Tales from the Script

After reading the book, Tales from the Script by Paul Herman and Peter Hanson, I watched the movie. It was very interesting and engaging. I particularly enjoyed the way they edited the interviews together to develop an overall understanding of screen writing and the film making process. Hearing the screenwriters discuss their journeys from page to screen was enlightening. I think Peter Hanson and Paul Herman did a great job of getting a diversity of screenwriters and putting together thoughtful interviews. Seeing the people who have written some of my favorite movies was interesting, and I ended up learning about some great movies I've never seen through reading the book and seeing the film. I would definitely recommend this movie and book to anyone who is interested in screen writing or just a general film geek.

Filmmakers who neglect producing a good script rarely produce a good movie. Sure, film's a visual medium (but, then, so are comic books)- but all the beautiful imagery in the world is meaningless without a coherent background story. TALES FROM THE SCRIPT is a cautionary tale and, like the documentary THE HECK WITH Hollywood!, it offers some possible solutions for aspiring screenwriters. (Although the solution in THE HECK WITH Hollywood! is to go out and make your OWN movie, without regard to geography, which is probably the BEST advice: as mavericks like George Romero have shown, it IS possible to go out and do it yourself and be successful. With the kind of video technology that exists now, I'm frankly amazed that there aren't MORE independent filmmakers making waves out there...) Posting unproduced scripts online is one way to try to interest potential investors (I may do it myself). The options these days are many. Settling for Hollywood should no longer be the only option.

Tales From The Script is an essential documentary for aspiring screenwriters. It doesn't break down how to write a script or how to tell a story but it goes over what to expect in a career in screen writing and what they value. It's a very basic doc with interviews shot on DV, but it has access to so many top class writers that I didn't think much about the production of the doc itself. It's fascinating to pick up on the common behaviour of a writer based on their attitudes. It's a doc that both confirms my fears and validates what I want out of screen writing in my life. It finishes with a story from the writer of Ghost talking about a flop he made shortly afterwards where he felt it was finally worth it because it saved the relationship between a mother and son. That's what it's all about.

8/10

I've been very lucky in finding these strangely structured documentaries.

Here is a film about writing films. We luckily encounter a large number of screenwriters, some of whom I admire a great deal.

We have a quick shuffle among them, with the assembly being quite a bit more coherent and engaging than staying. This by itself is a remarkable effect. Almost all of these people are master storytellers and they are speaking about something they have examined thoroughly. Each has their own narrative they have created about who they are and how they fit into the machinery of this collaborative art. They assume that what they have honed will be fascinating to us.

But it isn't. It simply isn't. We learn that writing is hard, the business is brutal. You and your art get no respect. It is often unbearable and some accomplished writers simply graduate out of the role. None of these storytellers do much other than decorate these complaints. It becomes obvious early in the game that this is still interesting to watch because the filmmaker jumps around, composing his own narrative out of these interviews. No one bit is kept longer than a minute or so. It is a masterpiece of composition, editing and just plain deep listening.

It is a folded story that says in two ways that the writer is the beginning of the adventure, the generator of first ideas, but is not the filmmaker.

So that's all good. Don't expect a single phrase about writing itself. This is all about the business, the selling and the commerce. There are some people here that I really would like to know better. I did not and this will frustrate you too.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

I've been interested in screen writing for some time now. I've written a few short scripts and taking a screen writing class, and this film is sort of a combination of all the things you've always heard but non-stop in pace. This means that while none of this is all that new, it hits you full-motion and it kinda puts everything into a larger perspective. This is a tough business after all! It's fun seeing screenwriters of films you've seen talk about their experiences (especially Frank Darabont on the ending to The Mist, and John Carpenter). In a way, it's downbeat but also optimistic by the end. This is definitely recommended for pretty much anyone interested in screen writing