Scarface Game Scriptwriter - "The Pay Isn't That Great"
Scribe knocks lack of proper incentives for writers
The recurring debate about videogames versus so-called 'proper' culture (i.e. books, movies and so on) raises its head again this week, with the well-known Hollywood scriptwriter, David McKenna ("Blow," "American History X") telling Reuters that the main problem with writing for videogames is that "it really is a lot of work, and the pay isn't that great." Ah bless. Poor lamb!
McKenna wrote the script for Vivendi's blockbuster game adaptation of Al Pacino's 1983 classic movie, Scarface, which is out early next month. We'll be bringing you our full review of that over the next few weeks.
The writer also has reservations about plundering Hollywood's back catalogue to make games out of the classic movies of the last century, noting that: "It's getting to the point where you're just bastardizing the whole business just to make a buck. That's fine, but I think the American public is a little too smart for that. I don't think every movie makes a good video game, just like not every story makes a good movie."
Of course, he defends the decision to turn Scarface into a movie, claiming that it was “uniquely suited to be a video game because the film is entirely from the viewpoint of Al Pacino's Tony Montana, and because Montana is so violent and darkly funny.”
So how does the experience differ for McKenna from writing for the flicks, other than being harder and less lucrative? "When you're making a movie, you can make one in three or four months if you're rushed, but building a game takes several years and a lot of attention to detail... It's almost like the player is writing his own script in many ways... The game makers are giving him guidance."
McKenna then summed up his position on writing and games: "I think that if they [the games industry] come to the realization that they can hire good writers to create video games, in the long run it will help sell more copies. You get what you pay for, unless writers and actors make sacrifices like we did on this game. But they're not going to be making sacrifices too many times, trust me."
Let us know your thoughts in the forum. What are your favourite games in terms of the quality of the storytelling and the pull of the narrative? Do you agree with McKenna that writers are undervalued in our industry? Or is this just another case of a moaning Hollywood hack?
McKenna wrote the script for Vivendi's blockbuster game adaptation of Al Pacino's 1983 classic movie, Scarface, which is out early next month. We'll be bringing you our full review of that over the next few weeks.
The writer also has reservations about plundering Hollywood's back catalogue to make games out of the classic movies of the last century, noting that: "It's getting to the point where you're just bastardizing the whole business just to make a buck. That's fine, but I think the American public is a little too smart for that. I don't think every movie makes a good video game, just like not every story makes a good movie."
Of course, he defends the decision to turn Scarface into a movie, claiming that it was “uniquely suited to be a video game because the film is entirely from the viewpoint of Al Pacino's Tony Montana, and because Montana is so violent and darkly funny.”
So how does the experience differ for McKenna from writing for the flicks, other than being harder and less lucrative? "When you're making a movie, you can make one in three or four months if you're rushed, but building a game takes several years and a lot of attention to detail... It's almost like the player is writing his own script in many ways... The game makers are giving him guidance."
McKenna then summed up his position on writing and games: "I think that if they [the games industry] come to the realization that they can hire good writers to create video games, in the long run it will help sell more copies. You get what you pay for, unless writers and actors make sacrifices like we did on this game. But they're not going to be making sacrifices too many times, trust me."
Let us know your thoughts in the forum. What are your favourite games in terms of the quality of the storytelling and the pull of the narrative? Do you agree with McKenna that writers are undervalued in our industry? Or is this just another case of a moaning Hollywood hack?
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Comments
Johnhl 15 Sep 2006 00:46
1/3
He could be right. But games with long complex stories already cost massive amounts of money much to create and the industry isn't ready or capable spending the same kind of money and blockbuster game as a blockbuster movie. Plus I don't think any one wants it to cost 20 million to make a game.
Intill we reach a point were technical and art development cost is much lower (maybe by not having to push everything to the graphics edge) more money will not be spent on story.
In my company the games story is being written by essentially hobbiest writers for a token fee. Fortantly for games and unfortantly for writers theres alot more good writers then there is demand for.
Intill we reach a point were technical and art development cost is much lower (maybe by not having to push everything to the graphics edge) more money will not be spent on story.
In my company the games story is being written by essentially hobbiest writers for a token fee. Fortantly for games and unfortantly for writers theres alot more good writers then there is demand for.
SPInGSPOnG 15 Sep 2006 06:30
2/3
This is the biggest load of crapola I ever read - not your story, but that self-serving bullshit.
Associating McKenna with Blow and American History X makes him seen like a credible voice. Let's not forget that he also wrote the inexecrable SWAT, Body Shots and ruined Get Carter.
"The pay isn't that great" that f**ker should have had to GIVE money to everyone who saw SWAT. Then he could talk about earning a fair amount for your work.
There is a VAST difference between how little a decent novelist earns and how much a piss-poor screenwriter earns. And then if you calculate it per word, it's even more criminal. And yet, while there are hundreds of interesting novels printed per year Hollywood seems incapable of making even a handful of interesting movies - it's all remakes, foreign movie rip-offs and sequels, FFS.
In light of this, how can he suggest that if you pay the sack of s**t screenwriters Hollywood employs it will improve games?
It's the same with big name screen actors doing voice acting in games. I love Michael Madsen, but his charisma is a mix of his voice, his looks and his expressions. His voice alone is simply
not distinctive enough to make it worth adding $100,000 to the development costs of a game.
Since the games industry began getting corporate, it's wanted to be part of the movie industry. The result has been higher prices, and poorer games.
Like Premier League soccer, Hollywood pay is out of all connection with the quality of the product. It's largely the fault of young women and middle aged men. You guys may fancy Katie Holmes, but if she's in a s**t movie, they won't go see it, they'll just download pictures of her head on a porn stars body fromt he Internet. But young women will go see any abysmal piece of s**t Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt are in - so they get paid megabucks, not because they are even decent actors, but because they make lots of women foam at the gash. It's the same to a lesser extedt with Sandra Bullock, Rene Russo etc and dads. Hollywoods obsession with bankability means bland and pretty trumps plain and talented every day of the week.
Scripts are the same, safe with lots of explosions wins over thought provoking and challenging every single time.
Associating McKenna with Blow and American History X makes him seen like a credible voice. Let's not forget that he also wrote the inexecrable SWAT, Body Shots and ruined Get Carter.
"The pay isn't that great" that f**ker should have had to GIVE money to everyone who saw SWAT. Then he could talk about earning a fair amount for your work.
There is a VAST difference between how little a decent novelist earns and how much a piss-poor screenwriter earns. And then if you calculate it per word, it's even more criminal. And yet, while there are hundreds of interesting novels printed per year Hollywood seems incapable of making even a handful of interesting movies - it's all remakes, foreign movie rip-offs and sequels, FFS.
In light of this, how can he suggest that if you pay the sack of s**t screenwriters Hollywood employs it will improve games?
It's the same with big name screen actors doing voice acting in games. I love Michael Madsen, but his charisma is a mix of his voice, his looks and his expressions. His voice alone is simply
not distinctive enough to make it worth adding $100,000 to the development costs of a game.
Since the games industry began getting corporate, it's wanted to be part of the movie industry. The result has been higher prices, and poorer games.
Like Premier League soccer, Hollywood pay is out of all connection with the quality of the product. It's largely the fault of young women and middle aged men. You guys may fancy Katie Holmes, but if she's in a s**t movie, they won't go see it, they'll just download pictures of her head on a porn stars body fromt he Internet. But young women will go see any abysmal piece of s**t Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt are in - so they get paid megabucks, not because they are even decent actors, but because they make lots of women foam at the gash. It's the same to a lesser extedt with Sandra Bullock, Rene Russo etc and dads. Hollywoods obsession with bankability means bland and pretty trumps plain and talented every day of the week.
Scripts are the same, safe with lots of explosions wins over thought provoking and challenging every single time.
DoctorDee 18 Sep 2006 17:54
3/3
Rod Todd wrote:
Hollywood seems incapable of making even a handful of interesting movies - it's all remakes, foreign movie rip-offs and sequels, FFS.
Here's something to make everyone happy. Hollywood is re-making Infernal Affairs.
I'm currently in West Hollywood, and I just had breakfast at Mels... sitting on the next table were a castingn director, a writer and an actress. The casting director is currently casting for a remake of Infernal Affairs, she told her friends. BLank looks around the table, so she explains, "It's this Japanese movie starring Andy Lau that come out two years ago"
WRONG. It's a Hong Kong movie, starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung - came out four years ago.
It's about honour and loyalty - how the f**k can they translate that into American?
Prepare for the destruction of another Asian classic.