"When writing a film script it is important that the story is original and reflects the style staff of its author". This was one of the main recommendations offered by the Navarrese filmmaker Patxi Amezcua to those attending the seminar "Decalogue for writing a short film script" which took place at the School of Communication of the University of Navarra, and which was organized by the School of Communication and by the competition of Short Films Navarra, Tierra de Cine.

The screenwriter and director suggested to those present that the starting point of their script should be a story written by its author thinking about what he or she would like to see as a spectator. In a discussion paper full of personal experiences, Amezcua encouraged people to be "ambitious in inventing stories, stories that interest their author, because if you write stories that interest you, you will be able to handle the genre in which they unfold".

Regarding the beginning of the story, Amezcua suggested that it could be an anecdote staff, an inspirational phrase, or a location, as in the case of the competition short films Navarra, Tierra de Cine. The author gave as an example the approach of his film "Seventh", the result of a real game with his children going down the elevator and the children down the stairs, which led him to ask himself the question "What would happen if they disappeared on the way?".

The filmmaker also stressed the importance of the ending because it is "what the viewer is left with when watching a film, so you have to work on a powerful and satisfying ending"; moreover, "if you have an ending, you know where you are going," he concluded.

Use the style staff of each author to reflect it in their scripts.

Amezcua recommended being original in the works and not creating existing stories. In this sense, he explained that, although the history of cinema is more than 100 years old and almost everything has been written about, "what is unique is oneself and one's particular experiences", so he encouraged screenwriters to use the style staff of each author to reflect it in their stories.

The director of "25 Kilates" reminded that in the film format "less is more" and that it is better to "show rather than tell" because, unlike television, which is a medium aimed at a wider audience, in cinema there is no need to explain the obvious.

The filmmaker from Navarre stressed the importance of rewriting the script, of letting the work rest and retaking it to improve its rhythm, the characters that can be used more, the scenes, ... In this sense, he encouraged the audience at seminar to trust their intuition because "if you have the feeling that something is missing or missing, it probably is". On the other hand, he suggested that the scripts be read by third parties who are not too indulgent to improve the script, but always with the final criterion of the author to admit comments without losing the line of the story that was intended to be told.

Finally, Amezcua recommended being coherent with the means available for the production in terms of financing and resources, trying to find a balance between these and the original ambition of the story from the creative point of view.

A speaker with international projection

The work of filmmaker Patxi Amezcua from Pamplona has had a clear international vocation with his successful film "Séptimo", a Spanish-Argentinean production shot in 2013 and starring Ricardo Darin and Belén Rueda. He has also recently sold the rights to a U.S. production company to make a version of "25 Kilates", his debut film shot in 2009. Specialized critics define Amézcua's work as "radical, rigorous and modern film noir".

degree program Patxi Amezcua was born in Pamplona in 1968, graduated in Journalism at the University of Navarra, and after attending the University of California (UCLA) to study film screenwriting at programs of study , he started his professional career as a screenwriter, working for production companies such as Columbia Films, DeAPlaneta, El Toro Films, Icónica, Elías Querejeta, Vaca Films, Morena Films, etc. He is a regular partner of the School of Communication of the University of Navarra and of its Master's Degree in Audiovisual Screenwriting.