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News of Jan
2 2007
Bollywood Songs Are Often Distracting,
says Script Guru
by Arpana
New
Delhi, Jan 2
Syd Field, one of the most sought after screenwriting teachers in
the world, is baffled when Bollywood stars suddenly break into song
and dance and says he often finds them distracting.
UTV, the producer of last year's mega hit "Rang De Basanti", has
invited Field to host a seminar and a workshop on techniques of
script-writing, starting Jan 5 in Mumbai.
Field, who was associated with acclaimed films like "White Palace"
and "City of Joy", has written books that include "Screenplay", "The
Screenwriter's Workbook" and "The Screenwriter's Problem Solver".
He is currently on faculty at University of Southern California for
the Master of Professional Writing Programme.
In a freewheeling chat with IANS, Field shares his plans for the
upcoming seminar, views on Hindi films and also gives tips for the
wannabes.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: What can we look forward to in your screenwriting workshop in
Mumbai?
A: It will be a workshop for everyone who wants to make good films.
We will
have a two-day seminar. On the first day, we will discuss what is
script all
about - basically the craft of screenwriting, what a good script
comprises
and how do you go about writing a good script. And on the second day
we will
discuss how to write the story with strong characters and a terrific
ending.
Q: Do you still swear by the three-act paradigm?
A: Every screenplay has three parts - the beginning, middle and end.
The
sequence can be in a different way but a script is not complete
without
these three parts. It does not necessarily have to be in the
prescribed
standard format though.
Q: What advice will you give to the budding screenwriters?
A: They should watch lots of films and be very clear about the story
and the
characters. You can write a story and take it forward with very
strong
characters and you can also write characters and take it to a
paradigm where
the characters take the story forward. You should always depict the
film in
visuals.
Q: Do you watch Hindi films? How do you feel about them?
A: Frankly speaking, I haven't seen too many Hindi films. I have
seen very
few. Recently I saw "Rang De Basanti". What surprises me is that in
between
a story suddenly I see song-and-dance sequences and sometimes I
forget the
story before that sequence. It is nice to be entertained but
sometimes songs
are not correctly incorporated in the story and are distracting.
Q: How will you describe Hindi films?
A: I will categorize Hindi films in two parts: one, which has too
many
characters, songs, music, etc. In short a complete entertainer. The
other
type is "Rang De Basanti" - a strong story with a social message
that
inspires and touches you. I would like to believe in the latter kind
of
story telling.
Q: Would you like to direct some day?
A: I guess I am happy being scriptwriter.
Q: Do scriptwriters make good directors?
A: Depends on the person. The fact is unless you have a good script,
its
difficult to make a good film. Usually, once you write a script, you
have to
leave the script and then it's the director who takes over.
Sometimes the
directors have to make changes in the script while filming it and
you don't
have a say in that.
Q: Can you recommend five films that every budding screenwriter
should see?
A: All the wannabes should see "China Town", "American Beauty", "The
Wild
Bunch", "The Searchers", "The Little Miss Sunshine", and "Red
River".
IANS News of Jan
2 2007
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