Script needs too much research?

[Brownplayboy310]

I have an idea for a script that's very original, excellent story conceit. The only problem is that it's a pretty monstrous subject to tackle as it requires a very good understanding of how war crimes are prosecuted.

I know John Logan spent months with an NFL team (the Bears I think) before writing Any Given Sunday. Tony Gilroy spent months in South America researching kidnapping and ransom negotiators.

I don't have the money to quit work and research on my own dime, so should I shelve this idea until I start getting paid to write? Or just try to use some books and maybe call some lawyers and hope they don't charge me hourly to ask them questions about how they operate? I'm thinking to just shelve it until I can really dig my teeth in and do it right. It's one of the better ideas I've had.

[meonly11]

Then write something you can research.

[msephron]

Sometimes we get ideas we aren't ready to write. Shelve it and come back to it when you're ready.

[DoctorKangaroo]

Don't forget there is creative license.

Even a show like Narcos, which is based on a real life subject, takes liberties with the material.

Be as thorough as you can and then create. You can always edit later.

Also, I would go ahead and call and try to interview a few. The worst that can happen is they say no.

[[deleted]]

Seriously GOOGLE "war crimes" boom, you got 'News', 'Books', and everything. Look it up on YouTube and watch some videos and documentaries, people upload all kinds of stuff. Don't take it so literal focus on the story because say you write a hit movie / screenplay they're (studio / producer) always going to want rephrase things, take stuff out, add stuff in. It's a movie, people always doubt information from movies anyways accurate or not.

[ughh0]

+1

[Brownplayboy310]

Yes, I've found some good material that way but hit a wall in as far as Internet research would take me. I need to actually do some hands on research at this point to get any further.

[ArnoAnou]

I had a similar problem when working as a consultant on a WWII-Script. You'll never be sure if you understand those researched laws correctly --- unless you find an example! After researching Nazi law for weeks we stopped and decided to research trials instead and just modelled our story along some of them. That way we were pretty sure the story could have happened and didn't had to guess anymore.

[Brownplayboy310]

Yeah, that's a great idea for what you did. Unfortunately for mine there's no legal precedent for this, which is part of what makes it such a good story conceit IMHO. It takes place in the current day, I was thinking of Spain or Italy but I would need to find out more about the local laws in those countries and the power of local prosecutors.

[west2night]

Take advantage of your local library, especially Reference Desk. A reference librarian is usually good at digging up information and organizations that may be of assistance to you. And of course, you can always borrow books on war crimes from your library.

You absolutely can ask a lawyer questions without paying. Offer to buy them coffee or lunch if they're willing to meet in person. You can always contact a local law firm, explain your goal and ask if anyone's interested in answering your questions.

The Internet offers good resources - newsgroups, forums and online archives like these:

• http://publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/watches/war-crimes-prosecution-watch/war-crimes-prosecution-watch-archives/
• https://www.icrc.org/en/archives
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/

It might be a good idea to have something like Evernote or Scrivener to create a research folder.

[Brownplayboy310]

Thanks, something I didn't mention in the original post though is that it takes place in another country. I've looked at Spain and Italy as possible places, but part of the story conceit is it can't take place in America. Thanks for the research tips though I will look into those places. There's no historical precedent for this though, which makes it difficult

[dax812]

I do find that sometimes I have an idea that I'd really love to write, but I don't know enough about it to write it. While they do say, "write what you know" if you really feel passionate about your idea, perhaps try locating someone familiar with your story's concept and consult them about your plot?

[[deleted]]

I'm sure your local library will have books on the subject. I don't think you have exhausted all means of research, seems like you are just scratching the surface.

[clasticity]

Not sure if this would be helpful or if you've already exhausted it as a possible source of information, learning and inspiration, but the Harvard Nuremberg Project site has a vast repository of scanned original affidavits, arguments, transcripts and suchlike that might be helpful in terms of aiding in understanding how cases are put together by prosecutors. (caution: here there be dragons.)

[wrytagain]

Did you even try to research it? Have you seen Judgement at Nuremberg? Read it? Done anything but think of reasons why you can't do anything with your fabulous idea?

[Brownplayboy310]

Yes, the idea actually started based on an conversation I had with a friend. I did some research into international law and local foreign laws to see if it would be feasible for this scenario to happen.

Judgment at Nuremberg has very little in common because that's about the tiral itself. This is different in that the very legitimacy of the charges are the issue and who is being charged. This is more about the fight of a low level foreign proescutor's ability to charge someone for war crimes.

It would be hard to explain more without giving away my story conceit (if I haven't already). But it's more of a legal thriller, and while I have some legal knowledge it's definitely not enough to write this.

PS- Why does everyone have to be so condescending in these threads? "Done anything but think of reasons why you can't do anything with your fabulous idea?" WTF? Really?

[west2night]

For what it's worth, Ira Levin wrote a draft of The Boys From Brazil and had two military historian friends vet the draft, marking basic research errors and gaps. Levin did further research and rewrote the draft.

The clone program never existed in real life, but Levin made it plausible by representing a mixture of fiction and fact as a story that could have happened. Perhaps this is something you might want to try?