11 Responses to “Articles”

1. Susan P. on Saturday: 9 August 2008|1952

   It is fitting against the copyright matter to read MEENAKSHI SHEDDE’s “ruthles” attitude towards scriptwriters in the ‘The more you tell a story, the richer it gets’ piece.

   I also find the recommendation about story telling useful. How many new writers sit back with their scripts and read them aloud and get the feel of their resonance in a context?

   I have also repeatedly heard that it’s not good for a screenwriter to thinking about the filmography (is this a term?). I don’t readily agree with that. I think it important to ’see’ your ideas runs through as a film piece in your mind. Even allowing for tremendous potential changes from final draft to shooting script. What would you more experienced writers say on this?

2. Unk on Saturday: 9 August 2008|2319

   Susan,

   I’ve actually written about this… My advice to anyone writing a screenplay is to fall asleep while playing the movie that you’re writing in your head.

   I do this every day… I also do it in the morning when I wake up. I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s become a habit for me.

   The other thing I regularly do is explain my screenplay out loud using a digital recorder. I tell the entire story from beginning to end and I ALWAYS come up with a way to resolve a problem or new twist on something I’ve written.

   On top of that, I read my screenplay out loud — once again — recording the entire read so I can sit back and listen to how it sounds. I take notes as I go along but just as important — during the reading, there’s always SOMETHING popping out at me — begging for change.

   If I could set it up easily enough, I’d probably hire actors to read my final draft as I think having others interpret what you’ve written helps immensely.

   I’ve done it a couple of times and was amazed at what came out of it.

   Unk

3. Christian M. Howell on Sunday: 10 August 2008|0956

   Interesting articles. My favorite line came from “Putting the scriptwriter…”

   “No one ever leaves a movie saying, I loved that character arc.”

   I feel that statement in a nutshell explains why so many screenplays suck. The character arc is not to be taken lightly. Sometimes, the character shouldn’t change the thing that brought them so much trouble.

   Clarice’s “Lambs” led her to be an FBI agent, it can be assumed. Matilda’s rebelliousness saved her from the bad cops. Tony Stark’s weapons experience enabled him to create Iron Man.

   The statement also harps on the “sequence” and “set piece” nature of successful films. Identification with or sympathy for a character is secondary to the situations and resolutions.

   When I write a story, I try to take myself out of the screenwriter’s position and into the audience. If I can see myself laughing or thinking or crying or cheering, I think I’ve done my job.

   Of course, I like to maintain the flexible structure of sequences that allow for changes without deviation from the themes.

   I’m in the home stretch on several requested scripts but my day job is killing my timing. But then I spend a lot of time studying. My latest thing is Deleuze, the great French neo-realist philosopher.

   As to yur comments, I actually try to act out the scenes, body language and all – its rather embarrassing with female characters (LOL), but it does let me see how the scenes play out.
   Admittedly, I would liek to direct, bt even for stories that are for spec, I like to do this. I mean, if a director can see your words, then you have the best ally you can get almost.

   Anyway, enough rambling. I’m at a crucial “set piece” in my family comedy.

   Oh yeah, and keep writing as writing is the revealing of the soul.

4. Ryan on Sunday: 10 August 2008|2004

   Thanks Unk.
   These are really good!

5. Ryan on Sunday: 10 August 2008|2006

   Your first advice to Susan on falling asleep while playing your script in your head works wonders.

   I wake up realizing I’ve had dreams of my script. What is on paper has become a movie in my head while sleeping.

6. Susan P. on Sunday: 10 August 2008|2013

   That was good advice indeed Ryan and something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s like in those twilight states you can relax into aspects of the character and think about their lives in a flow.

7. Rando on Monday: 11 August 2008|0936

   Cry me a River about right wing conservatives in Hollywood. If that’s what you believe don’t whisper. All the movies are so left wing…? Juno left wing? Really? If it was left wing she would have had an abortion. If Juno would have done that there would be protests in the street. Giving up the baby for adoption seems right in line with right wing line of thinking. Bleeding heart conservatives..

8. Susan P. on Tuesday: 12 August 2008|0715

   I’ve not seen Juno so its nigh on impossible for me to comment on it specifically Rando however, I think of context. If a young woman had a mother who was a well known public advocate for abortion, choosing that option may be the conservative one. Still, I know exactly what you mean in the broader sense. I absolutely agree with the article’s author re bias within groups and resultant exclusions/inclusions however the piece ends in a way that reminds me of articles I used to read 15-20 years ago – simple insert ‘left’ for the term ‘conservative’. In fact I am slightly bewildered by the use of ‘conservative’ in the last paragraph.

   The author also meanders through a few different – admittedly interrelated – topics. White autochotony is one. The standpoint of the writer is another. I am working on something that doesn’t have a single female character. I don’t see that as conservative OR left. It just is. I know a male who wrote an exquisite piece about a woman and gave her a breathtaking ‘voice’, but I KNEW the author was male as I entered reading. Who is going to know (as such) in watching a film? Many of these issues are matters we think of after the event. A couple of degrees of separation perhaps.

9. Susan P. on Tuesday: 12 August 2008|0716

   autochthony darn it. White autochthony is a useful term for those more ethnographic conversations. :)

10. emily blake on Wednesday: 13 August 2008|0746

    Re the 10 best SciFi movies never made:

    I would kill somebody to write Stars My Destination. I would take a knife and stab a pedophilic hobo in the throat and not look back.

11. Robert. N on Monday: 25 August 2008|1446

    Unk you are a rare individual in this business who speaks plain Enlish How refreshing, loved the post on Character building.
    That’s how I structure my work.
    Thanks

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