Creative Principles

Steven Canals found screenwriting an escape to a difficult childhood in the 1980s Bronx. While working on a documentary in high school, a classmate was shot and killed. The horrific event encouraged Canals to pursue a life of educational and inspiring storytelling.

Inspired by movies like 'Flashdance,' 'The Terminator,' and 'The Color Purple,' the screenwriter knew he wanted to create an authentic story to help others feel seen and heard. Eventually, he created a series about the never-before-seen world of New York’s ball culture world.

In 'Pose,' the story looks at the juxtaposition of various segments life and society in 1987 New York City. The story interweaves between a luxurious world, the downtown social and literary scene, and the iconic ball culture world that showcases Black, Latin, gay and trans culture.

In this exclusive chat, Canals describes his childhood, the responsibility of a storyteller, what it’s like to get your work rejected over 150 times, why he knew his story should be a series rather than a movie, and why he needed a "disruptor" to push his story to mainstream audiences.

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

“Deadlines take away writer’s block,” said screenwriter Chris Mundy. The writer started his career writing for Rolling Stone, before he made the transition into film and television. Known for ‘Cold Case,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘Hell on Wheels,’ ‘Low Winter Sun,’ ‘Bloodline,’ and the hit new series ‘Ozark.’

For ‘Ozark,’ Mundy is fascinated with the character of Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman). The father of the series, a man who launders money for his survival, is the type of person focused on logic rather than emotion, almost to a fault.

In this interview, Mundy discusses the similarities between magazine profiles and characters, how the writers keep the Byrde family in new predicaments, why Marty isn’t necessarily an anti-hero, and what’s the importance of understanding where you lack knowledge about your series.

Find out more about Ozark in our interview with Alyson Feltes in Episode 124. And, 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

Wendy Chuck got her education on the job. Lessons like “don’t take anything too personally” and “collaborating on ideas” helped her find her footing as she learned to share ideas, create wardrobes, costumes, and designs.

Chuck’s early assignments included ‘Varsity Blues,’ ‘Election,’ ‘About Schmidt,’ ‘Bad Santa,’ ‘Sideways,’ ‘The Descendants,’ ‘Nebraska,’ ‘Spotlight,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and now, Matthew Weiner’s ‘The Romanoffs.’

For the hit Amazon mini-series, the ‘Mad Men’ creator wrote an anthology of 8-episodes that revolve around descendants of the Russian Royal Family. The star-studded cast includes Diane Lane, Aaron Eckhart, John Slattery, Corey Stoll, and Christina Hendricks.

For this interview, Chuck discusses questions to ask actors about wardrobe preferences, the design opportunity of a lifetime, the importance of preparation, her most difficult character, and the importance of taking time off.

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

After leaving his career as a criminal prosecutor to volunteer with rescue animals, Glen Zipper eventually found his way to producing films so he could better defend issues he believed in.

Rather than describing himself as an advocate filmmaker, Zipper is someone who likes to highlight issues, uncover injustices, and simply discover the truth. That said, he’s also uncovered tales about Bill Murray, Elvis Presley, Pauline Kael, and now Muhammad Ali.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), HBO's ‘What’s My Name’ is an interesting documentary, because it’s a story completely told from the voice of Ali. There are no talking heads, but rather, Ali telling his story over the decades through sound bites and clips.

In this interview, Zipper discusses the responsibility of a documentary platform, his fascination with dogs, what attracts him to a project, building a story brick-by-brick, and why Muhammad Ali will always be a fixture in American history.

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

Like many costume designers, Claire Anderson got her start in theater. After experiencing “creative exhaustion” on a film, she fell in love with the industry and actually bumped into someone who offered her work at the BBC.

Fast forward and now Anderson has worked on two projects from Neil Gaiman books. Both ‘American Gods’ and ‘Good Omens’ are interesting genre pieces, where the audience expects a great deal from production.

In the latest series, Amazon’s take on ‘Good Omens,’ audiences are invited to see Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Jon Hamm, and Frances McDormand in a tale of comedic Armageddon angels, demons, and an 11-year-old Antichrist.

In this interview, Anderson discusses her start in the industry, how to dress over 380 speaking characters, creating wardrobes from a good script, making outfits stylish yet comfortable, and the importance of rest between creative pursuits.

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

Jed Mercurio worked as a hospital doctor for three years before he joined the Royal Air Force and learned flying training and aviation medicine. He was originally hired as a script consultant, before he was asked to write episodes on his own.

Credits include ‘Cardiac Arrest,’ ‘Bodies,’ ‘Line of Duty,’ and now ‘Bodyguard.’ In his latest series, a 6-episode mini-drama, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) stars as David Budd, a Specialist in the Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service assigned to protect the ambitious Home Secretary, Julie Montague, portrayed by Keeley Hawes.

In this interview, the screenwriter discusses his journey from medicine to screenwriting, why he originally chose to write under a pseudonym, how to write a real-world political drama, and the difference between American and English political dramas.

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

From an early age, Donna Zakowska had an appreciation for vintage fabrics. Her childhood love for clothing led to a fascination with dance, studies at Yale, and the overall joy of a collaborative art.

As a costume designer, Zakowska’s credits include ‘Harriet the Spy,’ ‘Forces of Nature,’ ‘John Adams,’ ‘TURN: Washington’s Spies,” and the new Amazon hit, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’

In this interview, the costume designer talks about wardrobe as an intellectual activity, characters who say things about society, how to learn about character through wardrobe, dressing a world of characters, and how clothing brings Midge Maisel alive.

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 Tolajian got his start on 'NBA Inside Stuff,' but additional credits include 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,' '30 for 30 (Once Brothers),' 'The Drive: Pac-12 Football,' and now the FS Sports documentary, 'Q Ball.'

With the help of Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant, Tolajian and company was able to move forward with his documentary on a prison basketball team, which consisted of teammates and inmates at “the Q,” as well as their journeys of redemption.

In this interview, Tolajian discusses how he got the permission to film in San Quentin, how sports can bring people together, the work it takes to build rehab programs, and what criteria he looks for when creating a sports documentary.

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

As a young stuntman, Jesse V. Johnson learned the ropes of directing on films like ‘Total Recall,’ ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘War of the Worlds,’ ‘Mission: Impossible III,’ ‘Hell or High Water,’ and dozens more.

In this interview, Johnson discusses the various types of stuntmen (including his “ground-pounder” days), how life experience brings something extra to the film, how actor-stuntmen like Keanu Reeves or Matt Damon have changed over the years, and what it’s like to work with world-class stunt performers like Scott Adkins and Tony Jaa.

We also discuss Johnson’s films ‘Triple Threat’ and ‘Avengement.’ In the latter, Adkins stars as Cain Burgess. “While released on furlough from prison, a lowly criminal evades his guards and returns to his old haunts to take revenge on the people that made him a cold-hearted killer.”

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

Luke Davies is a poet, novelist and screenwriter, known for ‘Lion,’ ‘Candy,' 'Life,' 'Beautiful Boy,' and now 'Catch-22.' His books have won many awards, including the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry for his volume Interferon Psalms, and the Age Book of the Year prize for his volume Totem.

A fan of 'Catch-22' from an early age, it was Davies’ original idea to turn the story into a series. Finding a way through the craziness of the novel was the first challenge. Joseph Heller’s story takes place during World War II, specifically from 1942 to 1944.

It follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the book occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home.

In this exclusive interview, Davies discusses removing the clutter to adapt the story for Hulu, writing emotional beats for actors, the psychology of character, taking the audience on an emotional journey, why your treatments should be engaging, and the equal importance of discipline and rest as a writer.

If you haven’t seen 'Catch-22,' there are some potential spoilers in this interview. There’s also a print version of this interview on Creative Screenwriting’s website.

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