Marshall Herskovitz may not be a household name, but this DVD is one of the best investments apprentice scriptwriters can make. Herskovitz is Ed Zwick’s writing and producing partner, and as such has been responsible for some of the more interesting epic films of recent years (BLOOD DIAMOND, THE LAST SAMURAI, GLORY).

Here, Herskovitz is interviewed by journalist Jay Fernandez, who makes for an enthusiastic but at times naïve conversation partner.

Herskovitz started out as a director and became a scriptwriter (for television) because he couldn’t get any directing jobs. This means that he approaches the script as a director would, and as such he has several gems of wisdom to impart to the viewer.

For instance: structure is a function of character, because what creates structure is human behaviour. Someone does something, which leads to a reaction, and another and so on … and if the sequence of these actions doesn’t ring true, the story doesn’t work. And this structure then has to be checked with the thematic element of the script: do these behaviours fit the theme and simultaneously feel organic?

He also gives us his “Concentric Circle Theory” of pitching, talks about working with Tom Cruise, and is subjected to “The Object” exercise. Great stuff all around—a superb DVD.

Herskovitz also thinks many writers are too wedded to the words (i.e. the dialogue). As he explains it, words are the end result of a whole dynamic which goes on inside the character. This doesn’t mean that the dialogue is malleable, however, but that the writer must know the dynamics between the characters in the scene. The dialogue can only work if the writer completely inhabits all characters throughout the scene.

Herskovitz doesn’t use camera angles, but describes what the camera is seeing by choosing the correct images in the script. He also gives us his “Concentric Circle Theory” of pitching, talks about working with Tom Cruise, and is subjected to “The Object” exercise. Great stuff all around—a superb DVD. ■