Guru of cinematic writing Robert McKee says trying to be popular leads to bad work, Wang Kaihao reports.

In his three decades of teaching screen writing, Robert McKee has seen a long list of his former students win the Oscars, Golden Globe Awards and the Emmys.

But when asked why none of his scripts have been adapted into films, the guru of cinematic storytelling, now 75, responds: "Aristotle never wrote a play."