The Stage 32 Videos: Screenwriting

What's the deal in Hollywood, when it comes to business? What goes into the financing of a motion picture? Let's talk about it!

A video I made of my niece. She’s a girl filled with deep curiosity, and I often see my younger self in her. I’ve never wanted to lose that childlike excitement or curiosity for life. When I was young, I was endlessly curious—always rummaging through my grandparents’ things. Their home was filled with pieces of the world: souvenirs from faraway places. My grandpa traveled often for work, visiting many countries. He didn’t talk much about those trips, maybe because to him they were just business, but to me they were everything. Those objects sent my imagination spinning—thinking about the beautiful journeys he took and the fascinating people he must have met. I wondered what their lives were like, who they were, and what stories they carried. I remember thinking how lucky he was, and dreaming that one day, that would be me—writing my own beautiful journey.

Some writers see short film as a medium that lets them off the structural hook. My advice is to look at it as a magnifying glass, showcasing the quality and strength of your fundamentals to the audience.

Is spectacle some weird magic that only shows up for certain movies, or is it just what you get for selling out your artistic integrity? No. In fact, spectacle is something you can create on command, to whatever artistic effect you like, using any materials you have on hand to work with.

Probably the favorite objection to the idea of an active dramatic structure is a writer's creative desire to build active characterization through catharsis. Let's not assume that a writer's ideas require a passive approach to the structure. Let's work out how to get there without asking the actor to sell a character to the audience.

In these videos, we've talked a lot about how writers need to put their agendas aside and build their stories around the actors... so what happens when a writer has something they want to say on the screen?

When submitting for notes, most writers will tell you that their script is one small tweak away from success. At the same time, massive problems with passive structure are usually what's keeping a screenplay from advancing in the marketplace. Where's the disconnect? How do we square the circle?

"But I started writing so I wouldn't have to talk to people!" Yes, but then you started working in the collaborative arts! Here's why acting classes will help you a lot more than you think.

Most screenwriters have heard that screenplays need to be kept between 90 and 120 pages, but why is that? That's a soft number, right? They're not serious, right? RIGHT?!?

Should culture be something we're worried about, when our society is falling into authoritarianism? After all, it's not like we're curing cancer! Shouldn't we be doing something less frivolous and more useful? Let's talk about that.

From depression to best seller! Guest: Steven Gamella Location: Pennsylvania, USA NOW Broadcasting on ROKU- Search for The Best of the Nation. See more at www.CNTVnation.com Host & Business advocate Gary Atencio discovering what it takes to be "The Best of" in this industry.

Well and truly, it only takes two things to build a successful and sustainable career in showbusiness. Of course, making the both of those things happen is much easier said than done!