Producer Edward Bass as a storyteller
Although the word “scenario” designed a décor two centuries ago, the word was adopted in other languages with the meaning of “storyteller”. During the 20’s the word tended to become synonym with the idea of presenting an idea. One of the persons that could speak about the true meaning of this word is producer Edward Bass, an influential name in the industry of cinematography, but also a director and, of course, a storyteller.
Producer Edward Bass talks about scripts and scenarios with great interest. Starting with the years 1930, looking for original ideas was a great challenge, and Edward says that finding a good script is not easy even today. Starting with the year 1912, the name of the scriptwriters was placed on the generic of the movies, stating the importance of those writers. Even if Edward Bass is a producer and a director, he says that a great idea starts from a good script.
What are the stages of a good script? According to the producer Edward Bass, the idea is sketched in a few lines. Then, the synopsis is written, which is like a resume of the idea in 10 pages. The story is developed afterwards, with the insertion of dialogues. Usually, this part suffers modifications, as the dialogues must be adapted to the actors. Finally, the technical scriptwriters must number the scenes. This procedure was invented once the movies were transformed in an industry, and producer Edward Bass admits that this procedure affects the human side of the movies a little, but it is necessary. This way, the scenes can be programmed on days, scenes and number of filming hours. Sometimes, every scene has a small briefing attached, where the essential data is remembered. This technique is specially used for the action movies with lots of special effects, and it was invented by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie “Birds”. The producer Edward Bass says that Alfred was an inspiration for him for the entire career, and the influences of this meticulous director can be observed in the movies of Bass.
Filming is the actual production of the movie, and this is the point where the place of the scriptwriter is taken by the producer Edward Bass. It is the stage that enjoys a symbolic prestige, a ritual with old roots. The chief operator along with the producer imposes the frames and the illumination. We are talking about the game with lights and shadows that is so important especially for the action movies. From there, it is only a matter of imagination and inspiration.