So as many of you  may know,  I have been an avid gamer for many years. I play Elder Scrolls Online. I run a guild, the Tazzy Devils, which I inherited as a newbie with no idea what I was doing. (I got better;)

 

Anyway- Without going into details, I connected with a small group of people who were making an “in-game” video production movie.

What is that, you ask?

Well, it is a script, like any other movie. But it is filmed by doing screen captures within the game itself. Sets are still created, using the in game functions. Homes can be uniquely decorated, locations are scouted and determined, in-game…

The story is based on in-game lore. This once centers on a daedra-worshipping cult, or rather their daughter (an adult) who escapes from the cult, finds new friends and ultimately defeats their diabolical plan. Okay– that’s just the nutshell.

I have screen shots of so many discussion points– where– “this is a weak area” “this makes 0 sense”  “BAD IDEA HERE”

essentially, what I learned was that-  someone had a vague idea and some concepts. Someone else cobbled together a cheesy bit of fanfic with no plot (that made sense, progressed or had cohesion) or development. In my own words “it was a weak script.”

I began a few conversations with Shmitty- who boasts his film-making skills, centering around machinima (( think that’s the correct term and spelling. I presume it is the term  used  for the kind of in-game cinematography. I haven’t looked it up;)  We talked back and forth– I told him essentially this. At some point he vanished and send a kind of abrupt– termination message.

Well- that was certainly…. weird.

I happened to know one of the assistants, Artmetis, who is a budding-aspiring writer. Still definitely a novice learning the craft but seems to have a desire to pursue it. My goal was around a few key points, re letting him know there were areas that didn’t work logistically etc and to try and see what he could do  moving forward. Jump ahead–  Art has conversations with Shmitty- and we are given the go-ahead to revise the script.

Note- the  original was about 20? to 30 pages? I don’t know offhand and it is only relevant in comparison to the end product.

So many 4 hour sessions going through the script until 2 AM and a lot of conversations hashing through, as I explained to Art why something didn’t work, or wasn’t feasible, and came up with solutions. Art acted as the go-between, which I was fine with (but valuable lesson learned, more on that later).

I wrote the treatment- which Shmitty raved over.

I essentially turned a 20 page script into a 130(? page script. A lot of it is screen directions etc. But  the main characters now have actual personalities, character arcs that move the plot forward rather than walking through the predetermined (she flees bad  family. he rescues her. they fall in love.)

I spent hours trying working through plot holes. Example: if Lyssa’s family has put a curse on her that spreads to everyone she comes into contact with, and those people then spread it to anyone they come into contact with–  HOW THE HELL are they all in a meeting with dozens of people who aren’t affected? and HOW IN HELL– do they have a small army marching against her family.. none of whom get affected????

That’s just one example of SO MANY places that just flat out.. sucked.

Later, in a conversation- he raved about how well we did and how he knew (I doubt that) the original script was BAD…

Anyway- jump ahead. Art’s original main role was as the kind of captain who rounds up all the fighter-guild masters. He really wanted me in those scenes– especially since I had contributed so much to the script. he had asked for my “lines” (small side commentaries during the meeting– nothing hugely plot relevant). I’d given some thought to this. I didn’t feel that there was a deadline hurry, and I wanted to see how the overall scenes fleshed out. Plus, in all honestly, the long sessions running to 2 AM were draining me and I often just didn’t have the brain cells to focus on a less-essential bit.

Anyway- it turned out one of the guild masters was unable to attend. Art and I agreed, easiest thing: I would step in for Nick, and could modify his lines if-as needed. Perfect.
I also messaged him with a nice short addition scene that might be a nice nod to my contribution. It was very short and didn’t change anything. When they broke thrugh the castle walls, I would be the one who let Lyssa Aelen and the mage through the gap- with some kind of line like– stick with me, I’ve got this. stay down and wait til I give the signal- then you run like hell.

SO- I note the next day or so, there is a “call log” posted– by Shmitty. My name isn’t on it– so I left a note asking about name change on the script if I should use account name or character name. I got a very abrupt message that essentially conveyed that– everything is set (subtext: you are not included in this)

I started a wtf response, but then deleted it almost immediately. Instead I replaced it with– so you’re all set. have fun.

I suspect he did NOT catch the dismissive anger in that response.

Art said he was also furious. Ironically, though, it sounded more like he was angry that Shmitty had overridden his decision, stepped on Art’s toes– rather than a shitty way to treat someone who had gone to ginormous lengths to salvage the project.

Art did  try to find a salvage situation by suggesting I read-play one of the side characters in the scene. At that point I was at a big NOPE. That is not a consolation prize for someone treating me that dismissively. NOW– maybe Shmitty is under the impression that Art is the main driver of the script upgrades? I don’t know. This is where my earlier comment plays out. Art was not the senior level writer here, and often insisted on help even with tiny things (hair-pulling details at 1 AM:0…) BUT– he was the liaison… so he was the voice, the face, so to speak… that Shmitty had the most contact with, and “knows” the best…

but still–

Taking on this project took me away from my own writing for several weeks… both in terms of the energy and time invested, and in the amount of brain-space it took up in those durations.

I highly doubt I will get anything near the credit I earned in doing this. Shmitty talks about bringing this to sundance. I have no idea. He wants to show it to David Stem, who evidently is a big name screen writer that he has been working with.

This has given me an opportunity to introspect/reflect, though. A part of me, in hindsight, thinks— I only have myself to blame.

That sounds insane, doesn’t it? Well– here is my thinking– and ironically, I think this is part of a family-inherited dynamic. In my thinking, hard work pays off. Right? Wrong. And I remember having conversations with my brother about this. In terms of success, it isn’t how good you are, how capable you are, or what you actually  produce. We noted this in relation to my father.  He had a brilliant mind, was a local sports hero. Went to Yale, and Michigan law school. Worked as State’s attorney DA (I don’t even know what his actual title was). We know he was bitter that he never got a judge-ship. He worked countless hours at his job, was always thorough and fair (this was coming from other sources, no personal bias here). And yet. his good friend Marty got the judgeship. and that was the make or break moment. While I’m sure my father was happy for his friend– he also knew (I think) his own career had stalled out. Why? What was different? I think Marty was the better people-person. He networked better. he got along better. And THAT was what mattered when it  came time for getting the due credit. My father was the desk man– he spent countless hours and late nights going over case files for the next day– often coming home at midnight. I doubt Marty– with no disrespect–  gave that level of commitment to the job. he invested his time, and less f it, in the people who made decisions. they knew him, they liked him.

And now, circling back to this script. I did the same thing– I did the desk work, I brought my 10 years of experience in writing, revising and publishing to a bad script. I did NOT make myself the face of these rewrites. That credit– based on the way  comments have been posted– seems to be falling more to Art and to “the pair of us” as though lumping my work under Art’s work.

Anyway- I don’t know what my take-away is for all of this? I have not heard anything from Art since that last conversation, where I distanced myself from the project with– a kind of adios muchachos.. attitude (ie you’d better hope i already fixed all your holes because I’m probably not doing it again:)…

So now I feel jilted on two fronts– after all the hours I spent with Art of “it will only take a minute” turns into a minute plus 4 hours:)…  Plus Shmitty’s absolute cold-dismissal.

Now, if only I can dig myself out of this jilted-funk and start putting that energy back into my own writing:)