There are four forms of wisdom that help mankind answer Aristotle’s age-old questions of how a human being should live their life. One of these is the art of storytelling, because it is a major source of inspiration, which is able to bring order to the chaos of existence, and capture even the most hidden meaning of our lives. So stories are really nothing more than metaphors for human existence, and a medium through which we can search for a personal, and universal, reality. What’s more, they are fundamental tools for living with awareness.
Cinematic arts are considered the most important expressive medium of story art. The fact that an increasing number of mediocre or bad films are being released is simply a consequence of a decline in professional screenwriting. Nowadays, many authors decide to become screenwriters, without having mastered the basics, or studied the theory and fundamental aspects of the craft. These aspiring screenwriters attempt to find success in a profession that they believe is theirs for the taking, by simply relying on their experience of stories, and the fact they have seen hundreds of films. This makes no sense, however, and could be compared to us deciding to become a composer just because we have listened to music our whole lives.
A good screenwriter should only write stories they really believe in, without being afraid of coming across as too commercial. One of the biggest mistakes screenwriters make is to break the rules of Hollywood productions, just so they can feel like artists who have broken free of the mainstream, because the result is an angry protest, which has nothing to do with art, and is more of a childish plea for attention. A story tells the audience about the author’s vision of life, because it is the reincarnation of its scriptwriter’s ideas, passions, and reflections. We should only break a rule if we believe that it is meaningful to do so, and not because we are trying to rebel in any way we can.
