Creative Principles

Jeff Cronenweth grew up in a family of filmmakers. His grandfather, Edward, worked on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ with Lon Chaney. His father, Jordan, was the cinematographer on ‘Blade Runner.’ “My father recommended that I stop school and go work with a production company,” he said.

After getting accepted into the Union, Cronenweth went to Film School at USC and then started working in the industry. These days, he’s best known for working with David Fincher, on projects such as ‘Fight Club,’ ‘The Social Network,’ ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,’ and ‘Gone Girl.’ Currently, he’s the Cinematographer on Amazon’s new series, ‘Tales from the Loop.’

For the latest series, Cronenweth worked on the episode “Loop.” According to the description, “The townspeople who live above "The Loop," a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realm of science fiction.”

In this interview, the Cinematographer discusses working with David Fincher, rules he learned from his father, how he first reads a screenplay, how to get the best of every moment, why you should shoot as much as you can early in your career, and why creatives need a full arsenal of looks to showcase creative work.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

“We wanted to create a human story with foam and rubber,” said Director Louis Lettier. The son of a director and a costume designer, Leterrier originally wanted to be a musician, but eventually followed his passion for movies and became a director.

These days, he’s best known for directing ‘The Transporter,’ ‘Unleashed,’ ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ ‘Now You See Me’, and the Netflix series ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.’

In this interview, the creative discusses how he became a director by accident for ‘The Transporter,’ why he’s obsessed with world building and unlikely heroes, how filmmakers (and characters) need hero moments, why he prefers to take the lead on things never done before, and how ideas can grow into truths.

‘Dark Crystal’ fans, make sure to also listen to Episode 209, where I spoke with Creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, who suggested a handful of the questions in this interview.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews originally contacted the Jim Henson company to pitch a sequel idea for 'Labyrinth,' and while that idea wasn’t in the cards even for a pitch meeting, they were invited to come up with an idea for a 'Dark Crystal' prequel series.

The official description for the 10-episode Netflix show reads, “Returns to the world of Thra, where three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis' power, and set out to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.”

To create this world, the screenwriters spent a great deal of time on the opening sequence, making sure audiences new and old would understand the 30 years of history prior to the 10-episode story, but also the layered world and class system.

In this interview, the writers discuss telling big stories in an economical fashion, writing for fans new and old, how they figured out how to run a Writer’s Room, what it means to write for budget, and how to “count mouth flaps.”

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

Scott Teems grew up and went to Film School in Georgia, and he is best known for early work with Hal Holbrook on ‘That Evening Sun’ (along with producing Holbrook in the Mark Twin story ‘An American Odyssey’), plus episodes of ‘Rectify’ and ‘Narcos: Mexico,’ and the new film ‘The Quarry.’

The co-writer and director of ‘The Quarry,’ Teems uncovers the story of a drifter, played by Shea Whigham, who kills a traveling preacher and takes his place in a small-town church. But, upon his arrival, the police chief, played by Michael Shannon, suspects something is wrong.

Teems is heavily influenced by Eastern European and Polish cinema (but more so towards the Coen Brothers for his latest film). And, he has a writing credit on the upcoming film, ‘Halloween Kills,’ the latest installment of the Michael Myers franchise.

In this interview, we discuss personal Southern stories, how Georgia became a film hub, why he’s intrigued by religion and violence in story, where to find exterior tension in a story, why he hates agenda-driven stories, and what audiences can expect from Halloween Kills.

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

Originally, Jessica Sharzer emerged herself in Russian studies. While in school, she transferred to Film and essentially went to Graduate School twice. Fascinated by the original tragedies, she now carries this mindset into her new works.

Known for American Horror Story, Nerve, A Simple Favor, and Apple’s Amazing Stories, she loves to focus on genre. Essentially, she believes, when writing genre, it’s not like starting a blank page because there are guidelines to follow.

In her latest work, she was assigned “The Cellar,” which was an idea from Steven Spielberg that premiered as the first episode of Apple’s Amazing Stories reboot. The episode stars Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) and Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House).

In this interview, Sharzer discusses how to reflect the times rather than preach social issues, why she loves writing genre, why writers needs to write quickly, how she feels about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, and she addresses the rumors about ‘A Simple Favor’ turning into a limited series.

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

“I loved writing about TV and speaking to people I admired to learn how the sausage was made, but I wanted to leave [entertainment journalism] and work on getting a spec made,” said screenwriter and former critic Andy Greenwald.

In addition to writing for publications like Entertainment Weekly, Spin, ESPN: The Magazine, and The Washington Post, Andy Greenwald is the author of Miss Misery: A Novel and Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo.

Greenwald decided he no longer had the same passion for music, but really carried about the types of stories being told on television. “I really cared how the story got made and the process. It was really a lightbulb moment. I had always had this interest, but didn’t put two and two together.”

After interviewing Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), Greenwald was invited to come write for ‘Legion.’ Thanks to the success of this job, Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Homecoming) reached out to see if Greenwald had any samples, so his agent sent over the spec for Briarpatch.

On the new USA series, Rosario Dawson stars as Allegra Dill, an investigator who returns to her hometown in a Texas border town to try and solve the mysterious death of her sister, a police officer who died in a car bombing.

In this interview, Greenwald discusses lessons he learned from Sam Esmail, how to expose genre, what he loves about the surrealist world of ‘Twin Peaks,’ how his career as a critic influenced his showrunner position, and why screenwriters need to take big swings and make risky, artistic choices.

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

“I was really influenced by punk bands in the 80s and 90s. I liked they were screaming about things I had in my head,” said Philip Harder, who got his start as a music video director.

Working with artists like The Cranberries, Foo Fighters, Incubus, and Prince, he learned how to tell stories and capture emotions in short formats. “I joined a band, bought a Super 8, and that led to a music video career.”

In Harder’s latest film, ‘Tuscaloosa,’ college graduate Billy Mitchell (Devon Bostick) finds his plans change when he falls in love with an inmate who has multiple personalities (Natalia Dyer), who lives at his father’s mental institution.

Based on the novel by Glasgow Phillips, the story stood out to Harder because of the way it “weaved a love story with humor during a pretty intense racial time period in the early 1970s.” He added, “This was something I felt would make a fascinating movie.”

In this interview, the writer-director talks about involuntary spontaneity on set, how Prince’s “Cinnamon Girl” influenced ‘Tuscaloosa,’ how to work in “overtime mode,” the importance of total immersion, how to survive the “witching hour,” and why casting is everything.

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

In ‘Escape From Pretoria,’ writer-director Francis Annan uncovers the true story of how two real-life political captives escape from Pretoria during the tumultuous apartheid days of South Africa. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Daniel Webber (11.22.63).

In this interview, Annan discusses creating empathy in these characters, why these real life subjects debated the issue of escaping or staying, how he made the jump from shorts and docs to a full feature, dealing with overtime, and why Daniel Radcliffe loves the process of acting.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

‘Seberg’ is inspired by true events about the French New Wave darling and Breathless star, Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart), who in the late 1960s was targeted by the FBI because of her support of the civil rights movement and romantic involvement with Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), among others.

In Benedict Andrews’ noir-ish thriller, Seberg’s life and career are destroyed by Hoover’s overreaching surveillance and harassment in an effort to suppress and discredit Seberg’s activism.

In this interview, the director discusses the importance of defending your time to work, his transition from live theatre to evergreen filmmaking, why you make a film three times, and how wonderfully difficult it is to bring ideas to the screen.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

Wes O’Donnell is a writer, a TED speaker, a multi-branch military veteran, a journalist, and a speaker for veterans. But, above all else, he’s a storyteller.

As such, Wes writes on a little of everything, from military issues to personal productivity to intermittent fasting to content strategy to data journalism and unstructured data, along with how to become a public speaker.

In his latest book, ‘Own the Crowd,’ the author discusses the moments in life that must be pursued. Wes believes, “Public speaking is much more than delivering content from a podium. If you want your ideas to be memorable, you must become a performer.”

In this interview, Wes discusses emotional responses behind the written word, his work as a veteran speaker, why he started IF, and why the best ways to be productive are actually priceless.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5