Screenwriting From Iowa

“(James Cameron) gets a lot of points for being a techno-brat, but he is a very emotional storyteller.” Steven Speilberg  “James Cameron has made the two biggest movies ever made, and say what you will about his dialogue or his characterizations, but every single one of his movies obviously have resonated with a HUGE audience across [...]

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“Storytelling is innate to the human condition. Its underpinnings are cerebral, emotional, communal, psychological. One of the storyteller’s main responsibilities is to resonate in the audience’s psyche a certain something at the end of it all, to emotionally move the audience, to compel the audience to ‘get it’ on a visceral level.” Oscar-nominated director Arthur [...]

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For the last several days I’ve been exploring the topic of emotions and why saddness in particular seems to  get quite a bit of stage time throughout theatrical history.  The great American playwright Euguene O’Neill (1888-1953) wrote his share of downbeat stories (Long Day’s Journey, The Iceman Cometh)  and was once asked if he was “the apostle [...]

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“Some of my main influences in the documentary world are David Guggenheim and Lesley Chicott, who taught me about finding the story and its emotional heart through the people (being filmed), and all of Earl Morris‘ films, which bring narrative form to the documentary.” Logan Scheider American Cinematographer magazine November 2011 Scheider was the cinematographer [...]

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Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Macbeth William Shakespeare  Guess there are times when we all need to share a little pain Sad [...]

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“We’ve all read books that are technically perfect but emotionally barren. Where’s the life?  Why couldn’t we, as readers, engage? Often we find books cold because the author hasn’t raised the emotional level.  Hasn’t considered emotions at all. Details and description have their places, but emotions flavor a story.” Beth Hill Writing for the Emotions on The [...]

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“Storytelling involves more than lining up the action pieces, arranging them in a logical order and then drawing conclusions. Yes, dramatic action pulls moviegoers to the edge of their seats. And yes, conflict, tension, suspense and curiosity hook moviegoers. Yet, no matter how exciting the action, the character’s emotional reactions and emotional development provide fascination. [...]

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“We really were in that rat race, going around in circles. Now there is change for numerous reasons. One is boredom. The American people have a very volcanic emotional life—which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. There is boredom now even with what eight or nine years ago was a shockingly [...]

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“Robert McKee, in his excellent book Story, defines the goal of the screenwriter as ‘a good story well told.’ A story must also be the vehicle for an emotion. The audience wants to be moved. Those elements that contribute to an emotional experience are valuable: those that aren’t are extraneous and probably dispensable. According to [...]

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“I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.” Director Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, It’s a Wonderful Life)

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