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The Shawshank Redemption: Frank Darabont's Directorial Debut Story...
"The Shawshank Redemption," the best adaptation of Stephen King's novel, has held the top position on the IMDb ranking for many years. This film marks the directorial debut of Frank Darabont
At the time of filming, he was only 34 years old. Darabont's career is a prime example of how one can make a breakthrough in Hollywood. He was born in a refugee camp in France for those fleeing Hungary. His family soon moved to Los Angeles. At a young age, Darabont worked as a producer's assistant on low-budget horror films.
What does the sole assistant on a low-budget film do? He does everything that a 20-person or more administrative team does on a big-budget film! In such conditions, Darabont learned the film industry from the inside out and proved himself as a professional! 
Soon, Frank wrote the screenplay for the third part of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and was involved in the sequel to David Cronenberg's wonderful film "The Fly 2." Darabont's collaboration with Stephen King yielded unexpectedly bright results. "The Shawshank Redemption" became a film with a unique rhythm and atmosphere, highly praised by critics, Oscar academics, and ordinary viewers.
At the heart of the film is the simple story of Tim Robbins' character, who was unjustly convicted and sentenced to life in one of the worst prisons in New England. But the main character managed to preserve his humanity. He continued to love, believe, and dream. After "The Shawshank Redemption," Darabont directed two more films based on Stephen King's works: "The Green Mile" and "The Mist."
Darabont's story is a good example for the young generation. Don't be afraid to take on the most challenging and dirty tasks. The experience gained from such ungrateful projects will surely pay off.
Vin Diesel's Career Start in Independent Cinema...
In our days, it's hard to believe, but Vin Diesel started in the cinema as an unrecognized actor without his own niche. Fans know Vin Diesel from the "Fast & Furious" series
and "The Chronicles of Riddick." In the mid-90s, Diesel was an independent filmmaker, pushing films with his own participation to the Sundance and Cannes festivals. Back then, a young Vin Diesel couldn't find his typecast, and therefore, he couldn't land a role in Hollywood. 
This was attributed to his multi-ethnic background: his mother had German, English, and Scottish roots, while his father was African-American. After facing numerous rejections, Diesel decided to turn his disadvantage into his advantage. In 1995, he released the film "Multifacial." In this film, Diesel acted as an actor, director, and played the lead role.
The main character of "Multifacial," Mike, is a talented actor (played by Vin Diesel himself) who tries different roles. He successfully transforms into an Italian, a Spaniard, and an African-American. However, he receives rejections at all auditions for completely fabricated reasons. Frustrated, Diesel's character goes to a diner.
This 20-minute film's plot and the energy with which Diesel independently promoted his work at festivals left a positive impression on director Steven Spielberg. This is how Diesel landed his first major role in Spielberg's classic film: "Saving Private Ryan." And from this role, his wonderful career began.
So, if you want to write your first screenplay and face rejections everywhere, don't despair. It's possible that a vast field of opportunities lies ahead of you; you just need to put in a little more effort to break through.
Turn off the editor and write the story to the end...
You need to turn off the internal and external editor in order to finish your story. This seems like an easy task when you're writing a short story. But how difficult it is to silence this editor when you're writing a long story! Especially when, along with internal self-doubt, there are external factors. Today's story is about "Spider-Man" and its creator Stan Lee. 
"This is the worst idea possible," said the comic book publisher when Stan first showed him his hero.
"First of all, people hate spiders, so you can't call your hero Spider-Man."
"Secondly, you want your hero to be a teenager? Teenagers can only be sidekicks to the main characters!"
"And thirdly, you want him to have personal problems?" the publisher continued to berate the young author, "Stan, do you not know who a superhero is? He can't have personal problems!"
Meanwhile, the comic book magazine was closing. There were no sales. And in the last issue, no one cared about the content anymore.
That's when Stan decided to put Spider-Man on the cover.
And a month later, it happened…
BOOM!!!
Sales grew! The morale: never listen to idiotic advisers; finish your story!
You start writing a story, it's easy and exciting at first. Then you stop, leaving it unfinished.
Other tasks come up. And then, a day or maybe a week later, you return to your unfinished story and realize: this part is wrong... This couldn't have happened like that... This doesn't fit at all... So here it is! If you start fixing everything, there's a high risk that you won't finish your story at all.
Script vs Idea...
People often ask—why bother writing a script, learning... Wouldn't it be easier to bring your genius idea to a studio, let them pay you, and then they'll write the script, which they'll shoot, and put me, the main author, on the poster. Pay attention to the image! 
What do you see?
A log in the picture.
And metaphorically, the log is an idea. Actually, it's not just metaphorical.
Imagine what will happen if you bring this log to a studio or show it to professional directors and producers? Well, if you show the log to your friends, they'll surely support you and say how great you are: "This is a good log! You can sit on it after a long hike, for example."
The same log was the foundation of Italian author Carlo Collodi's tale. Except that this log turned into a talking Pinocchio. A wooden boy who dreamt of dancing, but needed to learn to become a real person.
The same log was at the base of Alexei Tolstoy's tale, and also Carlo Collodi's story. But his character—Buratino—turned out to be quite different. The joyful wooden character had to constantly overcome obstacles set by villains on his path.
The same log formed the basis of Steven Spielberg's film "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," but now it's a more technological log. This is a story about a robot boy who overcomes many obstacles to become human.
So when you, as an author, rush to present your unfinished idea to others, you should be ready that many will perceive your idea as some kind of log.
Of course, your friends will support you. But they will do it because they appreciate your personal qualities, not your idea, which will be a log to them, just like to everyone else. And only you will see that in your log lies potential—a Buratino, a Pinocchio, or an Artificial Intelligence. That's why only you can unleash that potential.
When You Need to Write a Lot Right Away—Remember Your Power Spot...
I don't know about other screenwriters, but I often find myself unable to write anything. Even though I really need to. 
The producer and
director are waiting at the door, breathing nervously on the phone. I'm literally banging my head against the wall—there's nothing!
In this regard, beginner screenwriters are lucky—they have fresh ideas, and writing is easy for them. That's why I enjoy teaching my screenwriting course; I mostly work with fresh authors. Except, of course, those authors who aren't writing their first screenplay with me. There are ups and downs in screenwriting. You're typing like a machine gun. The keyboard clatter only stops for you to go to the restroom or quickly grab a sandwich. As soon as you're back at your desk, ideas start flowing in all directions. Hurry and jot them down!
Maybe every profession has such joyful ups? But there are moments of decline. You may think you've come up with something fresh, for example:
"I remember a wonderful moment
Before me you appeared,
As if it were fleeting..."
And suddenly you find out that it's been done before! Someone else has already written it!
What to do?
There's a universal principle in moments of decline—go to your power spot.
For me, a real power spot is a tree. How wonderful it is to embrace a big tree at sunset and think about how its roots go deep into the ground, how its leaves rustle in the wind, and birds have built nests in its thick branches.
Such thoughts immediately refresh the mind, and the next day, I start writing just like a beginner screenwriter. Without any discrimination, everything all at once and many pages.
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