When the numbers call the shots
How does a screenwriter survive? What films do Hollywood studios look for? The power of original stories and the importance of creative freedom are discussed in the early days of the Talent Campus Guadalajara.
The panel with Michael Tolkin
How does a screenwriter survive? What do the big Hollywood studios look to produce? The power of movie reviews, screenplays, original stories and the importance of creative freedom were among the topics touched on during the first activity of the Talent Campus Guadalajara.
At the Stelaris Hall of the Hotel Fiesta Americana, students from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean gathered around to talk to Michael Tolkin, screenwriter of such films as Oscar-nominated NINE, DEEP IMPACT and THE PLAYER. Titled "The Sunset of the Empire", the masterclass was moderated by Jorge Sánchez Sosa, the director of the FICG. Tolkin stated that Hollywood has a well established form of work, and that film productions are determined by financial potential. They do not follow intuition, and are interested only in the numbers that a film can generate.
The recent screenwriters' strike and the Hollywood crisis were other topics touched upon during the question and answer session. Tolkin said that Hollywood is not interested in drama as a film genre. He advised the attendees to make a list of their 10 favorite movies, just as a creative exercise. This will allow them to clarify who they want to target with their projects. He assured that even though it will be a biased selection, it will allow them to focus better, and to have a grasp on what kind of audience they are looking for.
Television, dvd, cable TV and the digital era were mentioned as factors of the crisis the celluloid is facing. The filmmaker said that, in spite of all this, the industry persists and will continue to do so. After all, he concluded, "the Seventh Art will evolve along with the spaces where it is screened."
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