Filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods first met as sixth-graders in their hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa. 

Known for ‘For Always,’ ‘Her Summer,’ and ‘ Spread,’ their big break came from the success of ‘A Quiet Place,’ where “a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.”

In the new film, ‘Haunt,’ “A group of friends encounter an extreme haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real.”

In this interview, the screenwriters talk about their career after the success of ‘A Quiet Place,’ why horror doesn’t need to be elevated, their early influences in the horror genre, thoughts on PG-13 versus R horror, working with Eli Roth, and how they divide time between writing, directing, and big picture brainstorming.

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

Plus, read our previous interview on 'A Quiet Place' for Creative Screenwriting here: https://creativescreenwriting.com/silent-films-dont-lean-on-the-crutch-of-dialogue-bryan-woods-scott-beck-talk-a-quiet-place/

When Jonathan Eig realized there hadn’t been a biography on Muhammad Ali’s entire life, he knew he found his next project. With other books on Al Capone, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson under his belt, he felt confident in his task, but also didn’t know anyone in the world of boxing to begin.

Eventually, Eig was able to launch conversations with the key people from Ali’s life, including his three surviving wives and past managers. Conducting over 500 interviews to gather information for the unauthorized biography, he even uncovered thousands of pages of unreleased FBI and Justice Department files on one of the most popular men of all time. Now he’s working with Ken Burns on an official documentary series.

In this interview, Eig shares the role of “happy accidents” in the life of Muhammad Ali, his views on the value of biographies and autobiographies, how he determines fact from fiction in his research, why a massive index is crucial, and he shares a few details about his next challenge, a biography on Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Ric Roman Waugh got his start as a stuntman. Working on films like ‘True Romance’ and ‘Days of Thunder,’ he got to know experts like Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer, which led to him writing and directing films like ‘Felon,’ ‘Snitch,’ and ‘Shot Caller.’ Now, he’s in the director’s chair for the third installment of the Gerard Butler trilogy, ‘Angel Has Fallen.’

In the new film, “Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of the President and must evade his own agency and the FBI as he tries to uncover the real threat.” Along with Butler, Morgan Freeman returns and additional cast includes Danny Huston and Piper Perabo.

In this exclusive interview, Waugh discusses why he writes every single day, his focus on moral ambiguity in storytelling, advice from Jerry Bruckheimer, how to walk the line between franchise and stand-alone movie, why the theme of a script is everything in filmmaking, and he shares a few details about his upcoming apocalyptic film, ‘Greenland,’ which also stars Gerard Butler.

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“The Man in the High Castle” is based on Philip K. Dick’s science fiction novel depicting an alternative history where the Axis powers won World War II. Mercifully this is a “what if” scenario which meant Production Designer Drew Boughton and his team had to solve their own complex, hybrid equation of addition, subtraction and reconstruction to produce this new reality. It is literally world building.

He completely remixed history by building three cultures that are somewhat familiar in history, but completely original and grafted onto modern society. Injecting the theme of “the banality of evil” underscores both the common threads and the unique variance between these three worlds.

In this interview, Boughton shares his early love for building sets and creating backdrops, how the industry has changed with CGI, his love for the groundbreaking film ‘Blade Runner,’ how he begins his process with the director, and the many complications in creating a Nazi-centric series.

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Writer-Director Mike Gan was born in Beijing, China before moving to the United States. With two working immigrant parents, Gan spent much of his time in movie theaters to stay out of trouble. Now, he’s known for ‘No Evil,’ ‘Into the Dark,’ and the new thriller, ‘Burn.”

‘Burn’ stars Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse. According to IMDB, “When a gas station is held at gunpoint by a desperate man in need of cash, a lonely and unstable gas station attendant, tired of being overshadowed by her more outgoing co-worker, finds an opportunity to make a connection with the robber.”

In this interview, Gan discusses when he realized he wanted to make films, his love for 90s movies, how to recognize the filmmaker in a movie, why he loves to make grounded or flawed characters, the greatness behind restrictions, and how a random article inspired the psychological plot behind ‘Burn.’

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At a very early age, Wayne Roberts knew he wanted to be involved with filmmaking. Inspired by Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick, he loved the idea of creating new worlds. But, outside of film, he was inspired by Ernest Hemingway and various other classic authors.

Roberts’ is relatively new to the scene, but his first two films have made a big impact. In ‘Katie Says Goodbye,’ Olivia Cooke, Christopher Abbott, Mireille Enos, and Mary Steenburgen star in a film about a 17-year-old waitress-prostitute who wants a better life.

In his latest film, ‘The Professor,’ Johnny Depp takes the lead opposite Rosemarie DeWitt in a comedy-drama about a college professor who takes a reckless turn in life once he discovers he’s been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

In this interview, the writer-director talks about doing right by the characters, how a flash can turn into a full feature, the logistics of his creative process, the necessity of a powerful screenplay, why films should focus on emotion, and why it’s vital to avoid the trends of cinema.

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Nick Hamm loves working with actors. With a background in theater, he’s very familiar with proper blocking, on set relationships, and the dynamics of storytelling. The British director is perhaps best known for the Robert DeNiro film ‘Godsend,’ ‘Killing Bono,’ and now, ‘Driven.’

In his latest film, audiences are invited to uncover the story of John DeLorean, his vehicle creations, and his unusual involvement with big business, narcotics, and the FBI. The thriller comes from screenwriter Colin Bateman and stars Jason Sudeikis, Corey Stoll, Lee Pace, and Judy Greer.

In this interview, Hamm discusses his transition from theater info filmmaking, the single most important thing he learned in the theater, what he looks for in a screenplay, how to play the top of the emotion, how to find thread in a complex narrative, and how the crew filmed in the aftermath of a hurricane.

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As an actor, improvisor, and photographer, Jason Winer took an adventurous route that led to his work as a director. Winer is known for his work on ‘Arthur,’ ‘New Girl,’ ‘The Crazy Ones,’ ‘Life in Pieces,’ and for directing the pilots for both ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Don’t Trust the B—— in Apartment 23.’

His latest film, ‘Ode to Joy’ is a fresh take on the romantic comedy. Starring Martin Freeman and Morena Baccarin, the story actually comes from a segment on Chicago’s “This American Life.”

The official summary reads, “Charlie suffers from cataplexy, a symptom of narcolepsy that causes sudden bouts of paralysis whenever he experiences strong emotions - in particular, joy. He develops a variety of techniques to deny himself too much pleasure and happiness, but they're put to the ultimate test when he falls in love.”

In this interview, Winer discusses his route to the director’s chair, why technical aspects can wait, how directing television helped him make decisions quickly, the complications of the studio business, the importance of camaraderie on set, and how to make an original obstacle in a genre film.

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“We never knocked on a door. We built our own house,” said the writing team behind ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon.’ Newcomers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz wanted to create a Mark Twain-inspired story set in the outer banks of North Carolina.

In the latest film, Zak runs away from his care home to pursue his dreams of becoming a wrestler. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, and Zack Gottsagen in the lead role.

In this exclusive interview, the team discusses building your own industry, how to write a low budget feature, the necessity to be able to tell stories at various lengths, why you should use what you have to tell a story, how a proof of concept - like ‘Whiplash’ - can get a film made, and how a willingness to fail leads to success.

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Writer-director Aaron Harvey was drawn to film at an early age. Inspired by complex characters with unique arcs, the creator often starts with a thematic idea, then moves into character. His new film stars Luke Grimes (Yellowstone) and Frank Grillo (Captain America), but he’s also known for ‘The Neighbor’ and’ Catch .44.’

For ‘Into the Ashes,’ “Nick Brenner believed he had safely escaped his violent, criminal history. But his old crew hasn't forgotten about him or the money he stole, and when they take what Nick now values the most - his wife - he has nothing left to lose. Confronted by the town sheriff, who is also his father-in-law, Nick must decide if he will stay on his new path or indulge in his need for revenge and force his enemies to pay for what they have done.”


In this interview, Harvey discusses paying homage to favorite films like ‘Taxi Driver,’ why he doesn’t subscribe to the Syd Field method of screenwriting, why he chose to be the writer and director for his storytelling, the pros and cons of making shorts, and his appreciation for the craft of filmmaking.

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