Every Scream Writer we talk to has wonderful advice to share and Manuel Alejandro Anell is no different! Rebelling against what he was taught, exploring the limitless nature of creativity, and letting the characters life and breathe for themselves – it’s answers like these that make me proud to talk to such a wonderfully talented and wicked smart personality like Manuel!
What first got you interested in screenwriting?
When I started out in school, the one thing that drove me was that I wanted to see what I wrote. I wanted it to exist. I had more experience writing small short stories, and I believed I could adapt them to the screen. Obviously both forms are massively different, but that was the first instinct that drove me into writing screenplays.
Do you have an example of a lesson you learned from reading a script (rather than watching the movie made from it)?
In school there was this lesson that they kept pushing about the difference between writing prose and writing for a script. The teacher would say “Never write poetically. You might think it’s beautiful to write that ‘the palm trees were drunk with sunlight’ but what the hell does that mean on the screen?”
They really wanted us to internalize this, and on a pure production level it made a sort of sense. But then I remember reading the first lines of James Cameron’s Aliens script, which goes:
“Silent and endless. The stars shine like the love of God… cold and remote.”
From then on I figured if he could write about God’s love on a screenplay, then my palm trees could be a drunk as I wanted them to be.
What’s the strongest piece of advice you have for aspiring screenwriters?
Read the script of every movie you love. You will learn so much about what makes it to the screen and what doesn’t, and even what was never written but shows up on screen anyways. The script is not the movie, it’s a road map, and during production so many detours will take place over which you have no control, so don’t worry about it. Worry about your craft. Practice by writing small scenes and small stories, just to get a feel for it. If you are writing a feature and you get stuck, cheat on your movie (it won’t get jealous) and just write something completely different, you might stumble on what had you stuck by accident.
What is your relationship with genre film (love, hate, indifference)? What led to that?
I love genre film because of it’s potential. The situations that arise in genre are extraordinary and they hit characters in such a way that you can explore so much about them. The best genre films are about people, how they react, how they fail or triumph over the impossible. They also allow for so much creativity in regards to visuals. There really are no limits.
What was something that surprised you in the process of writing your own screenplay?
I’m always fascinated when characters go against your plan. A plot is cold, something that you have meticulously planned, but once you get down to writing the characters, sometimes they seem to rebel. There are moments where you could go on a random tangent just because you find yourself liking a character so much that they threaten to derail, or even CHANGE the story. If you like where it’s going, maybe this was the best path all along, but sometimes it really does go nowhere, or traps you into a narrative cul-de-sac. It’s never a waste of time, though. At the very least, you know the character better.
What’s your favorite thing about screenwriting that doesn’t apply to other kinds of writing?
It’s faster and always in real time. Things that might take longer to establish in prose are sometimes taken care of by the scene header. It’s all about actions and dialogue.
What are some of the films and stories that inspired you?
Any film that places humanity over everything else will always inspire me. Talking about specifics when I love so much of film history, and having gone through several phases is difficult. I have loved different films at different point in my life. Right now anything small and human will make me want to do better.
If you could adapt any story in any medium into a screenplay, what is your dream project?
Dream personal project would be four Stephen King short stories that I love. I don’t think I could do it commercially. Maybe one day, with film technology becoming more accessible, I’ll make them in secret just for myself.
Where can people find you online and support your work (present or upcoming)?
Online I have my twitter @bandidoman. You can find a copy of my first horror short film La Hora de la Muerte there. My larger project which was a web-series I worked on for several years is currently in limbo. I have a copy, but I don’t know where anyone could find it. However there is a youtube page where you can watch trailers and interviews.
Currently I’m working on two ultra low budget features. One as co-writer and the other only as a director. I’m very excited about both, and will be talking about them more as they progress.
