tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268414072024-03-19T15:10:15.936+11:00The Story Departmenta sharp eye and clear head ¦ from first draft to fine cutKarelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-68032341481009937832018-02-12T18:11:00.001+11:002018-02-12T18:11:20.149+11:00Two More Screenwriting Books I Like (4/5)Hi guys - A lot has happened since I started this blog. Now I'm doing regular videos. Here's #5.<br /><br />Let me know what you think!<br /><br />Please like if you like, subscribe, or post a comment. Thank you!<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Karel<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xysw_6XCxNc" width="459"></iframe>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-86374505503499722712009-03-10T00:19:00.005+11:002010-01-11T00:13:15.613+11:00www.TheStoryDepartment.comThat's where the good stuff is happening these days.<br /><br />And a lot of it, too.<br /><br />KarelKarelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-63342929210396111772009-02-02T22:58:00.016+11:002019-03-09T11:10:26.949+11:00The Social Department<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /><big><span style="color: rgb(51 , 102 , 153); font-weight: bold;">Finally caught up on some movies without guilt about sitting in a theatre, eating popcorn and having fun. Hey, it's my job! The tail end of 2008 felt as the second act in a good screenplay: fun & games, midpoint, ordeal and reward. January started off like a good Third Act. Fast, furious, promising. </span></big><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Story Department is booming and I am now helping more filmmakers than ever before. I am proud to count<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> writer-director </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifaa_al-Mansour" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Haifaa Al Mansour</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> among The Story Department clients. Haifaa is the only female film director from Saudi Arabia. With her I will be working on her screenplay WADJDA (working title), which secured a place in the <a href="http://www.berlinale-talentcampus.de/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Berlinale Talent Campus</span></a> at the <a href="http://www.berlinale.de/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Berlin Film Festival</span></a>.<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">FLASHBACK TO 2008</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here comes a montage-style, birds-eye overview of last year... (and I'm leaving out some things - big and small - that are not your business anyway.)<br /><br />FUNDING AND OTHER SUCCESSES: Early in the year, two of my clients were awarded AFC Development funding. The one former client who had meanwhile defected to an eminent American script consultant was not so lucky. On a remotely related note: in May, a handful of writers joined me in a 5-day inspirational development workshop organised by Inscription, headed by that eminent American script consultant. Thank you Marcus West for making this possible!<br /><br />PRODUCTIONS: In 2008 I completed two screen productions: Rodney March's fabulous animation TIN CAN HEART (a 'mini Wall-E', which we completed just before the release of the Pixar feature) and a documentary interview with legendary Hollywood designer and fellow Sydneysider Ron Cobb. The latter was commissioned by the <b>CREATIVE MASTERS FORUM</b>, where I hosted discussions with Ron Cobb and top cinematographer Don McAlpine.<br /><br />THE SPRING SEMINARS - I'm missing Miritana, Antonio, Mellanie, Jacob, Daniel, Mark, Nicole, Ron, Michelle, Ngaire, Carlo, Sharon, Linda, Vee, Susanne, Thomas, Nick, Pam, etc., all participants of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/screenplay/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the Spring Seminars</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Sign up now for <a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/subscribe/" style="font-weight: bold;">Premium membership</a> for $89 and receive an early bird discount code that won't expire in 2009.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">THE GREAT DEBATE - In a stroke of insanity, I accepted Billy Marshall Stoneking's challenge to go head-to-head on </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=36530189085" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Structure vs. Character in The Great Debate</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Billy did his trademark performance and I focused on the learnable craft skills. The debate re-focused my thinking: as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Feldstein" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Jack Feldstein</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> concurs, structure is indeed a more manageable and tangible approach.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">WORDCAMP AUSTRALIA - If you were at the Great Debate wondering about the "W" pin on my shirt: I was not supporting the ex-US President; this is the WordPress logo. I recently held a 'lightening talk' at </span><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/karel-at-wordcamp-australia/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">WordCamp Australia</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (Photo's: </span><a href="http://ma.tt/2008/11/wordcamp-au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">http://ma.tt</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">). </span><a href="http://www.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">WordPress</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is the powerful open source technology behind my blog and I love it. Thank you WP!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />SPONSORSHIPS - The Story Department was a proud sponsor of the <b><a href="http://www.coogeeartsfestival.com.au/events/stinkwater-international?id=30&name=prizes" target="_blank">Stinkwater Film Festival</a></b>, the <b><a href="http://wiftnsw-mmw.org/CMS/" target="_blank">WIFT Mentorship Program</a></b> and the <b><a href="http://www.azafestival.com/" target="_blank">AZA film festival in Greece</a></b>. Check out <b><a href="http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GnLADxEr90A" target="_blank">this little making-of clip</a></b> in which the Story Department's parent company <a href="http://www.ozzywood.com/">OZZYWOOD Films</a> features (with its a slightly distorted logo).<br /><br />Finally, a big thank you to the interns who helped me throughout the year: Lauren, Susanne, Yvonne, Iona and Tanya.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THE PROMISE OF 2009</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />In the introduction I bragged a bit. Now, here's some stuff you might actually benefit from:<br /><br />GUEST BLOGGERS - </span></span><span designtimesp="23011" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jack Feldstein has written a bitterly funny four-part series about </span><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/category/series/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the psychology of the screenwriter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Some of it can be extrapolated to filmmakers in general, I think. Not sure if that's a good thing... </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have a whishlist of some other people I respect in the industry and who I'm hoping are willing to contribute to the blog. Feel free to suggest someone from the screenwriting or filmmaking community you would like me to grill on story for the screen.<br /><br />NEW YEAR'S BONUS</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>All existing Premium Subscribers will receive a free extension of their membership until 31 December 2009</b>. For some this means an extension with more than half a year. And for new subscribers I am offering the </span><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/premium-subscription-special-offer" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Valentine </span></span></a></span><span designtimesp="23008" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "georgia";"><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/premium-subscription-special-offer" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Special</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> of 50% discount, ending on 14 February. All subscribers will also enjoy a <b>never expiring Early Bird rate for all workshops and seminars</b> I organise throughout 2009.<br /><br />STORY WORKSHOP - Join me for the first story workshop of the year! At this point, with more than two weeks left to go, we have no less than 29 confirmed guests at <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/WIFT%20NSW%27s%20Media%20Mentorship%20for%20Women" target="_blank">my scriptwriting workshop</a></b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span designtimesp="23008" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">on 21 February at the Rex Centre. So hurry to secure your seat! It will be the largest workshop I've ever conducted and yes: I may be nervous! The event is </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span designtimesp="23008" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0); font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">organised by Ana Tiwary and her team at the <b><a href="http://wiftnsw-mmw.org/CMS/" target="_blank">WIFT NSW's Media Mentorship for Women</a></b>. The workshop will kick off a new series of seminars and workshops about such topics as essential screen story, hero's journey, adaptation and script perfection.<br /><br />Welcome to this year's interns: Cleo, Ursula, Marian, Francesca and Margit. I also look forward to mentoring Nicole Tanzabel through the WIFT MMW program.<br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="social"> </a><br /><b><br /></b><b>ONLINE BUTTERFLIES</b><br /><br />GET CONNECTED - Have you noticed I moved from Outlook to Gmail? It happened when the following icons appeared in my signature: <a designtimesp="23016" href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/karelsegers" style="padding: 0pt 2px;" target="_service"><span designtimesp="23017"><img alt="Linkedin" border="0" designtimesp="23018" height="16" src="https://www.images.wisestamp.com/linkedin.png" style="padding-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="16" /></span></a><a designtimesp="23019" href="http://www.new.facebook.com/people/Karel_Segers/577782026" style="padding: 0pt 2px;" target="_service"><span designtimesp="23020"><img alt="Facebook" border="0" designtimesp="23021" height="16" src="https://www.images.wisestamp.com/facebook.png" style="padding-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="16" /></span></a><a designtimesp="23022" href="http://story.ozzywood.com/" style="padding: 0pt 2px;" target="_service"><img alt="Blogger" border="0" designtimesp="23024" height="16" src="https://www.images.wisestamp.com/blogger.png" style="padding-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="16" /></a><a designtimesp="23025" href="http://twitter.com/ozzywood" style="padding: 0pt 2px;" target="_service"><span designtimesp="23026"><img alt="Twitter" border="0" designtimesp="23027" height="16" src="https://www.images.wisestamp.com/twitter.png" style="padding-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="16" /></span></a><a designtimesp="23028" href="http://www.plaxo.com/directory/profile/4294992573/a79ef909/Karel/Segers" style="padding: 0pt 2px;" target="_service"><span designtimesp="23029"><img alt="Plaxo" border="0" designtimesp="23030" height="16" src="https://www.images.wisestamp.com/plaxo.png" style="padding-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="16" />.</span></a> If you have accounts with LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter or Plaxo, it would be great to connect. Just click on them (sign up if you need/wish) and add me as a contact.<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295201204738795970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0UfwBEOHsl-V8UVTZoIoCy6SJFs0IpXHJoCqfbLcoEJlFi18Smmyj13pzRx-VZ1GYuTpFjBYuiIQyu6PPe0lK-sGhv9bj-EAliztqXnKKDcc6C3oMYObKTD0OLywJ-ugMb6R/s400/dreamstimefree_3957066.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 313px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span>TWITTER - Of the social network media family, Twitter seems to be the fastest growing sprout. I like the 140 character limitation of the messages. Can you fit the logline for your film in a tweet? Perhaps you should work on that.<br /><br />TSD BLOG AND GROUP - On <a href="http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=78300730467" target="_blank">the Story Department Group</a></span></span> on Facebook you can socialise, discuss and learn. With the closing of the AWG Bulletin Board, this <span designtimesp="23045" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span designtimesp="23046">might be an alternative. Go to Facebook and bookmark the page. I have started a discussion </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=6915&post=29257&uid=78300730467#post29257" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">looking for the last truly great Australien Movie</a></span>. Keen to hear which movie you remember to fall in that category...</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I LIKE AUSTRALIA</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMxRKMoZ0vnz9ibmHsOBaGepS-gBmTWMdGfq21bY2OcEP8XL6rZMZxTiIkICvSIZYzX3VGir1AnkmqFngnQ7qN0kJmPXToUiRa4GazHPUIq-ut9Ah-vzP_GN5J5LiUlYzB_aV/?imgmax=800" style="max-width: 800px;" /></span></span></span></b><br />
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<span designtimesp="23080"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);">My way of celebrating Australia Day was to get my blogs back up-to-date.</span><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);"><br /><br />And to <a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/i-like-australia/" style="font-weight: bold;">review Australia.</a><br /><br />It now looks like the film has done pretty good business in Australia and overseas, not in the US. Unfortunately the latter is the market where the film should have recouped its investment, so the other territories could help going into profit.</span><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);"><br /><br />America is still all about 'opening' (i.e.: making the money in the opening weekend), while at home the film has had the opportunity to grow. I would imagine Fox has an arrangement with the exhibitors to keep the film on for a minimum number of weeks at a minimum number of screenings per day.</span><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);"><br /><br />I went to see it in its fourth week and the theatre was full. Although I liked it, Australia wasn't by far my favourite film of 2008. This honour probably went to Iron Man, which I preferred over The Dark Knight (although the latter did deserve some oscar nods). But I missed a few big ones last year.</span><span style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);">So yes, I worked on 26 January. I will celebrate Australia Day on 25 September, the day I invaded Australia back in 2001.</span><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0 , 0 , 0);"><a href="http://www.thestorydepartment.com.au/about-me/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Karel Segers</span></a></span></div>
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<b></b>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-79116840471326532992008-10-14T12:19:00.009+11:002008-10-14T14:00:40.921+11:00Creative Master Ron Cobb<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">Did you know the story at the basis of what later became E.T. started with a pitch to Spielberg at a Paris hotel? On Friday I was sitting opposite the very man who pitched to Spielberg back in the late seventies. I listened to that same pitch. One of those moments you don't lightly forget...</span><br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.storydr.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ron2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-944" title="ron2" src="http://www.storydr.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ron2.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><br />The man sitting opposite me (and Spielberg) was Ron Cobb, who worked in a completely different capacity on other movies such as Alien, Back to the Future, The Abyss and Southland Tales (the last movie by Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly). Next week, Ron will be at the AFTRS Sydney screening theatre for the first Creative Masters Forum.<br /><br />Now, why am I telling you all this?<prepare> (prepare for the shameless plug)<br /><br />Because I produced a documentary interview with Ron and I'll be hosting two sessions at the <a href="http://www.creativemastersforum.com/">Creative Masters Forum</a>, which is all about Ron's life and work. Legendary Australian cinematographer Don McAlpine will also be part of one of the sessions and I'll be talking with Rod March, co-writer and director of my latest 3D animation TIN CAN HEART. This film will have its world premiere on the launch night of the conference.</prepare></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you like the sound of all this, but your focus is more on writing and less on the design side of movies, here is an offer you cannot refuse:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><prepare>Book the four Story Dept. <a href="http://storydr.com/story-sydney"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Spring Seminars</span></a> at full price now, and attend the Creative Masters Forum with Ron Cobb <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">at no additional cost</span>. This is a bonus valued at $990.</prepare></div><div style="text-align: left;"><prepare><br />Details are below.<br /><br />If it's not for you, please pass it on to your scifi geek friend.<br /></prepare></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.creativemastersforum.com/" target="_blank">www.creativemastersforum.com</a></h2><p align="left"></p><strong><br />EXCLUSIVE OFFER</strong><br /><div dir="ltr">Join us for the first Creative Masters Forum (www.creativemastersforum.com), on Tuesday 21 October at the new AFTRS Sydney screening theatre in the Entertainment Quarter.<br /><br />The day focuses on the legendary writer, designer, concept artist Ron Cobb and among the forum participants are other Australian masters such as cinematographer Don McAlpine.<br /><br />Ron will be talking about his life and career and answering questions during two public sessions, hosted by myself (Karel Segers). I also produced a feature interview documentary on Ron of which all delegates will receive a copy.<br /><br /><strong>DOUBLE TICKET</strong><br />This week only, The Creative Masters Forum and The Story Dept. are offering an exclusive double ticket. For $660 you will be able to attend the full day conference plus <strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/story-sydney">the four Story Department Spring seminars</a></strong>. This package is valued at $1,550 if booked individually.<br /><br /><strong>ABOUT RON COBB</strong><br />As a writer, Ron wrote an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and he sold an idea to Steven Spielberg that later became E.T.. He directed the 1992 feature film GARBO.<br /><br />But Ron is best known for his art, which has had a profound influence on modern popular culture through his work with the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott & Jim Cameron. His artistic talents have been commissioned by these iconic directors to assist them developing their vision from concept to creation, and ultimately to the big screen.<br /><br />Ron Cobb's screen credits include ALIEN, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK, BACK TO THE FUTURE, ALIENS, THE ABYSS and many other classic science fiction movies.<br /><br /><strong>OFFER DETAILS</strong><br />Details of the conference are here: <a href="http://www.creativemastersforum.com/" target="_blank">http://www.creativemastersforum.com</a>.<br />Details of the screenwriting seminars are here: <a href="http://storydr.com/story-sydney" target="_blank">http://storydr.com/story-sydney</a><br />Book the seminars before Sunday 19/10 and get the double package (value £$1,550) for only $660.<br /><br /><strong>BOOKINGS:</strong><br />Phone: +61 (0)407 955 555<br />Email: karel@ozzywood.com<br />Web: <a href="http://www.storydr.com/">www.storydr.com</a><br /></div>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-29291011491755335022008-08-24T22:26:00.023+10:002008-08-24T23:57:57.637+10:00What Do You Want?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hH-K3Q2nsJNL8SuQ0fOp5JpbWh7NPsr5d2u9Cen0tsnsHfDpyCBs9kdPOZo7Yy3RimRFvxy1vH3R0Elm5PWRwWUt4B7aNRvp2_KdKu4adDjrk5AlJm7xVlzLQCWTRiQUH5ic/s1600-h/getwhat.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hH-K3Q2nsJNL8SuQ0fOp5JpbWh7NPsr5d2u9Cen0tsnsHfDpyCBs9kdPOZo7Yy3RimRFvxy1vH3R0Elm5PWRwWUt4B7aNRvp2_KdKu4adDjrk5AlJm7xVlzLQCWTRiQUH5ic/s200/getwhat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238059689734896626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">"No, you can't always get what you want<br />You can't always get what you want<br />You can't always get what you want<br />And if you try sometime you find<br />You get what you need."<br />(M.Jagger/K.Richards)</span><br /><br />These lines by the Stones have been quoted to me often enough to make a mention on this blog.<br /><br />In the context of a character's journey, there often is a clear difference between what the character wants and what it needs.<br /><br />The 'want' is also referred to as the 'visible goal', or the <span style="font-style: italic;">Outer Journey</span>. It is often lacking in arthouse films or films with a so-called 'passive protagonist'.<br /><br />The 'need' is the inner counterpart, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Inner Journey</span>. It is about the weakness that needs to be overcome, the subconscious desire for a character quality or a type of behaviour that will make the character stronger, more complete.<br /><a name="jaws"> </a><br />In Jaws, the conscious desire of Chief Brody is to protect the people of Amity. His need or subconscious desire is to deal with the cause of a problem rather than its symptoms.<br /><br />In many great movies, the conscious goal cannot be achieved without first achieving the subconscious goal. In Jaws, Brody cannot adequately protect Amity without killing the shark.<br /><br />Finally, and additional to the 'want' and the 'need', Chief Brody also has a half-conscious <span style="font-style: italic;">longing</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">to make a difference</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqXlq6qOerkiL04V7zf132OyhIQqpXcZX_UC-CSLUIhI88H6Qip_IvinPxQgH8378HryfJNQiATteWXLYMXvxMXI-X_EdZVMSzL4F9pf_jTxRympBy43DDBsdQiJzEuOYf6XE/s1600-h/untitled.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqXlq6qOerkiL04V7zf132OyhIQqpXcZX_UC-CSLUIhI88H6Qip_IvinPxQgH8378HryfJNQiATteWXLYMXvxMXI-X_EdZVMSzL4F9pf_jTxRympBy43DDBsdQiJzEuOYf6XE/s200/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238064632371337346" border="0" /></a>Martin Brody moved with his family from New York to Amity because in the Big Apple he was a nobody. He wasn't equipped to make a difference because of the magnitude of the issues the police corps was facing. So he moved to a peaceful little island community where unlike in New York <span style="font-style: italic;">"one man can make a difference"</span>.<br /><br />Brody hadn't foreseen the obstacles in his new environment: an idiot mayor, his own fear of water and his reluctance to deal with the heart of the matter.<br /><br />His failure to deal with the cause of a problem is evidenced at two crucial moments in the story.<br /><br />In the first scene Brody's son appears in the kitchen with a bleeding hand and he tells him not to play on the swings any more until he has fixed them.<br /><br />At the mid point of the story, just before he ventures out into the sea, Brody warns his wife not to use the fireplace in the den while he is away.<br /><br />In both instances, the Chief was aware of the problem. Still he hadn't fixed it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnUL8k6YzXuwFlDIu2ubd9Tsd2LmPkkcHGqC5p1cIveRCPY2GiNMgckEVIOuqqFk5Ml60_2OQqpPWTEHNZT5_-usuBVzsmsBUonpLfPha6H5ahliAzmKjYT1vNSm6767NWcVb/s1600-h/jaws9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnUL8k6YzXuwFlDIu2ubd9Tsd2LmPkkcHGqC5p1cIveRCPY2GiNMgckEVIOuqqFk5Ml60_2OQqpPWTEHNZT5_-usuBVzsmsBUonpLfPha6H5ahliAzmKjYT1vNSm6767NWcVb/s200/jaws9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238064838559451122" border="0" /></a>Rather than protecting his family by dealing with the cause of each problem, he tells them to just avoid the dangers.<br /><br />In the same way, in the first half of Jaws, Brody tries to close the beach, rather than go out and kill the shark.<br /><br />Brody's WANT is to protect the people. His NEED is to deal with the cause of the problem. Only then can he make a difference and fulfill his longing.<br /><br />(Check out this <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://storydr.com/structure-jaws/">structural overview of Jaws</a>)<br /><br />Mick Jagger was obviously not thinking about movie characters.<br /><br />We all have 'wants' and 'needs' and interestingly we usually attribute a higher value to the visible goals than to what we really need. Because we don't always realise what it is we need.<br /><br />Sometimes we tell ourselves we really want something, although we may not need it at all.<br /><br />The first thing many screenwriters want is not a great story. It is not even a great script. What they want is <span style="font-style: italic;">Final Draft</span>, the screenwriting software. Because that will make them a screenwriter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzz1VEN1SEk"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_BD69hgEoTF1dkgjdxWNqe1N6Z4UNBahzNqFYmQ6OdIDgiqsZXP6_oJ5DkgAJ5feR7qxC8QYjEbusUEWE4v1pjWCY5sMXkwdhA4LeGHvHTJC7Yh86AjyrPDbotcscmqs0aKf/s200/jagger.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238075306852942994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Recently I decided last minute not to deliver a workshop in the way I had planned because it was not enough of what they needed.<br /><br />It was an honest choice because I genuinely want my students to succeed. But from their feedback I learned that teaching also has a commercial reality and if you don't give students what they <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to only give them what they <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span>, you go out of business.<br /><br />The revised workshop was 200% more constructive, practical, relevant to the job and providing a better skills set. Yet one screenwriter was profoundly unhappy, even without knowing the new course content, simply because she was not getting what she wanted.<br /><br />The others were initially reluctant to the course's new direction also. Afterwards all but one agreed what they had received was of greater value than what had been promised.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">"If you try sometime you find<br />You get what you need."</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7Xfq-uGz3TiqktFnbMzSktkYG1Gb6GAxDs_91C3swtS-fc0EUwjDCQiW8gaK6vzwwIQG6zDARTQbgIIyP_DCiDbcSmiOtACzZgXVaZQM5w_32ru7Ra8Jqtxp8unKM_JKcKAz/s1600-h/glad_hero_001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7Xfq-uGz3TiqktFnbMzSktkYG1Gb6GAxDs_91C3swtS-fc0EUwjDCQiW8gaK6vzwwIQG6zDARTQbgIIyP_DCiDbcSmiOtACzZgXVaZQM5w_32ru7Ra8Jqtxp8unKM_JKcKAz/s200/glad_hero_001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238073316795268866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This Sunday 31 August I'm teaching exactly what you both want AND need: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://storydr.com/tatooine-to-ratatouille-nsw/">The Hero's Journey</a>.<br /><br />On Saturday 13 September writers have the opportunity to stay in Sydney and <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://storydr.com/pitch-fest-sydney/">pitch to Hollywood</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv8Il5Ips3Ltkacu7RJYuVIZG6U8RT_rXmUK6dXrWA-xkmLC8p06iUA4I6p8NtIU96dbp0MKZXRexzXi9YKFKUucM5BGXtgJ32sgfLKCoVX3s4m6sUXcMp4mWqfgx1Dhssp4T/s1600-h/bills1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv8Il5Ips3Ltkacu7RJYuVIZG6U8RT_rXmUK6dXrWA-xkmLC8p06iUA4I6p8NtIU96dbp0MKZXRexzXi9YKFKUucM5BGXtgJ32sgfLKCoVX3s4m6sUXcMp4mWqfgx1Dhssp4T/s200/bills1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238073319322774450" border="0" /></a>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-2005967186562059112008-06-30T19:00:00.004+10:002008-11-14T06:42:21.429+11:00Funny Games Over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK-pmZK4BPK3ZcJrQmv-KAELzIQyysEaI8YFNXXkHOJfVJR4znNgEdhSPPOwoj9uMK-aY-nbyleZscaIrINyqIaqC9dS3A4-4ickyr6Mf6MDikW57FMmFBd24TrxpiWeLT4wR/s1600-h/tartan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK-pmZK4BPK3ZcJrQmv-KAELzIQyysEaI8YFNXXkHOJfVJR4znNgEdhSPPOwoj9uMK-aY-nbyleZscaIrINyqIaqC9dS3A4-4ickyr6Mf6MDikW57FMmFBd24TrxpiWeLT4wR/s200/tartan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217597796542067586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">In a really eerie twist of fate, four days after my article on Funny Games, co-producer Tartan Films has closed shop. If you didn't believe me when I wrote that <a href="http://thestorydepartment.blogspot.com/2008/03/is-arthouse-dead.html">arthouse is dead</a>, the staggering facts are </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">now </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">staring you in the face. Not that I am wallowing in this news; I have greatly admired the vision and business of <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=39611&Category=">Hamish McAlpine</a>, ever since I met with him in the late nineties.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.filmbrain.com/filmbrain/2008/06/tartan-films-ri.html">Apparently</a> the losses on Funny Games were the final straw, suffocating Tartan to the point first the US branch closed, then the company went into administration.<br /><br />It is sad that a company that had been fighting, at times very successfully, to bring groundbreaking cinema to its specialist audience, is now punished for just doing that.<br /><br />In the worst case scenario, this could be really bad news for film lovers in the UK and the US. It often happens in situations of bankruptcy that film rights end up in a no-mans-land.<br /><br />I am not an expert but I understand that creditors sometimes exercise power over what happens to the assets of the company in trouble. Here, the assets are movie rights and if a dispute arises between creditors, rights can be broken up, requiring the approval of several parties before they can be exploited.<br /><br />In the worst case, a situation arises in which it just becomes too complex - and too expensive - to allow the film in the market again, sometimes for a long, long time. And fans may have to wait for years before their favourite title is available again in cinemas, on disk, on TV.<br /><br />Even in those cases where the rights simply revert back to the original rights holders, it is not always in the interest of the film(s). Often those rights holders just don't have the passion of someone like Hamish McAlpine who would move heaven and earth to get a movie out to the audience.<br /><br />As we have seen happening this time again, investing in getting these films 1) made and 2) released can be an expensive exercise.Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-85296974854665344342008-06-26T22:41:00.013+10:002008-11-14T06:42:21.577+11:00An Artful Preacher<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEL7VCDS9_llmmvWR06hzboB43qIr_hW4yQoE2zWhjcuwCb47X56MOzWaooeC_BAHE6t2p6Xu7cb0uhy5wbq_L5rTzpEniVXkpWahx6XcNB7PPt6hf3zWKcGTKDYn-Q6gmf2X/s1600-h/funny-games-2007-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEL7VCDS9_llmmvWR06hzboB43qIr_hW4yQoE2zWhjcuwCb47X56MOzWaooeC_BAHE6t2p6Xu7cb0uhy5wbq_L5rTzpEniVXkpWahx6XcNB7PPt6hf3zWKcGTKDYn-Q6gmf2X/s200/funny-games-2007-movie-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216171306058927138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">On the fabulous <a href="http://www.horrorphile.net/" mce_href="http://www.horrorphile.net">www.horrorphile.net</a> you can read a review of Michael Haneke's 2007 remake of his FUNNY GAMES. Very much like reviewer</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"> <a href="http://www.orble.com/bryn/" mce_href="http://www.orble.com/bryn/">Bryn</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">, I realised I had changed since I saw the original 1997 version at the <a href="http://www.filmfestival.be/" mce_href="http://www.filmfestival.be/">Ghent International Film Festival</a> premiere screening (For that occasion I interviewed actress Susanne Lothar afterwards in front of the bewildered festival audience.)</span> <p>I was mesmerised by the 1997 original and thought it was one of the most intelligent and though-provoking movies I'd ever seen.</p> <p>Today - without having seen the remake - my thinking about movies is very different.</p> <p>I'm entering dangerous territory here as Michael Haneke has a solid reputation as an intellectual and an artist.</p> <p>If FUNNY GAMES is to be seen as a statement against a certain type of violence in movies, I assume Haneke would prefer to see the world without it. As an artist and intellectual, did he search for a way to do something about it? I guess the answer is that artists shouldn't provide solutions. They just flag the problem.</p> <p>However, just because he is using the medium that has caused the problem in the first place, there is an opportunity to address the very target group involved in creating and perpetuating the problem. The first step could be to create awareness of the issue with an audience that can make a difference.</p> <p>But the audience of Haneke's type of cinema is not that. They're already converted.</p> <p>When you want to make a critical or philosophical statement, it works better to respect the rules and principles of the format you do this in. In a way THE SIMPSONS has always done this perfectly. To a degree Michael Moore understands this, too. George Carlin did.</p> <p>In any case it goes against reason to make a statement about society in a specific format - here: cinema - and then break the rules of that format. Essentially this is what the story of FUNNY GAMES does: it directs itself to a cinema audience, then tells them they're idiots for wanting the resolution they expect. Not a good way to get a point across. </p> <p>Possibly even more so if that audience is American.</p> <p>Recently I have been referring to the movie <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419073/" mce_href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419073/">PRINCESS</a></b> as an example of a sharp cinematic statement about a dark aspect of our society. The movie does this using the conventions of cinema narrative and it succeeds in a frightening way. It doesn't shock by leaving us confused, but by addressing the issue head-on using a story structure we are all familiar with. The filmmaker has used all his intellectual and artistic powers to create an incisive document that makes a point without frustrating the audience that is willing to listen.</p> <p>When you make a movie, you enter in some sort of agreement with your prospect audience, promising them you are going to tell them a story. That could be any sort of story with any sort of characters about any sort of subject. What it can NOT offer is just any sort of narrative structure.</p> <p>You may argue that Haneke didn't just use 'any sort of structure' but one that was deliberately designed to make a point about genre cliches.</p> <p>When you destroy a cliche, you need to offer an alternative. Haneke leaves a void. This void causes the audience to be shocked and confused, wondering about the point of the entire exercise.</p> <p>When Alfred Hitchcock killed Janet Leigh's character in PSYCHO, he didn't just end the movie there. He took the audience to a new place by bending the rules and creating a story to fill the void left by Leigh and the film became a classic. Not just a cult classic.</p> <p>All storytelling has its own emotional logic. To deliberately frustrate an audience can be seen as arrogant and perverted, even an abuse of the storyteller's power. How much of a point would I make by interrupting my son's bedtime story just before the happy ending, switching on the bright bedroom lights, and with the radio at high volume?</p> <p>In all cultures, stories fulfill an emotional and psychological need. Filmmakers who deny an audience this fulfillment by turning what is inherently an emotional format into an intellectual one, may not be working in the most suitable medium. Perhaps, instead, they should write books, give lectures, go into politics.</p> <p>When ten years ago I watched the original FUNNY GAMES, I didn't realise the film was preaching to the converted because I was a convert myself. I watched it on an intellectual level and enjoyed its brain tease.</p> <p>But doesn't this preaching to the converted really defeat the purpose?</p> <p>And forgive my preaching here, but if Haneke is really the artist he is claimed to be, why then would he ten years after FUNNY GAMES make the exact same movie again? Shouldn't he be doing other, newer, bolder things? Shouldn't the artist reflect the changing times?</p> <p>Surely over the past ten years cinema has changed. Audiences have changed.</p> <p>I certainly have.</p>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-58726367971467761272008-06-23T23:53:00.003+10:002008-11-14T06:42:22.521+11:00Who Are You Gonna Call?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJ2Z9_Z5v5DUvXQMZKNOqVJD_6zTWPrvVyIc5iXTfFD03L83Zz7GFZC6PXGgvcK1r8c6gWv2f1LC-ZBWn7P13L_WmcA5h97Dt-2PUalGdChQ9r9YGCm1eHJ0XvX1mWA-FtLu/s1600-h/SIT-Grammont-Desk-Telephone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJ2Z9_Z5v5DUvXQMZKNOqVJD_6zTWPrvVyIc5iXTfFD03L83Zz7GFZC6PXGgvcK1r8c6gWv2f1LC-ZBWn7P13L_WmcA5h97Dt-2PUalGdChQ9r9YGCm1eHJ0XvX1mWA-FtLu/s200/SIT-Grammont-Desk-Telephone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212034819510022962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">Whether you are a producer, writer or director, sooner or later your project needs the advice of an expert. Movies cost millions. Their development is much like the setup of a million-dollar business. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">So think of the expert as a business coach. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">Major decisions will indirectly impact on your business' bottom line. Any advice leading to those decisions will in some way or other contribute to the success or failure of your project, your slate, your career.</span><br /><div><br />It all starts with that first draft.<br /><br />You give it to a friend, because your friend likes you enough to sacrifice a couple of hours and help your future Hollywood career.<br /><br />But unless that friend is a pro, how can you expect <span style="font-style: italic;">expert </span>advise? Your friend may have never read a single screenplay, produced or unproduced.<br /><br />McKee says: don't ask your friends to <span style="font-style: italic;">read</span> your script, but to listen to your story summary, told over a coffee. Ten minutes, no more.<br /><br />So how is <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> going to help you?<br /><br />I'm not sure your friend will distinguish a wonderfully told screen story with engaging characters from something that is wildly imaginitive but plain wrong for the screen.<br /><br />If your friend doesn't work in a creative position in the industry, will you get reliable career advise? I think not.<br /><br />Honest advise you may get from a producer or an agent, even an experienced fellow writer. These people's businesses rely on stories that sell. You might ask a director or actor for their opinion, but - with all due respect - it will be less reliable.<br /><br />If no working professional sacrifices their time to further your aspirations, don't despair. There is an army of script editors, screenplay consultants, story analysts etc. out there to help you.<br /><br />Whether you like it or not, you are going to pay them.<br /><br /><a name="editor"> </a><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">DO YOU TRUST THIS PERSON?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYE4U3whlY11xC3WD1h-OVF3ZfoXedW7PldUJQ_2oPOVX7363L05FvocrVa_cQmrPQU6pZ-C3I_rFQKxsQGgBJ0SfcBH9D2gCsXNreGnWPdBMczRjwC_gTGY8yPpJOPr-chGf/s1600-h/oldman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYE4U3whlY11xC3WD1h-OVF3ZfoXedW7PldUJQ_2oPOVX7363L05FvocrVa_cQmrPQU6pZ-C3I_rFQKxsQGgBJ0SfcBH9D2gCsXNreGnWPdBMczRjwC_gTGY8yPpJOPr-chGf/s200/oldman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212454190364820066" border="0" /></a>If you are a first-time writer, you will need input on more than one draft and over the course of many months until your script is ready to go into the world and compete with already established writers.</p> <p>If you are serious about breaking in and earning a buck, think hard about who you are giving your money to. Good advice can be costly.</p> <p>But cheap advice can be far more costly.</p> <p>Too many screenwriters make life-changing decisions based on advice given by their friends, peers or so-called experts. Because people are writers themselves or have web sites advertising their services, they are not necessarily qualified to decide over your future.</p> <p>The type of collaboration you are entering into is so crucially important, you really need to do your research. Here are a number of questions to consider before you make a decision. And when I speak of (script) editor, I mean 'story or script consultant' in the broader sense.<br /></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">1. What is the editor's vision on screenwriting?</p> <p>If you believe real characters don't change and your consultant insists that you must have a character transformation, you are effectively on a different wave length. Check out the consultants' web sites. Does it show their vision on story and script development? Or is it full of marketing speak, flowery promises about bringing out your voice, adding to the local culture etc.? Ultimately you want to become a successful writer, earn money and build a career.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. What is the editor's vision on script development?</span><br /></p><p>Is it a 'snapshot person'? An experienced reader, specialised merely in providing script notes and assessments? Or is the focus on getting your script from its current draft to something that can be marketed or produced? Does the consultant's approach dig to the core of the story or does it only fiddle with format and style on the surface?<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;">3. What is the script editor's taste for movies? </p><p>If yours is an edgy sci-fi with elements of raw graphic violence, your money will be wasted on the king of romantic comedy. Can you find a set of favourite movies you both know? Does the <span>consultant have taste that is broad enough for a true professional?</span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">4. Does the editor differentiate between story and script?</p> <p>Story deals with plot, which is how most audiences will refer to your film. Script deals with the detailed expression of story on the scene level. Writing script notes takes time but is relatively simple (I'll give you a whole list of tips & tricks for free). When you choose your consultant, be aware of these two areas of expertise.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">5. Does the script editor speak your language?</p> <p>If you talk about story like Syd Field, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Plot Point One</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Plot Point Two</span>, things may get complicated when your consultant prefers <span style="font-style: italic;">Crossing the First and Second Threshold</span>. Conversely, if your editor doesn't believe in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hero's Journey</span>, you have a good reason for concern . A good consultant knows most if not all story theories and establish a terminology that fits your taste and beliefs.<br /></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">6. Has the script editor published anything?</p> <p>Does the web site give you more than fees and contact details? Is there a blog? Does it express the type of advice you expect? Are the views expressed on the blog or web site original? Can you find an insight you haven't found anywhere else before, which makes total sense? Or does it all read like a collection of cut-and-paste jobs from Robert McKee or - worse - <span style="font-style: italic;" mce_style="font-style: italic;">other web sites? </span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">7. Does the script editor share your passion?</p> <p>If they care about the craft, it will transpire through their writing. If they are passionate, they will want you to succeed. If they love movies, they will know examples from both mainstream and specialty cinema. If they want you to succeed, they will quote from successful movies and reference the principles that made those movies great.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">8. Is the script editor predominantly a writer?</p> <p>Writers may be able to find creative solutions. On the other hand, if you are dealing with a consultant who is primarily an artist, the worldview of that writer may transpire through the advice. Writers by definition try to tell their own story. And some have trouble suppressing the artist inside in order to put the client before the art. Better to work with someone who has a broader understanding of the whole industry.<br /></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">9. Do credits and testimonials give you confidence?</p> <p>Do testimonials give evidence of a sharp, constructive and creative insight? Or just a 'nice person'? In fairness, editors can't (always) be blamed for the failure of films. But if you find a list of failed films, the message may not be the right one. If you want to write for the cinema and credits are biased towards television, you may want to look further.<br /></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">10. Does the editor offer the service you require? </p><p>If you are working on an early draft, you need feedback on the story. It would be a waste of your money (and everybody's time) to get detailed script notes on style, formatting, dialogue etc. Different stages call for different types of advice. Does the consultant offer you these options? Or are all options skewed towards 'script notes'?</p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FORMER H'WOOD EXEC WILL GET YOU MOVIE DEAL!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6Tms61ILTCVI19i3UWSiPAVKYO176aM0Rw-ZEEZMeHOFulOIBqrhLKI9PLAdnQS6sI__WwosCu2AGUCbrxUlzmABvLQiQymVLo7bhhvTBdKsBwfg8rEGzbZB3UUdyr9t4_Y/s1600-h/hwsign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6Tms61ILTCVI19i3UWSiPAVKYO176aM0Rw-ZEEZMeHOFulOIBqrhLKI9PLAdnQS6sI__WwosCu2AGUCbrxUlzmABvLQiQymVLo7bhhvTBdKsBwfg8rEGzbZB3UUdyr9t4_Y/s200/hwsign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212036653663445666" border="0" /></a>Recently I have heard three stories first-hand from writers who had been given poor advice by 'senior American development people', 'produced writers', 'published screenwriting teachers' etc. <p><br /></p><p>One writer believed she got the deal of the century when a <span style="font-style: italic;">former studio executive</span> offered a Reader's Report for less than $150. When the report arrived, the excitement faded rapidly: a synopsis, a list of subjective character comments and '<i>apart from that, the story works fine.</i>'</p> <p>An other writer paid handsomely for a series of consultations with a respected author of screenwriting books. Although he ended up with a formally impressive draft, the writer soon realised the editor had not addressed an obvious, major structural weakness in the screenplay (as an experienced industry friend later revealed after a <span style="font-style: italic;">free reading</span> of the script).</p> <p>If someone works from LA, it doesn't mean they will give you better results. An emerging writer paid an established American script consultant top rates for several months. The script didn't even get <i>shortlisted</i> in a program for beginning screenwriters (in which two of the scripts I worked on received a big wad of development cash).<br /></p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THREE KILOS OF FREE ADVICE</span><br /><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBqoeD_4qCeaOb4Ay9mDPwziwJnopJBBqx2nwSfuPuJQgrjUu_06w9eb1SqEC4fjS6trnVMQZvO23A18lbdE3VyKwVgx7tKCJ51cgdFCwFWwLy3XtMZwiDUQ4esoZDUQ5YXcI/s1600-h/pay-get.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBqoeD_4qCeaOb4Ay9mDPwziwJnopJBBqx2nwSfuPuJQgrjUu_06w9eb1SqEC4fjS6trnVMQZvO23A18lbdE3VyKwVgx7tKCJ51cgdFCwFWwLy3XtMZwiDUQ4esoZDUQ5YXcI/s200/pay-get.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212453383809932626" border="0" /></a>The first three readers brave enough to have (parts of) their synopsis published, I will offer a free Story Diagnosis. If you believe your synopsis is ready-to-go, I'll focus on the document's style and selling power.<br /></p>Same for your script: send me the first fifteen pages of your screenplay. If you allow me to publish excerpts online, I will give you detailed scene feedback.<br /><br />Please don't send any documents yet. Just <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/about-me">send me an email</a> to express interest and I'll get in touch about the next step.<br /><br />Now, read the really small print below.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">SOME REALLY SMALL PRINT<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">Isn't there a risk of my story being stolen?<br /><br />Yes, there is.<br /><br />It happens rarely but you can't eliminate the risk. That is why you need to register your screenplay first. I prefer you send me a synopsis of a draft you have already written and registered. Ideas cannot be protected. Screenplays can.<br /><br />Alternatively, you can always send me something you had abandoned because it didn't work and you want to know why it didn't. In this case it's more about the learning experience than about getting that specific project up.</span><br /></div>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-57399563263953262852008-06-03T10:40:00.023+10:002008-11-14T06:42:23.231+11:00The Audience Shrinks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DdJIi5-zAvwEUycyy8QHafWJzVUg0bEpYdGTNAO_7kNC08eJbEIp4fvkMiuE0o6Q3Jwp_WQ6FZhQyNe1fdEbHSEEbIkWq8Jzobs731mA0dcyLDBQxFTIplMhav0QxieJAbXa/s1600-h/untitled.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DdJIi5-zAvwEUycyy8QHafWJzVUg0bEpYdGTNAO_7kNC08eJbEIp4fvkMiuE0o6Q3Jwp_WQ6FZhQyNe1fdEbHSEEbIkWq8Jzobs731mA0dcyLDBQxFTIplMhav0QxieJAbXa/s200/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207941557138901554" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"><strong>CANBERRA 02/06/09 - The Dept. of Health and Ageing has allocated $35m to aspiring writers and Medicare will refund manuscript development costs since a report commissioned by Minister Roxon links creative writing with a balancing of the mind. Commenting on the controversial move, a department spokes person says: "<em>Who cares if it bores audiences? It saves lives."(*)</em></strong><em></em></span><em> </em><br /><div><em></em><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NO BULK BILLING YET</span><br /><br />Did or didn't you consider for a split-second the item might be <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span>? There is some truth in the fact that first-timers often write auto-biographical material. And writing from the pain of your heart does work cathartically to a degree.<br /><br />As a matter of fact, many successful writers' first screenplays remain the best of their careers, just because they are the most personal, vivid and direct, inspired and moving.<br /><br />Why then, don't more writers succeed in getting their autobiographical screenplays financed and produced?<br /><br />Because they care about their own catharsis, not the audience's.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLgEOLEo79uy0_q8MlxaTRj80ChV8hjPNfF-3GxjDog0PuuBk7wJe7oPzNIqzGgPJmAje29Y2LwhSMpmLvbadghBZf8VSWlXzmvFYg40SvQZqHJlaeyb5kZyFW39vIysAI24Q/s1600-h/tragedy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLgEOLEo79uy0_q8MlxaTRj80ChV8hjPNfF-3GxjDog0PuuBk7wJe7oPzNIqzGgPJmAje29Y2LwhSMpmLvbadghBZf8VSWlXzmvFYg40SvQZqHJlaeyb5kZyFW39vIysAI24Q/s200/tragedy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207975732193675842" border="0" /></a>The audience is now taking the place of the shrink. This system kind of sucks, because shrinks usually <span style="font-style: italic;">don't pay</span> but <span style="font-style: italic;">get paid</span>. And rather handsome amounts.<br /><br />Still, there may be serious currency in self-analysis. All you need to do is tell your story in a language the audience understands.<br /><br />The Greek tragedies we know were written around a character arc that would lead the audience through a journey towards change.<br /><br />This journey would show them a mirror image of themselves and help them accept certain painful facts of life - and learn how to deal with them, how to become a better person, a stronger character.<br /><br />The plays that stood the test of time were written for the audience's entertainment, not <span style="font-style: italic;">in spite </span>of their catharsis but <span style="font-style: italic;">because</span> of it. They were also meticulously structured.<br /><br />When you want to transform a personal story for a large audience, you must take into account this need for structure and <em>adapt</em> the true facts to a work of dramatic fiction.<br /><br />Writing a screenplay with autobiographical elements is in many ways just like adapting a biography for the screen.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(*) Yes it is fake and I will apologise if I must. But if you think this is tasteless link bait, my original heading was worse. </span><br /></div><br /><br /><div> </div><span style="font-weight: bold;">IRON MAN</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4oVnF6GCNg8GsvgUfnWcLOS5AvCEDSY24zyuCTC-14_WIo3pPtDbkHxuxuZ_ghg12IUa34qQfONePW8qS6yVYjYNeQS1a9pj7LOKwJtOiqLcX_ikoS2Jc0KSmJWzIH017FHv/s1600-h/iron-man-cast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4oVnF6GCNg8GsvgUfnWcLOS5AvCEDSY24zyuCTC-14_WIo3pPtDbkHxuxuZ_ghg12IUa34qQfONePW8qS6yVYjYNeQS1a9pj7LOKwJtOiqLcX_ikoS2Jc0KSmJWzIH017FHv/s200/iron-man-cast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207980289153976914" border="0" /></a>Last month quite a few of my workshop students urged me to go see IRON MAN. I do like some mindless entertainment so now and then and I hadn't seen a good popcorn movie in a long time.<br /><br />However, I was reluctant because superhero movies hardly ever offer interesting character journeys.<br /><br />They are mostly just about someone trying to get a job done.<br /><br />In my view, the superhero type of movies is even dangerous to aspiring filmmakers. Because it shows you don't need to create a great character to draw the masses.<br /><br />Needless to say the whole argument about established franchises and billion dollar marketing is wasted on these inspired souls.<br /><br />Saying that I was pleasantly surprised about IRON MAN is an understatement. I had a wonderful time: here was a totally entertaining film with a structure that didn't feel formulaic at all.(**)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXb7FhKYp-_8CjbFQudFSagj9krisGiOSpjuOLrWBj3nWp9EQPg9t8I5x4H7U38p9gFquvCqYdqmg8xeK1NO9OtcQuq-z55nXtoFWNOmxSKImQpDt_6RpnUjW7Oi7D53vvhK8-/s1600-h/iron-man-audi1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXb7FhKYp-_8CjbFQudFSagj9krisGiOSpjuOLrWBj3nWp9EQPg9t8I5x4H7U38p9gFquvCqYdqmg8xeK1NO9OtcQuq-z55nXtoFWNOmxSKImQpDt_6RpnUjW7Oi7D53vvhK8-/s200/iron-man-audi1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207980293448944226" border="0" /></a>With its double transformation, I wouldn't hesitate to call IRON MAN a character-driven screenplay.<br /><br />Tony Stark first transforms from mindless war monger to mindless peace keeper, then his character grows from an immature, toy-obsessed playboy to an adult with clear focus and moral compass.<br /><br />In a way it is the Spider-Man mantra revisited: "with great power comes great responsibility."<br /><br />Too bad "IJ4" blew Tony out of the cinemas. It seems David Koepp could have learned a thing or two from IRON MAN.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(**) Although I suspect it has a clean Eight-Sequence structure. Watch the Premium Ed. for the analysis in the coming days.</span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-3312036746055863962008-05-16T23:59:00.011+10:002009-09-13T09:34:12.688+10:00The Third Digital<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV446_1YYAZRjvxZHvs4xNt__l2fCgByZ8K_Tbz2MmUSQafUjEf_mirezZUbRVPXARMI8YT1N1y3UUxWHk8xNoNgBxyHmsx1tdJ5S3Xo-hujJ59ZcMvIMXoo6kI8S0bhUgRohm/s1600-h/b&t.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200971392636424130" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV446_1YYAZRjvxZHvs4xNt__l2fCgByZ8K_Tbz2MmUSQafUjEf_mirezZUbRVPXARMI8YT1N1y3UUxWHk8xNoNgBxyHmsx1tdJ5S3Xo-hujJ59ZcMvIMXoo6kI8S0bhUgRohm/s200/b%2526t.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">My friend Michael Favelle is flying solo for the first time at the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.cannesmarket.com">Cannes market</a>. It will be a great experience, because he has a great film to sell. The entire line-up of <a href="http://www.odinseyeent.com/">Odin's Eye Ent.</a> is pretty solid but the standout film is clearly BITTER AND TWISTED, for which the Americans fell in a big way earlier this month. It happened at <a href="http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/">De Niro's Tribeca film festival</a> in New York. And even Michael Moore plays a role in the success story. </span></strong><br /><br />Flashback to August 2007.<br /><br />Michael Favelle shows me BITTER AND TWISTED and I dig it. He knows this doesn't happen too often. The writing is dramatic and fresh, the direction shows a strong hand and the production design is splendid, showing a disciplined economy. The film stands out above anything I have recently seen. Days later I bump into Christopher Weekes, the writer/director/actor and I congratulate him on his amazing achievement.<br /><br />Flash forward to late 2007.<br /><br />I am writing a post-production plan for a feature with my fellow producer Brendan Sloane. The film is <a href="http://www.thedinnerparty.com.au/"><strong>THE DINNER PARTY</strong></a>, competently written and directed by Scott Murden, an obvious talent from Canberra. Together with the creative team I find a way to improve the strength of the story on the basis of minimal pickups and one new major scene. It is a tremendous pleasure and we are all excited about the prospects.<br /><br />Soon after, I learn B&T is competing in the same funding strand against THE DINNER PARTY. Bugger. We have a great project with a clear strategy for improvement but B&T is a monumental competitor. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ehW730jHboW2FYAQbPot6Gi2McfXqklVWbF-YfejPZbcjt04iPBJySJGwbm-W8GU59kTjEhPUtZe83Ay0tgJ3un8SfM8estbMi6ehn0DRvi_tjn78xx8gi9mQ1X1G9NjVZs3/s1600-h/BITTERANDTWISTED_STILL03_WE_LOW.jpg"></a><br /><br />When after weeks of uncertainty I hear we are selected and B&T isn't, I have mixed feelings about it.<br /><br />Now, what has happened with THE DINNER PARTY since is another story and I won't go detail. What I can tell you, is that its completion is moving towards what is looking like a very happy ending.<br /><br />I admit, up until this point, my story is pretty lame. Shit happens. Nobody is perfect. Judges make mistakes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMXknpwGS4WGkOraiJsB_504CS4DCeGq71cJ-50VcY1HMYJjAXaEO46vUO5Cyv1CRjuTXlUkl9QzCdNQvAhFT7H71WJXGGqC-57FAE-Cd94iRTwXiymAwLCoZcgmPHDJkMEj9/s1600-h/BITTERANDTWISTED_STILL03_WE_LOW.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200971706169036754" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMXknpwGS4WGkOraiJsB_504CS4DCeGq71cJ-50VcY1HMYJjAXaEO46vUO5Cyv1CRjuTXlUkl9QzCdNQvAhFT7H71WJXGGqC-57FAE-Cd94iRTwXiymAwLCoZcgmPHDJkMEj9/s200/BITTERANDTWISTED_STILL03_WE_LOW.jpg" border="0" /></a>Flashback to September 2007 for the climax and resolution.<br /><br />I am at the Odin's Eye offices. the atmosphere is gloomy. The funding agency doesn't agree with our excitement over B&W. The film has been rejected. Again. There is no money to complete post-production.<br /><br />Before I get to the point, let me ask you this: how should a film at fine cut stage be judged? You watch it, right?<br /><br />Wrong.<br /><br />Believe it or not, but although the film was offered in a fine cut, the rejection was largely based on <em>a reading of the screenplay</em>.<br /><br />Sorry, but what am I missing here???<br /><br />To award that highest culinary distinction of a Michelin star, would the judge study the chef's recipe book?<br />To check the baby's health, does the doctor go back and screen dad's sperm and mum's egg?<br />In stead of visiting the Sistine chapel, would you rather stay outside and watch the pics in your Lonely Planet?<br /><br />I mean, really... What planet do these people live on?<br /><br />Here's the irony. While you were reading this article, Michael in Cannes has closed another deal and Christopher has been offered another movie to direct.<br /><br />Let's wake up to the real world and learn to acknowledge and admit when stories are crap. But use reasonable standards and tools to judge films. Perhaps this will help revitalising an industry built upon egos, ignorance and one-hit-wonders.<span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);font-size:78%;" >After having let the above article rest for a while, I feel compelled to set one thing straight: over the past couple of years I have personally had completely positive experiences in dealing with government agencies. As a matter of fact, recent dealings have been wonderful and promising for the future of development. However this does in no way diminish my feelings about the above. </span></blockquote></span><br /><strong>THE WELL. TREAT IT WELL</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Txk8vbl88VvQKK6VzA-Dcj-A_kV9QHBZR6_1rXAK_k-P0KfZH6RO2Xw8k9D3Ir2NK9OE1rWa0LOFB1NT_fv8PzqvwnWQN-yMoaecpZG9xT1xFvyUDdPhTnarPvJaYRSVOv4m/s1600-h/well.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200972642471907298" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Txk8vbl88VvQKK6VzA-Dcj-A_kV9QHBZR6_1rXAK_k-P0KfZH6RO2Xw8k9D3Ir2NK9OE1rWa0LOFB1NT_fv8PzqvwnWQN-yMoaecpZG9xT1xFvyUDdPhTnarPvJaYRSVOv4m/s200/well.jpg" border="0" /></a>During <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/">the interview with Larry Jordan</a> I mentioned one of my firm beliefs with regard to story development as an editor/consultant. What follows may be a tip for writers that are working closely with editors, producers, directors or just teams of co-writers.<br /><br />Most early draft screenplays have one or more tentpole scenes that sooner or later will have to disappear. To an outsider this may be instantly obvious and it would be tempting to recommend the immediate removal of such scene(s).<br /><br />This, however, is a perfect way to kill a complete story.<br /><br />Over the years I have learned to understand that the excitement and inspiration of a writer to work on a story often springs from only a handful of scenes.<br /><br />Some writers, even experienced filmmakers, are totally protective of those. For good reason.<br /><br />Others have complete confidence in the advice of the consultant and will dispose of the scene at once. The development will stumble on, for a short or longer while. Ultimately the writer will lose interest in the story. The source of inspiration was plugged.<br /><br />When this scene is not completely obstructing the flow of a story, I will recommend to 'leave it in for now'. If it is obviously of inferior quality or just plain wrong, I will ask the writer to 'park' it. Never delete, just put it aside "for later". Here is the one feature I really do like about Final Draft: the 'Omit Scene'. It just hides the scene. It really is still there, and you can always make it reappear if you feel so inclined.<br /><br />Sometimes I refer to the story of Brian De Palma's repeated attempts to reference Eisenstein's Odessa Steps scene from BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN. It took him many years before he found a home for the scene: in THE UNTOUCHABLES.<br /><br />Think twice before you excise.<br /><br /><br /><strong>WELCOME TO THE STORY DEPT. - PREMIUM ED.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviVM77jRLXbi9J2t38ATJJ5u50qzaoMDERu_LW16Z_jCMhCqSCdEk2pIGFxRQyohytVFZoaYFJK7b9IMd2F4f-LO2qNfSQACOv-PSBXxWQ4AvmrPKOkhz_dm4KyUmSaGKkzY/s200/PG.gif"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviVM77jRLXbi9J2t38ATJJ5u50qzaoMDERu_LW16Z_jCMhCqSCdEk2pIGFxRQyohytVFZoaYFJK7b9IMd2F4f-LO2qNfSQACOv-PSBXxWQ4AvmrPKOkhz_dm4KyUmSaGKkzY/s200/PG.gif" border="0" /></a>The three winners of last months Premium giveaway are:<br /><br /><ul><li>1. tefferm </li><li>2. rshaver </li><li>3. rclim24 </li></ul><p>To protect the winners from internet spam, I have hidden their full email addresses but after receipt of this newsletter they may expect an email with the login and password for the Premium site. This will remain valid for a full year. Congratulations! </p><br /><br /><p>I am encouraged to run the same competition again, only this time I am asking a little extra.<br /><a name="giveaway"> </a><br />For my <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/story-sydney">workshops</a> and <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/">Premium Ed. web site</a>, I am looking for <span style="font-style: italic;">case studies</span>, synopses that I can review and possibly improve as an example of a story diagnosis. So, apart from entering your email address at the top left of this page, this time you will need to fulfill one more qualifying task to enter into the competition.<br /><br />If you have a synopsis of an abandoned story idea, or a project in development that you would like to share publicly, <a href="mailto:karel@ozzywood.com"><strong>email it to me</strong></a> and I may give it a detailed analysis on the blogsite. Your reward: one year free subscription to the Premium Ed. PLUS an improved draft of your synopsis. </p><p>Are you brave?</p><p>The three winners will get:<br />- Premium Articles direct to your email inbox<br />- The Story Dept. - <a href="http://story.ozzywood.com/"><strong>Basic Edition</strong></a> (this newsletter)<br />- 15% off <a title="Stage Two and Three" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/budget-range" target="_blank"><strong>Options One and/or Two</strong></a><br />- Discounted rates to selected <a href="http://storydr.com/wordpress/wp-admin/workshops"><strong>workshops</strong></a><br /><br />(* The prize does NOT include the free Story Diagnosis. Or actually ... it might.)</p><p>If you are just interested in receiving news from The Story Dept. as and when I write it, have a look at the <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/subscriptions"><strong>different subscription options</strong></a>. Most are free, only one is Premium.<br /></p>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-70155181697969724382008-04-30T18:02:00.005+10:002008-11-14T06:42:24.478+11:00Yada Yada Yada...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8drKt7QbMiSIcgI9OUcsQoNvtNvAszGzpg9GFy6uOFLHlRXdcdDudM_IJnUQ-6SojjiFR2gf38vMlEWHxrjoHOOp10WwqMEazjCL3LG_wCbv85DOtTm_Xim9JKYseeKRv0_b/s1600-h/ledialogue.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194646263901187410" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8drKt7QbMiSIcgI9OUcsQoNvtNvAszGzpg9GFy6uOFLHlRXdcdDudM_IJnUQ-6SojjiFR2gf38vMlEWHxrjoHOOp10WwqMEazjCL3LG_wCbv85DOtTm_Xim9JKYseeKRv0_b/s200/ledialogue.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); font-weight: bold;">Recently a friend recommended I should teach a course on screen dialogue. I found this surprising as I am not an expert on dialogue. I am not a native English speaker and I most certainly lack a deep knowledge of vocabulary.</span><br /><div><div><div><div><br />My main reason for not jumping into dialogue workshops: I often read great dialogue, but I have never received one spec script where the structure couldn't be improved. </div><div> </div><br /><div>Structure is my <span style="font-style: italic;">shtick</span>.<br /><br />There is still so much to learn in this area, and you can't find it all in the books. I told my friend I have only scratched the surface and I'll turn my attention to a new area once story and structure have revealed all their secrets.<br /><br />I mentioned this conversation to one of my most respected clients. He thought his use of dialogue had improved significantly through our development sessions. His script is certainly going the right direction: The coverage from a mini-major was thorough and contained genuine praise. Anyhow, it started me thinking about how I approach dialogue.<br /><a name="dialogue"></a><br />Because many writers love dialogue so much, I will stray from my path and share five principles. I am sure there are other, more important rules, but these are the ones that spring to mind. If you go against any of them, you need to have a very good reason.<br /></div><br /><div>About dialogue:<br />1. It should contribute to subtext more than plot.<br />2. Its semantics should be perfect, not organic or defective.<br />3. Its grammar SHOULD be organic and defective.<br />4. Its rhythm should support the scene's rhythm.<br />5. It can be reflective, not reflexive.<br /><br />There is one more secret rule I love, which I only give away to my students and clients. It's about that one specific scene where you can - and must - break almost every rules.<br /><br />Each of these techniques is a challenge in itself and you must develop a process to be aware of it during your own editing. Great dialogue doesn't usually flow naturally from your pen. It is laboured, crafted and endlessly polished.<br /><br />That is why often at the very end of your development, when you are tantalisingly close to the final draft, you will need to do a thorough 'dialogue pass' and make sure every line and every word hits the mark.<br /><br />Inexperienced screenwriters have great trouble judging whether their dialogue really works. This is because of their own tastes, education, movie influences etc. Another reason why they will always need a pro to do a final polish of your work before you send it out, even if the story works. </div></div><br /><div><div>It can be tremendously helpful to workshop your lines with actors before committing to a shooting script. Beware: inexperienced actors will almost always favour dialogue over subtext.</div><br /><div>Oh, and I fully agree with Robert McKee that often the line of dialogue the writer is most proud of, should be cut. Because Tarantino and Woody Allen get away with it, doesn't mean you should push your luck.</div><div></div><div></div><a name="analyses"></a><br /><br /><div><strong>BREAK IT DOWN</strong><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJsY69_C5xaiQuidc1YVpZn84nBLTZ_huPDJWzU6n92xu5vERuI-d3zOjw9mmhGbMX-upMnR4sKeeXgCHb8HtaeEfPiQli6DESl6TcfA5VnKh7iZmtk01ZpKWfDFr743YnqH8/s1600-h/ghostworld.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194656498808253826" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJsY69_C5xaiQuidc1YVpZn84nBLTZ_huPDJWzU6n92xu5vERuI-d3zOjw9mmhGbMX-upMnR4sKeeXgCHb8HtaeEfPiQli6DESl6TcfA5VnKh7iZmtk01ZpKWfDFr743YnqH8/s200/ghostworld.jpg" border="0" /></a>Right after learning the principles of structure, it will be hard to apply them to your own work immediately.<br /><br />Better is to consolidate your understanding by applying it to films you know, by watching them and identifying the key turning points. </div><div></div><br /><div>A breakdown in scenes or plot points is an excellent start. To help you with this, I will regularly publish examples from different genres.<br /><br />My structural overviews are hardly definitive. They are often different from the views of people I regard very highly. That doesn't make either of them 'wrong'. I don't believe in 'formula' and the main concern is to find a process that helps you creating and critiquing a structure so it has the best chance in the market place.<br /><br />On the other hand, they can often be improved and I welcome your input.<br /><br />Now, a lot of work goes into these structure articles and I want to reward my clients and Premium Subscribers, who pay for my time. Therefore, these overviews will only be accessible to non-paying readers for a limited period of time. During this time, you can copy it for your own use, not distribute it in any way or for any purpose without my written consent.<br /><br />So far I have published <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/category/structure">five analyses</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Assault on Precinct 13 (Original Version)<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Clayton<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ghost World<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Terminator 2<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Shawshank Redemption</span><br /><br />The first two have gone Premium already, the remaining three will too, at the time of publication of my next post. But more will follow, so keep watching this space.<br /><a name="money"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WILL READ FOR MONEY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_h0bQ83UzhZ1XNmr2Qzx-cDbOYdWZEwyrpX-jD05tey-PMnDRZhLgTd6p6DjlSRlWMSreHV-I2-sL7-p_Rpaw5FIveBN_LTTvO4z5mlaqmsEvVjgzvKLxseXr5hcPN6FVYu7A/s1600-h/bills.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_h0bQ83UzhZ1XNmr2Qzx-cDbOYdWZEwyrpX-jD05tey-PMnDRZhLgTd6p6DjlSRlWMSreHV-I2-sL7-p_Rpaw5FIveBN_LTTvO4z5mlaqmsEvVjgzvKLxseXr5hcPN6FVYu7A/s200/bills.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194816129857744274" border="0" /></a>I filled my shopping trolley with $489 worth of groceries and at checkout I said:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><blockquote>"I want all for free: soon I'll have a big family to feed and you'll make so much money, it is worth getting my business now!"</blockquote></span>Guess what: it didn't work.<br /><br />--- (deeeeeep breath - preparing for loooong whinge) ---<br /><br />Every f***ing week people email me asking to read their work - FOR FREE. They all believe they have written the latest blockbuster, indie comedy, crime caper, romcom, etc. You name it.<br /><br />And they all really - really - want me to spend half a day or a day of my precious time reading their shit rather than earning a living or spending time with my three-year old son Baxter.<br /><br />Guys: <span style="font-style: italic;">this is my job</span>.<br /><br />Do <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> ever go into work in the morning and tell your boss:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Hey listen, today I'm just doing you a favour, don't pay me. I love my job SO much!!"</blockquote>With the persistence of leeches on steroids these people try to make me believe I am ruining my chances of becoming a billionnaire producer if I don't read their stuff.<br /><br />Some keep coming back. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year.<br /><br />Ever heard of the expression <span style="font-style: italic;">"pushing s*** uphill"</span>?<br /><br />Mostly I just try to make them see the light and sell my services, because without professional help <span style="font-style: italic;">they don't stand a chance of ever getting read</span>.<br /><br />But sometimes it just drives me plain mad.<br /><br />If these writers had done their research on who I am, they would have known my views on screenwriting are pasted all over my three web sites. These sites have decent rankings and show up whenever you <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.google.com/search?q=karel+segers&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enAU238AU238">google my name</a>.<br /><br />Interestingly, the pattern is quite common:<br />1. First they send a sloppy synopsis, which;<br />2. I reject.<br />3. Then they tell me the script is better than the synopsis.<br />4. I kindly explain I don't work like that.<br />5. They insist I should read the 120p. script.<br />6. I reiterate what I have explained before, but offer to read on a consultancy basis.<br />7. They insist by repeating exactly what they have said before, only LOUDER.<br />8. Etc. etc. etc.<br /><br />Sometimes I give in.<br /><br />And guess what: in the rare cases I can free up time to read ten pages or so and give them <span style="font-style: italic;">free feedback</span>, people get offended.<br /><br />Only yesterday I received a highly insulting email in response to what was a polite, professional - free of cost - assessment of (part of) a screenplay. You're not prepared to lose? Well, <span style="font-style: italic;">don't play</span>.<br /><br />Which brings me to the following, more positive consideration:<br /><br />I am very proud to say I am one of the very few consultants around the world who is completely transparent about their approach, their knowledge and their fees. You can read two years worth of articles on story and screenwriting in this blog, in which I am 100% open about my views on the craft.<br /><br />But, you know what? Some of these people are just not interested in screenwriting. They just want some money to get their film made.<br /><br />Apologies if I start to sound like a cranky old bastard. True, I am one. But I don't want to sound like one.<br /><br />So:<a name="goodnews"></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE GOOD NEWS</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8yhw7sjjDuuvlmSyHp1WLO7StaMc2cd67GYwgfUU1QLynA5pIW00PFhYYmQf0Rpwniwnq3hzRe38yIWTzZn7KOtQM9LCK3hEfbrXCx_16PANMdEUMhj0aU7MM4RDR9TLy0YI/s1600-h/600px-Smiley.svg.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8yhw7sjjDuuvlmSyHp1WLO7StaMc2cd67GYwgfUU1QLynA5pIW00PFhYYmQf0Rpwniwnq3hzRe38yIWTzZn7KOtQM9LCK3hEfbrXCx_16PANMdEUMhj0aU7MM4RDR9TLy0YI/s200/600px-Smiley.svg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194825875138538914" border="0" /></a>Currently I am working with six smart, dedicated writers with promising but unfinished stories. They have committed to regular consultancy sessions over a period of four months or longer. Yesterday an existing client signed up for the <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/service-intensive-pack"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Intensive Pack</span></a>.<br /><br />More than a dozen return clients book regular <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/service-step-outline">Step Outline</a> sessions and over the past two years, more than a hundred satisfied clients have paid for one or more services to improve their skills.<br /><br /><a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Story Department - Premium Ed.</span></a> has subscribers from both Australia's East and West Coast and from overseas.<br /><br />The Story Workshops have been endorsed by <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.metroscreen.org.au/screencult.htm">Screen Development Australia</a>, <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/"></a><a href="http://www.actwriters.org.au/">The ACT and</a> NSW Writers Centres, <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.internationalfilmcollege.com/">The International Film College</a>, and recently also the <a href="http://awg.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Australian Writers Guild</span></a>, with whom I'm working on a workshop in South Australia.<br /><br />If you have been considering <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/story-sydney">joining a workshop</a> or <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/consultancy">hiring my services</a>, perhaps now is the time to get your project finally on the rails!<br /><br />And more good news:<a name="anniversary"></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>HAPPY BLOGDAY<br /></strong><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsyjuHWZMaTfnbNXD2xGAVZvPw6G1Y3A0Q7HW157V2LiZJbmdtTYfMNfMiNg0rj8hEX84E4WXUwnPb59lAm1_yIVvaCYErKNqzmhwoYGVRaTtlcmrSBzviIxCo52An4QZalIp/s1600-h/two.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194651331962596722" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsyjuHWZMaTfnbNXD2xGAVZvPw6G1Y3A0Q7HW157V2LiZJbmdtTYfMNfMiNg0rj8hEX84E4WXUwnPb59lAm1_yIVvaCYErKNqzmhwoYGVRaTtlcmrSBzviIxCo52An4QZalIp/s200/two.jpg" border="0" height="156" width="135" /></a></div>The Story Department is now officially toilet-trained.<br /><br />I have been crapping on about structure for a full two years now. No fad. Can you believe that even with 24 months, we haven't even made it into the average life span of <strong><a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/10/17/top-100-blogs-have-an-average-age-of-338-months/">Technorati's TOP 100 blogs</a></strong>?<br /><div>Slowly the world is getting to know The Story Department:<br />- We are listed on <strong><a href="http://www.scribomatic.com/blogs.php">Scribomatic</a></strong> (two places up from UNK).<br />- We are being interviewed by <strong><a href="http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/">The Digital Production Buzz</a>.</strong><br />- We'll soon be interviewed on <strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.if.com.au">IF Magazine</a>.</strong></div><br /><br />Also coinciding with the second birthday, there is a lot of news to be shared about the <strong><a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/">Premium Ed.</a></strong> too. Here we go:<br /><br /><div>- Australian readers can now enjoy much faster browsing and download speeds, thanks to the <strong><a href="http://storydr.com/">mirror site,</a></strong> hosted in Melbourne.</div>- Telephone consultations can now be recorded and made available to clients as mp3 downloads. No more frantic note-taking during our creative discussions.<br /><div>- Top-level clients now receive a personal, password-protected web page with documents related to their projects.<br /><a name="giveaway"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PREMIUM GIVEAWAY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviVM77jRLXbi9J2t38ATJJ5u50qzaoMDERu_LW16Z_jCMhCqSCdEk2pIGFxRQyohytVFZoaYFJK7b9IMd2F4f-LO2qNfSQACOv-PSBXxWQ4AvmrPKOkhz_dm4KyUmSaGKkzY/s1600-h/PG.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviVM77jRLXbi9J2t38ATJJ5u50qzaoMDERu_LW16Z_jCMhCqSCdEk2pIGFxRQyohytVFZoaYFJK7b9IMd2F4f-LO2qNfSQACOv-PSBXxWQ4AvmrPKOkhz_dm4KyUmSaGKkzY/s200/PG.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194836973334031794" border="0" /></a>I am giving away a free one-year subscription(*) to the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/">Story Department - Premium Ed.</a> for the first three people who subscribe to this free blog.<br /><br />Just enter your email address at the top right of this page. You'll receive an email each time a new post is added to this blog, which shouldn't be more often than once every week or two on average.<br /><br />The three winners will get:<br /><h5><strong><strong>- Premium Articles direct to your email inbox<br /><strong><strong>- The Story Dept. - <a href="http://story.ozzywood.com/">Basic Edition</a> (this newsletter)<br /></strong></strong></strong></strong>- 15% off <a title="Stage Two and Three" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/budget-range" target="_blank">Options One and/or Two</a><br /><strong><strong>- Discounted rates to selected <a href="http://storydr.com/wordpress/wp-admin/workshops">workshops</a><br /></strong></strong><br />(* The prize does NOT include the free Story Diagnosis)<br /></h5>Good luck!<br /><br />Karel<br /></div></div></div></div></div>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-18909087056952711382008-04-25T01:02:00.004+10:002008-05-30T20:52:55.239+10:00It's Academic<p align="right"><b><i style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);" mce_style="color: #336699">"What need is there to think of these events as having three acts? None."<br />-<a href="http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=555" mce_href="http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=555" target="_blank">James Bonnet</a></i></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/custom_logo_crest_comb2.gif" mce_src="http://thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/custom_logo_crest_comb2.gif" alt="custom_logo_crest_comb2.gif" /></p> <p>Why the 'three-act' structure? Why not the 'three-part' structure? The 'five-act plan' or the 'ten-sequence' tale?</p> <p align="left">It's purely academic.</p> <p>First there were stories. People studied them and found similarities in those that worked, elements that seemed to lack in those stories that didn't. To be able to talk about it, they gave those elements names.</p> <p>It's that simple.</p> <p>Aristotle talked about 'beginning, middle, end', or rather: beginning, complications and denouement. Theater has continued using this rough three-act structure.</p> <p>In the late seventies, Syd Field built further on this and he designed 'the paradigm', a 'three-act structure' specific for movies.</p> <p>Since then, many have studied the structure of films and refined that crude framework into something far more practical and sophisticated. Beyond Aristotle, but firmly grounded in the foundations he built.</p> <p>The motivation to study the components of story - for me and many others - has always been partially a scientific curiosity into 'how stuff works'. The three-act structure has proven to be a handy tool.</p> <p>But the other motivation has always been: <i>money</i>. A better understanding of how audience perception works, may result in a more successful approach to screenwriting. Good business for screenwriters and producers.</p> <p>Plus: with hundreds of thousands of aspiring screenwriters around the world, there is business potential in selling your ideas to this group. Syd Field soon found out after the release of his book SCREENPLAY.</p> <p>Those that came after him learned that merely re-hashing old models won't work; you will need to come up with an improvement of the existing theories. That's one reason why authors keep putting their own spin on the material.</p> <p>On the other hand, we <i>have to</i> constantly update our understanding of story structure for the screen as audience expectation changes. Cinema goers and television viewers become more and more demanding.</p> <p>Still, the whole damn thing is entirely conventional.</p> <p>The only purpose is for you to find a way to improve your story. And by 'improve', we mean: <i>increase the chances of reaching a wider audience</i>, according to principles that can be learned.</p> <p>McKee says something like: these principles don't say "You MUST do this." They say "IF you do this, then...". In other words, these principles have been <i>empirically deducted</i> from studying stories that work.</p> <p>Scientific? Oh yes.</p> <p>No-one cares whether you have three acts, eight sequences, twelve or one hundred and eighty-eight journey stages, as long as it <i>works</i>.</p> <p>Why to speak of three acts? Because if you don't, and you still want to talk story, you'll have to come up with an entirely new system. And convince the rest of the world to use it.</p> <p>If, <b><a href="http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=555" mce_href="http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=555" target="_blank">like James Bonnet</a></b>, you don't want to use the three-act structure, go for your life. You may well achieve the same - or even better - results. But when it comes to discussing your work with others, you may find yourself in a foreign country. And no-one speaks your language.</p> <p>You may find it's a pretty lonely world out there.<br /></p>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-64752085474551739622008-03-30T23:55:00.004+11:002008-11-14T06:42:25.458+11:00Is Arthouse Dead?<blockquote></blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vqnKsnHQTXY5AcmVjpmpY8hYR60Fh6suH0ug0qN_PBqd-oqXiPe2zZr9vfzZrUJy8EB8TnJhygyHgM27C-oGOicfrYHOrTzNn0wwVLJOtEShKWzW0E2CMtP3rcik96THXUpp/s1600-h/180px-Le_Fant%C3%B4me_de_la_libert%C3%A9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173761923689741714" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vqnKsnHQTXY5AcmVjpmpY8hYR60Fh6suH0ug0qN_PBqd-oqXiPe2zZr9vfzZrUJy8EB8TnJhygyHgM27C-oGOicfrYHOrTzNn0wwVLJOtEShKWzW0E2CMtP3rcik96THXUpp/s320/180px-Le_Fant%C3%B4me_de_la_libert%C3%A9.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">Yes. It is.<br /><br />Look it up on Wikipedia or </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">Answers.Com</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">. "Arthouse" isn't even there. You'll find 'art film'. From that page it seems very much this is the type of film nobody wants to make any longer, let alone <span style="font-style: italic;">see</span>.</span><br /><br />One of the attributes of the term 'art film' is "noncommercial". Explain to me: if a film costs millions to make, how can you be 'noncommercial' about it?<br /><br />Does it mean you are intending to make <span style="font-style: italic;">a loss</span>? Or are you trying to <span style="font-style: italic;">only just</span> make your money back? I would like someone to explain to me how you can make a business plan that aims to exactly return the film's cost. This is an illusion.<br /><br />The term <span style="font-style: italic;">arthouse film</span> dates back from the days when a relatively healthy number of people would flock to a type of movies (or rather: 'films') that would not necessarily be entertaining, but challenging and puzzling. Antonioni, Bunuel, Bresson, Tarkowski, Oshima etc. Every main street had its cinema and every cinema had its dedicated crowd of buffs.<br /><a name="arthouse"></a><br />ARTHOUSE vs. INDEPENDENT<br /><br />Today, I feel some<span style="font-style: italic;"> would-be filmmakers</span> call their projects 'arthouse' if they ignore common-sense principles, they are making anti-cinema, they don't have a strong statement, they fear most people wouldn't want to see them. The term 'arthouse' today screams 'small audience', or worse: 'no audience'.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvId2WoXobUPxMKo5utIf0fGEzV6_FZM98qq1dq0s_v11zRH49Jnz4JowckIpjMxUDFpzJ4dPWCohRHz79NP-GNL8mpzqRVU5zWBkLZTq8rL6yFX29x3k5JtInfeTvH8vUMV7z/s1600-h/juno.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183154018443857970" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvId2WoXobUPxMKo5utIf0fGEzV6_FZM98qq1dq0s_v11zRH49Jnz4JowckIpjMxUDFpzJ4dPWCohRHz79NP-GNL8mpzqRVU5zWBkLZTq8rL6yFX29x3k5JtInfeTvH8vUMV7z/s320/juno.JPG" border="0" /></a>Arthouse <span style="font-style: italic;">at today's box office</span> means 'foreign language film' or 'quirky subject matter'. Here are a few films I saw in independent theaters over the past year:<br />- BELLA, a colourful, life-affirming American indie film.<br />- THE LIVES OF OTHERS, Oscar(R)-winning drama.<br />- MICHAEL CLAYTON, drama starring George Clooney.<br />- JUNO, winner of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.<br />I haven't seen AS IT IS IN HEAVEN yet, but does a movie that grosses $1m (in one theatre only) qualify for arthouse?<br /><br />What these films have in common, and what arthouse didn't necessarily have twenty, thirty years ago: a traditional three-act story. Despite their independent flavour, they are definitely not arthouse as we used to know it.<br /><br />The darkest film I have recently seen is <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419073/">PRINCESS</a>, a revenge tale mixing anime and live action. Subject matter: pornography and child abuse. Darker? Anybody?? Still, the film was told in a traditional three act structure.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7-QnlXaN-9yCy0SrGwEeh74xHtX3H8yt2VxB2ufEGjqsVv0bFOCW-_B-lZAqMAmvNIYniLmOmxNKn5-FPxzANQ6LX_QChiBi4nG2mJSxEhyphenhyphenezrVNpkslV2QVrKsylPIB8TC1/s1600-h/princess_teasersmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7-QnlXaN-9yCy0SrGwEeh74xHtX3H8yt2VxB2ufEGjqsVv0bFOCW-_B-lZAqMAmvNIYniLmOmxNKn5-FPxzANQ6LX_QChiBi4nG2mJSxEhyphenhyphenezrVNpkslV2QVrKsylPIB8TC1/s320/princess_teasersmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183485559854338114" border="0" /></a><br />Even if you believe your film will appeal to intellectuals only, the <span style="font-style: italic;">discerning audience</span>, you will need that conventional story structure. Because today, without it you have no audience.<br /><br />JE SUIS UN ARTISTE!<br /><br />Is there no more experimenting with form? Yes there is. But people don't want to see it any longer. The audience for experimental, avant-garde or non-narrative cinema has shrunk to such small numbers that if/when these experimental films still accidentally get out into the theaters, those theaters remain empty. Mostly they remain limited to film or art festivals.<br /><br />If you consider yourself an artist, you should not be a filmmaker, dixit Christine Vachon, one of the most successful producers of independent American cinema. Films that have pushed the boundaries: Kids, Happiness, Boys Don't Cry, I'm Not There. She was recently quoted saying:<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Even a cheap movie costs a couple of milion bucks and if you are spending that just to be an artist, that seems rather indulgent."</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ST3-a-8DZ6v1JLfUI03mKPVFyg5C2UX8Yz1A_MOV6Ezz5vY7v5Ba-hD7IdoKtxbdTDU4hcnlctxuq0QGwa9gzfv6mEqB5QJaZvhEHqrR5Ltu7IbyZbycNaS5kPGqkx1L5f4T/s1600-h/engel2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183152115773345826" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ST3-a-8DZ6v1JLfUI03mKPVFyg5C2UX8Yz1A_MOV6Ezz5vY7v5Ba-hD7IdoKtxbdTDU4hcnlctxuq0QGwa9gzfv6mEqB5QJaZvhEHqrR5Ltu7IbyZbycNaS5kPGqkx1L5f4T/s320/engel2.JPG" border="0" /></a>When I set out to write this article, I googled the phrase "Is Arthouse Dead" and stumbled upon:<br /><blockquote><a href="http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1238925.php/Art_house_film_distributor_Andi_Engel_dead"><span style="font-size:85%;">"</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Art house film distributor Andi Engel, dead</span><span style="font-size:85%;">"</span></a></blockquote>I wasn't aware Andi had passed away. I had met him in London on a few occasions, less than ten years ago. His company <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Artificial Eye </span>was the icon of British arthouse film distribution. Even then, the company was having a hard time. Despite the fact that they had the rights to virtually every classic arthouse film, for the entire UK, it was a struggle.<br /><br />Andi died on Boxing Day last year and I believe true arthouse cinema had gone before him.<br /><p>The bottom line for the independent filmmaker:<br /></p><p><strong>Your choice to make a movie for a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">discerning audience </span>does not absolve you from the obligation to tell your story following a traditional three-act story.</strong></p><p><strong>Voila.</strong><br /></p><div><a name="gtp"></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GET THE PICTURE</span><br /><br />My friend San Fu Maltha, producer of Paul Verhoeven's BLACK BOOK, once asked me if I knew the total gross box office figures for Australia over the past year.<br /><br />To my embarrassment, I didn't. Although San Fu works out of Amsterdam, he knew the numbers for Australia.<br /><br />My attitude was symptomatic of many <span style="font-style: italic;">independent </span>filmmakers, too focused on their own little films, not really working towards take a share of the money people spend every year. And that figure is - despite all the alleged doom and gloom - significant.<br /><br />The AFC have just released <a href="http://www.afc.gov.au/gtp/awhatsnew.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">the figures for 2007</span></a> and here are some highlights:<br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></b></span></p><blockquote><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uOoo0wotk5HuesMl7eJ3Txxv_oZV-pjnsI_8SDijx1nOmwAdo6slQeYWHQceYgW5ie7qPATK-Ui9KlV7X5LeLx5qE3D__MZsHQcJRrs8Hauy6HbQkRKbGq7mK6jW4m2VB1BK/s1600-h/gtp.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uOoo0wotk5HuesMl7eJ3Txxv_oZV-pjnsI_8SDijx1nOmwAdo6slQeYWHQceYgW5ie7qPATK-Ui9KlV7X5LeLx5qE3D__MZsHQcJRrs8Hauy6HbQkRKbGq7mK6jW4m2VB1BK/s320/gtp.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183489850526666834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 153);"></span></b></span></span></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><blockquote>RELEASE OF AUSTRALIAN TITLES<br /><br />Box office: In 2007 Australian-produced features accounted for a 4 per cent share ($36 million) of the Australian box office, a decrease from 4.6 per cent ($40 million) in 2006.<br /><br />Top five titles in 2007: Happy Feet was again the top grossing Australian film in 2007, adding a further $20.7m to its $11.1m earned in 2006. Romulus, My Father followed ($2.6m) with Rogue ($1.8m), Bra Boys ($1.7m) and Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance ($1.6m) rounding out the top five.<br /><br />CINEMA INDUSTRY<br /><br />Screens and theatres:The number of cinema screens in Australia has risen by 134 per cent between 1980 and 2007, from 829 to 1,941. Following several years of gradual growth, 2007 recorded the first fall in screen numbers since 1987, down 1 per cent on 2006.<br /><br />Films screened: The vast majority (63 per cent) of films screened in Australian cinemas over the past 24 years have come from the US. However, in 2007 the US proportion was under 56 per cent for the third year in a row (172 out of a total of 317 films). Local titles comprised 8 per cent of films screened in 2007, just under the 24-year average of 9 per cent.<br /><br />Box office: The gross box office rose to $895.4 million in 2007, a 3 per cent increase from $866.6 million in 2006. Admission numbers also rose in 2007 to 84.7 million. Films released through Roadshow/Warner Bros earned the largest share of the Australian box office in 2007 – 24 per cent, up from 20 per cent the previous year – with gross takings of $212 million.<br /><br />Top films: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the highest grossing film at the Australian box office in 2007 with earnings of $35,527,464, followed by Shrek The Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Simpsons Movie and Transformers. Happy Feet ranked eighth.<br /></blockquote></span></blockquote><p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>Australians spent nearly $900m at the box office. Nine hundred million dollars. That's a nice chunk of change. Can we please have a small share of that?<br /><br />Easy.<br /><br />Stop making arthouse films.<br /><a name="breakdown"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PUT YOUR SCRIPT DOWN</span><br /><br />At the end of my workshops, I send my students home with the message: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Don't try this at home. Yet."<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcUgivnkcN9owcPivVLckpBcHEn3izjGaTE1Ccuk5__rqyZWulKf96qKBWxrnLer-j18s_TFCBEJXAhUrOI1I9qwUtPOt_lGzKCipwscmpUcLn6abhrCgc05iPyV9f3wpAykK/s1600-h/head-notext.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcUgivnkcN9owcPivVLckpBcHEn3izjGaTE1Ccuk5__rqyZWulKf96qKBWxrnLer-j18s_TFCBEJXAhUrOI1I9qwUtPOt_lGzKCipwscmpUcLn6abhrCgc05iPyV9f3wpAykK/s320/head-notext.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183495653027483762" border="0" /></a><br />It is hard to apply the material of a course or seminar to your own work. At least immediately after the course. How do I know? Four of my clients took a course (NOT any of mine) that was dealing very specifically with the issues they were facing in their scripts. Right after the course, <span style="font-style: italic;">not one</span> was able to address those issues successfully.<br /><br />I am a bit wary of courses, seminars and workshops that deal directly with a writer's work. Too often, even if you point at the specific scenes, the students may not <span style="font-style: italic;">see</span> it. Let's face it, the work of inexperienced writers is hardly ever a good benchmark to learn the craft. And it is impossible to see weaknesses if you don't have a frame of reference.<br /><br />When it comes to story structure, you need to become completely familiar with the major story points before you can even look at your own work. Identifying an Inciting Incident or Crisis scene immediately after learning about it, is virtually impossible. This may sound bizarre and almost unbelievable, but it is a fact.<br /><br />The only way to quickly sharpen your mind and critically look at stories, is to systematically view and analyse films. This is how I have learned much of what I now know. Watch a movie, preferably one you know well, summarise and note down the DVD timing for each plot point.<br /><br />Only then, after acquiring a natural feel for a story's core beats, can you return to your own work and analyse it. Only then will you have the competence and authority to not only identify the main plot points but also critically assess them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBL8vUDGCeAKSEeIgsrHXN-bqu4cl5Ktzx1LBG_aRjr2olUxu7yxG7kNZzNQ5oJo5wIbsTMlzZRd1769gN2m3yyDK_TA9aWJ4lNp3kwdPhJwombivTgtK0cup-k0i2CzMK4Pk/s1600-h/michael.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBL8vUDGCeAKSEeIgsrHXN-bqu4cl5Ktzx1LBG_aRjr2olUxu7yxG7kNZzNQ5oJo5wIbsTMlzZRd1769gN2m3yyDK_TA9aWJ4lNp3kwdPhJwombivTgtK0cup-k0i2CzMK4Pk/s320/michael.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183495322315001954" border="0" /></a>As promised, I have started to publish some structural overviews of films on The Story Dept. - Premium Ed.. Recently I analysed the first act of <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thestorydepartment.com/blade-runner/" target="_blank">BLADE RUNNER</a>. Meanwhile I have added the full three-act structure of <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/mid-point-assault-on-precinct-13/"><span style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13</span></a> and <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/michael-clayton/"><span style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">MICHAEL CLAYTON</span></a> (all links are for Premium Readers only, make sure you log in first.<br /><br />This is not an exact science and we may disagree. Hell, I <span style="font-style: italic;">know </span>I make mistakes. But the main thing is: the exercise of breaking down a story in its primary plot points helps you to understand how to shape and propel the drama.<br /></div>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-73557095142148350432008-03-07T21:54:00.032+11:002008-11-14T06:42:26.795+11:00Exciting Coincidence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ1dOZCqVItSrMTlekjFQDah5n4Z7n4iujbSNjy03itbW7cGPOQTZJUsfqTw4g6YVp1fpx-6nM1vs-KFuSXieIlNbCww6X1Ad2O4fWBNlmjU_MQ7mU0h1Dj13etfrJPgXCM6_/s1600-h/vince.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ1dOZCqVItSrMTlekjFQDah5n4Z7n4iujbSNjy03itbW7cGPOQTZJUsfqTw4g6YVp1fpx-6nM1vs-KFuSXieIlNbCww6X1Ad2O4fWBNlmjU_MQ7mU0h1Dj13etfrJPgXCM6_/s320/vince.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174952000414628370" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"A strong inciting incident is an event that happens to the protagonist, never an </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">action by</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> the protagonist</span>", I said.<br /><br />Then I asked you for exceptions, i.e. strong Inciting Incidents that </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">are </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); font-weight: bold;">actions by the protagonist.<br /><a name="catalysts"></a><br />Now have a look at the first three responses I received: 1.) THELMA & LOUISE, 2.) PULP FICTION and 3.) KING LEAR.</span><br /><br />Look at them again and see if you remember 1) who causes the inciting incident and 2)how does the character end in the story?<br />The answer is baffling.<br /><br />1. Louise kills a man. The end: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Louise dies</span>.<br />2. Vincent kills Marvin. The end: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vincent dies</span>.<br />3. King Lear excludes Cordelia. The end: <span style="font-weight: bold;">King Lear dies.<br /><br /></span>For these three, <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Tom, Brett and Margaret each earned themselves three months <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Premium Subscription</span></a>. Well done.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhXPUCVqkgPGfBmM5L8VmkmFwtSvnTYKhR5ajldry4m60Db6krVspMKHDKCMxYpOoM5vCQFyKalVUsFWNh7OjUOXtIwcgYo4f5Wk8nVxNc7Ty2cDlwD23ZhChCJ1h50f3Vuxk/s1600-h/chl.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhXPUCVqkgPGfBmM5L8VmkmFwtSvnTYKhR5ajldry4m60Db6krVspMKHDKCMxYpOoM5vCQFyKalVUsFWNh7OjUOXtIwcgYo4f5Wk8nVxNc7Ty2cDlwD23ZhChCJ1h50f3Vuxk/s320/chl.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179766895565082610" border="0" /></a>Recently <a href="http://www.theunknownscreenwriter.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UNK</span></a> blogged about Inciting Incident (another exciting coincidence: <span style="font-style: italic;">one day earlier</span>, someone hit my web site using the key words <span style="font-style: italic;">inciting incident definitions.</span>) and among his favourite I.I.'s he lists COOL HAND LUKE.<br /><br />Here we go:<br /><br />4. Luke cracks open parking meters. The end: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Luke dies.</span><br /><br />Exciting coincidence? Or does it mean that EACH TIME a protagonist incites the story, we have a down ending? Probably not. Perhaps the readers of this blog have a slight predilection for somber movies. ;)<br /><br />Anyhow, I found the examples you sent to me striking.<br /><br />More exceptions to the <span style="font-style: italic;">"event-not-action"</span> rule:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">- Simon: </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">"</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Not my kind of thing really, but what about Ferris Bueller's Day Off?</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">"<br /></span></span>- Simon D.: <span style="font-style: italic;">"What about any story where the protagonist activates something, like the Princess and the Frog in the pond, Pandora's Box etc"<br /></span>- Jim: <span style="font-style: italic;">"If Russell Crowe is the Protagonist in 'Yuma', then it happens in that."</span><br />- Chris: <span style="font-style: italic;">"3 Movies that the protagonist is responsible for the inciting incident: Scarface, June, O Brother Where Art Thou."</span><br />- Robert: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Chow Yun Fat's Hitman character accidentally blinds a girl during a hit on a triad boss that he is carrying out. Therefore he himself sets in motion the "inciting incident" and for the rest of the film sets out to redeem himself and possibly help the bling girl regain her eyesight by doing more "hits" to pay for the operation!"<br /><br /></span><span>Thank you all! It was a great exercise.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><a name="start"></a><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHERE TO START</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMYqa9aNKY2q9hNNEZU_vAXCIQInYqxUpHrZhiWA5ZKnXTvwobP4Nuw43ykl3zb5petvbecPiY4xEMjmyRfuh5hJ0ZMg-3lEfG_sJdCP-TwYSIWStIWHHLRdu2TfnvO44U-I-/s1600-h/pile_of_books.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMYqa9aNKY2q9hNNEZU_vAXCIQInYqxUpHrZhiWA5ZKnXTvwobP4Nuw43ykl3zb5petvbecPiY4xEMjmyRfuh5hJ0ZMg-3lEfG_sJdCP-TwYSIWStIWHHLRdu2TfnvO44U-I-/s320/pile_of_books.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179761260567990178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">As to screenwriting theory, there are so many sources of conflicting advice it is difficult to know who to listen to. Each new piece of advice can be as convincing as the one that came before it. What should you do?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">How do you choose who to listen to?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Do you take the word of</span></p> <ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">the most influential, </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">the most popular, </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">the most convincing, </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">the loudest, </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">the most confident, </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">or maybe what they perceive to be the safest. </span></li></ul> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">As a person who dishes out daily doses of advice I am as guilty as anyone out there who tries to offer opinions of what you “should” do.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The fact is, at worst people do not have any idea what will work for you, and at best they can only rely on their own experience. Certainly I give you the benefit of what I have learned through my work, but you still have to work out what will work for <em>you</em>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">I am still learning, things still take me by surprise. You may have read me say before, I am of the opinion you can learn something from every person you meet. Your job is to not blindly accept what you are told but collate it, cogitate on it and apply it in your own unique way.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Work out the approaches that suit you best, that fit what you are trying to achieve and how. Which stories resonate with you, and enthuse you, separate out those that leave you cold.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">You can never take the same journey twice, your journey is yours and yours alone, but you can learn about possible pot holes and beauty trails from people who have traveled a similar path before you.</span></p>Here I have to confess something: all the above (except the first four words "As to screenwriting theory") was taken literally from <a href="http://www.chrisg.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chris Garrett's blog on blogging</span></a>. When I read it, I found it so completely true for pretty much any field of learning, including ours.<br /><br />My own little piece of advice on where to start learning?<br /><br />Just write, every day, undisturbed by what you learn or what people say. While you are doing so, go through the list below. And take your time.<br /><br />1. Read McKee's STORY, or better: listen to the audio book. You won't learn too much about the craft, but you'll get a feel for what you're in for. If you have less time and you want to be fashionable, read Blake Snyder's SAVE THE CAT.<br /><br />2. Take a craft workshop. <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/story-sydney"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mine</span></a>, <a href="http://screenplaymastery.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hauge's</span></a> or <a href="http://truby.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Truby's</span></a>. Read the stuff they have published.<br /><br />3. Watch movies a second time to break them down into acts, sequences and plot points. Dozens of them, until you start seeing the light.<br /><br />4. Carefully choose a story consultant you can trust and you like to work with. You will continue to learn, but now specifically about your own strengths and weaknesses.<br /><br />At this point, you will have found your vision and direction. You will see which of the <span style="font-style: italic;">savants</span> out there fall within your view on storytelling. Read their books, join their seminars.<br /><br />Finally, you are on your own, confidently.<br /><br />And while you just continue writing, your craft will improve, and improve, and improve...<br /><br /><a name="hauge"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHERE ARE YOU GOING? YOU AND YOUR HERO?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWNNd6_1ynRJ05FgLNNeTvhaJDwMA3awt9kR-dHaxintpm_ePjhvvltXB_rm5dvgJJ2jlZIPW2jnZPpsDcxJ3ol4fk-Pp7WrMxhVUX1kZKcL76DjhZImRvTXbssv7ifxfORxf/s1600-h/michael.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWNNd6_1ynRJ05FgLNNeTvhaJDwMA3awt9kR-dHaxintpm_ePjhvvltXB_rm5dvgJJ2jlZIPW2jnZPpsDcxJ3ol4fk-Pp7WrMxhVUX1kZKcL76DjhZImRvTXbssv7ifxfORxf/s320/michael.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179788692524109826" border="0" /></a>It has been the core of my consultancy and teaching: the protagonist needs a <span style="font-style: italic;">clear and present desire</span>.<br /><br />Nothing new, though, Michael Hauge has been teaching this for much longer. In the context of Michael's visit to Australia in two months, I interviewed him and the full text will soon be available to my clients and for subscribers of The Story Dept. Here's an excerpt:<br /><p><b><i></i></b></p><blockquote><p><b><i>Karel</i></b><i>: Two problems I often find in screenplays by inexperienced writers are 1) the choice of protagonist and 2) the key qualities of the protagonist. Would you mind giving us an insight?</i></p> <p><b><i>Michael:</i></b><i> </i>In almost every case where the problem <i>seems </i>to be choosing the wrong protagonist, the writer isn't clear about what the story <i>concept </i>is, about what the hero's <i>visible goal</i> is.</p> <p><span style="color:gray;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In other words: if the writer is operating under the belief that they just need to portray characters and show them going through a situation in their life and let's see what happens, then </span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">that</i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">'s the quicksand they have stepped into. Because movies are about heroes who are pursuing specific </span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">visible </i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">goals.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>It is about stopping the serial killer, about escaping from the panic room or from N.Y. or from Alcatraz, about winning the love of another person or winning an athletic competition. Or it's about getting the buried treasure. But the goal must be <i>specific</i>, must be <i>visible</i>, must have a <i>clearly defined end point</i>.</p></blockquote><p></p> The first <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/michael-hauge-1/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">part of the full interview</span></a> is now online on the <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Premium Ed.</span></a> As usual, it will be visible for a few days only. After that you will need a subscription to see it. Part two and three will follow over the next few days, as well as a podcast (audio) version of the telephone interview.<br /><a name="ratatouille"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NO POV, NO PLAY</span><br /><br />The RATATOUILLE DVD shows has 1 (one) deleted scene. It is a long, uninterrupted travel from a wide establishing shot of the Paris skyline down to street level, through the Auguste Gusteau restaurant and ending on Remi, our hero.<br /><br />The shot could have been spectacular, reminding of the opening shot of TOUCH OF EVIL and its pastiche in THE PLAYER.<br /><br />Brad Bird's commentary talks about the reason why it was cut and it is simply: <span style="font-style: italic;">Point of View</span>.<br /><blockquote><a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/ego.JPG" title="ego.JPG"><img src="http://thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/ego.JPG" alt="ego.JPG" /></a>The natural question that would occur is <em>"Why would you cut this spectacular shot?"</em>, because it is obviously great. <em>"I want to see <strong>that </strong>film!"</em> Well, I feel that way, too.<br /><br />The problem, once you get passed the initial sort of rush of seeing this very elaborate shot that shows you a lot of different things in one shot and very impressively, is that <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">it is no character's point of view</span>.<br /><br />It is just a sort of God-like shot where you're presented this whole world and it is spectacular and there have been many fine shots like that - Touch of Evil being one - that were great but I felt that this is Remi's movie and it needed to be Remi's perspective.<br /><br />And I want to know the emotions that lead up to Remi looking into the kitchen. I don't just want it laid on a platter, you know, just cut to Darth going <span style="font-style: italic;">"You're my son, Luke."</span><br /><br />We should be with Remi when he has that moment. We should know how he is experiencing it and what is he feeling when he is experiencing it. And you kind of aren't, this way.<br /><br />It did lay everything out, but I don't think that it took the audience with it.<br /><p align="right"><em>-Brad Bird</em></p></blockquote>Brad Bird's reasoning confirms what I have written about 'omniscient POV': it is weak, or worse, it doesn't work.<br /><br />Movies are inherently about empathising, even <em>identifying</em> with characters.<br /><br />When you step out of the protagonist's POV, it should be to shift to another POV, <span style="font-style: italic;">never to take an omniscient POV</span>.<br /><br />Omniscient POV is devoid of emotion.<br /><br />Read some more about Point of View <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/point-of-view/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a>.Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-37560775548634182562008-03-05T17:41:00.011+11:002008-11-14T06:42:27.631+11:00Killing My Darlings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM1spsT90mOc5qpmfgat0sXrUzjjZTUCKijPUOEk8QTy27UqOAETD2T3rd5J3gWo9q-ryY-Ws88GOH7aBJ_-ijdq9aN2vYwyiRA4VoGgi0cG-c-eLZGA8daoisrSrJDQW9Qoy/s1600-h/br.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM1spsT90mOc5qpmfgat0sXrUzjjZTUCKijPUOEk8QTy27UqOAETD2T3rd5J3gWo9q-ryY-Ws88GOH7aBJ_-ijdq9aN2vYwyiRA4VoGgi0cG-c-eLZGA8daoisrSrJDQW9Qoy/s320/br.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173889346779479474" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); font-weight: bold;">This blog started when a certain analysis of Michael Mann's THE INSIDER sparked my frustration. Discussing BLADE RUNNER in a story workshop recently, I felt I was close to doing the exact same thing. To this date I don't fully agree with her INSIDER analysis but <a href="http://lindaaronson.com/">Linda Aronson </a>taught me this: to learn story, you will have to be ready to tear your favourite films apart.<br /><a name="bladerunner"></a><br /></span><div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a name="replicants"></a>REPLICANTS, SCREENWRITERS AND DOGS</span><br /><br />When last year the restored BLADE RUNNER screened in Sydney in all its 4k digital splendour, I was present at the Cremorne Orpheum, on the hunt for story weaknesses. It didn't take me long. After fifteen minutes and thirty seconds, I put the scalpel aside and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the film, i.e. Act Two and Three. (For Premium Subscribers, my brief analysis is <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/blade-runner">here</a>.)<br /><a name="bartonfink"></a><br />This year the Coen brothers snatched the top Oscars despite issues with the ending of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. I won't add to that discussion but if you would like to read some incisive thoughts, check out <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2007/12/ending-for-no-country.html">this article</a> on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Mystery Man on Film</span> blog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6ETSYtDfleIm-HXnputE10f6qGq_0OE3MuoZRVU_aoAMEcr9dIfqjP0XDWek_Kt8gwKCmsCaIgWjccSQxAYa8R0hNeKnI4YsSdXQdBSbIaEtLIAqYxudYw9PnLtSDYWOQ_GS/s1600-h/fink.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6ETSYtDfleIm-HXnputE10f6qGq_0OE3MuoZRVU_aoAMEcr9dIfqjP0XDWek_Kt8gwKCmsCaIgWjccSQxAYa8R0hNeKnI4YsSdXQdBSbIaEtLIAqYxudYw9PnLtSDYWOQ_GS/s320/fink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173497484362717282" border="0" /></a>Long before the Coen brothers won their first Oscar with FARGO, they had established themselves as favourites of the Cannes film festival with a Golden Palm for BARTON FINK. I have watched it a few times since and I still enjoy its Faustian slant, the flamboyant performances of Michael Lerner and John Goodman and the wonderful production design.<br /><br />Why could BARTON FINK never appeal to a mainstream audience? It is about a screenwriter. But more importantly, the end of Act One <span style="font-style: italic;">makes a promise</span>, then Act Two doesn't deliver. Variety wrote at the time: <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><blockquote>"After a little more than an hour, the pic is thrown in a wholly unexpected direction. There is a shocking murder, the presence of a mysterious box in Fink's room, the revelation of another's character's sinister true identity, three more killings, a truly weird hotel fire and the humiliation of the writer after he believes he's finally turned out a fine script."</blockquote></span></span>In essence there is nothing wrong with 'a wholly unexpected direction' but the problem is: <span style="font-style: italic;">no new promise is made</span>. What do I mean by that?<br /><br />The end of act one shows us what the protagonist's objective is: <span style="font-style: italic;">Fink wants to write a screenplay</span>. It promises a clear direction for the film. Once the murder is introduced, Fink doesn't really have a clear objective and the story suffers from that. The film as a whole survives because of the exquisitely funny references to the real world of Hollywood in the 1940's, the sensational performances, the amazing sound design etc.<br /><a name="wagthedog"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC1q4LaBhUICgw-9JRnS1kJX57Q5nTJJIH5T2DEOcY8J3lpgsgJ8IGfe9qcdlwJksZrhxWJRU1Y6oAzkdLtF0QFQY9LF6pNQhDgy14GJHPm3U_nm66exXoY5_pFPX2DT-Ldxc/s1600-h/dog.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC1q4LaBhUICgw-9JRnS1kJX57Q5nTJJIH5T2DEOcY8J3lpgsgJ8IGfe9qcdlwJksZrhxWJRU1Y6oAzkdLtF0QFQY9LF6pNQhDgy14GJHPm3U_nm66exXoY5_pFPX2DT-Ldxc/s320/dog.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173497879499708530" border="0" /></a>Recently somebody mentioned WAG THE DOG (1997) to me, written by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet. In my memory, this movie was a hilarious touch of genius. Upon re-viewing, I was dumbfounded as not much of the exhilaration from ten years ago had survived for me.<br /><br />Again, problemo numero uno: Hollywood behind the scenes. No matter how important we believe the workings of Hollywood are, <span style="font-style: italic;">no-one cares</span>.<br /><br />Secondly: no matter how clever, genuinely funny and genuinely TRUE the premise - <span style="font-style: italic;">don't trust your president when he goes to war</span>, the story is preaching to the converted. I don't believe one single vote was gained or lost because of this film.<br /><br />The core problems with this film lie on a pure story level. It seems Robert De Niro is the protagonist, his objective: <span style="font-style: italic;">fix a potential presidential scandal</span>. Then we shift to Dustin Hoffman. His objective: <span style="font-style: italic;">stage a war</span>. Soon, however, it appears neither are really facing any seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. Problems are solved as quickly as they arise.<br /><br />Ultimately the film industry outsider is left with a self-indulgent, unsatisfying and uninvolving story. Mamet's dialogue is brilliant but this is not the type of film I can watch more than once without an element of disappointment.<br /><br />Whatever I may say about WAG THE DOG, the fans will rightfully point at the film's respectable BO figures. Oh well. Star-power saved the dog.<br /><a name="pagerank4"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PAGE RANK FOUR!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4M7FEMIA-1jmhjWJQ8m_w5Uds771nb6-NMOUZE0MFGo_Yf_usAZJdbhrq1PCJY_YOPGGgdhx731EG973sGvLU48AtuXg5oZ_bqglaJdEr2H0C1dJs9A7RHqsledQjTy5wCYG/s1600-h/goobell.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 87px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4M7FEMIA-1jmhjWJQ8m_w5Uds771nb6-NMOUZE0MFGo_Yf_usAZJdbhrq1PCJY_YOPGGgdhx731EG973sGvLU48AtuXg5oZ_bqglaJdEr2H0C1dJs9A7RHqsledQjTy5wCYG/s320/goobell.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173497252434483282" border="0" /></a>The Story Dept.'s Page Rank has gone up a full notch and I'm now in the company of such excellent PR4 blogs as <a href="http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Unknown Screenwriter</span></a> and the above mentioned <a href="http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mystery Man on Film</span></a>.<br /><br />If you have the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.blogger.com/toolbar.google.com">Google Tool Bar</a> installed, you can see a white/green strip indicating the PageRank of the page you are visiting. It is usually located in the top middle of your page, under the address bar.<br /><br />Last year, the world of <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.answers.com/SEARCH+ENGINE+OPTIMIZATION?cat=biz-fin&gwp=13">SEO</a> was turned on its head when millions of web sites saw their <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank">Page Rank</a> drop. <a href="http://ozzywood.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">OZZYWOOD Films</span></a> was one of the victims, sliding from a respectable Rank 4 to an okay 3.<br /><br />In all fairness and humility, this web site may be on par for PR with <a href="http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mystery Man</span></a> and <a href="http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UNK</span></a>, but no need to say <span style="font-style: italic;">yours truly</span> will have a long way to go to deserve equal status with these boys.<br /><a name="diminishing"></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS</span> </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFy6WPdr3-zUZ3SQ9Jl4FlDiqCBjEBbuITHI-p0AAMEz7Yfif7StThg3anI4_u873eOPTaH9SuuFLTFTRh2KZs7-_jlD5VRNEpwFEWFk8VYs_-CHPD9LuBUQSiLJDllMjtyXY/s1600-h/diminishing-returns.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152200608688837858" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 186px; cursor: pointer; height: 104px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFy6WPdr3-zUZ3SQ9Jl4FlDiqCBjEBbuITHI-p0AAMEz7Yfif7StThg3anI4_u873eOPTaH9SuuFLTFTRh2KZs7-_jlD5VRNEpwFEWFk8VYs_-CHPD9LuBUQSiLJDllMjtyXY/s320/diminishing-returns.JPG" border="0" /></a>Your second draft is the easiest of all. Why? Because the first draft is <span style="font-style: italic;">so bad</span> each problem sticks out like a sore thumb. It is full of great ideas, but the execution stinks. To your editor/consultant it will be instantly obvious what needs fixing first. Hence, improving your story <span style="font-style: italic;">massively</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">immediately</span> is actually a breeze.<br /><br />On the other hand: the final draft is the hardest. Almost everything is as almost good as you can get it. Still, those few minor details that need fixing, jeopardise the entire rest of the script. Not only is it technically challenging, you aren't quite sure which one is the right move. You can't see the wood for the trees any longer.<br /><br />Worst of all: after a long development you are so worn out you may be sick of this script and want to move on. You will need all the support and encouragement you can get, from your producer, your editor, your mum and dad (or wife and kids).<br /><br /><div>To move from draft one to two, it really takes only basic to intermediate skills. To move from draft eleven to twelve, it takes tremendous craftsmanship, talent and arduous persistence. Early on you will get heaps of great tips and advice from your story/script editor; towards the final draft more and more decisions will be yours: here is where your instinct comes into play.<br /><br />The comforting factor: it is often no longer a matter of <span style="font-style: italic;">working</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">not working</span>, but of <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">great</span>. At this stage, you might have also shown the script to a few industry people, who should be encouraging you to run the last mile.<br /><br /><br />NEXT POST<br /><br />With Michael Hauge's Australia tour in May, I'll be publishing a podcast and interview transcription, in conjunction with <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.inscription.com.au/">Inscription</a>.<br /><br />Also:<br />- Movie structure breakdowns (Premium)<br />- RATATOUILLE's deleted scene<br />- Why the '3 Act Structure'?<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-84784787110475873382008-02-01T20:08:00.001+11:002008-11-14T06:42:29.468+11:00First, Break All the Rules<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcN_wmP_a-hyrtw4yUReMuDuCJodHESL0mcta6rlSRi2XairiAaJtdJ9euijloSQSxhCKidFCKBIal-aWRaV-T-wWPwvJd3SzlN1gjeEJC5I7uQmFraZtqLU-3kcTed-lQTn4/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcN_wmP_a-hyrtw4yUReMuDuCJodHESL0mcta6rlSRi2XairiAaJtdJ9euijloSQSxhCKidFCKBIal-aWRaV-T-wWPwvJd3SzlN1gjeEJC5I7uQmFraZtqLU-3kcTed-lQTn4/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161946787738996498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 153);">When I asked this student which <span style="font-style: italic;">one thing</span> she remembered above anything else, she replied: <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">“That you can break the rules, and get away with it.” </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">She was not <em>my</em> student. In itself there’s nothing wrong with trying, but it saddens me that Heath Ledger’s last Australian film, Candy, was an example of a film that broke the rules. And failed.</span></span><br /><br />I am not sure which film this student had in mind as a successful example of non-conventional structure, but I bet you it was PULP FICTION. Ever since 1994, filmmakers have been hoping to get away with it in the same way Tarantino did. In my view PF has done far more damage to the craft of screenwriting than its success will ever justify. The irony is that PULP FICTION is relatively conventional in its structure, <span style="font-style: italic;">just not linear</span>. Check Linda Aronson's book SCREENWRITING UPDATED.<br /><br />But all that is completely beside the point. The point is that writers often have this immature attitude. <span style="font-style: italic;">"But my script is different." </span>Another one that keeps coming back: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Hollywood only makes crap, audiences really don't want to see that stuff anymore." </span><span>This one I only heard today</span><span style="font-style: italic;">: "It all works in my head, the film experience will be very different from the script!"<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO__ah0ZoxX_uL6AePhOQ-MzWFyfmo5TBpznuIi466v9wCu1BuYWr_8qgW9R1fMFau_nCD4RarBsOSPYg4ckJZTu-nRYAy7Pqygaf68Vm7ArwidllZzQmzVsPC7_FRqIXgpYVu/s1600-h/wars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO__ah0ZoxX_uL6AePhOQ-MzWFyfmo5TBpznuIi466v9wCu1BuYWr_8qgW9R1fMFau_nCD4RarBsOSPYg4ckJZTu-nRYAy7Pqygaf68Vm7ArwidllZzQmzVsPC7_FRqIXgpYVu/s320/wars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161958921021607746" border="0" /></a>Call me conservative but the more I learn about film, the more I am convinced audiences are conditioned by an increasingly structured type of filmmaking. Time and time again I hear people rejecting structure one minute, and raving about highly structured films the next.<br /><br />Ever since the story of a boy and a princess in space 30 years ago, audiences - whether you like it or not - have been conditioned by a more sophisticated version of the 3-act structure, i.e. the Hero's Journey. And this process has only been reinforced since that paradigm was written down by Christopher Vogler. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I almost called The Hero's Journey 'a structure' but it was never really intended to be. Yet it can often be elegantly blended with the three act structure.)</span><br /><br /><br />LEARN THE RULES, THEN BREAK THE RULES<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYzjXquVLf7kNsAKT8mSABYl0uogxhiaWsa55MzaUKKmPrM-KvfAwH4DFbj1re8b-swVmkOMlyj7ZEVBFzU1py45pmGkErg_eHdJkqDg9juIej8bWA47wuYVPEuw5NTPiQ9UQ/s1600-h/book.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYzjXquVLf7kNsAKT8mSABYl0uogxhiaWsa55MzaUKKmPrM-KvfAwH4DFbj1re8b-swVmkOMlyj7ZEVBFzU1py45pmGkErg_eHdJkqDg9juIej8bWA47wuYVPEuw5NTPiQ9UQ/s320/book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161948604510162722" border="0" /></a>Despite my endless complaints about Australian writers, I have had the pleasure and honour of meeting and working with dozens of writers who are dedicated to learning the craft. They read, study, analyse, attend seminars etc.<br /><br />Most of them learn with the intention of later applying what they have learned. Others take the basics on board and explore ways of being original and creative within the boundaries. Yet others fully intend to knowingly break the rules with their first screenplay.<br /><br />Now that may be unwise.<br /><br />The statement above reading "Learn the Rules, then Break the Rules" is in my view a dangerous one. I would rather replace it with something like:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Master the Rules, then Bend Them."</span><br /><br />It often happens that screenwriters only get their first screenplay made after years of learning the craft. When the film finally hits the screen, they realises that although they <span style="font-style: italic;">believed</span> they had learned the skills, they hadn't. An audience is a funny thing. You want them to feel this way, but they respond that way.<br /><br />As a writer you won't know if you actually master the craft until the film goes out and is successful. Believing that you can learn the rules and break them with your first script, is a dangerous illusion.<br /><br />Of course every year there will be at least one success story of a breakthrough screenplay that didn't apply the principles. Everybody will write and talk about that one person. Bottomline: if you are in this game for the long term, it pays to look at the statistics and then review your chances.<br /><br /><br />THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMBtRddqjcPYvzo6CKHrbEV313VrfH45z04axkmHBnmonV7XbQAxxj5PmwUywnkvNjREk-8pkvtfJ702pjCOGaakZPZ-itNA0g-KAqxAs-rXYjXeAg2RDMBRhOavbccJat0B_/s1600-h/jean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMBtRddqjcPYvzo6CKHrbEV313VrfH45z04axkmHBnmonV7XbQAxxj5PmwUywnkvNjREk-8pkvtfJ702pjCOGaakZPZ-itNA0g-KAqxAs-rXYjXeAg2RDMBRhOavbccJat0B_/s320/jean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161945456299134722" border="0" /></a>I am currently working with a client on a screenplay that reminded me in some peripheral way of the French rural drama <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091288/">Jean de Florette</a>, starring Gerard Depardieu and the late Yves Montand*. I watched the film again with my wife and paid attention to its structure.<br /><br />Although I had seen the film at least twice before, what I found out this time, literally blew me away.<br /><br />The screenplay was adapted by director Claude Berri and veteran scribe Gerard Brach, from a hugely successful original French classic by Marcel Pagnol. The film had been a breakout arthouse hit across the world, with major prizes in its home country but also in England and the U.S. where it was nominated for a Golden Globe.<br /><br />My wife and I had seen this film last about ten years ago, yet neither of us remembered much of the plot. We did remember the characters and even individual scenes. Not the plot.<br /><br />Why??<br /><br />Because the structure is quite extraordinary.<br /><br />The whole film is structured following a text-book three-act structure. Inciting incident, first act turning point, second act are all 'tres formulaic'. But what seemed unusual to me, and the primary reason why I think this film still looked so fresh to us: the story is structured around the <span style="font-style: italic;">antagonist's journey</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnVwUYVb6qEb204m1heF1rF5a2LanumAS7GJwBgx0h-7EvSxdknGBZRUi_Jx31OHeKoK34xIouzEkgZrmWn845Zz-_RqD_CXyTih1qKNcjz3qKUnJAmSPl5q_5Ns1yCmwL-z9/s1600-h/manon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnVwUYVb6qEb204m1heF1rF5a2LanumAS7GJwBgx0h-7EvSxdknGBZRUi_Jx31OHeKoK34xIouzEkgZrmWn845Zz-_RqD_CXyTih1qKNcjz3qKUnJAmSPl5q_5Ns1yCmwL-z9/s320/manon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161959964698660690" border="0" /></a>My advise: don't try this at home. As a beginning screenwriter, make sure you try your hand at convential material before you venture into this type of territory. The screenwriters of Jean de Florette were both highly experienced, with many successes to their names. Unfortunately, although the follow-up to Jean de Florette (Manon des Sources) may have brought a more upbeat closing to the rural saga, the writing was less inspiring.<br /><br />When you have the chance, do watch both films, analyse these structural exceptions and asks yourself what is different, why this one works and the other doesn't (so well).<br /><br />It is always fascinating.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >*Nice coincidence: when I was out the following night my wife randomly picked the Marilyn Monroe classic "Let's make Love" from our DVD shelf and watched it, only to find it had - again - Yves Montand in a major role.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >THE WORKSHOPS WORK<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhPDTW4QxSujSPWseVXSIuloqeF575GL12n1vm2GjEvPThRB3_IUkKYudEXdWbVvIUyIyYdttU5gFajQgHalpTi3q8OYgeIgw4yeWTdb-c3ueqFoLl5P7oOnd0JghN447F7-6/s1600-h/NSW+Writers_+Centre+low+res.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhPDTW4QxSujSPWseVXSIuloqeF575GL12n1vm2GjEvPThRB3_IUkKYudEXdWbVvIUyIyYdttU5gFajQgHalpTi3q8OYgeIgw4yeWTdb-c3ueqFoLl5P7oOnd0JghN447F7-6/s320/NSW+Writers_+Centre+low+res.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161948887978004274" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >More than one week to go until 10 February and the Sydney story workshop is sold out. This weekend I'll be teaching for the first time in Queensland, at the International Film College. My next Sydney Workshop will be on Sunday 13 April and bookings are <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/story-sydney2">open now</a>.<br /><br />The emphasis of the workshops has shifted slightly. The first sessions were heavily theoretical, focusing on aspects of the 3-act structure. Lately I have shifted towards more practical examples from a wider diversity of films, both old and recent, across completely different genres: from action movie to comedy, from Touch of Evil (1958) and Die Hard (1988) to The Incredibles (2004) and The Lives of Others (2006).<br /><br />Some people find that the material taught in these classes is advanced. Let me tell you this: it is not. It represents the bare essentials. It is the absolute minimum you need to know if you want to even consider breaking into the scene. That doesn't mean that it will <span style="font-style: italic;">sink in</span> the first time around. You will still need to watch films, analyse them and apply what you have learned to your own work.<br /><br />Next, you will need to call in the assistance from a professional. But you will be so much better prepared to enter into a dialogue about your work if you have laid the foundations by learning the terminology. Not only will it speed up your development, it will potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars as your script editor will talk to you about your script on your level.<br /><br /><br />THE PREMIUM EDITION<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpCwMMSXKSpgFGEJDmosLhY0cTZBsHIwylTgESYC-pm8QX7BMMobXnTWDnJ7d9pFswHCurCHvpRCpwixdWUGzqBPKrkRxMzPgqvABJ6xAiahcm6d3g7-59Bu_XCQ0J046b9Ih/s1600-h/map.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpCwMMSXKSpgFGEJDmosLhY0cTZBsHIwylTgESYC-pm8QX7BMMobXnTWDnJ7d9pFswHCurCHvpRCpwixdWUGzqBPKrkRxMzPgqvABJ6xAiahcm6d3g7-59Bu_XCQ0J046b9Ih/s320/map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161963920363540338" border="0" /></a>The <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium">Premium Edition</a> has had visitors from New York to the country of Jean de Florette (Provence, South of France), from Australia's East and West Coasts to the City Library of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the first paying subscribers have signed up, from Australia <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>overseas!<br /><br />Eight users are online while I am writing this, of which no less than seven guests and a few search engine spiders. Check it out for yourself by <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/subscribe">subscribing</a> for a year at only the cost of one cappuccino a fortnight.<br /><br />Among the newly added content, Premium Members now have also access to a <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/screenplay-checklist">list of mistakes</a> I have come across in screenplays lately, as well as a few suggestions on how to avoid them.<br /><br />In the coming days and weeks new articles will be added and I will be conducting an interview with Michael Hauge (who is coming to Australia this May) and will talk about the dangers of <span style="font-style: italic;">mystery</span>.<br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-64674582332320575332008-01-08T12:00:00.002+11:002011-11-08T14:48:24.362+11:00The Secret<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtS1MV5AAQjwWn91i35jbGEBQ6q_197B9JtRW4z_L-dWsfRH8F1QB3YNkar9ru8gekLIxi79bqVUAOvWY6i5m0RT5cWbG7dcsy1wSKIsFjODizkp7bnPr_dpFJS1Mhjrz1bEOh/s1600-h/8.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152328117677921570" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtS1MV5AAQjwWn91i35jbGEBQ6q_197B9JtRW4z_L-dWsfRH8F1QB3YNkar9ru8gekLIxi79bqVUAOvWY6i5m0RT5cWbG7dcsy1wSKIsFjODizkp7bnPr_dpFJS1Mhjrz1bEOh/s320/8.JPG" border="0" height="110" width="206" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"><strong>While all of you were out celebrating New Year's Eve, I was watching David Cronenberg's </strong><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120907/"><strong>eXistenZ</strong></a><strong> on DVD. Not that I'm such a pathetic hermit; it was just my wife's fun idea of closing the Old Year. She admitted afterwards she might have been wrong. Missing the Sydney Fireworks and all that. </strong></span><br /><br />Meanwhile, the Story Dept. has entered its third calendar year, offering <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/workshops">workshops</a>, one-on-one <a href="http://ozzywood.com/services">consultancy</a> PLUS a <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium">Premium Version</a> of this blog, exclusive to clients and<br />subscribers. The Hero's Journey continues, the obsession grows.<br /><br /><br /><a name="secret">THE HERO'S SECRET</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphOpExQyT6Et2MBbJoGpqz3wFDXFejVOsKAf5Mj7jbRzInYrsKl-GLWC1fnVQVygoI_B3BH_tZcDBfo9zJUjzv12nWv89OywYFEwfEX12RtYZHHGAEa7SGOYO5nGtVk2MnoQ-/s1600-h/existenz.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152907916788045218" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphOpExQyT6Et2MBbJoGpqz3wFDXFejVOsKAf5Mj7jbRzInYrsKl-GLWC1fnVQVygoI_B3BH_tZcDBfo9zJUjzv12nWv89OywYFEwfEX12RtYZHHGAEa7SGOYO5nGtVk2MnoQ-/s320/existenz.jpg" border="0" /></a>eXistenZ, named after a fictitious virtual reality video game, was released around the same time as THE MATRIX; the timing having been an excuse for its poor performance. I was surprised to see Roger Ebert's review not really giving us any critical assessment of the film; all he says is:<span style="font-style: italic;">"eXistenZ' is likely to appeal especially to computer game players"</span>. He probably means: <em>"It sucked but I don't know why."</em><br /><br />The film remains original and entertaining but I believe the end holds a crucial mistake as it turns out our heroes have been keeping a secret from us. This goes directly against a key principle of writing for the screen: a protagonist must share with us their knowledge and emotions.<br /><br />In the <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium">Premium Edition</a> (see also below) I will look at a few more examples of heroes who are ruining box office prospects by withholding information or being unreliable for other reasons.<br /><br /><br />THE WRITER'S SECRET<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSn_6XOoget6w9Jt87LRK3V0Y7oGDvicUEXM_CGzxqVHf_SM_BlIZm51ygpfGkvABQnK_CSdTA6sbjMqWB_NFBMsuWKghoMC_YZfFvQ9PNqdcI9N5X6uTLvXjWjZ0A25Zu3gq2/s1600-h/secret.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152201927243797762" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 112px; cursor: pointer; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSn_6XOoget6w9Jt87LRK3V0Y7oGDvicUEXM_CGzxqVHf_SM_BlIZm51ygpfGkvABQnK_CSdTA6sbjMqWB_NFBMsuWKghoMC_YZfFvQ9PNqdcI9N5X6uTLvXjWjZ0A25Zu3gq2/s320/secret.jpg" border="0" /></a>When I asked one of my most loyal clients for a testimonial, he refused. I was baffled. <em>"Karel,"</em> he said, <em>"if you knew where the gold was buried, would you go and tell everyone?"</em> At first I thought that was a lame excuse, but then I had no reason NOT to believe him. He is a film industry professional who always puts his money where his mouth is. He is continuing our collaboration throughout 2008. But I'm not allowed to tell anybody.<br /><br />My Unknown Client says about the story theory I'm teaching and applying during my consultancies <em>"it's the film industry's best kept secret."</em> In many ways, he is right. Despite the title of Robert McKee's bestselling screenwriting manual 'STORY', he only dedicates a relatively brief section to the principles of story structure. Many screenwriting manuals do <em>mention </em>the three-act structure but forget to explain <em><strong>why</strong></em> it works and <em><strong>why</strong></em> it is successful. Without a proper foundation, the 3-act structure remains dead theory.<br /><br />Some people say Australian film schools are gravely deficient in the area of structure and if I am to believe my clients, many AWG script assessors tend to barely brush over it, too. In <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22995224-15803,00.html" target="_blank">an article in The Australian</a> last week, Joan Sauers, Billy Stoneking and Duncan Thompson blamed Australian scripts. Again. And again they forgot to mention what William Goldman said: <em>“Story is structure”</em>. I say: we have excellent writers, but they fail to structure their stories. For that reason, the <em>drama of screenwriting</em> is not going to save our feature films. Daytime TV has drama. Only I am not going to watch it.<br /><br />My Unknown Client is right: what pretty much every screenwriter in the rest of the world knows - and what some practice -, seems to remain the best kept secret in Australia.<br /><br /><br />UPCOMING WORKSHOPS<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoY446DPI6OkhCRNUXFH4mYhzPEhPHu9Cf-z74fo697Av2uUh7-EDpXStvJ2qfLCbJ2tPZAXSczOErJ0UF3Qwh8mD2xIa0GM-9nEh5BWJNRVMOpGW64m3HKuYWQBS_nnMgCzO/s1600-h/STORY2.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vA4Ubev7cBwK-4-JZEzANluBN3m3EOs_AY0zvRRDDWWgvlzavMH-Z_mkitI3GyyMM2xtuXgcOjc0tUtWkN_2qe8tdLlA3zzMEKRF9PHNNFiPgkF5rP4Oaj2HH86VtT3MR6KL/s1600-h/STORY2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152552143172081010" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vA4Ubev7cBwK-4-JZEzANluBN3m3EOs_AY0zvRRDDWWgvlzavMH-Z_mkitI3GyyMM2xtuXgcOjc0tUtWkN_2qe8tdLlA3zzMEKRF9PHNNFiPgkF5rP4Oaj2HH86VtT3MR6KL/s320/STORY2.JPG" border="0" height="76" width="150" /></a>Since September, about 60 people have attended my story workshops in NSW and the ACT. On 3 February I will be teaching my <a href="http://www.internationalfilmcollege.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&Itemid=37" target="_blank">first workshop</a> in Queensland, at the International Film College. For registration go directly to the <a href="http://www.internationalfilmcollege.com/">web site of the IFC</a>.<br /><br />The next <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/story-sydney">Story Workshop</a> in Sydney will take place on Sunday 10 February at the NSW Writers Centre. For details and registration go <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/story-sydney">here</a>. The course fee is $99 for early birds (payment received on 20 January), for subscribers of this blog and for members of the NSW Writers Centre. Full registration is $125 for the day, this also includes tea and coffee, a CD with software, a glossary and a list with recommended reading.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(Note: The workshop is particularly recommended if you were thinking of hiring me as your script editor or story consultant. It introduces the essential vocabulary needed to discuss screen story and gives you an insight in the background and inspiration of my consultancy work. Workshop students also get access to the Premium version of the Story Dept. See below.)</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><br /><br /><a title="celtx" name="celtx"></a>CELTX IS TAKING OVER<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb9gZXIAC3l2JowGgeJW0tDa0A0QG4EYuSPedNkVo1AtEYQks4r2ewSNsgnFBzzPhJ7Wra34OjMv9RxifGrA6BtlRA6s9tveUQ84U7AUapqYfvrnwtNO8Firq_QmmjAuhly4H/s1600-h/logo-type.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152332863616783666" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb9gZXIAC3l2JowGgeJW0tDa0A0QG4EYuSPedNkVo1AtEYQks4r2ewSNsgnFBzzPhJ7Wra34OjMv9RxifGrA6BtlRA6s9tveUQ84U7AUapqYfvrnwtNO8Firq_QmmjAuhly4H/s320/logo-type.jpg" border="0" height="71" width="171" /></a>I first recommended <a href="http://www.celtx.com/" target="_blank">Celtx</a> in October 2006. Until a year ago however, I didn't know anybody who was actually using the software. Since then, a handful of my new clients have taken the dive and are satisfied to the extent they are not (any longer) considering purchasing a commercial package.<br /><br />Celtx keeps adding new features, while it remains free to download. A great tool is the file upload feature, allowing you to save a safety copy of your work on the private and secure Celtx servers. If you wish to make your script known to the world, you can make the file public. You don't have to.<br /><br />Recently a client wanted to import a Word document into Celtx. The software doesn't provide for this (yet) but the support pages describe <a href="http://wiki.celtx.com/index.php?title=Import_Script#Importing_from_the_Other_Guys">a method, which - in my case - worked beautifully</a>.<br /><br />And thanks to <a href="http://blog.celtx.com/celtx_blog/2007/12/mike-jones-talk.html">Mike Jones</a> I now know you pronounce Celtx with a 'k'. The name actually stands for: "Crew, Equipment, Location, Talent and XML". The guys behind it don't call it screenwriting software, but 'media production software'.<br /><br /><br /><a name="layout">SCRIPT LAYOUT AND FORMAT</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBb8_Wa98D9fUTyIer20U-HHXy5Fkco0JMkN0UlT1WqCowZquW_vzEV4nmGdLoo-FU_GX9Jhc4bGSSmrcvoIlMmwikBT9PD_M4rkJV5ZHFqGW1lS3RzMXiEZ4t7l7v_VnZDuzm/s1600-h/juno.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152333400487695682" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBb8_Wa98D9fUTyIer20U-HHXy5Fkco0JMkN0UlT1WqCowZquW_vzEV4nmGdLoo-FU_GX9Jhc4bGSSmrcvoIlMmwikBT9PD_M4rkJV5ZHFqGW1lS3RzMXiEZ4t7l7v_VnZDuzm/s320/juno.JPG" border="0" height="121" width="162" /></a>The main <em>raison-d'etre</em> for script software is to get the formatting right. Unfortunately there are still a myriad of conventions that are <em>not</em> automatically dealt with and if you don't get them right, you are <em>not</em> considered a pro. Yet another reason why not to spend large amounts of money on software until you are actually making money writing.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong: you MUST get your formatting absolutely right. When you pay a story or script consultant, you don't want to waste your money on layout notes.<br /><br />Three of my clients who paid for script assessments through the <a href="http://www.awg.com.au/" target="_blank">Australian Writers Guild</a> or directly to one of the script services, found pages of detailed feedback on format. As a matter of fact, the space it took up in the assessment seemed disproportionate to the essential and professional story and script advice you would expect. You don't pay between two and eight hundred dollars to find information you can perfectly find in a book under $50 or even for free on the web. The AWG are currently reviewing their script assessment service and IMHO it's about time.<br /><br />Do I have the be-all and end-all solution to your formatting nightmares? No But I might just have a little life saver.<br /><br />After reading a plug on the <a href="http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/">Mystery Man</a> blog, I ordered a copy of David Trottier's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1879505843?ie=UTF8&tag=thestorydept-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1879505843">The Screenwriter's Bible</a><img style="border: medium none ; margin: 0px;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thestorydept-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1879505843" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> and found it one of the best resources for international script formatting. The book covers more than that but I value its section on formatting above anything else. Contrary to a number of other books and publications, it deals adequately with a number of specific issues, such as: phone conversations, intercutting, computer text, montages etc.<br /><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thestorydept-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1879505843&fc1=3E3C3C&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=18417C&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p><p><br /><br /><a name="premium">THE STORY DEPARTMENT: PREMIUM EDITION</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpJDHz4-8yE0XprUUQUPuUpU0Vgb5vvEG8TCjIJXdRuefjlairIZwUmTAS9Mw6zrbTqimCaGALShqo8B4T5KpsDLwk9-f6mO-CC-iv69jqAKzVkGlXAu6b1GHNl_I6NvBrGTo/s1600-h/untitled.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100275658226520402" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpJDHz4-8yE0XprUUQUPuUpU0Vgb5vvEG8TCjIJXdRuefjlairIZwUmTAS9Mw6zrbTqimCaGALShqo8B4T5KpsDLwk9-f6mO-CC-iv69jqAKzVkGlXAu6b1GHNl_I6NvBrGTo/s320/untitled.JPG" border="0" /></a>The <a href="http://screenplay-structure.blogspot.com/">Premium Edition</a> of The Story Dept. is now live. For the cost of a coffee every fortnight you will get:<br /><br />1) <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/">Premium Membership</a>: unrestricted access to all past and future editions of the newsletters, for one year.<br />2) <a href="http://ozzywood.com/writing">Stage One Story Consultancy</a>, phone feedback FREE once per year (value AUD$89).<br />3) <a href="http://ozzywood.com/services/">Stage Two and Three</a> at loyalty discount rate, (up to AUD$72 off the advertised rate, each).<br />4) <a href="http://www.virtualcoffee.com/">One Virtual Coffee:</a> double-shot decaf skim soy cappuccino.<br /><br />For all the above you will pay the grand sum of $89 If you were planning on taking the Stage One Consultancy, it means you're paying $0 for everything else. <em>(Offer applies only until the publication of the next post on this blog)</em><br /><br />Some ideas for upcoming Premium Editions:<br /><br />- <strong>How to divide your story into three acts</strong>. There are many theories and it doesn't matter which one you follow, <span style="font-style: italic;">as long as it helps you to improve your story</span>. Fact is: many writers aren't even sure where their stories' acts start or end.<br />- <strong>Structural Analysis</strong>. It's something I've long wanted to include in these articles and will soon do in the Premium Edition: Not for the sake of it but to help you identify crucial story points. I recently watched DIE HARD (#1) again and compared notes with the guys of MovieOutline.com (note: I am not endorsing the software). Interesting result...<br />- <strong>A bibliography of popular screenwriting books</strong>, plus notes on what I believe to be their strengths and weaknesses.<br /><br />Sign up now for one year on the <a href="http://ozzywood.com/premium/subscribe">Subscription Page</a>. The process is automatic and effective immediately upon payment through PayPal. You can have your temporary username and password within minutes. <em>(Present clients may get access at no additional cost - conditions apply.)</em><br /><br /><br />OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT:<br /><br />My friend Zoe Harvey is looking for people interested in sharing office space:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W5Uy6DfR4LplOn4t_EzFGUWl4rMbP0E2rqGBbTCq__cZmQJz4F1mBRC44Iq0sLXZ8q4qT7-7rkQ6IZICnhXXQ1qIPu6FQAuG7Wf3vEHXPR2mJifzSec-LKPKjVPuTvHP-QvI/s1600-h/office.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152199912904135890" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 145px; cursor: pointer; height: 67px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W5Uy6DfR4LplOn4t_EzFGUWl4rMbP0E2rqGBbTCq__cZmQJz4F1mBRC44Iq0sLXZ8q4qT7-7rkQ6IZICnhXXQ1qIPu6FQAuG7Wf3vEHXPR2mJifzSec-LKPKjVPuTvHP-QvI/s320/office.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="st" id="st" name="st">"Office</span> space for rent at 10a Hall Street, Bondi Beach. The <span class="st" id="st" name="st">office</span> is centrally located in busy Hall Street, one storey above the street and one block from Campbell Parade and the beach. There are two rooms for rent, both with polished floorboards, high ceilings and new paint. The rooms can be rented either separately or together. One room is approximately 4 x 6 metres (24m2) and the adjoining sunroom which is 2 x 8 metres (16m2). Each room is $200 per week rented separately or if rented together $300 per week.<br /><br />The <span class="st" id="st" name="st">office</span> is fully serviced and rent includes all electricity, gas, water and ADSL 2 connection with unlimited download. The <span class="st" id="st" name="st">office</span> is networked via airport hubs. The <span class="st" id="st" name="st">office</span> currently houses businesses involved in film production and graphic design. Companies involved in film, TV, video, graphics or related industries would be best suited.<br />Incoming tenants will need to install their own phone lines. There is no off-street parking.<br />For more information please contact: Greg Read on 02 - 9365 5300 during business hours or email: <a href="mailto:greg@paperbarkfilms.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">greg@paperbarkfilms.com</a> or <span class="st" id="st" name="st">Zoe</span> <span class="st" id="st" name="st">Harvey</span> on 02 - 9130 2544 / 0403 236 252 during business hours or email: <a href="mailto:zoe@torridfilms.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span class="st" id="st" name="st">zoe</span>@torridfilms.com</a>"<br /><br /><br /><a name="hollyshorts">L.A. FILM FEST LOOKING FOR OZZY SHORTS</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP9WDqJ-B7jjaDGMSCt5ou_9O3ONcJ3Op2-hRpimT-JeyKv998OFYr5FiyznRTgEVIiviTTJGFkxJJqhkGf2cfWlx7yAetj3M8bZS1wojtmbZNf1s1SfInMlpBzppEXi9NwhE/s1600-h/hollyshorts.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152198607234077874" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 121px; cursor: pointer; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP9WDqJ-B7jjaDGMSCt5ou_9O3ONcJ3Op2-hRpimT-JeyKv998OFYr5FiyznRTgEVIiviTTJGFkxJJqhkGf2cfWlx7yAetj3M8bZS1wojtmbZNf1s1SfInMlpBzppEXi9NwhE/s320/hollyshorts.JPG" border="0" /></a>Friend writer/filmmaker Elizabeth Ban told me the HOLLYSHORTS film festival in Hollywood is looking for Australian short films. Here are the festival details:<br /><br /><span class="st" id="st" name="st">HollyShorts</span> Film Festival, Marina Del Rey, CA<br />February 15, 2008 - Earlybird Deadline<br /><a href="http://www.hollyshorts.com/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">www.hollyshorts.com/</span></a><br /><br /><br /><br />OUR NEW LOOK<br /><br />As you see I have switched the template for the blog as too many people didn't like the 'white on black'. If you prefer the old look, let me know by joining the poll in the margin of this blog. Many thanks!</p>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-75797858291148202772007-10-25T15:38:00.001+10:002008-11-14T06:42:30.993+11:00Bring on the Hero<p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTzu0teDC3hFXVB66sBnv2vpNgJPE8_EVVqnsercb1Qizb_6BcM-qQrbstzzGrdsa7TOHhTZO6-zCX-HCTJPcKjeAlpW2ScW84SDvk7wHCIJGEYeYUcEMYxX57GqUgCa7M_iN/s1600-h/hero.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTzu0teDC3hFXVB66sBnv2vpNgJPE8_EVVqnsercb1Qizb_6BcM-qQrbstzzGrdsa7TOHhTZO6-zCX-HCTJPcKjeAlpW2ScW84SDvk7wHCIJGEYeYUcEMYxX57GqUgCa7M_iN/s320/hero.JPG" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 124px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125145736283251394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Australia and Germany are two cultures that seem slightly herophobic."</span><br /><em>-<a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Vogler" target="_blank">Christopher Vogler</a></em><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-weight: bold;">About ten years ago I was first introduced to the <span>Hero's Journey</span>. Since then I have found myself regularly relying on it when explaining essential story structure. Today I wanted to write an article about why I believe the Hero's Journey is such a popular model for screenwriters and story teachers. Then I stumbled on the quote above and I got seriously distracted.</span><br /></p>The National Screenwriters Conference is over and I didn't attend. But thanks to <a href="http://www.screenhub.com.au/">ScreenHub</a> I know I missed an interesting discussion between AFC script guru Karin Altmann and Clubland scribe Keith Thompson.<br /><br />I recommend reading <a href="http://www.screenhub.com.au/news/newsarticle_sendfriend.asp?newsID=17995">the whole article</a>, (as a matter of fact I recommend getting a subscription to <a href="http://www.screenhub.com.au/">ScreenHub</a> and reading the full coverage from the conference) but here is the quote that set me off on my journey today:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Keith is wary of scripting how-to books, believing that they hold the potential for all movies to end up looking the same. Similarly, an overt focus on structure may be to the detriment of the script overall. He prefers to discuss scripts using more generic terms such as beginning, middle and end. The hero’s journey (a la Campbell and Vogler) should be approached warily.<br /></blockquote>Keep this in mind and let's go back to that quote above this post.<br /><blockquote>Australia and Germany are two cultures that seem slightly herophobic.<br /></blockquote>Vogler is a smart man and he must have good reasons for such a statement. In the case of Germany I accept the statement without further ado. Didn't their last hero get them in a bit of a pickle?<br /><br />But on what basis would he put Australians and Germans in the same context?<br /><blockquote><em>The Australians distrust appeals to heroic virtue because such concepts have been used to lure generations of young Australian males into fighting Britain's battles. Australians have their heroes, of course, but they tend to be unassuming and self-effacing, and will remain reluctant for much longer than heroes in other cultures.[...]</em><br /></blockquote>That doesn't mean we don't have heroes at all:<br /><blockquote><em>The most admirable hero is one who denies his heroic role as long as possible and who, like Mad Max, avoids accepting responsibility for anyone but himself.</em><br /></blockquote>Now that last definition sounds like familiar Hollywood territory to me and it can be applied just as much to Maximus in Gladiator and John McClane in Die Hard as to Spider-Man, who needs to be constantly reminded of his responsibility as super-hero.<br /><br />We all know that the movies Australians like are not very different from the rest of the world, as prove <a href="http://www.moviemarshal.com.au/boxaus.html">the numbers</a>.<br /><br />Obviously the situation is very different when we look at the type of films we are <strong><em>making</em></strong>. Suddenly Chris Vogler's words are getting a different meaning.<br /><br />Have a look here: <a href="http://the-numbers.com/movies/series/Australia.php">Australian Films at the Box Office</a><br /><br />What does this teach us? If anybody is herophobic, it is the Australian screenwriter, not the cinema goer.<br /><br />Ironic how I was going to make a very different point about the Hero's Journey but via a little detour I have come to the same conclusion:<br /><br />If Australian filmmakers want to re-connect with the Australian audience - or <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">any audience</span> for that matter - they better stop <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>refusing the call</em></strong> of the Hero's Journey.Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-2666785686952657762007-10-14T22:41:00.001+10:002008-11-14T06:42:31.151+11:00Writing in Sin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvTdQgxst-X9zoA6Inszj_Tze5ZmpcUey7Yr2PoZbSNW8hItvcmk8DC47PDGC-IuxeYGwEDJH_XPItJeHypY_5yvFlftoUv124LYyTjQRVQ6as0FvR_7DzsaSoxNf4XcI5I5E/s1600-h/candy-divider.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 63px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvTdQgxst-X9zoA6Inszj_Tze5ZmpcUey7Yr2PoZbSNW8hItvcmk8DC47PDGC-IuxeYGwEDJH_XPItJeHypY_5yvFlftoUv124LYyTjQRVQ6as0FvR_7DzsaSoxNf4XcI5I5E/s320/candy-divider.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121172694296353906" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;">Losing a wonderful actor like Heath Ledger at the age of 28 is sad. But watching his last Australian movie CANDY is saddening in more than one aspect. I'm baffled that so-called established filmmakers can get it so wrong.<br /><br /></span>My fifteen students of Saturday's workshop could have told you CANDY would never be a <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=heathledger.htm">success</a>. Sensational performances, strong direction and technically flawless. But: the absolute essentials for a screen story are simply not there. When will we finally get it right? Do Australian screenwriters really believe theirs is the only job in the world you can just 'do' without first learning the skill? Let's not be naive.<br /><br />Look at these figures: In 1983, a report on "The State of the Australian Film Industry" by Deloitte Consulting identified that <span style="font-weight: bold;">only 11 films out of over 250 had made a profit during the previous 10 years</span>. 20 years later Variety reported that the <a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" href="http://www.ffc.gov.au/">FFC</a> invested in <span style="font-weight: bold;">169 feature films in the previous 15 years of which only 8 had turned a profit</span>. If I can add up, that's 19 out of more than 419. In a total of twenty-five years OVER FOUR HUNDRED MOVIES HAD LOST MONEY. I bet you're surprised so many were even <span style="font-style: italic;">made</span>.<br /><br />In response to an earlier post on this blog, Jack Douglas identified the Seven Sins of Australian Cinema. I would love to share these with you:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">"1. Weak or non-existent desire for a goal in the protagonist.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Few characters are memorable or to be cared about because they rarely want anything much. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Tthe national 'quiet achiever' or 'aw shucks' syndrome yields passive heroes and heroines.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Cate Blanchett's character in 'Little Fish' wanted to open a video shop - but did we really care?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">The list of goalless protagonists in low concept pottering plots (a la December Boys) goes on and on.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">2. Imitation of overseas styles and trends and often an inability to find original cinematic forms </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">mirroring rich local content (the legacy of a colonial culture).<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Weir Schepisi et al have highly original cinematic visions - but not embracing local content since the 80's. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Interestingly two ex-Dutchmen (Cox, de Heer) have been our most innovative directors in recent years. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">They are not fettered by the neocolonial cultural cringe.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">But has an Australian film ever significantly influenced an overseas movie maker? </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">That's the real litmus test. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Where are the specific locations in our feature films? The bush, generic suburbs or tourist shots abound. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">But few filmmakers have explored with loving detail the couleur locale of our major cities - like </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Scorsese explores New York, Truffaut Paris or Wilder LA. Our audiences continue to live vicariously </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">through the cityscapes of others.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">3. Original talented screenwriters who think cinematically and form a screenwriting community.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">In the US of A screenwriters fall out of the trees and pump out over 60,000 spec scripts per year. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Can Ozzywood transform us muffin-munching leather-jacketed scribblers into suffering and disciplined </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">artists with 'cinematic brains'? A tall order, my friend. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">4. A lack of uberpromoters like Harvey Weinstein or Jerry Bruckheimer.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Where's the cinematic counterpart of Harry Miller? Glenn Preusker ('Kenny') may be the only marketing </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">genius we have.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">5. An inability (in screenwriters, directors, producers and funders) to identify the potential movie stories </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">with the right form for a compelling high concept cinematic narrative.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">For example, the Ned Kelly story doesn't have the right structure for a movie (hence none of the Kelly films </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">work). Other bushranger histories (e.g. Moonlight, Thunderbolt) have greater potential. Compare </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Cecil Holmes' 'Captain Thunderbolt' (1953) with, say, Mora's 'Mad Dog Morgan' or Jordan's 'Ned Kelly'. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Which is the best movie of the three and why? Which one is closest to depicting the 'hero's journey'? </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Americans make movies, the British produce films, Europeans create cinema - we do features.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">6. Ignorance of screenwriting structure</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Some local films should not have been made at all and many could have been vastly improved with some </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">hefty panel beating on the bodywork of the script. If Steve Kaplan had got his hands on 'Kenny' in time and manipulated its floppy narrative spine... who knows? it might have won an Oscar.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">7. Our contemporary box office audiences </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><br /><br />The average Australian movie goer is aged 40-60 and going to the pictures for a nice night's </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">entertainment (as Frank Cox mentioned). Our baby boomers (and their attention-deficient offspring) </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">want entertaining genre flicks not life-challenging redemptive cinema - that's for the film festivals.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">And a flick is just that - an experience you flick from your consciousness as soon as you leave the theatre."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">-Jack Douglas</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ih8En9F4WWM2-FtxJWbcmzm0ybGWMfuP3AP1U-x8IjBbagey-_ls2w0USaCtqd-R3WqmDeXW7t83oq8WZsqO-wi67kiqKl6s8YFEaDgIzaonANiQTwwQ930Z1WR8xD88M4as/s1600-h/untitled.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ih8En9F4WWM2-FtxJWbcmzm0ybGWMfuP3AP1U-x8IjBbagey-_ls2w0USaCtqd-R3WqmDeXW7t83oq8WZsqO-wi67kiqKl6s8YFEaDgIzaonANiQTwwQ930Z1WR8xD88M4as/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121172522497662050" border="0" /></a>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-41447712851370939902007-10-09T18:03:00.002+10:002008-11-14T06:42:31.275+11:00What's the Story?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKHBoyxzRFnOg6YBM3lMnVEH_mpHwpI7RXpJDRxSymzUvHRicdxrEf0i64_18jwzY9SFFt7UZoK7OzEbXWaUrNc03pRAk63FS-cM8HsURy4QbTWqnLfGZqDddnx9EyTvEIn8p/s1600-h/NSW+Writers_+Centre+low+res.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115904996703713202" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 176px; cursor: pointer; height: 118px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKHBoyxzRFnOg6YBM3lMnVEH_mpHwpI7RXpJDRxSymzUvHRicdxrEf0i64_18jwzY9SFFt7UZoK7OzEbXWaUrNc03pRAk63FS-cM8HsURy4QbTWqnLfGZqDddnx9EyTvEIn8p/s320/NSW+Writers_+Centre+low+res.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">The Metro Screen story structure workshop sold out and it seems there will be another one soon. If soon is not soon enough, you can <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5291499239">register now</a> for <a href="http://thestorydepartment.com/story-sydney">an intensive one-day session on 1 June 2008</a>. </span><br /><br />WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:<br />This one day workshop is intensive but fun. It teaches you to distinguish between those screenplays with a strong potential to reach a wide audience and those that are just a fun read. You will finally understand what the 'three-act-structure' really stands for.<br /><br />The workshop is packed with examples of great and not so great movies and at the end YOU will be able to point at the main causes for strong or poor box office results for most movies.<br /><br />BACKGROUND:<br />The great careers in our industry are not built on volume of work but rather an informed choice of projects. This applies to writers, directors and producers but equally to screen technicians and particularly to actors.<br /><br />Why do you think Matt Damon is the #1 box office actor today? Does he act better than Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, De Niro, Pacino etc.? No. He is a screenwriter and story genius. He understands which scripts will make money.<br /><br />ESSENTIAL FOR FILMMAKERS:<br />Without the knowledge taught in this course, you stand a better chance of winning the lottery than making it in movies. A bold statement but painfully true. Story structure is not just another aspect of screenwriting. It's what makes or breaks your movie career.<br /><br />This is the last opportunity for 2007 to take this course in one day. Of the 10 available places for each day, some will be taken by fimmakers on the waiting list from last month's course. Don't miss out this time!<br /><br />INTENDED AUDIENCE:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Screenwriters</span> - Does your concept hold up? How to improve the structure?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Actors </span>- Which projects to fight for? Which projects will kickstart your career?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Producers & Directors</span> - How to distinguish between hits and duds.<br /><br />COURSE DATES:<br />- TBA<br /><br />THE LOCATION:<br />The wonderful, sensational and inspirational <a href="http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/">NSW Writers Centre</a> under the jacarandas of Callan Park, Rozelle where parking is never a problem. Check out the second hand book shelf with gems at $2 to keep you entertained during the breaks.<br /><br />TESTIMONIALS:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Karel's course is excellent. It finally sunk in, having studied structure twice previously with high calibre teachers. Karel delivers crucial basics, sound models and advanced techniques that work. Thank you Karel for sharing your extensive knowledge."</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Brenda Jackson</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"I came to you with a bunch of scenes in the hope of finding a story and when I look back I'm still surprised at how far we have come. Now the script has won the 2007 Monte Miller award. Thanks again Karel."</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Nathan Fielding, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Winner 2007 <a href="http://www.awg.com.au/">AWG</a> Monte Miller Award</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"He never gets distracted with the little stuff that tends to fix itself when the important parts are working harmoniously. Karel is a rare beast amongst story consultants - a film literate and long-standing aficionado of many film genres. I hold Karel in very high regard."</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- <a href="http://www.kierangalvin.com/">Kieran Galvin</a>, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Writer / Director <a href="http://www.puppythemovie.com/">PUPPY</a>, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Writer FEED</span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-61008237418107524142007-09-25T20:19:00.002+10:002008-11-14T06:42:32.088+11:00Anyone Can Cook<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Tu3p-iTYEgoJ4KInNuYqrDe0j5CUmYNENT6pinYOCUb6wBPXf5uuQnoIV-P9CqUg9v67GXlGq86WHVqMw-fEEarXnpbfvIFLq0fdwBqkJlghi06H5au99lZGot-N8ke3xjYA/s1600-h/untitled.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Tu3p-iTYEgoJ4KInNuYqrDe0j5CUmYNENT6pinYOCUb6wBPXf5uuQnoIV-P9CqUg9v67GXlGq86WHVqMw-fEEarXnpbfvIFLq0fdwBqkJlghi06H5au99lZGot-N8ke3xjYA/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114085236240267058" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;">Earlier this year, a friend of mine bought an expensive High Definition Video camera. He had saved up for it for a long time. In stead he could have bought a second hand Subaru. But he doesn't care he doesn't have a car. He has a dream. The Australian Dream.<br /><br /></span>Australia is a hands-on type of nation. When I arrived in 2001, it didn't take me long to get my first short film off the ground. So many wonderful people, eager to get their hands dirty and help me out. After all, filmmaking doesn't have to be the cumbersome, expensive art it used to be. In a way it is still cumbersome but the essentials to capture and reproduce images have become so cheap they are now within reach of anyone with a job or a credit card.<br /><br />The largest short film festival in the world started in Sydney. Meanwhile <a href="http://www.tropinc.com/">Tropfest</a> has spilled out to all major Australian cities and even the rest of the world . The fact it started here in Australia is no coincidence. When an Australian wants to do something, he doesn't first sit down to ponder about how it is usually done and then wait for an opportunity to arise so the job gets a bit easier. The Australian goes for it. ASAP.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR65vAZP4FADNN8_HVUJ-TmuQXpvuJ-8PzNWrog6zpODeUAadPjbE5sHGcNerYqWAvasKQfJwU33On50Jby1Pg2YJsNwuyd6LfnstXt_rYHwHcxPxHwBVaqq9kv_vLoMz3s5e/s1600-h/category_camcorder1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR65vAZP4FADNN8_HVUJ-TmuQXpvuJ-8PzNWrog6zpODeUAadPjbE5sHGcNerYqWAvasKQfJwU33On50Jby1Pg2YJsNwuyd6LfnstXt_rYHwHcxPxHwBVaqq9kv_vLoMz3s5e/s320/category_camcorder1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114102051037230914" border="0" /></a>You can hear me coming: despite all the good intentions there is a downside to this <span style="font-style: italic;">"let's just do it"</span> attitude. In the case of filmmaking, I cannot shed the impression the Australian believes there are shortcuts. What is the easiest way to get your idea on the screen? You hire or buy a video camera, get some mates to stand in front of it and "just do it". We are all made to believe this is how it works. Practical guides to the use of digital equipment make it seem like child's play.<br /><br />It is an illusion that has cost us dearly in recent years. I have seen a fair few movies lately that were all made with lots of enthusiasm but not a lot of thought gone into the screenplay. What is it with movies that people just cannot stop believing the illusion? At this point I must add that what sets my friend with the HD camera apart from the crowd, is this: he had first invested a significant amount of money in learning the craft of screenwriting.<br /><br /><br />FINAL GOODBYE FINAL DRAFT?<br /><br />Only yesterday I received an email from which I quote:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61vRPNj6EYg_E3lsdtRs5Q9rE9NR1GOxkxmNFzvObs23t6kEWEadk3QOcuxMHgNkg1OY9ovkcLLxjo86geT8LMBAdAjjkJGWG-9CLYYDtZK05hPsPFH5Bq3j2-otCtReiC05D/s1600-h/logo-type.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 58px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61vRPNj6EYg_E3lsdtRs5Q9rE9NR1GOxkxmNFzvObs23t6kEWEadk3QOcuxMHgNkg1OY9ovkcLLxjo86geT8LMBAdAjjkJGWG-9CLYYDtZK05hPsPFH5Bq3j2-otCtReiC05D/s320/logo-type.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114110791295678370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"I have about 3 ideas for scripts, they would be produced entirely by my friends and I. I need to put the first drafts down I am trying to round up a script writing program to make it easier."</span><br /><br />There is the other myth: <span style="font-style: italic;">Final Draft will help you write your script</span>. (On a separate note: soon that myth may be forever buried, when <a href="http://www.celtx.com/">Celtx</a> takes over. They have just released version 0.995 and it is starting to look better than anything on the market. Interesting detail: Celtx is free. At least no money will be wasted on the illusion that software could spit out a story.)<br /><br />In his book STORY, Robert McKee makes the point:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nx07ov1wp6n70ePr3g62aFOkst5crXabnuvresbeae6TWfXE1m5QTGodFQh_0IsMDLklrrp_HhpKvsiciHrZLHKOlcNsQqIiKWkGlFTn6Ivu_xu_AqExCIs9SleCrUhj0JaL/s1600-h/story.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nx07ov1wp6n70ePr3g62aFOkst5crXabnuvresbeae6TWfXE1m5QTGodFQh_0IsMDLklrrp_HhpKvsiciHrZLHKOlcNsQqIiKWkGlFTn6Ivu_xu_AqExCIs9SleCrUhj0JaL/s320/story.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114102824131344210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"If your dream were to compose music, would you say to yourself: "I've heard a lot of symphonies... I can also play the piano... I think I'll knock one out this weekend? No. But that's exactly how many screenwriters begin: "I've seen a lot of flicks, some good and some bad... I got A's in English... vacation time 's coming..."</span><br /><br />The essence of story is not rocket science. I keep repeating: it is a learnable skill. But a skill that must be learned nonetheless. What you cannot learn is the <span style="font-style: italic;">inspiration</span>, the need to tell a specific story. Yet so many people with the desire to tell that story believe they can get away without properly mastering the craft. They want to build the house without a notion of engineering. They want to compose a symphony without knowing a C from a Cis. They want to serve a bouillabaisse but can't even cook a ratatouille.<br /><br />If you were hoping there might be a new generation waiting to jump in and rejuvenate this general malaise, the following might put a stop to your optimism. At a networking event earlier this year, I spoke with a university student who had taken a screenwriting class the previous year. Asked about the one thing she took away from that class, she answered:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I guess, that you can break the rules and still get away with it."</span><br /><br /><br />THE OMNIPOTENT FUNDING AGENCIES<br /><br />Having recently caught up on some Australian films of the past few years (see my <a href="http://thestorydepartment.blogspot.com/2007/09/anyone-can-cook.html">previous post</a>) and listening to feedback from others on more recent films (Clubland, West, Suburban Mayhem etc.) it seems these pictures are unable to connect with a mainstream audience. Or any audience, for that matter. It's no longer an issue of getting the audience into the theater, if those who saw the films are not entertained. There are strong indications the problems don't lie in the execution but in the bare essentials of story. Yep, they are breaking the rules.<br /><br />But where did things start to go wrong? I believe the lack of understanding of the principles of story has become endemic for our entire industry. Not only do writers lack the skills: producers and funding decision makers fail to see the flaws in screenplays. As long as the 'elements' are in place, the film will get made. The 'elements' being: cast, technically experienced crew, government funding etc.<br /><br />On the government's role: while preparing development notes for a government funding application, a particular paragraph in the guidelines struck me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC31fFRfa_gz_F-v9Wo72LdPJIdTx6cfMvHxg6UrtfsYMRjkNmrldqMOxhtntZ6lU9kR4uVP87bCNrca1-k1JjB2-S85gfBL337IDcEm01poXduFK8w9vJGX-CzLGdsktcMG9/s1600-h/QuoModoDeum.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC31fFRfa_gz_F-v9Wo72LdPJIdTx6cfMvHxg6UrtfsYMRjkNmrldqMOxhtntZ6lU9kR4uVP87bCNrca1-k1JjB2-S85gfBL337IDcEm01poXduFK8w9vJGX-CzLGdsktcMG9/s320/QuoModoDeum.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114103979477546882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"What is the point of view (POV) of the script? That is, where is the audience positioned in relation to the script? Are they close to one central character? Is it an omnipotent POV?"</span><br /><br />An "omnipotent POV"?? Somebody has lost the plot here. Point of view is crucially important in a story. The terminology should be second nature to anyone even remotely involved in screenwriting, let alone the funding of it. If even the funding agencies cannot get their act together, why would anyone expect the writers would? Interesting to note that the same funding agency has been reported to have feature drama screenplays assessed by documentary film makers. Go figure.<br /><br />Recently a young filmmaker submitted a rough cut on DVD with an application for post-production funding. The application was rejected. The assessor didn't like the film? Correction: the assessor didn't like <span style="font-style: italic;">the screenplay</span>. The rejection was justified in a multi-page assessment <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">of the screenplay</span>. The assessor <span style="font-style: italic;">did </span>reference the DVD but the brunt of his tirade was directed at the script.<br /><br />Why am I concerned... Very concerned...<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-60135135684493636322007-09-07T23:13:00.002+10:002008-11-14T06:42:32.275+11:00Elephant in the Room<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLNWBexTRlQepaWQTNLF0431uH7STAPbcsOXDsr3H8IV4bVUB09j_IwxQeKw8QNcVUWmLfPqiCbmXUuKqC4RDnIAIf7CnGQZmFcdcUwK6dUwg7yWZ1k9wqJbVQRy02AdtpgmS/s1600-h/elephant.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLNWBexTRlQepaWQTNLF0431uH7STAPbcsOXDsr3H8IV4bVUB09j_IwxQeKw8QNcVUWmLfPqiCbmXUuKqC4RDnIAIf7CnGQZmFcdcUwK6dUwg7yWZ1k9wqJbVQRy02AdtpgmS/s320/elephant.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107449834158805490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">"Babies don't come from babies", <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Jarrett">Keith Jarrett</a> said when he meant that great art isn't inspired by other art but by life itself.<br />This quote shot through my mind tonight while watching the Australian film <a href="http://http//www.imdb.com/title/tt0472582/">2:37</a> by Murali Thalluri.</span><br /><br />I had ordered 2:37 from <a href="http://www.quickflix.com.au/default.aspx?leadid=16174&referralcode=TAF022088">Quickflix</a>, as reference material for a feature film in post-production I am currently working on in the capacity of co-producer and story consultant. Because of some friends' recommendations, I was really looking forward to watching young Thalluri's directorial debut. Imagine my joy when less than forty-eight hours after putting it on my wishlist, the DVD tumbled in the letter box!<br /><br />Thalluri is obviously infatuated with Gus Van Sant and more specifically <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/">ELEPHANT</a>, of which 2:37 is a blatant pastiche. The school, the parallel points of view, the moody light, the school massacre reference, etc. How much more derivative can you be without breaking the law?<br /><br />But all this could have been forgiven. Other great directors have copied shamelessly, to create something better or at least equally entertaining. I hate to admit but this umpteenth Australian case of the emperor's new clothes is boring as hell. The best five minutes are the opening scene and this is indeed great cinema: a promising naturalistic build-up of suspense, leading to the discovery of a student's suicide.<br /><br />The dead body is not shown in the opening scene and most if not all of the movie's anticipation (or lack thereof) hinges on that single question: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Who died?"</span> For most of the 98mins running time, the filmmakers are trying to outsmart the audience, ultimately delivering a twist nobody could have possibly seen coming. It may work in novels but it doesn't in movies, as evidenced by that obscenely successful whodunit whose screen adaptation embarrassed even the die hard fans: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/">THE DA VINCI CODE</a>. Too bad 2:37 didn't have the same marketing pull to defy any story sense and make hundreds of millions nonetheless.<br /><br /><br />ANOTHER ELEPHANT: LACK OF DRAMA<br /><br />The mystery around the identity of the suicide victim in 2:37 is equivalent to that bad whodunit in which a totally uninteresting character we have hardly seen, suddenly shows up with motive and weapon. Even when a whodunit is done well, it often lacks suspense. On this subject Hitchcock once said: <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />"Mystery is seldom suspenseful. In a whodunit, for instance, there is no suspense, but a sort of intellectual puzzle. The whodunit generates the kind of curiosity that is void of emotion, and emotion is an essential ingredient of suspense."<br /><br /></span>That said, 2:37 might still have worked, if only the screenwriter had made the least effort to entertain or excite us along the way. Instead we are witnessing a never-ending tirade of profanities and artful but empty cinematography. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed either by the performances of the army of young and gorgeous actors. But you can't blame them, with this poor material.<br /><br />The film does make various attempts to convey emotion but most of those lack drama. When the main characters talk about themselves and their youthful angst, the effect is theatrical, not cinematic. And until we know and understand the circumstances of these confessions, we will not fully invest emotionally in their content. That is why the 'talking heads' in this film don't work, no matter how desperately the actors try to convince us.<br /><br />Bottom line: there are some basic screenwriting rules you break at your own risk such as: "you must not deceive the audience." I suspect Thalluri was considered an auteur and a prodigy, who <span style="font-style: italic;">de facto</span> transcends the principles of storytelling. Here's my two cents: beginning writers should not try and outsmart their peers, let alone the audience.<br /><br /><br />WE DON'T GIVE A SHEET<br /><br />Mysteriously despite all the above, the film was selected for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 17 mins standing ovation, effectively paving the way for a successful theatrical release. Or so you would expect. Banking on the festival response, quick international sales were achieved reportedly bringing in three times the film's production cost.<br /><br />The reality of the film's performance at the box office was sobering: at home it hardly grossed $500k. Of course some sources blame the distributor's bad release campaign. Or the exhibitor's marginal programming. And finally the audience, for not wanting to <span style="font-style: italic;">open up</span> to the film.<br /><br />And tomorrow me, for not supporting Australian cinema.<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-64557681969549932612007-09-01T00:50:00.000+10:002008-11-14T06:42:32.406+11:00Little Things Got Bigger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkux_JWw_3uLfpOkEzb4_3dt_ouqxgp_91Lu4YwvXmrshyq03-duIHzE_r7Yqk8CvNy0E7hEeyK_x8ttA-yBT3ESZgyUCjWhG0UdP0eiv8SfF8c6N93u2XfN_1aX_1M1lybOS/s1600-h/AWG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkux_JWw_3uLfpOkEzb4_3dt_ouqxgp_91Lu4YwvXmrshyq03-duIHzE_r7Yqk8CvNy0E7hEeyK_x8ttA-yBT3ESZgyUCjWhG0UdP0eiv8SfF8c6N93u2XfN_1aX_1M1lybOS/s320/AWG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104878007741960658" border="0" /></a><b class="verdana_small_grey_bold_10"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Congrats to Nathan Fielding, recipient of the </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);" href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/index.htm#" onclick="MM_openBrWindow('http://www.awg.com.au/artman/publish/article_428.shtml','','scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=750,height=550')">Monte Miller Award '07</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">! Nathan walked away from the awards last night in Sydney with a broad smile and a cheque of $5,000.</span><br /></b><p><span class="verdana_small_grey_bold_10">About developing the winning script LITTLE THINGS with <a href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/film-production/story-consultancy.htm">me</a><span class="verdana_small_grey_bold"> he says: <span style="font-style: italic;">"I came to you with a bunch of scenes in the hope of finding a story and when I look back I'm still surprised at how far we have come.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> [...] Thanks again Karel. I'll get to work on another oddly thrown together bunch of characters and give you a call. I know you love a challenge.</span><span class="verdana_small_grey_bold_10"><span class="verdana_small_grey_bold"><span style="font-style: italic;">" </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span class="verdana_small_grey_bold_10">It should be noted that the draft was developed with the assistance of the <a href="http://www.afc.gov.au/">Australian Film Commission</a>. Read Nathan's full testimonial <a href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/testimonials/index.htm">here</a>.<br /><br />Big congratulations also to Story Dept. reader Andrew Slattery from Caves Beach who won the Monte Miller Award - Short Form for his screenplay NEAR SYNCOPE. </span></p>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-64051899236060701252007-08-19T15:59:00.000+10:002008-11-14T06:42:34.847+11:00Avoid the Draft One Trap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wWXhK-Qv5zj_H0FE0Xudo3CuqPWEDh7qToPCr3CSn7PHZBERZYJr42cWoHkMrfh0rfpUuyeRmcmr9f13yD6UncjwZcVN4d3M5z0PEzKnzVpUGTIbUPMYvihDtNOAUbL610xM/s1600-h/firstdraft2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100286760716980578" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wWXhK-Qv5zj_H0FE0Xudo3CuqPWEDh7qToPCr3CSn7PHZBERZYJr42cWoHkMrfh0rfpUuyeRmcmr9f13yD6UncjwZcVN4d3M5z0PEzKnzVpUGTIbUPMYvihDtNOAUbL610xM/s320/firstdraft2.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">You’re a screenwriter. And you're SO stuck. Nothing is moving, nobody wants to make your movie. You are on a crusade for recognition, for people to tell you how great the idea and how successful you will be. But your phone calls are not being returned. Are you caught in the Draft One Trap?</span><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE">To appease your conscience you will make scene level tweaks. Lots of them. You will call it draft two, three, thirteen. The reality: this is still draft one. You will finally get sick of the script and move on to the next Great Idea. Years go by and many scripts may come from your hand but none will ever get made, let alone reach an audience.<br /><br />Did you just recognise someone you know in the above description? Perhaps yourself? Do you really believe, off all the readers of <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>all the blogs in all the world I'm trying to convert <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span>? No. The above </span><span lang="X-NONE">was taken from a promotional blurb I wrote for a two-day <a href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/services/story_workshop.pdf" target="blank">story workshop</a> at <a href="http://www.metroscreen.com.au/">Metroscreen</a>.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZikaBObSBIabwxPDvdsXXfuEZ6kYhNnFS9rrg4d4RjSabTZ2-fSI4vXyfqabOh5ez0PfBAkULvVjdisE-XdlnpR_W2EltHihox5hd-YfCr36d8JmhkXpx0mhHoNlF8Szzjil/s1600-h/metro.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099978012697940146" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 110px; cursor: pointer; height: 113px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZikaBObSBIabwxPDvdsXXfuEZ6kYhNnFS9rrg4d4RjSabTZ2-fSI4vXyfqabOh5ez0PfBAkULvVjdisE-XdlnpR_W2EltHihox5hd-YfCr36d8JmhkXpx0mhHoNlF8Szzjil/s320/metro.JPG" border="0" /></a><span lang="X-NONE">The course will be partially about the foundations of screen story and partially about practical ways to apply them to your work. You may not need those foundations for draft one. The first draft is all about "Don't get it right, get it written." But then comes draft two and reality kicks in. If you haven't written your first draft yet, you still need to be aware of the elements that will come into play further down the road.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE">Successful feature screenwriters don’t cherish that first draft. They know it is crap so they won’t show it to anyone let alone shop it around, <span style="font-style: italic;">except </span>for advise on how to move to the next draft ASAP. Successful screenwriters listen to the honest constructive criticism from industry professionals and follow a process on the way to a wonderful, radically <i>different</i> Draft Two.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE">For these writers the second draft is an easier and more important leap forward than any next draft of the script. This has to do with the 'law of diminishing returns', but more about that in a later post on this blog.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE">Apart from making sure you will not unknowingly fall in that Draft One Trap ever again, the Metroscreen course will focus on most of those issues I have come across in unsuccessful scripts during my six years as a producer. The second day of the two-day course will show how to implement </span>a writing process that may significantly speed up the development and create a genuine opportunity when pitching your projects to producers, directors or funding agencies.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">If you are interested in this course or would like to know more, send me an <a href="mailto:karel@ozzywood.com">email</a> or contact Metroscreen. Or just download the <a href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/services/workshop_form.pdf" target="blank">enrolment form</a> and send it in! If you're not a Metroscreen member, you can sort that out using <a href="http://home.exetel.com.au/ozzywood/services/metroscreen_membership.pdf" target="blank">this form</a>.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">But enough about me and my course.<br /></p><br />TRIBE OR TRITE? STONEKING'S MANTRA<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fcJ-O0GkU9joGYYELhLYG4dp21Bhltr-97lmWUzvAZSiM3XyrBH_o58E4kOge9UCQVloWfHUHffWj7xXRr63AN3YPzWBArI9xODsh_GF_B8TL7V1i2caQvKmHYBjb6SKAjhF/s1600-h/new_billy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099978012697940162" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fcJ-O0GkU9joGYYELhLYG4dp21Bhltr-97lmWUzvAZSiM3XyrBH_o58E4kOge9UCQVloWfHUHffWj7xXRr63AN3YPzWBArI9xODsh_GF_B8TL7V1i2caQvKmHYBjb6SKAjhF/s320/new_billy.jpg" border="0" /></a>At a recent AWG NSW event poet and AFTRS teacher Billy Stoneking performed a short version of his 'tribe act'. Many in the audience were confused. And yes, over the years some have questioned the contribution of the national film school to Australian screenwriting culture. But rather than fueling the controversy, I would like to give Stoneking credit where credit is due.<br /><br />Stoneking's 'tribe' theory focuses primarily on the writer's connection with both the material and the audience. If you think Stoneking has a purely artistic, individualistic approach to screenwriting, think again. He pays ample attention to the importance and the meaning of 'drama' and he acknowledges that a good movie is made for an audience. And not just 'an' audience: it must be <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> audience you have - in some way or other - a connection with. Do read the article <a href="http://billystoneking.blogspot.com/">here</a>. Being a poet, the man masters his language in a way I can only envy.<br /><br />If on the other hand you would like to <span style="font-style: italic;">see </span>the <span style="font-style: italic;">entertainer</span> Stoneking, you might be lucky enough to still find his <a href="http://www.sony.com.au/tropfest/category.jsp?id=23781">Sony Tropfest videocast</a> of the 'tribe act'. Have fun!<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE"><br />HOLLYWOOD VS. OZZYWOOD<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK4zxxlhXOD5hqplWpodmNBeVx0v6cIHO2gUpmonoAhMt2oJFl1jckSga8dwGom72zvlYxTmRzgfYqnlwu2sShpJQbrB_CXeeMYdKfuir8V2bwZMstLT70nUj1qNwtpvimn71/s1600-h/cs.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099986598337564946" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK4zxxlhXOD5hqplWpodmNBeVx0v6cIHO2gUpmonoAhMt2oJFl1jckSga8dwGom72zvlYxTmRzgfYqnlwu2sShpJQbrB_CXeeMYdKfuir8V2bwZMstLT70nUj1qNwtpvimn71/s320/cs.bmp" border="0" /></a><span lang="X-NONE">As you may have noticed from earlier posts on this blog, <a href="http://www.creativescreenwriting.com/index.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Creative Screenwriting Magazine</span></a> is a personal favourite. It was recently named "the best magazine about screenwriting" by the Los Angeles Times.<br /><br />Their 'Story Department' (photo above) web forum opened in April 2006 and since then they have received 42 posts from writers all over the world.</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeP73d-aAxUnZmQOrcN2BBV75H1lHd6B7r4Rl8YAAHpXUIajK-ub0nBcPbcXkYsY0-_-6ykQBRJ-sBmLNFbqmPHz_Oyl2pSPkfmD50y7r23xW5QEDIHxDoSsuaHMLDj_M0f9c/s1600-h/karel2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099989656354279730" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeP73d-aAxUnZmQOrcN2BBV75H1lHd6B7r4Rl8YAAHpXUIajK-ub0nBcPbcXkYsY0-_-6ykQBRJ-sBmLNFbqmPHz_Oyl2pSPkfmD50y7r23xW5QEDIHxDoSsuaHMLDj_M0f9c/s320/karel2.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>Closer to home, four months ago some passionate story consultant opened a little forum on the bulletin board of the Australian Writers' Guild (photo left) to answer questions from writers.<br /><br />The writers dropped by ... and they keep coming back! If you're an AWG member you should be able to check it out <a href="http://www.awg.com.au/bb/index.php">here</a>. If you're not, perhaps you should become an associate? The benefits are surely worth it.<br /><br /><br />WRITING FOR ACTORS<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(Or: why writers should win the Best Acting awards)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5GGSfdT3-RCBIoAc3IBkSuZvgDoxea96Wq3STp5cF_EJKyMcXcC2HGKLfpvrHYwGfVJogwmW2d5Y3ioQ7Cw__YUzpe_Ztjy6cqxHbITD4FYEmh8Lhyphenhyphennz3o36lF-ZiE4E6qjv/s1600-h/185x150_legacy_statuette.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099979846648975602" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 130px; cursor: pointer; height: 105px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5GGSfdT3-RCBIoAc3IBkSuZvgDoxea96Wq3STp5cF_EJKyMcXcC2HGKLfpvrHYwGfVJogwmW2d5Y3ioQ7Cw__YUzpe_Ztjy6cqxHbITD4FYEmh8Lhyphenhyphennz3o36lF-ZiE4E6qjv/s320/185x150_legacy_statuette.gif" border="0" /></a>Until recently I was only a producer and story consultant. I can now add 'writer' to my credits. Well, in spirit that is. The credit will never be on the screen. It was a rewrite-for-hire job and although in my humble opinion the story is now 200% better, the original writers will get the praise, if any. In any case, it is exciting to know after my rewrite the script was deemed ready for consideration by a Hollywood Studio (Fox) where it is at the time of writing.<br /><br />But all that is beside the point. The project in question is supposed to launch the career of a particular actor, which I could hardly believe after reading the draft I received. The actor's character was NOT the story's protagonist, he had limited screentime and worst of all: he was given the most unspeakable dialogue.<br /><br />Which set me thinking. How do you write dialogue for a beginning actor? You don't. You write <span style="font-style: italic;">emotion</span>. And emotion the actor will <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>need to <span style="font-style: italic;">perform</span>. I have had this conversation a dozen times over the past month so I apologise in advance for those who have heard me preach about this before.<br /><br />Let's go back about eighty years (or <a href="http://thestorydepartment.blogspot.com/2006_05_06_archive.html">ten blogs</a>) to the work of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474487/">Lev Kuleshov</a> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Photo: The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks, 1924)</span></span>. <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDezwdxJQwbMdfg8kAgoWnJzKq1uFvA_KB-o9uT3sei7IlcGWM-vev3_mPV15lrFbQase20YFqlOIyDETS67Q1LJEnlT6rDGyzjEnMGg_ZAEPr0Ky6Zc41buyEA-RHvZHDc0P6/s1600-h/image0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099978824446759138" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 125px; cursor: pointer; height: 127px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDezwdxJQwbMdfg8kAgoWnJzKq1uFvA_KB-o9uT3sei7IlcGWM-vev3_mPV15lrFbQase20YFqlOIyDETS67Q1LJEnlT6rDGyzjEnMGg_ZAEPr0Ky6Zc41buyEA-RHvZHDc0P6/s320/image0.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kuleshov took unedited footage of a completely expressionless face [...] and intercut it with shots of three highly motivated objects: a bowl of hot soup, a dead woman lying in a coffin, and a little girl playing with a teddy bear.<br /><br />When the film strips were shown to randomly selected audiences, they invariably responded as though the actor's face had accurately portrayed the emotion appropriate to the intercut object.<br /><br />As Pudovkin recalled: "The public raved about the acting of the artist. They pointed out the heavy pensiveness of his mood over the forgotten soup, were touched and moved by the deep sorrow with which he looked on the dead woman, and admired the light, happy smile with which he surveyed the girl at play.<br /><br />But we knew that in all three cases the face was exactly the same."</span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;">(from David Cook's splendid A HISTORY OF NARRATIVE FILM.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTRNubcvncX2MwJjMzvehdnq6OW_jxMfr9q9AjIuU9p-zTrROQQ5EcK8anQGrewG7j-lWXikoB4H4_M5uERNNVuU4DXmFLOg69Z7otI1kNL3DiLExDxlPq2RRPEU91WWgVjh5/s1600-h/crowe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099978004108005506" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 134px; cursor: pointer; height: 93px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTRNubcvncX2MwJjMzvehdnq6OW_jxMfr9q9AjIuU9p-zTrROQQ5EcK8anQGrewG7j-lWXikoB4H4_M5uERNNVuU4DXmFLOg69Z7otI1kNL3DiLExDxlPq2RRPEU91WWgVjh5/s320/crowe.jpg" border="0" /></a>These results are known today as the 'Kuleshov effect' and it explains why often actors win awards for performances they didn't give. When Russell Crowe broke onto the Hollywood scene with his nomination for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140352/">THE INSIDER</a>, it had IMHO nothing to do with his acting skills but everything with Eric Roth and Michael Mann's terrific writing, which effectively projected the feelings we share with the Jeffrey Wigand character onto Crowe's blank face.<br /><br />A more recent example is the late <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0618057/">Ulrich Mühe's</a> performance in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/">THE LIVES OF OTHERS </a>(Das Leben der Anderen), which won him numerous best actor awards including at the European Film Awards. The second half of the movie is an emotional powerhouse, yet the actor's face is near blank.<br /><br />Conversely, great actors have been blamed of bad performances where the only culprit really was the screenwriter. The actor could have avoid the blame by politely passing on a screenplay that was not worthy of his attachment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSevg5pzSRjU3AwU1mCC1DXcis_eFUTJrh1SNlci6EJGC_s7Jv3IhXa68P7-vZB_Yhj8wllYiHXYQYasF8mTGKm22-E4FR4EldmXqLbhof_1GPbREMh8VX-V5K8pHe7z22tVJi/s1600-h/leben.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099978008402972834" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 166px; cursor: pointer; height: 114px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSevg5pzSRjU3AwU1mCC1DXcis_eFUTJrh1SNlci6EJGC_s7Jv3IhXa68P7-vZB_Yhj8wllYiHXYQYasF8mTGKm22-E4FR4EldmXqLbhof_1GPbREMh8VX-V5K8pHe7z22tVJi/s320/leben.jpg" border="0" /></a>Bottom line: if you want to write great drama for any actor, irrespective of the experience level, <span style="font-style: italic;">don't</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">describe </span>the emotion you want to see on the actor's face. Make the audience feel the emotion before the character has to respond to it. Great drama does not have visible emotion; it makes you, the audience <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> it. If you must, write a tear on an expressionless face.<br /><br />Hitchcock would say: "I need actors who can do <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> well." He understood perfectly that it was the writer's job to convey the emotion, not the actor's. He also perfectly understood the power of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Kuleshov effect</span> and consequently: the power of <span style="font-style: italic;">editing</span>.<br /><br />Great actors are not those who can be express sadness, anger or desperation better than others. Great actors are those who can pick great scripts.<br /><br /><br />AUSTRALIAN FILM: FRANK COX AND ERIC BANA<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Tvg5hyphenhyphenZxaOpim_H2FfFU563FfKnwd_NSOCFI3bocuP41KUjafU1PQAo-53n5yxAmjPxGb4XBVDBDFDw_VPMg8ZaGeODqDQRcPorGY_B5YsHt3PWrtvXsP16Kq-LNVRTgP-4T/s1600-h/top_logo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100334499278475634" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 171px; cursor: pointer; height: 57px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Tvg5hyphenhyphenZxaOpim_H2FfFU563FfKnwd_NSOCFI3bocuP41KUjafU1PQAo-53n5yxAmjPxGb4XBVDBDFDw_VPMg8ZaGeODqDQRcPorGY_B5YsHt3PWrtvXsP16Kq-LNVRTgP-4T/s320/top_logo.gif" border="0" /></a>Frank Cox of <a href="http://www.hopscotchfilms.com.au/" target="blank">Hopscotch</a> can help greenlight a feature film. He is one of the 'good guys': he looks at films that don't necessarily fill the multiplexes. Better even: he reads those screenplays. But that doesn't mean he will be betting the house.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"I ask 'Who do you think the film is for?' Some of them say 'Frank, I make movies for myself, because I'm an artist and the audiences will follow it if I do something fantastic. I've got a vision."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"And I'm going 'Good on you, if you've got the stuff to do this and you find a market, fantastic. But if you're not going to talk to me while you've got these ideas, then don’t come to me at the end and get disappointed if I tell you I don’t know what to do with it.'"</span></span><br /><br />I had to think of these words tonight while I was watching a freshly shot Australian film (I'm bound by secrecy as it's not out yet). Multi-protagonist, not done badly but just not good enough. Another case of <span style="font-style: italic;">"I've got a vision"</span>... In today's market, anybody with a brain would steer away from multi-protagonist for a first feature. But what I found completely baffling was the fact that a government agency had put money in the project, both for development AND production. What are we doing? Anyhow, where does Frank Cox see the current Australian cinema?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Australian films are a bit of a question mark." The talent is certainly there, proved by the success of Australian industry people overseas, but "It seems to me that most projects in Australia are hurried. In other words, the development process lacks, the stories are not fully developed, and they don't reach their optimum because everyone seems to be in a hurry to put their film in development and then production." It's a familiar story; the problem is understood throughout the industry."</span></span><br /><br />Thank you to ScreenHub for the kind permission to re-publish. You can read the full interview here. <a href="http://www.screenhub.com.au/news/newsarticle_sendfriend.asp?newsID=16352" target="blank">here.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVNads5fD4dMVjEgIEavncHPsqz1pINWZg3mg-tbywgiYhaHbq_G162MiCNz6YymXc2_Lan0fcckEDmJnFRtrwPcV9rX7oVwQsVZEA2OMUXEfkTUSpW0TI_Paq05zV2Kz9jOa/s1600-h/theater.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100399787076342210" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVNads5fD4dMVjEgIEavncHPsqz1pINWZg3mg-tbywgiYhaHbq_G162MiCNz6YymXc2_Lan0fcckEDmJnFRtrwPcV9rX7oVwQsVZEA2OMUXEfkTUSpW0TI_Paq05zV2Kz9jOa/s320/theater.jpg" border="0" /></a>Recently a good friend and fellow Belgian interviewed Eric Bana in Rome for his latest <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338216/">LUCKY YOU</a> (another <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744839/">Eric Roth</a> screenplay). My friend asked his opinion about Australian film and I have a funny feeling he would not have given this answer to a reporter on Australian soil:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >"It may sound weird but working in Australia is not that important to me. It can even be dangerous to a career."<br />[...]<br />"I know an 'international name' can help, for instance if you want to get a high budget film financed or if you want to launch a difficult project. But as I said, there is a real danger. You receive a lot of scripts that aren't ready. The producers then believe a big name will solve the problem. So I am very careful"</span><o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><br />THE STORY DEPT.: FROM IDEA TO PRINT<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo0k57vJVZ0DPm71AxmxqSRu7FNJ-lLt5nxtRbTF7Ttkqv6d0a6SLAhpHxxIV0fHxefYDiNDMedkiJiZUHjFP11xSXftjCkLNTxovjI1z1kJ4e-KpP40dIdTvdnn1fE2wrZ3Z/s1600-h/Ozzywood-bw-inverted.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100338626742047122" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 169px; cursor: pointer; height: 95px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo0k57vJVZ0DPm71AxmxqSRu7FNJ-lLt5nxtRbTF7Ttkqv6d0a6SLAhpHxxIV0fHxefYDiNDMedkiJiZUHjFP11xSXftjCkLNTxovjI1z1kJ4e-KpP40dIdTvdnn1fE2wrZ3Z/s320/Ozzywood-bw-inverted.gif" border="0" /></a><span lang="X-NONE">My preparations for the Metroscreen course explain why it's been a bit quiet in The Story Dept.; for the other reason behind the temporary silence I have to profoundly thank many of you, the readers of this blog! Over the past months I have been increasingly busy as a story consultant, both on projects in development as some films in post-production.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE">Indeed the principles of story don't stop with the shooting script. From a story perspective the assembled footage is a work that hardly ever reflects the story beats </span><span lang="X-NONE">exactly </span><span lang="X-NONE">as they were intended in the script. Or if they are, sometimes a better option becomes apparent in the editing suite.<br /></span></p><span lang="X-NONE">For a team that has laboured over the same movie for months or years, it is hard to make far-reaching decisions without being consumed by feelings of insecurity and doubt. Fortunately there may be a guiding light as the principles of story still apply! If areas of the story don't work for the outsider, sometimes the reasons can be found in a breach of (one or some of) those principles. Enter the story analyst!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QWgZaoA1jpy4IlqU02gCKbFXjqoP52dPFPUNPzQSl17Yuijliok7JzLsx2Pa20Mn3dMPrxvJBFOJM47LD5maAvhoSsp7g0FyqVzgbHHApL8g9Qxxxm8u_mIhx8Kh0_OgYruh/s1600-h/pup.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100339614584525234" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 208px; cursor: pointer; height: 134px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QWgZaoA1jpy4IlqU02gCKbFXjqoP52dPFPUNPzQSl17Yuijliok7JzLsx2Pa20Mn3dMPrxvJBFOJM47LD5maAvhoSsp7g0FyqVzgbHHApL8g9Qxxxm8u_mIhx8Kh0_OgYruh/s320/pup.JPG" border="0" /></a><span lang="X-NONE">Next to the consultancy work I have been happily producing the short animation ACID SUN (photo) by writer/director/animator Rodney March. The third OZZYWOOD short film is also the first one rigorously co-developed in terms of story and I am hopeful this will bear fruit at the film festivals once it will hit the screens later this year.<br /><br />As a matter of fact the validity of my mission as a story consultant (see '<a href="http://www.ozzywood.com/film-production/film-producer-karel-segers.htm">about us</a>') has been proven repeatedly over the past year. </span><span lang="X-NONE">It's been a wonderful ride and I hope my clients agree even if it has been rough at times. I have seen filmmakers look at their works with professional and passionate scrutiny, think outside the box and at the same time question the reasons and motivations behind their stories. In most if not all of the cases we have improved their works, sometimes immensely, resulting in a marketable draft, a re-energised development process or at worst: an improved insight in the mechanics of story structure and the dynamics of our film industry.<br /><br /><br />THE QUIZ<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx_vshTBrCzAtoSPwrtsVss3OBo08bDf7ezQWwEC9rv2D0-hxaHIFbuoeQAgzDAh9FAstPF9AS2DKEKrnxDhCkIeiTag3CYs0n47FTPhrUt7k7kVU9oK3ZAT7hANtTqsjWaoH/s1600-h/quiz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070377503093110194" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 166px; cursor: pointer; height: 131px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx_vshTBrCzAtoSPwrtsVss3OBo08bDf7ezQWwEC9rv2D0-hxaHIFbuoeQAgzDAh9FAstPF9AS2DKEKrnxDhCkIeiTag3CYs0n47FTPhrUt7k7kVU9oK3ZAT7hANtTqsjWaoH/s320/quiz.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="158511006-27052007">If you have taken the <a href="http://ozzywood.com/quiz">quiz</a> before and failed miserably, try again. Most likely it was <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>because you can't see the difference between a main plot and a subplot but ... you only had 3.7 secs to type in your answer. That has been fixed, so you can now improve your score!<br /><br />To pass you need to answer 14 out of 20 questions correctly. The quiz is definitely not for beginners but most of the answers can be found somewhere in the articles of this blog. Click through to see your score and the right answers. Finally you'll be guided back to the <a href="http://www.ozzywood.com/">OZZYWOOD</a> web site. Good luck!<a href="http://ozzywood.com/quiz"><br /><br />http://ozzywood.com/quiz</a></span></span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26841407.post-5617894876495501792007-06-01T17:38:00.001+10:002008-11-14T06:42:35.560+11:00A Good Read<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3A5hZDDZQ27vvJhzb1W1355g8mu8loBl6VpCesWQf7XGwpjTeZc7pTHj8QoGu5i2f7OArpi5heYIUM0bhFg4nGHVhDosIo57PC2zmBPkIY0PgB75P8rbkTL0bExn0hPYoT2b3/s1600-h/goodread.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3A5hZDDZQ27vvJhzb1W1355g8mu8loBl6VpCesWQf7XGwpjTeZc7pTHj8QoGu5i2f7OArpi5heYIUM0bhFg4nGHVhDosIo57PC2zmBPkIY0PgB75P8rbkTL0bExn0hPYoT2b3/s320/goodread.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070374440781428050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Recently I had the privilege and honour of reading a script by one of the most hyped young writers in this country, face on covers of magazines and all that. My expectations were high and yes: it delivered! I spent an amazing two hours reading it as the characters really jumped off the page and the writing was beautiful. Then I put the script down and I knew the movie would fail.<br /><br /></span>What I had read was a great short novel. Brilliant prose, lively detail and sharp dialogue. But the story didn't work because we would not care for the protagonist. This is a typical mistake: confusing a good script with a good story. Beware of the 'good read'. Or as my best friend Chris always says: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Armaggedon was a good read too." </span>In the case of this Australian hopeful, the story was told from a protagonist without any clear objective. Ironically, a character close to the protagonist would have much better fitted that role without the need to significantly change the premise.<br /><br />The joy of the <span style="font-style: italic;">'good read'</span> is truly a danger and one of many reasons why you don't rely on friends for script feedback, even if they work in the film industry. I have heard of aspiring screenwriters asking advice from assistant directors, decorators production managers. Although like everybody in our industry, these people SHOULD have a notion, in reality they hardly ever do. (As a matter of fact, a lot of decision-makers don't have a clue either.I could give you a recent example of a script where even the writer admitted <span style="font-style: italic;">'there was no story'</span>. Still he got the money to develop it. Develop what? The novel? I won't name the example or I would be dead. Fact is that the writer in question ironises about this reality when he says that <span style="font-style: italic;">"to get your hands on delicious development money you don't have to have a great script, it only has to be a little 'better' than the norm. And if you can do that with no story...good times."</span><br /><br /><br />THE WISE AND THE NOT SO WISE<br /><br />As somebody who takes the craft very seriously, I'm sometimes frustrated to see how people who should know better send out confusing messages. Now take this quote, which I found on a web site claiming to give story advice and tips to writers:<br /><p class="tips" style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gG4y7Xa5JX4cB0txZrr5xeGkY1RMQqsU2w1pBCUDVpb3jmfZP3bSwuBPp7iG35_lcEBuLHg8p1IAApxsWoZo4hlvIfA6lQqRFIVG9QR6auEonNDdgUUoK3s95-s34rmXMZkg/s1600-h/type.GIF"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gG4y7Xa5JX4cB0txZrr5xeGkY1RMQqsU2w1pBCUDVpb3jmfZP3bSwuBPp7iG35_lcEBuLHg8p1IAApxsWoZo4hlvIfA6lQqRFIVG9QR6auEonNDdgUUoK3s95-s34rmXMZkg/s320/type.GIF" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070374457961297250" border="0" /></a></span>"As for the content of your screenplay; structure counts, usually. Have a clear Act I, II, and III. Try to hook the reader on the first page! Make the first five (or ten pages at most) be Act I, wherein you introduce all the main characters and show the reader the who, what, where, when and why of your story. Notice that I said SHOW. Telling is not so good. Film is a visual medium and you should actually be writing a FILM, not a script. Act II is the rest of the story, where you build on what you started, and it climaxes at the clear end of Act II. Act III should be five or ten (max) pages, where all loose ends are tied up and all conflicts are resolved."</p>I must admit I had never heard of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ten Minutes First Act</span>. And the second act being "<span style="font-style: italic;">where you build on what you started</span>". How can you be more vague? You know what is REALLY frightening? The person talking is the director of an internationally renowned film festival. And as for: <em>"structure counts, usually"... </em>The festival director is probably hoping of getting the new KOYAANISQATSI.<br /><br />Let me counterbalance the nonsense with a solid quote from Chris Vogler, the man behind The Writer's Journey. This time not about the 'big structure' or the Journey Stages but about <span style="font-style: italic;">scenes</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"A scene is a business deal. It may not involve money but it will always involve some change in the contract between characters or in the balance of power. It's a transaction, in which two or more people enter with one kind of deal between them, and negotiate or battle until a new deal has been cut, at which point the scene should end. It could be the reversal of a power structure. The underdog seizes power by blackmail. Or it could be the forging of a new alliance or enmity. Two people who hated each other make a new deal to work together in a threatening situation. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">A boy asks a girl out and she accepts or rejects his offer. Two gangsters make an alliance to rub out a rival. A mob forces a sheriff to turn a man over for lynching. The meat of the scene is the negotiation to arrive at the new deal, and when the deal is cut, the scene is over, period. "<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">THE POWER OF A PARADIGM SHIFT<br /><br />Years ago a good friend returned from L.A. where he had attended a much hyped screenwriting seminar. The speaker made a point by asking the room who would visualise </span>the scenes while writing. I agreed with my friend's astonishment when he reported that <span style="font-style: italic;">only half </span>of the writers raised their hands. What were the others thinking? What idiots to believe you can actually write movies without thinking visually???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNG1D6P2_yj_wG5qKEgL1DWWfBi7FY-0isPyrfU_Ry92GnFgeCpFZ6t7Bsr_O2PwhjGhiU-2zDHxzvZgPG0beK0qLQtxPHjhs2dcD6pE_OJ8MMvb9Uy4EWsmVrPvYWfz8SeD5/s1600-h/beauty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNG1D6P2_yj_wG5qKEgL1DWWfBi7FY-0isPyrfU_Ry92GnFgeCpFZ6t7Bsr_O2PwhjGhiU-2zDHxzvZgPG0beK0qLQtxPHjhs2dcD6pE_OJ8MMvb9Uy4EWsmVrPvYWfz8SeD5/s320/beauty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070375179515803010" border="0" /></a>I have come to fundamentally change my view on this. Did Alan Ball necessarily think visually when he wrote SIX FEET UNDER? Or AMERICAN BEAUTY? The last boasts wonderfully visual scenes but most of the script's power lies entirely not on its visual level. We do indeed need <span style="font-style: italic;">visible </span>elements to show character subtext, but not necessarily a <span style="font-style: italic;">visual </span>context. Think about CRASH or more recently THE LIVES OF OTHERS. On what level do these movies make an impact?<br /><br />Whether a movie works or not, is decided on an entirely different, almost abstract and non-visual level. Until a late draft, a screenwriter doesn't always need to <span style="font-style: italic;">visualise</span>. And you can take this right through to very visual action flicks such as DIE HARD, THE FUGITIVE or even SPIDER-MAN. Visual elements such as setting, time of day, camera angles etc. could have been easily replaced without really changing the story. They might have even <span style="font-style: italic;">worked</span> without the eye candy but they surely wouldn't have without the character drama underneath.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3-HzVLUTm2f5seA-gYucpD1kVV6Bxpy1eMwBzi0dLDWZ_hg1UzGhdQ_MeNlCeIso4zYnKPVTXC78pJl0NdRN71qB-xxvaklWlFMAW6eciqy294EHqdoI6R505YBJXCB9lx-g/s1600-h/7habits.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3-HzVLUTm2f5seA-gYucpD1kVV6Bxpy1eMwBzi0dLDWZ_hg1UzGhdQ_MeNlCeIso4zYnKPVTXC78pJl0NdRN71qB-xxvaklWlFMAW6eciqy294EHqdoI6R505YBJXCB9lx-g/s320/7habits.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070375175220835698" border="0" /></a><span class="158511006-27052007">Recently I was recommended </span>THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. Early in the book Stephen Covey speaks about the Paradigm Shift. (Beware: this Paradigm has <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> to do with Syd Field.) It's about looking at something from a specific angle and (not) seeing what others see. I found this concept very similar to reading <span style="font-style: italic;">text</span> vs. reading <span style="font-style: italic;">subtext</span>.<span class="158511006-27052007"> </span>I had been reading screenplays on the surface for years before it most literally 'clicked' in my head; it felt as if a 'sixth sense' had switched on, as if I was suddenly reading with an infrared eye.<br /><br />Switching on the understanding of this subtextual level is a skill writers, just like producers or directors, need to develop before they can become successful. It is just as essential as switching on your desk light at night to read.<br /><br /><br /><br />THE LOGLINE<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAzoFvsMGMS2pS5vNeG4BtaxZ3sYxifmcXIoFeUv_EZb-Kgrr8fVXCkXmX_kIwIznN2_34w-mEzLp-uU9kOmkwpVms13W57zPQ5fW7q8SR4O19929XKYWa2w4f2xwAYzBGYHP/s1600-h/pen.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAzoFvsMGMS2pS5vNeG4BtaxZ3sYxifmcXIoFeUv_EZb-Kgrr8fVXCkXmX_kIwIznN2_34w-mEzLp-uU9kOmkwpVms13W57zPQ5fW7q8SR4O19929XKYWa2w4f2xwAYzBGYHP/s320/pen.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070376717114095010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"A logline is a one-sentence summary of your script. It's the short blurb in TV guides that tells you what a movie is about and helps you decide if you're interested in seeing it. It's the grabber that excites your interest." (-Scriptologis.Com).</span><br /><br />The logline shouldn't be confused with the tagline (marketing one-liner for the poster) or even slugline ("EXT. KAREL'S OFFICE - DAY").<br /><br />Once I believed you can only write your story's logline when you have finished your script and even the one page synopsis. Until then, it may not even be clear what the story is about.<br /><br />Here are a few good reasons why you should start thinking of the logline earlier. First of all: a good logline is a good indication that you have a story. If after a few drafts you still can't find a logline that captures what your movie is about, you really need to think hard about the story again. Secondly: it will become an essential selling tool for your script. A strong logline will give you the confidence that you have a story: you'll be able to pitch it with passion! In both senses the logline does pretty much what I promote about the synopsis in my consultancy services: it helps you improve AND sell the story. All that with the economy of one simple sentence.<br /><br />I am currently working as a consultant on an amazing high concept story with some major story issues. It is always nerve-wrecking having to break the news that to unleash its potential, a story needs to be significantly reworked. But when I found out the writer had already written a logline expressing exactly what I believed the story should deliver, I sighed: we were on the same wavelength.<br /><br />The moment you find a logline expressing your intentions, you have found an invaluable tool to stay on track. It could be the road map saving you from disaster. If the logline is selling and you stay true to it during the writing of the draft, chances are you will have a selling story.<br /><br /><br />THE $5 SCRIPT SOFTWARE: ASHAMPOO'S TEXTMAKER:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3y1ZlWUXX-OPzctoxtmu_h-9UWrQ6T02Hd4UupT1Rmulb0o557wvT4rfXAebcPCOZA3Gkc7WwPn2aT9QKJPfWIiIz8lXDU0SMoMCitDghG1UvrzH5pIP16iDYP749ioyjXQq/s1600-h/ashampoo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3y1ZlWUXX-OPzctoxtmu_h-9UWrQ6T02Hd4UupT1Rmulb0o557wvT4rfXAebcPCOZA3Gkc7WwPn2aT9QKJPfWIiIz8lXDU0SMoMCitDghG1UvrzH5pIP16iDYP749ioyjXQq/s320/ashampoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070375669142074770" border="0" /></a>I recently had a computer scare when it looked my four year old laptop was about to die. That would have been a disaster in a few ways, not the least because I recently bought a - legitimate - OEM version of Office Standard. I lose my laptop, I lose that.<br /><br />No wonder I was interested when recently I received an offer to an elegant software program called 'Textmaker', which does everything I use MS Word for. Only for <span style="font-weight: bold;">$4.99</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">only</span>. And legitimate. If you are looking for a good quality text processor, which is BTW faster than MS Word and whose license won't expire if your computer dies, have a look here:<br /><br /><a title="http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/registration/php/newsletter_step1.php?&session_langid=2" href="http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/registration/php/newsletter_step1.php?&session_langid=2">http://www.ashampoo.com</a><br /><br />I believe the offers on these newsletters remain open for at least 1 purchase per customer.<br /><br /><br />BEATS VS. TURNING POINTS<br /><br />While working on a step outline with one of my clients, it bothered me a number of scenes ended in the exact same way: the protagonist would respond to a situation by rejection or reluctance to respond.<br /><br />None of these scenes really ended in a plot point, there was no hook nor change to the story's direction. So I didn't find the scenes' ending strong enough and almost suggested to cut them altogether. Still, the point the writer was trying to make about the protagonist was a valid one: it gave us important information we would need later in the story.<br /><br />The solution we came up with: keep the protagonist's reaction as a scene <span style="font-style: italic;">beat </span>but work towards a stronger scene ending by creating a new <span style="font-style: italic;">plot point</span> for each in order to <span style="font-style: italic;">turn </span>the scene, create anticipation and propel it into the next one. Not an easy task but ultimately better than cutting.<br /><br /><br />THE QUIZ<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx_vshTBrCzAtoSPwrtsVss3OBo08bDf7ezQWwEC9rv2D0-hxaHIFbuoeQAgzDAh9FAstPF9AS2DKEKrnxDhCkIeiTag3CYs0n47FTPhrUt7k7kVU9oK3ZAT7hANtTqsjWaoH/s1600-h/quiz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx_vshTBrCzAtoSPwrtsVss3OBo08bDf7ezQWwEC9rv2D0-hxaHIFbuoeQAgzDAh9FAstPF9AS2DKEKrnxDhCkIeiTag3CYs0n47FTPhrUt7k7kVU9oK3ZAT7hANtTqsjWaoH/s320/quiz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070377503093110194" border="0" /></a><span class="158511006-27052007">As part of a Google Adwords campaign I've created a quiz about the craft and - to a lesser extent - history of screenwriting. If one or two questions are a matter of opinion rather than fact, you will find the answers in The Story Dept. Twenty challenges, definitely not for beginners (and neither is this blog, apparently) but essential knowledge for whomever is serious about the craft. Anyway, if you consider yourself an expert, or at least intermediate level writer, you shouldn't be intimidated. Click through until the very end of the quiz and you'll land back on the OZZYWOOD web site after seeing all the right answers. Have fun! <a href="http://ozzywood.com/quiz"><br /><br />http://ozzywood.com/quiz</a><br /></span>Karelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894787076761192228noreply@blogger.com0