Tales From the Script

While the director is usually seen as the key creative figure behind a film, it's the screenwriter who writes the story that puts a picture into motion, and 46 noted scenarists offer an inside look at the art and industry politics of working in Hollywood in this documentary. Ranging from Academy Award-winning veterans to budding writers who've just gotten their feet in the door. Tales From the Script gives these artists a chance to talk about the craft of screenwriting, its place in the filmmaking process, and the paradox that while a movie may start with a great script, that doesn't mean that what was written will necessarily show up onscreen. (As Dennis Palumbo, who wrote My Favorite Year, puts it, "Writers are egomaniacs with low self-esteem.") Including exclusive interviews with William Goldman, Frank Darabont, Paul Schrader, Larry Cohen, David S. Ward, Ron Shelton, and John Carpenter, Tales From the Script received its world premiere at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival.