Bad movies are all my fault…
Okay, I’m so busy today and so many liked Tabre’s email that I figured I’d throw up another… I mean it is FRIDAY, right? This email came from someone that stuck a Ph.D. at the end of his last name along with his position at a university. LOL. Me thinks Graham is simply a frustrated screenwriter writing stuff that nobody fucking understands… Here’s his email:
Dear Unknown Screenwriter,
I read with interest, your post on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Unfortunately, you’ve failed to realize that Maslow got it WRONG. His hierarchy is complete nonsense and there is new research in the academic world that lends credence to the fact that most human desires are the result of genetic pre-disposition.
While I am certainly not a screenwriter, I can say that I do enjoy the infrequent film from time to time and it’s always the same predictable garbage and I for one wish I could request a refund. Are you screenwriters secretly meeting once a month and worshipping Maslow? Is there an underground organization within the movie studios to further this tripe?
This could easily explain why so many films these days are completely unbelievable. With “so-called experts” like yourself chanting the mantra of Maslow; no wonder most movies these days are completely inane.
You are being quite irresponsible by praising Maslow and touting his theories as no doubt, your “followers” will end up doing as well. If this persists, I will have no recourse other than to stop attending the cinema.
Graham
My email to Graham:
Graham,
If I CORRECTLY read between the lines of your email, you are, in your own way, blaming ME for all the shitty movies that are being released. Well, maybe not just me… Me and all my followers that meet once a month to chant and dance around the campfire, “MASLOW! MASLOW! MASLOW! MASLOW!”
I find it ironic and interesting at the same time that you work at a university and even claim to have a Ph.D. yet all you do is simply tell me that Maslow got it wrong and is complete nonsense. I mean you went out of your way to send me an email; why not go a little more out of your way and cite some reference material for me?
Could it be that you have no reference material to cite? Could it be that after all these years, there’s really no groundbreaking dissenting research that’s been able to completely disprove Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
Or… As I suspect… Could it be that you’re just a guy who hates working at a university and instead, longs for a shot at the movies? Hell, maybe you’re just a frustrated screenwriter like the rest of us…
Could it be?
Who gives a shit?
Graham, I don’t give a shit if Maslow was right or wrong and I’ll tell you why… IT DOESN’T MATTER. His hierarchy of needs makes just enough sense and rings just enough true that I feel it’s a great little tool to help the fledgling screenwriter better understand people and their basic motivations.
That’s all. I’m not an amateur psychologist; I’m just a guy WITH NO FOLLOWERS who’s trying to write better screenplays.
If the fledgling screenwriter can better understand people, he or she very likely has a better chance to be able to develop believable characters. Maslow is simply a starting point. At no time did I preach it as the gospel. At no time did I tell anyone that THIS IS IT AND THERE AIN’T NO MORE.
That would be STUPID… Kinda like your email to me.
Maybe if you had cited the research and book written by Steven Reiss, Ph.D., professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, I would sit up and take a little more notice of your email. I for one have read his book, “Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Behavior and Define Our Personality” — have you? If not, I suggest you pick up a copy over at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/158542045X/
reviews/104-3784817-5285566
Dr. Reiss seems to be the only one to have done any research that might actually dissent with Maslow’s theory yet, even he does not completely discount Maslow’s work. Is this possibly the material that you’re referring to? Oops. I mean the material that you’re NOT referring to?
If it were me and I was going to refer a fledgling screenwriter like myself to any material beyond Maslow, the above book is definitely the book I would recommend… I only mention this just in case you need to know that when you write another screenwriter about how we’ve all fucked up the movies.
In reality however, I find Dr. Reiss’ book to be the kind of material one should pick up only after becoming familiar with Maslow’s theory. I find that his book goes beyond Maslow’s BASICS and delves into the whys and wherefores of how each individual actually differs from each other when it comes to their motivations and desires.
I would not however, simply refer a fledgling screenwriter to Reiss’ work until they have at least read and digested Maslow as a starting point which is exactly why I mentioned Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in my post.
Now go finish your screenplay…
Unk
—Like Tabre, Graham never wrote me back but unlike Tabre, I think Graham visits here fairly regularly. At least that’s what my server logs show. LOL. So if that’s true, I only have one question, Graham? Have you read the book yet?
Unk
Tags: hate email
An email from Tabre…
At Ann’s request, I’m sticking up one of my many fan’s emails here… I’m assuming this is just some kid blowing off some steam but hey… I could be wrong. Makes you love the Internet… Mind you, this isn’t the worst but it is one of the most amusing.
The email:
Dear Unk,
If I spell your name on a piece of paper and put an f in front of it then take out the n and then stick YOU after it you will then know how I fill about you. I watched SA 4 times now. It jest gets better withe age. All my firends seen it 2 and they love it. But anuff about that unk. We gunna come find you an cap yer ass. yeah, wach out. We mean it. We got some hackers working on yer address and it turns out we probly live right down the road fromyou.
Joe’s the man always going to be the man. He writes like nobody’s business and he shares a lot on his site about this. Yer jest pssing and moning cuz hes on top and yer on bottom. SA goning to top a hundred mil you know it and i know it so fuck you. We will be waching you on the 405 mahfucka. Dont be suprised when we zing a cap right thru yer forhed.
Course you can takeit all back and we be frends. Besides you stole yer name from one of our brothers.
Tabre
My answer to Tabre:
Tabre,
I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy gang-banging schedule to contact me again about SMOKIN’ ACES. Or should I say, gang-bang wanna-be motherfucker? At least that’s what you sound like to me… I suggest you pull your fucking pants up (maybe even get a fucking belt), turn your ballcap around, brush your fucking teeth and get a job.
That’s right… Turn the fucking cellphone off… Throw the beeper out the window and go open a fucking book for God’s sake. Like Ray Liotta’s character in PHOENIX said to Giovanni Ribisi’s character… If not some Dostoyevsky, then maybe some Mark Twain?
If you can’t get a job, you might want to take an English refresher class and learn how to spell. I’m sure Joe would want you to be REPRESENTIN’ the best you can…
I WAS going to sit here and attempt to explain to you what I thought went wrong with SMOKIN’ ACES but I can see that would be a futile attempt at best so let’s just agree to disagree here… Can’t we all just get along, Tabre?
No?
Okay. Not a problem. Be seeing you on the 405. My shit’s under the seat. Look for the YELLOW HUMMER with UNK on the license plate.
Have a nice day,
The Unknown Screenwriter
—Now after rereading this I guess I was too hard on old Tabre and if he sees fit to email me again or post a comment, I’ll be happy to apologize. Stick to the Dostoyevsky. I also want to apologize to anyone out there driving a Yellow Hummer with UNK on the license plate. LOL.
Unk
Tags: hate email
The Transformational Character Arc… Part 6 Personality Types
Lots of activity going on with The Hyper but almost NO PROGRESS. I know of a lot of these types. Talk about OVERKILL… The Hypers of the world are always over-thinking and beating those dead horses into the ground.
A very self-centered individual, The Hyper is a careless, unstable thrill-seeker prone to bouts of explosive anger and excitement. They’re outgoing but moody. Energetic but unfocused (or is it unfocussed?).
Don’t try to get too intimate with The Hyper… They simply do not have the DNA to deal with your emotions. You’ll find The Hyper working in a job where things change on a daily basis. They normally like working in the outdoors in manual labor positions rather than inside using their head.
The Loner has absolutely no problem being engulfed in solitude… In fact, they prefer it… In fact, The Loner enjoys and prefers interests that allow him or her to be alone most of the time. They rarely look to other people for any kind of comfort so watch out if you’re trying to get close to The Loner.
The Loner definitely is NOT into social activities and rarely will you find them to be a JOINER of such. You’ll find The Loner disinterested in the approval of others. They simply don’t need or require it. The Loner doesn’t reveal himself or herself too easily with others because he or she simply lacks the interpersonal skills to do so. It just ain’t a big deal to them.
You won’t find The Loner hangin’ out with his or her friends… They rarely possess the actual skill to get too close to others but they often share at least one close relationship with a sibling.
The Loner is a reserved individual… Doesn’t outwardly express a lot of emotion and rarely gets angry… Rather, they just don’t give a shit. The Loner never really sweats the small stuff and always has the big picture in mind.
While The Loner may appear not to be an ambitious person on the surface, they often excel in generic activities i.e., sports, athletics, etc. and do quite well academically… You’ll just never know it unless you pay close attention because again, they don’t make a big deal out of it. They know they’re good and that’s pretty much the only acceptance they do need or require.
The Loner tends not to be satisfied as a member of a family and might appear to be self-absorbed and lacking in interest of family members but that’s not necessarily true because in reality, they are pretty damn harsh on themselves. This harshness helps The Loner excel.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t find your Loner brother or sister showing up to family events either… These events just aren’t as significant to them as they are to the rest of the family.
People don’t easily walk up to The Loner… Those around him or her can sense their requirement of solitude so they simply leave The Loner alone and that’s okay… The Loner likes it.
You’ll find The Loner working in a job that guess what? He or she is able to work ALONE.
The Man’s Man is exactly what the label entails… He’s extremely masculine to the point of overkill. In fact, their masculinity is damn near compulsive! A very demanding and hard individual, The Man’s Man is aggressive, ambitious, and adventurous. He has to win… No, HE MUST WIN NO MATTER WHAT! Just like a vampire winces at the cross, The Man’s Man winces at any kind of weakness.
Need a one-dimensional character for your screenplay? Consider using The Man’s Man. He’s the epitome of one-dimensionalism. The Man’s Man is so one-dimensional, that he’s inflexible when it comes to just about everything; ESPECIALLY masculinity. He lacks originality and steers more toward his own ideas of traditional male interests and pursuits.
Don’t expect to be able to work anything out with The Man’s Man because he only knows one kind of response… AGGRESSION. Because the Man’s Man is the epitome of masculinity or at least his idea of what masculinity is, he often seeks out the Ultra-Feminine female. Why? Because together, he looks even more like a Man’s Man! The only problem here is that just about every relationship The Man’s Man gets into with a woman becomes unstable unless she completely acquiesces to his every whim… And that’s what he’s really after anyway.
The Man’s Man can be found working in just about any career field as long as that career field gives them enough time off to pursue their Man’s Man activities.
Know anyone that always wants to dominate everyone and everything? That’s The Manipulator. You might not actually know this person to be a manipulator though… Why? Because he or she is extremely good at manipulating others i.e., it’s in their DNA (okay, not really but they manipulate so well that you’d almost think it was hereditary). The Manipulator is so charismatic at manipulating, you may never realize that they are in fact, manipulating YOU.
The Manipulator never reveals their true personality to you — that’s part of the manipulation. They strive to look good under any circumstances because this reinforces their charisma. To say that The Manipulator is cunning is an understatement… They are MASTERS at what they do. We could learn a lot from simply watching them work.
The Manipulator is so terrified of failure that they go to extremes not to take any kind of responsibility for their actions and can easily thwart blame on others and you’ll fucking believe it.
While The Manipulator will succeed at gaining small things out of you and others; that’s not actually their goal. Rather, they just want to be on top… In control. Total domination. Their antennae is always receiving the vulnerability signal of others and once they receive it, BAM! You’re caught in the web and you’ll never know what hit you until it’s all over.
The Manipulator is unbelievably skilled at getting others to doubt themselves even when circumstances surrounding that individual are obvious. The Manipulator isn’t afraid to resort to physical abuse to gain domination if all else fails; so watch out!
You’ll find The Manipulator working as an attorney, academia, sales, or just about any career field where negotiation takes place.
Unk
Tags: The Hyper The Loner The Man’s Man The Manipulator screenwriting characters character arc writing characters