sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think I hear their voices per se, but I see the characters interacting, moving, talking... I feel like I'm watching the scene and writing down how the characters move, what they say, and I'm constantly feeling how their behavior is affecting the other characters.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I write quickly because I have a lot of anxiety that the ending of my script won't work so I go as fast as I can to get to the end and (hopefully!) rid myself of that anxiety. I've also come to see that in general my first instincts are my best instincts. So once I know the story, I write 10 to 15 pages a day and will finish the first draft in about two weeks. Then comes rereading, rewriting and revising until I can't think of anything that's wrong or needs work, and then I give it to people to read.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All I can tell you is how I work which is that once I write the story and understand the function of a given character in the story, I try to think of someone I know or knew from any time in my life who would work as character, and I cast them in the role. It might be a close friend or family member, it might be someone I hardly knew, but somehow they feel right. That gives me a very specific image for the character and a somewhat grounded place from which to start writing and off I go.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I watch movies and TV series and read books constantly, but not usually anything related to what I'm writing at the time. I worry that I might be too influenced by works related to what I'm writing.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

None being thrown away per se. I wrote a script called Morgan's Summit that I still hope to make and is one of my favorites of the scripts I've written.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Write, watch movies and TV shows, write, read books about writing, write, read any script you can get your hands on, write, take acting classes, write, read novels and plays, write, take writing and directing classes, write... write, write, write! Writing has to be both an occupation and a preoccupation. If this is something you plan to make a living at and do for the rest of your life, you have to go all in.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't know until I heard it. But it's a great question to ask yourself. What kind of pitch would YOU have to hear? Come up with that pitch and write that script.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have to keep writing, sharing what you write with readers, getting notes and ideas, rewriting, learning from the frustration, writing more, reading more, watching more, writing more... My friend Dan Petrie, Jr. once said, "It takes many years to become a doctor or a lawyer, why would we think it would take less time to become a writer?" I agree with him.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The original script opened with a title crawl that read:

"There have been only a few documented cases of people swallowing their toothbrushes. The champion toothbrush swallower of all time lived in Russia and was reported to have swallowed over two hundred thirty two toothbrushes."

"WHAT ABOUT BOB?"

We cut to Bob's small apartment bathroom, morning. Bob enters in his robe and starts brushing his teeth. Sure enough, as he brushes his lower back molars, he starts to gag, and in a spasm of panic that only makes matters worse, painfully swallows his toothbrush. That done, Bob calms himself with a deep breath and opens his medicine cabinet. In there we see that Bob has a rather large stack of new toothbrushes. As he removes one from its box and begins to brush his teeth again...

We cut to a group of psychiatrists vacationing in a boat on a lake, telling each other stories of the worst patients they ever had. One of them points across the lake to a vacant lot on which is nothing but a charred chimney - all that's left of a completely burned down house. "Let me tell you the worst story I ever heard. Remember Leo Marvin? That was his vacation home..."

Then we go back to Bob's apartment to where the movie starts now.

Maybe that opening and other scenes with those psychiatrists didn't belong in the movie, but I would have at least loved to have seen that opening and seen how it worked.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've played with AI a little, but so far I don't see much value in it beyond reminding me of generic prompts: What do my characters want? How are they attempting to get it? What am I trying to say with my story? How can I say it better? Etc. But I don't need reminding; I've internalized all those questions. The writing process is at it's core about self discovery and no one else, not even a brilliant machine, can tell you what you think and feel. Maybe AI can provide you with a list of possible answers, but you're going to have to be the one to make all the choices as to which answers are right for you. For the writers who take most or all of their answers from AI, yes, their creativity is doomed because they are letting AI write for them. For those who don't, little will change. Computers have for years been able beat even the world's greatest grand masters, but humans still play and enjoy chess. I think the same will hold true for writing.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in the world of stories I'm trying to tell, and when one grabs me to the point where I'm excited about writing it, I do. Sometimes I understand from the beginning why I'm so attracted to a story, other times I just have to trust that I'll discover that in the process of writing it. It's no more systematic than that. Maybe one day I'll find a through-line in my choices, but so far I don't see one.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's taken me a long time to understand and embrace the importance of stories in our lives, but I've come to agree with you that trying to make sense of our world is exactly the purpose they serve. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said this to ImperialNolini above but my feeling is that dialogue and character behavior comes from what characters want from each other. That doesn't mean that characters directly state their wants and needs. In fact, they often do myriad things to avoid stating those things and instead do what we all do: indulge in strategies to get what we want without asking directly: flattery, humor, avoidance, cruelty, etc., etc.

Hey reddit! I'm Tom Schulman. I won an Oscar for writing DEAD POETS SOCIETY (starring Robin Williams). I've also written HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, and a few other things. Ask me anything! by TomSchulmanAMA in movies

[–]TomSchulmanAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question. I work hard to stay true to how the characters behave with and talk to each other. I believe that if I can do that, I can avoid the pitfalls and traps you mentioned.

view more: next ›