THE WELL-WRITTEN BLOCKBUSTER: AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION? HOLLYWOOD WRITERS LAMENT DUMBING DOWN OF SCREENPLAYS SPECIAL EFFECTS.Byline: Amy Dawes Daily News Film Writer With a movie slate dominated by dinosaurs, aliens, meteors and cruise ships This is a list of cruise ships, both those in service and those that have since ceased to operate. Both cruise ships and cruiseferries are included in this list. (Ocean liners are not included on this list, see List of ocean liners. run amok Amok (ā`mŏk), in the Bible, post-Exilic Jewish family. , some Hollywood writers believe that the well-crafted screenplay may be an endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. . They are complaining all the way to the bank. Earnings for film and television writers reached an all-time high of $650 million last year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. figures compiled by the Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is a term often referring to the joint efforts of the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, west. Jointly, the two guilds act as the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and . Still, many writers are dismayed that much of that money was earned doing tag-team salvage work on the kind of convoluted, high-concept fare that can make memorable writing a mission impossible. ``Our best writers and directors are being bribed into doing work that isn't really good and isn't what got them where they are,'' said Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is a talent and literary agency which represents a vast array of actors, musicians, writers, directors, and athletes, as well as a variety of companies and their products. literary agent Justin Connolly Justin Connolly (born London, 1933) is a British composer and teacher. He was educated at Westminster School, and then studied law for a while at the Middle Temple before deciding on a career in music. , speaking at a recent Writers Guild Foundation screenwriter's forum in Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. . ``The seductive amount of money that's available right now makes it difficult to say no, and difficult to tell your client to say no,'' added Jeremy Zimmer, head of the literary department at United Talent Agency. Even writers who are making a fortune in the current climate have their laments. ``When the premise is so tyrannical, the writer is going to have a hard time,'' said David Koepp, who penned the script for ``Jurassic Park: The Lost World'' and contributed to ``Mission: Impossible.'' ``The special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. become the star of the film, and that leaves the writer and actors struggling to justify their position. It's a strange situation for the writer. The little things that you struggle over are the things that end up getting cut,'' Koepp said. Adding to writers' concerns is a system that values the director's creative role over the writer's and assigns the director far more importance in both the movie's credits and its publicity efforts. To counter that, the Writers Guild of America has undertaken a broad-based campaign to raise public consciousness about the contribution screenwriters make to the movies. Writer's role ignored ``It's been standard practice for too long that the writer is not included in a studio's publicity efforts for a movie and may not even be invited to the premiere,'' said Cheryl Rhoden, the WGA's director of public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. . ``Because this is a visual medium, the writer's role as an artist and a craftsman is often ignored, and we want to change that.'' The guild has engaged a publicity agency, Clein + White, to help encourage the studios to tap screenwriters as a promotional resource, among other things. It all comes under the heading of turnabout as fair play, according to Frank Pierson, a screenwriter (``Dog Day Afternoon'') and former WGA WGA Windows Genuine Advantage (Microsoft) WGA Writers Guild of America (union for screenwriters) WGA Wise Giving Alliance (Better Business Bureau) WGA wheat germ agglutinin president. ``In the '30s and '40s, movie directors made a concerted effort to increase their visibility and clout,'' Pierson said. ``Frank Capra did it by hiring a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most man who coined the phrase `the Capra touch.' At that time, Capra's most successful films were being written by a man named Robert Riskin Robert Riskin (March 30, 1897–September 20, 1955) was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra. Riskin began his career as a playwright, writing for many local New York City playhouses. .'' Riskin, who penned ``It Happened One Night'' for Capra, finally got ``so fed up with hearing about `the Capra touch,' '' according to Pierson, ``that he walked into Capra's office one day with 120 pages of blank typewriter paper. ``He threw it on Frank's desk and said, `There, Frank, put `the Capra touch' on that.' '' Screenwriters are doing more than that now. A coordinated effort ``This is the first time there's been a coordinated effort to raise the profile of the writer in this business,'' Pierson says. ``I like it because it has a positive thrust, instead of the whining and complaining that's gone on in the past.'' A three-day forum in Santa Monica recently brought top writers, directors, producers, studio executives and agents together with aspiring screenwriters and the public and was the guild's most visible effort yet promoting its writers. It drew more than 1,000 people and generated some unusually candid dialogue. Some panelists attributed the studios' current obsession with the kind of mega-budget movies that can generate toys and theme park rides to the fact that most studios are now part of huge entertainment conglomerates. ``The line between movies and theme park rides is being erased by companies who are in the business of providing both,'' said writer-director Phil Alden Robinson (``Field of Dreams''). ``Movies are being created from the outside in, not the inside out,'' said Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on (``When Harry Met Sally ...''). ``It's all about what will generate merchandise, what is marketable and what will open to kids.'' Even Kathleen Kennedy Kathleen Kennedy is the name of:
``I find that increasingly I'm dealing with a business mentality. I'm no longer dealing with a creative mentality,'' she said. John Gregory Dunne John Gregory Dunne (25 May 1932 - 30 December 2003) was an American novelist, screenwriter and literary critic. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and was a younger brother of author Dominick Dunne. He suffered from a severe stutter and took up writing to express himself. put his complaints about the way Hollywood treats writers in a recently released book, ``Monster,'' detailing eight years of studio interference during his involvement in the development of the Disney movie ``Up Close and Personal,'' which starred Robert Redford Noun 1. Robert Redford - United States actor and filmmaker who starred with Paul Newman in several films (born in 1936) Charles Robert Redford, Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Not all writers are complaining. ``I've been lucky,'' said Steven Zaillian, an Oscar winner for his adaptation of ``Schindler's List.'' ``But we'll see how long I can get away with writing movies that are not considered big box office.'' A small group of screenwriters - including Patrick Sheane Duncan (``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' ``Courage Under Fire'') and Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are a Hollywood screenwriting team. They met at the University of Southern California where they were roommates. Their first success was the popular but critically derided comedy Problem Child (1990). (``The People vs. Larry Flynt'') - have hired publicists to promote their careers. ``I think it got me some visibility I wouldn't have gotten otherwise,'' said Duncan. ``We're in a business where perception is more important than reality. One reason Joe Eszterhas (``Basic Instinct,'' ``Showgirls'') gets so much money is because the public knows his name, and that's important in this town.'' That's the kind of thinking publicist Harry Clein wants to encourage. ``There's a certain reality that we have to deal with,'' said Clein. ``The press today is very celebrity-driven, and if they're going to choose one person to talk to, other than the star, it's probably going to be the director.'' CAPTION(S): Drawing, 3 Photos Drawing: (Cover--Color) IS THE LITERATE, WELL-CRAFTED SCREENPLAY EXTINCT? While highly paid hack work tempts many writers, some try to buck Hollywood's low-brow trend Jon Gerung/Daily News Photo: (1) ``The special effects become the star of the film, and that leaves the writer and actors struggling to justify their position. It's a strange situation for the writer. The little things that you struggle over are the things that end up getting cut,'' says David Koepp, who contributed to the screenplay for ``Mission: Impossible,'' starring Tom Cruise. (2) Jeff Greenfield Jeff Greenfield (b. New York City, June 10, 1943) is an American television journalist, non-fiction writer, and novelist. He was born in New York City to Jewish parents Benjamin and Helen. He grew up in Manhattan and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1960. (``Nightline''), left, Robert Towne (``Chinatown''), Phil Alden Robinson (``Field of Dreams''), Ella Taylor (L.A. Weekly) and Frank Pierson (``Cool Hand Luke'') discuss Hollywood's obsession with mega-budget movies at a recent Writers Guild of America symposium in Santa Monica. (3) ``It's all about what will generate merchandise, what is marketable and what will open to kids,'' said director Rob Reiner, left, with film critic David Anson at the recent Writers Guild of America conference. |
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