Ep235 - Richard Tanne, Writer-Director ‘Chemical Hearts’ & ‘Southside With You’

As a kid, Richard Tanne was rewarded for good behavior with a movie on the weekend. He quickly developed a love for Tim Burton films, then short stories, then plays, but the entire time, he knew he wanted to one day become a filmmaker. In this interview, Tanne discusses his first two features, Southside With You, about when the Obamas met in 1989 Chicago, and his latest film, Chemical Hearts, a high school romance built around pain and mortality. In this interview, the writer-director discusses dialogue-driven screenplays, why everyone should write a play or contained thriller, how to remove variables in the screenplay, and what it means to follow your inner compass as a creative. If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5