In the years I’ve been writing about movies, I’ve gotten to know more screenwriters than any other professions in the filmmaking business. They’re usually friendly, intelligent, creative and candid… and probably get dumped on more than anyone.
I’ve heard plenty of “tales from the trenches” and learned a lot about the reality of the process behind movies. The most important lesson (counter-intuitive though it may seem): if you see a movie and think the script sucks, it’s probably not actually the writer’s fault.
Peter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman’s documentary TALES FROM THE SCRIPT gets some of this brutally honest insight from writers who have seen their scripts dragged through the soul-shattering development gauntlet and cast upon screens in unrecognizable condition. Along with a handful of relative newcomers, industry veterans (and survivors) like John Carpenter, Frank Darabont, William Goldman, Paul Schrader, Shane Black, John August, Peter Hyams and Larry Cohen give up some juicy “war stories” of their hard times in show biz.
Check out the trailer below, and find out more at the official site.
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