It's been really interesting for me reading the answers to questions I've posted and the comments on other screenwriting posts. It quickly becomes apparent, if not self-obvious, that we all view and answer questions through the lens of our own industry context. These contexts are interesting, varied, and sometimes juxtaposed. Some examples of this might be the thoughts, opinions and advice that come from the context of an indie filmmaker who writes and directs his own films after raising a budget through crowdfunding, vs a writer who is hired by producer or or studio to write a screenplay. Or someone who works in feature film, vs someone who works in the television space. What about someone who is writing spec scripts trying to break into the industry, vs someone who is already on the inside? Often it's a writer new to the craft, vs someone who is experienced with a dozen produced screenplays under their belts. Even writing as a hobby, vs writing as a profession can render a difference of opinion, as can culture, personal experience, geographical location, etc. There are additional differences in taste, process, skill, knowledge,... the list goes on. And yet, here we all on, on the same platform.
The point is we never share thoughts in a vacuum but always from a a context; through a lens if you will. I've found it helpful during debates and discussions to endeavor not just understand the other person's point, but also to consider the context in which they're making that point. Often that information alone is enough to cause a paradigm shift for me in how I might respond to that person. We may still disagree, but understanding their context helps me judge whether we're really comparing apples with apples. For example, when a person says, "Why can't I do such and such in my script, after all, Quentin Tarantino does it...", it indicates to me that person has not considered that QT's context is completely different to their own. Or when people say, "I don't believe in outlining, you should just write by feeling", you're indicating very clearly to me that you've not only never worked in television, but that you're not considering your context is not the only one.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, context matters. Let's be cognizant that the reality from which we operate is not the only lived reality. Let's be gracious and open-minded as creatives and avoid the personal dogmas that lead to fruitless arguments. I mean, there's no sense us arguing about whose apple is the best when one of us is holding a pear, right?
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Yes it does. I purposely seek indie films to watch. I'm looking for their context. I know I keep repeating myself when I reference films I've seen recently, simply because they made a difference in my world view. Case in point, The Blue Caftan, written by a female Moroccan director, the dying craft of the Maalem, an embroiderer with an added queer dimension set against a culture where modern times have changed the old world and where homosexuality is a crime. It explores the love between the protagonist, his wife and their apprentice.
Our context, their context, it's all important. It informs us, we write from our context, if we're lucky we get to understand where they're coming from. A writer needs to be versatile, we need to be open to ideas and concepts, we need a world view. Then we can write better, write wider and appeal to our culture and one beyond.
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Great points, Ben Johnson Jr. and Greg Wong!