River Magee           4/13/20

Critical Reflection #1

We live in a world surrounded by entertainment and storytelling. I come from a family with large roots in theatre and creative expression, and I felt motivated to learn more about the evolving landscapes of Hollywood and the various ways human beings have discovered how to share emotion with the world. I have always had a passion for theatre, whether it was doing school plays or rehearsing short scenes with a group for fun. 

I have had some experience with writing, directing, and acting in short scenes, both on camera and on stage. It’s something I have found enticing and has proven to be one of my favorite outlets of self-expression. I am comfortable with creating and sharing ideas, along with visualizing the process and keeping with an idea long enough for it to develop.

There is still so much left to be discovered about the creative process behind the creation of a screenplay. The leap from paper to film is a distance that very few successfully cross, and I am eager to learn about what makes a significant difference through that transition.

I have yet to learn anything about how screenplays convey cinematic direction on top of a solid and coherent narrative. I am still very interested in gaining further insight into what separates the various parts of a screenplay, and what writing choices will benefit certain genres over others. What about certain screenplays makes them worthy of Oscars or other prestigious awards? How much does the screenplay have to do with the actual success of a major motion picture? Hopefully, these questions will be answered in the coming weeks.