Advice from a Producer

Yesterday a producer called to give me feedback on my latest script. She started out with, "Your banter is great, but not your storytelling." After that, she went on to tell me everything that needed to be changed — from the major premise to the tone.

At the end of the conversation she ended with, "I'm looking forward to reading the rewrite."

Still Alive & Breathing

A few years ago, comments like this would have taken me out at the knees. Today, I'm happy to discover I wasn't devastated. In fact, I'm upbeat and ready to rewrite.

Maybe it's because I know a couple things I didn't know back then:

1. Producers don'ts see your script as a personal story with an important message needing to be communicated. They see it as source material that can be used to create something marketable.

2. They don't mean any of the comments as a personal attack. This is business. Your write the product, they sell it. And they would like direct you to create a product they can sell.

3. She doesn't believe my storytelling is bad. She wouldn't ask me to rewrite it if that were case. She just wants me to write the story she wants to sell, not necessarily the one I want to write.

A Revelation

I thought I might be disappointed today, considering what kind of rewrite this producer was proposing. But after all the rewriting I did with the last movie, I realize I kind of missed it.

There's a creative rush to have someone give you what seem like impossible comments and creatively find ways that not only solve the problems, but MAKE THE STORY BETTER in the process.

I'm surprised to find I'm aching to hit the keyboard running. Amazing what a few years and a little perspective will do.