Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Waiting Game Becomes the Guessing Game

At the end of January on this blog, I wrote about our experience being in 'the waiting game' with a management company in Los Angeles around a brassy, historical epic the Sages wrote on the life and times of an Irish legend.

Four Sundays later and we've had "the Call" about the submission. There were some compliments offered, followed by a discussion of the history and a laundry list of appropriate actors who might fit the bill for the role. The call ended with a request for a revision.

So "the waiting game" of a month ago becomes "the guessing game" today. We know our guys read and liked the writing, but clearly they want to hook an actor with this project, though there weren't many details provided on exactly what would bait a thesp. Our task then is to come up with perfectly-executed je ne suis quoi that puts this script over with an actor who fancies himself at least with a drop of Irish blood.

So what do we do? They sent along some writing samples to help sharpen our thinking about what makes screenplays sellable. Some of the samples are already set up at major studios and come with brand-name actors attached. Of course, the moment you conjure up that actor, you read the script completely differently. A lackluster historical screenplay suddenly shines if Leonardo is the leading man! A not-that-cut-up comedy is suddenly cutting you up when can't help think of Will Ferrell in the lead!

How do you work that model in the reverse?

Can you base a screenplay revision on trying to imagine Mel Gibson as Jesus? How about Steve Martin as the Pink Panther? It's a guessing game as to where you might want to "write to the character" and where you might want to "write to the actor". So, are we now to turn our screenplay into a love letter to this or that son-of-Erin actor? Tough, tough call...

The waiting game becomes the guessing game until we finish this rewrite and turn it in and begin again to wait.

-Joe

Sunday, February 15, 2009

And the Oscar Goes to...

Some thoughts on next Sunday's (Feb. 22) Academy Awards...

Not having seen every movie nominated, I'll try to keep my remarks somewhat general. I think it's been a good year for the movies. The five films nominated for best feature are all thoughtful, interesting films. It won't be a "Titanic" or "Lord of the Rings" type of year, when two plainly, spectacle-style films won out over more penetrating material.

I noticed "WALL-E" was nominated for best animated film only, but I think it could be the best of the lot. It had everything, from an interesting visual style to a touching story with well developed characters and humor and drama.

In fact, "WALL-E" was nominated for best original screenplay. Since this is primarily a screenwriting blog, I'm happy to report that the screenplay categories are especially strong this year: "WALL-E" has some stiff competition. "Frozen River" hasn't received much publicity but it is a very nice film. Oftentimes, the Academy will offer a screenwriting nomination to something as a token nod in a film's direction. "Frozen River" is the kind of independent film that won't play at the multi-plex and won't earn much money but should be recognized. But since no one knows about it and there are no stars in it, it doesn't play well in terms of promoting the movie business's big night.

I'm sad to say that many times the screenplay category is used to fob off something with an award because it's not big enough or should get some recognition but won't in the glitzier categories. Not to diminish the writing awards, but sometimes they feel like a buy-off to something that should be recognized more widely.Still, I think all the nominees for original and adapted screenplay are decent efforts and am pleased to see them put forward.

In the big categories, I'd just about bank on Sean Penn winning for "Milk." He was good in the film -even great- but he'll win for the movie's politics. Although a dark horse could be Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon." I intend to see "The Wrestler" soon, so don't count out (yes, a pun) Mickey Rourke. But my pick would be Penn.I'm less sure about the actress category and both supporting categories. None leap out at me as obvious. Perhaps Kate Winslett in "The Reader," but I think the other acting awards are anyone's guess.

As for the best picture, I'm leaning toward "Slumdog Millionaire." I liked it and have the sneaking suspicion it might just have the chops to win out overall. It should be a great night, regardless of what happens with my personal picks, and I, for one, am thrilled to see so many fine films in release this year.

We invite you to make your picks or leave your thoughts on this year's Academy Awards on our blog...

-Randy

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Adaptation: Ode to and Perils thereof

When Fox Pictures purchased The New Yorker writer Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief in 1997, a then little-known screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, got the nod to write the script. In the minds of the executives who hired him, it was a straight adaptation job. Except that Kaufman didn't write the adaptation. Why? Because he kind of lost his way. He claims he didn't understand the book and got a terrible case of writer's block. So, instead, he invented an alter ego - a brother named Donald - and wrote ADAPTATION, a movie about writing an adaptation of The Orchid Thief. He went so far as to dedicate the script to his non-existent brother, Donald.

He was sure he'd committed professional suicide. Instead, ADAPTATION was fast-tracked and went on to be a spectacular critical and commercial success - and made Charlie Kaufman a household name!

Randy and I each went through the process of adapting a famous author's work in our second year, as screenwriting students, at Boston University's Film School. It was the equivalent of our thesis project. Randy adapted Gore Vidal's Burr, a tour de force historical work about American legend and/or fiend Aaron Burr. I adapted Inshallah, a great, rambling novel about the war in Lebanon by the late Italian war correspondent and novelist Oriana Fallaci. After teaming up as the Script Sages in 2003, we were contacted by several minor authors about adapting their work and each time declined.

Adapting is a tricky business. The boundaries get blurred very quickly. That's what made ADAPTATION such a great movie. When I graduated from BU, I didn't want all the effort I'd put into adapting Inshallah to be for naught...so I took matters into my own hands. My ignorance of how the process works didn't prevent me from directly contacting Ms. Fallaci's publishers and making an impromptu - uninvited - visit at their New York offices. I remember taking the Chinese bus into Manhattan and marching into the publishers' office to have a word with Ms. Fallaci's gorgeous publicity assistant. I did my 30-second pitch with her right there. "I've written a great adaptation of Ms. Fallaci's novel. I think this could be a great movie. I just graduated film school and have some contacts. I think this is the moment for this to be made into a film."

She was very polite. Then, I was shown the door. I persisted. I sent the script to Ms. Fallaci's New York apartment. I continued to write letters and knock on doors.

Then, my new wife told me a FedEx package from Italy had arrived. I thought that I'd broken the sound barrier. Fallaci loved me. The Italians loved me. We were going to make a movie. Instead, it was a "cease and desist" letter from the office of Ms. Fallaci's attorney in Milan. It essentially told me that the option had been purchased, that my repeated overtures to Ms. Fallaci and her representatives were very troubling, and how the hell had I gotten her unlisted New York address anyway...

To make sure they got their point across, they faxed a copy of the "cease and decease" letter to my BU Film School professor and mentor who promptly called me on the phone. "Who the hell does she think she is Ernest F------ Hemingway?!" Steve Geller, who had himself lived in Italy and was familiar with the scene there, screeched into the phone.

Randy's experience adapating Burr was less contentious but also concluded in a similiar dead end. The aforementioned Steve Geller knew Gore Vidal from his Italy days (Vidal has and continues to reside in Italy). He gave Randy Vidal's address, and he wrote to him to see if he'd to look at the adaptation. Vidal agreed and liked what he read. He recommended Randy send it to his agent at CAA. For a fresh-out-of-school writer this seemed to be the dream shot. Alas, CAA quickly (though very politely) noted that the rights to Burr were owned by ABC/Disney, and they had no intention of doing anything with it. And so that was that.

The brushes with literary giants were exhilirating, but in the end it's pointless to adapt something if you don't have the rights. It's only an exercise, which can be a great learning tool, but, practically speaking, won't get you very far. So no matter how much you love the latest Dan Brown novel, forget it. And if one of those minor writers contacts you to adapt something, as with the post on spec writing, make sure you get paid to do the adaptation. Even if you love the project, you wouldn't be able to do much with a script that you wrote if the author of the original material backed away from the project. Of course, anything in the public domain is fair game, so if you think a Shakespeare play is dying to be updated you're on firmer ground there.

Still, even with the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure I would do it all that differently. I don't believe I was acting like Donald, Kaufman's egomaniacal brother in ADAPTATION, though my ignorance should have caused me to be somewhat more humble in my approach. The point is adaptation is a tricky business. It's hard to get it right on paper. It's hard to get it right with executives at studios. It's hard not to offend the author at some point in the process. Even Charlie Kaufman didn't get it right...except that is in ADAPTATION.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The MFO Can Put on A Show...

I attended the Mass Film Office's "Wrap Party" last night. Held in the Castle at Park Plaza, the MFO knows how to treat its constituents right. It was tough to tell the amount of guests, but I'd say it was over 500 and possibly 1,000. Everyone from actors to union members to educators to producers mingled and celebrated a great 2008 for the film community in Massachusetts. From "Mall Cop" to "Bride Wars" to "The Surrogates," Massachusetts saw thirteen major productions film here in 2008.

The "Wrap Party" was a wonderful way to celebrate the MFO's success over the last year in helping to bring these productions to Massachusetts, and even though tough economic times loom ahead many are looking forward to an even stronger 2009.

The Sages will report regularly on interesting developments in the local film production world.

-Randy