Day 33: Roadmap into the industry

Collaboration: wisdom at the water cooler

An administrator once commented during an interview, "Forget about scheduling multiple meetings to complete a project. Just place a water cooler or or coffeepot in a central location, as people meet casually, the most complex problems will be solved." Interesting that during a tour of Facebook offices we were told that the decision has been made to create fewer kitchen/snack areas even though it might seem less convenient.

While taking classes at USC, I discovered that during a lecture or meeting a professor or trusted mentor might share a tip or story that would forever change my life, never to repeat it.

Irvin Kershner watched his screenwriting students struggle to find stories to tell. As we worked on our projects he shared his observations.

Kersh's hearing had been damaged while he was on military duty, so he often spoke loudly. About halfway through one semester he asked, "How many of you have ever been on a battlefield? Has anyone here seen someone die? Have your ever felt what it's like not to have enough food? Not having had experiences like this makes your work harder; telling good stories comes from having lived."

As finals week approached, Kersh said: "Writing screenplays is hard today; it's much harder than it used to be. Years ago, writers were under contract with the studios. Their offices were along a hallway. When a writer was having problem with a script he would stop by another writer's office or talk with them at the water cooler. One writer understood screenplay structure; another was gifted at comedy. Another knew how to increase tension and suspense. Classic screenplays benefited from input from multiple writers."

This was done unofficially but as the writers helped each other the stories they were crafting became stronger.

That's why I kept taking classes even after completing my degree. I knew how to read the musical score that is a screenplay but I wanted to be able to feel comfortable creating the score. I needed to better understand screenplay structure. How to make scenes come alive. I'm hoping to share some of those moments here, and look forward to continuing to learn from other writers, too.

Next time: A few fine details that help make scenes come alive that I learned after graduation.

NOTE: These entries are inspired by the final assignment for "The Business of Writing for Screen and Television," a School of Cinematic Arts' course taught by Frank Wuliger. Hoping to help his students become working screenwriters, he asked us to create a personal, five-year road map into the industry. This post is day 33.