Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
What he says is that it’s all about story. We’re an old-fashioned programme here and we’re about the primacy of story. Shakespeare is not a little-known writer found in some archive by a group of academics – these plays were massive blockbusters in their day. Why? Because the plays are about violence, perversion, sex and tawdry stuff.
Is the advice in Ackerman’s book different? Write Screenplays That Sell: The Ackerman Way.
I’m not crazy about the title, and I expect Hal agrees at least somewhat with me about that. He was pressured by the publishers. It’s a real dime store title. It’s a brilliant book and he’s a brilliant educator. Hal’s been here at UCLA... I don’t know. Whenever I say two or three years it turns out to be 25. So Hal’s been here a quarter of a century and has had a great presence here. He’s our screenwriting co-chair. What he says is that it’s all about story. We’re an old-fashioned programme here and we’re about the primacy of story.
People don’t go and see a movie because of the actors or the director. There are no directors that haven’t had their share of turkeys. The audience is smart and they have ways of finding the good stories. Shakespeare is not a little-known writer found in some archive by a group of academics – these plays were massive blockbusters in their day. Why? Because the plays are about violence, perversion, sex and tawdry, vulgar, ugly stuff. Oedipus? Well, you know what Oedipus does. Medea kills her kids. Macbeth murders Duncan in his sleep because he wants to be king. Richard III kills his own nephews. The body count at the end of Hamlet is nine bodies on stage in the final scene. Nobody wants to see ‘The Village of the Happy Nice People’. I mean, there’s a place for that, but not in art.
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With a reputation as the godfather of screenwriting, UCLA’s Professor Richard Walter has mentored many of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters. Walter is a member of the Writers Guild of America and is a writer of substantial professional experience throughout the media. He is the author of Escape From Film School and Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing. He has written numerous feature assignments for the major studios and has sold material to all three networks. His latest book, Essentials of Screenwriting, is available from the end of June. Walter lectures on screenwriting throughout the world. He says Aristotle’s guidelines should be followed, not interpreted.
