Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne

Are you the person keeping the film from being really good? I have an article I want you all to read, an interview from the head of story for Pixar’s INSIDE OUT. I always cringe when Pixar/Disney are idolized for their storytelling prowess to screenwriters or when screenwriters write an animated spec, because I know the reality of the space and I know that 99.9% of screenwriters will never have a staff of story artists to scrutinize every frame of the story before the project gets picked up and makes it to your cinema as the best it can possibly be. Two things: 1) This model is changing and soon these resources will be available to animation writers and artists across the board. 2) But the most important thing for screenwriters is this. If you have a good idea but it is not perfectly executed and you are struggling with notes or how to get it there – WALK AWAY. Put it aside for six months minimum, a year or more if at all possible. When you come back to it (and with experience, you will know when the time is right to do so) you will not be so blind to what isn’t working. The feature animated film I have in pre-production was first thought of over 15 years ago, it wasn't until about a year and a half ago that it was ready to see the light of day and even then it has been put up on blocks and rewritten seven times since. How can a top team of talented artists can get so far down the road on a production and come to the conclusion they don’t have a movie yet, that it’s not strong enough.  How does that happen? I’m going to cut this short, because the article is long, but it is inspiring, humbling and eye-opening into what is perceived as a flawless approach to storytelling and most importantly it gives you permission to not be perfect. Have a great weekend everyone. http://www.awn.com/animationworld/ronnie-del-carmen-might-be-hardest-wor...