has anyone here been? i really wanna check it out, but 500 bucks, damn. just wanna make sure its worth it. for anyone who's gone, whats it like?
http://mckeestory.com/homepage.htm
Take $20 and buy Adaptation to see how it makes fun of him. Then spend the remaining $480 on making a short film.
ive seen Adaptaion and i dont think it makes fun of him at all. alright, maybe a little in the beginning. seriously tho, that doesn't help me much.
Neither will taking his course. Download scripts of movies you like and study them. That's a good place to begin.
i began a long time ago.. just looking for anything that might elevate my game alittle. couldn't hurt could it? except on my wallet.
It's a good course, it will fire you up, and he's an engaging, witty speaker. See it if you can.
i find it funny that this man has become the moses of screenwriting -- people invest their money,time and hope in this man's words -- my problem with theis proxy is; where does he get his acredidation? -- hes never written a fucking screenplay! just becasue he knows how to structure a screenply and has great advice on how to handle a "ptich session", doesnt mean hes going to turn you into the next robert towne -- this man has created this evangelist following purely on hype -- hes no different then some travelling preacher who riles up a crowd of eager and desperate people who are all looking for a miracle -- put a 20$ bill in his hat and all your woes will sink to the depths. its a fucking scam.
Have you been to his seminar?
Seriously, anyone thinking they're gonna go and "learn" how to be a great writer, well, I feel sorry for you. But anyone willing to gain some insight into a certain kind of traditional structure and presentation lesson, this is a great help. The parody in Adaptation is just that -- a parody. If you spent even 1 minute listening to this guy, he'll ramble on about Aristotle and Bergman and Tarantino and Sargent, all in one sentence. It's obvious he loves what he talks about. You can't put a price on that. We need role models and all that, but sometimes it's nice to have a trustworthy teacher. He's solid.
I took a weekend class with Syd Field once. It got really repetitious. He went through a handful of hit movies to point out each plot point, etc. And like McKee, he's never written a produced screenplay.
He's not really incompetent. A lot of people pass judgement on him because of Adaptation, which I think is unfair. That's the reason why I read his book and I wasn't completely disappointed. It's clear from the beginning that the man is adressing the laymen with the book hence it's easy to say he's teachings are useless or uninspired.
And that argument about him never writing a screenplay, well , as anything in this world, it depends on how the person interprets him.
Hitler interpreted Nietzche's super man in a different light, for example.
Quote from: SoNowThenHave you been to his seminar?
Seriously, anyone thinking they're gonna go and "learn" how to be a great writer, well, I feel sorry for you.We need role models and all that, but sometimes it's nice to have a trustworthy teacher. He's solid.
there are many people who go and think just that -- what has legitimized himm as trustworthy? -- i see it the same as the numerous film teachers who have been couped up in a classrrom behind books their whole life -- who says that these people are apt to teach film? -- re-stating information they've ready in psuedo-intellectual theory books is about as useful as jerking yourself off. The only people worth learning from are those that have made or written films -- why do i want to learn from some self proclaimed guru of screenplay craft when hes never picked up the fucking pen? thats just absurd in my opinion. now david mamet, ill sit through a seminar with him, thats someone worth listening to.
Trust me, I hate jag-off self-important film school teachers probably more than anyone you'll ever meet. This guy is not that.
And he's made a living off of writing, supposedly. He's had several scripts optioned, just never one made. Also, getting a script made doesn't qualify you as a great writer anyhow, as evidenced by (insert any stock romantic comedy here).
Different people have different motivations...and different things that inspire them. If any of these guys can inspire you to sit and write...then by all means go to the seminar. It's not a judgement just because it takes a good speaker to motivate you, it's not a failure. I feel sorry for those that think they have nothing to learn.
However, if you already know the technical side...then you could do much worse than to study some shakespeare. No really study it. Also check out Stephen King's "on writing".
I suppose the point of this thread is that Robert McKee is REALLY Adolph Hitler...
A friend of mine finally bit the bullet and went to one of McKee's seminars. He secretly taped the entire seminar using a digital recorder. I listened to the entire thing twice and was impressed. He really is an incredible speaker and quite inspiring.
But there was nothing he said that you can't get from the popular literature on story structure (at most setting you back $150). Although it's important for you to know, there is so much more to writing. If you're a great writer and your structure isn't right, it's a minor fix.
Let's face it, if it was as important as McKee makes it out to be, he'd have film after film under his belt. There is so much crap out there being made into film, you would think he would have, at the very least, one script make it to film.
There's a reason he's spending so much time giving seminars and not writing: structure is both easily taught and learned, great writing is not. And no, Mckee has not supported himself by writing; he's supported himself by writing about writing.
If you need to spend $500 to be inspired, maybe writing is not your thing.
Inspiration = watching dvds
dvds = $
therefore, inspiration = $
inspiration = reading a well written book or script
book or script = free through inter-library loan
therefore,
inspiration = free if you're remotely motivated
Q.E.D.
library card = $12
therefore, now that we've got to the bottom of it,
inspiration = $12 (canadian funds)
Quote from: SoNowThenInspiration = watching dvds
dvds = $
therefore, inspiration = $
No, inspiration comes from life and your own imagination. Other movies should exist soley to show you what other people have done. Film is only a medium. A medium for communicating ideas. You have to have ideas first. You're not going to get them from other people's ideas. Then you wind up with Kill Bill.
Quote from: mutinycoQuote from: SoNowThenInspiration = watching dvds
dvds = $
therefore, inspiration = $
You have to have ideas first. You're not going to get them from other people's ideas. Then you wind up with Kill Bill.
amen brother. couldnt agree with you more.
I've read only one book about writing - it was Stephen King's On Writing. Can't tell you if it's good or bad, but everything that i've read i "knew" intuitively, i knew when sth taht i wrote "sounds" ok or shaky. The good thing that those books provide is that they take of your chest a littlebit of uncertainity, make the process of writing less distant, because when i think of the word "writing" names of classics go through my mind and it instantly makes me feel sick.
Quote from: mutinyco
You have to have ideas first. You're not going to get them from other people's ideas. Then you wind up with Kill Bill.
I second that.
Quote from: cowboykurtisQuote from: mutinycoQuote from: SoNowThenInspiration = watching dvds
dvds = $
therefore, inspiration = $
You have to have ideas first. You're not going to get them from other people's ideas. Then you wind up with Kill Bill.
amen brother. couldnt agree with you more.
Yep. Not only that, but anyone with a library card can watch movies for free. And anyone who doesn't make it a habit of stealing from libraries can watch their movies. Ergo, inspiration = free.
Library cards cost money. Getting to the library via bus costs money.
Therefore, inspiration = $
I'm stressing the stupid joke because you guys continue to be so dead serious about this. Who cares how someone is inspired, as long as they make good films? Nearly every filmmaker worth his salt has been accused of being unoriginal at some point.
You CAN get ideas from other people's ideas.
Quote from: SoNowThenlibrary card = $12
really? mine was free.
A library card costs MAYBE two or three bucks, a one-time fee. At least, it did when I got mine, but that was years ago. All public buses in my town are free. And, if you attend a university, that card is free, and universities have great libraries. Maybe it's just different in Canada.
Okay, that horse is pretty much horseburger now.
Hehehe, yeah.
What it's like in Edmonton:
(if you don't go to university, cos apparently they are the most important people in the world and get fuggin discounts on everything)
My card cost me $12 Canadian, or $.000007 American.....
Buses ain't free.
Really though, I have no problem paying $12 for a library card, especially when the library is so well stocked.
*
Anyway, maybe it comes down to the fact that you pretty much need money to make movies, even on the lowest possible scale. It's not really a poor man's game...
Quote from: SoNowThenMy card cost me $12 Canadian, or $.000007 American.....
I stopped using that joke when I realized the exchange rate was really, really good. :)
FOR NOW
*bum bum bum bum bum*
...
:-D
Ok I'm going to his Genre Seminar... Yeah maybe some people think its throwing money away... or that the guy is a clown... I personally think its a good way to listen to someone that knows the stuff and can maybe tell me some things I dont know... Yes I read his book and many others and maybe its all there... but when you listen to a planned seminar for 3 days its different... and you also have the chance to network and meet interesting people...
I have all the info here and I will register as soon as I clear up some things on my schedule. It seems very interesting. If anyone has experienced it I would like some feedback, comments, suggestions, whatever you have (except for smartass/dumb/offending remarks).
It's worth it. At basest level he's an entertaining man. I hope you enjoy it and it sparks something for you, creative or otherwise.
I have not been to one of his seminars, but my advice would be if you're considering it, read his book first. The book is very dense and packed with his theories and tons of examples. And it's only 25 bucks.
Quote from: jigzaw on January 21, 2006, 12:06:57 PM
I have not been to one of his seminars, but my advice would be if you're considering it, read his book first. The book is very dense and packed with his theories and tons of examples. And it's only 25 bucks.
it's the only, and best book written for screenplay writing. i've read a few and they all suck, except this one. very applicable information here
I would imagine that his seminars would be packed with too much info to absorb. Reading the book is cheaper, and you can re-read parts over and over again.
What's cool about McKee is that he emphasizes story, not marketability. He also emphasizes digging into your own experiences and your own personality, and telling a story that only you can tell. That doesn't mean it has to be autobiographical, just that it reflects your own world view, and that you are passionate about your point of view.
McKee even fits disparate filmmakers like Altman and Godard into his framework, which shows how open minded he is -- he's not just analyzing all the Hollywood blockbusters, he's looking at many different types of films.
Another thing he touches upon is that the same story can be told differently during different eras -- he uses Joan of Arc as an example. The same is true with Jesus Christ -- Jesus Christ Superstar was a product of the hippie peace/love era, Passion of the Christ fits in with our current culture's fascination with torture and gore (what I would call the "Extreme Sports" version of the Gospel). Last Temptation of Christ reflected an inward, philosophical struggle. The 50's biblical epics were a different thing altogether.