During frequent trips to Japan, filmmaker Paul W. S. Anderson became hooked on Capcom’s bestselling video game Monster Hunter which became something of a passion project and resulted in Anderson writing the screenplay, taking a decidedly grounded approach to the wild fantasy elements of monster hunting – in storytelling and design, giving the real-world audience hooks to latch on to.
“I fell in love with the imagery, landscapes, and magic of the game,” he says. “As I played, I began to imagine it cinematically. It felt like an amazing opportunity to build a whole world on the movie screen, and there were countless stories to tell within that world. The more I thought about it, the more stories and characters began to take root.”
Among the fantastical settings of the monster-inhabited world is the sea of sand under which the Black Diablos creatures live. This setting, where the Joint Security Operation soldiers are first attacked by these monsters, was situated in close proximity to Cape Town at the spectacular Atlantis Dunes, known for their distinctively pure white sand.
Monster Hunter releases in local cinemas on 11 December.
During the last 22 years The Writing Studio has shaped the successful careers of many of South Africa’s leading filmmakers and storytellers, and is now honing the skills of future writers in the art and craft of storytelling. During a time of hardship, The Writing Studio encourages writers to write their stories and offers a 50% discount on The Write Journey course. Read more
If you have completed the draft of a screenplay, stageplay, or manuscript for a novel, it is vital to find out whether or not your story works. It could mean the end of all your hard work and your career as a writer if you hand poorly written and undeveloped projects over to producers, directors, publishers or potential investors.
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The journey with my screenplay editor, Daniel Dercksen (The Writing Studio) has been smooth sailing. In fact – it was blissful! The organic and creative nature of the collaborative process was very rewarding and uplifting. Libé Ferreira – Former Head of Drama department at The National School of the Arts / Former Writer, Casting Director, Acting Coach at Franz Marx Films(Screenplay: What’s In Your Suitcase, 2020)
Daniel was a most valuable and expert pair of eyes recently when I had to convert a story to a short film script. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to polish a script to be submitted with confidence. Will most certainly turn to him again with future scripts. “Many thanks. You were definitely the right person to consult. Very happy with the final outcome.”
For the last 40 weeks Opera buffs have been in opera heaven with the Met’s series of free Nightly Opera Streams that features outstanding performances from the award-winning Live in HD series.
Featuring seven musical masterpieces composed over the course of the last 90 years, this week’s lineup showcases operas sung in English
Learn how to tell stories and make films from the world’s master filmmakers and screenwriters
If you want to learn how to be screenwriter and filmmaker, why not learn from the best.
The Writing Studio’s exclusive in depth articles on filmmaking and screenwriting show how inspiration instills passion, how ideas are born, nurtured and realised, how the conventions of genre are challenged, themes explored to its fullest, and characters brought to life.
These personal notes from producers reveal to what extent filmmakers and screenwriters will go to realise their dreams and make the most of each story they tell.
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During the last 20 Years The Writing Studio has taken many leading filmmakers in South Africa from first idea to success on the big screen locally and internationally.
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