A certain subset of critics and cinephiles defends the screenplay as the most essential aspect of filmmaking. It is, they argue, the foundation upon which the entire movie is constructed and, if it's not solid, the whole thing will simply fall down.
"There's certainly some merit to the appreciation of the writer's job and how it kickstarts the complex process of cinematic storytelling, but as anyone who has seriously studied film theory knows, a script by itself is nothing but a piece of paper – its ultimate fate and perceived quality is completely dependent on the execution of the director. Meaning, a great screenplay can result in a terrible movie, just as a mediocre piece of writing can originate from a great film.
This is something screenwriters themselves know – so much so that some of them demand to get behind the camera to assure their work properly translates to the screen."
