"BlacKkKlansman" screenwriter talks about film David Rabinowitz said a secret to his success is accepting failure

BY PETER VILLAFANE

The red carpet at Cannes Film Festival is packed with photographers on either side. Celebrities are lined up getting their photos taken.

Spike Lee, Adam Driver and the rest of the cast from “BlacKkKlansman” are lined up, posing for the photographers.

Behind them, trying to get in the photos, are screenwriters David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel. Their heads peak through behind the cast.

Rabinowitz may not be as recognizable as the famed director and A-list actor, but his star as a top writer is on the rise.

That's because he and a team of screenwriters won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019.

He discussed his life and career in a Zoom event organized by the Media Arts Department and the Pierce College Film Club on May 18.

Rabinowitz said his advice for screenwriters is to not give up and concentrate on the process of making something rather than hoping for a specific result.

“If it's focused on a result, then you're just going to be in a constant state of failure until you reach that milestone,” Rabinowitz said. “If you do happen to reach that milestone, you're going to move the goalposts and you're going to create something else and then you’re a failure once again.”

The Cannes audience tends to either praise a film or boo at it, according to journalism instructor Sean CollinsSmith, who arranged the event.

“BlacKkKlansman” received a standing ovation.

Communications professor Barbara Anderson wrote in an email that she enjoyed how Rabinowitz described what it was like at Cannes.

“I felt like we could all identify with how surreal that must have felt for him, and by extension, how our students could have a similar surreal, dream come true,” Anderson wrote.

After “BlacKkKlansman” won the Oscar, Rabinowitz said he was overwhelmed with shock.

“I kind of blacked out between that moment and getting up on stage and I was very thankful that I didn't have to say anything,” Rabinowitz said.

He said it was good that he had no expectation of winning an Oscar while writing the script.

“I'm glad I had no idea that was going to come because it would have paralyzed the process,” Rabinowitz said.

“BlacKkKlansman” is not the first script he wrote, but it is the first one that he sold.

Community College District, have been keeping in contact with one another.

Topics the group have discussed include updating one another to see how other programs have been coping with the quarantine, and staying informed about any new regulation changes that stem from the pandemic.

“The big thing right now for us is May 29, the day when the CCCAA Executive Board will be meeting to decide what will be happening in the fall,” Armenta said. “A lot of us are trying to unite and really push to have a playing season, as well as figuring out what it would take to even have that.”

As for what the upcoming fall season may hold, Armenta remains hopeful.

“We want the season, and if there are restrictions, we want to have a scenario that is still fair and safe for everyone involved,” Armenta said. “We were told that any option can be considered, whether that may be a shortened schedule or postponing the start of the season.” mgaribay.roundupnews@gmail.com

For now, Ryan, Swain and many other student-athletes will have to continue with a sense of uncertainty with their playing careers and where their next academic homes will be.

Berger said some classes will have live instructions and others will not, and students can know the class type by searching the notes under the class listing. Most classes have been assigned a time, even if there is no live instruction to avoid conflict with synchronous learning.

If the system says there is a scheduling conflict but there is no live instruction, students can contact the Admissions and Records office through Cranium Café or by email to resolve the issue.

There will be no life science courses offered over the summer. Chemistry labs will be offered and will use virtual lab programs Labster and Beyond Labs.

Dean of Student Engagement Juan Carlos Astorga began the first “We Are Here For You” forum answering student-submitted questions. He said he hoped to give students an idea of how the college will be moving forward and give an update on how it has transitioned.

Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters addressed how difficult the transition to online may be to some and how the pandemic may have affected students.

He encouraged students to continue communication with academic counselors, faculty and the Student Health Center. All resources provided by Pierce College are still available online.

Dixon-Peters said anyone who missed the May 10 deadline to receive an excused withdrawal (EW) must submit an email to the Admissions and Records office to petition to receive an EW.

Associate Vice President Bruce Rosky said that students who receive an EW on their transcripts will also receive a refund for the course.

He said he and Wachtel took some creative liberties when writing the script.

“Real life isn't structured in three acts and can't be properly summarized in two hours,” Rabinowitz said. “You have to make some choices right off the bat and you have to make it honestly. There's nuance to this, but I feel like your responsibility as a filmmaker is to the film, not necessarily to the true events.”

Rabinowitz started creative writing during second grade and eventually started writing scripts when he was around 17. He then worked in the video department of the Wall Street Journal before moving to Los Angeles with Wachtel in 2012.

“I decided to load up my 1997 Toyota Corolla with everything I owned, and drive across the country,” Rabinowitz said. Wachtel was the one who found Ron Stallworth’s memoir “BlacKkKlansman.” He and Rabinowitz made a “handshake deal” with Stallworth to get permission to turn the biography into a script, Rabinowitz said.

“We basically put our trust in him, and he put his trust in us,” Rabinowitz said.

18, 2020.