Slogan’s for the Screenwriter’s wall

I found this text enormously interesting and helpful. Although I’ve done a lot of both creative and essay-style writing I’ve never attempted writing for screen and so many of the hints and structure set out in this article gave me a clear guide of what to do.

One idea I found interesting was the actor director relationship and each of their positions and collaboration in a work. The text describes a director as an interpretive role. They are given the idea or the script and have to interpret and realise the narrative. They must be ‘critical’ and ‘analytical’ in their approach. The main and most obvious connection between the actor and the director is that it is the directors role to position the actor and give them direction in how they are portraying the character or what the character requires. There is a great debate between whether having a lot of interference from the director helps or hinders the actor. If the role is over thought, some argue, the actor loses their authenticity.

The other section which I found particularly engaging was the part regarding practical problems directors face in approaching their job. The texts denotes the actor as a directors ‘most valuable collaborator’. The text says to steer clear of criticisms and make sure everything said is constructive. There is no point in just giving a negative response. It’s also important to never ignore the actor given that they, in most cases, will be the main feature of the film, at least with ours. I think it’s important to keep in mind the idea of consciously watching and listening which the text touches upon. It discusses how these are not passive activities.