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Leatherface: New Prequel of Texas Chainsaw Massacre


D-Ray Kenobi
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Financially-- marginally. I was paid up front, which is standard for legit studios. I did have a bonus that would come if it hit a certain box office gross. I'm not sure it would have hit the target normally, but with a limited run definitely not.

 

Artistically-- I lost control of that the second I turned it and the directors and actors took over. Overall I like what I've seen, but they definitely had their own vision for some things. Unless you're Nolan, Speilberg, Bay, Abrams, or Cameron you're going to compromise somewhere. (Or if you're self-funded).

 

Professionally speaking, I've already been paid, entered the union, and gotten new jobs based just on the script. If the movie does well it helps me, if it does not, the directors take the blame.

 

Doing it this way helps Horror fans get to it directly, and it avoids being criticized by mainstream critics by not being theatrical. The downside is, despite VOD being pretty much standard for TV and indie, there's still a stigma to it when it's in a franchise that used to go to theaters.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

 

Artistically-- I lost control of that the second I turned it and the directors and actors took over. Overall I like what I've seen, but they definitely had their own vision for some things. Unless you're Nolan, Speilberg, Bay, Abrams, or Cameron you're going to compromise somewhere. (Or if you're self-funded).

 

 

 

Have you written anything and once it was turned in, it was changed radically from what you wrote? Did it anger you or offend you, if the change was poorly done, or did you just look at it like it was just a job and you got paid, so whatever?

 

Also, was there an instance where something you wrote was radically changed, but you found it to be even better than what you wrote?

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It's pretty much a rule of thumb that in this business at some point you'll be re-written, and at another point you'll be rewriting somebody else.

 

Also, the union arbitrates rewrites so if you are rewritten to the point your stuff is gone, your name comes off. It's uncommon to have sole writer credit these days. Most movies have a couple writers.

 

I'm pretty lucky in that I'm the only credited writer on Leatherface, but even then, like I said, things were made up in production by the directors, some lines get changed up or improved on set, if a producer "doesn't get it" a scene could be reshot until they do... last cut I saw, despite being the only writer, there was a good 10% I didn't cook up. Most of it I liked, one particular bit I hated.

 

You can also remove your name. I have one script that was given a rewrite because REASONS and was completely different. As the first writer and originator I'll still get a STORY BY credit no matter what, but I asked to be dropped cause I didn't like where they went. (After I was paid of course). I doubt it'll ever get made.

 

Most of my work since Leatherface has been doing this to other people's work. Rewrites where the concept is saved, but they are starting over from page one.

 

To your first question-- yes. If I was one writer in the middle of a series, like with London Has Fallen, which wasn't my concept, I had no problem with being replaced. I'm still living on that payout and it got me in the union and I got to live in London for a month working at Pinewood the same as TFA.

 

If it was my own concep, like above, it's more difficult to accept.

 

As for the second question-- right now I'm working with a pretty powerful and well-known producer. And while she's not rewriting me she has given pretty epic notes and suggestions. She's the only person to do that where it's ended up bettering the script-- but she's a vet and a former writer whose made some of my favorite films so it's not a shock.

 

I think most writers attach their ego (and self worth) to their ideas and a lot of times find if very hard to drastically pivot-- so they will generally think that their ideas are being ruined if somebody else takes the reigns.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

Ha! As soon as you said , "she's a vet and a former writer whose made some of my favorite films" I immediately had the person listed in that article you linked to in mind. Congrats!

 

Back to the question I asked. Thanks for the answer on that. I didn't realize re-writes were so common. Sounds like you have to expect it and know going in that there is a good probability that you will either have to collaborate with other writers, or your work will have re-writing of some extent done to it.

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Guest Robin

I was hoping it was Amy Heckerling so Driver would reveal his favorite film of all-time is Look Who's Talking.

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  • 2 weeks later...

protip: if you write a movie try to know when the trailer is coming out so you can scrub yourself from social media ahead of time.

 

Also, time to write that apology letter to George Lucas.

Has the stress driven you insane?

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protip: if you write a movie try to know when the trailer is coming out so you can scrub yourself from social media ahead of time.

 

Also, time to write that apology letter to George Lucas.

Has the stress driven you insane?

 

From anxiety?

Or you mean Lucas deserves no such treatment?

 

I saw nothing but positive reactions on Twitter, but granted I didn't look long or hard (heh heh) and have no doubt Seth gets things more directly. Either way, **** em man.

It's mostly super horror-nerds. Like, the horror version of Zerimar yelling at me about continuity, saying it's terrible, and spoiling it cause they got their hands on an early draft. They mostly run deep in comments fro horror sites.

 

Honestly, if Star Wars has proven anything, uber-aggrofans are NOT representative of general consensus but they manage to be the loudest voices online.

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protip: if you write a movie try to know when the trailer is coming out so you can scrub yourself from social media ahead of time.

 

Also, time to write that apology letter to George Lucas.

Has the stress driven you insane?

 

From anxiety?

Or you mean Lucas deserves no such treatment?

 

The Seth I know would never even entertain such a notion.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

 

 

...oh, and before you go onto Star Wars, please write for Star Trek, and fix that Discovery thing, first.

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Well at some point I'm going to try at write a Star Wars movie so I better clear the air...

...oh, and before you go onto Star Wars, please write for Star Trek, and fix that Discovery thing, first.

Both of these have to happen.

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  • 1 month later...
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