Sometimes there is another way.. and sometimes you deal with stupid idiots.
"Can we remove the originality of the script and make it more--forgettable?"

There's another reason to be accommodating most of the time, Scott. You know it, of course. All scribes know it.

The component parts of the film train get replaced all the time on the way to contract lockdown and principle photog. Some parts shake loose through attrition. Some parts jump off to go join a shinier, sexier train.

Never draw the line in the sand unless you absolutely have no choice. A "Sure, I'll take a shot at it!" buys you time. Even if you're ready to feed your own nipples to the aquarium piranhas before you turn in a moronic rewrite.

Wait it out if you can. A few days. A couple weeks. And in that time the director might drop out. The obnoxious female lead pushing for "a more whimsical touch" might get cold feet or fire her agent and be gone.

Rolling Stones that sucker and let time be on your side.

The worst that can happen is, you tell 'em you tried but it never clicked, and everyone parts on reasonable terms. Sometimes, just hearing that you gave it a shot will make a director reconsider their concerns. Maybe the director just wanted to know you'd be a team player (his team).

Save the No's for driving up the price when they're bidding on your spec.

Great post, Scott. This story will stay in my mind if I'm ever fortunate enough to be in a similar position.

There are other ways besides trauma to acquire paranormal abilities.

Personally I don't need to read or see another movie about girls/women being abused to know that eventually they find their power and triumph.

Isn't there enough shit in the news with fathers abusing their daughters, why would you want to add to it...especially if you are in a position where your material is being read and produced?

Quit complaining. That director saved us from putting more crap into our psyches.

It's all part of the job. And consider this - who you gonna give your next tricky writing assignment to? The guy who said no, or the one who gave it his best shot. I'm currently going through a re-write that is cutting right through the heart of the original script. Why? A name actor (starred in an Oscar-winner) wants his character to change. Did I say no? Did i f**k. And guess what - I think it might turn out better. So not only is there always another way - there's also always a better way. That's the one to look for.

A reader or writer wants a change: NO. WRITE YOUR OWN.
Someone who wants to make the movie wants a change:

Probably, do you have any ideas as to what type of mood you want?
I knew it was dark subject matter but I use a unique blend of intercuts with the "other" sibling during these "darker moments."

Perhaps we could go with psychological abuse regarding an eating disorder or a resemblance to the mother.


Ooops, got carried away.

@Anony: If you read the description of 'The Business of Screenwriting' series at the bottom of the post, you'll see this:

"I've made some good choices, some okay decisions, and some really stupid ones. Hopefully you'll be the wiser for what you learn here."

This post falls into the "really stupid ones" category. So no, I'm not complaining, but rather confessing a mistake I made.

I think Belzecue offers the best response: "Sure, I'll take a shot at it." That does buy you time which can help you unlock other possibilities.

@ Scott... Like trying to woo the prom queen... she may say no the first time... but there's always another way!

@ Anony... please don't rent "Peyton Place." Your head would explode.

It's an interesting dilemma because as you note, you'd made that detail so integral that if you were going to remove it, you might as well just come up with a new story. I've spent all day thinking of how I might have given notes on it, and this is a toughie.

Was there ever any thought to making it a step-father rather than a biological father? That could have lessened the "ick" factor that surely turned off the director. Also, could it have been a more vague sexual molestation rather than outright sex? As much as L&O: SVU has made people less squeamish about watching these sorts of crimes in "entertainment," straight-up incest is still a pretty big taboo.

I also found it interesting you voiced his crime as a more passive "he causes them to lose their virginity." My first thought was "He doesn't cause them to 'lose' it - he TAKES it!" I have to wonder the less aggressive way in which you describe the act underlines your own discomfort with depicting it.

@TBSR: I actually ended up working with a producer and reworked the story removing the incest angle. That script generated some interest, but it didn't sell. But it does underscore my main point: There is always another way.

I haven't read it, but I imagine that I would agree with the director. Horror movies are fun to watch-- we love to be scared. Rape-incest is horrible to contemplate and no fun at all. It's a tone problem.

So I would tap into the same underlying emotion, but in a less upsetting way: The investigator eventually finds out that, in this family, the girls always start to grow gossamer-wings at ten years old, but the males always chop the wings off, even though they know this devastates the girls.

The audience would still get, subliminally, what this is a metaphor for, but they'd still get to enjoy themselves without being overwhelmed with moral revulsion.