she welcomed that idea. We’re on the calendar for Sunday, September 5th.
Now what script to analyze in that session? Nate and Jeanne were talking and thought it might be interesting to do something they’ve never done before at Scriptchat: Analyze a bad screenplay. And I do think that can be an excellent learning exercise as learning what not to do can be equally as valuable as learning what to do.
So I’m soliciting your suggestions of bad screenplays. Either one will emerge by consensus or I’ll put together a short list and take a vote of GITS readers. A few requirements:
* The script has to be easily available online
* The script has to be from at least a reasonably well known movie, not some unknown stinker
* There have to be specific reasons why you think it’s bad, not just, “It sucks”
Also on behalf of professional screenwriters everywhere, a few caveats:
* Sometimes a screenwriter will receive credit on a bad movie when they weren’t responsible for all or even much of what is bad about the script. When you have upward to 10, 12, or more writers on a project, even when credits are determined, it’s hard to know precisely who is responsible for what.
* Moreover there are many reasons why scripts go bad that are not necessarily the screenwriter’s fault. For instance, if the movie’s director insists that what the story needs is a musical number where the Protagonist has sex with a cow (Director: We’ll call it a ‘moosical’), some writer is going to pen that scene. Is the writer to blame for that?
Therefore whatever script we decide on, I want us to keep the focus on the screenplay with no comments on the credited writers.
So it’s open forum time: Have you ever read a screenplay for a bad movie? Are there any particularly awful screenplays you’ve read? Please post your suggestions in comments.
More about the ScriptChat event in upcoming weeks.
UPDATE: The A-Team appears to be an interesting option as it puts a spotlight on a persistent issue that arises on movie project after project: using multiple writers. Read this post to learn background on the development and production of The A-Team.
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