Helpful Hint: Advice from Screenwriters - The Oscars Series

I try and follow as many screenwriting blogs as I can. Although I don't read all of them daily, I try my best to peruse the proverbial web of world wide proportions to extract as much information about screenwriting as I can. From listening to podcasts to watching interviews and movies to reading books. I try to be as big of a sponge as I can and soak up as much information that is available.

I have talked previously about my love for the talented Mr. John August. I download his podcast, Script Notes, with Craig Mazin, and I try and look through his blog everyday, http://johnaugust.com/. Recently, August put up a link to a series of videos that the Oscars had produced a couple years ago where they interview a group of Oscar winning and note-worthy writers to discuss the successes and pitfalls of screenwriting.

The series is short and sweet, consisting of about six video all around 5 minutes in length; a 30 minutes well spent if you ask me. They talk about a wide range of subjects, from the myth of writer's block to advice for up and coming writers. So if you are looking for some advice and knowledge about the world of screenwriting discussed by the top dogs of the field, take a gander at these videos. 

http://www.oscars.org/video/watch/screenwriters_advice.html

Story: but you fuck one goat.

I don't consider myself a script guru or a script doctor, but I have been around the proverbial script block. I've taken many classes, and have even been the teaching assistant to a spectrum of students. I've even written some shit. Ok, so they may not be award winning shit, but I know a thing or two about story and scripts.

It's a big pet peeve of mine when people denounce the value of a good story. "Story isn't everything." I should smack you upside the head for that remark. Yes, there are a lot of things that go into making a movie good, but my ideology is that if you don't start off with a great script, you might as well quit.

Good scripts have a potential that bad scripts can never reach. Yes, you can still make a bad movie from a great script, but you can't make a great movie from a bad script. Having a good script allows you the chance to have a good movie.

So it always seems a bit laughable to me when people all of a sudden decide to become writers. Anyone can write a script. That's true. But very few people can write good scripts. Scriptwriting takes time and effort. Something that many "writers" seem to lack.

I'm in no way saying that I've reached the expert status of screenwriting, but I'm trying to be get there. With each book or logline or beat sheet I come across, I'm slowly trying to get there.

This in point brings me to Andrew Stanton, and why he fucked one goat. He didn't really fuck a goat, but his imaginary friend fucked a goat. Andrew Stanton, one of Pixar's amazing writer/directors, recently did a lecture for the TED interviews. His points are extremely accurate and helpful to the green, and even the weathered, screenwriter. His lecture was all about story.

I'm a firm believer in story. I think that there are many great concepts for movies out there, but that good stories for movies fall short. So if you want a little insight on what makes a good story, and how not to be known as the goat fucker, watch Andrew Stanton's TED lecture.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story.html