How to deal with scriptwriter who is against changes!

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prankemperor

New member
I have a idea for which I wrote a basic story. This was written in a script form by the writer and fleshed out properly and structured. But now after she sent me the script I asked to change a few dialogues and move around few shots and scenes. And those stuff. I am going to direct the short film.

But she is just against making changes in her writing. She fights me every possible correction I ask. She happened to have assisted in my previous short and was the writer for that movie. How do I deal with her and get her to look at my point and get the necessary changes done without overruling her and doing them myself.

Also if at any point of time further along the line if things don't work out I want to know your opinion on this question. It was my story through out I gave her the sequential scene and action as to how it would happen. She has more like filled in the dialogues mainly in the scenes I had already described. So we do part ways who would hold the right to the script?
 
Get rid of her. She's dead weight. Writers that can't take advice from a director are useless. I ran it to this same thing last summer, I ended up firing the jerk. He almost killed the moral on set by just being there. After he was gone, everyone was ready to work, and though we rewrote the film, it came out way better.
 
I'd have to kind of agree with maranfilms. You don't want to start the project off with someone fighting you at every turn. You need some writing done, and if she can't deliver, you need to find someone who can.

Regarding the legal/ethical issues of it, if this is just a short film and you don't plan on making any money with it, you should be okay. Still, you DO need to credit her for her work. Usually a shared "Screenplay by" credit is given in these cases. She would split that with whoever does the changes. You would have the "Story by" credit.

That said, I'm not a lawyer, and you should consult one if at all possible. This is why it's absolutely necessary to get a person's John Hancock on paper before they do anything for you.
 
Even at any point of time even if I do decide to part way its a given that I intend to give her credit for script. I was rather looking for an answer if she can create any sort of problem I do part ways and if yes what sort of?

@Travin: It is a short but it already has two potential buyers to the movie. I am not decided if I do want to sell though.
 
Anyone can rewrite any script. If she's intractable, you can do it yourself, or find another writer who will. Scripts get rewritten by their production teams all the time.

On the other hand, and just playing Devil's advocate here, are you sure she's not in fact right? Have you allowed her to clearly state her reasons for insisting the script is good as is? The filpside of what I said above is that all too often production teams will rewrite a script and basically ruin it. WC Martell has an account of how this played out in Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood", to its great detriment:

http://sex-in-a-sub.blogspot.com/2010/05/robbing-from-poor-writer.html

So, like they say, be careful what you ask for...
 
I gave her a free run to write the script as she wanted according the story treatment/outline i gave her. It was in the her fourth draft that I started giving inputs till then let her play and find out the characters and strength of the story. And yes she has been given ample opportunity to present her side and on her suggestion I have dropped a few scenes and shots or dialogues but when the table is turned she is adamant about her writing and says I am imposing myself on the story. But we are four partners of our production house she being one of them. In all meetings my two producers has backed me to the hilt not because I am the director and it is my story because they have felt that my call is justified to the story and does make sense.

To give an example she has even had an argument with me on a matter I have my shot transititions on right side of the script as I use Finaldraft 8 to do my scripting whereas she has them on left! She is just it seems to me to rigid against changes and too attached to her writing that she is in denial at all times that it requires rewrite in certain portions.

A scene has sequence of dialogues that are too cliched so I came up with another set of dialogues to show the same idea but in sort of experimental and new way, she was just against doing it and banged the bloody phone on me. Though she apologized about it later.
 
Right, well sorry to hear it's gone that way. As the director, you have the ultimate say-so, and frankly, she should know that and respect it. When push comes to shove, as it apparently has, you get the call. That means that in exchange for her intractability all she might get is a ticket out of the loop...

...which would basically be a 'Charlie Sheen Moment' for her - losing in the name of "winning".
 
One part I'm not clear on, when it comes to moving scenes around, can't you do that in the edit after you film?

As far as dialouge goes, if you like her work, just get the changes done elsewhere, film it, and give her credit

I'd try to work it out tho since it seems like someone you are tied to. Like a wife or a girlfriend.
 
It's like hiring an architect or a contractor who won't make modifications to the original design.
You gonna keep THAT guy around?
 
prankemperor said:
It was my story through out I gave her the sequential scene and action as to how it would happen. She has more like filled in the dialogues mainly in the scenes I had already described. So we do part ways who would hold the right to the script?
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If you feel strongly about this adaptation of 'your story', then at this point it would be the usual and customary advice of seeking legal opinions from a qualified entertainment lawyer.

Things get more dicy if no money was transfered, or at least 'something of value'... as in 'in cosideration for your script, you will receive screen credit'... if that suffices in your area for a 'work for hire' activity, then 'you own' the hired work...

Of course written contracts should have clarified this before the work began, and probably the 'lay' advice at this point is drop the project, and make get a scriptwriting contract in order for next time, where it is clear, who does what, who owns what, and who can modify what...

One of the most significant differences between a 'playwright' and a movie 'scriptwright' is the issue of who owns what, and unless it is is a 'writer/director', the usual and customary is that the production company owns the script, and again if the director is also a producer, they don't actually own the script... but have the production company's 'permission' to get it altered as required to get the movie produced...

In less formal situations, where things are verbal... from the other thread on 'who owns what', it seems that it may be dependent on what region you live in, as to whether the court will view a script as a 'work for hire', if no contract was in place 'before' the work began. If it is not a 'work for hire', the scriptwriter maintains the copyright.
 
This is why the majority of companies buy the script, then have their writers rewrite it before they think of doing anything else. It's because a writer has an emotional attatchment to their work. If she's this bad now, it only gets worse. And not to mention, you he director, this is YOUR VISION. And anyway you feel you need to tell the story is your decision. Unless you have an executive director that wants the script to stay the same without changes. But your most likely him. I still say FIRE HER!!!

The way I look at it is if a writer can't comprimise in order to get it made, then their
 
..... then their in the wrong biz ?

Be careful how you handle this, give her nice screen credits if warranted. You don't want her going off the deep end and scratching up your reputation around town. Leave quietly.

Cheers.
 
It's really a grey area for you, mate. I'd strongly suggest getting professional legal counsel before moving forward with the project. Especially with her being a partner in the company? That sounds like even more trouble regarding who owns it and who has a right to stop it from being made. This is all assuming you DON'T have a contract, which is really a big mistake in the first place. Having one could have given you the right to essentially flip her the bird and find someone else to write it for you (with shared credit). Not having one means that she could start serious s..t later on if she feels so inclined.

That's why, for anything bigger than a YouTube camera test, it's absolutely necessary to use at least a basic template contract before anyone does work on your film. 90% of the time, you won't need it, but the other 10% is what you're experiencing now.

If you don't want to go to a lawyer, see if you can "buy her out." That is, see if you can give her some sort of monetary compensation (for a short, this would only take a couple hundred dollars at most) in exchange for her signing a contract releasing all rights for the script to you. It doesn't matter if she deserves the money or even has any claim to the rights in the first place - this will clear up the issue and honestly, I think it's worth a couple hundred. Especially if you've got some acquisitions people interested.

If you don't want to do either of these, don't make the movie.
 
The VERY first thing you NEED to do is sit down with this person and discuss the issues you are having.

There may be some miscommunication between the two of you and you may not even realize it.

Remember that people will ALWAYS test you. Especially as the Director, they want to find your boundaries. And it is your job to stay above the fray. Approach it as a professional. Make sure that when you walk away, you've kept your side of the street clean.

And finally, if it doesn't work out......move on. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if your a director who's worth a spit, you have a number of ideas and film in the que. Find a new writer and move on with your dignity in tact
 
yrpfilms said:
And finally, if it doesn't work out......move on. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if your a director who's worth a spit, you have a number of ideas and film in the que. Find a new writer and move on with your dignity in tact
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This is very hard, but true. It's not easy to walk away from something you've created. Sometimes, and I pray this isn't the case for you, it's just a necessary heartache.
 
yrpfilms said:
And finally, if it doesn't work out......move on. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if your a director who's worth a spit, you have a number of ideas and film in the que. Find a new writer and move on with your dignity in tact
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Me along with my two producers are trying to work out the issues with her. I dont believe we are the stage where we might have to part ways but I am exploring all possible avenues.

As for moving on to other ideas, yes I do have loads of them. But this idea is really close to my heart and I have been playing with and refining it for over 3 years now. My usual turn around from a story concept to final product is 4-5 months. But not this one, for me this is really different.
 
She is the scriptwriter, you are the director. The script is only a guide to what you will film. Would it be nice to be written exactly as you (the director) want to film it? Of course. Is it absolutely necessary? Not at all.

Ask her for one last re-write, incorporating as many of your changes as she can handle. Once she is done, pay her her money, give her her credit, make your needed changes and them film your film.
Virtually no script gets made exactly as written, so other than in a power play like you guys are going through, it doesn't matter what the final script she submits looks like. She was hired to do a job, she did it, and thats that. You have no obligation to film it the way she writes it, and there isn't a damn thing she can do about it (unless she is the producer too or something).
If she isn't interested in re-writes, she shouldn't be in the screenwriting business in the first place Re-writes are part of the job description, whether they personally agree with the changes or not.

Frankly, I don't know why you'd put up with a lippy screenwriter. Once they've written the script, they should be basically out of the picture.

Lee
 
Lee Stokes said:
She is the scriptwriter, you are the director. The script is only a guide to what you will film. Would it be nice to be written exactly as you (the director) want to film it? Of course. Is it absolutely necessary? Not at all.

Ask her for one last re-write, incorporating as many of your changes as she can handle. Once she is done, pay her her money, give her her credit, make your needed changes and them film your film.
Virtually no script gets made exactly as written, so other than in a power play like you guys are going through, it doesn't matter what the final script she submits looks like. She was hired to do a job, she did it, and thats that. You have no obligation to film it the way she writes it, and there isn't a damn thing she can do about it (unless she is the producer too or something).
If she isn't interested in re-writes, she shouldn't be in the screenwriting business in the first place Re-writes are part of the job description, whether they personally agree with the changes or not.

Frankly, I don't know why you'd put up with a lippy screenwriter. Once they've written the script, they should be basically out of the picture.

Lee
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There was a lot of good advice in the thread, "stay above the fray" and "keep your side of the street clean" were among the best.

But Lee nailed it as simply and succinctly as it needs to be. This is the advice you need to take from this thread and just go make your film.
 
A word on this subject. As a screenwriter you must be prepared to defend your choices in a clear and rational manner. Saying, because I just want to do it my way, will never fly. If you can't create a legitimate argument for your choice then it needs to be re-examined. On the director's side, you also need to state your reasons for a change in clear and defensible terms, or a good writer will never respect them. If your reasons have nothing to do with the actual story, but are more political, expect some push back, because a writer wants to defend the story at all costs. Ultimately, it's the director's film at a certain point so they will film what they want, but don't expect a writer to be happy if you're changing a part so your girlfriend can play it.
 
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