I know some of the English speaking readers of this blog tend to skip the posts I write in French so I’ll allow myself to say this again en anglais just to put future posts in context: I’m living a big first these days as a screenplay I wrote (cowrote, actually) is starting shooting in Montreal this weekend. It’s what we’d call here « une com�die dramatique », in this case a romantic comedy involving high school students just about to graduate.
There has been a very short delay between the time when the financing was gathered (all private, a first for a Quebec movie of that scope) and the time the production started. In the whirlwind that ensued, I found myself – just like many feature screenwriters before me – a bit out of the loop on the development of things. I hear about casting decisions on the phone when the crazily busy producer (and co-writer) has a minute to call, I’ve met the director only very briefly and I hear through the producer about changes to the screenplay when they involve a rewrite that’s longer than a few lines.
It’s an odd situation to have spent so much time with a screenplay, defending lines and discussing every changes, only to see it take off on its own like a child ready to move out of the house. It will be weird to go on the set and to be a stranger to the people who are now part of the project.
I know it’s the nature of the screenwriter’s job so I’m not too surprised and I’m getting used to it. I’m in a big rush on the book project I’m working on so the timing isn’t good anyway. I do hope that one day I’ll get to work very closely with a director, all the way through the shoot and during post-production. But hey, if I had wanted to direct, I should have stuck with it after grad school!
I read a lot of interviews with screenwriters and it’s funny to find myself in situations I’ve heard them describe over and over again. For example, a very well-known actress has agreed to join our cast but thought that one of her rare scenes should be expanded a bit, both in duration and intensity. It’s a request done by a lot of actors, if I believe the stories I read.
So I ended up doing a rewrite last night on a pivotal scene of the screenplay. What could have been an annoying task turned into a really exciting experience. I’ve seen that very talented actress act in numerous productions over the years. Knowing her voice and style helped me flesh out the character more and even though I always liked the scene the way it was (it was even one of my favorites in the story), I found myself so much more inspired by her « presence » that the scene ended up taking a more powerful dimension. I even felt quite moved while I was writing it, which I knew was a good sign. (Or maybe a sign that I was too tired.) I e-mailed the changes to the co-writer. She read it and she yelled at me, in a good way, for making her cry first thing in the morning!
I can’t wait to see what both the actress and the director will do with that scene. I’m learning to let go though. I know it’s way out of my hands at this point… ;-)
Martine, I am so anxious to see that movie! :-) Even though YOUR scenario may not be exactly the one I will see.
Hey, who knows, it might even be better! ;-)
Screenplays are a type of blueprint after all. Une sorte de plan de travail avec beaucoup, beaucoup de d�tails!
Et moi j’ai tendance � sauter ceux en anglais. :P
(Quinze minutes apr�s avoir envoy� mon commentaire, je me suis fait la remarque qu’en anglais, un sc�nario se dit screenplay. Bon. Disons que je me sers de tes billets anglophones pour pratiquer mon anglais, car �tre � Londres ne me suffit pas! J’aurais tendance � les sauter, comme Antoine, mais la cause est bonne! — J’admire ton biliguisme, mieux, ton talent d’�criture et en anglais et en fran�ais.)
Je ne m’�tais jamais rendu compte qu’un sc�nario, le r�alisateur nest pas « tenu » de les suivre � la lettre, comme le ferait un metteur en sc�ne traditionnel pour une pi�ce de Racine… �a doit en effet exiger des sc�naristes beaucoup de d�tachement!
Caroline: Merci du compliment! J’ai v�cu longtemps aux �tats-Unis alors �a aide.
Les anglophones utilisent aussi parfois le mot « scenario » mais c’est en g�n�ral davantage pour d�signer un « plan de match » comme dans: « Here’s the scenario for tonight: I’ll pick you up at the metro and then we’ll meet Angelina in Longueuil. » Et bien s�r il y a l’expression: « the best/worst case scenario. »
Le r�sultat fini d’un film est souvent surprenant par rapport au sc�nario d’origine. Il y a non seulement la r�alisation qui intervient et les acteurs qui changent le dialogue mais le montage aussi vient souvent donner une tout autre dimension � l’oeuvre. C’est dans cette �tape que le film prend vraiment forme et c’est incroyable ce que les monteurs peuvent arriver � faire avec des heures et des heures de pellicule � assembler. Le montage est vraiment l’�tape qui se rapproche le plus de l’�criture. C’est comme si le film « subissait » une deuxi�me �criture!
C’est int�ressant de lire des sc�narii et de comparer ensuite avec la version finale sur l’�cran. Le probl�me c’est que de nombreux sc�narii disponibles pour le t�l�chargement sur le Web sont en fait des retranscriptions du produit fini � l’�cran et non pas les v�ritables sc�narii d’origine.
Ceci �tant dit, c’est diff�rent en t�l�vision. Les auteurs ont beaucoup plus de contr�le sur le produit fini et les r�alisateurs collent davantage au texte original.
Voil� une r�ponse qui m’en apprend beaucoup. ;) Merci de ta g�n�rosit�
fantastic! i remember when you were telling me about this at YULblog, and still didn’t want to « uncross your fingers » because things were still a bit up in the air.
and now you have actors! people! flesh under the words!
i can imagine that must be a fun experience, to write or rewrite with a real person in your head. i know that’s what we’re supposed to be doing to begin with — through character development, etc. — but to get one that you haven’t invented yourself; it sounds challenging, but also fun.
yay!
Howdy!
It just occurred to me, since you’re now going to be in such demand as a scenario writer, any chance of making a key scene in your next film happen in an underground art gallery?
And, congratulations, too, this is wicked cool!
This is so exciting! Congrats cubed — no matter what the small compromises may be, working with real live people saying your lines and being a part of how it changes… I can’t think of anything more fun.