Film Courage: You’ve talked [previously] about when you attend Tisch for Film and Television,
what was the curriculum regarding writing at that time?
If you were to take [those classes] today and teach there today, what would you add?
What would you change?
What would you keep the same?
Daniel Calvisi: Well, there wasn’t a ton of screenwriting when I was there.
My favorite class was Screenplay Analysis, no shocker there.
The first produced screenplay that I read was in that class.
We read the SILENCE OF THE LAMBS which was a really great script.
It was interesting because that script was exactly 120 pages and they always say one
page equals one minute so it was exactly 120 minutes (2 hours) and that got me thinking
Hmm, how would this writer know that he was going to end exactly two hours in (120 pages
in)?
And then in the course of the class we learned about structure and how important structure
was and that was structured exactly to end on page 120.
Film Courage: You said there weren’t too many classes on writing there?
Of course the ones that were there, you loved.
Dan: At that time, yes.
Film Courage: How would you expand on it today?
What would you add to the curriculum?
Let’s say they invited you to come back as a teacher or professor?
Dan: Well, I think I would definitely emphasize television, the long form scripted television
writing form.
And I would probably emphasize low-budget filmmaking, writing something that could be
shot on a low-budget.
Now films are being shot on iPhones and they’re getting released in theaters and they’re
getting nominated for awards and winning awards.
So I would go in and tell these kids they probably already know it but you can shoot
a movie on anything, on any topic, on any type of equipment and if it’s good and has
a great story, it could have an afterlife but it still has to have that great story.
So it doesn’t matter what technology you use.
I would say learn about screenwriting and learn about structure and focus on the writing
first.
Film Courage: In terms of the actual breakdown of writing a screenplay, what do you think
you focus on more, structure or dialogue?
Dan: For students?
Film Courage: Yes, if you were to come back as a professor and have say with the curriculum.
Dan: I would most definitely focus on structure most.
I think just flowing, short, tight storytelling.
There is nothing better than a two-page scene that really advances the story and surprises
us and brings up and turns direction and shows us an element of the character that we didn’t
see coming.
It’s all about surprise and subverting our expectations.
That’s why it’s so important not to have clichés because the audience (the reader)
doesn’t want to know what’s going to happen because it’s compelling if they’re surprised.
So I would probably emphasize that, structure and surprising storytelling, not cliché storytelling.
Film Courage: So you went into the program thinking about the industry and knowing there
were certain films that you wanted to write in a similar genre and voice.
When you came out of the program, what did the real world show you?
What was an eye-opener?
What was a disappointment?
What was more of an unplanned joyous discovery about the industry?
Dan: Well, it took me awhile to realize that working in the industry at a day job, you
don’t have to be creative.
They don’t want you to be creative unless you’re in a creative position.
So I was so obsessed with selling a screenplay and directing my first film when I was in
my early 20’s and I was doing my first day jobs as interns, as administrative assistant,
as a reader and I was always looking for a way to impress the boss that they would eventually
bankroll my film or buy my script.
What I didn’t realize was it was all about working hard, put your head down, work harder
than the next guy and then if you work hard enough and they believe in you because you’ve
worked so hard and shown that initiative and taken any job out there no matter how (any
task they give you no matter how bad or ugly or gross or whatever take that job do the
best job you can at it do it 120 percent and that’s what’s going to get you hired,
that’s what’s going to get you the better position to move up the ladder.
Film Courage: When you say that they don’t necessarily want people who are creative,
that’s interesting.
So even if you’re a fantastic writer it doesn’t mean you’re going to get a certain
job where writing skills aren’t at the forefront of what you’re doing?
Dan: Yeah, like if you’re working in development your job is to evaluate material and develop
material for your employer’s company.
It’s not to write your own script, it’s to find material that’s right for your employer
and then development that material so it can be a greenlit film.
So if you’re a screenwriter working in development let’s say and your an assistant to a creative
director or director of development at a studio, they don’t want you to be writing your screenplay
two hours of the day, they want you to support them in finding great material elsewhere.
Film Courage: Do you think internships are good for someone coming out of film school?
Dan: Yes, I definitely think so.
It can be challenging because how do you pay your rent if you’re working at a free internship?
And that’s one challenge that I had, as well.
I used to do temp work.
I used to do administrative assistant temp work at the time and try to do internships
at the same time which was challenging.
But definitely internships the main advice is just work hard, work harder than the next
guy.
Film Courage: That sounds like a lot, how did you juggle that?
Dan: Well it was tough.
I would try to get temp jobs, I would tell my supervisors at the temp company that I
wanted jobs that were only like one, two or three days and then hopefully that would make
me enough money maybe for a couple weeks and then those two or three days that I wasn’t
working that week I would go into the internship at the film company.
It was tough but I figured it out somehow.