[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: You’ve written close to a hundred screenplays. Has it always been the same writing process?
Rich Ronat, Screenwriter/Director: Yeah, pretty much.
I’ll outline as much as I feel like I need to depending on what the story is and who I’m doing.
If I’m doing it for a producer, if it’s a paying job, I’ll usually outline more in detail and then get their notes and do three or four drafts of an outline, a pretty scene by scene, pretty intricate outline, and then I go into writing a first draft.
I usually get anxiety when I look at a blank page.
I don’t like it at all.
I’ve got to fill it in with something quickly.
I write what I call my anxiety draft first as quickly as I can.
I’ll write like a 100-page script in about a week.
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I’ll just get it out there.
Sometimes less, sometimes 5 days.
I’ll just do like 10, 12, 14 hour days and knock it out.
Then I go back and kind of settle into the script, second, third draft…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
Rich Ronat is a seasoned screenwriter/director based in Los Angeles. Over the past ten years, he’s been consistently hired by independent producers, production companies, and major studios like Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Saban, Millenium, and VMI Worldwide. His writing credits include the war epic “THE RISING HAWK,” the character-driven thriller “GRAND ISLE” starring Nic Cage and Kelsey Grammar, the crime thriller “AMERICAN SICARIO” featuring Danny Trejo and “CRESCENT CITY” featuring Alec Baldwin, Terrance Howard, and Esai Morales, which was released in 2024 by Lionsgate.
He’s directed two feature films. The first one – CULPRIT, received rave reviews, has gotten over 5 million views and is currently on all the VOD platforms. The second feature film, a SyFy dark comedy called THE CLUTTERBUCKS, which is set for release in 2026.
Lastly, he co-founded Good Rebel Pictures with his fiancé, Laura Vale.
WATCH ‘THE CLUTTERBUCKS’
MORE VIDEOS WITH RICH RONAT
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