Roy Stewart

There is No Hollywood Meltdown!

an article by Roy Stewart, screenwriter

FLASHBACK TO 1987:

 

At the 59th Academy Awards for the previous year, noted director, Steven Spielberg, received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. This was shortly after his great contributions as a director with The Color Purple (1985), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), 1941 (1979), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Jaws (1975) and The Sugarland Express (1974).

Upon accepting the award, in front of the audience gathered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the millions of people from around the world watching on television from home, Mr. Spielberg included the following passages in his speech:

 

“I'm told Irving Thalberg worshiped writers. And that's where it all begins. That we are first and foremost storytellers, and without, as he called it, ‘the photoplay,’ everybody is simply improvising. He also knew that a script is more than just a blueprint. That the whole idea of movie magic is that interweave of powerful image and dialogue and performance and music that can never be separated, and when it's working right, can never be duplicated or ever forgotten.”

 

“And I think in our romance with technology and our excitement at exploring all the possibilities of film and video, I think we've partially lost something that we now have to reclaim. I think it's time to renew our romance with the word. I'm as culpable as anyone in having exalted the image of the word at the expense of exalting the image at the expense of the word. But only a generation of readers will spawn a generation of writers."

CUT TO THE PRESENT:

With diminishing box office receipts, it's clear that audiences are not responding well to some of the big releases of late. Some pundits claim that Hollywood is having a meltdown and it seems no one is offering up a solution. Yet, to me, the solution is quite clear in the above statements made by Mr. Spielberg over 30 years ago. We must renew our romance with the word – to paraphrase Mr. Spielberg’s comments, we have to renew our romance with the power of story. And Hollywood has to renew their romance with storytellers.

 

A Call to Action - The Artists must be Reloaded to assist the Studios.

In future times, history turns to civilizations past culture to learn of those people. Hopefully they will discover there is cultural phenomenon worthy to stand the test of time. This is art. This is real culture. This perfectly demonstrates the human condition. It can be a legacy for the future.

So the antidote to the perceived problem was already revealed in the past. New writers writing "NEW" stories IS the cure to any potential meltdown. These writers need the cooperation of the entire film-making community combined with the facilitation of the Studios.

Storytellers are the modern day Shamans. Is there a shortage of stories? Of course not. That would be absurd. It would be like asking where does the Universe start and where does it end? There is no end and there is no beginning. There is only the Storytellers ability to tap into their vast reservoir and present it to the Executives who can work in tandem with each other and bring forward, what we, as Americans, do like no one else - create meaningful motion picture entertainment that is compelling and lasting!

Three New Mandates:

 

1) Thou Shall Not Neglect Thy Screenplay

2) There is No Formula.

3) When in doubt, Go Original

Remember the old days of walking into a Blockbuster store and heading to the new release wall? That’s where people flocked. And that is what they crave now – new releases. Something they haven’t seen before. So embrace the three mandates. You’ll be glad you did and so will audiences worldwide.

 

The entire film-making community, as well as, global audiences shouldn't have to be punished and suffer with the lackluster storytelling ensuing now. The lesson is to go back to the basics and get the story working! Once we have a rich story that works, hey, go super lavish on all the special effects. But no matter how much the icing glitters, if the cake underneath is under cooked, it's just not palatable. As has been proven, audiences will go home famished, or worse – they may not even show up for dinner the next time.

We are the Hollywood Community. Since its inception, the motion picture business is our domain. We all have a responsibility to follow through wholeheartedly and strive for originality and excellence in all that we do. We also have to balance originality with both art and commerce. It may be a balancing act up on a high thin wire, but it certainly is within our unlimited talents and capabilities as human beings.

 

Let's show the world what we do best. Let’s make original compelling movies. Let’s open the doors for "the storytellers" - the next male and female Spielberg’s to walk in and show us what they can deliver. The next mega hit movie is waiting in the wings. And more will follow. We can reclaim what’s ours now and restore the golden era for posterity.