When it comes to learning screenwriting, it never hurts to actually listen to the screenwriters rather than the directors. Seems logical, but some people get caught up in the auteur theory instead of going to the source.
Down below, I’ve gathered over 90-minutes of genre screenwriters having their brains picked and given a quick overview of some of the topics discussed throughout. There is some wonder writing advice for screenwriters on not just genre but expectations, character development, plot cohesion, and so much more!
1. Dennis Paoli talks about adapting Lovecraft for Re-Animator.
Dennis Paoli, the screenwriter of Ghoulies II (1987) and Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers (1993), was Stuart Gordon’s go to Lovecraft adaptor having written on Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), and, my personal favorite, Dagon (2001). Here he gives a wonderful interview about working on Re-Animator that is as spirited as it is enlightening.
2. C Robert Cargill talks about Sinister and the state of horror films.
Before C Robert Cargill was a screenwriter, he was a film critic. In this interview, Cargill discusses how that helped him to grow as a screenwriter by approaching every movie looking to learn something from it. You can hear the critic in him as he identifies the transition from a cycle of “torture porn” to a cycle of supernatural horror. All this a more, give it a listen!
3. Fede Alvarez explores reverse home invasion in Don’t Breathe.
Fede Alverez, whose Evil Dead (2013) I wrote about for yesterday’s Scream Writing (Read it here), talks here about designing Don’t Breath (2016) as a reverse home-invasion film. He discusses how the terror is first on the page before the set and about writing from a understanding of audiences expectations – so you can break them.
4. Ted Griffin talks process, crime films, and more in this three-part interview.
Alright, alright, alright, I know it’s Scream Writing Resources and all…but, here at Scriptophobic – We Love Genre, and that mean’s Crime, Science Fiction, Westerns, and, of course, Horror. That’s why 50% of this article is horror, 50% exploring other genres. But don’t think you can’t learn about horror from this interview with crime film writer Ted Griffin. At over an hour, you’ll be charmed and entertained and educated in a way that will help your writing – no matter what the genre is!
5. Writer/Director Alex Garland discusses what makes good science fiction.
“Don’t disregard the script.”
Alex Garland, writer/director of Ex Machina engages CineFix in a conversation that covers the freedom of science fiction; how to handle exposition; falling in love with characters while writing; and leaves with the most important of all tips:
6. Eric Heisserer charts his transition from horror to science fiction and writing Arrival.
Eric Heisserer here talks about the “broken horror movies” that he was caught up writing before he was able to break away into a new genre – science fiction. This discussion is interesting for demonstrating a split in the approach to science fiction in the independent film scene versus the larger studio driven world of filmmaking.
Until next time, leave a comment below with the best advice you’ve ever learned from a screenwriter.
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