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How And Why I Write

By Media Match member Thomas Roberdeau

I wrote poems before screenplays and read them in various cafes across the country. The audience responded, so then I began writing novels and screenplays. The novels demanded more work and time, but allowed a more free-flowing array of ideas. This was freedom to me; creativity unbound.

Then I began to write feature screenplays. I had outlined short films before this and directed them, and I won some prizes, mostly for the visual style, not the words. People always said I was a writer, but I knew I was not. So writing features was new to me, telling more complete stories. I read the screenplays of John Huston and James Agee, as these had the depth of story and character I was after.

Screenplays demanded great precision of language. An almost mathematical rhythm. Brevity of description was paramount, concise dialogue. Also a bit of mimicry in becoming characters. As the mystery writer Ross Macdonald said, don’t know in advance where you’re going and this impulse of excitement can be transferred to the reader. I tried this, plus always ending a scene so it leads to another, like a film edit does.

I had an entire summer to write my first screenplay, so I gave myself 3 months only and completed it on time. Self-discipline is everything for a writer. You must write what you know and love, because those early scripts will be what introduce you to yourself first, and to the world secondly. Mine was a western. I shared it with friends, one friend shared it with an agent who subsequently got me an option on it, and it won a screenwriting prize that got me work. I have since turned it into a novel. I think my passion for the story was contagious.

I believe passion is everything, because it all begins with you facing a blank sheet of paper. Screenplays don’t have to be cold and methodical, they can also be fiery and make the blood run hot. Or profoundly solemn or insanely funny. I advise that you write like the masters you admire. Write a film you want to see.

My next screenplay was a detective mystery, then an adaptation of a classic novel, a screenplay that was published as a book in its own right. For assignments, I drifted into other genres: horror, thrillers, more classic adaptations, erotica for cable. I have made a good living at times. And I have always kept writing short stories and novels, texts that fulfill a non-commercial ethos of self-expression for me. And over the years I have kept up the poetry.

I thrive on the mystery of writing, the odd paths your imagination presents you to go down, like Odysseus, and the monsters you must slay or be seduced by. I write slowly, almost chiseling the words like sculpture. I take my time but get it finished. I am not writing screenplays for myself, I want them read and hopefully filmed. But if the movies live on paper, then I work toward the richest experience possible for the reader/viewer.

"Old Typewriter Found in the Basement" by Eye

We are proud to showcase the first blog in our ongoing Media Match Blog Writing Promotion; ‘The Story‘ by screenwriter, and Media Match member Rachel Feldman. If you are interested in participating please send a 500 word blog to us-blog@media-match.com. If your blog is selected you will get a free annual subscription to our Media Match services.

The Story

“I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.”
- Flannery O’Connor

Everybody thinks they have a story. When I sit in a taxi and the driver learns that I’m a screenwriter, I’m suddenly subjected to whatever drama has unfolded in that person’s life. And everywhere I go it’s the same. Everybody thinks something that happened them has the makings of a great movie.

Now I teach screenwriting in the masters program of a world-renowned film school. Each semester, new, fresh faces eagerly pay big bucks to learn how to become filmmakers. They have dreams, they have ambition – but remarkably many of them don’t have a clue as to what makes a story. I find this baffling to have the desire to be a storyteller yet not have an organic understanding what makes a good story. And yet, I am here to tell you that the vast majority of the students with whom I work suffer from this problem.

Of course, writing is a skill that requires a great deal of time and effort and I know that one does not become a strong writer quickly. This is one of those jobs for which 10,000 hours of practice just scratches the surface. But I’m not talking about the ability to write a story, I’m simply talking about the ability to recognize one.

A beginning, a middle and an end is a good start. We can call that act one, two and three, or just understand that we meet a character who has a problem, we see how that problem complicates that character’s life and then we see how that person changes, grows or learns something from the journey. Voila, a story. And yet so many of these incredibly smart, young adults suddenly clam up and freeze when it’s their turn to make a film. We get a lot of stories without characters, situations that don’t go anywhere, lots of killing and guns, plenty of effects and “cool” shots but strangely – very little story.

My colleagues and I discuss this a lot. We have many theories. Of course, a generation raised by their eyeballs doesn’t help. The visual impulse is strong and our interest in pictures is keen, especially when we’ve been raised with science fiction, action adventure and games. But I don’t think that’s the answer. I think the truth is that The Story is a precious thing. We used to sit in awe around campfires as master storytellers wove strands of story in and out of our imaginations. We held onto their words with baited breath, listening in wonder as to what would happen next. I know that our students will graduate with amazing skills. They will get jobs and work in the industry and become successful and some of them will even become great storytellers, but for now they need to dig deep, to tap into their souls and to strive to discover a unique voice within themselves. A story is a gift, a work of art, a truth – a delicate, intangible resource – and not something just anyone can toss into the air.

By Rachel Feldman

The 48 Hour Film Project is an international tour spanning over 80 countries, in each of which a team of TV and Film production professionals make a movie – that is, write, shoot, edit and score it – in just 48 hours. Last year saw over 40,000 participants ball their wears, emphasising the amount of growth the project has seen since it’s inception in 2001.

The whirlwind weekend aims simply to encourage filmmaking and promote filmmakers in various locations across the globe, holding events in 55 different US cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, Austin, Washington DC, and more. On the Friday night, you get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then it will show at a local theater, usually in the next week. Having the 48 hour time limit is not meant to be seen as restricting, instead emphasizing that creativity and teamwork skills will serve you well. There is also something liberating about just going for it, and getting the shots, editing, and effects completed rather than talking too much about them and accomplishing nothing.

From the 48 Hour Film Project’s History, “Back in May 2001, Mark Ruppert came up with a crazy idea: to try to make a film in 48 hours. He quickly enlisted his filmmaking partner, Liz Langston, and several other DC filmmakers to form their own teams and join him in this experiment. The big question back then was ‘Would films made in only 48 hours even be watchable?’ The answer was a resounding ‘Yes’ “.

Entries for the Chicago weekend (July 29th) have just opened today (register here), and a full calendar can be found here. Rules and information for filmmakers can be found here, and they even include a list which you can join if you are not able to form your own team but wish to offer your services as part of a team in your area. (That’s right……… here.)


by Lee Jarvis.

Check these links for some of the scriptwriting software mentioned…
http://www.celtx.com
http://www.finaldraft.com

And check out Full Sail…
http://www.fullsail.com

Lee Jarvis.

Every year, the Hollywood community inevitably complains about the shows that didn’t get nominated (I would include myself in that list, seeing as how ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was not nominated for best drama series, while ‘Lost’ was overlooked in the writing and directing categories; however, since the former received a writing nod, and the latter is once again in the running for best drama, I really can’t complain).  But this year is different, and should be remembered as such, for the fact that two basic cable networks have shows that are being considered for best drama.  That is not to take anything away from what the broadcast networks have done; shows like ‘House’ and the aforementioned ‘Lost’ not only withstand the test of time, they actually reinvent themselves to remain fresh and interesting.  The cable networks, too, have remained viable, with shows like ‘Dexter’ and ‘The Wire’ receiving nothing but praise from fans and critics both. 

But the emergence of networks like AMC is notable for the fact that they have come seemingly out of nowhere to challenge convention.  They have presented us with small, character-driven shows dominated by great acting and compelling writing, and as a result have found steadily growing audiences.  They even seem to come up with ways to deal with some of the challenges facing television as a whole, such as the growing worry that people with DVRs are fast-forwarding through commercials: while watching ‘Mad Men’, a show about ad executives in the 1960’s, each first-half commercial break features title cards that give interesting tidbits about the sponsor or product in the ensuing commercials (who knew the first Orkin ad dates way back to 1954?)  Simple yet informative, these commercial teasers, for lack of a better description, keep you interested – they actually make you want to watch the commercial!  It’s creativity like this that illustrates, in a small way, what networks like AMC bring to the mix. 

Basic cable networks in general have been upping the ante in recent years.  It’s fitting that FX has recently changed its slogan to “There is No Box”, because that is how the network approaches its programming.  By thinking beyond what’s safe and what works, they have risen the level of quality; in doing so, they have also questioned many of Hollywood’s beliefs, including what, exactly, a hero should look and act like.  FX (along with TNT and USA) has also helped to dispel the notion that there are no primetime, desirable roles for women over 40 – just ask Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, or Kyra Sedgwick.

Here’s hoping that the broadcast networks take a look at what their basic cable counterparts are doing, and realize that there are in fact lessons to be learned.