It
could be said that Screenwriting from the
Soul incorporates a Socratic approach in teaching its reader.
Instead
of writing in traditional textbook form, Richard Krevolin presents a storyline
that features letters exchanged between a student and professor. The student’s
communications reveal her ups and downs as a writer; in return, the professor’s
range from needling cynicism to thought-provoking guidance. Through the
back-and-forth exchanges between the two characters, readers vicariously learn
not only screenwriting mechanics but also survival tips for life itself.
In
an online article about the craft of screenwriting, Scott Smith notes how
Krevolin introduces the term “objective correlation” as an assignment from the
professor to his student. Smith asks the question, “What in the hell is an
‘objective correlative?’ And why do so many movies and plays have one?”
Krevolin’s
readers learn what the term means from the example the student provides in
response to the professor: “Tennessee Williams, The Glass
Menagerie. Objective correlative: the glass unicorn whose horn
gets broken in the second act by the gentleman caller. Yes, a fragile sensitive
little glass unicorn figurine. Fanciful? Beautiful? Tragic? Poignant? Phallic?
Call it what you will, but baby, it brings with it a host of emotions. When it
happens on stage, it’s damn powerful” (p. 71).
Indeed, I feel the student’s words
are far more likely to make an imprint on the reader’s mind as to what an
objective correlative is – they did mine – as opposed to Smith’s more
pedestrian version:
“[They] are things in your life that you’ve attached meaning to. When you see
them they conjure up memories of people, places and events” (Smith, 2011).
With
a master’s degree in screenwriting from UCLA’s School of Cinema-Television and
another in playwriting and fiction from USC, Krevolin has admittedly
experienced more success in seeing his plays staged than in his movie scripts being
produced. Still, I find him nonetheless well credentialed on the craft of
screenwriting, having served as an adjunct professor at his alma maters and
other universities in the Los Angeles area and with numerous awards to his
name.
His
other books include Screenwriting in the Land of Oz, Pilot Your Life, How To
Adapt Anything Into A Screenplay and The Transcript (A Story about
Reclaiming the Potential of Your Business By Using the Three-Step MAPP Process).
He also is set to release a documentary about a World War II Jewish theater
group in the Terezin ghetto (Krevolin, 2012).
In
a 2004 interview with ScreenwritersUtopia.com writer Christopher Wehner,
Krevolin said aspiring writers should remember these three Ps – patience,
perseverance and persistence – as they move forward in their careers.
In
response to Wehner’s question as to how he would describe “good” screenwriting,
Krevolin says it is “when you can tell the writer cares. When language is still
important. When the formulas are all toyed with to the point that unexpected
things happen. When audiences are treated like intelligent adults and their
emotions are touched. Touch me and I’ll care. … And in the end, it is a
visceral not a cerebral medium, so it is about heart and soul, not mind.”
Writing
well also includes paying attention to what transpires with the characters in a
story, with Krevolin sharing these thoughts via one of the professor’s letters:
“Humans want to grow, and we will pay to see the transformation of other human
beings. By watching someone experience an epiphany and change, I too am
transformed. … No character arc, no change, no movie” (p. 42).
In
his review, Lorre Fritchy succinctly sums up Krevolin’s thoughts on character
transformation: “If your character hasn’t changed by the end of the story, you
fail” (1998).
Besides
its incorporation of screenwriting mechanics, Screenwriting from the Soul also is a good book for anyone who
experiences struggles with the writing process, whether that be internally and
involving doubt about one’s abilities or whether facing external obstacles such
as one rejection letter after another.
Krevolin
has acknowledged including his own struggles in the highly competitive world of
cinema into Screenwriting from the Soul
in the hope of inspiring others:
Since
my movies haven’t been made yet, I have had to find a way to justify my
existence, to explain what the hell I have been doing for the past 11 years and
the book provides the answers. In essence, it proves that the act of writing is
significant in and of itself. It shows that even if none of my films ever get
made, if I have been open to my growth as an artist, then writing screenplays
can help make me a better and happier person. It justifies the act of aspiring ...
(Wehner, 2004).
Indeed,
rejection is a major obstacle a screenwriter faces because only so many scripts
are purchased on an annual basis. As an example, in 2009, out of 88 total spec
script sales, only nine sales were to first-timers (Myers, 2009).
“Still
the fact is great scripts do sell,” screenwriter Scott Myers wrote in his 2009
blog posting, Screenwriting for the Soul.
“That means somebody is going to hit the jackpot every year. … That said, there
is a whole other aspect about screenwriting that has nothing to do with selling
a script [and that’s] the value writing has for you and your own personal
growth as a human being.”
Myers’
words echo sentiments found in Krevolin’s book, much of which is reflective
about personal growth and the “why” a person writes. Via one of the professor’s
letters, these thoughts are shared:
Why
write? One might as well ask, why breathe? We write because we can’t help
ourselves; writing keeps us from killing ourselves or others. And deep down in
our souls, we write because we yearn to etch one tiny, seemingly insignificant
scratch into the stainless steel bones of culture; we fight, we persist, we
persevere, we write; we are drawn to language like a junkie to his smack, a
baby to her mother’s breast, Romeo to Juliet (p. 20).
I recommend Screenwriting from the
Soul not only because of its instruction but also because it provides a
consistent encouragement. It is all about not being dissuaded from a writer’s
life despite the challenges.
“The world needs to hear from you,”
Krevolin writes via the professor. “Tell your tale, and your myth will
transcend the individual to embody the fears, passions, and desires of the
culture as a whole. If you learn to tell your own story, you will also tell the
story of all people. And your audience will embrace you” (p. 102).
Surely those are words that any
writer, in any genre, should embrace and take to heart.
References (APA)
Fritchy, L.
(1998). Screenwriting tips from a pro. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/98november/screenwritingtips.htm
Krevolin, R.
(1998). Screenwriting from the soul. Los Angeles, California:
Renaissance Books.
Krevolin, R.
(2012). Richard Krevolin’s writing site. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://www.profk.com/10227.html
Myers, S.
(2009). Screenwriting for the soul. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2009/04/screenwriting-for-soul.html
Smith, S. W.
(2011). Objective correlative (tip #48). Retrieved November 22, 2012, from https://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/tag/screenwriting-from-the-soul/
Wehner, C.
(2004). Screenwriting: Interview with Richard Krevolin author of “screenwriting
from the soul”. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=52
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