Artist and filmmaker David Russo unlatched a locked row of chairs before taking his place in one of them at a “Screenwriters Salon” panel discussion. This was at the Hugo House in Capitol Hilll some time ago, but Russo was by far the most memorable of a crew that included film critics from The Stranger.
The people who buy movie ideas, Russo said, are not interested in having creative visionaries “reinvent the medium.” They don’t care about funding brilliant art. What they want is to let someone try something experimental, but only back an artist if her work appeals to a mainstream audience.
The topic was supposed to be how to develop a movie idea but it quickly turned into a ping pong match on pros and cons of sticking with your guns if you want to make art. One camp said filmmakers should focus on no-holds-barred experimental stuff (art). The other side sticks to storytelling conventions like the “narrative arc” and “good characters” so they can sell scripts (Hollywood).
“I’m interested in making a commercial product that is also art, Russo said. “Do they need to be mutually exclusive? Have another salon about that.”
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