[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Matthew Kalil, Screenwriter/Author/Instructor: My gut response of someone who’s been in the industry for a while is always to say “You’ve got to do it this way!” But what I’ve seen is that some people’s creative spirits do get dampened. So it’s a delicate balance because believe me, I’ve had too many screenplays that I like…
Film Courage: What are the first steps in writing a screenplay?
Matthew: It does depend on the story that you want to tell. It does depend on the individual. One of the things I believe is applying cookie-cutter sort of techniques to any story or any writer or individual never really works.
A lot of books will tell you about:
-You’ve got to do an outline first and the outline needs to look like this.
-This needs to be the first act, second act, third act
-Cookie-cutter, bam! Make your thing.
That’s it, right? But I think every story has its own individual genesis with you as a writer or an individual. When it appears and how it appears is very specific to the person. Some stories the first step might be:
I’m just going to write some scenes because I’m seeing these scenes in my head. I’m going to write some scenes.
You end up with a big mess. They are gardening, they’re not architectures. It’s not architecture, it’s gardening. But some scripts are like I’ve got this great plot of the story. Then you do the plot first and then you write the scenes. So I do think it depends on the…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
BUY THE BOOK – THE THREE WELLS OF SCREENWRITING: Discover Your Deep Sources Of Inspiration
CONNECT WITH MATTHEW KALIL
Matthewkalil.com
CONNECT WITH THE THREE WELLS OF SCREENWRITING
Thethreewells.com
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
About:
Matthew Kalil is a writer, director, script editor, author and speaker. He has written and co-written over 40 produced episodes of TV and has received various grants, development funding and awards. Matthew’s productions have been screened and broadcast in Canada, Denmark, Morocco, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and the United Kingdom. Since receiving his MA in Screenwriting, he has been teaching, writing and mentoring students for over 20 years. Matthew has developed a unique system of screenwriting theory that helps beginners as well as established screenwriters get in touch with their creative core. His book, The Three Wells of Screenwriting, published by Michael Wiese productions with a foreword by Christopher Vogler, has been describes as a “breakthrough in the writing craft.” His workshops have touched and inspired thousands of participants and his gentle and insightful script editing guidance has helped many writers realize the stories they were always trying to tell. A charismatic speaker, Matthew has enjoyed presenting many times at the London Screenwriting Festival, the Cape Town International Animation Festival and the University Film and Video Association. Matthew is currently an Assistant Professor at the David Lynch MFA in screenwriting in the USA.
Advertisement – contains affiliate links
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
More affiliates:
Camera we use for interviews – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra
Sound we use for interviews – https://amzn.to/2tbFlM9
Other books on Amazon that Film Courage recommends – https://buff.ly/3o0oE5o
