Christian Elder, Screenwriter: That does not negate the fact that
the current era we're in is not looking for a new voice.
Film Courage: Do you feel movies today are less entertaining than they used to be?
Christian: Yes that's absolutely. Reason why is because I think we're in a fallow period
for movie making and I think people are afraid of taking risks and I think
that a lot of movies are cookie cutter and because of the way that the business is structured
right now it's a it's not allowing for a lot of new talent to emerge and receive
the kind of attention that it should I think that there's periods where the pendulum swings on that
and that the opposite is the case but right now we're in one of those fallow periods and hopefully
it will swing in the other direction in the in the 90s we had a very great night
amazing era I think it lasted a little bit into the odds but after that it just went back to to to
to mostly studio fair I have nothing against studio films by the way I think they're fine
and they're fun but you need to have other stuff too and we don't have enough of the other stuff
70s we had a lot of that other stuff and now it's just another one of those periods where
we just don't have a lot of that other stuff why do you think that is well it's just kind
of the way the business is has been structured and it's it's kind of like we had a new influx of um
of of people in to the system in the 90s from new kinds of producers new kinds of
executives so that there's there is a legitimacy that that independent filmmaking received in which
it was actually actually was if not prestige it it was given consideration as far as being
having money making possibilities and some of those films did make money
but now the party is over the the the movies that they that they acquire at places like can
and Sundance are already set up it's like you don't you don't get in there on a lark like you
used to you're not you're not you can't be a Wes Anderson you can't be a Kevin Smith out of the
blue you can't be you you're you're already you're already you're already fully funded and backed by
some kind of corporate arm that allows you those kind of opportunities and
that's just the case once again I have no judgment over those things it's just
just the way it is I'm hoping that because of the streaming territory that we're in now
that sort of allows a little more wriggle room for that for that to see the light of
day in which there can be new kind of new kind of talent taking advantage of those sources but
I don't see where the evidence is of it yet hopefully there will be
do you think filmmakers are forcing a message in today's films
I don't think that I don't think that there's
okay that's a complicated question and I'm going to like answer it like this I enjoy
watching Martin Scorsese movies and I really enjoyed watching The Irishman because I thought it
was a great great historical road map and it had a a greater message about the the the American story
and I am so glad that that someone like that even though he has to fight for it
given his status as a filmmaker that someone like that has the luxury to to to have that
kind of message that he can put forth in the in his films but not everybody has that luxury and
not everybody has that kind of opportunity and certainly the the
the the new Martin Scorsese the young Martin Scorsese the female Martin Scorsese the black
Martin Scorsese the asian Martin Scorsese aren't getting that opportunity and because they all have
statements that they want to make about america
and those aren't those aren't salable in in today's market those aren't
those aren't things that people want to to necessarily finance and it is what it is now
I'm not saying finances are bad or or or or studios are bad and they're they're they're
the boogeyman or anything like that I think that's really a a horrible attitude to possess
I think there's a lot of filmmakers that are proponents of a sort of victim-like stance
but that does not negate the fact that the current era we're in is not looking for a new voice
vigorously so the Martin Scorsese that was able to tell the irishman
how different was that person that told the story of taxi driver traffic I really don't think
much of a difference I mean I think it's the same spirit I think he's a he's a he's an incredible
filmmaker and he's he's he's evolved oh yes yes but I don't think he is much different but
he was he he was able to solidify a reputation and I believe it was 1978. that the taxi driver
came over this is ’76 or ’78. I think it was ’76. seems like he was earlier yeah sometimes
I'm not sure though but yeah and so it was he was able to settle a reputation then and he could he
could go on and and continue to make personal movies like that I mean the same thing can
can be said for a lot of people in that enchilada the same thing can be said for for spike lee but
even so spike lee has to fight to get financing because he's making movies that are about messages
he's got he's trying to tell he's got a message behind his story I remember years ago when he
was still alive I was I was watching a panel on on Robert Altman and he said Robert Altman said it's
like someone asked him like in the panel like how do you get financing for your film and he's like
I don't know I find it just I find it just as hard to get financing as I think any young
filmmaker would this was like around 2000 he said this and I and I tended to believe him
you you're you're you're you're an older man who's trying to go out there and get
financing to make a movie that says something and people aren't looking to to do that and today
you we know what kind of movies get made it's like yeah they're not they don't want it and it's
understandable it's a it's a business that it's a it's a business they're looking for a return
and that's the other thing that I think that writers should be very aware of that
what they are in is a business now you can consider yourself an artist and that's
absolutely fine I'm in fact I'm a proponent for that I consider myself an artist be an artist
if that's what you want to be be an artist but don't get mad if you realize you're in a business
because that's what it is it's that they're out there to make money they're not out there
to make art you're out there to make art they're out there to make money
so yeah do you feel like that's the real test of how long you want to stay in this business
or attempt to stay in it is to realize that well I mean I think you're you you realize what you do
as a writer you you understand where your lane is so to speak and that's not to say
that you limit yourself to to a track it's to say that you are content and you you
you're nourishing your creativity and wherever it is that you track for like example for myself
I write I write screenplays and I also write plays and I enjoy writing plays a great deal
I enjoy this theater I enjoy that experience I enjoy working with actors in the terms of stage
but and and and and working and staging the work and and and and seeing it come alive
in a room full of people where it's not projected on a screen it's a whole other experience
but this is the thing this is all under the o of oh this is what I do as a writer it's not
under the over what I do as a screenwriter so I at any one point or time I can take my frustrations
to writing a play and go down the street get some friends together
go into a theater and say hey let's hear this let's hear this out loud so I mean
that's that's my feeling on it and and there's plenty of other writers that that that do the same
thing we've got we've got writers that that cross both fields Aaron Sorkin Tracy Letts David Mamet
Suzy Lori Parks these are all playwrights and screenwriters ask them what they do Aaron
Sorkin's never going to say oh I'm a scream the air circuit's going to go I'm a writer
I write that's what I do as sam can be said for for other people that cross
very the other mediums of writing Stephen King Stephen King's not going to say yeah
I'm a screenwriter like I'm a writer Stephen King's bigger than than any one movie so yeah.
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