Someone rewriting your screenplay is almost inevitable

[FJ and G]

If you are a beginner, says one writer of a screenplay book.

Why?

Because movie companies like to hedge their bets. If the movie is a flop, then the producer/director can say, "we put the best writers we had on it."

And a second reason, each director has his/her favorite screenwriters and rewriters.

[joecalabre]

Yup, but there are exceptions. Each script is different and is treated differently.

A company may bring a closer to polish just to have his/her name on it. It would make it more saleable. If the script needs work, they may bring some in because of time restraints. It's all grey area.

Bottom line, write the script and worry about this stuff when you get an offer, otherwise, all this little crap will drive you crazy.

[kojled]

fj/g

are you kidding? most beginners write like @#%$. this is the reason their stuff is rewritten - it has to be


zilla

[SimonSays]

Quote:

"Bottom line, write the script and worry about this stuff when you get an offer"

Better yet, don't worry about this stuff at all. You have absolutely no control over it, so there's no point.

If you sell a script to a WGA signatory, the original writer is entitled to do one rewrite. If it still needs more work, and the producers think that you can do it - they might have you give it a try. If they don't think you can do it, or they think someon can do it better - they will bring in someone else. By this time it's their script not yours and it's their choice, not yours. If you don't want someone else rewriting your stuff then produce films yourself, or write a novel or play.

Although there is a little bit of a bet hedging mentality - especially with the bigger budget blockbuster type films that carry bigger financial risks - in most cases they bring in other writers to make the script better and/or to fix specific problems.

[dchapma123]

"most beginners write like @#%$. this is the reason their stuff is rewritten - it has to be"

If you write like @#%$, you shouldn't expect your script to be rewritten at all, except by yourself.

[Writing Again]

FJ and G:

If you are a beginner, says one writer of a screenplay book.


Seems to me [Redacted--JDM] said he and his partner's stuff has been rewritten after they were pros. If I remember right he said their names are attached to a couple of really crappy movies out there that have little if anything to do with the original screenplay they wrote.

Seems like the writer of your screenplay book should have said,"You can expect your screenplay to be rewritten: the only questions are how much, and if it will improve the script or not."

[JustinoXV]

Even if you were the only writer handling the rewriting, when the director comes in changes will still be maid, unless you are writing and directing. And even for the a few big name directors who write, it's rare that they are credited as the sole screenwriters. And of course, producers, studios, actors will all have their input.

[TheInnk]

If they have to give you the first shot at rewriting (which I assume costs money) wouldn't that lower the chances or being re written?

[joecalabre]

Scripts get rewritten for a number of reasons.

The producer may love everything you wrote, but if they can't get a location, or enough money to do something particular-- things gotta change.

They may have gotten a test audience who hated a scene, or the studio heads may not like something, or an actor's agent wants more lines, or the director may not like something.. The list goes on...

Scripts are always rewritten-- even during production.

The question is, who does it.

[SimonSays]

Innk

The answer to your question is no. First of all a standard purchase contract for a script includes a rewrite by the original author at no additional fee.

Many producers would prefer to forego this free rewrite and bring on other writers immediately, but the Guild mandates that the original writers get the chance to do the rewrite because it keeps them in the development process.

The script is a very small percentage of the overall production budget - so producers are willing to spend additional money for additional rewrites by additional writers. In many cases - those brought on to do rewrites, wind up making more than the original author. There is a small, elite group of script doctors that make a few hundred grand per week to do rewrites.

[Writing Again]

Then the people we need to learn to write scripts from are the script doctors.

[JustinoXV]

Some script doctors do work with new writers as script consultants.

On the www.wga.org list, there are a number of WGA credited writers who list their email address. Some of them act as script consultants. They charge fees in the range of what Simon has already mentioned here on other threads.

[SimonSays]

Script doctors make excellent script consultants because they know how to break down a script, see what works and doesn't work and figure out how to fix what doesn't work without losing the integrity of the original script.