Talk at Claremont-McKenna April 2

on "The Politics of Movie/TV Endings"-- fun to do, well attended, and great questions from the audience. 

Movie I Produced Premiering at Oberhausen Film Festival in Germany

Creature Companion directed by Melika Bass and co-produced by myself and Dan Silverstein will have its World Premiere at the Oberhausen Film Festival in Germany in May. Proud producer! 

Giving a Talk on "The Politics of Movie/TV Endings" at CMC

on April 2. very much looking forward.

https://www.cmc.edu/athenaeum

From It’s a Wonderful Life to Erin Brockovich to Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding episode to Moonlight to Wonder Woman: What does the ending of a movie or television show tell you about the politics of the storyteller, the intended audience, or the time period in which it was produced? Using diverse movie and television clips, screenwriter and Northwestern University department of radio-tv-film chairman David Tolchinsky P'20 will discuss how endings change not just based on the needs of a story, but also the prevailing zeitgeist. He will also discuss contemporary trends in endings and how to interpret their deeper meanings. Finally, he will reflect on the importance for authors to protect what they believe to be the right ending, even if unpopular.  

Launched Cassandra facebook page

Check it out/like it to get updates as the film progresses towards completion, screenings, etc.:

https://www.facebook.com/CassandraTheFilm/

Gave talk at the Prague Film School

Gave a talk on February 16 on "Understanding Character Arc: A Screenwriter's Perspective" at the Prague Film School, very cool institution in a very cool city.

What is “classic” character development based on 3-act structure or the Hero’s Journey/mythic structure? What are recent trends? What happens when you leave off the beginning or end of a character arc or twist our expectations about what an arc should be? What does a character arc look like when time is compressed, expanded, reversed, or duplicated (either within a film or across TV episodes)?  When is it appropriate not to have a character arc (that is, your character is unchanging)? Finally, how is character arc related to theme/message?  In general, as a writer, how can you use an understanding of character arc to jumpstart your writing process?