My point: I'm in the audio/video production associates degree course (2 years) and I know myself- I write as a hobby and want to some professionally as well and I wouldn't want a prop simply because I was the writer... I would want a copy of the script autographed by the director and DP and editor as well as the actors... A propa should be owned, imho, by the actor who had to use it or by the director of the props dept.
My second prob with a playwright having a prop is that a screen or play writer are VERY rarely on set for rehersals or filming... The write the play, hear about the changes, gripe about it to the producer or director and explain their point, but either way, if the writer was just that, only the writer, there's no logical reason the writer, like Caines character, would act like he has to "direct" the action... That's the directors job to relay the message or feeling to the actor if they have it all wrong...
Only time I've ever heard of the writer having a say is if the writer is also the director, producer, or director of photography...
Otherwise that'll happen on the set of a 48 hour project, which has a small crew of people doing 5 different roles each, or something close to that. On our college weekend film festival I was assistant director (AKA "the b#!?_" because they have to do the dirty work and get on peoples butts and gets to be seen as one truly!! Lol), and I was a grip, camera assistant in one while doing the shot logs AND did wardrobe AND did the blood squibs (by taping them to the person without it busting! Its hard to do, its a nonlubricated condom filled with fake blood taped to a piece of cardboard then the tape is stuck to the cardboard as you tape the whole lil "rig" to the person... Without busting...) anyway. I didn't want anything but a copy of the script, pixs of me on set and other people and a copy of the finished product.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard" (req. line 4 the recent 48hr film challenge regionally)
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hornacek
18 years ago
I don't have anything to do with the movie/theatre business, so I'm only writing this as someone who's watched the film.
Caine's character is a well-known playwright with some very successful plays. Yes, when the film starts his last few plays have been terrible, but his earlier plays were huge hits. Based on the story, his plays are hits because of the great writing - he is the name mentioned when they talk about "The Murder Game", not the director or actors. I'm sure there are many hit plays that when you mention them, people think of the playright as the reason it was so good, not the director or actors.
So if the play is a huge success, and a personal success for the playright, why wouldn't the playright want a prop from that play? The play is a huge hit, very respected - of course the playright would want to keep a souvenir from the play - and if it's a thriller with a very specific prop, like a chain that squirts blood, that's the prop you'd want to keep (it's probably *the* prop that the audience thinks about when they think of that play).
As for Caine "directing" the action, I've never written a play, but when you write a play, you have to be sure that it is believable. If you write that a young man with one arm out of commission cannot overpower a middle-aged man, you would act it out before submitting the final draft and then finding out during rehersals that whoops, you didn't test out the action and it turns out you were wrong.
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MorbidKittyProductions
18 years ago
i'll put it like this then, seeing as i agree with you to an extent....
i write stories and don't act them out to see if they'll work, but then again, that's not exactly a PLAY (it's not seen, just read and thought of in the readers mind), sooooo IMHO i still would think as the writer i wouldn't want a damned prop - just an autographed FINAL draft of the manuscript, MINE that is before it was made into smaller copies for everyone else, signed by the cast, AND stage hands, and the director :)
now granted it'd be COOL to have a prop that squirts blood, but.... just wouldn't make sense.
maybe Caine's character and other playwrights know something i don't about owning props (the cool ones esp.) from their successful plays?? i dunno. :)
and even I know that when you right a play you have to make it believable..... buuuuut there's always suspension of disbelief for the sci-fi/fantasy plays like Shakespeares "MidSummer Night's Dream".... :)
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard" (req. line 4 the recent 48hr film challenge regionally)
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HaroldCarter
15 years ago
Only a few of the props were from his plays, he said people gave him some and he buys others at antique shops. It appeared that collecting antique weapons was a hobby of his. He was a successful playwright, if he wanted a souvenir from his plays, I'm sure the theatre and director would be accomodating. It might even have been written into his contract.
As far as other people having such items, it seemed to me that Clifford was banking on the fact that people would suspect that it was really what happened, so the play would have more buzz.
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