John Fahy has worked on countless films, but his name doesn’t appear in the credits. He’s a script doctor, ironing out the kinks of movies without any of the glory. But that’s not always a bad thing. “A guy I work with a lot calls me his secret weapon,” Fahy says.
What is a script doctor?
It’s a high-skilled screenwriter who works with writers, directors, and producers to develop their ideas. We’re writers, we’re coaches, we’re diplomats. It’s not just rewriting scripts, but re-editing movies that have already been shot, writing new scenes, and occasionally directing those new scenes. Seven times out of 10, there are problems with a movie when it’s first edited, so they’ll bring me in to fix the problems.
How did you become a script doctor?
I started working for Miramax when they were a small company. If they wanted to buy a movie or a script, they would send it around to execs. I learned how to talk about movies in a constructive way. I got to go to various sets and take pictures for movie posters. I would sit there all day and watch all these great directors. It helped me gain confidence and insight into the storytelling process. Once I left [Miramax], I went to film school, NYU. After that I wrote a couple of my own scripts. Everyone liked the way I wrote, just not the subject matter.
Is there a specific project you’re proud of?
Unfortunately, I don’t usually work on smooth projects; I usually work on projects that have problems. The nature of what I do is covered by a nondisclosure agreement because people don’t want others to know they needed a script doctor.
Is that a drawback of the job?
Definitely. I rarely end up getting public recognition. But I don’t want to be famous. I like being the guy behind the guy. I like working with ambitious people on ambitious projects. There have been a number of movies that I’ve worked on that have been nominated for Oscars and I can’t acknowledge that I helped. My wife knows, though. It’s also freeing when your name’s not on it. You can look at it in a more cold-hearted way. You can say, “I know this is a great scene, but it doesn’t make sense with what you have now.”
What advice would you give someone trying to get into the business?
Write your own scripts. If people like your work, they’ll hire you to do something else. Depending on the size of your ego, you can work a lot in this business if you let someone else take credit. You need good bedside manner. People are emotionally attached to their projects. It’s not your movie. You want to understand their ambitions for the project. The other part is writing craft. Write well in screenplay format. That’s harder than it sounds.
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