When participants in the Screenwriters Summit held on June 7 and 8 at the Vancity Theatre presented script synopses to Michael Hauge—one of four Hollywood screenwriting instructors speaking at the event—they often ran into problems.

They either responded to Hauge’s questions with vague answers or long, rambling explanations of scenes.

What he was looking for was short, direct answers.

In an interview after his lecture on Saturday, Hauge said this is a common problem because writers have often been working on their projects for long periods of time.

However, he hoped attendees got the message to simplify things. "You need to think in terms of simplicity and through-line and story concept—things that can be very succinctly presented. Because movies that get made are movies that can be advertised easily and quickly."

In fact, instructor Linda Seger began her lecture on Sunday by stating that movies don’t do well being abstract and need to be specific.

"Writers many times are philosophical and psychological," she said in an interview during a break, "and there’s a tendency to then get more and more esoteric and abstract on how you talk about meaning."

But Hauge also emphasized that it is both helpful and essential to get feedback on scripts, either by hiring a consultant, attending a film school, finding a coach, or other means, in order to develop as a screenwriter.

The Summit included lectures by Hauge, Seger, Syd Field, and John Truby. It was presented by the Vancouver Film School and TV/Film Seminars to a full house.