Film Courage: Can we talk about outlining…do you prepare an outline before you write?
Blayne Weaver: I’d rather not.
But usually that’s required for the job.
Like if I am getting paid for it, they’ll want to know…these days to get hired to
write a script you pretty much have to write the script, like you have to write a 35-page
outline for a 90-page script and turn it in before you can get hired to write the script.
So when I’m writing for other people, I do whatever it takes to make them comfortable
with it, which normally involves an outline.
For me, it’s kind of like…I’m not a musician but I feel like it’s just jazz,
I feel when it’s time for a change, I can feel when we need to know more about a character.
It’s very (my way of working) it’s very artificial to say “At this point on page
12 we need to learn that Charlie has a secret.”
You know what I mean?
Because I don’t know what the secret is?
Do I make it up now?
Or do I wait until I get to know who Charlie is?
You know, write that in.
And like I feel like the music of it, I just know on page 12 that maybe there is something
he’s not sharing with us, maybe it’s this?
It’s just way more organic and I feel like it flows.
A lot of times with outlines I’ll find when I’m writing the actual script I won’t
feel it going the way that the outline was, you know what I mean?
So it’s either I do something false.
Writing for me (a lot of times), especially the rewrite process for other’s people’s
work is taking a round peg and putting it into a square hole.
It’s like here’s a movie…this is an actual true story, I had written a film that
was a beach, sports, kind of romantic comedy that was set in Thailand.
The note I got from the studio was “Great.
Love it!
Only now it’s in Bulgaria and it’s Christmas.”
So my rewrite was to completely and utterly change the entire scenery and what’s happening
right now?
Round peg, square hole and it’s like a Rubik’s Cube kind of problem.
It doesn’t necessarily lead to good writing.
Like when you’re trying to problem solve instead of telling the most compelling story,
that’s what I hate about outlining.
Like bing pushed into a corner by some random decision I made three months ago when I was
just trying to make people feel comfortable about what the movie was going to be, does
that make sense?
I can ramble about it for the next two hours because it’s something that I struggle with
a lot.
Film Courage: When you finish a script, what’s your process?
Let’s suppose you’ve gone through several drafts and it’s for yourself.
This is not writing for someone else.
And you’re like “I feel good.
I’ve had a couple people look at it.”
Then what’s your process?
Blayne Weaver: Well, what’s cool about being able to write the movie and then make it and
stuff which is my favorite of course, is that it’s never done.
We get a whole new process, we get a cast, I get notes from the actors, I do a read-through
with as much of the cast as I can pull together, then I get notes.
Then talk about that, then we get on set, and we’ll talk about it then.
What’s great about being in charge is that I know I’m not Shakespeare.
I know that there is always room for improvement and the key to being a good project manager
or a good director is like being able to listen to everybody’s suggestions and then make
a clear, distinctive choice and then stick with that choice, you know what I mean?
Like I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been really happy with the scene and gotten
on set and the actor has said something funnier and I’ve just been like “Well, darn!
There you go.
You get the line that’s going to be in the trailer and I did not write it.”
I mean I had Dave Foley in SIX MONTH RULE from KIDS IN THE HALL and that guy…I mean
first of all, the only actor to ever come up to me and ask if he could do a different
line reading, like most actors just change the line.
And I’m certainly not offended by that, it’s like I’ve done it myself.
But he came up to me and he’s like “Blayne, I have a line suggestion.
Would you like to hear it?”
And I’m like “Dave, yes I would.
And I can go ahead and tell you that you can probably say whatever you want.”
And he’s hilarious and he elevated every single one of his scenes, which were pretty
funny to begin with.
And I get to take credit for that because I’m the director.
I let him say that, see that’s how smart I am.
I cast him and then I let him be him.