TM The Documentary-Style “doculogue” and the making of by Kate McCallum Scout; Mission: Impossible “I feel like your 2; Moby Dick; Pacific responsibility is to try Heights; Perfect Romance; Resurrecting The Champ; to appeal to the highest Roswell; Role of a Lifetime; The Silver Surfer; Spawn; common denominator Spider-Man Unlimited; Star as opposed to the lowest Trek: The Next Generation; common denominator, The Sum of All Fears; Tales Writer-director From The Crypt; Timeline which is much easier.” Michael and more. Steven Gregory Michael Steven Gregory delves deeply into his own That quote is scribe Daniel Pyne This column has traditionally been dedi- professional experiences in the making of (The Sum of All Fears, The Manchurian cated to dissecting and tracking the pro- this film. As an independent filmmaker Candidate) eloquently explaining the role cess of creating, selling and writing for the and screenwriter of diverse material rang- you, the screenwriters, play in the creation screen, from the spark of an initial idea ing from mainstream dramas to biopics to of the myriad of content which makes its to the final product. In this issue we will documentaries to animated action-adven- way to the screen, be it big, small, direct- examine a topic close to the bone by featur- tures and videogames, he has also been to-video, webcast or, now, even portably ing the creation of writer-director Michael a writer on a variety of TV series for delivered through our cell phones. Steven Gregory’s We, The Screenwriter, a outlets like Fox, UPN and HBO, such As emergent technology continues to cre- highly informative, documentary-style “doc- as Spawn, Spider-Man Unlimited and The ate new outlets and formats for writers ulogue” which presents a frenetic, fast-paced Silver Surfer. He is currently attached as and content creators to explore and master, portrait of the person, process and profes- either a writer, director or producer on there is one thing that is eternal: the art of sion of screenwriting in today’s Hollywood. several projects in development, including good storytelling, or provocative narrative in Specifically, this film features 16 professional Behind The Badge, Spooks and an untitled the case of the documentary or non-fiction screenwriters who together have combined mini-series. In 1996 he made the docu- content. The creation of stories or content credits that span features and television, mentary We, The Writer, of which best- that moves us, touches us, entertains us including Air Bud; Any Given Sunday; selling author Gayle Lynds said, “It’s the or informs us in compelling, creative and Battlestar Galactica (2004); Cleopatra; finest film I’ve seen about the complexity, innovative ways is the great challenge writers Constantine; Hill Street Blues; Kiss, Kiss, simplicity, madness and complete logic of take on each and every time they are faced Bang, Bang; The Land of Oz; Lethal Weapon; writers and writing.” He is also president with a white page. The Long Kiss Goodnight; The Last Boy of The American Academy of Arts; has 28 s c r ( i ) p t scriptmag.com ( the great idea ) written, taught or overseen the produc- work, our efforts tend to get upstaged by QUOTES FROM tion of hundreds of student films; runs the the contributions of the director, actors or We, The Screenwriter annual Indie Filmmaker’s Bootcamp; and is special effects people when it comes to the executive director of the Southern California end realization. Most of us tend to work in Writers’ Conference, which has facilitated excruciating anonymity. nearly $3 million worth of book and screen Unlike We, The Writer, which I did in You can usually tell in the first few pages if the deals for new authors over its 20-year his- 1996 exploring the process and business writer knows his craft or not. tory. We, The Screenwriter is his latest film. of primarily book authors who are able to -- Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica; control the end result of their process, We, Mission: Impossible 2) scr(i)pt: You started out as a screenwriter The Screenwriter deals with those of us who and now you are also a director and pro- rarely can, but still hold out hope that the When you’re a woman, you need to be not only ducer. Why did you chose to make We, The end result will in some manner resemble somewhat talented and directed and disciplined, Screenwriter? the movie in our mind’s eye that we first but you also need to convince [them] that you’re Michael Steven Gregory: Because set out to write. serious. writers tend to work in isolation from the -- Deborah Serra (Snow White: A Tale of Terror; writing community, screenwriters most of scr(i)pt: How did you choose which topics Going for Broke) all. You write a book, and you can give to discuss? the manuscript to your friends or family MSG: Interviews with writers are typically I think starting from character is not a bad place to read and they get it. You can discuss the 60 Minutes, celebrity-oriented type of to go, but I’ve realized that it takes a lot more it. You can critique it. Everybody knows profile conducted by non-writers asking than just coming up with a compelling character how to read a book. Screenwriters don’t the same old questions which often fail to to create a screenplay. have that luxury. Screenwriters have about get to the real meat and spirit of what we -- Aaron Mendelsohn (Air Bud; Cat Tail) 80,000 words less to cram the emotional do—the stuff we get excited about. As with and intellectual breadth of a mainstream We, The Writer, the topics resulted from a [If} an executive puts a roadblock up, you’ll novel into your average feature film, even group of writer colleagues I’d asked to list just write another [script]. You can always write less for an hour or half-hour of television. 10 questions they’d most like to be asked another story, but what are they going to do? Few people outside the industry can read or ask another writer. The objective was to -- Frank Cappello (Timeline; Constantine) a script and assess it from an empiri- address the issues that nobody was there cally qualified perspective that takes into for us to turn to when we first started out. Because most of the people in power are much account not only the execution, but also Given the density of information and the younger than they used to be, most of them the production challenges and everything fairly intense style of the movie, my hope really don’t know their movies. else that must be factored in to deter- is that it’ll prove as uniquely valuable to -- Anton Diether (Cleopatra; Moby Dick) mine its commercial viability. I wanted to screenwriters, or anybody interested in the empower writers with what I hope is the creative process, as the first film, which The only thing I’ve written that I’m really, really insight, and often contradictory approaches is used in writing and M.F.A. programs proud of what’s on the screen is the movie I of working professionals addressing the art, across the country. directed. craft and business of what we do and how, -- Allison Burnett (Autumn in New York; Perfect and perhaps even more importantly, the scr(i)pt: You call the movie a “doculogue” Romance) who we are and why. versus a documentary. What’s the difference? MSG: When it comes to docs, it’s easy If you have a love affair with language, why not scr(i)pt: Just who did you discover to be we, for the writer-director to shape the path use it in a screenplay as well? the professional screenwriter? of the film by going in with an agenda. -- Shane Black (Lethal Weapon; Kiss, Kiss, MSG: We’re the Special Forces of the cre- Michael Moore, for example, is a master at Bang, Bang) ative writing world! Screenwriters are often this approach. With me, at least on the We exceptionally talented storytellers work- Write films, I prefer to let the conversation There are no rules, and they’re strictly enforced ing in an exceedingly competitive field dictate the shape of the story. I don’t use in Hollywood. requiring uniquely honed skills to satisfy any additional narrative other than what -- Sharon Y. Cobb (On Hostile Ground; very specific objectives on which a great comes from the writers’ voices. I love oral Lighthouse Hill) deal of money, talent, faith and passion is history. I love conversation and the rhythm invested. But unlike novelists, who have of dialogue and language. I believe that authorial stamp and recognition for their no number of how-to books combined (2005) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER s c r ( i ) p t 29 ( the great idea ) might reveal to the writer that one crucial bit of information that can personal profit. “You can’t do this.” “My way is the only way.” “Buy make all the difference [between] her work’s succeeding or not. Yet a my belief.” Sharon Cobb sums it up nicely in the movie: “There are casual talk over a drink in a bar, over a meal or coffee, somebody says no rules in Hollywood, and they are strictly enforced.” something about writing that contains this priceless little morsel of an aside in passing. Suddenly, your world opens up, and the secrets of scr(i)pt: Is that why you don’t disclose the identity of each of the the universe are unveiled.