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RoyHornshtein

 

BlueCat: Why did you start writing screenplays?

Roy Hornshtein: I started writing because I love it. The second thing I ever wrote was a post WWII Jewish immigration story set on an old battle ship carrying Holocaust refugees to Israel. Kind of Titanic meets Braveheart. For the the entire duration of writing this thing I was on that ship with them for the ride, every day. It was incredible.
 
BlueCat: What is your highest screenwriting goal for yourself?      

RH: Frankly, it used to be getting a movie made, but these days (being married and expecting) I’d love to be able to make a living doing this.

BlueCat: What aspects of the writing process do you struggle with the most?

RH: The re-writes. Second guessing myself, reworking scenes, etc.

BlueCat: What movies do you watch to remind yourself that you love screenwriting?

RH: Making movies is daunting. What I do is read screenplays; I have a vast collection. Then, I watch the movies made from those scripts and as the changes made by the writer, the director, the studios become visible (page to screen), I get the sense that I’m witness to back stage decision making and suddenly I can see the stage wires and it doesn’t seem very daunting anymore, to write a movie.

BlueCat: What do you feel you do well as a screenwriter?

RH: I can structure something pretty fast.  

BlueCat: Do you feel that screenwriting is different in your country than it is in Hollywood? If so, how?

RH: Very different. Aside from the obvious budgetary difference, Israel’s film industry is funded by the government’s cultural ministry. Israeli films rarely make any profits because there aren’t enough people in Israel! So there’s no pressure to make back what was invested. In this regard, Israeli films are more art house in spirit.

BlueCat: What screenplay have you written which you feel most proud of and why?

RH: I had a dream one night where I was hovering over the city. Next day I got an idea to write a sci-fi about earth loosing its gravity. A week later I had a great first draft finished. I even filmed a trailer, but it never got off the ground. Years later, I read that others had the same idea that a film based on the same concept is being made. It stings but I had a great time writing it and who knows maybe some day.