Audio: Walter Hill

A 60+ minute interview with the screenwriter who popularized the ‘haiku style’ of screenwriting.

This is a gem: An in-depth conversation between Marc Maron and screenwriter-director-filmmaker Walter Hill whose screenwriting credits include Hard Times, The Warriors, 48 Hrs., Aliens, Red Heat, and Last Man Standing.

Hill writes in what he calls a ‘haiku style’ approach — short, staccato bursts of scene description. Here is an example from the Hill & Giler draft of Alien:

Notice how the lines are not wraparound, but a hard justification (shift + enter). Moreover, there is a minimalist approach to the language.

Drives home the value of reading a wide variety of screenplays written by professionals to explore styles which may appeal to you!

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