The Descent…

The Descent

So I went to the theater and watched yesterday…

I was impressed… To a

degree.

While I think the film could definitely be improved, I have to say that it’s the best horror film I’ve seen in quite a while but is that really saying much?

I haven’t yet read the screenplay but I think I can safely say that whatever the screenplay lacks in structure (and I think it probably does), the film more than makes up for in editing.

Why is this an important observation?

Because we should aspire to write our screenplays the way we see a lot of SUCCESSFUL movies edited. Trust me when I tell you that a LOT of movies have been saved in the editing room by oustanding editors… Editors that know backwards and forwards.

Think about how many screenwriting gurus analyze and reverse engineer movies. Think about how many screenplays you’ve read that absolutely do NOT adhere to the movie that you saw in your local theater.

A lot of those films were in fact saved by the editor. Remember… It is the final edited film that we see in the theater or on our DVD player (director’s cuts not included) that is the film we analyze and attempt to emulate… Not necessarily the screenplay that goes with that film. LOL.

What I really loved about THE DESCENT were the creatures…

I felt they were fairly authentic. These were underground creatures that were PERFECTLY ADAPTED to their environment i.e., they were blind, they were white in color, they used sound to locate their prey, they could climb like nobody’s business, and by God, they were fucking scary!

As I sat there watching the film, I couldn’t help but think that “maybe” a creature like this could actually evolve and exist in our world and THAT one element can make a horror story successful as long as you write it correctly.

Without trying to spoil the film for anyone, let me tell you what I didn’t like…

The Antagonist(s), clearly were the underground creatures and it took a hell of a long time for the first intersection of the Antagonist and the Protagonist to occur.

Too long in my opinion.

Normally, this would piss me off but manages (barely) to keep you interested using the misdirection of Juno’s (the girl that gets everyone to go cave exploring in the first place) taking the girls into an unexplored cave without telling them. They all think they are going into a cave that’s already in the books. I also thought there might have been an affair going on between Juno and Sarah’s (the Protagonist) husband but I could be wrong… Definitely another problem with the story.

However, the shots of the cave are spectacular enough to keep us interested and not asking too many questions about the slow introduction of the creatures. Combine that with the weak subplot mentioned above and the subplot of the same character (Juno), not going to visit the Protagonist in the hospital after her husband and child are killed in an automobile accident, and that’s where BARELY comes in.

This misdirection successfully keeps you wondering when these two women will eventually confront each other… They do not until AFTER dealing with the creatures for quite a while.

You might read in some of the reviews (as I did) that this film is good for a few scares and jumps… While it did not scare me or make me jump, I did observe the audience and there were quite a few… There were even a few audience members hiding their eyes… All residual effects of a decent horror flick.

Suspense was generously salted throughout the film and I was grateful for this… You were always worried about what might happen around the corner but having said that, I don’t think the filmmakers exploited that element quite enough.

As with some recent zombie films, THE DESCENT borrows the magnification element i.e., at first we’re dealing with only a creature here and a creature there… Toward the end however, they RAMP up the danger with a shitload of these fuckers… So right when you’re rooting and cheering the girls on to escape, the final push through to the outside reveals having to go through more of these creatures than ever before and instead of releasing a little tension and getting to relax, the danger is ramped up and we all take one final breath and cerebrally help the Protagonist reach the outside.

Finally, the sound effects combined with the editing is really what helped put this movie above and beyond recent horror fare…

Good stuff! Especially when you consider that the screenplay might actually be weak from a structure standpoint. Weak story — good filmmaking!

Worth a look and a jump or two.

Unk

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August 17, 2006 | Filed Under Uncategorized

2 Comments 

Hit me with your best subplot…

Ahhh. All rested up again.

I read a lot of . Well, it’s definitely a lot to ME. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 a week I’d say… Most are for professional purposes i.e., can we make a movie out of this?

Sadly… No.

At least NOT the kinds of movies our production company wants to make… We’re kind of stuck in the Thriller, Horror, and Action genres.

In fact, I just completed reading a script this morning and finishing it prompted me to write the post for today…

More and more screenplays I read lately have hardly any subplots… Especially those screenplays I do occasionally read from people trying to break into the industry.

Subplots are simply TOO IMPORTANT not to include into your story.

Let me say it ONE MORE TIME TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR…

Subplots are simply TOO IMPORTANT not to include into your story.

UNNERSTAND? Good. LOL.

Every once in a while, I will read a script from a newbie that REALLY gets me turning the pages and doesn’t seem to let me even relax between all the action… And, once I’m finished, I actually have to take a breather…

It’s usually during this time that my mind starts to quickly travel through the story again and guess what… IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG.

When it doesn’t take that long, that’s my red flag to quickly go back through the screenplay to see what kind of subplots there were because for the life of me… I COULDN’T REMEMBER ANY.

Don’t think that your subplots will naturally develop… Some will of course but that’s cheating. As you create new characters that interact with your main characters, of course some kind of subplot emerges but these are the kind that we expect.

Don’t take my word for it (unless you want) but I think you need at least the following in your screenplays…

Why the restriction? Again, this is my own structural thesis but it really boils down to AUDIENCE and OVERKILL.

I would rather tell a story as concise as possible and have the subplots totally rather than take away from the story hence, the above restrictions. Make note that some of these subplots will naturally develop from simple interaction between your characters… This is fine. This is great. Do this as you would normally and keep on doing it.

What I want to discuss here are .

First, let’s define .

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

:
A subplot is a series of connected actions within a work of narrative that function separately from the main plot. Plot–the connection of events in a temporal or metaphorical line–is distinct from action (events themselves), and when a work of fiction has both a central plot and a second set of connected actions that is separate from that plot, it is said to have a subplot.

Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporting characters, those besides the protagonist or antagonist.

A subplot is sometimes referred to as a “B story” or a “C story” and so on, with the “A story,” being the main plot.

Okay… So that gives you a general “idea” about what a subplot is… A decent foundation for the information that follows… I hope.

Most important rule about subplots:

ALL SUBPLOTS SHOULD SUPPORT, INFORM, AND EVENTUALLY WRAP UP OR PAY OFF INTO YOUR MAIN STORY PLOT.

Subplots CAN HAVE different TIE-INS to your …

1) Subplots can ENHANCE your main story plot.
2) Subplots can UPSET the main story plot.
3) Subplots can be used to SET-UP your main story plot.
4) Subplots can be the MIRROR OPPOSITE of your main story plot.

Let’s take them one by one…

1) Subplots can ENHANCE your main story plot:

2) Subplots can UPSET the main story plot.

3) Subplots can be used to SET-UP your main story plot.

4) Subplots can be the MIRROR OPPOSITE of your main story plot.

How to USE your subplots…

These are fun little “tricks of the trade” uses of subplots and I’ll list them in order of importance to ME.

This is actually my FAVORITE use of subplots because not only can you slow down the advancement of your main story plot, you can also use the same subplot for a myriad of other tricks…

And they are:

The above is by no means an exhaustive list but will hopefully, give you a helping hand with your own subplots…

Remember… No matter how good or bad you think your subplots are, they must follow the most important rule:

“ALL SUBPLOTS SHOULD SUPPORT, INFORM, AND EVENTUALLY WRAP UP OR PAY OFF INTO YOUR MAIN STORY PLOT.”

And, the most important part of the above rule, is that you eventually feed your subplot into your main story plot.

DO NOT leave your subplots unattended! This is another rule that I wish I could shout out loud at you while you’re writing… LOL.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUBPLOTS UNATTENDED!
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUBPLOTS UNATTENDED!
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUBPLOTS UNATTENDED!
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUBPLOTS UNATTENDED!
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUBPLOTS UNATTENDED!

There, how’s that?

Unattended subplots take focus away from the main story plot when in fact they should SUPPORT, INFORM, AND EVENTUALLY WRAP UP OR PAY OFF INTO YOUR MAIN STORY PLOT!

You heard that, right?

At the same time, TOO MANY SUBPLOTS can end up doing exactly the same thing i.e., take focus away from the main story plot by having way too much going on.

YOU DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN IN YOUR SCREENPLAY!

Another good rule of thumb with introducing subplots into your main story plot is to introduce all the characters that will advance those subplots sometime within Act 1.

Remember, a subplot should ; not the other way around… Having said that however, you can often end a subplot when the main story plot also ends as long as you’ve smoothly woven it into your main story plot.

Your subplot needs to start independently from your main story plot and then eventually and help push it forward to the end. Think of several rivers eventually dumping into the ocean to help you visualize the concept.

By paying off and resolving all your subplots by the end of your story, you really engage the audience and give them the opportunity to FOCUS on your main story plot. Your subplots will be there to give the audience all the conflict, tension, and drama when they need it most.

Unk

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August 11, 2006 | Filed Under Structure

11 Comments 

Decisions, descisions… #2

I’m sitting here after a friggin’ marathon rewrite session totally exhausted but can’t get this blog stuff out of my head so here it is for what it’s worth…

Some of this may be a bit redundant but as I bang this rewrite out, I keep realizing that it’s the decisions that my Protagonist makes that truly defines him.

How else can we learn about your characters if they don’t make decisions? Do we really want to learn about our Protagonist from other characters in the story or do we want to see how your Protagonist makes decisions under pressure… Overcoming obstacles… In the face of conflict…

Take a hard look at the pressure your Protagonist is currently dealing with and then CRANK IT UP A FEW NOTCHES. Will he or she make the same decision(s) or do the decisions dramatically change when you crank up the heat?

And… If these decisions do in fact dramatically change when you crank up the heat, do these decisions better define your character?

Probably.

My point?

During your rewrite, TEST YOUR PROTAGONIST by cranking up the heat on each decision he or she makes… If he or she makes the same decisions when the burner is on low… Cool, you might be okay where you are but if your Protagonist makes a totally different decision when you turn the burner on HIGH, maybe… JUST MAYBE… You didn’t have the heat cranked up enough.

In other words, we do not want to see your Protagonist keep making the SAME PREDICTABLE DECISIONS all throughout your story!

BORING! FLAT! NON-DIMENSIONAL!

Ever had your back up against the wall? This is when TRUE CHARACTER REVEALS ITSELF! Back your Protagonist closer and closer against the wall as you progress through your story until at one point; THERE IS NO PLACE ELSE TO GO EXCEPT STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO THE CONFLICT!

String all these decisions from beginning to end and what do we end up with?

.

GROWTH.

.

AND WHAT DRIVES THESE DECISIONS?

MOTIVATION.

We, the audience, want to know WHY your Protagonist makes the decisions they do. We the audience, constantly compare our lives to the life of the Protagonist and while we watch your movie, we WONDER if we would be as brave… As cowardly… As disgusting… As cool… As despicable… I would even go so far as to say that we will even pick up a few “tips” on how to tackle certain life events from your Protagonist.

THAT IS IF… YOU MAKE YOUR PROTAGONIST BELIEVABLE and by believable, I mean making your Protagonist’s motivation work on two levels…

Say what?

Your Protagonist’s is the PATH to achieving their tangible, visible goal.

Your Protagonist’s is WHY he or she chooses one particular PATH or another.

OUTER MOTIVATION is most often revealed through ACTION while INNER MOTIVATION is most often revealed through dialogue and more importantly… the SUBTEXT of that dialogue.

While it is certainly true that some movie characters possess only the outer motivation, this throughline can make your story more comic book style… i.e., you’ll need to really pack in the ACTION and ACTION DECISIONS to keep us from wondering about your Protagonist’s WHY.

Not really sure where I’m going exactly because to be honest… I’m a little delirious and in need of a nap… LOL.

But what I think I’m trying to say is that even IF you decide to pack your story with ACTION and ACTION DECISIONS, I highly recommend that YOU absolutely KNOW your Protagonist well enough to know his or her WHY and their inner motivation EVEN if you decide not to show it to us on the page or in the film.

Ahhhh. Nap time.

Unk

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August 10, 2006 | Filed Under Characters

2 Comments 

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