Written Interview: Tom Benedek
Today’s interview is with screenwriter Tom Benedek, conducted with German journalist Dana Heidner-Krueger:
Tom Benedek has written and rewritten screenplays for Robert Zemeckis, Lawrence Kasdan, Lili Fini Zanuck & Richard Zanuck, David Brown, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Sydney Pollack, Richard Rush, Harold Ramis, Lauren Schuler Donner & Richard Donner, Ray Stark, Brian Grazer, Working Title, Jersey Film, Chris Blackwell and many others. He is a member of the Writers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He wrote the screenplays for Cocoon, Free Willy, Zeus and Roxanne, The Adventures of Pinocchio and other films. He teaches screenwriting through ScreenwritingMasterClass.com, at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Some excerpts:
Dana Heidner-Krueger: When you read over a screenplay, what are the telltale signs that separate an amateur from a pro?
Tom Benedek: Generally, in the first act the entire story will be established. Most of the main characters and their conflicts will be well drawn. Scripts that do not settle into their main story and main subplots by the first 25–30 pages generally have problems.
Dana Heidner-Krueger: How does your own writing process from beginning to end look like?
Tom Benedek: I start with instinctive notes, just brainstorming pieces of scenes, bits of dialogue, characters, plot ideas, etc.. I then try to form a beat sheet — a complete diagram of the entire script. I rewrite the beat sheet many times. Finally, I start writing script pages, following the beat sheet but adjusting it as I write. I put the finished script aside for two weeks, read it carefully, make many notes, and rewrite it again and again.
Dana Heidner-Krueger: What makes a great premise?
Tom Benedek: Originality. Emotional Resonance. Dramatic concepts that question existing cinema forms in some way while holding to classic dramatic form. It is really intangible. We know the great ideas when we hear them. The idea will seem great if it is original and expresses the true voice of the writer. Agents and managers are looking for original voices. They want to read well-crafted scripts that feel new and authentic.
Dana Heidner-Krueger: Since you are a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, you get to vote for the Oscars, helping select nominees for Best Picture and Best Screenplays. Do you have an anecdote from one of these events?
Tom Benedek: The stars will be so nice to you there. Nicole Kidman told me she hoped she would work with me someday at one of those events.
Dana Heidner-Krueger: Is there actually anything you learned from your students, while teaching screenwriting?
Tom Benedek: I have so much respect for my students and their script projects. I admire the courage it takes to share stories in workshop, listen to feedback, work to improve. When I started writing, I would do a set of pages and literally put them in a drawer, afraid to read them. It would take me weeks before I could even look at them. Now, in my classes, my students must immediately share their work for feedback and use the input to immediately improve. This helps me so much with my own writing. It reaffirms my own love of storytelling, of the power of the story and its meaning for all of us in our lives.
For more of the interview, go here.