We spoke to top screenwriters at Sundance about the process of writing for the screen. We asked what makes someone a good screenwriter, how to adapt from source material, and what advice they’d give aspiring writers.
.
.
Transcript provided by Youtube:
00:00
audiences don’t know somebody sits down
00:02
and right to picture they think the
00:05
actors make it up as they go along at
00:08
Sundance 2017 we got some top
00:11
screenwriters to share their insights
00:13
and advice about the process of writing
00:15
for the screen we started with the
00:17
question what makes someone a good
00:19
screenwriter one of the most important
00:22
things with screenwriting is that you
00:24
give yourself the chance to really get
00:27
into the heads of each of your
00:29
characters so like places I wrote Keira
00:32
that part and then it would go back and
00:34
just work on Doug I’d like to really
00:37
keep fleshing it out and also not to be
00:40
in control of it let it reveal itself to
00:42
you the exciting thing is not to know
00:45
being able to empathize with people and
00:47
and strive for understanding even in the
00:51
most difficult situation is is important
00:54
it’s important to be alert and aware and
00:56
to observe
00:59
focus on one thing snoring find one
01:04
thing that you care passionately about
01:08
and then write about that what’s it like
01:12
to see your script projected on screen
01:14
as a finished movie it’s always like you
01:17
know like seeing your dreams projected
01:18
onto a wall it’s very odd you know it’s
01:21
very strange because every characters
01:23
are based on people I know and little
01:26
intimate details in my life and it’s
01:28
very odd to see that in front of an
01:30
audience are there different kinds of
01:32
screenwriters I think there are
01:34
screenwriters that are maybe more puzzle
01:35
makers if you will people who are a
01:37
little more plot oriented and then I
01:39
think there are screenwriters who are
01:41
perhaps more character-driven if I were
01:44
to evaluate myself perhaps them in the
01:45
latter category I tried writing some
01:48
stuff about real life and I’m stuff that
01:52
that the every man’s got a deal with how
01:57
do you go about adapting from source
01:58
material the funny thing about writing
02:00
is some of these people means not doing
02:03
exactly within the spirit within the
02:04
source material the full
02:07
the other movie it’s about it’s about
02:08
figuring out what that other author
02:10
meant you know and climbing and finding
02:13
the night the way to turn that story
02:15
into the thing that the director most
02:17
wanted help what are some differences
02:19
between playwriting and screenwriting
02:21
what I tell people is that when I write
02:24
for theater I write with my ears and
02:27
when I write for film or write with my
02:29
eyes and I really feel particularly like
02:32
even though the dialogue is scant here
02:35
and very chosen everything is written
02:38
you know but it’s visually written and
02:40
so it’s something that it’s a different
02:44
way of capturing a story do you ever
02:48
write instructions for the actors camera
02:50
or lighting personally no I don’t like
02:52
to put any emotion you know it says like
02:55
you know Jim aggravated what are we
02:57
doing here I would rather just say Jim
02:59
what are we doing here but the actor
03:01
make that choice as the writer viewers
03:03
of C and then everybody else these are
03:06
the gardens and you want to grow
03:09
something that people are going to want
03:12
to devote their time and and their ideas
03:17
to whether be the actors or the
03:20
production designers what’s it like
03:22
writing an outline instead of a
03:24
conventional script one of the ways
03:26
they’re like the describe expose is like
03:27
giving driving directions by landmark
03:30
instead of street name if that makes
03:33
sense so it’s kind of like you’re going
03:34
to turn left at that big tree instead of
03:36
on main and so it does put a little bit
03:38
of pressure on the actors but really
03:40
depending on who the actor is they
03:42
either really enjoy that challenge or
03:44
they find it intimidating and finally
03:46
what advice would you give aspiring
03:48
writers shot out a rough outline of like
03:51
where you think the story is going to go
03:53
and then write the terrible version of
03:57
your movie write that first draft
04:00
well penny like anything worth lighting
04:02
it came inexplicably and without method
04:04
I think just if you have a story tell it
04:10
and don’t you worry whether it’s going
04:12
to tell don’t worry if someone’s going
04:14
to like it what your focus should be on
04:17
is your heart taking the chance getting
04:21
uncomfortable and getting into whatever
04:24
world you want to portray and let it
04:26
letting yourself marinate in it
04:28
so to recap some of the best advice we
04:30
got for writers get inside each of your
04:33
characters heads empathize be alert and
04:35
observe know if you’re a puzzle maker or
04:38
a character-driven writer in adapting
04:41
figure out what the source author means
04:42
don’t fear you have to preserve
04:44
everything find a seed that others will
04:47
want to water and make grow visually
04:49
write your scenes even if there’s little
04:51
dialogue if you have a story tell it
04:54
right the bad version first and let it
04:57
marinate we do what everyone says we can
05:00
we pray for more subscribe to screen
05:09
prism on YouTube
—
This post was previously published on Youtube.
—
***
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want to join our calls on a regular basis, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
Talk to you soon.
—
Photo credit: Screenshot from video
.