Creative Principles

Fencing, rugby, and martial arts led Nick Powell down a path to stunt work. Over time, he found himself working as an actor and stuntman on ‘Braveheart,’ ‘Goldeneye,’ ‘The Mummy,’ ‘The Bourne Identity,’ ‘Gladiator,’ and ‘The Last Samurai.’

Thanks to his work helping other first time directors, he eventually came to direct the new film, ‘Primal.’ Starring Nicolas Cage, the movie follows a big-game hunter and trapper who captures a rare white Jaguar, but ends up on a ship with a political assassin.

In this interview, Powell discusses working with Matt Damon on ‘Bourne,’ why proper fight editing creates authenticity, how he trained Tom Cruise for seven months on ‘The Last Samurai,’ why well-choreographed fights can be shot from every angle, and how they shot the extensive Coliseum fights in Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator.’

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

Monty Whitebloom never planned to be a filmmaker. Studying English Literature at University, he was actually sucked into the rave movement in London. While making short films, he started making videos to play along in rave clubs.

This unusual journey led him to work with the Sound System, Soul II Soul. Eventually he started making music videos for Duran Duran, Seal, Paula Abdul, Spice Girls, Lauryn Hill, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones. This led to advertising and eventually he was asked to read the script for ‘Love is Blind.’

In the new film, “A woman with selective perception, who cannot see her mother, is prescribed by her psychiatrist to spend time with a suicidal man that has fallen in love with her - but she cannot see either.”

In this interview, Whitebloom talks about storytelling across different mediums, his unique approach to capturing scenes, why he makes music playlists for all of the actors to show character, how he surprised Mathew Broderick on set, and how to best collaborate with a composer.

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

Luke Bracey wanted to be a professional rugby player, but fell into acting by chance. Over time, the Australian actor found himself on the long running soap opera, ‘Home and Away.’

His background in the physical and rigorous sport soon guided him into action roles, such as ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation,’ ‘The November Man,’ ‘Hacksaw Ridge,’ and the reboot for ‘Point Break.’

In the new film ‘Danger Close,’ the actor stepped into the role of Sergeant Bob Buick. The story uncovers a Vietnamese rubber plantation called Long Tan where 108 young and inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought 2,500 Viet Cong.

In this interview, Bracey discusses his role as Utah in ‘Point Break,’ when to call in the professionals for stunt work, how he researches a role, and why ‘Danger Close’ was so personal for him.

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

Gregory Allen Howard’s cousin introduced him to “what was underneath the movies.” While his cousin wasn’t in the business, he taught Howard that there was so much more underneath the service of something he previously viewed as pure entertainment or escapism.

Over the years, the screenwriter used his voice to write and create stories for ‘Remember the Titans,’ ‘Ali,’ and ‘Harriet.’ The latest film uncovers “The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.”

In this interview, Howard discusses a conversation with John Woo about writing the “male weepy,” why Michael Mann wanted ‘Ali’ to be R-rated, how it took 25 years to get Harriet made, and why persistence is the key to long screenwriting career.

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

As a character actor, William Fichtner is known for playing roughneck characters, in films like ‘Crash,’ ‘Drive Angry,’ ‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Armageddon,’ and ‘Black Hawk Down.’ Recently, he’s also landed a frequent role as Adam on the series, ‘Mom.’

In his writer-director debut, Fichtner took the reins for the film, ‘Cold Brook.’ The story, which follows two ordinary guys in a small town, is a story of adventure. Fichtner stars alongside Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) and Harold Perrineau (Lost).

In this interview, Fichtner discusses how he chooses a role, why lessons from directors are sometimes subconscious, what separates him from “big movie stars,” how ‘Cold Brook’ got started back in 2001, and what he learned from working with Ridley Scott.

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

Logan Mashall-Green was born in the arts, with two parents who taught theater. As an actor, Logan landed jobs in ‘Upgrade’ ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ and ‘Prometheus,’ plus he just stepped into his debut role as writer-director for ‘Adopt a Highway.’

The simplistic description of the new film is, “An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster,” but the film is really an experiment. Working with Ethan Hawke, the writer-director wanted to capture something on film that was honest and real.

In this interview, Logan discusses his childhood as a theater brat, the moment he truly felt like an actor, what he learned working with Ethan Hawke, how to avoid crutches as an actor, and why most creatives play it too safe with their work.

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

Michael Grady spent his 20s shooting shorts and working as an electrician and gaffer. His active approach paid off, as a few shorts got into Sundance, and then he worked his way up through $100,000 movies and new television shows.

By immersing himself in the culture, Grady was able to make a career by being relentless. His credits include ‘Easy A,’ ‘Faster,’ ‘Friends with Benefits,’ ‘The Leftovers,’ ‘Ozark,’ and the new Apple series, ‘Morning Show.’

The new series on the new network stars Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon. The show takes “An inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the men and women who carry out this daily televised ritual.”

In this interview, Grady talks about how new television is like the Indie film world, why the script tells you how to shoot it, how being creative should be an obsession, why there’s no excuse not to make your movie, and what it’s like to work with Apple.

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

Aron Eli Coleite describes himself as a “classic nerd.” Since the age of 11, he’s been going to the comic book store each week when new issues come out, and he grew up digesting comics, film, and television.

Stepping into the fandom he so adored, the screenwriter started writing on ‘Crossing Jordan,’ but then moved into writing the series, ‘Heroes,’ which was one of the first hero-centric genre series. In 2017, he got the chance to work on ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ and now he’s the creator and writer on Netflix’s new multi-genre series, ‘Daybreak.’

Described as an apocalyptic dramedy, ‘Daybreak’ is about a high school outcast named Josh who is searching for his missing girlfriend in post apocalyptic Glendale. The series stars Colin Ford as Josh Wheeler, along with Matthew Broderick as Michaell Burr.

In this interview, the screenwriter discusses missing genres and paying homage, how ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ segmented great episodes, why he doesn’t want viewers to be ahead of the narrative, how to hide Easter Eggs, why he studies ‘Rick and Morty,’ why Showrunners can’t isolate themselves in their work, the myth of the draft, and why he’s never content, which makes the writing better.

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

As a kid, Tom Eagles didn’t have a television, but he loved going to the movies. As he entered the business, he started cutting trailers and promos. As an Editor, he learned that he could shape stories in a creative manner. While cutting drama for television, Eagles eventually met writer-director Taika Waititi.

The duo worked together on ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ in 2014, followed by ‘Hunt for Wilderpeople,’ and now ‘Jojo Rabbit.’ In the latest film, “A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.”

In this interview, Eagles talks about the editor-director relationship, how to edit improvised films like ‘What We Do in the Shadows,’ the New Zealand method of pacing comedy, how the films are connected thematically, and how to avoid second guessing creative impulses and be open to all ideas.

To hear more about ‘Jojo Rabbit,’ listen to Episode 178, where we speak with author Christine Leunens, and if you enjoyed this interview, join thousands of viewers for the new video essay YouTube series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg taught Dan DeLeeuw how visual effects lights up an audience. He went to college to learn more and then got a job at Dream Quest, which included miniatures and models.

In the 1990s, DeLeeuw worked on films like ‘The Three Musketeers,’ ’The Rock,’ ‘Deep Rising,’ ‘Armageddon,’ ‘Mighty Joe Young,’ ‘Bicentennial Man’, ‘102 Dalmatians,’ and ‘The Skeleton Key.’

As visual effects started to become the norm, he stepped into a supervisor role for movies like ‘Night at the Museum,’ ‘Iron Man 3,’ ‘Captain America,’ and then the Avengers films, “Infinity War" and “Endgame.”

In this interview, the specialist talks about growing with the Marvel franchise as a storyteller, working with the Russo Brothers, the difficulties of aging and de-aging actors, how they showcase Marvel personalities in a fight, the process from script to final product, and the future of visual effects.

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