Archive for May, 2011
May
11
2011
 
“It is a good time to be a filmmaker.”Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaMonday was the single most viewed day in the three plus years of “Screenwriting from Iowa”—largely due to an influx to my post from last November The 10 Film Commandments of Edward Burns. Someone must be talking that post up. That was the post where I unpacked how Burns made Nice Guy Johnny in 2010 [...]
May
10
2011
Filmmaking Quote #15 (Edward Burns)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa In light of Robert Benton’s quote about directing yesterday I found this quote as a nice bookend: “When I made my first film — I never made a film before — and I thought the role of the director was always to be directing the actors. And I also felt that what I wrote was [...]
May
09
2011
Filmmaking Quote #14 (Robert Benton)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“When I began directing I used to direct the actors. I’ve learned to try to get through doing as little directing as possible. Altman taught me to trust my actors. I do less takes because I think you’re going to get what you need in two or three or four takes. I think you destroy [...] A couple of years ago I wrote and directed a short film and cast Dom Wooten in the lead roll just because I wanted to showcase his talent and say some day that I worked with Dom. As a black 6’4″ college student from New Jersey you might think Dom is a basketball player walking [...] I was reading a book today by a film critic and came across this quote: “Not every movie has to matter; generally we go hoping just to be relaxed refreshed. But because most of the time we come out slugged and depressed, I think we care far more now about the reach for something. We’ve [...] A couple of years ago I wrote and directed a short film and cast Dom Wooten in the lead roll just because I wanted to say some day that I worked with Dom. As a black 6’4″ college student from New Jersey you might think Dom is a basketball player, and while he does enjoy [...]
May
06
2011
Screenwriting Quote #155 (Robin Swicord)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“What I tell young screenwriters is, ‘Take responsibility for your work.’ Collaborate with friends who want to make films, and with them produce your work on whatever scale your filmmaking team can afford. Digital video has brought down the cost of making your own films. Don’t wait for permission. Create your own opportunities. In terms [...]
May
05
2011
“The Caterpillar and the Butterfly”Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“Every story is “The Caterpillar and the Butterfly.” We start with a caterpillar living among the tall branches, eating green leaves, waxing “hi!” to his caterpillar pals, little knowing that his is a profound deficiency. And then one day, an odd feeling comes over him that’s so scary, it’s like a freefall. Something strange is [...] “When I first went to Hollywood one heard talk from writers about whoring. But you are not tempted to whore unless you want to be a whore.” Playwright & Oscar-nominated screenwriter Lillian Hellman (The Little Foxes, The North Star) Playwrights at Work The Godfather (1972) Written by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola |
