La Voz

Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Antoinette Luzano Gary Goldstein, producer of the film "Pretty Woman" and "The Mothman Prophecies" visited De Anza screen writing students.

Media Credit: Antoinette Luzano Exclusive to online edition

Media Credit: Antoinette Luzano Exclusive to online edition

Well-known film producer Gary Goldstein taught a master class titled "The Business Behind the Business of Screenwriting and Producing in Hollywood: Success Strategies for Launching Careers" on Feb. 23 as a part of De Anza College's visiting artists lecture series. Over one hundred students attended the class, where Goldstein described his experiences breaking into the film industry, as well as told anecdotes from behind the scenes of films he produced.

Goldstein started as a literary manager for aspiring writers, but began producing independent films after representing Jonathan Lawton, who wrote "Pretty Woman," and produced his film. Goldstein has since produced several films, such as "The Mothman Prophecies" and "Under Siege."

"He's very successful in everything he does," said screenwriting instructor Barak Goldman, who invited him to speak. "He's sort of one of those guys who has the Midas touch."

Goldstein says, "I just hope that, to some extent, my participation helps [students] have a more practical sense of the world, and not necessarily about how to write a script or what to write, but about pragmatic, structural, strategic issues about how to build a career."

Film theory instructor Susan Tavernetti feels it's useful to have an industry professional like Goldstein around that students can feel more comfortable listening to. "It's one thing for us, as instructors, to say these things in the classroom; I think it's a second thing to have a working professional in the industry say the same things," she said." [Students] hear them differently." Because the majority of the people in the audience were hopeful screenwriters, Goldstein told them, "Write the world that you know. Write from the heart."

The master class was held from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in AT120. A screening of "Pretty Woman" was held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and was followed by a question and answer session that focused on the film itself and the first draft of its script, called "3,000," in which Julia Roberts' character has a filthy mouth, and is into the drug scene. Barak Goldman e-mailed this early draft to his screenwriting students and advised them to read it before attending the Gary Goldstein event. "It is very, very different from the movie, and the ending is not a happy one," Goldman said. "It's a very gritty, raw drama, and it started out as a small independent script."

Goldstein's favorite part in both sessions was the question and answer discussion. "I love the energy and dynamic of [the 'Q and A']," Goldstein said. "I thought it was a fabulous audience. Smart questions, and a very, very interesting range of questions."

A question about how to cast more well known actors in independent films particulary caught his attention. "It was a great observation and an important question...I was actually maybe even a little surprised about how many smart business questions there were," Goldstein said. "I expected more questions, if you will, about creative issues."

Goldstein spoke lengthily about how persistent one must be in the film industry, at one point jokingly suggesting that no one should consider being a producer. He stressed, however, that if students stay passionate about what they do, they will make it

Instructor Goldman feels it was useful to filmmakers throughout the Bay Area, and hopes speakers like Goldstein can bridge the gap between De Anza and the industry.

"Being here in Silicon Valley, I think a lot of students feel a certain kind of disconnect from the industry itself," he said. Few schools have the opportunity to host guest speaker events for filmmakers because the majority of them work in southern California and not lack chances to visit students.

"These big shots, these bigwigs, want to be here and want to really inspire these students and really help them out, We're fortunate that these people want to do that," said Goldman. Despite fighting a cold, Goldstein says he enjoyed speaking, "I am delighted to be at De Anza, and I would love, at some point, to come back again."



Antoinette Luzano is a staff reporter for La Voz.

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