It’s easy to see how screenwriters can become precious when it comes to the words and vision they sow into a screenplay. These “products” can take a decade to finalize, which is why you can understand the blood, sweat and tears factor involved in making the outpouring of this work so important.
First-time screenwriters expect that filmmakers will adhere to their script as if it were a holy text, forging the production with every nuanced detail of this work. The truth is that the filmmaking business is a team effort that typically involves an array of creative people as well as influential decision makers, so you can almost expect your finished work to be picked apart, reordered, revised and even rewritten to find its final form. The director will have their fingerprints on it, other industry professionals will weigh in and things will have to change according to budget and location.
You really need to make peace with the fact that what ends up on screen may only seem like a sliver of what you delivered as your final draft. As you develop your career as a screenwriter, filmmakers are going to give you more credit, creative control and oversight to ensure your vision is given the necessary respect. However, this isn’t the norm and one needs to acclimatize and accept that changes and dare-we-say overhauls are inevitable.
This can be in the planning stages as the production comes together and even happen on the day of the shoot where changes need to be accommodated, lines need to be reinvented or scenes rehashed. Even beyond the production your script is undergoing a series of changes as the editor strips away lines for flow and ease of communication. So the bottom… uh, line is that the sooner you become more comfortable with the reality of the filmmaking process, the easier it will be for you to accept that your polished screenplay in most cases is only the beginning of a creative evolution that may improve or undermine your hard work and undying efforts.
When you partner on that production or sell your script it’s a time to decide what battles you’re going to fight to retain certain elements or preserve an essence rather than stressing yourself out in trying to insist the words on the page are delivered verbatim. And if you’re not happy with that maybe it’s time to consider directing your own screenplays so that you are able to have much more sway and influence over the final product. Just be ready to accept constructive criticism and be open to the team dynamic because while it’s not wise to simply accept any or all notes, it does pay to humble yourself and incorporate ideas that are just making the final product better and stronger.