Akira Kurosawa has been hailed as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th Century. Three of his most notable works include Rashomon (1950), Ikuru (1952) and Ran (1985). His career has spanned several decades of tremendous highs and lows. The highs include winning best foreign film in an international festival while the lowest point may be the time when he attempted to commit suicide.
His career and experiences had become an inspiration to young directors. Most of them came to him for advice. In this interview, Kurosawa gives us a piece of his mind, one that heavily leans on writing:
To sum up, there are three important things that Kurosawa urges young aspirants to do:
First, learn to write screenplays. As he said, it costs a lot to create a movie, but with writing you only need a pen and a paper. It’s through a script that beginners learn the structure of the film and what cinema is.
Second, be patient. Write one word at a time. Make it so that it becomes a habit. Do not stop halfway or whenever you feel it gets tough. Hang in there until you reach the end, or you come to a sort of an end. Do not quit.
Lastly, keep reading. While it’s all right to be well-versed with what’s contemporary, a knowledge of the classics can be of great help. Read something, read a lot, read about your land, your culture and that of others. All the little knowledge that you gain will eventually add up. As he said, you can only write about the things that are inside you – whether that’s from something you’ve heard, read or experienced. You can only ever write about the things that you know.
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