Although the screenplay doctor has gained the attention of the industry, not all producers and screenwriters have the opportunity to become a screenplay doctor.
Editor’s note: This article comes from the WeChat public account “Every movie” (ID: meijingyingshi) .
Author Du Wei
Editing Du Yi
Recently, the joy of gradually returning to work in the film and television industry has come to an abrupt end.
On the evening of March 27, a notice from the National Film Administration: All theaters will not be resumed for the time being, and operations will be suspended immediately. Ask the cinema to press the Pause button again. A number of film and television stocks, including China Film, Shanghai Film, and Wanda Film, suffered setbacks on March 30 and 31. Next, the film and television industry will continue to dormant for a while, and in the process, “slow down your heart to polish the script to reduce the losses in the epidemic.” A film and television company’s executive told every reporter.
As everyone knows, in daily life, the film and television dramas that accompany us for leisure and entertainment will also encounter “illness”. At this time, the diagnosis of the script doctor can help them broadcast smoothly. As we all know, the film and television project has a long cycle and a slow payment, but the script doctor is an alternative. In a few weeks, he can get tens of thousands of yuan in “diagnostic fees.”
Unfortunately, to this day, script doctors in China are still unable to form a formal “department”. Through conversations with multiple script doctors, every time a reporter tried to restore a Chinese-style script doctor, he revealed the income and challenges of this group of people.
Although I can make “quick money”, but the salary is less than one-fifth of Hollywood
The directors, producers, and screenwriters on the film and television chain are well known to the public, but when it comes to script doctors, they may be a bit strange.
“It seems that the term” play doctor “is less commonly used in China.” Many film and television industry professionals said in each interview with reporters that the industry used the term editor, reviewer, and editor. “Although I don’t call it by this name, in my personal knowledge, the standards for doing things are the same as those of the script doctor.” Zhang Xiaojiao, executive director of the Creative Development Center of Ciwen Media, told every reporter.
In fact, in Hollywood, the screenplay doctor has become a universal and indispensable “type of work”, Oscar-winning best film “Godfather” and other outstanding film and television works, and “Jedi” and “Zombie World War” And other outstanding film and television drama works, have accepted the vein of the script doctor.
Usually, the script doctor will intervene during the film and television filming stage, responsible for diagnosing and repairing the script, and also acts as an adhesive. “If investors, directors and screenwriters disagree, no one will listen to anyone. At this time, as soon as our professional script evaluation report comes out, it will becomeA blender. “The screenwriter and script doctor Tang Long of the screen name” Kung Fu Charlie “explained to every reporter that the script doctor’s identity is independent and does not involve the personal emotions and economic interests of the main creator. Provide objective opinions agreed by all parties. “
In general, when producers are hesitant about whether to invest in film and television content, when directors are upset and do n’t know where the script problem is, when screenwriters encounter creative bottlenecks, when project planning is unclear about the content market In the future, you need to consult with the script doctor.
Who and when do you need a screenplay doctor? Source: Respondents provide
It is worth mentioning that the script doctor also has an important “eye-catching” role. Damon Lindelof, a well-known screenwriter who has authored classic films such as Prometheus, redesigned the ending of the film when he served as the script doctor of “Zombie World War”, helping the film to gain $ 540 million in box office.
In Hollywood’s industrial system, the “screw” status of the screenplay doctor is clearly visible and valuable. “First, the asking price is very high, about 300,000 US dollars every Tuesday; second, they are generally highly qualified, and many have won Oscar for best screenwriter or nomination; third, they are often changed like a lantern, and it is difficult to Governance to the end. “Senior film critic Zhou Liming wrote a summary of several characteristics of the Hollywood script doctor.
Comparatively, the salary of Chinese script doctors is far worse. “When the market is good, I write an evaluation report that can receive tens of thousands of yuan, but consumes my own creative energy.” Tang Long has issued more than 10 project evaluations for first-line film and television companies such as Huayi Brothers and Wanda Films, of which Including “Dragon Hunting”, “Predecessor’s Guide”, “Romantic’s Extinction History” and other works, using tens of thousands of reports, proposed amendments, and later established the first domestic team specialized in script doctor services.
“We evaluate professional projects through meetings, movies, and scripts, etc. It takes about half a month. ThisThe cost for several years is between 10,000 and 50,000, which is mainly distinguished by the size of the project, the urgency, and the level of detail in which we write the assessment. “Tang Long further told reporters that the evaluation cost of the simplified version is between 8,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan, and that of the standard and professional editions is 40,000 to 100,000 yuan after tax.
Image source: provided by the respondent
It can be seen that even according to Tang Long’s team ’s most expensive Plus version charging report, it takes 100,000 yuan for 4 weeks, and 200,000 to 300,000 US dollars (about 1.4 million to 2.1 million yuan) in Hollywood a week. The gap between Yuan and Yuan is very large, which means that most domestic script doctors are paid less than one-fifth of Hollywood. However, the script doctor also benefited from the short “consultation” time, and was not subject to the double restrictions of long production cycle and long repayment time of film and television projects, and could be the first to make “quick money”.
Why Doctor Script is difficult to form a formal “department” in China
At this stage, “(screenplay doctor) salary range is relatively large, many industries have this characteristic, and are inseparable from seniority.” Zhang Xiaojiao believes that although there is a gap with overseas, the overall survival of domestic screenplay doctors in these years The situation is getting better and better.
“With the continuous development and maturity of the industry, everyone pays more and more attention to the content. The more the script is valued, the more this type of work will be valued, and the right to speak will be improved.” Zhang Xiaojiao laughed.
Every time a reporter notices that after entering China as a “script doctor” (Script Doctor), there have been some subtle changes that have become more and more important in the industry. In recent years, many domestic film and television companies have Submit the project to a professional evaluation team for analysis to adjust investment and production decisions. The well-known film and television dramas such as “You at the Same Table”, “History of Romantik’s Extinction”, “Flower Thousand Bone” and so on all use the script doctor. Among them, “You at the Same Table” also reserved a place for the “Script Doctor” at the end of the film. In addition, online movies and Internet dramas have also become active on major platforms, giving the script doctor a broader space for development. “As far as I know, no matter it is a TV series or an Internet series, a mature film and television production company should have this position and department.” Zhang Xiaojiao said.
However, it is still difficult for the script doctor to form a separate department on the Chinese film and television chain. “First of all, there are not enough people specializing in this area, it is difficult to call it an” industry “. Many film and television projects are almost 100% positive after receiving my evaluation report, and everyone feels very professional. Hope our team Can continue to work with the project, such as continuously commenting for two or three months, and even meeting together to modify. “Regarding this, Tang Long was a bit sorry,” In fact, I know that this is a very essential demand of film and television companies, but As a business model, it is untenable. Because my own energy is limited, I cannot follow so many projects at the same time. I can only solve problems when some film and television projects need help most. “
“It’s like you can’t ask for an operation to solve all problems.” Tang Long admits that through the summary of these years, he found that it is “troublesome” to be a script doctor. “I can only provide professional revision opinions on a periodic basis, but as the film and television project progresses, there will still be many new problems. But maybe at that time, our cooperation also ended. So, it can only help for a while.”
The script doctor embedded in the film and television environment needs to grow slowly with the industry. However, professional training derived from script doctors is expected to become a profitable blue ocean.
In this regard, Tang Long believes that large-scale training camps and writing classes similar to Hollywood will be an advantage for script doctors. A senior producer told reporters that from the perspective of experience, only those who have completed and deeply participated in some works can become a qualified script doctor, and these people have rich experience.
“If a script doctor runs a training course, it will be very beneficial to the growth of newcomers. Even if 100 people are trained each time, there may only be two or three excellent ones in the middle, but it is extremely valuable to the industry. Because, Without these trainings, newcomers lack channels and opportunities, and these two or three people with potential may not grow up. “Tang Long said that in fact, overseas, such as the United States has formed an industry in screenwriter training, but China currently Not yet, so there is a lot of room for later development.
AI is coming, Need to improve business capabilities and delay elimination
Although the screenplay doctor has received the attention of the industry, not all producers and screenwriters have the opportunity to become a screenplay doctor.
“You must have an understanding of the market, the play, and a wealth of reading and drama reading capacity. You have the ability to convert text into images. The script is text, but the final presentation is visual. Good script doctors are reading. The script is staged in the brain at the time of the script. The literary beauty and visual presentation are not necessarily proportional. The script
At this stage, “(screenplay doctor) salary range is relatively large, many industries have this characteristic, and are inseparable from seniority.” Zhang Xiaojiao believes that although there is a gap with overseas, the overall survival of domestic screenplay doctors in these years The situation is getting better and better.
“With the continuous development and maturity of the industry, everyone pays more and more attention to the content. The more the script is valued, the more this type of work will be valued, and the right to speak will be improved.” Zhang Xiaojiao laughed.
Every time a reporter notices that after entering China as a “script doctor” (Script Doctor), there have been some subtle changes that have become more and more important in the industry. In recent years, many domestic film and television companies have Submit the project to a professional evaluation team for analysis to adjust investment and production decisions. The well-known film and television dramas such as “You at the Same Table”, “History of Romantik’s Extinction”, “Flower Thousand Bone” and so on all use the script doctor. Among them, “You at the Same Table” also reserved a place for the “Script Doctor” at the end of the film. In addition, online movies and Internet dramas have also become active on major platforms, giving the script doctor a broader space for development. “As far as I know, no matter it is a TV series or an Internet series, a mature film and television production company should have this position and department.” Zhang Xiaojiao said.
However, it is still difficult for the script doctor to form a separate department on the Chinese film and television chain. “First of all, there are not enough people specializing in this area, it is difficult to call it an” industry “. Many film and television projects are almost 100% positive after receiving my evaluation report, and everyone feels very professional. Hope our team Can continue to work with the project, such as continuously commenting for two or three months, and even meeting together to modify. “Regarding this, Tang Long was a bit sorry,” In fact, I know that this is a very essential demand of film and television companies, but As a business model, it is untenable. Because my own energy is limited, I cannot follow so many projects at the same time. I can only solve problems when some film and television projects need help most. “
“It’s like you can’t ask for an operation to solve all problems.” Tang Long admits that through the summary of these years, he found that it is “troublesome” to be a script doctor. “I can only provide professional revision opinions on a periodic basis, but as the film and television project progresses, there will still be many new problems. But maybe at that time, our cooperation also ended. So, it can only help for a while.”
The script doctor embedded in the film and television environment needs to grow slowly with the industry. However, professional training derived from script doctors is expected to become a profitable blue ocean.
In this regard, Tang Long believes that large-scale training camps and writing classes similar to Hollywood will be an advantage for script doctors. A senior producer told reporters that from the perspective of experience, only those who have completed and deeply participated in some works can become a qualified script doctor, and these people have rich experience.
“If a script doctor runs a training course, it will be very beneficial to the growth of newcomers. Even if 100 people are trained each time, there may only be two or three excellent ones in the middle, but it is extremely valuable to the industry. Because, Without these trainings, newcomers lack channels and opportunities, and these two or three people with potential may not grow up. “Tang Long said that in fact, overseas, such as the United States has formed an industry in screenwriter training, but China currently Not yet, so there is a lot of room for later development.