There’s no movie magic without writers
The following are some musings on the writer’s strike currently taking place in Hollywood and New York City. As there are many transplants here from these cities, and as New Mexico is one of the most popular destinations for filmmakers to film their movies and shows, I wanted to express some thoughts in support of the strike.
It all starts with the writer. In Hollywood, without them there is nothing. The writer comes up with an idea for a story. These thoughts are then committed to paper or more likely, to the computer. And this is where the magic begins. From an initial thought, characters, situations, settings, and a story emerge. From someone’s imagination, worlds are created, dialogue materializes, events take place, situations are resolved, culture is shifted, and hopefully catharsis ensues.
Then there is the village of people who come together to make this story a reality. The following is an abridged list of these participants. They are actors, directors, cinematographers, camera operators, editors, producers, executive producers, composers, music supervisors and editors, sound editors, script supervisors, production assistants, lighting technicians, costume designers, hair and makeup artists, casting directors, animators, background workers, grips, gaffers, location scouts, electricians, boom operators, postproduction, stunt coordinators, agents, studio executives and many more.
All these people are dependent upon the writer for their jobs.
There is also talk about studios finding ways to use artificial intelligence in writing scripts. Would a computer be able to come up with enduring lines such as the following? You need imagination, life experience, a soul — none of which AI possesses.
Here are some remembered iconic treasures:
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Love Story
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” The Godfather
“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Network
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” The Wizard of Oz
“If you build it, he will come.” Field of Dreams
“You talkin‘ to me?” Taxi Driver
“As if !” Clueless
“May the Force be with you.” Star Wars
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Casablanca
These lines, these stories, are part of our collective unconscious. We sit in darkened theaters and are transported
to another time and place. It is the writer who takes us there. Without them, the world looks flat and uninteresting.
So, the next time you are watching your favorite series, hoping they get a thumbs up for another season, remember that this story didn’t come out of thin air nor was it written by an insentient being. It was a writer sitting at her or his desk who created the magic you are viewing. It was not the producers, nor the studio executives nor any of the others who rely on these words for their livelihood.
A machine did not create the stories you love, a person did. Someone who has rent or a mortgage to pay, perhaps children to feed, clothes to wear, the basics of life to pay for. If the studio execs have their way, writers will have to supplement their incomes with other jobs and may have to give up their beloved careers, and we all will be the worse off for it.