"Never believe it until the cameras are filming," says screenwriter Alan Plater. No matter who has said yes or how much money you've been paid, it can all stop in an instant.
That's partly down to the usual and understandable fear studios have of investing millions into any project. But it's also down to the complexity of making the deals.
In Hollywood's Golden Age, the studios owned everything, from writer to star, so putting on a film was a single decision.
Now everything is far more complex, involving tricky negotiations, fickle talent, and demanding studios.
You invariably hear "Oh, Dusty was my first and only choice" but frankly it's a lie. Everything is a compromise and only George Clooney seems relaxed enough to admit when he's not a film's first option, saying that he gets scripts after the likes of Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise have said no. "But they can't do them all," says George. "And sometimes I am first, because I'm cheaper than they are."
Sometimes a director and studio do agree to delay because their (real) first choice cast isn't available. Peter Weir waited a year to shoot "The Truman Show" in order to fit in with Jim Carrey's schedule and Robert Zemeckis shot "What Lies Beneath" while he waited a pre-arranged time for an already-slim Tom Hanks to lose weight for a part in "Cast Away".
But normally you want to start now and the studio wants it too. Until the money goes away. "Once upon a time, we were going to start shooting today," says director Steven Soderbergh in his "Sex, Lies and Videotape" diary for May 2, 1988.
Perhaps the most frank report of a film's production is screenwriter Hossein Amini's comment on "Jude": "There was never one moment when the film was definitely on."
Go to Factory Line - Part 4 sidebar: "Jude".
Go to Factory Line - Part 5: We're paying you, aren't we? Where's the movie? Get shooting!
Go to Factory Line - Part 3: It's Set to Go, but it's Not Set-Set.
Factory Line Introduction
Factory Line Glossary
Sources:
Alan Plater-William Gallagher correspondence, 1997
George Clooney, BSkyB "The Perfect Storm" interview, August 2000
"Jude" The Shooting Script, Hossein Amini, Nick Hern Books, 1996, ISBN 1-85459-302-1
"Sex, Lies and Videotape" Screenplay, Steven Soderbergh, Faber and Faber, 1989, ISBN 0-571-14377-6
"The Truman Show" The Shooting Script, Andrew Niccol, Newmarket Press, 1998, ISBN 1-557-94367-1
