Film Courage: Why is there such a backlash toward working screenwriters from screenwriters
who have either never sold something or maybe just sold one script and there's
a misconception of success? Frank Dietz, Artist/Screenwriter: Yes... I think that part of that probably comes
from you know now we have the IMDB and and you know your credits get and get
posted there but the only credits that get posted or the movies that get made
right so you don't see that the ten other movies that you know you the the
writer was hired to do that you know may have gone as far along as the movie I
was talking about a few minutes ago about what that Todd Traina [film producer, writer and owner of Red Rover Films] and I did where we
got all the way into pre-production and then you know it got shut down sometimes
sometimes the producers just lose interest in the project and so there's
all kinds of reasons why the movies don't get made but I I think that
especially writers who are new to the business or trying to break in or
something like that they can look at that's somebody who's written a
screenplay book and say well I only made one movie I mean I know that the save
the cat guy I'm not a big fan of that book but you know he had written one big
movie which was a blank check I think it was called or something like that and
and then he wrote this this book about screenwriting that a lot of people
bought and a lot of people were saying we have what was like so this guy wrote
you know all these books and you'd only only wrote one movie well no he didn't
write one movie he wrote lots of movies it just happens that that particular
movie is the one that got made you know I mean I could easily write a book about
screening and they would look at my resume and go oh you know he only had
you know one movie made in the last ten years you know and and they'd be right
according to the IMDB but they wouldn't see I happy to parade out all the checks
that I've gotten my mother my mother producers and other projects you know
what I mean um and you know look I I was there once - absolutely I'm it's before
before you really understand what this business is
a lot to this business that you don't see you don't know and to you are in it
because you're basing your your preconceived notions of what this
business is based on what you've seen on television what you've seen in in movies
about movies and sometimes sometimes it's true a lot of the times it's not
and that's good and that goes back to way back to what you know making movies
about movies from in the 1930s and 40s you know that was never accurate Sunset
Boulevard yeah oh my god the James Cagney movie a man of a thousand faces
which was a biography of lon chaney the silent film actor it's all baloney I
mean there's so much in that movie that is not true about movies there's not
true about lon chaney you know what I mean but I believed it when I watch that
movie you know when I saw it when I was younger I was like God so that's how it
happens how it works you know that's like I said before that's where you know
you're walking on the set and then they are the knight in shining armor is going
this way and the bunny the guy in the bunny costumes going this way the chorus
girls going that way what about Trumbo sorry to interrupt but what about even
though they did their restage is okay you feel I'm I mean there's always going
to be a screenwriter has to adapt the story to a certain degree that it's up
to the screenwriter and the producers how close to the truth they want to stay
these days it's you're the closer to the truth the better because you're gonna
get ripped to shreds you know back then nobody really cared
you know but and now and now there's a lot more research available too that is
not just to the screenwriter who's writing the script or did the people who
are gonna see the movie and they're gonna go oh let me find out about this
guy and so you know it's just like adapting a novel you know you you you
are right you're making a movie this is the movie this is not real life you know
I'm sure Argo the movie that been made is there's
there's a lot that's not true about that story the story is true but your movies
are entertainment I mean you could learn something from them hopefully at times
but you you're not you're not telling the reality that can be a documentary
and even though sometimes are twisted to documentaries are making somebody
understand somebody's point of view about a story right but um you know this
is the job to make uh something that entertains whether whether it makes you
laughing it makes you cry it scares you to death
you know just makes you feel good whatever it is that's the job and so so
it'd been the truth from time to time and so the reality for a working
screenwriter is you may be hired you to write something you may spend months on
something multiple drafts you just get that one payment for
completing the manuscript but then or for the actual script but then excuse me
several payments but oh it's a okay so it's several payments and it's okay they
give you for the first draft and writing it so it's usually broken down like that
okay interesting so you get the series of checks or whatever with the promise
that maybe more will come if it's made and then it's never made it's not on
your I might be so it'll be an it'll being in the contract that it'll say
that the full amount based on the the the total budget will be paid it'll be
this amount based on this budget and will be paid no a no later than first
day of principal photography so that's why that's why we like the first day
first day of principal check it's very nice to get but then continuing on
knowing that that could be a reality yeah and that you won't always I know
you said with I hate kids it sounds like just a magical experience all in all in
so many different parts of it yeah and it may never mimic that for a lot of
people there warm and bracing and look is there in
Dippet as' I I consider this this this crazy business which I love it's a house
always a house of cards you can never tell when one little think little card
at the bottom of that thing is gonna be pulled out and then the whole thing
comes crashing down it happens all the time so I always say you know look
nothing nothing is real until it is and that means going right up to you can
even be shooting a movie and it can be shut down so I you know it's it's a it's
a crazy crazy business and I love every minute of it
you