Chapter 7 From Page to Screen 285Q
How does the screenwriter fit into the filmmaking process?A
Th e ideal way for the screenwriter to fi t is to have a good collaboration
with the director from the start. In the best-case scenario, the screenwriter’s
opinions are included through pre-production—the director would
welcome their thoughts about casting and include the writer in all
rehearsals. Th e writer would also be welcome to share thoughts on art
design, props, wardrobe, hair and makeup. Most importantly, the writer
would be on the set throughout the production. At that stage of the game,
the story is now in the hands of the director, but in an ideal world, the
screenwriter would be there to rewrite scenes that aren’t working, to hear
actors’ suggestions and requests for changes, and to make adjustments
to scenes if the need arises during the course of production.Th e screenwriter and the director should have an ongoing dialogue
throughout the fi lmmaking process—albeit one in which the writer
respects the director’s vision and understands that it is now the director
who has creative control over the script. Th e director can benefi t from
the writer’s ideas, especially because the writer continues to hold a
vision of the work as a whole, while the director is faced with so many
immediate demands that it’s sometimes not possible to focus beyond
the scene being shot at that moment.Q
What have been some of your greatest challenges?A
As a professional screenwriter, I am constantly challenged by my inability
to retain control of my screenplays. It’s devastating to pour my heart,
soul, and sometimes years of work into a screenplay that doesn’t get
produced. It’s also heartbreaking to be “fi red” off a project and to watch
my baby be handed over to someone else to rewrite.Q
What have been among your most fulfi lling experiences?A
While it’s defi nitely thrilling to see the name of my fi lm on a marquee,
and to watch people walk into a theater with tickets to the movie I wrote,
I fi nd production to be the most exhilarating part of the process. You
fi nd yourself standing on sets that were just one-dimensional images
in your mind; you’re hearing actors say words that you alone spoke
out loud in front of your computer. Th ose movie moments you’ve
lived with in your head are suddenly ALIVE. Despite the heartache
and struggles that this career can bring, I keep writing screenplays
because of my desire to see my work produced, and to have my vision
inform the fi nished fi lm. What keeps me going is my love of the craft
of screenwriting; patience and persistence; the ability to handle despair;
my belief in my own skill and talent; and my passion to tell stories.Visit the textbook website to read the entire interview with Pamela Gray.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).