Screenwriter gives would-be filmmakers valuable tips

     A dog who humanizes a cop, a brother and sister who risk everything to save their dad—the plots of movies, “K-9” and “Alaska,” brought success to screenwriter Scott Myers. Myers gave students in Campbell University Professor David Acuff’s digital filmmaking class an inside look at the fundamentals of writing screenplays on Monday, Sept. 26.
     “All of the stories in the world have one plot and one message,” said Myers, “the hero’s journey and ‘follow your bliss.’ You have to find out what your protagonist wants, who is keeping him from his goal; who is helping him toward his goal; who is linked to his emotional growth; and who tests what your protagonist has learned.”
     Using the film “Star Wars” to illustrate, Myers explained how the journey of protagonist Luke Skywalker is developed through characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and R2-D2, who help him, Darth Vader, who tries to destroy him and Han Solo, who tests Luke’s resolve.
     In successful screenplays, the protagonist also undergoes a transformation from disunity to unity, Myers pointed out. “We first meet Luke Skywalker on the planet of Tatoonie working on his uncle’s farm, but Luke knows he doesn’t belong there. He is the son of a Jedi warrior, and it is only after he has avenged the death of his aunt and uncle and taken his place among the Jedi that unity is restored.”
     In a way, Myers’ life parallels this fundamental structure. A graduate of the University of Virginia, he went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. His last year at Yale, however, Myers began to feel that he wasn’t supposed to be there.
     “With my background as a musician, I started to think that maybe I should play music, so I played for several years. I did stand-up comedy for two years, but this circuitous journey was leading me to screenwriting,” he said.
     Myers ultimately met his wife and his screenwriting partner at the same comedy club where he was performing. He sold his first screenplay, “K-9,” in 1987.
     Many of Myers’ scripts contain spiritual themes. In “K-9,” an unusually intelligent drug-sniffing dog takes a bullet for his partner Jim Belushi, who plays a police detective. The bond that develops between the dog and Belushi gives Belushi’s character a spiritual dimension he does not possess at the beginning of the film. In “Alaska,” a baby polar bear becomes the spiritual guide to a brother and sister who have lost their mother and must brave the Alaskan wilderness to save their father.
     Myers has written many scripts that have never been produced, but he attributes his success to his willingness to learn the process. “Follow your bliss,” he said. “Find that aspect of yourself for which you have the greatest passion. If every single person connected with their passion, imagine how much happier we would all be.”