From Film to Paper
I would have to say that 1999 was the year that it hit me. The Matrix had come out, George Lucas "blessed" us with a new Star Wars flick, and I had had my first encounter with a Kevin Smith movie, namely, Clerks. It was a time that completely changed my life. It was at that point that I wanted to be a film director.
I had done a couple of home movies with my friend. It seemed like a piece of cake for the most part. The thing that I loved the most was (well, two things) watching the idea come to life and being behind the camera. I wasn't too terribly interested in screenwriting back then. I just enjoyed getting in there and creating an image from a few words and ideas that me and my friend had. Don't get me wrong, I was no Steven Spielberg, but back then, it felt good to be following in the footsteps of one of your heroes. There was a sense of accomplishment and pride that came from our crappy home movies, and no one who could take that away from me.
As the years progressed, it became more and more evident that directors rarely manned a camera. They always had their giant headphones and several monitors surrounding them. I can understand that this gives a director a clearer view of his vision, but it just seems so...lazy. Maybe I don't truly know how it works. What I do know is that if you want to be in control of the camera, then you better sign yourself up for cinematography school. Or inhabit the body of Robert Rodriguez. I'm not sure which one is easier.
It wasn't until I realized that I had wanted to direct my own material (a la Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez) that screenwriting became appealing. I had seen a truckload of shitty movies getting made left and right and this irked me. I knew I had it in me to write BETTER shitty movies. Thus, I went to work on my first idea: a story VERY loosely based on my college experience, or lack thereof. Before I knew it, I had churned out 120 not so solid pages. But whatever, I had my first script done and plenty of other ideas to flesh out. So, not too long ago, I started my second full-length script. This time, it dealt with a more personal matter and its certainly loosely based, but not as loose as the college movie.
It was this second script (as well as reading a bunch of screenwriter blogs) that really took my love and appreciation for screenwriting to another level. I don't write as much as I should, though. But I love to read about it, I love to think about it. It even makes me feel good when I actually do some of it, even if it's only one page.
Nowadays, I'm not as obsessed with directing as I was before. But believe me, if given the chance, I am there. When I write my screenplays, I already have certain scenes in mind. I know how I would want them to play out. The interactions and the dialogue, while not top notch, is usually where I want it to be. I would not be happy if a director wanted to make some "changes". That is probably the main reason that keeps my dreams of directing alive: I don't want somebody screwing my shit up. It's not Oscar gold, but it's a part of me, it's something invested part of my life into, and it's something that I hold dear.
I write this post only because tomorrow (or today, depending on which time zone you're in) I am going to attend a small seminar about how to break into Hollywood screenwriting, or something to that extent. It is by no means a foot in the door, but hopefully now I will be able to barely see the building where said door is located. I really hope I get a lot out of this, because there are times when I think about saying fuck you to the "real" world and completely dedicating my life to screenwriting. That's a big cupcake for me to swallow, but it could happen.
I had done a couple of home movies with my friend. It seemed like a piece of cake for the most part. The thing that I loved the most was (well, two things) watching the idea come to life and being behind the camera. I wasn't too terribly interested in screenwriting back then. I just enjoyed getting in there and creating an image from a few words and ideas that me and my friend had. Don't get me wrong, I was no Steven Spielberg, but back then, it felt good to be following in the footsteps of one of your heroes. There was a sense of accomplishment and pride that came from our crappy home movies, and no one who could take that away from me.
As the years progressed, it became more and more evident that directors rarely manned a camera. They always had their giant headphones and several monitors surrounding them. I can understand that this gives a director a clearer view of his vision, but it just seems so...lazy. Maybe I don't truly know how it works. What I do know is that if you want to be in control of the camera, then you better sign yourself up for cinematography school. Or inhabit the body of Robert Rodriguez. I'm not sure which one is easier.
It wasn't until I realized that I had wanted to direct my own material (a la Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez) that screenwriting became appealing. I had seen a truckload of shitty movies getting made left and right and this irked me. I knew I had it in me to write BETTER shitty movies. Thus, I went to work on my first idea: a story VERY loosely based on my college experience, or lack thereof. Before I knew it, I had churned out 120 not so solid pages. But whatever, I had my first script done and plenty of other ideas to flesh out. So, not too long ago, I started my second full-length script. This time, it dealt with a more personal matter and its certainly loosely based, but not as loose as the college movie.
It was this second script (as well as reading a bunch of screenwriter blogs) that really took my love and appreciation for screenwriting to another level. I don't write as much as I should, though. But I love to read about it, I love to think about it. It even makes me feel good when I actually do some of it, even if it's only one page.
Nowadays, I'm not as obsessed with directing as I was before. But believe me, if given the chance, I am there. When I write my screenplays, I already have certain scenes in mind. I know how I would want them to play out. The interactions and the dialogue, while not top notch, is usually where I want it to be. I would not be happy if a director wanted to make some "changes". That is probably the main reason that keeps my dreams of directing alive: I don't want somebody screwing my shit up. It's not Oscar gold, but it's a part of me, it's something invested part of my life into, and it's something that I hold dear.
I write this post only because tomorrow (or today, depending on which time zone you're in) I am going to attend a small seminar about how to break into Hollywood screenwriting, or something to that extent. It is by no means a foot in the door, but hopefully now I will be able to barely see the building where said door is located. I really hope I get a lot out of this, because there are times when I think about saying fuck you to the "real" world and completely dedicating my life to screenwriting. That's a big cupcake for me to swallow, but it could happen.
posted by Andres at 10:14 PM
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