Alex Kustanovich (9)
ACT IX -->
KUSTANOVICH: In Boulder, Colorado?
HORTON: Yes, I used to live in Boulder, Colorado. It's a great place.
K: . . . Boulder, Colorado. I've been there, too.
H: But the thing is . . . that's how you get any of those . . . you have to go for a year . . . you've gotta prove your chops . . .
K: Yeah, but . . . they didn't offer me a gig. They said, 'IF we offer you . . .'
H: Oh. 'IF [we] offer.' You should've said 'yes.'
K: Well, no. I said . . . I really didn't say 'no.'
H: Well, how much money were they talking for a year?
K: What do you mean 'talking'? No, it wasn't for a year. It was for a semester.
H: For a semester. Well, that's rough. That's pretty rough.
K: An opening for three months. For a year I would've gone, are you kidding?
H: Yeah. Yeah.
K: For a year I would've definitely gone.
No, no, no. They were talking about an adjunct professorship for a semester.
H: Yeah, that's . . . how do you do your rent, your lease, and all that stuff?
K: For three months you go there, and you have to go back and start all over again.
H: And that doesn't mean they would've given you the job anyway.
K: Exactly.
H: So, y'know.
K: 'No.'
H: . . . people just don't know how rough it is to get a professorship. It's just almost impossible.
K: Yes. It's very hard.
H: I mean . . . there's just not any professorships out there, y'know?
K: No, no. I think not. And I . . . like I said. I send out my application everywhere, inlcuding that Chapman College.
Now I have degrees from the best universities in the country. I have two movies produced. I have references up the wazoo.
And still. It is either who you know . . . like everything else in life . . . or . . . you have to have had a $100 million movie produced.
H: Any advice for up-and-coming screenwriters trying to get in the system? Do you have any advice about screenwriting?
K: My general advice would be this. Figure out whether or not you wanna be a screenwriter or not first. Because if you're trying to make money selling screenplays . . . then forget about it . . . because there are people out there who are very good at it, and who love doin' it. So you will not be able to compete with them.
If you love writing screenplays, if you love movies . . . and if you're a good storyteller, a natural storyteller -- and you know you have talent . . . then don't give up.
And, y'know, as they say -- 'When you stand long enough outside, it will eventually rain.'
H: And so . . . to get in the door . . . would you recommend going to film school, entering the contests . . . I mean, you know some people . . . that's how they started their careers.
K: No. To get in the door as a screenwriter, I would recommend going to graduate screenwriting school . . . only because you meet interesting people, and those people later may help you.
Not to learn the crap. To learn the crap . . . you read books. Read a lot of books and watch a lot of movies. And read a book or two . . . including: THE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING by Lajos Egri. That's the book to read.
H: And who did you learn to read Egri from?
K: At AFI.
H: Really? I didn't know that. They taught that at AFI?
K: Yeah. They recommended it to us.
H: Well . . . I learned [it] from Lew Hunter.
K: Oh, really.
H: Yeah, he said read that book in his course. In 434.
. . . I use it on my reading list now. But Lew Hunter was the first guy that introduced me to that book.
K: Yeah, yeah. And read as many books . . . because . . .
And what helped me a lot also, I must say . . . and other people make fun of that . . . but taking John Truby's Story Structure Course.
Now, you don't have to apply it to everything . . . but it gave me a tool that I applied to criticizing my work and other people's work.
H: Did you take that course?
K: Yes, I did.
H: When did you take that course?
K: I forgot to tell you. I took that course before I went to AFI.
H: So . . . that's when you were out of NYU living in L.A. before you went to AFI.
K: I was working as a waiter before I went to AFI . . . in 1988 . . . for two years I had worked as a waiter -- doing nothing.
H: And how long was that course?
K: That course was only, like . . . I don't remember. Like, three months -- twice a week . . . or something like that.
H: Twice a week for three months?
K: No, maybe less than that. What am I talking about? Maybe . . . several weeks. I don't remember exactly how many. But I also bought the tapes.
H: Oh, yeah. I ran across the tapes years ago myself.
So, you recommend Truby's course and his tapes.
K: Yes, I do.
H: Wow. I didn't know that.
K: I do recommend his tapes and his course. And again, nothing is written in stone. And he says that himself.
I have lost touch with Truby. And he even used one of my quotes to promote his program when he used to advertise . . .
H: He used one of your quotes?
K: One of my quotes . . .
H: Wow.
K: . . . and I think it was: 'I've spent more money . . . I spent $24,000 in four years at NYU . . .'
H: [laughs]
K: '. . . and learned more at Truby's Story Structure Course . . .'
H: [laughs]
K: '. . . in three weeks.' Something like that.
H: [laughs] That's a wonderful quote. I love it.
K: Yeah. So -- he used it.
H: Well, I bet he did.
K: Yeah.
H: I would've used it, too.
K: Yeah, and so . . .
H: Well, I didn't know that. I just learned something right there. Y'know, I take your recommendation seriously. And on that recommendation . . . then I could certainly . . . tell people there must be something good about Truby.
K: [Now] I don't know what he's doing. I haven't seen his . . . I've lost touch with him . . .
H: Right.
K: I know [that] Robert McKee . . . used to teach [a weekend seminar]. And he just wrote a book.
[Anyway] . . . Truby is a very intelligent man.
H: McKee, you mean?
K: Robert McKee.
H: His STORY. Yeah.
K: Yeah. STORY. Right.
[Anyway] . . . Truby has written a book. He's a very intelligent man. And I remember learning . . . not necessarily . . . I didn't learn to 'write' . . . how to 'write' with Truby.
H: Right.
K: I learned how to apply my critical thinking. And maybe in the long run . . . it hurt. Who knows? Maybe. Because I used too much of it, and it would stifle my creativity.
H: I understand. You have to stay in touch with your intuition, and your . . .
K: My inner child.
H: Yes. That's right.
Now so, what you're actually recommending is:
1) A good challenging undergraduate program for anyone who wants to be a screenwriter.
2) If you can get into a major screenwriting program at a graduate program . . . you'd recommend that.
And also . . . you recommend taking screenwriting workshops, just private workshops.
K: That's right.
H: Okay.
K: I do. Anything you can get your hands on. It can never hurt. Never hurt.
H: And you seem to be also saying that . . . getting into . . . the group dynamic with a bunch of other creative people and writers . . . that's always motivational. That's always good for the spirit.
K: That's right.
H: Okay.
K: [But] it [varies]. Some people are different. A lot of people like to sit by themselves and really, y'know, crank at a typewriter by themselves. That's fine, too.
I am the kind of person that likes to be around people and be in the group. Being around people inspires me because I hear stories. I'm a storyteller in a way . . . at least, I'd like to think of myself as one. And so when I'm around people, I hear various stories. And those stories inspire me. When I'm alone I dry up.
H: And that's really a huge part of screenwriting 'cause it's such a collaborative effort. It's such a team effort . . .
K: Right.
H: . . . that you have to be able to work with people to be a screenwriter. You just can't be an egotistical --'This is what I want. If you don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna work with you.' That's not gonna work in the business.
K: That is correct.
(To read the finale -- ACT X -- click on --> "Alex Kustanovich (10)" below.)
< (c) 1999 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KUSTANOVICH: In Boulder, Colorado?
HORTON: Yes, I used to live in Boulder, Colorado. It's a great place.
K: . . . Boulder, Colorado. I've been there, too.
H: But the thing is . . . that's how you get any of those . . . you have to go for a year . . . you've gotta prove your chops . . .
K: Yeah, but . . . they didn't offer me a gig. They said, 'IF we offer you . . .'
H: Oh. 'IF [we] offer.' You should've said 'yes.'
K: Well, no. I said . . . I really didn't say 'no.'
H: Well, how much money were they talking for a year?
K: What do you mean 'talking'? No, it wasn't for a year. It was for a semester.
H: For a semester. Well, that's rough. That's pretty rough.
K: An opening for three months. For a year I would've gone, are you kidding?
H: Yeah. Yeah.
K: For a year I would've definitely gone.
No, no, no. They were talking about an adjunct professorship for a semester.
H: Yeah, that's . . . how do you do your rent, your lease, and all that stuff?
K: For three months you go there, and you have to go back and start all over again.
H: And that doesn't mean they would've given you the job anyway.
K: Exactly.
H: So, y'know.
K: 'No.'
H: . . . people just don't know how rough it is to get a professorship. It's just almost impossible.
K: Yes. It's very hard.
H: I mean . . . there's just not any professorships out there, y'know?
K: No, no. I think not. And I . . . like I said. I send out my application everywhere, inlcuding that Chapman College.
Now I have degrees from the best universities in the country. I have two movies produced. I have references up the wazoo.
And still. It is either who you know . . . like everything else in life . . . or . . . you have to have had a $100 million movie produced.
H: Any advice for up-and-coming screenwriters trying to get in the system? Do you have any advice about screenwriting?
K: My general advice would be this. Figure out whether or not you wanna be a screenwriter or not first. Because if you're trying to make money selling screenplays . . . then forget about it . . . because there are people out there who are very good at it, and who love doin' it. So you will not be able to compete with them.
If you love writing screenplays, if you love movies . . . and if you're a good storyteller, a natural storyteller -- and you know you have talent . . . then don't give up.
And, y'know, as they say -- 'When you stand long enough outside, it will eventually rain.'
H: And so . . . to get in the door . . . would you recommend going to film school, entering the contests . . . I mean, you know some people . . . that's how they started their careers.
K: No. To get in the door as a screenwriter, I would recommend going to graduate screenwriting school . . . only because you meet interesting people, and those people later may help you.
Not to learn the crap. To learn the crap . . . you read books. Read a lot of books and watch a lot of movies. And read a book or two . . . including: THE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING by Lajos Egri. That's the book to read.
H: And who did you learn to read Egri from?
K: At AFI.
H: Really? I didn't know that. They taught that at AFI?
K: Yeah. They recommended it to us.
H: Well . . . I learned [it] from Lew Hunter.
K: Oh, really.
H: Yeah, he said read that book in his course. In 434.
. . . I use it on my reading list now. But Lew Hunter was the first guy that introduced me to that book.
K: Yeah, yeah. And read as many books . . . because . . .
And what helped me a lot also, I must say . . . and other people make fun of that . . . but taking John Truby's Story Structure Course.
Now, you don't have to apply it to everything . . . but it gave me a tool that I applied to criticizing my work and other people's work.
H: Did you take that course?
K: Yes, I did.
H: When did you take that course?
K: I forgot to tell you. I took that course before I went to AFI.
H: So . . . that's when you were out of NYU living in L.A. before you went to AFI.
K: I was working as a waiter before I went to AFI . . . in 1988 . . . for two years I had worked as a waiter -- doing nothing.
H: And how long was that course?
K: That course was only, like . . . I don't remember. Like, three months -- twice a week . . . or something like that.
H: Twice a week for three months?
K: No, maybe less than that. What am I talking about? Maybe . . . several weeks. I don't remember exactly how many. But I also bought the tapes.
H: Oh, yeah. I ran across the tapes years ago myself.
So, you recommend Truby's course and his tapes.
K: Yes, I do.
H: Wow. I didn't know that.
K: I do recommend his tapes and his course. And again, nothing is written in stone. And he says that himself.
I have lost touch with Truby. And he even used one of my quotes to promote his program when he used to advertise . . .
H: He used one of your quotes?
K: One of my quotes . . .
H: Wow.
K: . . . and I think it was: 'I've spent more money . . . I spent $24,000 in four years at NYU . . .'
H: [laughs]
K: '. . . and learned more at Truby's Story Structure Course . . .'
H: [laughs]
K: '. . . in three weeks.' Something like that.
H: [laughs] That's a wonderful quote. I love it.
K: Yeah. So -- he used it.
H: Well, I bet he did.
K: Yeah.
H: I would've used it, too.
K: Yeah, and so . . .
H: Well, I didn't know that. I just learned something right there. Y'know, I take your recommendation seriously. And on that recommendation . . . then I could certainly . . . tell people there must be something good about Truby.
K: [Now] I don't know what he's doing. I haven't seen his . . . I've lost touch with him . . .
H: Right.
K: I know [that] Robert McKee . . . used to teach [a weekend seminar]. And he just wrote a book.
[Anyway] . . . Truby is a very intelligent man.
H: McKee, you mean?
K: Robert McKee.
H: His STORY. Yeah.
K: Yeah. STORY. Right.
[Anyway] . . . Truby has written a book. He's a very intelligent man. And I remember learning . . . not necessarily . . . I didn't learn to 'write' . . . how to 'write' with Truby.
H: Right.
K: I learned how to apply my critical thinking. And maybe in the long run . . . it hurt. Who knows? Maybe. Because I used too much of it, and it would stifle my creativity.
H: I understand. You have to stay in touch with your intuition, and your . . .
K: My inner child.
H: Yes. That's right.
Now so, what you're actually recommending is:
1) A good challenging undergraduate program for anyone who wants to be a screenwriter.
2) If you can get into a major screenwriting program at a graduate program . . . you'd recommend that.
And also . . . you recommend taking screenwriting workshops, just private workshops.
K: That's right.
H: Okay.
K: I do. Anything you can get your hands on. It can never hurt. Never hurt.
H: And you seem to be also saying that . . . getting into . . . the group dynamic with a bunch of other creative people and writers . . . that's always motivational. That's always good for the spirit.
K: That's right.
H: Okay.
K: [But] it [varies]. Some people are different. A lot of people like to sit by themselves and really, y'know, crank at a typewriter by themselves. That's fine, too.
I am the kind of person that likes to be around people and be in the group. Being around people inspires me because I hear stories. I'm a storyteller in a way . . . at least, I'd like to think of myself as one. And so when I'm around people, I hear various stories. And those stories inspire me. When I'm alone I dry up.
H: And that's really a huge part of screenwriting 'cause it's such a collaborative effort. It's such a team effort . . .
K: Right.
H: . . . that you have to be able to work with people to be a screenwriter. You just can't be an egotistical --'This is what I want. If you don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna work with you.' That's not gonna work in the business.
K: That is correct.
(To read the finale -- ACT X -- click on --> "Alex Kustanovich (10)" below.)
< (c) 1999 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
