What did Buck Henry say at my university? ("The Graduate" script writer and actor)
On WRITING:
-He fears the blank page and hates writers who write naturally. Writing is a struggle for him so he better make it worthwhile.
-He has to know why he is telling a story.
How he gets to writing?
-You need to know your beginning (1st two minutes) and what your ending is going to be. But most of all, you need to have one GREAT scene planned in the middle. That will push you through the rest of the work, just so you can get to THAT particular scene.
- You can´t break every possible structure. My advice is:
1. Improvise to the end of the scene you are creating.
2. Revise it as a unit by itself.
3. Go back and see how it relates to others.
On building CHARACTERS:
-You gotta solve your character´s issues at the beginning of your work. If you need a voice in OFF during the film, you didn´t do your job as a writer.
- Find a voice for your characters. If everyone sounds alike, what´s the use of having names?
- Stuck? Do monologues for your main characteres. Even if you can´t insert it in the main piece, it will help you figure out what your character is all about. Sometimes you can do some trick on the script and put them into within an interview or else.
- Give life to characters by planning actions only THEM and THEM only would do. Think of specific things, details you would know about your closest friends...idiosyncrasis.
On how to get to HOLLYWOOD:
- Better build a network of friends who want to do the same thing as you. That way you´ll help each other instead of struggling in the dark.
- The rest is basically PURE LUCK... and patience.
On OSCARS:
- Does not work for an Oscar. Film makers should not compete, save in the market, for prizes.
On FILMING:
- "I´m there all through the shoot, sometimes rewriting a little. Actors have some strange ideas you have to put up with."
- The scariest day as a script write is when you meet the cast and see the main actors arrive with your script UNDERLINED. Then you know changes are going to take place.
On ACTUAL SCRIPT WRITERS:
- There is a lot of Gibberish being produced.
- Grammar is being destroyed. Whenever "I see a movie and some huge mistake comes up I ask myself... where were all the people at the shoot who know how to speak English when this happened? It´s terrible!"
- For ex: Bush does not know how to pronounce NUCLEAR, he says NU-QUI-LEAR. The problem is you can see "scientists" within films making the exact same mistake.
On FILM FORMULAS:
- Young people like familiar content. They´ll see the same thing over and over again with different titles.
- More films are daring to step out of the vicious cycle. This Oscars´ Ceremony is know to be the Independent film awards. No nominees are part of a studio. However, studios will always be studios.
- In the future more indepent films will come out. My guess is the studios will hunt for new talents and put them to work in formulas. (LOL)
On DISCIPLINE:
- I write out of anxiety, fear and greed.
- Ideally, have a set period of time for writing every day, and start young since it gets more difficult to pour the writing out of you as you get older.
- I write at night, until 4-5 in the morning. The thing is I believe WORDS to be important. Hemingway could lay on a bed for days in search for a word.
On SCRIPTS FOR FILMS:
- (Adapting books) No problem with authors. You are giving them money.
- Dialogue is a way to attract actors, you stroke their ego. "Hey, I haven´t said a dialogue like this in a very long time."
- "My films are known to be heavy with dialogue. However I think it is necessary to leave air for the director to "see" things and make them happen."
- (Music) I rarely think about what music is best for the background. There are better people to do that.
On seeing his work ON THE SCREEN:
- Disappointed? With all aspects, almost every time. I´d like to see things get done just the way I´d seen them while I was writing them.
"YOU ARE BASICALLY PAYED TO BE DISAPPOINTED"
- If it works, then that is the way I saw it (even if it was the director´s idea)
On TV SCRIPT WRiTERS:
-THEY ARE BRILLIANT AND RICH.
On OPINIONS:
- I rarely ask for them. Ony when hung-up on something and in serious need for advice from my producers.
On THE GRADUATE:
- Though it turned out to be a ticket best seller, 5 studios rejected it before it came out.
- The end of the movice was accomplished by leavin both actors inside the bus, with no dialogues to be said. Waiting for the "cut" signal....but it didn´t come until long after. That is how we got the natural uneasiness out of them. "Just like in real life. Sometimes you just think someone is going to yell "cut"...but the truth is no one does.
ON LITERATURE:
- I can never read good fiction while I´m writing beaucase these writers have very strong voices and I´m a very good mimic. I wish I can finish quickly so I can get back to them.
ON LIFE:
- Get out there. If I hadn´t been getting drunk in NY next to the guy who invited me to my first audition I wouldn´t be standing here.
On WRITING:
-He fears the blank page and hates writers who write naturally. Writing is a struggle for him so he better make it worthwhile.
-He has to know why he is telling a story.
How he gets to writing?
-You need to know your beginning (1st two minutes) and what your ending is going to be. But most of all, you need to have one GREAT scene planned in the middle. That will push you through the rest of the work, just so you can get to THAT particular scene.
- You can´t break every possible structure. My advice is:
1. Improvise to the end of the scene you are creating.
2. Revise it as a unit by itself.
3. Go back and see how it relates to others.
On building CHARACTERS:
-You gotta solve your character´s issues at the beginning of your work. If you need a voice in OFF during the film, you didn´t do your job as a writer.
- Find a voice for your characters. If everyone sounds alike, what´s the use of having names?
- Stuck? Do monologues for your main characteres. Even if you can´t insert it in the main piece, it will help you figure out what your character is all about. Sometimes you can do some trick on the script and put them into within an interview or else.
- Give life to characters by planning actions only THEM and THEM only would do. Think of specific things, details you would know about your closest friends...idiosyncrasis.
On how to get to HOLLYWOOD:
- Better build a network of friends who want to do the same thing as you. That way you´ll help each other instead of struggling in the dark.
- The rest is basically PURE LUCK... and patience.
On OSCARS:
- Does not work for an Oscar. Film makers should not compete, save in the market, for prizes.
On FILMING:
- "I´m there all through the shoot, sometimes rewriting a little. Actors have some strange ideas you have to put up with."
- The scariest day as a script write is when you meet the cast and see the main actors arrive with your script UNDERLINED. Then you know changes are going to take place.
On ACTUAL SCRIPT WRITERS:
- There is a lot of Gibberish being produced.
- Grammar is being destroyed. Whenever "I see a movie and some huge mistake comes up I ask myself... where were all the people at the shoot who know how to speak English when this happened? It´s terrible!"
- For ex: Bush does not know how to pronounce NUCLEAR, he says NU-QUI-LEAR. The problem is you can see "scientists" within films making the exact same mistake.
On FILM FORMULAS:
- Young people like familiar content. They´ll see the same thing over and over again with different titles.
- More films are daring to step out of the vicious cycle. This Oscars´ Ceremony is know to be the Independent film awards. No nominees are part of a studio. However, studios will always be studios.
- In the future more indepent films will come out. My guess is the studios will hunt for new talents and put them to work in formulas. (LOL)
On DISCIPLINE:
- I write out of anxiety, fear and greed.
- Ideally, have a set period of time for writing every day, and start young since it gets more difficult to pour the writing out of you as you get older.
- I write at night, until 4-5 in the morning. The thing is I believe WORDS to be important. Hemingway could lay on a bed for days in search for a word.
On SCRIPTS FOR FILMS:
- (Adapting books) No problem with authors. You are giving them money.
- Dialogue is a way to attract actors, you stroke their ego. "Hey, I haven´t said a dialogue like this in a very long time."
- "My films are known to be heavy with dialogue. However I think it is necessary to leave air for the director to "see" things and make them happen."
- (Music) I rarely think about what music is best for the background. There are better people to do that.
On seeing his work ON THE SCREEN:
- Disappointed? With all aspects, almost every time. I´d like to see things get done just the way I´d seen them while I was writing them.
"YOU ARE BASICALLY PAYED TO BE DISAPPOINTED"
- If it works, then that is the way I saw it (even if it was the director´s idea)
On TV SCRIPT WRiTERS:
-THEY ARE BRILLIANT AND RICH.
On OPINIONS:
- I rarely ask for them. Ony when hung-up on something and in serious need for advice from my producers.
On THE GRADUATE:
- Though it turned out to be a ticket best seller, 5 studios rejected it before it came out.
- The end of the movice was accomplished by leavin both actors inside the bus, with no dialogues to be said. Waiting for the "cut" signal....but it didn´t come until long after. That is how we got the natural uneasiness out of them. "Just like in real life. Sometimes you just think someone is going to yell "cut"...but the truth is no one does.
ON LITERATURE:
- I can never read good fiction while I´m writing beaucase these writers have very strong voices and I´m a very good mimic. I wish I can finish quickly so I can get back to them.
ON LIFE:
- Get out there. If I hadn´t been getting drunk in NY next to the guy who invited me to my first audition I wouldn´t be standing here.
posted by María Jo at 10:40 PM
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