TOM SCHULMAN - wrote and directed Eight Heads In A Duffel Bag and is attached to direct his script, Morgan's Summit. Tom won an Oscar for his script, The Dead Poets Society. He is the writer and/or served as a producer on many films including Welcome To Mooseport, Me, Myself & Irene, Indecent Proposal, Medicine Man, What About Bob? Second Site, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.
CEA - How do you decide which of your many ideas will be the next script you write?
TOM SCHULMAN
I know this sounds hokey but the idea starts to call to me. It gets persistent, it won’t go away, it nags me. Soon I find myself writing it whether I want to or not, whether I believe it’s “commercial” or not. The story I’m currently writing has been pestering me for 15 years! Like it or not, you have to trust “the call.”
CEA - Do you write an outline before starting a script? How detailed do you get before actual writing commences?
TOM SCHULMAN
I’ve written one script without an extensive outline and it was a big mistake. I learned the hard way that thinking, planning and more planning is the key to good writing. I make my outlines as detailed as possible. To be sure I want surprises along the way, but I don’t leave any important decisions for later. I want to work under the delusion that the actual writing is only going to improve on something that’s already very good.
CEA - Tell us a bit about your editing process. How often, how many drafts, how drastic can a re write get before you show the script to a studio or producer. Or to another living soul –
TOM SCHULMAN
Because I plan and outline so completely, my rewriting is rarely drastic or extensive. I’m invariably long so there’s always the pain of having to tighten and cut, but I’ve never had to do anything approaching what is called a “page 1” rewrite of my own material. Of course, looking back at some my scripts, maybe I should have.
On the other hand, I am a tinkerer. I’ll spend at least a week or two rethinking, rewriting and polishing before I let anyone read. And usually a script has been read by at least two or three friends before I show it to a producer or studio. I can’t overstate the value of having smart readers who will take the time to give you their honest feedback.
CEA - Any words of wisdom to offer to new writers as they approach their own blank pages?
TOM SCHULMAN
Unless you love writing for the challenge, joy and yes, misery, of writing, quit. Unless you absolutely thrive on the process and on the story and characters you’re working on, do something else. The odds of anybody getting something made are astronomical. The odds of getting something made well - the odds that we’ll be happy with the movie they made of our screenplay - are galactic. I once heard the great television writer William Link say something like: screenwriting is like raising a child and then turning it over to known child molesters. Only on rare occasions are those foster parents respectful and loving.
CEA - What did you learn about writing when you became a director that informed your future writing?
TOM SCHULMAN
The old adage, “less is more,” kept coming up over and over again. The more I watched the actors work, the more I saw what could be communicated with behavior, posture, body language, a slight smile, a raised eyebrow, a look, and, of course, all the things which remained unspoken. After I directed I looked at the dialogue in my scripts and wanted to cut cut cut.
CEA - What are some questions a writer may want to have prepared for an initial meeting with a potential representative?
TOM SCHULMAN
You may not have to ask all these questions, but I recommend feeling like you know the answers by the time you leave the meeting:
How enthusiastic are they about your writing? How many clients do they have and do they have enough time to work hard for you? With which producers and studio executives do they have their best relationships? Breaking a new writer requires a different skill set than representing an established writer so are they the right agent for this stage in your career? What does the agent expect from you? Does he want your ideas and input on who will buy your scripts? Will she give you notes on your scripts with the expectation you will execute them (the notes, not the agent!)? What is her vision of your career; in what genre(s) and for whom does he see you working? Does he want keep you in the loop, brainstorm sales strategies, etc. – or does he only want to talk to you when there’s a pending sale or meeting? Will they probe readers and buyers and get feedback that can help you improve as a writer, or do they hear “pass” and just think “next.” Is she the type to stick with your script through dozens of rejections, or does she see each rejection as an occasion to rethink, regroup, rewrite, etc.? Get them to brag about their successes, and remember: any decent agent can get an enormously talented writer a job. The agent you want, even though you’re enormously talented, is the one who can get untalented writers jobs.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 May 2008 )
|
|
Writer's Workshop
Commences June 7, 2008 in Casa Munras, Monterey, CA.
Details
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 09 May 2008 )
|
|
Big Bear Lake International Film Festival
September 11-14, 2008
Official Website
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 09 May 2008 )
|
|
|
