Rocky: a screenplay in three days
We live with a lot of mythologies and concepts about the “inspiration” and “craft” aspects of expression that influence how we approach doing something creative. One of those ideas is that anything so complex as a film script must necessarily take a long time to develop.
But screenwriter James Lamberg recalls a meeting in 1992 with Sylvester Stallone:
“I was working for a national radio station at the time and managed to spend thirty minutes interviewing him. And it changed my life. Why?
“I asked him about his screenwriting career. I wanted to verify something I’d heard. ‘Let’s talk about Rocky,’ I said. ‘The film grossed over $250 million – and turned you into an overnight superstar. What a script!
“I paused nervously and waited for a response. You know what he said?
“He laughed. Then added: ‘And you know what? It took me three days to write. I locked myself in my room after watching the Ali fight and just wrote it!’
“I was stunned. Genuinely. I didn’t know what to say. After the longest ten seconds of my career, I repeated to him: ‘You wrote it – in just three days? Screenplays take months, even years…!’
“He gave a friendly sneer and stared deep at me: Listen. Everyone thinks that. That’s the problem. Writing quickly means writing success!’”
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From Wikipedia: Rocky (1976) was awarded the Academy Award for Best Picture. On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Ali-Chuck Wepner fight which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. That night Stallone went home, and in three days he had written the script for Rocky - which was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including two for Stallone himself, for Best Actor and for Best Original Screenplay.
Screenwriter James Lamberg is coauthor of the “Movie in a Month” course.
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Here are two other writing programs:
and WriteABookNow - How To Write A Book On Anything in 14 Days or Less - A Guide for Professionals
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