Baby Got Backstory BGBS 008: Marc Hyman and Zak Penn | Writing Hollywood Blockbuster Movies by Osmosis
Do you like movies? Have you seen Osmosis Jones, The Avengers, Antz, or Ready Player One? Well, today’s guests, Marc Hyman and Zak Penn, are not only well-known Hollywood screenwriters, but friends who have shaped my life and of course my view on story. So, I’m glad you’re listening as we stroll down Memory Lane to share their backstory about stories they write that resonate with millions of people.
You’ll Learn…
- Becoming writers at a young age and their first breaks in the movie business
- Write something different or offbeat; if it doesn’t get made, it’s far from a failure, but often the key to a career
- How Hollywood and movies have changed; now watched on small screens and mostly limited to superheroes, so it’s difficult to be a feature film screenwriter
- Hunger for Story: People like watching well-told stories
- Differences between watching a movie in a theater with a community vs. a small screen that offers instant access and intimate setting
- Most common mistakes made with storytelling include not having a full story; the ending is the most important part
- Why are there bad movies? It’s hard to make things good due to collaboration
- Animated movies are usually better than live action movies because of the way they’re made – workshopped
- Rhythm of a story and storyboarding identifies what works and what doesn’t
- Backstory is a reflection of story; it may reveal character/story development by making up a character’s actions, motivation, psychological baggage, and flaws
- Some of the best movies ever made use backstory to keep you on your toes and add complexity to the story and characters
- Have gratitude, help others and effect them in a positive way, and remind yourself that you have nothing to complain about
- Failure early in your career can help you to learn what’s good and to look back on it fondly
- Whenever you make something good, it comes back to you
Resources
Quotes:
“Writing something that’s offbeat and doesn’t get made, it’s far from a failure. It’s often the key to a career.”- Zak Penn
“Hunger for Story: People like watching stories. They just like a good story well told.” – Zak Penn
“Backstory is the motivation of character because we live in a world where Hollywood believes that it’s nurture.” – Marc Hyman
“Whenever you make something good, it does come back to you.” – Zak Penn