{"id":3590,"date":"2011-02-16T13:05:41","date_gmt":"2011-02-16T13:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/\/?p=3590"},"modified":"2021-07-30T21:48:09","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T21:48:09","slug":"the-coen-brothers-on-screenwriting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/the-coen-brothers-on-screenwriting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Coen Brothers on Screenwriting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"600full-joel-and-ethan-coen-1\"

Openness to bad notes that generate good ideas is the key takeaway here. \u00a0I always tell writers– Don’t listen to the specific note. \u00a0The specific note is an attempt to be helpful. \u00a0Listen to what the note-giver thinks would be accomplished by doing what is suggested. \u00a0Listen for what is missing emotionally that generated the specific note. \u00a0If you address the underlying deficiency– how you do it, specifically, usually isn’t that important. \u00a0There is something problematic underlying the note– however inane or off-the-mark the specific suggestion might be.<\/p>\n

THR: What\u2019s your daily work routine?<\/div>\n
JC: We have a daily work routine in the sense that we come into the office, but I would call it a daily routine as opposed to a daily work routine. We don\u2019t necessarily do any work when we get here.<\/div>\n
THR: How do you deal with notes?The King\u2019s Speech writer David Seidler told me a producer\u2019s dumb idea to have a character in prison have sex with a nurse made him come up with a different, good sex idea that fit the script\u2019s characters.<\/div>\n
JC: I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a dumb idea, by the way.<\/div>\n
EC: In the silent films, they had a story conference where they actually brought in a guy called the \u201cWildie,\u201d which was a lunatic, not a figurative lunatic but a guy —<\/div>\n
JC: Someone from the insane asylum who\u2019d sit at the story table.<\/div>\n
EC: He\u2019d interrupt with just insane eruptions that had nothing to do with anything, and the writers would go, \u201cOh, yes, right. We could, y\u2019know\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
THR: Where was this?<\/div>\n
EC: This was at the Max Roach Studio.<\/div>\n
JC: No, Hal Roach. Max Roach didn\u2019t need a Wildie.<\/div>\n
EC: You can sometimes treat studio notes that way too. Although sometimes you get studio notes where you go, \u201cOK.\u201d Sometimes \u2013 well, a good idea is a good idea. You don\u2019t want to be snobby about where you take them from.<\/div>\n
JC: Even if it comes from the studio.<\/div>\n
EC: Even if they\u2019re bad ideas, that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not useful. That\u2019s very true.<\/div>\n
\n
THR: What\u2019s your daily work routine?<\/div>\n
JC: We have a daily work routine in the sense that we come into the office, but I would call it a daily routine as opposed to a daily work routine. We don\u2019t necessarily do any work when we get here.<\/div>\n
THR: How do you deal with notes?The King\u2019s Speech writer David Seidler told me a producer\u2019s dumb idea to have a character in prison have sex with a nurse made him come up with a different, good sex idea that fit the script\u2019s characters.<\/div>\n
JC: I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a dumb idea, by the way.<\/div>\n
EC: In the silent films, they had a story conference where they actually brought in a guy called the \u201cWildie,\u201d which was a lunatic, not a figurative lunatic but a guy —<\/div>\n
JC: Someone from the insane asylum who\u2019d sit at the story table.<\/div>\n
EC: He\u2019d interrupt with just insane eruptions that had nothing to do with anything, and the writers would go, \u201cOh, yes, right. We could, y\u2019know\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
THR: Where was this?<\/div>\n
EC: This was at the Max Roach Studio.<\/div>\n
JC: No, Hal Roach. Max Roach didn\u2019t need a Wildie.<\/div>\n
EC: You can sometimes treat studio notes that way too. Although sometimes you get studio notes where you go, \u201cOK.\u201d Sometimes \u2013 well, a good idea is a good idea. You don\u2019t want to be snobby about where you take them from.<\/div>\n
JC: Even if it comes from the studio.<\/div>\n
EC: Even if they\u2019re bad ideas, that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not useful. That\u2019s very true.<\/div>\n
Read the full article here: \u00a0http:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/blogs\/race\/joel-ethan-coen-spill-screenwriting-96473<\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

#WritingAdviceWednesday – Here is some sage advice from the Coen Brothers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,108,78],"tags":[25,26,1017,27,28,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,70,71],"class_list":["post-3590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nine-character-types-development-script-screenwriting-movie-film-tv-video-online-scripted-drama","category-writing-advice-wednesday","category-writing-tips-tricks-advice-help-script-screenplay-screenwriting-blog","tag-character","tag-characters","tag-coen-brothes","tag-emotional-toolbox","tag-etb","tag-film","tag-films","tag-laurie-hutzler","tag-movies","tag-nine-character-types","tag-screenplay","tag-screenplays","tag-screenwriting","tag-script","tag-scripts","tag-scriptwriting","tag-tv","tag-writing","tag-writing-advice","tag-writing-tips"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"ttshowcase_normal":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",125,94,false],"ttshowcase_small":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",75,56,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"Image Size 500x500":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",500,375,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-300x400.jpg",300,400,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-600x450.jpg",600,450,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Laurie Hutzler","author_link":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"#WritingAdviceWednesday - Here is some sage advice from the Coen Brothers.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3590"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}