Won't someone please think of the children?
If you don't talk to your kids about Final Draft, who will?
This week we’re combining three Q&As from 2003 offering advice to young film fans looking for ideas on what they can do now to start making movies as adults.
I’m a teenager. How young were you when you knew you wanted to become a writer?
–Ruhalia
I probably knew I wanted to be a writer when I was seven years old. My mom had a manual typewriter, and I spent the better part of a week trying to type a story about a boy who lived on Mars. I only made it about 12 lines. The story kept changing because I often hit the wrong keys, and would have to stop and think about what words I could make with the letter I had mis-typed.
It wasn’t until college that I started to think about writing for movies. In the era before the internet — and internet-based advice columns — I read what I could find in bookstores, starting with Steven Soderbergh’s screenplay for Sex, Lies And Videotape. I remember being fascinated by how simple movie scripts were. It seemed easy, or at least a lot easier than any other form of writing.
I was wrong, but I was hooked. I learned everything else about screenwriting after I moved to Los Angeles in 1992. I was 22.
I am 14 years-old and am very interested in screenwriting. I have some questions:
At 14 years-old, what else should I be doing besides reading screenwriting books?
In your years of experience, do you find that your creative vision makes it to the big screen, without being altered too much?
How old were you when you wrote your first script? How old were you when your first script got purchased?
–Adam
At 14 years old you should be watching everything and everybody. I don’t mean movies. Watch people, try to figure them out, try to listen to the cadence and content of their speech. People are simply characters without a plot. They’re your best place to start. And no one thinks a 14-year old is paying attention, so they’re likely to let you watch and listen.
And of course you should write. But I wouldn’t get too hung up on writing a whole screenplay just yet. Write snippets. Write stories. Just write whatever you feel like.
A screenwriter’s creative vision often does suffer on the way to the screen. A screenplay is a blueprint, and the actual movie that gets constructed may not live up to your highest hopes. I was thrilled with Go, but then I also produced, so I had a pretty big hand in how it would be done. Other projects haven’t always met my expectations, and it’s usually because choices were made that I wouldn’t have made. That’s the reality when you’re not the final voice on a movie.
I was 22 when I wrote my first script. I wrote it in film school, and it was overwritten like most first scripts are. It’s never been produced, and honestly it never should be. But it got me started. The first script I was paid to write was How to Eat Fried Worms. The first original script I sold was Go.
When I look back to stuff I wrote when I was 14, I’m usually impressed by the vocabulary and horrified by the subject matter. I wrote about the stupidest things, most of them related to Dungeons & Dragons. But it’s important that I wrote those early things, because it gave me the confidence to make a living at it now.
I have an 11-and-a-half-year old who seems to watch movies and TV shows more as a writer or director rather than as a viewer. She’ll second-guess the plot, for example; and also sometimes think that shots should be made in a certain way. Do you have any suggestions for such a young aspiring filmmaker?
–Wordwitch
First off, kudos for recognizing her interest. By far the most helpful thing a parent can do is to encourage their kids to explore what they like, and to appreciate what they’re able to create. Her talent is like a tiny flame. It’s your job to keep supplying the kindling she needs to burn, but avoid the temptation to throw on too much too soon. You risk overwhelming her if she’s not ready to move on to more sophisticated things.
If she has a favorite TV show, try rewatching an episode, then transcribing it together. She’ll probably be fascinated to see what scenes look like when they’re written down on paper. She may have ideas for her own scenes that are better than the originals.
Likewise, you might help her find some fan fiction on the internet for her favorite shows or movies. A lot of fan fiction is terribly written – and some of it is very X-rated, so you’ll want to pre-screen – but if it inspires her to write her own, fantastic.
If you happen to have a Mac and a smart phone or DV camera, iMovie is a no-brainer. She can make little movies to her heart’s content, especially if you’re willing to help when asked.
If she’s more interested in the design side of things, like costumes and sets, try to get her involved with a children’s playhouse, or even a local community theater. There are lots of jobs she could probably do, even at her age. Personal bias, but I don’t think enough kids learn how to hammer or sew these days.
And keep in mind that her school district might have special drama or creative writing programs. Ask her if she’d like to join one. Just remember: always support, but never push. At some point, all kids rebel against their parents, and if they associate you too strongly with the activity that gives them happiness, there’s a chance they might walk away from it altogether.
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🗣 Have ideas for future topics (or just want to say hello)? Reach out to Chris via email at inneresting@johnaugust.com, Mastodon @ccsont@mastodon.art, or Threads @ccsont@threads.net