ANDREI CHAHINE
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ANDREI CHAHINE

Can you tell us about your journey into screenwriting? What inspired you to pursue this career?
Throughout my life, everywhere I’ve lived and worked, there have been three constants: Reading, writing, and movies. As a kid, I was obsessed with mythology and sketch comedy, writing spec bits for SNL and Kids in the Hall, and DIYing comic books. In a move to a different kind of storytelling, I dropped out of college to become a jazz pianist, touring with big names and catching every movie I could on the road. Another twist and turn and I became an award-winning ad writer and creative director, collaborating with great directors on big brand campaigns. And I’m a huge opera fan, both the music and the librettos. But it wasn’t until COVID that I picked up my first screenplay, not to write, but to learn. I started with what I was told was classically structured, THELMA & LOUISE, then tore through dozens more (“They’re PDFs and they’re free?!”), along with every Syd Field book, every William Goldman memoir, the entire Coen Brothers library, and any out-of-print ‘How-To’ I could find. Here was this
challenging art form called Screenwriting that borrows from mythology and psychology and the universal human condition...I’ve been obsessed ever since.

Your stories often focus on themes of resilience and personal growth. How do you decide which stories to tell, and what draws you to these particular themes?
I’ve been self-taught in every aspect of my professional career, from jazz pianist to advertising creative director, and now, the lifelong pursuit of the art of the screenplay. And the themes in all my writing are the themes I’ve (sometimes unwittingly) focused on in my own life. My relationship with (human) nature, authority vs. freedom, genetics vs free will, sociology, psychology and family dynamics. I would be passionate and fascinated with these subjects no matter what. So, my stories both inspire me, and are inspired by me. And writing allows me to actively engage and explore things I’m forever fascinated with. Including storytelling itself.

Could you walk us through your typical writing routine? How do you structure your workday to stay productive?
I want writing to be the only thing I do that day, which is asking a lot. So clearing my schedule, if only for the first half of the day, is the work before the work. But I typically have a goal when I sit down to write, either a problem to solve for, or an outlined checkpoint to meet. And I best work in bursts, about 45 minutes with a small break before another burst.

When approaching a new screenplay, how do you organize your ideas before diving into the actual writing? Do you start with a detailed outline, or do you prefer to let the story unfold as you go?
A little of both but never anything without an outline. And I love to continuously expand on a 3 Act structure outline. I start very basic, the main character, the big beats and clear arcs. Then I “explore the spaces between the beats”, whether thinking about important structural beats (Inciting Incident) and transitions (How Act 2 breaks into Act 3), or what obstacles might catalyze growth or new understanding (by reading audience and/or character). And I continue to do that exercise for the entire process —re-tell myself the story through structure, find the beats between the beats, discover character, connect dots— until the world is rich and the characters are deep and THEN it starts to write itself.

How do you handle writer's block or moments of doubt during your creative process?
My previous experience as a creative director doesn’t allow for writer’s block, I always had to deliver and did, so I just keep thinking and iterating and writing. There is no “wrong” when in the pursuit of “right”. You have to keep mining or you’ll never find the gold.

What tools or software do you find essential to your workflow as a screenwriter?
A pen. A notebook. Lots of blank 8.5x11 paper to sketch structure. Final Draft Pro to finally type. But books and other screenplays, music...I like to be immersed in any and all ancillary culture that might relate to my story. Living breathing research.

Screenwriting often requires a deep understanding of character. How do you develop characters that feel authentic and relatable?
I can only point to a fascination with human nature, psychology, sociology. Reading literature, of course, helps a ton. Perhaps the fact I moved around so much as a kid, I had to really observe people to better assimilate socially. And I’ve always seemed to have extra intuition on what makes people tick. Backstory. The WHY behind the WHO. But ultimately, a cliche: character is
less what you say and more what you do, Action. And so, while everyone’s voice might come across as unique and different, like fingerprints, there is also something so universally all-encompassing SAME about the underlying human spirit. We’re so different yet share so many of the same needs and desires. Like stories.

As someone with Multicultural heritage, how do your cultural backgrounds influence your storytelling?
My stories do seem to have an Outsider quality to them. Navigating difference. And myself being biracial, I’ve always been interested in the Macro sense of identity: how our increasingly multicultural, diverse, and fragmented society continues to search for its identity, and all the conflict that comes with that. And so I love nuanced portrayals that acknowledge both sides of
every story, without necessarily assigning a right or wrong or victor.

The film and television industry is constantly evolving. How do you see the role of screenwriters changing, especially with the rise of streaming platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence?
We’re not just writing scripts, we’re capturing makes stories human. So as tech and platforms evolve, it’s not our job to keep up with machines but to stay rooted in emotion, contradiction, imperfection. AI can mimic structure but human stories are about humans, told by humans, as that’s what humans want to see and hear, truth. Always have. Truth is more awesome than Artificial. That’s not going anywhere. How and where we make and tell these stories, however, is probably going to continue to see a lot of change.

What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters trying to break into the industry today?
Write about what you personally see and feel and love. Then write about what’s getting in the way of that. And then just keep writing. But also, these days, start MAKING. Screenwriters that are multidisciplinary and can shape their words into actual visions will always have a leg up. Also more industry useful.
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What are the key skills a screenwriter needs to succeed in such a competitive field?
Competitive. Resilient. Collaborative. Unique. True talent will always shine through but consistent work ethic prevails.

How do you balance creative freedom with the demands and feedback from producers, directors, and studios?
You learn to trust your internal producer, that little voice inside you that hears all the notes but decides what actually matters. That voice gets sharper with experience, with reps. But the key is: try everything. No idea is beneath trying. “No” is not a creative answer. You try, then you know. That’s the only way.

Can you share a specific challenge you've faced in your screenwriting career and how you overcame it?
Getting your stuff read still remains the biggest challenge. Competitions and reader coverage has been so hugely beneficial to me getting signals and feedback that push me forward.

What do you hope audiences take away from your work? Are there particular emotions or messages you aim to evoke through your storytelling?
I want to challenge people’s preconceived notions, not to the extent that they are transformed, but to the extent they can now understand a different philosophy or point of view than their own. They don’t have to agree with it but I do want them to understand it. I think mutual understanding is a great start to a lot.
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What are your thoughts on diversity in Hollywood, particularly in screenwriting? How important is it to you to see more diverse voices and stories on screen?
To borrow a theme from my screenplay ANIMALS: Uniformity has never been part of nature’s plan. Diversity is how our planet, and our industry, continues to thrive. We’ve only just scratched the surface of telling more diverse stories onscreen. The universe, and its stories, is too vast to not be diverse.

How do you keep growing and improving as a writer? Are there specific habits, workshops, or feedback processes you follow to sharpen your skills?
Keep reading. Keep writing. Never be satisfied with your latest draft (whether your screenplay or you as a person).

Lastly, where do you see yourself in five years as a screenwriter? Are there any dream projects or genres you’d love to explore?
On set, having a spirited conversation with the director about the unwritten backstory of the upcoming scene. That sounds like a dream come true.

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