No, by ‘here,’ I mean here… on the blog.

That’s not right either because I’ll actually be in my living with my family watching the Academy Awards.

Ah, but I will typing words that will be appearing here. There we go, now I’ve got it right. All sorts of words. Pithy words. Funny words. Snarky words. All the bloggy commentary you could possibly want from yours truly… and hopefully from you, too!

So on Sunday if you’re here… well, not in my living room, that would get kinda crowded with thousands of GITS members… but here at the blog, feel free to join in the conversation, make predictions, deride the horrible presenter jokes, attempt to keep track of the various political ribbons the actors wear, and all the rest of the hoopla at the 1st Annual GITS Academy Awards Live-Blogging Event!

Credits: “Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, based on a novel by Walter Krim.”

Awards: Academy Award, Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay; Golden Globe, Best Screenplay – Motion Picture; Writers Guild of America, Best Adapted Screenplay.

You can access the 8/19/08 draft here.

Schedule

Monday, Feb. 27: General Discussion

Tuesday, Feb. 28: Structure

Wednesday, Feb. 29: Characters

Thursday, March 1: Themes

Friday, March 2: Dialogue

Up In The Air is a great example of what is often called an “adult drama.” Translation: Strong characters, thought-provoking, no superheroes, alien invasions or CGI. I love this movie. Really looking forward to reading the script.

NOTE: THE USE OF THESE SCRIPTS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

You may access discussions on the previous scripts in this series, here.

The story centers on an undercover ATF agent who infiltrates a vicious cartel and is seduced by the power and violence he finds there. “Inside The Machine is about a man struggling to keep his undercover persona from destroying his personal life,” [producer Tripp] Vinson said. “Marc Maurino has written a script that is committed to being authentic. It’s that realism and attention to detail that has us very excited to be involved with Inside The Machine.”

Marc just landed a gig. Per Variety:

Robin Schorr’s RCR Pictures has optioned feature rights to Dennis Tafoya’s crime novel “The Wolves of Fairmount Park.”

Marc Maurino (“Inside the Machine”) has been tapped to write the script.

Story follows the drive-by shooting of two suburban teens, one of whom is the son of a police officer, outside of a Philadelphia drug den. The search for gunmen strains the community to its breaking point.

—-

Maurino recently sold the spec “Inside the Machine” to CBS Films, which preemptively purchased his first script two days after it hit the town. He has been offered several projects, but chose “Wolves” to be his next writing assignment.

Obviously Marc has talent, but we know the real reason why good fortune has come his way: He did a GITS Q&A:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Congratulations, Marc!

From the movie’s promotional material:

Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.

IMDB site

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Release date: April 20, 2012

I was having this discussion with a writer the other day. So many fantastic opening scenes of all sorts. Some of them bombastic, some subtle, some of them funny, some brutal, all of them great. Tough to write, too, because it’s not only about being entertaining, it’s also about introducing the story universe and key characters, setting the mood and so forth.

And while we’re at it, let’s analyze the scenes as to why they’re so stellar, and hopefully get some takeaway as far as our own writing goes.

The list of suggestions was so great, I thought it would be a good idea to post some of them over the next week or two because here is the reality: A great opening scene or sequence can go a long way in how a reader perceives your script. In other words, they can be pivotal to the success of your screenplay.

On Monday, we featured Once Upon a Time in the West which focused primarily on visuals.

Tuesday we considered Pulp Fiction which was heavy with dialogue.

Wednesday we remembered the opening to Back to the Future,

Yesterday we examined the classic opening sequence to the movie Jaws.

Today another scary opening, this to the movie Scream, suggested by The Bark Bites Back and 02424698258957516200. Unfortunately I can’t find the entire opening online, but for those who don’t remember… Drew Barrymore’s character does not have a happy ending in this sequence:

Why is this such a great opening sequence? What can we learn from this as screenwriters?

In this 5-part series, which will run today through Friday, we cover Chris’ background as a writer, reflections about each of his Black List scripts, and his insight into the craft of screenwriting.

Today: Part 5 — The Craft of Screenwriting

A few craft questions. Are you one of those writers who works out your story before you start writing it or do you prefer to type FADE in and see where that takes you? If you do spend a lot of time in prep, could you describe how you approach that process?

If I’m writing a spec, my outline is looser than it would be if I was writing an assignment. Because you have to pitch to get studio jobs, it means that you’ve extensively worked out the beats of what you’re going to do, so you’ve got this long, in-depth document to use as a reference.

But if I’m just at home fiddling around with an idea, I like giving myself some room to explore. What I typically do is have an outline with the big plot points – the inciting event, where we’ll be at the end of the first act, some of the second act rising action beats, the impossible situation at the end of the second act and what the climax will look like.

And then I try to find the most creative path between those big moments. My feeling is that if I can surprise myself when I’m connecting these dots, then hopefully I’ll surprise the reader. If I’m just putting words on the page, I’ll always have a couple of weird ideas that pop into my head that I probably wouldn’t have gotten had I just been putting index cards up on a wall.

You write such interesting, unique characters. What are the key aspects of your character development process (e.g., questionnaires, biographies, interviews, monologues)?

If I’m creating a character from scratch, I’ll usually start by thinking about people I know, or I’ll use some version of myself, mining my own fears and neuroses and building outwards from there. I’ve never really been somebody who writes with an actor in mind, because my feeling is it’s better to create someone on the page who an actor can inhabit. Plus, chances are you’re not going to get the actor you want anyway.

Before I start writing, I create character profiles that I’ll refer back to throughout the process, describing what the character wants, what the character does for a living, what he or she looks like, and so forth.

After I construct these basic bones, I’ll start fleshing them out with more unique personality traits, which can come from anywhere – something you noticed in somebody on the street, something you read about in a magazine. I collect books of anecdotes and miscellanea, which always seem to give me a lot of character ideas. I also live in Venice Beach, which is essentially an open-air lunatic asylum, so there’s no shortage of interesting people around.

Once I’ve come up with a rough sketch of the characters, I’ll write out what their relationships are to each other, and how they’ll complicate each other’s lives. Once I have those dynamics figured out, I’ll start writing, and that’s when the character will invariably offer up more information who they are.

While most of the humor in your stories arises from situations, you also write entertaining and funny dialogue. Is that just an innate talent or have you had to work on this area of the craft? If the latter, what tips do you have about how to develop one’s ability to write good dialogue?

I think that good dialogue comes from character development – the better you know your character, the more specific the dialogue is going to feel.

How do you go about the process of plotting a story? Are there any specific structural paradigms or theories you rely on when you write?

The theory I always end up coming back to is Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight Rules of Writing Fiction, which I’ve had up on my wall in front of my computer for years.

The idea I mentioned earlier about writing to please just one person is in those rules, as are other gems: “Start as close to the end as possible…” “Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of…” And so forth. They’re really useful.

What’s your take on the idea of “theme”? How important are story themes to you when developing and writing a script?

A story theme is tremendously important, because it’s what you’re trying to say with the work as a whole. If there’s no theme, there’s nothing holding the script together.

What do you like about screenwriting?

I love that there is a technical aspect to it – you have to learn structure and how to set up reversals and how to build towards this hopeless moment at the end of the second act where you have no idea how the protagonist is going to get out of the mess he finds himself in. But once you understand structure, you can start playing with it. It’s a little bit like being a tradesman – if you’re a blacksmith, you have to learn how to build a blade before you can get creative with the hilt. (Obviously, I’m using this reference because I’ve been in a Game of Thrones hole recently).

I love writing dialogue. I love figuring out how the puzzle of a story goes together. I feel grateful that I get to tell stories for a living, and I hope that I have the chance to keep doing it.

What do you hate about screenwriting?

I hate that once you hand your work over to a producer or a studio, your fate is in their hands.

I hate that my parents have no idea what to tell their friends I do for a living at cocktail parties.

More than anything, I hate when Final Draft does that thing where it screws up dialogue being carried over from one page to the next, and then the lines suddenly disappear, and I have to minimize the window to get them to come back.

One last question: What is the single best piece of advice you can give to aspiring screenwriters?

I’d just say it’s important to actually finish your scripts, instead of perpetually tinkering with them. It’s hard to consider something done and show it to people, but the thing about being a screenwriter is that it’s never done. Whatever you’re working on, you’ll have to do fifty more drafts. But you can’t move forward with your career if nobody ever sees what you’re writing. It’s a long road, so you need to keep writing and getting material out there. You never know what’s going to pop.

Those eight rules for writing from Vonnegut? Here they are:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Now everyone head to comments and thank Chris for taking the time for this interview. While you’re there, wish him the best of luck. It’s creative juju for him… and good karma for you!

For Part 1, go here.

Part 2 here.

Part 3 here.

Part 4 here.

Perhaps the definitive Harrison Ford role, Indiana Jones is the paradigmatic action-adventure hero. From Wikipedia:

Indiana Jones remains one of cinema’s most revered movie characters. In 2003, he was ranked as the second greatest movie hero of all time by the American Film Institute. He was also named the sixth greatest movie character by Empire magazine. Entertainment Weekly ranked Indy 2nd on their list of The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture. Premiere magazine also placed Indy at number 7 on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Since his first appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he has become a worldwide star. On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Indy at number 10. In 2010, he ranked #2 on Time Magazine’s list of the greatest fictional characters of all time, surpassed only by Sherlock Holmes.

What is it about Jones that makes him such a great character? First he gets into some serious action:

He gets in over his head, but always figures his way out:

He proves he’s human because he’s afraid of snakes:

And he has one of the coolest female co-stars ever:

He also says cool things:

Marion: You’re not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.

Dietrich: Dr. Jones, surely you don’t think you can escape from this island?
Indiana: That depends on how reasonable we’re all willing to be. All I want is the girl.
Dietrich: And if we refuse?
Indiana: Then your Führer has no prize.

Indiana: Meet me at Omar’s. Be ready for me. I’m going after that truck.
Sallah: How?
Indiana: I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go!

Once when I was talking with screenwriter Jeff Boam, who wrote the third installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, he told me about meeting with George Lucas who showed him what I believe was this book:

Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912-1956

Lucas had dog-eared a bunch of pages. So Indy’s bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, fighting around moving airplanes, chase scenes involving trucks, crazed Nazis? That all had its inspiration in photos from those serials.

Here is a terrific find: “Raiders of the Lost Archives,” an homage both to Raiders and many of the movies that probably influenced Lucas and Spielberg:

Whatever the inspiration, no character could match the combo plate that is Indiana Jones:

Why do you love Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark?

UPDATE: Via @PensAndPaws:

Indiana is my favorite example of a Hemingway Code Hero. When I taught high school Lit, we referenced him all the time.

Good point. What is the Hemingway code hero you ask? A quick Google search reveals this:

Closely related to the concept of stoicism is the “Code Hero,” a phrase used to describe the main character in many of Hemingway’s novels. Some critics regard Santiago as the finest, most developed example of these code heroes.

In this phrase, “code” means a set of rules or guidelines for conduct. In Hemingway’s code, the principal ideals are honor, courage, and endurance in a life of stress, misfortune, and pain. Often in Hemingway’s stories, the hero’s world is violent and disorderly; moreover, the violence and disorder seem to win.

The “code” dictates that the hero act honorably in the midst of what will be a losing battle. In doing so he finds fulfillment: he becomes a man or proves his manhood and his worth. The phrase “grace under pressure” is often used to describe the conduct of the code hero.

Hemingway defined the Code Hero as “a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.” He measures himself by how well he handle the difficult situations that life throws at him.

Doesn’t that sound like Indiana Jones? And that would help to explain how unlike most Protagonists who go through some sort of metamorphosis, heroes like Jones and James Bond do not change, but rather their journey is about steadfastness in the face of chaos. Thoughts?

HAYDEN SINCLAIR: The glass is half full not half empty, sir. No civilian casualties so far.

PRESIDENT: I don’t believe in half full or half empty, Sinclair. There are chemical weapons and there are civilians. And there are men on Alcatraz who’ve proved they’re willing to use the one on the other. We are at war with terror. Fighting a war means casualties. This is the worst call I’ve ever had to make. (takes the phone) Air strike approved.

– President (Stanley Anderson), Hayden Sinclair (David Marshall Grant), The Rock (1996), screenplay by David Weisberg & Douglas Cook and Mark Rosner, story by David Weisberg & Douglas Cook

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is American presidents, suggested by Phil. Today’s suggestion by Anthony Jackson.

Trivia: Quentin Tarantino was an uncredited screenwriter on this film, along with Jonathan Hensleigh and Aaron Sorkin.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Wonder who wrote this dialogue: Weisberg & Cook, Rosner, Tarantino, Hensleigh, or Sorkin?

Comedy Central has a lot riding on, well, comedy. And now research it commissioned about how young men view humor has provided the cable channel with some encouraging conclusions about the preferences of its most important demographic group.

More than music, more than sports, more than “personal style,” comedy has become essential to how young men view themselves and others, the research showed.

Stuck in an elevator? Sixty-three percent of young men surveyed said they would choose to be there with Jon Stewart (or some other favorite comic), and only 15 percent said they would prefer that time with Eli Manning (or some other idolized athlete).

Eighty-eight percent of respondents said their sense of humor was crucial to their self-definition, 74 percent said “funny people are more popular,” and 58 percent said they sent out funny videos to make what might be called a special impression on someone else.

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“We called them Comedy Natives,” said Tanya Giles, the executive vice president for research at Comedy Central’s parent, MTV Networks. “Comedy is so central to who they are, the way they connect with other people, the way they get ahead in the world. One big takeaway is that unlike previous generations, humor, and not music, is their No. 1 form of self-expression.”

“Humor… is their No. 1 form of self-expression.” Hanging around college students as much as I do, I would agree on an anecdotal basis. They do like to share the latest funny videos, they enjoy making each other laugh, if someone is considered to have a good sense of humor, that is a big plus. In fact, there are several improvisational comedy troupes on campus and locally, and several of my students are involved with them.

So Hollywood would seem to be aware of this dynamic. However as we have noted many times on GITS before, the major studios are producing fewer comedies because of another dynamic: The growing importance of the international market. And conventional wisdom, born out by the numbers by and large, is that comedy doesn’t translate as well overseas. Compared to action, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, genres that rely more on visuals for their storytelling, comedies tend to depend more on dialogue which can be culturally specific.

And yet Hollywood is obsessed with young adult males, especially since a significant part of last year’s dip in movie ticket sales was due to that demo group just now showing up as much as it used to.

So put on your producer’s hat and look at those competing dynamics: Young adult males like comedy and Hollywood wants to make movies that lure young adult males back to theaters. And yet comedy does not do as well in foreign markets which studios are increasingly targeting in terms of what scripts they buy, develop and produce.

How would you solve that problem?

Prediction: We’re going to see the return of action-comedy, not remakes of movies like 48 Hrs. and Bad Boys, but a post-modern version of them. This Means War may have had the right idea, but apparently the wrong execution. The Expendables, but with more humor.

Actually if you want the poster child for what I’m talking about, it’s Red, the 2010 action-comedy that cost $58M to produce, grossed $90M domestic and $109M foreign. A balance between explosions and laughs, lots of action, lots of comedy.

What do you think? Are action-comedies the next big thing? Or am I misreading the tea leaves? See you in comments for your thoughts.

For more of the NYT article, go here.