Writing a Life - Shunsuke Funakoshi

Screenwriter Shunsuke Funakoshi is not shy about how and where he gets the inspiration for his screenplays. Shunsuke credits the fact that he has been fortunate enough to live in a variety of places around the world with his unique insight and ability to capture life.

 

From the countryside of Japan to New York to Los Angeles, he has encountered an array of different people who live with different philosophies on life. “When you actually experience something, it eventually becomes yours,” he says, on his ability to transform the thoughts and experiences of others into his own writing. Shunsuke has taken inspiration from other writers, from Ernest Hemingway to Charlie Kaufman, but he emphasizes that life experiences are the only real tools one has that can be turned into a form of art.

 

Shunsuke also appreciates the experiences he’s had in the classes and film festivals he’s been a part of in Las Vegas (Script Summit, 2018), New York (Grove Film Festival, 2018), and Los Angeles (LA LIVE FILM FEST, 2018), which give him the energy to keep moving forward. He uses these encounters with other writers as an opportunity reflect and improve his writing. If he is the product of his experiences, then he will continue living and working, with strong will and determination.

 

As for his future plans, Shunsuke intends to continue building his writing career in Los Angeles. He also mentions plans to create a framework that offers opportunities to newcomers, including a website full of resources and an online community for emerging filmmakers. He is excited to pay forward all the help and support that was given to him when he was starting out.

 

On the subject of advice for aspiring writers, Shunsuke simply says: “Experience life, then write it.”