Special 5-part series next week!
Next week along with the regular fare on GITS, we’ll be having a special 5-part series: “What the acting craft can teach writers about the writing craft.” I was inspired to pursue this recently when I posted “27 Golden Rules of Writing”, found on the “The Dialogue” series site — advice from working screenwriters. Here are three gems right in a row:
5. “The most valuable thing I did as a writer was to take an acting class. And once you understand what the actors are looking for, that’s how you write.” -Paul Attanasio
6. “Everybody wants to say cool dialogue. That’s all there is to it.” -Sheldon Turner
7. “When I’m writing, I think, ‘I want an actor to read this and say, “I have to be the person who gets to say this out loud.” -Callie Khouri
You’re unlikely to find three screenwriters with more talent than this group. And what is the not so subtle subtext of their message: Writers need to know and understand how actors think!
I approached two friends who know something about this subject: Joshua James, who studied acting, worked as a playwright, and now focuses on screenwriting and lives in NYC, and Shea Vitartis, an actor, writer, and director who lives and works in LA. Both Josh and Shea have done Meisner training (named after renowned acting teacher Sandy Meisner) and their responses to a series of questions I put to them should prove to be both informational and provocative, and a great jumping off point for discussion.
Any of you GITS followers who are actors or have studied acting, I really hope to hear from you Monday-Friday. The whole concept here is to help writers grasp fundamentals about acting that have a direct relationship on what we do as writers — and I welcome your comments in that regard. Also we’ll be exploring what options exist for writers to learn more about acting, everything from acting classes to online resources to books to whatever. Again your suggestions welcome.
We launch the series Monday, March 1 at 4PM EST / 1PM PST (U.S.) with this introductory question: Why is it important for a screenwriter to understand an actor’s mindset (i.e., how an actor approaches their craft)?
Should be an insightful and instructive series.
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