in
all his
g(l)ory
Screenwriter’s are rarely given
the praise they deserve in Film-
maker, but that’s not completely
intentional. We devote ourselves
to the independent film genre;
of those are commonly written
and directed by the same person.
Today, there is an onslaught of
directors that could be considered
independent; take for instance
Capote’s Dan Futterman and Juno’s
Diablo Cody that have earned
back their time’s worth and more.
These “marquee screenwriters”
can thank people such as Quentin
Tarantino for paving the way for
independent creatives to be able
to make a living off of their work.
From the music that spurs his
dark yet hilarious mind, to the
intricate scripts full of blood and
10
FILMMAKER SPRING 2016
Examining the quadruple threat that is
QUENTIN TARANTINO.
By Sydne Kilberg
verbiage not for the faint-of-heart,
to the costumes that require rigor-
ous cleaning after each take (did
you ever think about that?), to the
resusciation of the 70 millimeter
projectors that neared extinction;
Tarantino is the cult king of inde-
pendent screenwriting.
His competency in all things cin-
ema began when he was a young
film-nerd just working at a video
rental store located in Manhattan
Beach, CA. Soon after Tarantino
would begin writing his all-inclu-
sive scripts now recognized for
their non-linear storylines, satire,
beautifying violence, and recur-
ring casts made up of indie ac-
tors of which he made household
names. His vintage references to
pop culture and score pieces from
the 60s, 70s, and 80s pay hom-
age to a time everyone misses in
such an honest and eccentric way,
and since the late 1980’s, no one
has been able to compete and/or
compare.
Tarantino has an encyclopedia
for a mind – with a vast array of in-
formation on all things art, politics,
history, and literature – all valu-
able things necessary to write up
his hit cult classics that resonate
with audiences larger than solely
the independent film community.
Though he is an LA native,
Tarantino didn’t just waltz into a
studio and get the attention he
receives today. The screenplay
that would later form the basis
for True Romance; originally was
intended to be used in My Best