Asperger's Movie Directors/Writers?

Page 5 of 6 [ 90 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next

Joined: 7 Nov 2008
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 890
Location: USA

13 Mar 2009, 5:35 pm

I'm reading the book "Burton on Burton" and I have to say... Tim Burton really seems to fit. If you look at the level of detail in his films and the control that he has that other directors don't seem to have, it's just something I've always wondered about (how many other directors really give THAT much of a crap about tiny little details, really?)

pigsrock
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 1 Feb 2009
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Posts: 267
Location: st.louis

15 Mar 2009, 8:37 pm

AlecZander wrote:

Hey-- :D

I am a film director and screenwriter living in LA, have been for several years. I got diagnosed about six months ago, and I was curious about whether I'd be barred from my passion as a fully-fledged career because my thinking is very literal, and CREATING stories seems to be such an intuitive activity, and one that involves a lot of emotional analysis.

I have trouble because I become over-involved with the structure of the story. :?
I have trouble empathizing with characters as I write them, understanding their emotion. :cry:
I have trouble recognizing 'cool' dialogue, although I supposedly write it at times. 8)

SOOO ... I scoured the Internet to find out what writers/directors were diagnosed or purported to have AS. Here's what I came up with:

1. STEVEN SPIELBERG (Diagnosed supposedly, but hard to pin down where and how)
2. STANLEY KUBRICK (postumously diagnosed, but sure fit the part, and a friend of Spielberg)
3. TIM BURTON (Never diagnosed that I know of, but has many, many indicators)

These were the almost sure bets. Less sure candidates included Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Alfred Hitchcock, and James Cameron.

Does anybody have any more info on any of these guys, whether just behaviors that confim/deny the possibility of AS, how they deal with it, or ANYTHING? (Including your own experiences with creating stories?) I'm very interested to hear, and not just for academic reasons. I am working very hard to adapt my quirkly mode of creation to be able to make top-quality films in a very, very competitive, stressful field. I can use any data you've got! 8O

did you to the miracle project

_________________
I am a 26 year old Launch code Graduate with level 1 autism Ehlers Danlos syndrome and trisomy 12p, I like cubing, math, genetics, JavaScript, Pigs, my favorite medical procedure is a thoracotomy.

pigsrock
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 1 Feb 2009
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Posts: 267
Location: st.louis

16 Mar 2009, 7:37 am

GroovyDruid wrote:

Quote:

you don't want to work with other people (and I can understand why ), I would then tell you do be very disciplined. Try working on the actual writing of the script for a set amount of time each day, not necessarily when you have another brilliant idea. If you have a brilliant idea during a time other than your set time, write it down on a different notepad (or somewhere else). Then, when it's writing time, go back over your notes and see if you can work your ideas into the storyline without taking it too off-track.

I've tried working with a couple of other cowriters, but one of the things I realized pretty quick was that my method of writing was much more rigorous than theirs, and had to be.

That's good advice about scheduling writing. I actuall do write every day, for about an hour three times a day. It works very well.

Quote:

I believe Keanu Reeves has been diagnosed.
He is interesting to watch on talk shows as well.
Doesn't like to give much information about his personal life.

Reahhehehly ... :) That makes sense now that you mention it. I've seen him on shows.

I did some looking around on the net, and I couldn't find anything more reliable than widespread speculation to support that he's got AS. Where did you get your info, do you remember? It would be cool to check it out, find out how well supported it is...

how do you post two quotes at one time

MizLiz
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 7 Nov 2008
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 890
Location: USA

18 Mar 2009, 2:37 pm

Wowwwwww....

I was just watching the documentary that came with the boxed set for the original star wars trilogy (the 2004 version) and even though George Lucas himself didn't come across as all that aspie (his speech didn't seem unusual and in the little clips they showed of him back then, he could keep eye contact), people talking about him said some really indicative things. Him being really quiet and never deviating much from the directions he gave and they basically described a meltdown.

Yeah. That sounds like he could have it.

MindBlind
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 1 May 2009
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,341

31 Aug 2009, 3:50 pm

MizLiz wrote:

Totally agree.

mjs82
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,166

31 Dec 2009, 7:56 pm

On my way now as a screenwriter in Australia. I definitely understand that whole thinking about plot before characters aspect. What I've learnt this year are ways of starting with the basic idea, then find the characters to populate it, then plot it. It's helped me by leaps and bounds. Although I work in what you would call the harder genres (thriller-horror-comedy-scifi-western), you need to get your characters working for you first and foremost.

ManicGamer
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 11 May 2008
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Posts: 1
Location: Huntington Beach

22 Oct 2011, 1:50 am

I myself am a writer And have worked building sets for a while. I am now working towards becoming a director and certified in fcpx and logic 9. I find that we are good in film due to several traits. The first being that we see the world from a different perspective and can, through research that we all love, understand how and what styles are the most popular. Also, in my case, because my conversations are one sided and I often forget how loud I speak when I want something done people seem to listen. Due to the fact I talk loud, if I don't get it my way I tend to through a bit of a tantrum but not much.

The largest problem is finding the inch that will both challenge you and allow you to express your creative side.

My I.Q. Test range from 136 to 128 depending on the time of day and if I am thinking more clear that day. So choosing what can keep my attention is very hard. And that's what we need to figure out is what speaks the most to us because we can do many things well as long as we want to do them.

TheHouseholdCat
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 29 Feb 2012
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 667
Location: Berlin, Germany

04 Mar 2012, 10:35 pm

spacemonkey wrote:

GroovyDruid wrote:

Quote:

dan ackroyd from saturdy night live

This gets to one of the reasons I started this thread: There seem to be as many as half a dozen directors who either have AS or might have it. But I've never heard of even one well-known actor or screenwriter who has AS. I find it very peculiar.

I believe Keanu Reeves has been diagnosed.
He is interesting to watch on talk shows as well.
Doesn't like to give much information about his personal life.

That's most definitely true.

Namiko wrote:

spacemonkey wrote:

GroovyDruid wrote:

Quote:

dan ackroyd from saturdy night live

I believe Keanu Reeves has been diagnosed.
He is interesting to watch on talk shows as well.
Doesn't like to give much information about his personal life.

That would be something to look into. I was reading somewhere, and I believe it said (if I remember correctly) that he dropped out of high school or something like that.

Yup. He was really good at Latin though.

GroovyDruid wrote:

Yeah. That's what I read, too. He had a rough time in school, and yet he is a very good actor. People make fun of actors--and particularly him--for being dumb rich people, but that's a gross oversimplification. They more often than not are really nuts in certain aspects of their lives, but that doesn't mean they're not smart. you've got to be a sharp dart to take apart a feature screenplay and parse the motivations, remember loads of lines, and maneuver yourself to success in an insane industry.

By the way, I was zooming around, and I found another likely director to add to the list of possible AS: WOODY ALLEN.

It's what people do with models. A lot of models are smart, even though people make them look dumb. Even though they are only trying to live up to the ideal of what society says is a "proper woman". Well, it definitely does them no good. It's destructive.

GroovyDruid wrote:

Maybe what you're seeing is the Spielberg who is in his element. We only see him on TV or on DVDs when he's talking about the one thing he knows better than almost anybody on the planet: movies. So he comes across as very confident and glib.

That's the point, really. Anyone who finds his or her element is at ease. Asperger's sadly keeps people from doing that because others perceive them as weird and, strangely enough, not making enough effort. So... you know...

berta wrote:

No of course thats not it. the guy is just a slob. all AS girls obviously are like NT girls, and spend just as much time in the bathroom putting on makeup. The whole grooming issue is just something the doctors decided to put in to the diagnostic criteria with all of the other secondary symptoms. and i mean what would it matter anyway?

Well, I can only speak for myself, if I may consider myself a girl, but anyway, I officially am labelled "girl" and I can say that I find make up very... um... how shall I put this nicely? Off-putting. I don't mind anything, really, mascara, etc, even though I do not use it, but make up really just turns me off... If I say make up, I am talking about what millions of women put on their faces on a daily basis and it usually does not enhance looks, in my opinion, but that's for every individual to decide. It's just what I think. And it may not be the Asperger's and I don't really care what it is, I just never felt I could live up to... the make up.

Asparval wrote:

I am diagnosed ~ does that mean I am also a genius?

I think that of the directors discussed here only Kubrick's AS is apparent in his work. His movies are generally about themes rather than people and are full of interesting visual and auditory patterns.

I don't believe in this whole "genius" thing. I believe though that there were some people who mastered in what they were really good at and I think that's what everyone - ideally - should aspire to do. And be allowed to do.

_________________
EXPANDED CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

"It's how they see things. It's a way of bringing class to an environment, and I say that pejoratively because, obviously, good music is good music however it's created, however it's motivated." - Thomas Newman

whiteflower
Butterfly

Joined: 28 Mar 2012
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 14

04 Apr 2012, 5:37 pm

I think Tim Burton is, and I've suspected Steven Spielberg and after reading the post where according to someone who has seen him and said he has it, I'm convinced Spielberg has it. Peter Jackson I never considered but am willing to believe it now after what I just read here. Keanu Reeves is surely an aspie based on the way he acts and his quotes along with his friendships with River Phoenix and Robert Downey Jr, both were/are eccentric and we aspies tend to be attracted to eccentric people. He also is unusually affectionate with his male friends, which could be that he doesn't go by social standards of male friendships due to his Asperger Syndrome. I hate how so many people think he is a bad actor just because he doesn't follow neuro typical standards of acting, I mean he did Shakespeare not many actors can do that. As for other autistic actors (potentially at least), there's Daryl Hannah and Courtney Love, and Michael Jackson is also the latest suspect although he was a musician and only acted once. Glad someone else sees Keanu Reeves isn't a bad actor!

Mayel
Velociraptor

Joined: 30 Jul 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 493

05 Apr 2012, 1:11 am

Jesse Eisenberg is a playwright as well as an actor. He's got OCD, phobias and some anxiety disorder (social anxiety?)....He likes structures and rules, that's why he became an actor (also because he wanted to fit in somewhere).

I agree about Crispin Glover. He's very interesting in interviews.

_________________
Knowing / that I could walk seventeen miles through a ravine / in the heart of Toronto,
and never / directly see the city/ is of some comfort

Mayel
Velociraptor

Joined: 30 Jul 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 493

06 Apr 2012, 6:26 am

^^^^
Which reminds me of this series of videos that satirize David Lynch and Crispin Glover.
This is the first video of this youtube-series:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pn98_x_a-Q[/youtube]

_________________
Knowing / that I could walk seventeen miles through a ravine / in the heart of Toronto,
and never / directly see the city/ is of some comfort

Xenu
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,438

25 Jun 2012, 9:44 pm

This quote made me kind of think Quentin Tarantino might have it. He also reminds me a lot of myself when I'm trying to not show my Aspergers when he's in interviews

I couldn't spell anything. I couldn't remember anything, but I could go to a movie and I knew who starred in it, who directed it, everything.- Quentin Tarantino

PwoperNereguar
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 10 Jan 2016
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Posts: 51
Location: Nottinghamshire, England

11 Jan 2016, 7:20 am

I have thought of this myself recently. It seems like many famous directors for both TV and film have Aspergers. At first, I loved Abed, a character from Community, because his love of film and the way he is reminded me of myself. Then I found out that the creator, Dan Harmon, got diagnosed. and after some searching, it seems like a very popular job for Aspergers people to have and be successful at.

Kenya
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Oct 2014
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,900
Location: West Springfield, MA

11 Jan 2016, 3:33 pm

AlecZander wrote:

Hey--

I am a film director and screenwriter living in LA, have been for several years. I got diagnosed about six months ago, and I was curious about whether I'd be barred from my passion as a fully-fledged career because my thinking is very literal, and CREATING stories seems to be such an intuitive activity, and one that involves a lot of emotional analysis.

I have trouble because I become over-involved with the structure of the story.

I have trouble empathizing with characters as I write them, understanding their emotion. :cry:

I have trouble recognizing 'cool' dialogue, although I supposedly write it at times.

SOOO ... I scoured the Internet to find out what writers/directors were diagnosed or purported to have AS. Here's what I came up with:

1. STEVEN SPIELBERG (Diagnosed supposedly, but hard to pin down where and how)
2. STANLEY KUBRICK (postumously diagnosed, but sure fit the part, and a friend of Spielberg)
3. TIM BURTON (Never diagnosed that I know of, but has many, many indicators)

These were the almost sure bets. Less sure candidates included Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Alfred Hitchcock, and James Cameron.

Does anybody have any more info on any of these guys, whether just behaviors that confim/deny the possibility of AS, how they deal with it, or ANYTHING? (Including your own experiences with creating stories?) I'm very interested to hear, and not just for academic reasons. I am working very hard to adapt my quirkly mode of creation to be able to make top-quality films in a very, very competitive, stressful field. I can use any data you've got!

Wow. 3 of my favorite directors. I could definitely see that in Tim Burton.

PwoperNereguar
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 10 Jan 2016
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Posts: 51
Location: Nottinghamshire, England

11 Jan 2016, 3:57 pm

PwoperNereguar wrote:

To add to this, because I didn't have time earlier, I think it's quite popular because it allows full creativity. One can look over an entire project and explore their fantasies through directing. I think Aspergers is best used when the person has the power to use their creativity with no pressure over it. I'm willing to bet there are many autistic authors too.

Page 5 of 6 [ 90 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next

Jump to:

Asperger's Movie Directors/Writers? Post Reply New Topic

Asperger's Movie Directors/Writers?