Film Courage: So then basically don't hire a consultant just so they can tell you
it's [your screenplay] great? Be open? Andrew Guerrero, Writer/Director/Actor: For sure. Yes, we will fluff our own egos enough.
So don't just hire a consultant just to hear your great because they will tell
you you're not. They will tell you things to fix be open for that again you don't
have to take the notes they may be way off base because it's just an opinion
from another another writer or working professional but they do have valid
points and just take those just say thank you and and see how it could work
try and play with it in your head give it a give it a chance you know okay well
how could this work let's see if we do point A to point D and if we get it to
that way sure let's try that and if it doesn't
sit right in your gut you'll know but again don't listen to your gut because
of your ego though you know I just has to be this way because this is the way I
wrote it originally you know trust trust your gut as you step aside and say this
will be the best for the story this will be the best for the characters and again
it is your story you know it better than anyone but they're just trying to help
you get it to the best point it can be so just just be open for it just be open
for it any red flags like what if you're not meshing mm you don't have to mesh
you know if you're not meshing with a person that's fine you don't have to
you're there for business you're there for work as far as red flags you know I
mean I don't know I don't know I've never know it sounds like you had all
positive experiences I mean if they were a weird / I didn't I didn't go to weird
people I didn't go you know I didn't go to the Predators or whatever it is that
I I just noticed that they were all just wanting to help wanting to give great
advice or opinions that's really what it was for me that's great
and so after six or seven or eight you were like I think I'm gonna do whatever
was yeah I don't need to get got yeah it got to the point where I was getting so
many varied opinions or so different from each other cuz this person would
say fix this and a person would say no keep that fix this
so it was very very different I got to the point was like okay
I've got enough I can choose from if I want to and then honestly what ended up
happening was I picked a couple here and there and then very bluntly to myself
said what do you need to fix rip your emotions out step on your heart be a
businessman now you've already done the art part be a businessman what needs to
be fixed and then I had to read it you know I gave myself months before I
reread it I read it every I reread it and said okay there's not enough of this
so we got to put that in or this is leaning away too much over here let's
cut that and then I just started cutting it and and and adding in the very little
bits that I got from all the notes look at that I did like that I will just put
them in here and there if I needed to but I got to the point where it was the
most important point I think any artist can get to is self evaluation you know
and just saying you know what this needs to go what this needs to stay or I need
to adjust that and being able to just step away from it emotionally and
logically say I need to fix this because that's the best piece of advice I can
give is learn to step away from your ego and learn to learn to cut when you have
to you know don't be precious about your work like that
I think that's easy for everybody to do I don't know it was it sounds very hard
it's easier said than done I think it got to the point was like it's like
breaking up honestly it you get really hard at first but suddenly you see a
whole new world you know it's like wow I didn't get hurt from this I'm okay I and then
it just got exciting then I just got I developed and then I developed the habit
of cutting I developed the habit of self editing right so and then you get some
more seasoned with your writing and you get more proficient and then you get to
the point where it's like no it's just part of the job you know so then you
start now I look forward to it and then in the editing room I was like hi what
else can we cut what else can we cut what else can we cut you know my editor
was like well if you keep cutting you're not gonna help
I was like he's a hit he goes trust me you get to point you get from point A to
point B as fast as you could they say you know enter a scene as fast as
possible get out of it as fast as possible and he goes you're doing that
fine you're good don't worry about cutting any more than you need to so
that was the next piece of advice I had to learn was don't over cut just because
it got easy to cut you know or don't over self edit because it's it got easy
to so learn how to self edit and then know when to edit you know
you