BachelorMan

The Fort Myers Beach Film Festival, held April 24-26, featured a filmmaking seminar conducted by Dr. Walt Hanclosly of the University of South Carolina Film School.

The first of three ninety-minute sessions dealt with the elements of screenwriting:

Transitions (CUT TO, FADE IN, ETC.)

Sluglines (IN./EXT., location and time,)

Action Lines ( Introducing characters w/basic descriptions, and describing the scene before dialogue.)

Dialogue

Hanclosky produced copies of pages from the "Batman" movie script and the group followed along as he deconstructed two scenes using a DVD player.

Ask, "What's the concept in this scene?"

Learn to write for the SUBLIMINAL mind.

Every Film should have its own feel, its own color. (Batman was black and blue.)

He also pointed out that better writers understand production and therefore know how to talk to directors.

The second session was even more educational than the first, as actors from the independent features "Bachelorman" and "Hungry Heats" fielded questions from the group. Robert Romanus, ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High", and "Bachelorman") said that the best way to learn about movies is to MAKE movies, and that, in film, it's all about your face.

David DeLuise, the male lead in "Bachelorman," said he liked independent films because "studio suits ruin creativity," DeLuise recommends working as a production assistant or stand-in for a few days to see how a movie set works. He also revealed that his father, Dom Deluise, still takes acting lessons.

Glenn Benest, writer-actor producer of " Hungry Hearts," told how he wrote the first draft of his screenplay in eight weeks and kept changing it for three years. It took another five years before he had raised the funds to begin shooting. His advice to screenwriters:

Make each of your characters speak in a distinctive way, as well as having them do unique things visually.

Show, don't tell. (If someone is insecure, SHOW their insecurity instead of telling.)

Least important thing in a screenplay is dialogue

According to Benest, writers who win film festival screenwriting contests get calls from agents and producers. For screenwriting jobs, he recommends WriterScriptNetwork.com. In regards to writing with a partner, he advises choosing a partner that has strengths you don't have, whether it's story, dialogue, or character.

The final session featured two independent film directors, Rolf Schrader of "Hungry Hearts," and John Putch of "Bachelorman."

Rolf Schrader said that the independent film market is "open to anybody now; you can be in Cannes next year if you have heart." Schrader added that it's the STORY that really captivates the audience. He recommends doing a short film or two, then writing a feature, because "that's the first thing anybody in the business asks: "Have you done a feature?"

John Putch recommends doing a short film with your own money first, then making your first feature as cheaply as possible. He says you can't go wrong when you work with friends who share your passion. It's also important to keep happy vibes on your set, and that you learn a lot from your first film. His final word on making a film, "You don't really know what you need the first time; you know on the SECOND."