The officials said that a screenwriting training program will be launched in Shanghai later. Pic by CFP
By Joyce Xu(Shanghai Daily)
Shanghai Tech University and the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts will together launch a screenwriting training program in Shanghai later this month to nurture scriptwriting talents in China, officials said at the ongoing 18th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The screenwriting program will last from June 19 to September 25. Twenty students will receive training from veteran American screenwriters such as Jack Epps Jr., David F. Howard, Irving Belateche, Don Bohlinger and Tom Abrams.
These celebrated scriptwriters will share with Chinese students their expertise and skills in Hollywood movie pitching and screenwriting.
"Despite the box office boom of the film industry in China, screenwriting is the weakest part of domestic film production," said Yin Jie, Vice President of Shanghai Tech University. "Chinese cinema is still in the lack of originality. The training program will be a start of a more professional screenwriting industry in China."
Yin added that in addition to studying on international cases, Hollywood veterans will also offer advice on the work of local students. Excellent scripts from Chinese writers are expected to be purchased and developed into films.
Elizabeth Daley, dean of USC School of Cinematic Arts said that the film market in China is thriving and it is now second only to Hollywood.
"Every successful film begins from the script," Daley said. "In China there’re so many great stories to tell and these stories can inspire people around the world."
This year\'s film festival places a high premium on screenwriting. It will also gather well-known Disney screenwriters and South Korean professionals to talk with local insiders of the film industry.
Hu Jinjun, director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV and organizer of the Shanghai International Film Festival, said that the screenwriting program is a new effort of the city to impel domestic film industry after the establishment of the Shanghai Vancouver Film School last autumn, which focuses on training post-production film makers in China.
"All the first batch of graduates of Shanghai-Vancouver Film School, altogether 78 people, have already received enviable job offers from notable film production companies," Hu said. "Students standing out from the screenwriting program can also participate in the events of script pitching and young talent selection at the Shanghai International Film Festival."