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The Problem of the Biopic

markmcdevitt
Fri, 05 May 2017 15:49:17 GMT

Hello, I'm writing a biopic of a pretty famous 20th Century woman. You've written movies about some very famous people (C.S. Lewis, Mandela, Elizabeth). Any advice for how to tell someone's life story in only 2 hours, so that it doesn't feel hopelessly rushed (or just a litany of events), and can perhaps illuminate the subject in a new and interesting way? I know, big question. P.S. Your BAFTA lecture was terrific. Thank you!

William Nicholson
Mon, 08 May 2017 05:24:59 GMT

I'm not sure my advice is worth taking - my screenplay on Mandela's life has been criticised for trying to pack too much in. The standard theory is that it's best to take one episode from a life and use that to convey the broader themes. As you say, 2 hours isn't much. Whichever way you go, I would say it's good to look for an emotional story to tell, rather than to rely on the chain of life events. I tried to do this with Mandela by focussing on his relationship with Winnie; but I think in retrospect that I tried to cover too big a time span.