1. How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first full-length piece—a musical comedy—in college. So, since then.
2. What did you do before UCLA?
I was a playwright in New York City during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Then came to Los Angeles to give screenwriting a try.
3. What do you do at UCLA? How did you end up there?
I’m not a fan of the term “end up” until the end. At UCLA I’m on the screenwriting faculty. I teach graduate and undergraduate courses.
4. What's your #1 piece of advice for aspiring screenwriters?
Buy my book. It has pieces of advice #’s 2-700. But more seriously? Know what you want out of the occupation. Are you doing it more for love or money? That primary decision will influence the kind of screenplays you write and the marketplace you hope to engage and will influence all the creative and practical decisions you make
5. What are the most common mistakes new screenwriters make?
Trying to second guess trends in the marketplace. Thinking that screenwriting is easier than it is. Thinking they have a movie story for their script when then don’t. Overwriting. Writing carelessly.
Sending material out before it’s ready. Holding on to material too long, trying too hard to make it perfect.
6. What are the most important traits a screenwriter should/can possess?
A regular source of independent income. Relatives who run studios. Perseverance. Emotional resilience. Optimism. A work ethic. Stamina. Curiosity. Play well with others. Other interests. Friends.
7. What should a screenwriter ask themselves before beginning every script?
Who’s story is it? What does the character most want? What are the obstacles to achieving it? What are the two what if’s? That is to say, What will be the (specific) outcome if the stake of the story is achieved, what will be the outcome if it is not? DO NOT ASK WHAT THE THEME IS. Do not think about what the theme is. Think only of DESIRE.
8. What should they be sure they've accomplished by the end of every script?
Told the story. Had an emotional orgasm. Brought the character from here to there in the most emotionally harrowing way.
9. Do you feel that a three act structure is important?
See my book’s section THE BIG PICTURE. You will find it phenomenally helpful in understanding the internal logic of the 3 act structure, how to achieve it, and how to tell what’s missing.
10. Does a writer have to live in L.A. in order to sell a script?
No. But it is a huge advantage in selling the first script and a near-necessity in keeping a career going. Look, bicoastal marriages exist, too. No accommodation is impossible. But the film business exists to a significant degree upon personal relationships.
11. What do you think of screenwriting contests? Can they make a difference in someone's career?
Anything that gets you noticed is good. Any circumstance where your work is validated is good. Nobody wants to be the first to say yes. A producer won’t look at a script unless it comes from an agent for that reason. Someone (the agent or manager) has said yes first. Doing well in a prestigious contest lends that same cache.
12. What's more important in a screenplay: plot or character?
Absolutely.
13. Do you recommend using formatting software?
Why not? They manage the technical operations and render at least a topical layer of professionalism. This is not to say you that you can’t write a great script on a manual typewriter. But obviously the software allows great dexterity in rewriting, which is (by accurate count) 98.337% of writing.
14. How important is theme or a central question in a script?
I take exception to the Lajos Egri premise of theme. Too often themes become too literal, like the moral of an Aesop fable. (Greed leads to unhappiness, for an example). By having a theme, writers too often are too conscious of adhering to that theme. Of defining every scene by that theme. They will not let a character who is greedy ever be happy in a scene. Because that would run counter to the theme.
Inevitably, the emotional scope of the story narrows. Aimed at that preordained outcome. It becomes predictable. There is didacticism, and events get tailored and manipulated to fit into the narrowing angle. The story becomes predictable. Characters become one dimensional.
I ask my writers to remove theme from the soul of the story and to replace it with desire. Let that be the driving force of story and of character. It will take us into nexpected, volatile, ambiguous places. We will find the humanity of “villains” and the dark sides of heroes. The story will have more color, more surprises, more delight, be deeper, funnier, less predictable, more involving.
15. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Be brilliant.
Visit Hal Ackerman at:
www.HalAckerman.com
You can also purchase Hal's book at:
http://www.tallfellow.com
