I look across the street. “Wow, what a beautiful elm tree.”
You look across. “Elm?”
“The tree, right there.”
“What are you looking at?”
“The freakin’ pretty tree! The leaves. The October golden leaves are all over the place. Are you blind?”
“I see a fireplug, man. That dog’s gonna… yeah, saw that coming.”
When is a pretty tree not a pretty tree? When your collaborator says so. This is creative DISagreement, or creative conflict, or being up shit creek. It means you’re not seeing the same big picture. You’ve heard of this condition before. When a Hollywood director or actor splits a movie, they talk of “creative differences”, That’s code for two artists–a writer-director, director-producer, director-actor, whathaveyou, just not seeing it the same way.
I’m likely in the minority when I say: This is not a bad thing. There is an art of creative disagreement. On a practical level, if my collaborator and I really are too far apart to work together,the sooner I learn that, the better. On a deeper level, the notion of you and I agreeing on every direction as a good thing, is highly overrated. I don’t want a collaborator agreeing with my every notion. I want to be challenged. I want to be pushed to a deeper level, to places where I never considered the first time around. Only way that happens is if you’re working with someone who:1-You respect. 2-Is a talented motherfucker. 3-Has a thick skin, is a workaholic, brings a different POV and 4-Works with a similar process/method as you.
Please don’t forget the legal aspect. I wrote previously about the Screenwriter’s Prenuptial Agreement. If you have history with your collaborator and there’s years of working together and trust, sure, you probably don’t have to draw up legal paperwork. But if you have none of those things, consider a co-writer’s agreement. Lay out ahead of time what each of you will contribute, what each of you want in terms of back end compensation. I’ve learned the hard way, get it in writing. It will save bitter tears and wall headbanging.
Don’t underestimate process, the method of collaboration. How exactly are you planning on sharing the load? Figure out the division of labor up front. Expectations are important, so set realistic goals. Each collaboration is different. If we’ve worked for years on multiple projects, we’ve probably got our “system” worked out. Will we write every day? Will there be weekly page goals? Do I write the outline and you write the dialogue? Do I write the first draft and you write the polish? If we’re not working from the same city, how are we communicating? Skype? Google Docs? Phone calls? Email?
When you look at writer credits in movies you might see: Written by: Joe Blow & Jim Blow. The ampersand (&) means the writers collaborated. If it says: Written by: Joe Blow & Jim Blow and Jack Jones, it means the Blow Brothers collaborated and Jack Jones contributed his own draft, independently.
With a Studio movie or big-budget Indie, you’ll make some $$$ when you sell the script. The downside is you will have zero input on who will be your collaborators. Dreamworks is not going to consult you on who you think should be directing the movie. But with micro-budget… As the writer, there’s a damn good chance you’ll have a say in who the director will be. Hell, odds are, the director/producer IS you.
We’ll talk more about the collaborative process later. Meanwhile, remember: Choose your partners well, and don’t fear creative Disagreement.
To close out, I want to mention two worthy causes for a pair of Chicago ladies who have helped me in my own causes for some time. There’s a worthy Indiegogo campaign you folks should look into called A Sort Of Homecoming. And congrats to Kristen Mack and her son Parker on this one!
Notable also, Linda Frothingham and ChicagoHollywood.com have got another all-day event planned to help Chicago-area screenwriters take the next step in their development. Rudy Langlais, Ronnie Yeskel, and entertainment lawywer Hal “Corky” Kessler will talk shop all day Saturday, March 15. Check here for more details.
