For decades, it has been assumed that a degree from Missouri S&T can only yield a successful career in engineering. While the overall public mindset has remained relatively the same, more and more efforts are being spent on revealing the humanitarian side of S&T. A specific example of this action received a lot of attention on Monday, November 12, as engineering and non-engineering students alike gathered in room 201 of the Humanities-Social Sciences building to listen to screenwriting tips from Bix Skahill.
Skahill is an accomplished writer and director of film and television that works out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Kristine Swenson, a professor and the Department Chairman of the English and Technical Communication department at Missouri S&T, contacted him to see if he would speak on campus about his path to writing and directing success. Dr. Swenson explicated the motive behind his presentation, saying, ?Bix is a friend of mine from Iowa, and I knew that he would be a fun but also a substantive speaker?. We actually tied his two talks to several different classes.?
Although the talk about how to write a screenplay was open to the public, it actually took place during Dr. Swenson?s class so that the substance of Skahill?s talking points were sure to be understood but also helpful to students. Skahill?s job is to entertain, so interested students knew to expect a lively presentation. Skahill referenced many basic writing strategies, free from over-analysis and literary breakdown. While simple, he did a remarkable job comparing the elements of writing novels, and the strategy involved with synthesizing a successful screenplay. As Skahill mentioned in his presentation, there are parallels between every form of writing; tips on the beginning stages of screenplays are sure to benefit fiction authors, poets, or aspiring directors in some way or another.
Inquisitiveness was the mood of the room that Monday night, and there was a clear representation of the curiosity surrounding such an exotic form of writing. Screenplays are condensed and packed to the brim with the intense description of plot action. This was the biggest surprise for Tim Schmitt, a first-semester freshman who is still undeclared in his major. Schmitt attended the lecture on his own purely out of interest, and he took specific notice of the irony incorporated with the job of screenwriting. He explained his concern; ?I think that there would be few jobs more enjoyable than a thriving career in writing and directing film or television. However, no matter how creative or expressive that I may be, it is never guaranteed that what I write will be accepted and actualized.? Schmitt continued to say that engineering is a more financially secure career path, but admitted that a true love for expressive writing will never be muffled by industry jobs.
In the spirit of university anxiety everywhere, Skahill touched on this very precariousness of screenwriting. In tough economic times, the focus of everyone, especially college students, is to find a job. Larger amounts of people are graduating from school each year, and as they look for careers, Hollywood, corporations, and firms all have to say ?no? more often. It is a hard reality to accept, but a foolish one to ignore. In spite of this, with the help of Dr. Swenson and many like her at Missouri S&T, students are being presented with increasing opportunities to receive professional advice and technique across all disciplines.
Source: http://mominer.mst.edu/2012/12/01/writer-and-director-bix-skahill-details-screenwriting/
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