Dear Bryce #005
Welcome to Dear Bryce! This is the Nine Muses advice column where I (Bryce Dallas Howard) humbly respond to your questions about navigating the entertainment industry and beyond. If you’re wondering how to balance life and work, seeking answers about the storytelling and filmmaking process, or just want to know more about a favorite past or upcoming project, stay tuned for more of Dear Bryce!
This week, a reader asks…
You’ve done pretty much everything from directing and producing to acting. What really gets your attention when you hear or read a pitch or a new script? What kind of projects are you looking for and what's still missing from the market?
Real talk: acting, directing, writing, and producing is how I make a living. It’s what links my family and me to health insurance, retirement funds, and our everyday needs. And that’s why many – if not most – times, a huge factor when it comes to evaluating projects is my family and how to support us. That support can look like payment (am I being compensated fairly for this job?), but also shooting location (how far will I be from my kids and husband?) and time commitment (how long will I be away?). Those factors are the first things I think about when reviewing a submission.
But in the rare instance of a purely creative decision, there are a few guiding or organizing principles that I think about when considering a new project.
At a very base level, an audience — whether it be an executive in a studio buying a movie or a family at home watching a TV show— is looking for something to connect to and understand. Art is an exercise in empathy, and for that reason, the balance I seek when developing or considering a project is:
80% relatable, universal, and crystal clear as to what is happening narratively.
20% wild, imaginative, and experimental touches to support the narrative.
That’s to say, a good story, well told, is the majority of the equation. The character(s), their wants and needs, the overall journey and the steps along the way all need to be in lockstep. Do we understand what’s happening? Who do we relate to in this story? What larger themes are we addressing that make this relevant to our lives today?
That 20% is the icing that brings out the flavors in the cake. For me personally, those magic touches take the form of technological innovations (several early short films I directed were meant to test features on Canon cameras) and world-building scope (my directing work in Star Wars definitely falls into this category as well as technological innovation). Grounded, modern stories with a slight sci-fi twist stir my creative soul; movies that bring magic, wonder, and whimsy into the real world.
Another element in my decision matrix is the distribution platform, and more specifically, the audience it reaches. Because feature theatrical releases target a different audience from feature streaming releases; and those audiences are vastly different from those watching a cable TV show with commercials versus a streaming TV show released all at once, without commercials. It’s thrilling to think about the potential viewers out there and how to engage with them. I personally love being a part of projects that become events. With so many stories out there, I want to attach myself to movies and shows that are undeniable — the kind of projects that people don’t question whether they’re going to watch because it’s impossible to ignore.
I strongly believe that when we watch movies together, we don’t just crave entertainment or an escape; we want our lives to be forever changed. And for that to happen there has to be a certain number and quality of ingredients. It can’t just be beautiful writing, or an interesting character, or an auteur filmmaker directing; it’s often the combination of all these that will get an audience clamoring to see it. That specific combination and where the work is shared are two things I’m very discerning about.
Notice that I said “specific” combination, not “perfect.” Nothing is ever perfect, and that’s part of the joy in this art form. A lot can surprise you. The perfect scenario doesn’t exist, so there’s no use waiting around for it. But if you are clear on your creative values, then you’ll know which projects are in most alignment with them, and those are the projects to follow.
And when it comes to fulfilling the needs of the marketplace, I like to think of it as: what project do you want to see or make? Don’t forget that as an artist, you are part of the marketplace that watches and consumes media. I was sharing this advice with a student and they reminded me of a Toni Morrison quote that speaks to this perfectly: “If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
The last thing I’ll say is that the more experiences I have, the more I realize that projects change dramatically from when they are first conceived to when they are shared with an audience. What doesn’t change, however, are the people you’re working with along the way. So more than anything, when deciding on a project I think about the collaborators and our compatibility. Making a movie is like entering a temporary marriage — or at least a roommate situation — and the more creative chemistry is shared between collaborators, the smoother the overall process will be.
Happy creating:)
xo
bdh
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