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Jeff Arch and Richard Krevolin

Some screenwriting teachers are criticised for their lack of writing credits – if it’s as easy as you say it is to write a hit film then why haven’t you done it yourself?

Jeff Arch has the perfect comeback. He has done it himself. He wrote Sleepless In Seattle. He won the Oscar for best screenplay.

Arch will be in London at the end of April with Richard Krevolin to lead an Advanced Screenwriting seminar followed by a small hands-on workshop on 5-7 May.

Krevolin has his fair share of credits, too, mostly writing for stage and he is also well-known as a teacher. For 15 years he has taught both undergraduate and graduate screenwriting classes at USC Cinema/TV School as well as at UCLA Film School, Ithaca and Pepperdine.

“Jeff and I met years ago at a screenwriting conference, when we realised that we had something in common,” Krevolin explains. “He told me that he always gets upset seeing teachers being cynical - it’s their job to inspire students, not depress them. That’s been our starting point when we teach together.”

The atmosphere at the seminars is constructive rather than destructive, he says. “And it’s not about me or Jeff or our lives. It’s about teaching. Sharing theories, hints, ideas and analytical tools.”

Arch agrees. “I’m there to support Richard’s approach,” he explains. “We want writers to be asking the right questions and to learn how to get through the process of writing a screenplay, because it is tough.” It’s not about saying what is right and wrong but helping writers develop their craft and find their own voice.

Breaking in

“A common mistake writers make when they are trying to break in is writing the kind of movies that are popular today,” Arch says. “The development cycle is so long that by the time your film makes it through the system there will already have been a glut of imitators to whatever was once hot, so your script is going to be overlooked. You have to write the script that only you can write. If someone else can write it then they probably have already. But William Goldman can’t write your movie - although he might get hired to rewrite it!”

One section of the seminar is actually titled ‘Creating original storylines and scenes’. “It’s inspired by Peter Weir,” Krevolin explains. “He once said that every time he looks at a script he challenges the writer all the way through with two questions: has this scene ever been done before and can it be done better? It’s very easy for writer to subconsciously mimic films they’ve seen so you have to dig deeper into the subtext and also explore the opportunities for the context of scenes.”

Another strand in the seminar is ‘Writers’ block and how to overcome it’. “In England the answer seems to be drinking!” says Krevolin. “But for most people the problem seems to stem from writing solely from inspiration rather than from a proper outline. I’ve talked to lots of successful writers and they all say that they never start the script until they have the outline down in detail. Of course that’s not easy – it will normally take many times longer to write a good story outline than it will to write a screenplay.”

Inspiration

Not that inspiration isn’t important. As Jeff Arch says, while working on the story for Sleepless In Seattle he suddenly thought “what if they don’t actually meet. Until Valentine’s Day. At the top of the Empire State building. Once I’d got that ending the rest was relatively easy.”

Arch has now become a writer-director, with his first feature, Complete Guide To Guys, released this year. “It was much more fun than you’re supposed to have,” he says. “And because we did it on a low budget we kept control. I was in charge of everything – even designing the posters.” Perhaps that’s something else you can pick up tips on at their seminar…

Richard Krevolin and Jeff Arch are presenting the seminar 'Advanced Screenwriting' in London on 29-30 April as well as a small hands-on workshop on 5-7 May. For further details visit The Screenwriters' Store website.

You can also contact Contact Johanna Reder on +44 (0)20 7261 1908, johanna@TheSWS.com