Thinkers think, talkers talk, writers write!
Paradoxically writers have a compulsion to write but are often gifted procrastinators when it comes to doing the writing.
There’s nothing more poisonous to writing than procrastination but if you’re going to procrastinate at least make it productive whereby you can learn something in the process. A great way to do that is listening to successful writers discussing their craft, approach and experiences writing screenplays.
Here’s three must see documentaries about screenwriting.
Milius
There is no grander figure and legend in 70’s and 80’s Hollywood cinema than screenwriter John Milius. He wrote such classics as ‘Dirty Harry’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, ‘Conan The Barbarian’, ‘Red Dawn’ and ‘Big Wednesday’. He’s also credited with writing some of the best film speeches in other writers screenplays such as ‘Jaws’ and ‘The Hunt For Red October’.
A funny and honest portrait of an immensely talented writer and a Hollywood renegade who succeeded spectacularly despite his refusal to conform to the industries stringent ideology. In depth interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, George Lucas and Milius himself, give great insight into his writing style, approach to the craft and transition to directing.
A fascinating character study of the rise of a rare talent who was ultimately blacklisted then his life took a tragically ironic turn.
6 Days To Air
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are not only comic geniuses, they are gifted storytellers and great writers. To say their wildly successful animation series ‘South Park’ has a unique approach to production is an understatement. Each episode is conceived, written and produced in only a staggering 6 days!
This fascinating documentary picks up right after the successful premiere of their Broadway musical ‘The Book Of Mormon’ as they return to their office and commence writing the 15th season of ‘South Park’. The documentary crew tracks the crazy and hectic creative process of the first episode of the season.
It starts with brainstorming the story concept through to the mad dash to deliver the episode to the network only hours before it goes to air. Insightful, stressful and often as funny as a ‘South Park’ episode, it goes to show ‘there is nothing like a deadline to get you working’.
Billy Wilder – Portrait Of A 60% Perfect Man
Debate will always rage over ‘the best screenwriter’ but as for the 1940-60’s period, you’re hard pressed to go beyond Billy Wilder, There is no need to list his best and well known films, it would take too long, but in the space of a few years he wrote the classic and iconic, yet vastly different screenplays of ‘Sunset Blvd’, ‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘The Apartment’ and one of my all time favourite films, ‘Double Indemnity’.
The premise of the documentary is an extended discussion of the man’s life and his creative process, in an informal and free flowing conversation style that is witty, honest and self reflective. It feels like a podcast interview before they existed. It is far from conventional with shifts in time and location from a stroll on the beach to lying in a hammock in a sort of psychoanalytic session.
Like a good screenplay, the documentary gets better and better the longer it goes and is replete with surprising revelations and character development which give insight into Wilder. I only have one real criticism and that is it only goes for 58 minutes, I could listen to him talk for hours.
