Exclusive Interview with Robin Scher – Screenwriter
NY Glam: What projects are you currently working on?
I have a day job working in visual effects for film and commercials, but I am still working hard on several of my own projects. “Seven Days” is a movie I wrote to take a different tack into the sci-fi realm, via an interesting and tense character drama built around a timeless romance story.
NY Glam: What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you?
I have always loved movies, and I’m a sucker for awesome visuals. But for me, the story is the key. The most beautiful photography ever or the wildest visual effects mean little if the story is boring, contrived, or illogical.
NY Glam: As a screenwriter, what is the most important aspect of building a character?
For me, it is important to build out the entire character. Every major and supporting character in my film has an extensive back story going all the way to where and when they were born. I even “cast” random pictures from the Internet to help me visualize them. Having a huge amount of detail ready to go meant that even for characters with just a few lines, I could ensure that every word and action from each character fits in with who that person is, how they interact with the world, why they are there, and what they would do under intense situations.
NY Glam: How important is for you being a finalist at International Screenwriting Competition –ISC?
I am proud and excited! It shows that the effort I have put into this script has been worth it, and that people are interested in what I have to say. It gives me hope that this film could eventually be made and seen by people who I believe would enjoy watching it.
NY Glam: Top 3 favorite projects that you have been involved in?
For over 25 years I have worked on major movies, Super Bowl commercials, TV shows, video games, music videos, and stuff far beyond what you would even imagine as visual effects, so it’s hard to pick my favorite 3. I would have to go with (in no particular order):
- An ad for Hollywood Gum directed by Tim Burton, where I was the visual effects artist and worked on set with him. It was his first ever commercial, and he’s made some of my favorite movies, so it was a real honor for me.
- Prada’s “Trembled Blossoms” designed by artist James Jean, where I was a senior artist and supervisor. While imperfect (the limitations we were under were pretty intense for such a big piece of animation at the time), it is such a strange and beautiful piece that it will always be a favorite.
- The Orlando International Airport. If you ever go there you will notice that the counters where you check in and drop your bags are all backed by video walls. Altogether it’s one of the largest integrated video wall installations in the world, serving one of the busiest airports in the country. While the airline designed content I created for it is not the most exciting stuff to watch, it’s built so that they can dynamically reconfigure the airline counters, each showing its own branded animated content, seamlessly in real time as the airport needs change. It’s pretty cool.
NY Glam: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?
I am working on a series of LEGO stop motion shorts where LEGO Darth Vader takes the place of famous movie characters. In the first, Vader is Peter Bateman in the business card scene from “American Psycho” matched frame for frame (at 6 frames per second). The technical challenge of shooting stop motion at LEGO scale makes it fun for me personally, and the end result is a comedic homage to some of my favorite movie moments.
NY Glam: What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career in filmmaking?
You won’t have a career if you don’t try. Write your stories, make films, take pictures, make music, be creative. I can’t say life won’t make it hard, but there will always be times when you have the choice to do something. Make that choice, and do that thing. Put it out there. Learn from it, and try again. Oh, and love your mistakes, because they are unavoidable and often lead to incredible breakthroughs you never even imagined.
NY Glam: What can we expect from you in this actual year?
In my day job, you will be seeing the results of my work in commercials and several popular TV shows and movies, most of which I’m not allowed to talk about because of NDAs, but of course I am only a small part of those large creations. I also hope you also get to see news about my movie, and I have a list of the LEGO shorts to make to help me realize my own dreams of filmmaking that I’ll be working on this year.
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