“Nobody Knows Nothing”
Screenwriter and novelist William Goldman wrote “nobody knows anything” in his bestseller, Adventures in the Screenwriting Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting. Hollywood jolted, agreed, and repeated those words as rites of passage for any fledgling screenwriter.
Thus, a fledgling screenwriter might ask, “Do I need a degree in Screenwriting to be a screenwriter?”
If you read Goldman’s book, you might be inclined to think not. However, there is no harm in inquiring about UCLA and USC Screenwriting programs. The programs launch careers and attract hopefuls.
Screenwriting, How to Do It
Adventures in the Screenwriting Trade was written in 1982 and is dated. It’s worth the read for anyone considering a career in the film industry, whether as a screenwriter, producer, or director. Goldman is the wise mentor in his book on navigating Hollywood.
Goldman places you in his shoes and walks you on a journey — an adventure where you observe, learn, and realize the hard work it honestly takes to succeed in Hollywood.
Be it on the set of Marathon Man with Lawrence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman or catching an unforgettable and poignant moment between the famous, then divorced, Hollywood couple Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood — their ingenious scene was written as a screenplay.
Is Luck and Timing Learned in a Classroom?
Goldman defines who is who in Hollywood and the instrumental role in getting a film made or not made. Their roles in bringing the movie to life. Something you most likely will not learn in a classroom.
He even mentions legends such as Joseph Mankiewicz, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Norman Jewison.
He discusses the difficulties of writing and rewriting notable movies, including All the President’s Men, a Grand Hotel remake (which never materialized), and The Right Stuff. Losing deals and the sheer timing of getting the jobs back. Which raises the question: “Is luck and timing learned in a classroom?”
“Her heart was like a secret garden, and the walls were very high.”— “Princess Bride” by William Goodman
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
Goldman includes his popular script, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with a five-chapter dissertation on its strengths and weaknesses. Any screenwriter who reads these chapters learns multitudes of screenwriting tips.
Nevertheless, there is more. Three chapters strictly focus on adaptations in which Goldman uses one of his short stories as a model, with critiques from major Hollywood players — all the better for writers.
Goldman resonates with such words as, “And in movies, the screenwriter is the odd man out.
But there is a trade-off. That beginning lap we run, regardless of what happens later — that lap is ours. We have the privilege, if you will, of the initial vision. We’re the ones who first get to make the movie…”
I sensed a bit of cynicism, but who can’t help but detect such skepticism if you had walked in his shoes?
Sundance: I can’t swim!
Butch: Why, are you crazy? The fall’ll probably kill you.— “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” by William Goldman
Goldman wrote The Princess Bride, a 1973 fantasy romance novel, and it is considered his best work. The story combines elements of romantic love, comedy, adventure, fantasy, and fairy tales. The names of the characters alone bring great delight to my imagination. With names such as Buttercup, Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Prince Humperdinck, it’s fanciful. However, Westley is a common name. I am awed by his talent because he not only writes screenplays but also novels. He writes in various genres, not just Westerns or political thrillers, which has made him famous. His work inspires me to write and to write well.