Brussells, Belgium – Daniel Calatayud

Why did you start writing screenplays?

I always been a cinéphile, but I was a bit disappointed with Hollywood films; some are great, but most are too average.  Because of this, I started to watch manga animation.  Ten years ago, I fell in love with a manga called Deathnote – the story is so well structured, intelligent, original and addictive that it inspired me to reach the same level of storytelling greatness.

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

Matrix, Gladiator, Scarface, and many more masterpieces.

What is your highest screenwriting goal?

My highest screenwriting goal is to make everyone who reads or watches [my screenplay] captivated and tremble with excitement.

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

For me, dialogue is the most difficult because each character is different.  Each character’s way of talking and personality is different too so you have to adapt yourself to each character’s way of thinking.

What do you feel you do well as a screenwriter?

I feel like I’m good at captivating and entertaining.  For years, I trained myself to understand what make someone glued to his or her chair when they watch a movie or read a novel or a screenplay. For me, a film has to be entertaining in order to be considered good.

What do you see is the biggest problem with storytelling in Hollywood?

Simply the lack of passion.  Hollywood really need great screenplays – it’s vital for the future of the moviemaking industry. A lot of screenwriters write to get rich, which gives Hollywood brainless and soulless blockbusters. Great screenplay can’t be written if you are not passionate about it. There’s a proverb saying, “If you don’t love yourself, other people won’t either.”  For screenwriters, it’s the same!  If you don’t love your screenplay, neither will other people.

What screenplay have you written which you feel most Proud of and why?

It’s “Replay” – the screenplay I’ve sent to the BlueCat contest this year.  I’m proud of it because it’s my first one and I’ve shared a lot of personal experience that I dissipated secretly throughout the story.