Appendix A: Interview with Robert McKee (2023)
Note: This interview was checked and accepted by Mckee for using this thesis. In addition, his assistant (Oliver) has checked transcription of this interview. 

My PhD research focuses on Ingmar Bergman’s screenwriting practice, examining how his creative methods intersect with both mainstream and alternative theories of screenwriting. To explore this intersection in greater depth, I conducted an in-depth interview with Robert McKee, a renowned story consultant and author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. During our extended Zoom discussion, McKee elaborated on Bergman’s influence through the lens of his own theoretical framework, exploring how Bergman’s artistic and narrative choices both align with and challenge conventional models of screenwriting, thereby underscoring his pivotal role in the history of cinema.

I intend to share selected excerpts from this interview with the readers of the Journal of Screenwriting, as the conversation not only provides valuable insights into the relationship between theory and creative practice but also serves as a potential foundation for future academic investigations into screenwriting methodologies. In the interview, McKee reflects on how and why he has consistently drawn upon Ingmar Bergman as a model screenwriter to reinforce his structural screenwriting principles in both his workshops and publications. By doing so, the enduring significance of Bergman’s oeuvre becomes particularly evident, as McKee explicitly acknowledges him as one of the most influential and intellectually rigorous figures in the history of world cinema.