John August

QandA

How much research does it take?

QandA, Writing Process

1. When you are working on characters or bits of plot, how
much do you research them? For example, if a character’s profession
played a major
role, would you feel compelled to learn everything you can about profession?

2. How far should a writer try to flesh out a character? I feel like in order
for my characters to be real (at least to me), I need whole life stories on
them. Is that necessary or even useful?

–Andrea Hammond

Your questions are very timely, because I’m currently deciding whether to
take on a project set in a very dangerous part of Africa. I love the idea of
the movie and the filmmakers involved, so the focus of my decision process
is whether I feel I could write the movie without physically going to the region.
I would classify myself as moderately adventurous, but I have no interest in
catching malaria or being shot in the head, both of which would be (remote)
possibilities if I were to travel there. And yet I love to write on location,
so I would probably go if given the chance.

On one hand, the idea of first-hand experience is a little silly. George Lucas
has never been in space, and even though James Cameron became an expert on
the Titanic, his movie was much more concerned with the love story he invented.

But there’s a lot to be said for research in pursuit of verisimilitude. Imagine
if Dr. Carter on E.R. referred to "that tube thing-y." Most of the
show’s writers aren’t medical doctors, just as the "Sopranos" writers
aren’t Mafia, but they’ve all learned enough of the appropriate lingo so that
we believe the characters really know what they’re talking about.

When fleshing out your characters, that level of detail should be your goal.
You don’t need to know everything, just enough to firmly place them in the
world.

MPAA numbers

Film Industry, QandA

I know about WGA and Library of Congress copyright registration, but someone
told me that films also get MPAA numbers on the scripts? Is this true?

–V. Thomas

You don’t need to worry about this. Really. Ever. At all. I’ve made a couple
of big studio movies, and I’ve never seen an MPAA number on anything.
But since you’re curious, I’ll tell you a bit about the the magic numbers.

The MPAA is a trade organization made up of
the seven major film studios: Fox, Warner Bros., Sony, MGM, Disney, Universal
and Paramount. While these studios compete fiercely with each other, they work
together through the MPAA on issues of common interest, such as preventing
piracy, maintaining copyright, and establishing ratings. The MPAA — specifically
its president, Jack Valenti — is the "face" of the film industry
to Congress.

Way down on the list of MPAA responsibilities is the job of keeping track
of its members’ movies, for all sorts of internal reasons. That’s when a movie
is assigned a number, which is probably the same "MPAA number" your
friend saw on a script.

It’s nothing a screenwriter ever needs to worry about, but now you know.

Paying for notes?

QandA, So-Called Experts

I would like
to get my script evaluated by a professional. How do I know who is reputable,
honest and skilled at this? And how much (approx.) should it cost?

–Anonymous

In Los Angeles, it’s pretty rare for the writer to pay for notes or coverage.
Usually, it’s done as a favor, either by friends who work in the industry,
as part of a class, or in exchange for work done at an internship. Professional
readers and story analysts are generally paid by the buyer, either a studio or production company, and spend their days reading through the material submitted
for consideration.

I worked as a reader for two years when I first moved to L.A., first as an
unpaid intern, then later for TriStar. It’s a good first job for any screenwriter,
as you get the opportunity to read a lot of scripts, and eventually earn enough
to pay rent.

There are some freelance analysts who will read and critique your work for
a fee. You can find listings for them in the back of Variety, The Hollywood
Reporter and the various screenwriting magazines. While I’m sure many of them
are dedicated and conscientious, there are a few things I would ask to see
before writing a check. First, they should show you a sample of the coverage
or story notes they write. Ask yourself, if you were handed this document,
would it help you write your next draft? Second, they should be able to give
you some references, both in terms of writers they’ve helped and places they’ve
worked. Third, you need to have some sort of contract or agreement that makes
it clear that they are working for you on a one-time basis, and that you’re
not signing over any rights to them. Many freelance readers are also aspiring
producers, and you need to be clear what the boundaries are.

Obviously, these are the kinds of guarantees you’re looking for when you’re
dealing with a complete stranger. If you’re dealing with a friend, acquaintance,
or friend-of-a-friend, you’ll probably be a little more flexible in your requirements.

How much should you pay? Like eye surgery, you really don’t want to shop for
the cheapest rate you can find. I could imagine it costing as little as $100,
or as much as $500. Only you know how much it’s worth to you.

There’s one online service I’ve seen that does coverage and story notes, called
ScriptShark. This is in no way an endorsement, because
I don’t know if they’re any good. But if any reader has worked with them or
any similar service, I’d love to hear about your experience, so I can pass
it along in a future column.

Film censorship

Film Industry, QandA

In your opinion, can film censorship be used as a form of publicity to increase
market interest?

–Alex Rimmer

I can only answer in terms of the U.S., where "film censorship" usually
equates with getting an "NC-17" rating, which makes it difficult
to book theaters and advertise.

While there’s some tradition of a distributor milking a ratings fight for
publicity (SHOWGIRLS, DOGMA, CRASH), I’m not convinced the drama puts any more
butts in seats opening weekend. Rather, I suspect that the number of patrons
attracted by the controversy is largely offset by the number turned off. And
it’s important to remember that most of the movies branded NC-17 receive the
rating for sexual content, which is difficult to market beyond a certain level
anyway. The attendant controversy only highlights the sexual aspect of the
picture.

For truly tiny movies that might otherwise get no publicity at all, talk of
censorship might be an effective strategy. But for most movies, trying to generate
controversy this way seems ill-advised in my opinion.