Screenwriting 101: Jean-Claude Carrière

“All the great filmmakers from all over the world have developed the language of cinema. They have refined it — sometimes they have perverted it — but our main task is not only to know the language we are going to use, but also to try to make it better, if possible. The reason why so many novelist friends fail when they try to make a film is that they’re using a language they don’t know anything about. The language of film is very complex. It is made up not only of images and sounds, but it also includes acting. The actors and the actresses — they are part of this language. You must absolutely know if what you are writing can be transmitted by actors. The main question you are asking all the time when you’re working with the director is, ‘Is it possible to act this or not?’ … The world is changing all the time, and so is the movie language — it’s impossible to stop it. You must be in the flow of the river, not looking at the river passing by — you must be inside, you must dive.”

— Jean-Claude Carrière (FilmCraft | Screenwriting, P. 63, 65)