Film and Theatre begin with a story crafted by the screenwriter, novelist or playwright, who have to shape what those who bring the story to life on screen or stage need to see, and ultimately experienced by an audience.
"You've got this strange art form that can't come to life without a tremendous number of people helping you," says playwright- screenwriter Ted Tally, who adapted Thomas Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs into the film of the same name, for which he received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, The film is a great example of Collaboration in action and also received Oscars for Best Picture, and for director Jonathan Demme and actors Anthony Hopkins and Jody Foster.
"If you are a writer you are either drawn to this kind of collaborative work, or you are not," says Tally. "Every time the director, or actors, or designers do something you're not thrilled with, there's probably one or two times they make you look better than you really are. Everyone makes everyone else look better, which is what true collaboration is."
"I think you've got to schizophrenic," says screenwriter, producer, director and actor Robert Towne, who won an Oscar for his original screenplay of Roman Polanski's Chinatown, which is widely considered one of the greatest screenplays ever written. He later said it was inspired by a chapter in Carey McWilliams's Southern California Country: An Island on the Land (1946) and a West magazine article on Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles.
"At one point you're more or less the creator, and then you're part of a group of people who are trying to bring something to life," says Towne.
When it came to crafting the sequel for The Croods, the filmmakers embraced collaboration and encouraged ingenuity from every corner of the studio
“When you bring other people into your decisions and get them to contribute, people are happier,” says Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation. “No one wants to just do work they’re assigned; they want to feel like they’re part of a team and adding their creative imprimatur.”
When development began on the sequel The Croods: A New Age , Cohn’s team turned to DreamWorks Animation stalwart producer Mark Swift, who had captained the crew of DreamWorks’ smash hits Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, as well as up-and-coming director Joel Crawford, whose key contributions on the Trolls, Shrek and the Kung Fu Panda franchises made him a natural fit to step up and helm his first feature.
DreamWorks Animation takes great pride in collaborative filmmaking, and it was up to Swift and Crawford to combine a number of elements from the developing storylines and then determine how they would continue the story from the first film.
“Writers Kevin and Dan Hageman (pictured above), Mark and I sat in a room with the elements,” Crawford says. “We had a father-daughter story, Guy and Eep’s continuation, as well as elements we liked from past versions. We made a recipe for one thing that all went together. Kevin and Dan had to depart for a Guillermo del Toro project, but when Paul Fisher and Bob Logan came aboard, all these creative forces just worked effortlessly.”
The Croods: A New Age releases in cinemas on 4 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
14 years after they first wrote the script, the The Nelms Brothers finally made Fatman, a fantastic dark comedy challenging the myth of the Santa we know from the Coca-Cola classic and other films.
“Ian and I had written several very ambitious scripts, Fatman being one of the first, but the response we’d always get was ‘These scripts are great! Someone should make these!’ As newcomers, it was impossible to find anyone who would give us the financing to direct the big action, thriller movies that we had really set out to do,” said Eshom. “So, we decided to write a script that we knew we could just make on our own and no one could stop us,” added Ian.
“Make no mistake, our Santa Claus is a superhero. He doesn’t leap buildings or run faster than a speeding bullet, but he does have gifts that make him extraordinary. This story will forego today’s cinematic trend of putting everything on steroids, which only serves to numb audiences into indifference. It will be grounded, character conscious, and exist in a world where action and set pieces are earned. The film will be entertaining, but also layered with themes of neglect, overindulgence and consumerism.”
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.
If you want your script or manuscript polished professionally, The Writing Studio will turn your copy into exciting and thrilling narrative, into words and images that jump off the page and characters that resonate.
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.”
Opera lovers can indulge on a fantastic season of free streamings from the Met Opera. From the legendary Luciano Pavarotti and Leontyne Price to current superstars Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann, this week of streams presents some of opera’s most outstanding artists in roles that are particularly significant pieces of their legacy.
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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