Changing the Script

by Lee Winter

  In that last scene, Melody had smiled at Chloe with a flawless mix of coyness and confidence. Where had that actress been hiding? What emotion did Melody think she was playing?

  This would work. She rose from her chair. “Melody, when we shoot, do it exactly like that. You were perfect.”

  The woman glowed.

  “And Chloe? Just what I needed.”

  Chloe’s eyes were gleaming.

  “Everyone take ten.” Alex returned to her chair and began to make copious, frantic notes.

  A few minutes later, Skye Storm slipped into the seat beside her. “Well, well,” she said, “Someone’s up to something.”

  “Hmm?” Alex said as she scribbled. “Regarding?”

  “Chloe and Melody. Don’t pretend you’re not up to mischief with those two.” Skye’s eyebrows lifted. “You know exactly what I mean.”

  Alex looked up to meet her costume designer’s amused expression. “Is it that obvious?”

  “To me.” Skye regarded Melody in the distance, talking on her cell phone. “But I suspect one particular participant is quite oblivious, isn’t she? So I have to ask.” Skye lowered her voice to an intrigued whisper. “Are you Ben-Huring the innocent Miss Howard?”

  Alex gave her a sheepish look. “If by that do you mean am I letting one possibly homophobic actor think she’s merely playing a close friendship, and I’ve told the other one to play it as gay subtext, then yes, I’m absolutely doing a Ben-Hur.”

  Skye nodded. “As I suspected. What do you think Melody will do when she finds out?”

  “By then I’m trusting the film will be done and it’ll be too late for her to complain. Besides, I’m sure someone in Publicity will tell everyone it wasn’t written that way but they love that people are free to interpret it any way they like.”

  “What of the studio? You can’t pull the wool over their eyes the way you can one actor.”

  “I know. I’m hoping the movie’s been so badly slammed that there’s nothing to lose at this point. I won’t know until I ask for my changes, but I get the impression they’re so humiliated they’d try anything.” God, I hope so. “Right, how are the new costumes coming along?”

  Skye flipped through a large notepad. “That’s what I was coming to see you about. The Amazons are warriors. They’d have access to leather, feathers, wood, and woven grasses. They wouldn’t have access to metal, so forget heavy bodices or anything like that. So here’s my concept.” She passed Alex her notepad, turned to a sketch. “I know it’s unusual, but before you say no…”

  Alex held up her hand to stop Skye talking so she could absorb it fully.

  The outfit was in two pieces, with tight leather pants in a rich, rust brown and a basic tan leather tunic top. An intricate, plaited pale-cream leather belt was woven around the waist several times. Unexpectedly, a reddish, spotted, thin fur pelt came over one shoulder, protecting the left breast and diaphragm. Leather straps bisected the breasts and held a quiver over the right shoulder.

  The boots were dark brown, leather, mid-calf height. Bare forearms were adorned with thick, hard-leather, fur-lined bracers, and thinner, intricately carved decorative leather wrapped around the biceps. The effect was sleek yet functional, emphasizing both the lines of the bust and the warrior’s muscles. “What sort of leather is it?”

  “Mostly buckskin, a lightweight leather. It would be easy for any Amazon to make this outfit, dye it with berries, and manipulate the material through plaiting and so forth. The half-shoulder vest is for warmth and protection.”

  “Why only half shoulder?”

  “She needs her bow side free to get a full draw.”

  That made sense. “What’s that vest made out of? I’ve never seen spotted copper fur before.”

  Skye’s eyes lit up. “Well, I’ve been doing research on the Valdivian Rainforest we’re basing our world in. Did you know it’s famous for all its miniature animals?”

  “Annoyingly,” Alex grumbled. “It’s hard to manufacture a threat out of the world’s tiniest carnivores and cutest marsupials.”

  “How terrible for you!” Skye broke into a light laugh. “It’s glorious for me, though, because they have these beautiful miniature deer, called pudú. That’s what the pelt’s made of.” She tapped the sketch. “We’d use fake fur and just make it look like pudú, of course.”

  “Well, I really love the belt,” Alex said. “And is that a pouch at the side?” She peered closer. “Skye Storm, did you just give my Amazons pockets?”

  “I did, sweetie. Every girl needs her pockets.” She nodded earnestly.

  Alex snorted. “It’s bold, Skye. But I don’t think sexy movie Amazons are supposed to wear pants.”

  “The ones living in a temperate rainforest would. It’s chilly at night.”

  “You know what I mean. Showcasing some boobs and bare skin is the rule. And don’t start me on showing off rippling abs. That’s a prerequisite.”

  “You’ve been watching Wonder Woman.” Skye sounded amused. “Have you been envisioning a training montage, darling? I’m afraid Themyscira’s Amazons didn’t have frosty mornings and drenching, icy rains to worry about.”

  “And Alex Levitin’s Amazons don’t have anywhere close to a $120 million budget. Your costumes are beautiful, but it’s quite a departure from what the studio will be expecting and I’m a little concerned about the costs on such an extensive overhaul.”

  “Costs won’t be a problem. I can salvage a lot of material from earlier costumes—the first ones, I mean, before the second director opted for near-nudity. I have certain suppliers who can do me excellent prices, too.” Skye’s expression turned pensive. “This all comes down to whether you want authenticity or not. Or will you tell me to drop the substance for style?”

  Alex gazed at the concept. It really was stunning. Clever. Sharp. It made sense. “You’ve turned our Amazons into huntresses,” she said appreciatively. “Warriors, not eye candy. Can you do me a prototype?” Alex asked. “I want to see it worn.”

  “Of course.”

  “How’s our heroine’s look coming? Has Shezan been overhauled, too?”

  Skye smiled mysteriously. “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “Her origins. I’ve thought hard about this.” Skye hesitated. “If she were raised by wolves, as the script says, she’d have a certain look. Lots of fur. She’d use what’s around her.”

  “Okay.” Alex waited.

  “But what if she’s actually originally an Amazon herself?” Skye turned the page and tapped a new design. “Then this is what would make sense to her. A variation on what the Amazons wear, half remembered from her childhood if she was separated from her tribe young.”

  Alex’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh.” What a captivating idea. Her mind whirled. “So the distant Amazon allies are family she once lost?” She stopped. “And neither of them realize?”

  Skye beamed and flicked to a new page. “I knew you’d understand. The story would be much richer if it had that thread to it.”

  Alex examined the sketch before her. The costume was more home-spun than the huntress outfits, clearly intended to look like it had been made by a woman with less skill than an Amazon—as if it was something she’d tried to re-create from memory. The stitching wasn’t as good, the belt thicker, and the boots were different, as well—thinner and lighter, to enable speed. She also wore a woven grass headband to keep her hair back.

  A story began to form as she traced the sketch with her eyes. A young Amazon girl, separated from her tribe. Maybe it was some ritual, where a girl spends a night in the forest as part of a custom, but for some reason, she doesn’t find her way home. “She’s lost,” Alex said slowly. “A lost girl, searching for home. Her whole life is about finding that missing home.”

  “And don’t forget the family who lost her,” Skye said. “Th
e Amazons never stopped feeling like a piece of them is lost. So evocative.”

  “This changes everything.” Alex was working out how to spin it to the studio when Skye clasped her forearm. “Finding home is the theme, yes? So what if Shezan finds both her old home—the Amazon tribe—and a new home with her love?”

  “Home as both a place and a person? That’s good.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, it’s better than we had.” Alex chuckled. “It has substance at least.”

  “I knew you were the right person for this job.” Skye smiled.

  There was just something about the way she said it that made Alex’s head snap up. “What do you mean?”

  “You understand how close I am to Chloe? When Summer first befriended her, I adored her immediately. I couldn’t help but take her under my wing as another daughter.”

  Alex nodded.

  “Well, I had to make sure Chloe’s first leading film role turned out better than it was on paper, and to do that I needed allies. Talented allies who think outside the box.”

  Wait, what?

  “So…” Skye slid her a knowing look. “I dropped your name into a few ears, raving about this marvelous indie director I worked with years ago who’d be perfect to make this film shine.”

  Alex’s mouth dropped open. “You did this?”

  “Yes, dear. I wanted Chloe’s film career to take off. And I knew you needed work soon, for…erm, certain reasons.”

  Bettina. “Thank you,” Alex said grimly to fill the silence. So…she couldn’t even get offered the worst movie ever under her own steam? How depressing.

  “You’re welcome!” Skye beamed at her. “I like to look after my friends. Besides, I wanted to work with you again.”

  “So you got me this job,” Alex repeated, feeling numb.

  “No, you did that. See, the ears I dropped your name into already knew who you were. And I knew you’d be perfect to fix this. By the time you’re done, this film will be fabulous.”

  “I admire your optimism.”

  “What optimism?” Skye’s eyebrow lifted. “I’m a stone-cold hard realist.”

  Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “Uh-huh.”

  Alex was slumped at a table in the pub after dinner, her back aching after a long day, and trying to think of how to compose the world’s most compelling email.

  Dear studio execs, please let me make your mainstream flick hella lesbian, but don’t worry, it’s on the downlow. Plus, I’ve put everyone’s tits back in their costumes. Cheers, Alex.

  Somehow she doubted that’d fly. She took a sip of her beer, opened her iPad’s mail program, then CCed every studio executive she knew of associated with Shezan.

  Dear gentlemen and Ms. Bassett,

  I’ve been working on ideas for improving Shezan: Mistress of the Forest, which I’m presently directing in New Zealand.

  Improving quality will require a costume overhaul (already completed), a different back story for Shezan, a theme, and a new ending.

  The theme I propose is ‘finding home.’ It’s a universal goal, and it’s especially empowering for our younger female target audience. To achieve this theme, I propose making the following changes to the script:”

  She paused to work out how to say it.

  “Don’t stop now.” Skye had appeared, leaning over her shoulder. She was clutching a handful of knitting. “I’m all aquiver.”

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it was rude to read someone’s emails?”

  “I didn’t think you’d mind, dear. I’m waving the flag for Team Lesbian Shezan.”

  Alex snorted.

  Skye dropped into a seat beside her and resumed knitting.

  “What are you making?” Alex waved at the blur of plastic needles and wool.

  “Socks.” Skye held up the magenta woolen mass.

  “Why?”

  “It’s relaxing. And they will match the suspenders.”

  That probably made sense somewhere.

  Skye eyed the iPad. “So what’s the thrust of your email?”

  “That two women going off into the sunset together beats a cliché-ridden, straight romance.”

  “Sounds like quite the task. Well, go right ahead. I won’t get in the way. I’m not one to interfere.” Skye turned her attention back to her sock.

  Alex resumed tapping out her email.

  “1. Delete Shezan’s romance with the morally dubious poacher and turn him into a straight-up villain. He’s problematic given he shows no remorse and only stops killing to win over Shezan. Then he takes her back to his city home, isolating her from where her heart lies—and he knows it. This is controlling and robs her of her identity. She is a creature of the forest. This is not a happy ending.

  2. Kill the villain. Give the audience what they’ll be rooting for. A creepy villain killed by an animal he’s stalking. Audiences love karma.

  3. Give Shezan a history of being a lost member of the Amazon tribe. Connecting her back into her community is a powerful message of belonging. Reunions are hugely popular.

  4. Have Shezan also find a personal sense of “home.” To do this, beef up the role of the poacher’s daughter, played by Melody Howard, and give her and Shezan a close friendship—so much so that Melody’s character stays on in the forest at the end with Shezan. This ticks the happy-ending boxes. Our hero is not alone, and feels safe, and loved, and at home.

  Close friendships and/or sisterly bonds between two women resonate powerfully with female audiences. That’s the reason Frozen is so popular. There’s a huge clamoring for this overlooked dynamic. We can use that. Conveniently, Ms. Howard has superb chemistry with our star, Chloe Martin, so they could pull off this friendship convincingly.”

  “Oh, very nice,” Skye chuckled, peering at the screen, “given you’ve CCed her father. I know Richard. That man will puff up like a balloon at the mention his daughter’s great at anything.”

  “You don’t say.” Alex was well aware that flattery got you far in Hollywood.

  Skye suddenly waved at someone in the bar area. “Oh, he’s so nice.”

  “Who is?” Alex asked, distracted.

  “Sid. Our set guard.” Skye’s eyes sparkled. “Did you know who his foster sister is? That police woman. The one you were fighting with in here the other night.”

  Alex’s jaw tightened. “Let’s not discuss her. She’s judgmental, arrogant, cold… Just no. Sam Keegan can drop off the face of the earth as far as I’m concerned.” She ignored Skye’s lifting eyebrows and continued typing.

  The effect of these simple rewrites cannot be underestimated. For one, we shift from the unpalatable message of a woman of color giving up her sense of self to a white man who is cruel and manipulative. The message instead becomes about found family, being accepted for who you are, and embracing one’s own power.

  The poacher’s daughter, in turn, finds the courage to be herself, to discover her own path. And that is a huge box office earner. Just look at Finding Nemo.

  “Frozen and Finding Nemo? I see you appreciate the animated classics.” Skye smiled.

  “Yes, well.” Alex eyed her pensively. “I looked up the studio execs. Except for Caroline, all of them have kids. They’d know first-hand the power of those titles. Too much?”

  “Not at all. Continue.”

  Historically, box-office sales in sci-fi/fantasy movies where the romance is peripheral to the female star’s hero journey have been impressive. In other words, fans in Shezan’s genre aren’t there for the romance, they’re there to see their heroine succeed. Examples proving this point include Wonder Woman and The Hunger Games.

  “Good choices.” Skye nodded.

  Alex snorted at the woman’s apparent inability not to snoop.

  “Sorry. I’ll be quiet. I’m not interfering!” Skye declared. “Keep go
ing.”

  Alex inhaled and tapped out her next paragraph.

  I’m aware that deleting the romance may still concern you. Let me remind you that the highest grossing Star Wars movie of all time is The Force Awakens. This was a female protagonist’s hero journey; it made a billion dollars and contained no romance. And Captain Marvel, also a romance-free female-empowerment story, made even more than Rey’s adventures.

  “I loved Rey,” Skye said cheerfully. “Costumes were divine, too. One day I’d love to…”

  Alex glanced at her. Skye mimed zipping her lips.

  This is where the world is now: Audiences demand films about women’s hero journeys first, regardless of romance. And the top thing Shezan can do to overturn its negative publicity and claims of misogyny is to shout that we’re making a film celebrating “girl power.” That’s what audiences are looking for now—not outdated tropes about women subsuming all their power, desires, and brilliance to make bad boys better humans.

  In the meantime, we’ve taken great strides to fix the biggest criticism about this film.

  She turned to Skye. “Can you email me the sketches of the costumes? I assume you made photos? I’d like to share them.”

  Skye put down her knitting needles and dove into her bag, pulling out her phone.

  Our costumes have been overhauled to reflect this ‘girl power’ concept, and address the movie being dismissed as exploitative and demeaning. See attached. Our women are now powerful, sleek huntresses. We’ll have a prototype ready for photography soon. May I suggest getting the Publicity department to blitz the internet with them? It’ll change Shezan’s social-media buzz overnight.

  She glanced at Skye, who nodded in pleased agreement, then returned to knitting.