Casino Royale Script

Got a call this morning from screenwriter/blogger John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) asking me why I thought it was OK to link to a blow-by-blow description of the new James Bond script for Casino Royale (which is viewable at IGN Film Force), when the script is an unfinished aspect of a film that hasn't been shot yet. This is one of those questions that comes up when you are on staff at a Hollywood trade paper. Yes, as a journalist I want to read that description and get my hands on that script. As a blogger, my impulse is to share and let people know what's Out There. Amateur bloggers, says August, can get away with stuff that I, as an industry professional, cannot. So true. So I have removed that link.

Comments

[John August]

Thanks, Anne. I think it was the right choice.

[Stax]

no offense to him but who is John August to dictate what you should or shouldn't put on your blog? will you next not be allowed to talk about a deal before it happens? or to talk about rumors about a troubled set because, well, the movie hasn't come out yet? the "movie hasn't come out yet" argument is just a way for the industry to keep people quiet and control the flow of information.

[John August]

Stax --

No offense taken. I'm not dictating anything. I asked whether it was appropriate for her to link to a script review, considering that The Hollywood Reporter itself would never review a script (or a test screening, for that matter).

You have an editorial policy at FilmForce that says it's okay to review scripts (or link to others who do). As I understand it, that's not the policy of THR. For all the disclaimers, the blog we're posting on is branded with THR's logo; Anne is the deputy editor. That's a big difference, and that's what I called to ask her about.

And before we get on the "it's just a link" tangent, here's a scenario: Rather than linking to a script review, what if they linked to a BitTorrent site of Superman Returns?

There's a movie that "hasn't come out yet." Would criticizing the link just be another way for the industry to keep people quiet and control the flow of information?

It's Anne's blog. She and the other powers-that-be might decide that it's fine to link to anything. That's their perogative. But it would be a change from their current editorial policy. I'm just pointing it out.

[mick coleman]

But as an industry professional why start blogging unless you want to write outside your publication's current editorial policy and normal publishing schedule.

[John August]

Mick --

As Deputy Editor of THR, with her own column, I don't think Anne has the luxury of being a capital-J journalist at work and a freewheeling blogger after hours, particularly when she's writing about the same subject.

Let's say Anne hear a naughty rumor about a major director. She can't report it in THR -- they don't print rumors. But if she printed it here, wouldn't that impact her ability to do her job at THR? Many people are willing to talk with her only because they expect a certain level of professionalism. If that professionalism only holds true when she's on the clock, her career as a journalist is in jeopardy.

I suspect that Anne is under contract with THR, which may be one reason this blog is labelled with their logo.