Kurt Voelker Shares What It Takes To Make A Hit Movie

When I first walked into screenwriter Kurt Voelker’s LitFest workshop, the atmosphere was very focused. 

He drew in the viewers attention while being very direct and straightforward with his presentation. He made sure to talk about enticing topics to keep the audience entertained.  

Voelker graduated from Harvard and went to graduate film school at the University of Southern California. He has written screenplays for companies like Warner Bros, Paramount, Disney, Fox, Sony and MTV. 

His presentation included a lot of student involvement with questions and showing film clips to make points. In order to demonstrate the complicated world of directing and screenwriting, Voelker chose to use, in his own words, the “first true Hollywood blockbuster”, Jaws. 

He said that the No. 1 most important part of directing is the casting. He utilized the film to show how actors bring the story to life. Additionally, Voelker used a multitude of examples within Jaws that inspired other filmmakers. He would play a scene for around five minutes and then add commentary and ask the audience questions about the clip. 

I thought that was very interesting and it grabbed my attention.

Voelker used a famous moment in Jaws to discuss the difference between experienced and inexperienced actors and explained why hiring experienced actors can make filmmaking a much easier process and produce better quality work. 

In the scene he discussed, a mother whose son was killed by a shark slapped the main character. He explained what went on behind the scenes and the casting process that went into the scene being discussed. He used that clip in the presentation to share with us how the shooting process can be totally chaotic behind one short scene

He continued by explaining the necessities of a truly good movie. He talked about the importance of conflict, whether it be conflicting needs or conflicting desires, to make a film great. He argued that without conflict, there is no drama to pull in the viewer and keep the attention, therefore there is also virtually no solid basis for the movie.

Veolker also went on to share his experiences in the filmmaking industry and some stories he has heard from other directors about celebrities and cast members, making his presentation even more entertaining.

Voelker’s screenwriting presentation was very engaging and well explained. I really enjoyed learning all the tips and tricks for screenwriting and hearing about the elements that make up a good movie. The workshop was extremely insightful and I would highly recommend the workshop to students next year.