Met Many Screenwriters?

[JonathanLB]

I just had to post this, because it was extremely random. So I was on a flight from Burbank back to Portland, my original home city, and I'm sitting there reading Save the Cat. I hold it closed when the flight was taking off, because I like to look out the window and don't like to read right when it's taking off. Anyway, the guy next to me says, "Are you a screenwriter?" I kind of sheepishly say, "Well, I'm a wannabe screenwriter, I mean I've written a few rough drafts but... I'm still learning." He asks about the book, and I say it's a classic about screenwriting, like it's on a lot of top 5 or 10 lists of a lot of people, etc. He asks to take a look, doesn't say much, gives it back. I ask what he does, and he says, "I'm a screenwriter." About then I start feeling like an idiot, haha, because I was kind of telling him about my philosophy for learning about screenwriting, like I had mentioned I like to read a bit, write a bit, then read some more, then write, etc.

He said, "You don't need to read this kind of thing, just read lots of screenplays and lots of novels." I asked if he had written anything I'd know of or have seen. He said, "I wrote a project about the life of Johnny Cash, it was called Walk the Line," and then I'm just sitting there thinking, "Uhh wow..." I started getting nervous like, damn, I'm sitting next to a big-time screenwriter! Like the real deal!

He was very nice, though, but quiet and understated. I have to say, this sounds really weird, I had this feeling when I sat down that he was a writer. It's somehow easy to spot at times, like just mannerisms, and a feeling you get. So it was weird when it was confirmed.

 

[Charli]

I think that's cool.

 

[Randall_Oelerich]

Did he look like either of these two gents? (images attached)

 

[RockmanX3]

I sat next to a screenwriter on a plane who was typing one on his laptop.

However, this was before I ever had any desire to do screenwriting.

 

[JonathanLB]

No

No

No, Gill Dennis: http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/g...Juror Gill Dennis (writer, WALK THE LINE).jpg

That was the guy. Only two writers got "written by" credit, he was one.

 

[kiyong]

i would have to agree with his sentiment on reading a lot of screenplays. but i did like that save the cat book. at least the author of that book was a screenwriter. i don't trust all of those self appointed screenwriting gurus though. seriously.

 

[Ted Spencer]

He said, "You don't need to read this kind of thing [screenwriting how-to books like "Save The Cat"], just read lots of screenplays and lots of novels."

Well, I would respectfully disagree with him, in spite of the fact that he has far greater "real" success than I can claim (one produced feature co-write, several published magazine articles, other unproduced works). But I've learned a huge amount from screenwriting books like "Story", "Screenwriter's Bible", Dara Marks' superb "Inside Story" and others (including 'STC', which I think was enjoyable but pretty lightweight). I know, for certain, that I'm a far better screenwriter for having done so.

I've read lots of screenplays and novels too, watched about a gazillion movies very studiously, and of course write/get feedback a lot, but the book learning has been invaluable. YMMV...

Some people (like, one would assume, him) manage to 'get there' without much formal study, but that certainly doesn't disprove the value of it.