As you progress in your writing career, you will discover that people whom you expect to look out for your best interests aren't necessarily doing so. You should always take into account the motives and interests of the people on your team when you make decisions.
Consider agents. On the face of it, what could be more straightforward than the relationship between a writer and an agent. It is built on mutual benefit. The more money the agent gets for your script, the more money he will make as a percentage. What could be simpler? Of course, your agent will act in your best interests.
Well, maybe not. A writer who produces sell-able work is indeed a valuable commodity to an agent, but their ongoing relationship with studios and production companies is even more valuable to them. You may only write one screenplay a year. The agent, on the other hand, has to represent scripts by dozens of writers each year and there are only so many A-list buyers. Except in rare circumstances, like a bidding war for an extremely hot script, your agent is not going to alienate a studio or production by pushing them too hard for your interests. This is especially true if you are represented by a major agency that plans to package the film. The commission they receive on the sale of your script will be peanuts compared to the overall package. You and your concerns will not be their chief concern.
Here's an example from the book world. A friend of mine wrote a children's book. He got an agent that normally didn't deal with children's books. The agent got him a nice advance from a publisher. As his career progressed, he discovered that his first advance was larger than the advances normally offered by the publisher. He found out why. His agent didn't have or need an ongoing relationship with the publishers of children's book. She knew she wouldn't have to be sitting across the table from them again in a week. Therefore, she didn't have to accept the status quo. Her only interest was in getting her client the best possible deal and she did so.
I never had a manager so I have no personal experience on that front. However, I have heard about the concerns of other people. Managers often like to position themselves as producers on the projects they shepherd. This can be good for you, but it can also be bad. Suppose a production company likes your script, but doesn't want another producer..... Also, suppose two companies are interested in your script. One of them doesn't want your manager as a producer, but the other one does and they are willing to pay him a fee to act as such....
Lawyers have well-defined rules concerning conflicts of interests, but that doesn't necessarily mean they always act in your best interest. Let me give you an example. Once upon a time we needed a producers' representative, many of whom happen to be lawyers. We picked one who had handled some well-known movies in the glory days of independent film. He would receive a certain percentage of the final negotiated deal. That would make you think he would be interested in getting us the best possible deal, but that's not the whole picture. Since he was a lawyer, we were also required to pay him a retainer of $5000. His work on our behalf was desultory at best. Why? Because any sale was irrelevant to him. He repped a ton of films. He was making a living on the retainers alone. The money he made from percentages was just gravy.
Sometimes you can even get in trouble with a co-writer. Suppose your partner is also a director. Will he be willing to sell the script to a production company that doesn't want him to direct it? These are the kind of questions you have to ask before you start a project.
Okay, okay. You sold your script and you were very happy with the deal. Everything is okay now, right?
Don't count on it. Things get even crazier in pre-production and on the shoot. This is when most scripts get yanked and pulled out of shape. Why? Because everybody above the line wants to twist the script into what suits their career needs best. Sometimes this can be a good thing, sometimes not so much.
I saw this in the commercial world before I even wrote my first screenplay. Directors would bid on a three spot campaign because they saw one script they thought would be good for their reel. Then they would pour all of their resources into that single spot and do a desultory job on the remaining ones. The same is true of feature films. Most aspiring directors will jump on any project just to work even if they don't have a feel or heart for the material, and then try to bend the film into something more to their personal liking. I know directors who took projects simply with the hope of getting a sequence or two for their demo reel. You don't want that kind of director on your project. You want someone who believes in the script.
You can also have the same problem with actors. It is not uncommon for an actor to see a role differently than the writer or the producer or the director. And if they're a big enough star, they'll get it their way even if it destroys the original conception of your story.
Let me give you an example how a story can change due to unexpected cross purposes.
I co-wrote a film called The Encounter with Timothy Ratajczak for PureFlix. It was a faith-based film about a group of strangers who end up in a diner with a man who claims to be Jesus. The extremely low budget film was directed by, but not starring, PureFlix co-founder David A.R. White. At the time, the film was definitely the redheaded stepchild on the production slate. PureFlix poured most of its limited resources into the higher budget end times film Jerusalem Countdown, which starred David A.R. White. More than anything, David wanted to be an action star and Jerusalem Countdown was a chance to achieve that goal. (He only had a small cameo at the end of The Encounter.) However, upon release Jerusalem Countdown was met with indifference while The Encounter found an enthusiastic audience and became the company's most profitable film until the God's Not Dead series.
Obviously, a sequel was needed for The Encounter. Tim was on a temporary hiatus from PureFlix and left me to work on the sequel alone. What the audience loved about The Encounter was that it gave characters they could relate to a chance to ask Jesus real world questions. It proved to a tremendous evangelical tool. Everyone agreed that the second film should answer the questions that trouble young people. Since most PureFlix films at the time were rip-offs of successful secular films, we decided to do a Breakfast Club style film, except this time the delinquent high school students would find themselves stuck in a classroom after hours with Jesus. Time to cue Simple Minds....
But not so fast!
Since the first film was so successful, David A.R. White chose to star in the second film and, because he owned the company, no one could say no. The only sizable adult role in the original concept was that of Jesus and, sadly, that role was already taken. Therefore, it was time to say bye-bye to The Breakfast Club. New orders were issued. David wanted to be an action star, so The Encounter had to become an action film. He wanted to play a criminal or corrupt cop.
A new plot was quickly developed. David became the head of a gang that robbed a company. His younger brother is wounded in the robbery. David takes him to the home office of a rural doctor and holds the staff and other patients hostage while his brother is treated. And guess what! One of the other patients happens to be Jesus. Okay, okay. If that's what the producer/star wants, that's what he gets. Granted, the storyline didn't seem to have the same everyman appeal as the original film but David would be able to shoot and punch people.
But not so fast!
I was already writing that version when a new directive came down from on high. Now the film had to be shot in Thailand. Why? Because some PureFlix folks (not David!) had met girls in Thailand during another production and now they wanted to shoot another film there so that they could visit them again on the investor's dime. Who was I to stand in the way of love? And that's how a little film about people talking to Jesus in a diner got a sequel about a morally corrupt cop chasing a drug smuggler in Southeast Asia. The Encounter Paradise Lost worked better than it should have mainly because of some fine direction and heartfelt performances, but it definitely was not the sequel the original audience wanted or expected, despite having the distinction of being the first film where someone points a gun at Jesus. (Tim later wrote the script for a second sequel based on the Breakfast Club concept. However, that film was not shot because PureFlix chose to make an Encounter web series instead.)
The journey between The Encounter and The Encounter Paradise Lost is a perfect example of what happens when different people work at unexpected cross purposes on a project. Does that mean that you, the humble screenwriter, should not trust agents, managers, lawyers, directors, producers or stars? No, of course not. Film is a collaborative business, and sometimes your collaborators will discover possibilities you missed and enhance your vision. However, you must always be aware that everyone involved in your project will be looking after their own interests. Hopefully, you will be able to juggle them more successfully than me!
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Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
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Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
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