Anthems for Power of Truth

Types Tuesday

It’s Power of Truth month, where for the next few weeks my content will revolve around the paranoid, the detectives and the conspiracy theorists. As i continue to work on my Power of Truth eBook, I like to listen to some tunes like these to get me into the mind of Power of Truth characters…

We’re caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds (suspicious minds)
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds
So, if an old friend I know
Stops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?
Here we go again
Asking where I’ve been
You can’t see the tears are real
I’m crying (Yes, I’m crying)
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds (suspicious minds)
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds
Oh, let our love survive
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let’s don’t let a good thing die
When, honey, you know
I’ve never lied to you
Mmm, yeah, yeah
We’re caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Mondays is for drinking to the seldom seen kid
I’ve been working on a cocktail called grounds for divorce
Polishing a compass that I hold in my sleeve
Down comes him on sticks but then he kicks like a horse
There’s a tiny cigarette case
And the rest you can keep
And the rest you can keep
And the rest you can keep
There’s a hole in my neighborhood
Down which of late I cannot help but fall
There’s a hole in my neighborhood
Down which of late I cannot help but fall
Mondays is for drinking to the seldom seen kid
There’s this whispering of jokers doing flesh by the pound
To a chorus of supposes from the little town whores
There’ll be twisted karaoke at the Aniseed Lounge
And I’ll bring you further roses
But it does you no good
And it does me no good
And it does you no good
There’s a hole in my neighborhood
Down which of late I cannot help but fall
There’s a hole in my neighborhood
Down which of late I cannot help but fall
There’s a hole in my neighborhood
Down which of late I cannot help but fall
Someday we’ll be drinking with the seldom seen kid

Better run for cover
You’re a hurricane full of lies
And the way you’re heading
No one’s getting out alive

So do us all a favor
Would you find somebody else to blame
‘Cause your words are like bullets and I’m the way your weapons aim

I guess I could fill a book with things that I don’t know about you baby
You’re not misunderstood but you got
You got to go

(Lies)
Living in a fantasy
(Lies)
Don’t even know reality
(Lies)
When you start talking I start walking
(Lies)
Lies, lies, lies

Don’t even wanna know the truth
(Lies)
The devil has his eye on you girl
(Lies)
When you start talking I start walking
(Lies)
Lies, lies, lies

So don’t forget your seatbelt
Don’t you think of picking up the phone
Better say your prayers ’cause you’re never gonna make it home

Did you miss the stop sign
That last decision was your last
‘Cause you can’t come back once you’re lying in the broken glass

And I hope you get to hear me say, “Who gets the last laugh now”

No more excuses
No more running
Only God can save you now
(God can save you now)
‘Cause I know the truth
Time is running out

And I’m just one drink away
And I’m back in Wonderland like it was yesterday
And I hope you get to hear me say, “Who gets the last”
“Who gets the last”
“Who gets the last laugh now”

#MondayMusings – 2017 Review

#MondayMusings – My review of the year

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#ThinkpieceThursday – William Friedkin: Coming Back From Failure

#ThinkpieceThursday – Sometimes the only way to reinvent yourself is to lose everything

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#WritingAdviceWednesday – Writing Exercises: Silence Is Golden

#WritingAdviceWednesday – Media Fast

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#BeFabFriday – Pursuit of Perfection is Pointless

#BeFabFriday – Don’t let the perfect stand in the way of the good

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What’s Your World?

Victor Hugo

#BeFabFriday – Make your world real

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Adaptation

Enter The Pitch

I’ve been working with Enter the Pitch, which runs a short film competition with a £25,000 prize to make a short film. The subject must be inspired by a character or story in the Bible. Choose from an amazing range of powerful, dynamic, complex, troubled characters in stories that have persisted for thousands of years.

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Lessons from eQunioxe Scriptwriting Workshop

The answer to this these questions provides a critical overview of the story. If they aren’t answered clearly then it doesn’t matter how good the individual scenes might be. The story won’t add up to much or hold together properly.

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Power and Game of Thrones

The Game of Throne brings its relationships to life with complex characters that have a specific point of view and whose actions are always consistent with their particular way of looking at the world, their role in the world, and their philosophy of life, love, and power.

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Vintage Cop Shows – Why Is The Cop On The Job?

“How” a crime is solved is so much less important than “Why” the cops are doing what they are doing and “Why” they are affected by the job. If there is no “Why” it’s just cops going through the motions.

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Summer Workshop in Italy

Friend and colleague from UCLA, Paul Chitlik, now a clinical assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, holds a residential writing seminar in Europe every summer. This year, the seminar is in Cairo Montenotte, Italy.

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Advice from Pixar and a Few Thoughts of my Own

Pixar story artist Emma Coats has tweeted a series of “story basics” over the past month and a half — guidelines that she learned from her more senior colleagues on how to create appealing stories. My thoughts are in parenthesis.

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April 2012 Ullensvang Hotel – Film Summit

Many ferries ply the smooth waters of Norway's fjords. In some remote communities the ferries are the only links to the outside world.
Many ferries ply the smooth waters of Norway’s fjords. In some remote communities the ferries are the only links to the outside world.
Preparing to board the ferry. It will turn out to be a five hour trip through some of the most magnificent scenery imaginable. The pictures that follow don't do it justice!
Preparing to board the ferry. It will turn out to be a five hour boat trip through some of the most magnificent scenery imaginable. The pictures that follow don’t do the landscape justice!

 

Pulling away from Bergen on the ferry. The charming town seen from the water.
Pulling away from Bergen on the ferry. The charming and friendly town as seen from the water.

 

 

Other boat plying the fjord. Water traffic is a key mode of transport for goods, materials, and people.
Other boats plying the fjord. Water traffic is a key mode of transport for goods, materials, and people.

 

Passed lots of lovely homes and farms located in sparse settlements along the fjord.
Passed lots of lovely homes and farms located in sparse settlements along the fjord.

 

Wind-blown on the deck of the ferry. Gorgeous day but very windy!
Wind-blown on the deck of the ferry. Gorgeous day but very windy!

 

 

Snow capped mountains and glaciers lining the fjord.
Snow capped mountains and glaciers lining the fjord along the ferry route.

 

 

Up close snowy mountains seen from the ferry deck.
Up close snowy mountains seen from the ferry deck.

 

 

Balcony off my hotel room at Ullensvang and one view of fjord. I had almost a 360 view of mountains and fjord.
Balcony off my hotel room at Ullensvang and one view of fjord. I had almost a 360 view of mountains and fjord from my very beautiful room.

 

 

Another mountain view from my room window.
Another mountain view from my room window.

 

 

Final hotel room view.
Final hotel room view- also from balcony.

 

 

Building on hotel grounds.
Building on hotel grounds.

 

 

The summer hut where famous composer Grieg worked and wrote on the hotel grounds.
The summer hut where famous composer Grieg worked and wrote on the hotel grounds.
About 200 people at the Film Summit. Nearly that many at my Character Map Class. For those of you who missed it a link to the eBook http://etbscreenwriting.com//products-page/e-books/the-character-map/
About 200 people at the Film Summit. Nearly that many at my Character Map Class. For those of you who missed it a link to the eBook http://etbscreenwriting.com//products-page/e-books/the-character-map/
Participants took a field trip to Odda one of the first industrial factories in the world. Now vacant and in planning stages to be a film studio.
Participants took a field trip to Odda one of the first industrial factories in the world. Now vacant and in planning stages to be a film studio.

 

Dinner for 200 at the enormous hydro-electric plant which once powered the factory.
Dinner for 200 at the enormous hydro-electric plant which once powered the factory.

 

Goodby Hotel Ullensvang
Goodby Hotel Ullensvang

 

How to Evaluate Stories

This concise checklist of questions and examples helps writers, producers, editors, publishers, and development executives quickly zero in on key story problems. It reveals what’s missing in any problematic plot. Find what’s wrong and fix it fast!

FEATUREDEBOOK

Laurie Hutzler’s handy primer is the result of ten years of teaching at the UCLA Film School and consulting on stories across the globe – from Academy Award winning movies to hit television series and popular novels. Anyone who has to evaluate stories will want to keep it on their desk as a ready reference.

See what others have to say here.

“This little book is so packed with story wisdom it is mind boggling.”
—Meg LeFauve, producer, screenwriter, former President of Jodie Foster’s Egg Pictures

Plot vs. Character

I believe that if you want your stories to endure, then plot must come from character and not the other way around. I have often said that storytellers are the most powerful people on earth– because they have the power to move the human heart. There is no greater power on earth. You cannot move hearts by relying on plot mechanics.

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The Power of Truth at the Emmys

Nothing is quite what it seems in Power of Truth stories. Nothing is certain. The ground keeps slipping from beneath the protagonist.

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Triage – Day Thirty Seven – #40movies40days

Injured and traumatized war photographer, Mark (Colin Farrell), returns home from a photo assignment in Kurdistan. He returns alone. He professes to have been separated from his best friend Colin. Unravelling the mystery of what happened is key to his recovery.

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Foreign Correspondent – Day Thirty – #40movies40days

Foreign Correspondent, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a great complement to The Quiet American. Again, two men fighting for different sides are caught in a triangle over a girl.

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The Quiet American – Day Twenty Eight – #40movies40days

The Quiet American is a wonderful 2002 film starring Michael Caine (Power of Idealism) as a jaded newspaper reporter who moves from being an observer, passionately in love with a young Vietnamese girl, to a direct participant in the tangled politics of her country.

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Devil In A Blue Dress – Day Twenty Three – #40movies40days

Easy Rawlings (Denzel Washington) loses his job and is offered a quick $100 to find a politician’s girlfriend. He quickly gets caught up in murder and blackmail.

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Shutter Island – Day Twenty One – #40movies40days

Shutter Island is a fascinating psychological thriller that unwraps the protagonist’s psyche in a slow tortuous fashion. The surprise twist is extremely satisfying.

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Rabbit Proof Fence – Day Fifteen – #40movies40days

The Rabbit Proof Fence is a powerful story of survival, hope and the triumph of the human spirit. Three young girls walk 1,500 miles to return to their mother and aboriginal homelands.

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The Wages of Fear – Day Eleven – #40movies40days

The Wages of Fear (the French title is: Le Salaire de la Peur) is a directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and stars a young Yves Montand. It’s a classic French thriller as fresh and contemporary today as it was the day it was made (almost 60 years ago).

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Baby Face – Day Six – #40movies40days

The film is notorious for its unrelenting and unsavory look at women’s lack of power in society and commerce (except for sexual power). Baby Face was the film that finally compelled the movie studios to enforce the Hays Office production code that would, for decades, censor American movie morality.

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The Adjustment Bureau – Day Four – #40movies40 days

Much has been written about who the Adjustment Bureau is– are they angels and is the “chairman” God? Let’s look at what the bureau does– it creates a hunger in people that can be directed to fulfill the bureau’s plan.

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The Woman in the Window – Day Three – #40movies40days

We lose our integrity bit by bit, decision by decision, one small choice at a time. Thoughts (or fears) create action. Action creates habits. Habits build (or destroy) Character. Character creates Destiny.

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Dogtooth – Day Two – #40movies40days

Last night I saw Dogtooth, the 2011 Academy Award nominated Best Foreign Language Film from Greece. There’s going to be no rhyme or reason in selecting the films for my 40 movies in 40 days project. I’ve decided to go wherever the spirit leads me.

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Rango and My Own Lenten Observance – #40movies40days

I’ve decided to watch 40 films in 40 days and write about them from a personal standpoint as I puzzle through how I want to be reborn on Easter morning. It will be a journey of looking at my life through the lens of movies– some contemporary and some old school– I hope you will join me.

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Kathryn Bigelow at the DGA

The reception for Kathryn Bigelow at the DGA was lovely and the program was heart-felt and was a wonderful tribute to an amazing woman. But I couldn’t help remembering a Women in Hollywood article I had read the week before. It recounts the rather dismal reality in the aftermath to Bigelow’s stunning achievement.

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A Bug’s Life & Revolution in the Middle East

I watched Pixar’s A Bug’s Life last night was struck by the similarities in the story to what is happening in Egypt and all around the Middle East. The film is powerful statement of “there are more of us than there are of them.”

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NFL Leadership Styles – Can You Help?

Sometimes it is really useful to look at the Character Types of real people to see how what they do or say defines them. The SuperBowl and the magnificent victory by Green Bay and their young quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a great example to start off with. I’d like to type all the major players in the NFL in terms of their leadership styles. I’m looking for some help here– with quotations or a link to a video as an illustrations. Can you help fill things out?

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My Day at Pixar

I spent an amazing day at Pixar on Tuesday. I was doing a Character Map session with some of their writers, artists, directors and others. It’s easy to spot people coming to Pixar for the first time. They’re the ones, like me, walking around trying to soak in all the wonderful visuals in the building and snapping pictures like mad. Here are some of mine–

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McKee on 2011 Best Screenplay

Here is Robert McKee’s views on Best Screenplay and on stories based on history, fact or actual people’s lives. Like McKee, I believe that a writer’s first duty is to the emotional truth of the story, not factual accuracy. That’s why it’s FICTION.

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The Magic of Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 is as powerful, heartfelt, thrilling and funny as any film deserving of a “Best Picture” nomination. It has my vote to take home the 2011 Oscar in that category. It touched me in a profoundly personal way.

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“King’s Speech” and “Fighter” lead the SAG Awards

imagesThe 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced. What do you think?

Film

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
The King’s Speech

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble
Inception

Television

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (TV Drama)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (TV Drama)
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Comedy Series
Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (TV Comedy)
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (TV Comedy)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (Miniseries/TV Movie)
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Miniseries/TV Movie)
Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack

Mark Zuckerberg on SNL

The lesson here is FaceBook and Zuckerberg’s deft handing of The Social Network movie. Despite being a fictional and immensely unflattering protrait, Zuckerberg wisely refrained from going ballistic in the press– which wouldn’t have helped and would have only made him look worse. Now he is at the point of being able to laugh at the whole thing and wins points for not taking himself too seriously.

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Coraline

Coraline is a creepy delight to behold. The visual world of the stop-motion animated story is rich with texture, fine detail and has a wonderful handcrafted quality. The direction builds an increasingly sinister but whimsical tone. A compelling emotional journey is what is sorely lacking here.

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The Black Swan & The Social Network

Two of the most highly acclaimed and most talked about movies of the 2011 Awards season are The Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin and The Social Network Directed by David Fincher and written Aaron Sorkin adapted from a book by Ben Mezrich. Both are Power of Reason films with Power of Reason protagonists.

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Day Two at eQuinoxe

When a script isn’t working well, isn’t as compelling a read as it should be or has some kind of emotional disconnect in the story the problem is usually the lack of a clear compelling and well-developed Want, Need or Price.

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Tony Curtis – Power of Ambition

Sidney Falco in 21Tony Curtis passed away at the end of September 2010.  Here is what Time Magazine has to say about one of the roles that defined him as an actor, Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell of Success.  It is a stunning example of a Power of Ambition protagonist falling to the Dark Side.

(In the film) Sidney Falco, Broadway publicist, is telling his secretary Sam how far he wants his ambitions to take him: “Way up high, Sam, where it’s always balmy. Where no one snaps his fingers and says, ‘Hey, Shrimp, rack the balls!’ Or, ‘Hey, mouse, mouse, go out and buy me a pack of butts.’ I don’t want tips from the kitty. I’m in the big game with the big players. My experience I can give you in a nutshell, and I didn’t dream it in a dream, either. Dog Eat Dog. In brief, from now on, the best of everything is good enough for me.”

An actor doesn’t often get a role that upends his Hollywood image and reveals his inner demons. Tony Curtis, who died Wednesday at 85 of cardiac arrest at his home near Las Vegas, found that dream-nightmare part in the 1957 Sweet Smell of Success. Sidney Falco, a name that replaced Sammy Glick as the slick nogoodnik par excellence, is a pretty boy on the make — all hustle, no morals, and with a line of patter like petty larceny…

…Another refugee from the New York streets, and one of the first postwar actors to produce his own movies, (Burt) Lancaster … cast him in Sweet Smell as Sidney, the publicist trying to get his clients’ items in the gossip column written by Lancaster’s J.J. Hunsecker.

In the script, by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets, Sidney’s status floats between villain and victim — he peddles flesh and secrets, and pins the Commie label on an innocent young musician, before getting climactically framed by J.J. — but (actor) Curtis was the victor in the movie. It’s easy to imagine that, that when the actor first read this script, he thought exultantly, “That’s me all over!” A shark in the Broadway aquarium, Sidney looked like a million bucks, all counterfeit.  FULL ARTICLE HERE

A character driven by the Power of Ambition can be a hardworking, eager, charming optimist with a “can-do” spirit— or a lying, manipulative, backstabbing striver who will do anything to get ahead in life.

The definition and meaning of “success” is at the heart of a Power of Ambition character’s story.  The basic question for this character’s emotional journey is: “What does it profit a person to win the whole world but lose his or her own soul?”

That what we watch Sidney Falco do, lose his soul, over the course of The Sweet Smell of Success.  It is a film well worth watching and a master course in the Power of Ambition Character Type.

The Value of Incremental Change

Writing just one hour day can produce a new script in just 22 weeks, using The One Hour Screenwriter eCourse. That means you could complete two new scripts a year with weekends off and eight weeks of vacation time or time for rewrites. And that’s while holding a full-time job, meeting social and family obligations and all the other duties in a busy life.

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Mad Men – Emmy Winner

Mad Men won 2010 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. The show is about the world of advertising; a world of illusion, sleight of hand and outright deception. It is a quintessential Power of Truth story and is anchored by a wonderful Power of Truth protagonist, Don Draper/Dick Whitman (Jon Hamm).

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Jumping Off a Cliff

I am always talking about characters taking a Leap of Faith in a story. But I have been a bit hesitant about making my own. The cliff I am contemplating right is moving to Europe to live and work for a year, possibly longer.

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How to Use Byron Katie’s Four Questions

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Yesterday I posted Byron Katie’s four questions.  These questions get at the fear and fearful thinking that causes personal suffering.  As many of you know the best definition of fear I have ever heard is:  “Fear is the anticipation of grief.”  Anticipating something often makes it true– That’s where the saying “a self-fulfilling prophecy” comes from. Here is how to use the questions in fictional character development:

1.  Is it true? Every character has a specific view of the world, of themselves and of their role in the role.  This is based on the person’s Character Type.  These beliefs and or philosophies limit the character in some profound way.  For example, a Power of Truth character believes that the world is fundamentally uncertain.  These characters believe life is filled with hidden pitfalls, secret agendas and you can’t really trust in or believe anything.

When operating out of fear these character doubt everyone and everything.  They don’t even trust themselves– second-guessing every decision, doubting themselves and others.  Mickey Sachs (Woody Allen)  in Hannah and Her Sisters at his most anxious neurotic state is a great comic example of the Power of Truth Character Type.  Mickey says:

“…I really hit bottom.  You know, I just felt that in a Godless universe, I didn’t want to go on living.  Now I happen to own this rifle which I loaded, believe it or not, and pressed to my forehead.”
“And I remember thinking… I’m gonna kill myself.  Then I thought… What if I’m wrong? What if there is a God?  I mean after all, nobody really knows. But then I thought, no.  You know,  maybe is not good enough.  I want  certainty or nothing.”

“…I really hit bottom.  You know, I just felt that in a Godless universe, I didn’t want to go on living.  Now I happen to own this rifle which I loaded, believe it or not, and pressed to my forehead.”

“And I remember thinking… I’m gonna kill myself.  Then I thought… What if I’m wrong? What if there is a God?  I mean after all, nobody really knows. But then I thought, no.  You know,  maybe is not good enough.  I want  certainty or nothing.”

Mickey nearly shoots himself but the gun slides off his forehead and he escapes in the resulting mayhem.  He  run into the street, walks for hours and then retreats into a movie theater where a Marx Brother’s movie is playing.

2: Can you absolutely know it’s true? In a climatic moment, Mickey realizes he can’t be absolutely certain there is no God.  He says:
“…I went upstairs to the balcony, and I sat down and, you know, the movie was a film that I’d seen many times in my life since I was a kid, and I always loved it.  And, you know, I’m watching these people up on the screen, and I started getting hooked on the film, you know?”
.
“…And I started to think how can you even think of killing yourself? I mean, isn’t it so stupid?  Look at all the people up there on the screen.  You know, they’re real funny, and, and what if the worst is true?”
.
“…What if there’s no God, and you only go around once and that’s it?  Well, you know, don’t you want to be part of the experience?  You know, what the hell, it’s not all a drag.”
3: How do you react—what happens—when you believe that thought? When Mickey believes there is no real certainty he fells anxious, depressed and self-destructive.  When he doubts everything he wants to kill himself.
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4: Who would you be without the thought? Without obsessing about certainty or the lack of it, Mickey can begin to enjoy his life, relax and be more open, fun-loving and tolerant of ambiguity.  He says:
I’m thinking to myself, geez, I should stop ruining my life… searching for answers I’m never gonna get, and just enjoy it while it lasts.  And… I mean, you know, maybe there is something. Nobody really knows.  I know, I know maybe is a very slim reed to hang your whole life on, but that’s the best we have. And… then, I started to sit back, and I actually began to enjoy myself.”
Absolutely nothing changed but Mickey’s attitude.   When he let go of his obsessive thoughts, based on his fears and narrow world view, he became more comfortable with uncertainty and more available to life and it’s enjoyments.
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Byron Katie’s process is another way of looking at the Leap of Faith described in the Character Map eBook.  Every character must, at some point, let go of their self-limiting view of the world and of themselves.  This is the only way to make the transformation that is so scary but so emotionally satisfying.

Writing for the Web – From the UK

This excellent report from a BBC Writer’s Room roadshow in Northern Ireland in January was filed by John Fox for Screenwriter’s Goldmine. It outlines the elements of the acclaimed internet drama, Sofia’s Diary.

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Idealism Wins at the Oscars

Pixar won the 2009 Oscar for Best Animated Feature with Up. All seven Pixar films released since the creation of the category have been nominated. Five have taken home the Oscar: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Three of those five Oscar winners— Up, The Incredibles and Ratatouille— are Power of Idealism films.

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Terrible Romantic Comedies

rumor-has-it-aniston-150a020310-fpThis is a great piece by Moviefone.  What are your worst of the worst 25 Rom Coms?

When the Moviefone staff started trying to name the worst romantic comedies of all time, the discussion quickly got heated. Is ‘The Sweetest Thing’ a crass, tasteless mess or an underrated gem? What’s worse, ‘Swept Away’ or ‘Who’s That Girl?’ Which is the worst Freddie Prinze, Jr. rom-com of all time? And are we remiss not to have a single Lindsay Lohan vehicle make the final cut?
We’re sure you’ll have your own strong reaction to our list, especially if you worship Kate Hudson and Dane Cook. (Note to Hollywood: That is not a suggestion to pair these two up. Thank you.)
Don’t get us wrong, when rom-coms are great, they’re great, but more often than not these days, they’re very, very bad. We have to take it on faith that Female Star and Male Star are destined to be together because the script says so, not because they have anything resembling chemistry. We have to endure ridiculous set-ups, annoying characters and, ever since ‘There’s Something About Mary,’ new heights (or rather, lows) in gross-out humor. Can we get a little actual romance here? And maybe a few laughs that aren’t because we’re cringing in horror?

When the Moviefone staff started trying to name the worst romantic comedies of all time, the discussion quickly got heated. Is ‘The Sweetest Thing’ a crass, tasteless mess or an underrated gem? What’s worse, ‘Swept Away’ or ‘Who’s That Girl?’ Which is the worst Freddie Prinze, Jr. rom-com of all time? And are we remiss not to have a single Lindsay Lohan vehicle make the final cut?

We’re sure you’ll have your own strong reaction to our list, especially if you worship Kate Hudson and Dane Cook. (Note to Hollywood: That is not a suggestion to pair these two up. Thank you.)

Don’t get us wrong, when rom-coms are great, they’re great, but more often than not these days, they’re very, very bad. We have to take it on faith that Female Star and Male Star are destined to be together because the script says so, not because they have anything resembling chemistry. We have to endure ridiculous set-ups, annoying characters and, ever since ‘There’s Something About Mary,’ new heights (or rather, lows) in gross-out humor. Can we get a little actual romance here? And maybe a few laughs that aren’t because we’re cringing in horror?

Get the full list of 25 on the Moviefone website:  http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/02/09/worst-romantic-comedies/

Two Oscar Contenders – Up In The Air and The Hurt Locker

Two of the most talked about characters in Oscar-nominated pictures this year are emotionally damaged men deployed to handle bombs in people’s lives. Their approaches to this assignment are very different.

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Romantic Comedy Pitfalls – Recent Films

The three highest grossing Romantic Comedies in 2009 were The Proposal (Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds) It’s Complicated (Meryl Streep & Alec Baldwin) and The Ugly Truth (Katherin Heigl & Gerard Butler). Despite some terrific performances each movie manages to stumble into more than one of the RomCom Pitfalls.

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Is “Good Writing” A Matter Of Culture?

William Zinsser discusses how “good writing” is a matter of cultural difference. Here’s what he said in a talk to the incoming international students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism on August 11, 2009:

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Avatar – Controversy Rages

As Avatar moves closer to breaking Titantic’s number one place in box office history, controversy has raged in the press and elsewhere about the film, about what James Cameron was trying to say, about the supposed underlying political, social or moral agendas at work in the film and generally about what the film means and why it is so popular. Here are some interesting links.

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Trapped as an Enduring Film Theme

Dr. Howard Suber, author of The Power of Film, says that the majority of all great films could be titled “Trapped.” Here he talks on a panel at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum about the enduring interest in Holocaust films, illustrating that theme

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Biggest Sleeper Hits of the Decade

Here’s a list of the biggest sleeper hits of the last ten years. What patterns do we see? Only two could be classified as drama, and both feature foreign locales and are about foreign nationals. Two are documentaries (one is a comedic practical joke video). Four are comedies. And two are horror films.

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2009 Spec Script Figures

For those of you figuring the odds of making a spec script sale (or trying to allocate your time toward what would be most productive in your career)— here is an unscientific wrap-up of the market from Jason Scoggins, a partner at the literary management and production company Protocol.

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Opportunities Online

I think “being watched” is how any one gets any deal or any assignment in the entertainment business. No one is going to risk any kind of a substantial budget on someone they don’t know on some level. Here is why online is the best way to get noticed.

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Storytelling In The Digital Age: Gary Carter

I’ve had the great opportunity to work with Gary Carter, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer of Fremantle’s experimental division, FMX. I’ve worked with him on the broadcast side of FremantleMedia’s business. FMX is the division that is working with me on my online drama and interactive website.

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How Not To Write Online

Here are my observations about a very spectacular public online series failure: Quarterlife. These are the take-aways from my analysis of the series created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick

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Make a Plan

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing process we follow no matter what to keep us focused on our priorities throughout the day.

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Writer Access Project

The Writer Access Project is designed to identify excellent diverse writers with television experience and to bring these writers’ scripts to the attention of showrunners, creative executives and agents for consideration during staffing season. Info here.

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Cougar Town – When a Character Doesn’t Ring True

Cortney Cox’s character is is poorly defined, cartoonish and utterly inauthentic. She acts like a thirty-year old Judd Apatow guy trapped in a one-note joke about being desperate but clumsy in the attempt to get laid.

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Battle Speeches – Power of Idealism

It is critical that a battle speech reveal character. Each kind of leader sees the world differently and fights for different reasons. Each kind of leader inspires followers differently.

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The Informant! – Power of Ambition

Matt Damon plays a pitch perfect Power of Ambition protagonist. A close movie comparison would be to Damon’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, another movie that explores dark and twisted side of the Power of Ambition character.

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The Character Map

Character Map ETB ScreenwritingWhat Is A Character Map?
The Character Map is a proven way to develop characters that have a rich compelling emotional journey and a dynamic set of internal and external personal conflicts. Use this tool to create characters that leap off the page in your screenplay or teleplay. Great screenwriting begins with great characters. Great characters with a compelling emotional journey make your script truly memorable.

Vulnerability Scenes

Everyone who has heard me speak or teach knows how fundamental vulnerability is to making a movie or television show memorable. The way an audience BONDS with a character is through scenes where the character is vulnerable. Here are some of my favorites– what are yours?

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Power of Conscience

These characters believe they are their brother’s keeper. They feel responsible for the greater good and for doing good. They wrestle with how far they should go in seeking justice and fairness for others, in exposing corruption and injustice or in standing up against evil or wrong-doing. They worry about with what is the higher duty and what exactly is required of them in response.

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Power of Idealism

PowerOfIdealismETBScreenwritingPersonality

Power of Idealism characters believe that life and love should involve a grand passion or an heroic destiny.  They see the world in terms of sweeping epic poetry or as a struggle of operatic proportions.  Intensity of feeling (good or bad) makes this character’s life worth living.

Power of Idealism characters believe it is better to be in intense pain than to feel nothing at all or to be simply content or complacent.  These characters are more than willing to suffer for their art, their iconoclasm or their noble or romantic gestures.  They believe pain is necessary to living a life of passion.  They embrace their pain and even tend to wallow in it.

Power of Idealism characters have high standards and seek excellence in whatever they do.  They appreciate the finer things in life and special luxuries large and small.  They strive for aesthetic perfection in all areas.  They abhor anything they consider to be coarse, gross, common, ordinary, mediocre, inelegant or ungallant.  They believe that what is perfect but unavailable or unattainable is infinitely more desirable than what is flawed but possible or achievable.  They are always reaching for the unreachable star.

A character driven by the Power of Idealism wants to stand out from the crowd, to be extraordinary, unique and special. They are youthful rebels, Epic Heroes or lovers whose passion lives forever.  In addition to the examples below, see the Power of Idealism blog posts for more examples.

Power of Idealism ETB Screenwriting

Character Examples

Coming of Age characters like the title characters in Billy Elliot or Juno, “Jess” Kaur Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham and Curt Henderson in American Graffiti are young people “finding themselves.” They don’t quite fit in and struggle to find their rightful place in the world. Learn how these characters lose their innocence but gain a more complex understanding of the adult world.

Epic Hero characters like Colonel Robert Shaw in Glory, King Leonides in 300 and William Wallace in Braveheart are warriors in a doomed but noble battle. These Epic Heroes fight courageously and sacrifice themselves for honor, glory and the immortality of story, song and legend. Learn how these characters lose their lives but live forever in our hearts.

Separated Lovers like Rick Blaine in Casablanca, Karen Blixen in Out of Africa and Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago are torn asunder from their lovers but their passion transcends time, distance or death. In Separated Lover stories learn how love becomes stronger than any other force on earth– even death.

Intense and sensitive Power of Idealism television characters include Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy, Carrie Bradshaw inSex and the City, Ryan Atwood in The O.C. and Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek. Learn how these complex characters keep us enthralled week after week.

Power of Idealism eBook

The Power of Idealism Character Type eBook explains how these characters are alike and how each character is made individually distinct. It will help you develop unique, original, evocative and authentic Power of Idealism characters that fully explore all the contradictions, reversals and surprises of a fully formed human being.

Discover the Power of Idealism character’s specific goals, unique emotional obstacles and very distinct responses and reactions to any opportunity, challenge or threat. Create this character’s Immediate Tactics, Long-term Orientation and Strategic Approach in a way that is recognizably “true” at every step of the story and during every moment of screen time. The audience will instantaneously recognize and relate to your character because your character is complex, three-dimensional and “feels real.”

This eBook is thorough analysis of the Power of Idealism Character Type in his or her many guises and roles as a protagonist or a member of a larger ensemble. It is packed with numerous examples from film, television and even real life! Examples from scores of scenes and dozens of quotes from film and television characters clearly illustrate this character’s motivations and psychological dynamics in a story.

Power of Idealism ETB Screenwriting

Comprehensive Analysis

The Power of Idealism Character Type eBook illustrates exactly how to create and differentiate this character based on his or her:

(1.) World View (beliefs about how the world works) What are the essential core beliefs that motivate a Power of Idealism character’s ordinary actions?

(2.) Role or Function (position in the story or role in the ensemble) What do the other players look to a Power of Idealism character to do or provide in the story?

(3.) Values in Conflict (competing values that push the character to extremes) What opposing choices or goals establish the Power of Idealism character’s moral code? What is this character willing to fight, sacrifice or die for? And why?

(4.) Story Questions (emotional journey in the story) What personal issues, dilemmas and internal conflicts does a Power of Idealism character wrestle with over the course of the story? What does this character ask of him or her self? What is this character’s Leap of Faith in an emotionally satisfying story?

(5.) Story Paradox (emotional dilemma) What is the duality or the contradiction at the heart of a Power of Idealism character’s story struggle? How is the character’s internal conflict expressed in actions.

(6.) Life Lessons (how to complete the emotional journey) What must a Power of Idealism character learn over the course of the story to make a clear, satisfying personal transformation? What actions lead to this character’s emotional salvation?

(7.) Dark Side (this character as a predator or villain) What happens when a Power of Idealism character’s actions are driven entirely by fear? How might or how does the story end in tragedy?

(8.) Leadership Style (what defines and qualifies this character as a leader) How does a Power of Idealism character convince others to follow? How does this character act to take charge and command?

(9.) Film Examples (the Power of Idealism character as a protagonist)

(10.) Television Examples (the Power of Idealism character as central to an ensemble)

(11.) Real Life Examples (historical Power of Idealism figures on the world stage)


Laughing Until It Hurts

“Comedy is never the gaiety of things, it is the groan made gay,” wrote drama critic Walter Kerr. This is the great irony implicit in comedy. It feels good to walk out of a theater laughing. But we often go into the theater not feeling so good. Many times, what makes us laugh is seeing that other people are not feeling so good either.

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Power of Excitement

These characters are usually an agent of chaos. Their rakish push-the- envelop devil-may-care attitude inevitably shakes things up in a story. But their charm, ready wit and natural talent as an escape artist or improvisor often saves the day.

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Mobile Micro-Blog Novel Writing

The Micro-Blog Novel is shaking up a publishing industry that has been declining for a decade. An author of fiction is lucky to sell a few thousand copies of a title. A popular cell-phone novelist sells several hundred thousand, and recruitment for new talent is intense.

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Power of Love

These characters see their own value reflected in the eyes of their love object. Their philosophy might be stated: “You’re nothing without me. (And I feel I am nothing without you.)”

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The Realm Within

The internal conflict central to “Know Thyself” is key to making any script work. Over the course of a really satisfying film or television show a character makes that risky and dangerous “voyage within.”

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Fear and How to Use It

“Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself.” Samuel Butler (English novelist, essayist and critic). Truer words were never spoken. A character’s fear is the greatest burden he or she carries. It is the constant “static” the character cannot escape.

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Power of Will

These characters take what they want, fight for every inch of turf, refuse to show any weakness themselves and pounce decisively on the weakness of others. They have a kill or be killed framework for everything. They believe absolutely in the Law of the Jungle.

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Power of Reason

These characters don’t believe in getting personally involved or emotionally entangled in any issue. They always try to maintain a sense of cool detachment and personal objectivity.

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Power of Imagination

These characters are the naifs, innocents and eccentrics, seemingly the last person anyone would think of as a hero. They are, in fact, the classic mythic hero or the reluctant hero that Joseph Campbell and Chris Vogler describe.

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The Power of Ambition

These characters want the reassurance of the visible, tangible evidence of their outward success or status. The definition and meaning of “success” is at the heart of a Power of Ambition character’s story. Is success truly measured from the outside or from the inside?

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The Power of Truth

These characters believe the world is filled with hidden dangers, secretive enemies and concealed pitfalls. This character’s philosophy might be stated: “Things are never what they seem.” “Trust no one.” “Question everything.” “Watch out for secret agendas and hidden pitfalls.”

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John Hughes – Power of Idealism

John Hughes passed away today. Molly Ringwald represented John Hughes’ romantic ideal of the artist as misfit, sensitive and misunderstood, aspiring to wider acceptance but reluctant to compromise too much.

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Pelham 123 and Duplicity – Unsatisfying Endings

The endings of The Taking of Pelham 123 and Duplicity left me shrugging and saying “Huh?” Both were box office duds. The lesson from both films is “earn your ending.”

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Terminator Salvation vs Star Trek – What Is Fair?

Different Character Types view philosophical concepts like fairness, love and social or personal responsibility very differently. They each have very distinct ideas about how the world works and very specific ideas about what is owed to the self and to others.

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Terminator Salvation – Idealism vs. Conscience

terminator-salvation-etbscreenwritingTerminator Salvation is a solid satisfying summer hit. It’s also a great illustration of the difference between a Power of Idealism character, Marcus Wright (played by Sam Worthington) and a Power of Conscience character, John Connor (played by Christian Bale). Although both men (and both Character Types) are honorable, how each views honor is different. Each man’s emotional journey therefore is distinct.

We first meet a morose Marcus Wright on death row. Dr Serena Kogan (played by Helena Bonham Carter), a researcher who is dying of cancer, makes a passionate appeal to him to be part of a larger project or greater vision. Marcus agrees to “sell” his body to science for a kiss. He kisses Dr. Kogan deeply and says, “So that’s what death tastes like.” This doomed romantic moment is exactly what appeals to and defines a Power of Idealism character.

When Marcus awakes decades later, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by a vicious, relentless, red-eyed mechanical army churning through the remains of human-kind. Marcus begins a long tortuous journey to discover who and what he is and how he fits into this horrifying new world.

Power of Idealism ETB ScreenwritingPower of Idealism characters are most deeply concerned about authenticity, personal identity and the individual vs. society. These characters strive to find their place in the world— Who am I and where do I fit in?— while being acknowledged as unique, special and one-of-a-kind.

When Marcus discovers his extraordinary but horrific nature, he rebels. Dr. Kogan tells him he was designed for a unique purpose and that there is only one of him. He is indeed one-of-a-kind. Marcus refuses to be defined by his circumstance or situation. He will not submit to a larger crushing authority or an inescapable technological imperative. He will define himself.

In true Power of Idealism fashion, Marcus defines himself and becomes the stuff of legend through sacrifice. What makes him human is his heart— both metaphorically and literally. He sacrifices his heart so that the Resistance might live. It reminded me of one of the Psalms: “I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.” Marcus Wright’s heart melts and he pours his life into John Connor and the hope of the Resistance.

We meet John Connor as the voice and moral authority of those fighting against the machines. At the climax of the movie, the larger Resistance leadership argues to strike a death blow against Skynet when Skynet’s defenses are down. John refuses to do so because such an attack would result in the deaths of masses of human prisoners trapped inside Skynet’s fortress city. John argues that if the Resistance fights with the same cold calculation as the machines– they are no better than machines.

Power of Conscience ETB ScreenwritingPower of Conscience characters are most deeply concerned about rightness, fairness and the higher duty involved in anything they do. Although he wants desperately to end the war, John is not willing to do so at the expense of what he believes is mankind’s higher value of respecting human life. No one is expendable. All human life is precious. He tells those under his command to stand down. They respect John’s moral vision and choose to obey.

Power of Conscience characters believe they are their brother’s keeper. They feel responsible for the greater good and for doing good. These characters wrestle with how far they should go in seeking justice and fairness for others or in standing up against evil. They worry about and struggle with what is the higher duty and what exactly is required of them in response.

Star Trek 2009 – Spot On Character Types

The big summer hit, Star Trek, is a great opportunity to see the Character Types in action. Character consistency is a crucial reason why the film has played so well with new audiences and long-time fans of the venerable franchise.

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John Updike – Writing Routine

An interviewer asked Updike, about his writing routine: You’ve said that it was fairly easy to write the Rabbit books. Do you write methodically? Do you have a schedule that you stick to? Updike answers with a full explanation of his routine

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John Updike – Novel to Movie Adaptations

When looking for a novel to adapt, look for a story that has a strong external narrative. Find a story in which a character’s actions lead to specific external consequences with real impact and which effect important transformation in the character or others.

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Bones – Reason & Love

These two characters exchange gifts to complement and complete each other. These gifts are personality traits missing in the other, differing points of view necessary to solving the case and critical skills or abilities lacking in their partner.

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Top Ten Political Movies

In 2008, Entertainment Weekly set out to identify some of the best-loved political films of all time. Here are the top 10 picks, with each film’s primary star.

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Sister Rose on Without A Trace

without-a-trace-etbscreenwritingThe television series, Without a Trace, is a classic Power of Truth story. A good friend, Sister Rose Pacatte, wrote about a recent episode “Miracle Worker” in her blog. http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/

My comments about her post are in (parenthesis).

Sister Rose writes:

Did you see Without a Trace last night? I thought it was extraordinary – about a weeping statue in a pub, the people who find it, and an authentic and touching look at sadness, faith, lack of faith, doubt, hope, love and mercy.

(Laurie: This episode explored profound Power of Truth questions like: Who can I trust? Did I see what I thought I saw? What is really going on here? Who is hiding something? Am I being deceived? What do I really believe? How can I be absolutely certain? What does it all mean?)

Using the statue (character) of St. Therese, a French Carmelite nun (1873 – 1897) in the episode was so appropriate because she had her own dark night of the soul and she is known for this. The episode, entitled “Miracle Worker”, was a story with layers of dark nights for some of the usual characters (especially Jack played by Anthony La Paglia and Samantha played by Poppy Montgomery) and a teenage girl, her uncle and her father.

The mercy and rays of light that come from faith and wanting to believe play out in very believable ways. It is a complex episode that was deftly written and rendered. I think this long-running show, now in its 7th season (CBS, Tuesdays, 10pm) deserves thoughtful attention because of its consistently human and catholic themes (little “c” and sometimes big “C”). This episode offers much to talk about around the water cooler – and in sermons and homilies too.

“Miracle Worker” is a perfect example of the sacramentality of television and cinema stories: the outward expression of inner realities.

A friend of mine who is a spiritual director told me back in 2002 that she thought Without a Trace is a Good Shepherd show: the FBI characters, despite their flaws, go in search of the lost, often at great personal cost. As they search for others, they search for their own core self, for meaning that transcends their lives.

(Laurie: This classic Power of Truth narrative territory. These stories begin with a obvious question, mystery or crime. During the course of the investigation a larger truth is revealed. In this case, about faith or the lack thereof. In the end, the investigator discovers some truth about him or herself).

Last night’s “Without a Trace” was Episode 12: “Miracle Worker”. I couldn’t find the entire episode online but there are clips. It may run again on Saturday: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/without_a_trace/

(Laurie: Thanks Sister Rose for permission to reprint your post.)

More Thoughts on Rewriting

Woman-typing-on-laptop-etbscreenwritingIn further discussion of yesterday’s post– How do you tackle a daunting rewrite? My best suggestion is to outline your current script draft. Write what actually happens in each scene. What are characters doing? Briefly summarize what people say. Don’t get lost in tweaking dialogue on a major rewrite. Instead, look at the big-picture. In order to do that– An outline is critical.

Once you’ve outlined your current draft, go over the outline scene-by-scene. Ask yourself a few key questions– Is your story urgent and active enough? Does your story have enough adrenalin moments?

Ed Hooks, in his terrific book, Acting for Animators, defines adrenalin moments as story events your character will remember on his or her deathbed. They are the highest highs and the lowest lows. Make a list of your character’s adrenaline moments in your story. You should have at least eight. They are:

* The event that starts the story off

* The event that propels your character forward into the story (The die is cast. The penny drops. Your character makes a run for it. A door closes and your character can’t go back

* The event that shows how your character has changed significantly through conflict

* The event that shows your character seizing the initiative in the story or taking things into his or her own hands

* The event that shows your character’s biggest struggle between his/her want (ego-driven goal) and the need (deeper human longing)

* The event that demonstrates your character’s choice between the want and the need

* The event at the climax of the story (or the final showdown)

* The event that finally resolves the story

Where are the adrenaline moments in your story? Are all these events vivid and visceral? Do they have a big enough impact? Do they make your protagonist feel really vulnerable? Make these events unforgettable by making your main character feel increasingly exposed and personally at risk during each story event.

Remember to use cause and effect. What does your character do to bring these events about? How do your character’s actions make these highs and lows happen? How does each action cause a chain reaction?

The audience cannot see what a character thinks or feels. They can only see what a character does. How can you make your character’s interior thoughts and feelings observable through action? The audience also can’t see what a character decides. Deciding isn’t an action. Acting on a decision is an action.

Don’t tell us what your character thinks, feels or decides through dialogue. Instead, show us what your character does as a result of thoughts, feelings and decisions. Is your main character an active force throughout the story? Or does he/she just react to others? How does he/she push the story forward? How do we actually see your character growing or changing or pushing, prodding and transforming others?

Ask yourself, could an audience understand your story by only watching your main character’s actions? Could the audience understand the major story beats without any sound (using visuals only)?

Now write a new outline that solves those problems. In your new outline, incorporate more active moments, cut all extraneous material or repetitive dialogue and make any other necessary changes and adjustments.

Rewriting in outline form helps keep the bigger picture in perspective and keeps your focus on the larger issues: filling plot holes, creating action that fulfills the character’s intent (rather than the writer’s intent) and fixing emotional disconnects. It avoids the easy trap of continually fine-tuning dialogue and glossing over the larger problems in the script.

Revolutionary Road – Power of Idealism

The film Revolutionary Road tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet), two Power of Idealism characters who feel trapped in the bonds of a mundane suburban lifestyle.

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Stick To It – Reward Yourself

Nick Schenk scored big with Gran Torino after over ten years of struggle, rejection and near-misses. How does someone– anyone– keep motivated in the face of impossible odds, daunting circumstances and a crushing lack of validation. Here’s how.

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The Wrestler – Power of Idealism

Randy’s tragedy is he finds magic only in the empty choreographed illusions of the ring. He compulsively plays the spray-tanned bleached blond hero to dwindling numbers of cheering strangers.

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Writing Routine

I discovered a great website that discusses how various writers and artists approach their work and organize their day. Below is a discussion of the simple method Anthony Trollope used to write forty-nine novels in thirty-five years!

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