Who's Tyrone Power!?
People in the film business should strive to know ever more about the history of film, about everything that's come before us. There's a great deal to benefit from.
Why do you want to be a screenwriter - or any other profession in the business of film? Most likely it has to do with the fact that you love movies, you’ve always loved movies, right? They’re in your blood, in your genes. You know so much about this make-believe world that sometimes you feel like you could burst … right? Unfortunately, that’s wishful thinking on my part. Too many young writers know diddly about film history.
I remember talking about Tyrone Power with some supposedly knowledgeable film folks - and it still pisses me off when I think about the question that came my way: “Who’s Tyrone Power?” Just to give a bit of a sense - here are some of the cinematic joys starring the one and only Tyrone Power:
Of course we can’t know everything, but people in the film business should know, should want to know, should strive to know. This business is what it is because of everything that’s come before. We should know because it gives us:
Foundation: There’s a wealth of stories out there, from silent films on to this day. The more we watch them, the more we get a sense of story - the more you get to a point where ‘three act structure’ isn’t a pain in the ass, but instead something you do naturally - it becomes part of your writer’s instinct.
Inspiration: Learn, analyze and enjoy everything from His Girl Friday to Nosferatu and from Eisenstein to Romero, whatever the time period, whatever the country or origin, whatever the genre - take an interest and learn. Everything you take in will give you plentiful inspiration for your own scripts.
Jobs: When you sit across a producer, you don’t want to come across as somebody who just happened to wander into the film industry by chance. Be a vibrant conversation partner, talk about films, about your inspirations, spitball scenes, actors, directors, camera angles, dialogue, etc. - the producer wants to collaborate with the writer who has the knowledge and the passion - show them that you live and breathe film.
Basically, I consider every movie watched time well spent (even crappy ones, I always come across useful take-aways). But watching old movies is even better. Soaking in everything from the classics to obscure B-movies does all of the above. Now, you of course know Tyrone Power, right? You didn't have to IMDB him. You know about Jesse James, The Long Gray Line, The Mark of Zorro (doesn't your heart just leap at the mere mention?), Witness for the Prosecution - or, one of my all-time favorites, The Black Swan.
Watching movies is never a waste of time - and that goes ten times as much for the classics. Watch any interview with Quentin Tarantino, who references movies with every motor-mouthing sentence. You get a great sense not only of his knowledge - but of his passion for the world of movies. Talking film, he’s the kid in the candy store - and boy does he ever know his candy.
We should all aim for at least half of that Tarantino passion.
