This is a most excellent find: A 1-hour talk / Q&A with screenwriter Michael Arndt, whose credits are Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and the upcoming Toy Story 3. There are many reasons why all of us should be interested in hearing what Arndt has to say, not the least of which is that he wrote a spec script — Sunshine — sold it, and had it produced.
Isn’t that what each one of you wants?
Beyond everything else, this video reveals Arndt to be a really nice guy. He’s got every reason to be a blowhard and a jerk. God knows Hwood has done that to nearly everyone else. But despite his success, Arndt appears to be a decent human being. And with much wisdom and insight into the craft and business of screenwriting.
So sit back, click play, and enjoy an hour with Michael Arndt. And don’t forget to toast the venue, Cody’s Books in Berkeley, CA, which has sadly closed its doors.
Thanks so much for posting this – I really enjoyed it. Makes me wish he had been able to do a writer’s commentary on the DVD. (Actually, I wish DVDs in general would have more writer’s commentaries – the good ones are so informative.)
Luke, if you haven’t checked out the video interviews I have linked to, check it out when you have time. I think there are over 70 different video clips, some of them short, some of them an hour or more, each with someone who is either a screenwriter or talking about screenwriting. That is one of my goals with this site: To aggregate as many interviews with screenwriters as I can find as a resource for people interested in the craft. Listening to professional writers talk about what they do is a great way to pick up tips.