WHATCOM COUNTY , WA

It's not WHAT you know… it's WHO you know!

Meeting in Bellingham 's Allied Arts theater, participants of the IFG's Screenwriters' Boot Camp were delighted on Saturday, when Hollywood Director Irvin Kershner stopped by to encourage their endeavors to master the craft of screenwriting.

Among his many credits, some of Kershner's best known films include:

• THE FLIM FLAM MAN
• RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE
• THE EYES OF LAURA MARS
• 007: NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
• THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

...the second film in the original STAR WARS trilogy, and one of the top ten highest grossing films of all time.

“Never mind that I've been a STAR WARS fan since it opened in 1977,” exclaimed David T. Adams, instructor and educational coordinator for the IFG.

Meeting the director of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was just a part of what made his day. 

“I was so pleased that Mr. Kershner was interested in mingling with every one. It was a very unique opportunity to learn.”

Mr. Kershner spoke for over an hour on the industry and on what he expected from Screenwriters.

And although he agreed that screenplay format is important to selling and shooting, he insisted that all Writers challenge themselves by shrugging-off the shackles of typical format and exploring the visual style of the classic writer Ingmar Bergman.

Kershner spent another hour answering questions and telling stories of his experience with different films.

“Finding out from an insider what Producers and Directors need from Writers was invaluable,” commented David Laws, a local screenwriter currently enlisted in the Screenwriters' Boot Camp.

“Not only that, getting the dirt on Hollywood stars and scenes was fascinating!”

“To be in the company of someone who had enjoyed enormous success in the film industry was truly an honor,” stated Heather Stutzman, another local screenwriter.

Participants of the Screenwriters' Boot Camp also look forward to the opportunity of developing a relationship with a literary agent currently listed in the Hollywood Creative Directory –Amy Taylor, the Executive Vice President of Cedar Grove Agency Entertainment's Motion Picture Division.