Sports-movie screenwriter Bettina Gilois on the art of depicting true-life stories

“Before I do anything else, I ask myself what is the deepest truth about the story that I’m telling.” – Bettina Gilois

Bettina Gilois (@BettinaGilois) is an award-winning screenwriter and author who has been writing in Hollywood for over twenty years. Her screen credits include McFarland, USA and Glory Road.

In this episode of Deviate, Bettina discuss writing about real people (3:00); Bettina’s career path and the importance of perseverance (23:00); the importance of simplicity in storytelling (40:00); why certain stories are worth telling (55:00); and the craft of writing (1:14:00).

Notable Links:

• Bettina’s Chapman University page (includes links to craft-advice essays)
• Thomas Kinkaid (painter)
• Billion Dollar Painter, by Bettina Gilois (book)
• Andy Warhol (artist)
• Talking Heads (band)
• Ari Emanuel (talent agent)
• Twister (film)
• Robert Durst (real estate heir)
• Rick Hall (record producer)

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The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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