Joshua Stecker, West Coast Editor of Script Magazine, interviews screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, The American President, The West Wing).
Here are some of the topics Sorkin talks about in this 20 minute interview:
- The connection between his great teachers and his success
- How he learned to write screenplays
- The important lesson William Goldman taught him
- What activity he does for inspiration
- What medium he prefers to write in
- His screenwriting “weakness”
- The basic rules of drama
- Advice for aspiring screenwriters
My favorite quote from the interview (especially in light of the recent controversy over whether screenwriting can be taught):
“I can trace so much of what I do every day, when I’m writing, to what I was taught back then by my teachers at Syracuse.”
SCRIPT Magazine Close Up with Aaron Sorkin from Alejandro Seri on Vimeo.
Thanks for sharing the interview! It’s great to see someone at his level willing to do things like this.
Glad you liked the interview Chris. Yeah, it sure was nice of him to take the time to provide his much-valued insight.
Great find Trevor. I am so going to steal & use that Sorkin quote on his teachers.
Please do Scott, it’s a great one. Thanks for stopping by the site!