Belgrade, Serbia – Paolo Rizzardini

BlueCat: Why did you start writing screenplays?

Paolo Rizzardini: Because I don’t know what I love more: to invent stories or to watch them. Writing a screenplay allow me to do both things at the same time. It’s like killing two birds with one stone
 
BlueCat: What movies do you watch to remind yourself that you love screenwriting?

PR: Lost in translation is a master piece and every time I watch it or read the screenplay I have goose bumps.  In general I think that’s what every movie should give us, regardless of the genre.
 
BlueCat: What is your highest screenwriting goal?

PR: To be on site every time they shoot a movie based on a screenplay I wrote and, one day, to win the Oscar for the best original screenplay thanks to one of those stories.
 
BlueCat: What aspects of the writing process do you struggle with the most?

PR: The beginning of every story is always painful. I struggle to get the right rhythm immediately.
 
BlueCat: What do you feel you do well as a screenwriter?

PR: I am an engineer and because of that very methodical. This is a plus if you manage to find a balance with your creativity and I think I can do it quite well.
 
BlueCat: What do you see is the biggest problem with storytelling in Hollywood?

PR: Visibility. Getting your script on the right desk and being sure it receives the right attention. It’s all about that.
 
BlueCat: What screenplay have you written which you feel most proud of and why?

PR: I contributed to different screenplays, but “No tomorrow”, the one I submitted for this BlueCat competition, is the one I like the most. I think it has the right “ingredients” – even if it’s not a conventional story – and I like a lot its “speed”.