The upcoming ScreenCraft Winter Writers Summit, taking place Dec. 6–9, brings together some of the industry’s best filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors for four days of conversation about the craft of storytelling. The lineup includes a conversation between Backstage Senior Editor Vinnie Mancuso and “The Bikeriders” writer-director Jeff Nichols and star Jodie Comer. Among many other topics, the pair discussed a question that any aspiring scribe has run into: How much should you direct actors on the page?
“I went through a period of the scripts…where there would just be no additional direction on the page,” Nichols says. “I never use screen direction, but that’s kind of my own style, because I want people to experience the script and not think about ‘the camera does this and this.’ It just seems to get in the way of the emotionality.”
However, the filmmaker does believe that a script can (and should) occasionally get inside a character’s head. “Sometimes, it’s worth writing a line that you’re not going to be able to film,” he says. “It’s almost a note to the actors…to say: This is what this character is thinking at this moment. I’ve started to let myself do that more.
“It’s letting everybody in on the task at hand, and that’s something I think I’m maturing into a little bit, when to do that and when not to. Because there are other times [when] it’s interesting to see an actor have this kind of streamlined or simplified [take] on the page and see how they interpret it,” he adds.
For the full conversation with Comer and Nichols, as well as discussions with other huge names like Denis Villeneuve, Noah Hawley, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Steve McQueen, and more, sign up for the ScreenCraft Winter Summit! For the first time at this event, premium ticket holders can get face time with agents and managers from heavyweight companies like Verve, Buchwald, and Lit Entertainment. It’s a rare chance to talk directly to industry pros who are looking for their next major project.