Wednesday evening, a best-selling author and experienced screenwriter encouraged students in the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication to create.
Partnering with the university’s European studies program, the Honors College and the Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center, the College of Media & Communication hosted Max Brooks in a Q&A with students, preceding a talk about his graphic novel, “The Harlem Hellfighters,” at the law school.
“Today’s discussion is centered around our writing for feature films class,” Robert Peaslee, the chairperson for journalism and electronic media and communication, said. “I know many of you are in that class. But we also wanted to invite the larger, CoMC family to join us.”
Max Brooks speaks to students in the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication Wednesday evening.
As Brooks approached the front of the room, he described how many instructors in the medical or other professional fields initially weed out students who will eventually leave their career paths before finishing their education.
“I don’t know why they don’t do that in screenwriting class,” Brooks said, launching into a high-energy speech. “I don’t know why they don’t do that in any sort of artist endeavor because there is nothing harder than trying to make a living through art, and you guys who want to be screenwriters need to be very, very clear why you’re doing this.”
He continued his brief lecture advising students to refrain from moving to Hollywood.
“Let them come to you,” he said, joking about Hollywood’s low intelligence and backwards-thinking. “If you go to them, they don’t want you.”
Another lesson Brooks shared was encouraging the students to make videos and post their work online, instead of saving money for film schools and entering film festivals.
“If you guys want to make movies, make them,” he said.
Following the writer’s advice, the room was open to questions from the audience.
Brooks called on a student wearing a “Big Bang Theory” shirt who had raised his hand first.
“The “World War Z” novel,” began the student, “it was excellent, as far as the novel. I love all of your work. The movie, can I get your honest opinion of how you felt about it?”
The writer asked if the student would be attending the lecture later that evening and said he didn’t want to reveal too much, before discussing it more.
“I will say this: There were a lot of people expecting me to complain,” Brooks said of the “World War Z” movie adaptation. “And, I’m just not going to do that because I made a conscious choice to sign over the movie rights. When nobody puts a gun to your head, nobody makes you do anything, you are then responsible for the choices.”
Brooks explained this attitude is not out of nobility but simply being an adult, he said matter-of-factly.
The same student then asked what Brooks inspiration was when writing the “The Harlem Hellfighters.”
“I was fascinated by the story, and no one was doing it,” the author explained, mocking the Hollywood business model, mentioning people there do the same stories repetitively, only changing enough in reproductions to not get sued. “If someone had already made a Harlem Hellfighters movie or written a Harlem Hellfighters novel, if that story was out there and popular, why would I need to do that? It’s already done, so, that’s what I always do — same thing with “The Zombie Survival Guide,” with “World War Z.” I’m just trying to please myself.”
Referencing being fired as a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” a weekly entertainment show, Brooks said he works best doing his own thing rather than collaborating with a group or attempting to write what is trendy.
A boy with curly hair began to raise his hand, then lowered it — prompting Brooks to joke about public humiliation as the room erupted in laughter.
Brooks turned toward the shy student.
“I promise whatever you ask, it cannot be stupid,” Brooks said with a smile. “You are a special snowflake, as are we all.”
The student asked if a sequel to “World War Z” will be purely a movie invention or if it will reflect any of the author’s work.
“I will tell you right now: I would never write a book and, before putting it out, let Hollywood get its hands on it,” Brooks said.
Following, a male student asked how the writer went beyond the cliché story of an action-zombie story to create a manual for how to survive a zombie apocalypse, referring to Brook’s “The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead.”
“The reason the rest of you probably never made that leap is because you’re probably out having a life,” Brooks joked, noting he didn’t think the book would ever be published. “I am what you call a ‘giant dork.’ I’m just a nerdy guy who was terrified of zombies as a kid and just thought about it.”
After answering a few more questions from the students, the author had to hurry to the law school for his speech, but he had a chance to sign a few eager students’ books and posters.
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