Schmucks with Underwoods

Sooner or later the idea of respect hits many writers, if not all. The saying in the title was said by Jack Warner of the Warner Brothers studios, now in Burbank. Then there's the joke about the not-too-smart Actress who slept with the writer.

Nasty, huh, you have to wonder though, who got hurt the most, her or the writer.

This is also a touchy subject, a lot of writers will agree with me, a lot won't. But after 32 years of writing and making films, I have a bit of an edge over someone who's experience is reading Robert McKee or Truby (two of "how-to" books on screenwriters).

Why no respect?

Again, everyone has a different answer. For example, consider this:

I was hired by a Vancouver producer to write a screenplay on a book about a true murder in Vancouver in 1923. It was a great story, a Canadian version of Chinatown and I really wanted to do it. A handful of writers had already taken a shot at it, but none of them nailed it. I was hot after doing a couple of series and hand 2 screenplays in development so producer "Rob" hired me.

Rob was known as a somewhat dishonest producer, he owed money all over town and was pretty difficult. But I had the Guild behind me, in this instance, Writer's Guild of Canada. I wrote the screenplay after a few weeks of research, including meeting some actual people from that era.

When I finished it, the author of the book loved it, said it was different than he expected, but good. Very good. I was paid my first advance and now was ready to hand it in to Rob. However Rob was going to Hawaii. But I caught him at the office, and in front of his staff, handed him the screenplay.

Two weeks later he returned and refused to pay me, saying he didn't get the screenplay. Really, he said that. He owed me $10,000 and finally after I kept at him, he offered me a deal. $6000 and that's it. Take it or leave it.

I read the contract, his lawyer neglected one thing; to say that I was accepting the lower amount and that I could not go after him again. Dumb move as I had an out. So I signed it, he paid me $6000 and after I deposited the check...

But where's the Guild? Why aren't they told?

When the check cleared, I immediately called the Guild, told them the whole story and they immediately asked him for full payment. I got it within a week. And needless to say he told others that "I'd never work in that town again."

Producers like Rob, and there are many, feel that writers are just there to use and throw away. After all, there were others who tried to write that screenplay and some of them never got paid as they weren't in the Guild.

I've always thought that producers don't like us for a handful of reasons;

1. They hire us before anyone else and have to pay us first, even if the movie eventually doesn't get made.

2. They don't really know if we wrote it, after all we go home and write in total privacy. For all they know, the cat could have written it. Our job is the only one that the producer doesn't see work. When the film is shooting, he can see people work. But not us.

3. They stand the chance of not liking the screenplay (and I sympathize with them on this as sometimes the script doesn't work. And that means more money to pay the next writer.

4. They know they can hire another writer to "punch up" the script and maybe even another writer. Some movies have had a dozen writers on it, even though only 3 writers are allowed credits.

5. They know that most writers are only too happy to rewrite another writer, I've done it a dozen times or more. We are not a faithful bunch and they know it.

There's a joke I'm sure I said in other blogs but it goes like this:

 "Having a writer on the set of a movie is like having a hooker that you've used and paid for and is now hanging around" 

Another writer joke:  "Writer comes home, his house is burned down, cop says his wife has been attacked, kids are taken away and his agent called. Writer looks at the cop and says; "My agent called?" 

And I was using polite language for that joke, it's a lot darker.

So where does respect come from?

I'll tell you Thursday.


(Thurs: gimmie, gimmie respect)

Stop for Wine

One of the best things about road trips are the unexpected stops along the way. We weren't expecting to drive through wine country along Princes Highway, but that's exactly what happened. We decided it would be appropriate to pull over for a wine tasting.

We were the only ones at the Nicholson River Winery, so we got special attention. Juliet, the owner, taught us a lot about their wine and the proper way to taste it (I am a total amateur). She has been making wine with her husband for over 30 years, and we felt like we came to the right place. It was delicious and we left with a bottle in hand. 

We couldn't wait long to pop the cork. We stopped at a grocery store for cheese, crackers, pears, and chocolate to accompany our wine... then found the perfect spot in the middle of nowhere, opened the trunk door of our camper van, stretched out on the mattress, and had ourselves a nice, slow afternoon. 

Is this what life is like on a winery in Australia?? We considered dropping our jobs as photographers and planting some grapes of our own.

- Julia

P.S. We have two more posts from our Aussie roadtrip, then we'll share photos from our time in Melbourne, one of our favorite cities.

Tasting some wine and learning about the wine-making craft.

This place is the real deal. How did we just stumble upon it?

Parked in the middle of nowhere. Ready for a picnic.

The view.

Aussie Road Trip (& kangaroos!)

We've been writing about our road trip along the Australian coast from Sydney to Melbourne. Here are 

some more photos from the drive. 

We saw warning signs for kangaroos all along the road and kept our eyes peeled for several days. We had never seen kangaroos, and they are such an Australian thing. There was no way we could come all the way to Australia without seeing one. It was really exciting when we finally ran into some kangaroos. We jumped out of our car and tried to get as close as possible (we later learned that they sometimes kick people). Luckily we didn't get hurt. There were so many of them at our camp site, and they didn't seem to be afraid of people at all. It's also worth mentioning that kangaroo hops are not a myth. They are so bouncy and graceful when they move-- so entertaining. It was quite an experience. 

You'll also see some photos from another beautiful beach sunset.

- Yuriy

Our hot camper van. The back opens up, allowing our bed to extend for the night. The coolest part is that you can see the stars through the back door window when you are laying down.

Preparing dinner on our little stove. That table and chairs came in so handy.