Creating a compelling protagonist from scratch is always a challenge. Which is why writing a biopic—with built in, fully-realized, three-dimensional characters—can be such an appeal to screenwriters. But this can yield its own unique set of challenges: How do you condense a person's life into a two-hour narrative, complete with structure and nuance? How do you form a visually interesting and cinematic story when real life can often be anything but? And how do you decide whether to portray a slice of life versus an entire lifetime? Panelists will discuss their strategies on balancing truth, fact, and fiction while capturing the essence of real-life subject matter that, as a result, continues to live on in our memories.
