When the pilgrims' ship, The Mayflower, dropped anchor in Plymouth, Massachusetts, (in what became the USA) in 1620 they didn't have immigration papers or identification or passports.
UCLA Film School professor, screenwriter Richard Walter, tells a little story about how he needed a passport to teach in Nevada as proof of US citizenship. And an expired passport would not do for they had to be sure he hadn't renounced his citizenship.
This is state of paranoia against illegal immigrants in Nevada - the laws put the onus upon employers to make sure they don't employ illegal immigrants.
(Kind of like trying to renew an expired Australian passport really - but really!)
Everyone in the audience laughs when he jokes about the uni's claim that they don't discriminate - "They treat everyone badly". Boom-boom.
"Art is the lie that makes us realise the truth" - he says, quoting Picasso. So when writing a screenplay, he advises, lie through your teeth!
Making films is not like painting pictures - you can't be discovered after you die you must be appreciated for the work you do while you live.
No point in making obscure films which don't make money & reach a lot of people. Shakespeare was a phenomenon in his own time - as was Sophocles.
Interesting.
Walter wrote the first two drafts of American Graffiti for George Lucas but his name doesn't appear on the credits because of union / industry conventions. His friend "George", along with Steven Spielberg, may be the Sophocles and Shakespeare of our art & times.
Thanks to Star Wars, George has eclipsed Walter, a successful author and screenwriter as well as honoured educator with tenure at UCLA, but Walter makes another good point.
He asks: "Isn't it enough to be privileged to lead an artistic life?"
UCLA graduates have won or been nominated for Oscars for the past three years - Sideways, Milk, Benjamin Button.
Spielberg has hired UCLA graduates to write 10 projects including Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones 2&3, and War of the Worlds.
"So much arts education is about tearing down & negative criticism," he says. "We are affirming, encouraging, healing. It's a miracle to be involved in creative expression.
"It's so unique to the species. We should rejoice and celebrate and not tear down. We put the safety of the artist first."
When it comes to teaching comedy they get the likes of Neil (The Odd Couple) Simon. "That's like God himself to give a sermon on Sunday." (paraphrased)
Walters says stories spiritually nourish people, underpin culture and make the human race unique.
The tears you cry in a movie are no different to the tears you cry in real life - the grief, the laughter, the anger is real.
If you can make people feel then you successful - the difference between a successful writer and a failed writer apparently is time.
It takes time and discipline to write. Most people give up.
I think the question should be how much are you prepared to sacrifice?
People complain about Hollywood but might it not be easier in Australia if we did have our own "Hollywood" - isn't it called an industry?
One more point Walters makes: American movies - every one of them (I'm sure he's exaggerating) - is sold overseas into markets all over the world.
Why? He thinks it's because they are made by immigrants who tell stories with universal themes which may on the face of it be American stories but tell us what it is to be human.
I had to laugh tho when I opened his book because the first thing I saw was his advice on creating characters: Do not write stereotypes.
Does anyone think that Australian films, media, TV are full of stereotypes? Packed to the Rafters even? Joke! ;) But really ... Walters also thinks that middle class values are antz pantz.
There you go.