Monday, December 13, 2010

Rabbit A La Berlin



The untold story about wild rabbits which lived between the Berlin Walls. For 28 years Death Zone was their safest home. Full of grass, no predators, guards protecting them from human disturbance. They were closed but happy. When their population grew up to thousands, guards started to remove them. But rabbits survived and stayed there. Unfortunately one day the wall fell down. Rabbits had to abandon comfortable system. They moved to West Berlin and have been living there in a few colonies since then. They are still learning how to live in the free world, same as we - the citizens of Eastern Europe.


If you're in NYC today - run!

WGA Awards Nominations

WGA 2011 Best Comedy Nominees:


Not that it matters, prizes never really matter. But I really doubt that WGA has any notion of the term 'comedy'. Check out their 2011 nominees for Best Comedy TV Series:
30 Rock, Glee, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Office.

It sounds like a list from couple of years back, doesn't it? Why would they put The Office on their list, and not the much better Parks and Recreation? Why would they even consider Nurse Jackie to be a comedy, and a best comedy? And Glee, they had better seasons.

If I was to write my 2011 Best Comedy nominees, It would have been something like:
Parks and Recreation
Community
Eastbound and Down
Modern Family
Terriers


OK, Terriers is not (or, was not) a comedy, but it's way funnier than Nurse Jackie.

Moving on to the next category.

WGA 2011 Best Drama Nominees:


And the nominees are...Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men.

Couldn't agree more about most of that list, and especially it is great to see Breaking Bad there. The competition here is hard, and although I hope Breaking Bad will get the award, I'm afraid Friday Night Lights is a possible winner (a last chance to reward this show before its final fifth season ends), and it will be hard also not to give this award to Boardwalk Empire (it is also a nominee for Best New Series, but there the competition is even greater).

Since Breaking Bad has also two episodes on the Best Episode list, it may win there, giving the Best Drama to Friday Night Lights, and forcing Boardwalk Empire to go home with the Best New Series award.

I'll wait until February 5th with the smiles and the curses.

Monday, November 1, 2010

How Did Adam Rifkin Made 'Look' TV Series?

I was never a big fan of reality, documentries, and any material that tried to show me real things on my screen. I love the stuff that looks too good for any reality. Not fake, not ice-cream shots, but still - crafted.

I never saw the Adam Rifkin's movie Look, that was kind of successful when it was released in 2007. But now the same Rifkin brings the same Look - to the TV screen. A TV series that's based on material taken from security cameras. Edited, of course, I thought, but could it be all original content and still be legal to air? Or did they use actors that played what they saw on the cameras?

I got pretty curios about this Look the TV series, and then I found this great clip that explained me some things about the making of of Look.



So is it real or not? And what will be the hook? I mean, Rifkin talked about lines of plot that are splitted into pieces during the season, but isn't it what any TV series do anyway?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Being a writer and still have some privacy

I was trying to write about an affair without letting my wife know about it. I was writing about my experiences, girls’ flats, things like that.
This is what John Lennon said about the lyrics to his song Norwegian Wood. I wonder if Haruki Murakami read this citation when he wrote his book by the same title.

Here's John telling us more about how to write about private things and still keeping your secrets to yourself:

Norwegian Wood was about an affair I was having. I was very careful and paranoid because I didn't want my wife, Cyn, to know that there really was something going on outside the household. I'd always had some kind of affairs going, so I was trying to be sophisticated in writing about an affair, but in such a smokescreen way that you couldn't tell. I can't remember any specific woman it had to do with.

Here are the lyrics of Norwegian Wood:

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.
She showed me her room, isn't it good, norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine.
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed."
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath.
And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown.
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, norwegian wood.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

HBO Set Design on Mildred Pierce


After giving us a lesson in set design on Boardwalk Empire, the guys at HBO are showing off their creativity also on the set of Mildred Pierce.

The movie was shot in NYC, an the set just looks so good. I thought the way the cars are driving reverse is funny. And i wonder if the production used the same crew from Boardwalk Empire for the Mildred set.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Deep Drama In Hollywood And Asia

I first thought of studying film after watching an Ozu film. It was so amazingly quiet and intense that I felt an urge of expressing myself the same way. So real and yet so surreal. After getting to know the Asian film industry slightly better, I knew it wasn't that all Japanese or Taiwanese films were were composed like this - in fact most of them tried to do what they saw in western films - but i guess every Asian director could relate to those feelings that are expressed so subtly. Not a racist thing, just different types of cultural behaviors in the eastern side of the world, or at least in some Asian countries.

Tsai Ming Liang is a great example, although an extreme one. His film The River is dealing with such intense dramatic issues in such a quiet, almost serene tone, that it gets to your entire body. The Japanese anime director Makoto Shinkai is another interesting example. I remembered his films when watching the trailer for Welcome To The Rileys.

Welcome To The Rileys deals with loss, like the films of Shinkai. But unlike Shinkai, it seems like the writer/director of The Rileys is following every Hollywood cliche possible. Too bad that James Gandolfini, an actor with great talent, is sucked into such a bullshit drama that probably will get some Oscars.

Remember the Dardenne brothers with their film The Son? It had the same basic theme as The Rileys, parents coping with their son's death. You didn't hear anybody saying the son was dead. But you just knew it. They used cinema, not cheap soap-style manipulations to give you the story.



Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Tim Burton Writes a Poem About Johnny


Tim Burton wrote this poem to his friend and alter-ego Johnny Depp, and also made the illustration. Tim Burton is so very talented, this is no news, but this poem reveals a bit more about his relations to Johnny. But maybe poems are just poems.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Boardwalk Empire: building the set

I just came across this wonderful youtube video on the HBO channel, in which they show (time lapse) how the set for Boardwalk Empire was built. The set is a recreation of Atlantic City Boardwalk area in the 1920. Great video, not sure if it's relevant for any of you on your next production though.



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Eddie Izzard to take up role in United States of Tara

I recently watched (in two short nights) the second season of United States of Tara. I love this show, and although some points are questionable script-wise, I think this show is really one of the best in the last decade, and this decade was the renaissance of Television.

Why do I love United States of Tara so much? Because it's deep, in a shallow way (and no way the other way around), because the dialogue is real, because it reminds me of my own family, because it makes me laugh and by the way brings out all the devils from my own closet.

And I love it for the different tone it has, slightly different but still it makes the whole difference. Take for example the news about Eddie Izzard to play Tara's psychologist. The British comedian appeared in many movies (Ocean's 12, Ocean's 13) and even TV (The Riches) before - but still this is a quite unusual cast.

I sure hope that the third season will be as brilliant as the second, and I hope it will be even better. United States of Tara is not perfect, but for its genre it's the light in the tunnel.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Satoshi Kon - last words (translated)

The Japanese anime director and writer, Satoshi Kon, died earlier this week (August 24th), a short time before his 47th birthday. He had cancer, and before he died he wrote a goodbye letter, which his family placed on his blog. It's in Japanese, but thanks to some dedicated fans, was quickly translated into English.

Here's the translation of his last letter, "goodbye":

Sayonara (Goodbye)

How could I forget, May 18th of this year.

I received the following pronouncement from a cardiovascular doctor at Musashino Red Cross Hospital.

"It's the latter stages of pancreatic cancer. It's metastasized to several bones. You have at the most half a year left to live."

My wife and I listened together. It was a fate so unexpected and untenable, that the two of us together could barely take it.

I used to honestly think that "I can't help it if I die any day." Still, it was so sudden.

To be sure, there were some signs. 2 to 3 months before that I'd had strong pains in several places on my back and in the joints of my legs; I'd lost strength in my right leg and found it hard to walk, and I'd been going to an acupuncturist and a chiropractor, but I wasn't getting any better. So after having been examined in an MRI and a PET-CT and such advanced machinery, came the sudden pronouncement of the time I had left.

It was as if death had positioned itself right behind me before I knew it, and there was nothing I could do.

After the pronouncement, my wife and I researched ways to prolong my life. It was literally a life or death situation. We received the support of staunch frends and strong allies. I rejected anti-cancer medication, and tried to live with a view of the world slightly different from the norm. The fact that I rejected what was "expected (normal)" seemed to me to be very much like me.

I've never really felt that I belonged with the majority. It was the same for medical care, as with anything else. "Why not try to keep living according to my own principles!" However, as is the case when I'm trying to create a work [a film], ones willpower alone didn't do the job. The illness kept progressing day by day.

On the other hand, as a member of society, I do accept at least half of what society in general holds to be right. I do pay taxes. I'm far from being an upstanding citizen, but I am a full member of Japanese society. So, aside from the things I needed to do to prolong my life from my own point of view, I also attempted to do all the things necessary to "be ready to die properly". I don't think I managed to do it properly though. (But) one of the things I did was, with the cooperation of 2 friends that I could trust, set up a company to take care of things like the measly number of copyrights that I hold. Another thing that I did was, to insure that my wife would take over any modest assets that I had smoothly by writing a will. Of course, I didn't think there would be any fighting over my legacy or anything, but I wanted to make sure that my wife, who would remain behind in this world, would have nothing to worry about - and besides, I wanted to remove any anxiety from myself, the one who was going to take a little hop over there, before I had to leave.

The paperwork and research necessary for these tasks, which neither my wife nor I were good at doing, were taken care of speedily by wonderful friends. Later on, when I developed pneumonia and was at death's door, and put my final signature on the will, I thought that if I died right then and there, it couldn't be helped.

"Ah...I can die at last."

After all, I'd been brought by ambulance to the Musashino Red Cross Hospital 2 days before that; then brought back again to the same hospital by ambulance the day after. Even I had to be hospitalized and undergo many examinations. The result of those examinations: pneumonia, water in my chest, and when I asked the doctor [straight out], the answer I received was very businesslike, and I was in a way grateful for that.

"You may last 1 or 2 days...even if you survive this, you probably have until the end of the month."

As I listened, I thought "It's like he's telling me the weather forecast", but still the situation was dire.

That was July the 7th. It was a rather brutal Tanabata for sure.

So, I decided right there and then.

I wanted to die at home.

I might inconvenience the people around me, but I asked them to see how I could escape and go back home. [I was able to do so] thanks to my wife's efforts, the hospital's cooperation despite their position of having given up on me, the tremendous help of other medical facilities, and the coincidences that were so numerous that they only seemed to be gifts from heaven. I've never seen so many coincidences and events falling into place so neatly in real life, I could barely believe it. This wasn't Tokyo Godfathers after all.

While my wife was running around getting things in place for my escape, I was pleading with doctors "If I can go home for even half a day, there are things I can still do!", then waiting alone in the depressing hospital room for death. I was lonely, but this was what I was thinking.

"Maybe dying won't be so bad."

I didn't have any reasons for it, and perhaps I needed to think like that, but I was surprisingly calm and relaxed.

However, there was just one thought that was gnawing away at me.

"I don't want to die here..."

As I thought that, something moved out from the calendar on the wall and started to spread around the room.

"Oh dear, a line marching out from the calendar. My hallucinations aren't at all original."

I had to smile at the fact at my professional instincts were working even at times like this, but in any case I was probably the nearest to the land of the dead that I'd ever been at that point. I really felt death very close to me. [But] with the help of many people, I miraculously escaped Musashino Red Cross and came back home, wrapped up in the land of the dead and bedsheets.

I should emphasize that I have no criticism of or hatred for Musashino Red Cross Hospital, so don't misconstrue me.

I just wanted to go home to my own house. The house where I live.

I was a little surprised that, when I was being carried into my living room, as a bonus, I experienced that deathbed experience everyone is familiar with of "looking down on your body being carried into the room from a place high above". I was looking down on myself and the scene around me from a position several meters above ground, through a wide-angle-ish lens and flash lighting. The square of the bed in the middle of the room seemed very large and prominent, and my sheet-wrapped body was being lowered into the middle of the square. None too gently it seemed, but I'm not complaining.

So, all I had to do was to wait for death in my own home.

However.

It seems that I was able to overcome the pneumonia.

Eh?

I did think like this, in a way.

"I didn't manage to die! (laugh)"

Afterwards, when I could think of nothing else but death, I thought that I did indeed die once then. In the back of my mind, the world "reborn" wavered several times.

Amazingly, after then my life-force was rejuvenated. From the bottom of my heart, I believe this is due to the people who helped me; first and foremost my wife, and my supportive friends, the doctors and nurses, and the care managers.

Now that my life-force had been restarted, I couldn't waste my time. I told myself that I'd been given an extra life, and that I had to spend it carefully. So I thought that I wanted to erase at least one of the irresponsibilities that I'd left behind in this world.

To be truthful, I'd only told the people closest to me about the cancer. I hadn't even told my parents. In particular, because of various work-related complications, I couldn't say anything (to people) even if I wanted to. I wanted to announce my cancer on the internet and report on my remaining life, but if Satoshi's death was scheduled, there might be some waves made, however small. For these reasons, I acted very irresponsibly to people clear to me. I am so sorry.

There were so many people that I wanted to see before I died, to say even one word of greeting to. Family and relatives, old friends and classmates from elementary and middle and high school, the mates I met in college, the people I met in the manga world, with whom I exchanged so much inspiration, the people in the anime world whose desks I sat next to, went drinking with, with whom I competed on on the same works, the mates with whom I shared good and bad times. The countless people I was able to know because of my position as a film director, the people who call themselves my fans not only in Japan but around the world, the friends I'd made via the web.

There are so many people that I want to see at least once (well there are some I don't want to see too), but if I see them I'm afraid that that the thought that "I can never see this person again" will take me over, and that I wouldn't be able to greet death gracefully. Even if I had recovered, I had very little life force left, and it took a lot of effort to see people. The more people wanted to see me, the harder it was for me to see them. What irony. In addition, my lower body was paralyzed due to the cancer spreading to my bones, and I was prone on my bed, and I didn't want people to see my emaciated body. I wanted most of the people I knew to remember me as the Satoshi that was full of life.

I'd like to use this space to apologize to my relatives, friends and acquaintances, for not telling you about my cancer, for my irresponsibility. Please understand that this was Satoshi's selfish desire. I mean, Satoshi Kon was "that kind of guy". When I envision your faces, I only have good memories and remember (your) great smiles. Everyone, thank you for all the truly great memories. I loved the world I lived in. Just the fact that I can think that makes me happy.

The many people that I met throughout my lifetime, whether they were positive or negative, have helped to shape the human being that is Satoshi Kon, and I am grateful for all of those encounters. Even if the end result is an early death in my mid 40s, I've accepted this as my own unique destiny. I've had so many positive things happen to me after all.

The thing I think about death now. "I can only say, it's too bad." Really.

However, even though I can let go of many of my irresponsible actions [by not telling people], I cannot help regretting two things. About my parents, and about Madhouse [founder] Maruyama-san.

Even though it was rather late, there was no choice but to come clean with the whole truth. I wanted to beg them for forgiveness.

As soon as I saw Maruyama-san's face when he came to see me at home, I couldn't stop the flow of tears or my feeling of shame. "I'm so sorry, for ending up like this..." Maruyama-san said nothing, and just shook his head and gripped both my hands. I was filled with thankfulness. Feelings of gratitude and joy, that I'd been lucky enough to work with this person, came over me like a landslide. It may be selfish, but I felt as though I had been forgiven in that instant.

My biggest regret is the film "Dreaming Machine". I'm worried not only about the film itself, but about the staff with whom I was able to work with on the film. After all, there's a strong possibility that the storyboards that were created with (our) blood, sweat and tears will never be seen. This is because Satoshi Kon put his arms around the original story, the script, the characters and the settings, the sketches, the music...every single image. Of course there are things that I shared with the animation director, the art director and other staff [members], but basically most of the work can only be understood by Satoshi Kon. It's easy to say that it was my fault for arranging things this way, but from my point of view I made every effort to share my vision with others. However, in my current state I can only feel deep remorse for my inadequacies in these areas. I am really sorry to all of the staff. However, I want them to understand, if only a little bit. Satoshi Kon was "that kind of guy", and, that's why he was able to make rather weird anime that was a bit different. I know this is a selfish excuse, but think of my cancer and please forgive me.

I haven't been idly waiting for death, even now I'm thinking with my weak brain of ways to let the work live even after I am gone. But they are all shallow ideas. When I told Maruyama-san about my concerns about "Dreaming Machine", he just said "Don't worry. We'll figure out something, so don't worry."

I wept.

I wept uncontrollably.

Even with my previous movies, I've been so irresponsible with the productions and the budgets, but I always had Maruyama-san figure it out for me in the end.

This time is no different. I really haven't changed.

I was able to talk to my heart's content with Maruyama-san. Thanks to this, I was able to feel, at least a little, that Satoshi Kon's talents and skills were of some value in our industry.

"I regret losing your talent. I wish that you were able to leave it for us."

If Madhouse's Maruyama-san says that, I can go to the netherworld with a little bit of self-pride after all. And of course, even without anyone else telling me this, I do feel regret that my weird visions and ability to draw things in minute detail will be lost, but that can't be helped. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart that Maruyama-san gave me the opportunity to show the world these things. Thank you, so very much. Satoshi Kon was happy as an animation director.

It was so heartbreaking to tell my parents.

I'd really intended to go up to Sapporo, where my parents live, while I was still able to, but my illness progressed so unexpectedly and annoyingly fast that I ended up calling them on the telephone from the hospital room as I was closest to death.

"I'm in the late stages of cancer and will die soon. I was so happy being born as a child to Father and Mother. Thank you."

They must have been devastated to hear this out of the blue, but I was certain I was going to die right then.

But then I came back home and survived the pneumonia. I made the big decision to see my parents. They wanted to see me too. But it was going to be so hard to see them, and I didn't have the will to. But I wanted to see my parents' faces one last time. I wanted to tell them how grateful I was that they brought me into this world.

I've been a happy person. Even though I must apologize to my wife, my parents and all the people that I love, that lived out my life a bit too faster than most.

My parents followed my selfish wishes, and came the next day from Sapporo to my house. I can never forget the first words out of my mother's mouth when she saw me lying there.

"I'm so sorry, for not bringing you into this world with a stronger body!"

I was completely speechless.

I could only spend a short time with my parents, but that was enough. I had felt that if I saw their faces, that it would be enough, and it really turned out that way.

Thank you, Father, Mother. I am so happy that I was born into this world as the child of the both of you. My heart is full of memories and gratitude. Happiness itself is important, but I am so grateful that you taught me to appreciate happiness. Thank you, so very much .

It's so disrespectful to to die before ones parents, but in the last 10 plus years, I've been able to do what I want as an anime director, achieve my goals, and get some good reviews. I do feel regret that my films didn't make a lot of money, but I think they got what they deserved. In these last 10 plus years in particular I've felt as though I've lived more intensively than other people, and I think that my parents understood what was in my heart.

Because of the visits by Maruyama-san and my parents, I feel as though I've taken a big burden off my shoulders.

Lastly, to my wife, about whom I worry the most, but who has been my support until the end.

Since that time-left pronouncement, we drowned ourselves in tears together so many times. Every day was brutal for both of us, physically and mentally. There are almost no words for it. But the reason why I was able to survive those difficult days was because of the words that you said to me right after we received the news.

"I'll be at your side [run with you] until the end."

True to those words, as though you were leaving my worries in the dust, you skillfully directed the demands and requests that came rushing towards us like a landslide, and quickly learned how to take care of your husband. I was so moved, watching you deal with things so efficiently.

"My wife is awesome."

No need to keep saying that now, you say? No no. You are even more awesome now than you ever were - I truly feel this. Even after I have died, I believe that you will send Satoshi Kon to the next world with grace. Ever since we got married, I was so wrapped up in "Work, work" that I was only able to spend some time at home after the cancer - such a shame.

But you stood close to me, you always understood that I needed to immerse myself in my work, that my talent was there. Thank you.

There are so many things, countless things, that I worry about, but everything needs an end. Lastly, to Doctor H who agreed to see me to the end in my home, even though it's something not done these days, and his wife and nurse, K-san, I would like to express my deep gratitude. Medical care in a private home is very inconvenient, but you patiently dealt with the numerous aches and pains that cancer brings on, and endeavores to make my time until the final goal called death be as comfortable as possible. I can't say how much you helped me. And you didn't just deal with this difficult and arrogant patient as if it were just your jobs, but communicated with me as human beings. I cannot say how much of a support you were to me, and how much you saved me. I was encouraged by your qualities as human beings several times. I am deeply deeply grateful.

And, this is really the last, but from shortly after I received that pronouncement in mid-May until now, I've been lucky to have the cooperation, help and mental support, both personally and in business, from 2 friends. My friend T, who has been a friend since high school and is a member of KON'Stone Inc, and producer H, I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much. It's hard for me with my measly vocabulary to express my gratitude adequately to you both. My wife and I have both received so much from you.

If you two hadn't been there for us, I am sure that I'd be anticipating death while looking at my wife here as she sits by my side with considerably more trepidation and worry. I am really in your debt.

And, if I may ask you for one more thing - could you help my wife send me over to the other side after my death? I'd be able to get on that flight with my mind at rest if you could do that for me. I ask this from my heart.

So, to everyone who stuck with me through this long document, thank you. With my heart full of gratitude for everything good in the world, I'll put down my pen.

Now excuse me, I have to go.

Satoshi Kon

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Fishing with John

This week on the New Yorker is a piece on John Lurie, the young man from Jim Jarmusch first films. It reminded me on Fishing with John, a series he made not too long ago. I think it's a terrific piece of art, I watched it online and I think this one deserves a special night at the cinema, or a special week. I'd love to watch it on a huge screen in the dark. It's magical, and it's a rare case in which celebs (can Lurie be called a celeb? it's so degrading) - celebs and art can actually create something meaningful and strong. Beautiful.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

A great comedy script (and the review)

One of the best scriptwriters blogs out there is definitely ScriptShadow. I'm a dedicated reader of this blog, and I often bother reading the scripts he recommends. I don't have time to read the bad scripts, but I know I should: reading a script that doesn't work is one of the best learning methods there is.

Script Shadow latest post is about The Escort, an excellent comedy script that got one of the best reviews I've read on the site. Of course this script is available on the site, so read the review, then read the script (or the other way around, not sure what's better actually).

Monday, August 16, 2010

Out there on other scriptwriting blogs...

Let's have it.

  1. John August, the scriptwriter and the blogger, gives a good advice for scriptwriters that are stuck with characters they don't know too well:
    If you’re having a hard time finding a character’s voice, get him talking about something unrelated to the scene at hand.
  2. ScriptShadow, the blog and the shadow, writes a book review about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Worth reading, after reading the book or the script of course, because the review is full of spoilers.
  3. Mean and massive, the mean and the massive, wrote a good short film review, on a short I've recently watched on Vimeo. It's called Cream/Egg, and on the MeanMassive blog you could find the entire movie as well.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

What is the best school for film studies?

It's not a tricky question, but it is a question with many different answers. To answer this I must now first where do you want to study film. The NYU for example is a private university, hence expensive one, but it run its film programs in two locations: New York and Singapore.

bet lets step out of the box for a second. The first question in that case must be: Why do you want to take film studies in the first place?

Because if you say you do that in the hope to work in the film industry afterward, plus you insist you are not a masochist, then I must say that probably a film school is not your best place to start. Better go to film studios, stoke on tv producers, or sleep with some geeky-but-cool people you meet in the local bar. It will save you lots of money and four years of sweat.

On the other case, if you simply want to educate yourself, now that's fantastic. You don't need to pay a dime. Just go to this great free film studies blog, and expand your brain with all the information this great blog has. It's a blog for the theory of cinema, of course, not the craft itself. So if you still miss this boom in your arm, go ahea and try the NYU, USC, UCLA, or any other place that loves to take your money and get you exhausted at the end of the day.

In either way, good luck!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

YouTube's maximum video length

So last week (or was it this week? I'm losing track of time) YouTube changed their maximal length of uploaded videos from 11 minutes to 15 minutes. This is really an improvement for all the young filmmakers who wish to publish their short films. Usually 15 minutes is the maximal length for shorts in festivals etc., so most filmmakers follow that rule.

I'm not sure what was the reason YouTube decided on 11 minutes to begin with, but I'm satisfied enough with the news to ask too many questions.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Christopher Nolan, a few years back (an Interview)

Christopher Nolan, whose new film Inception (2010) is making a little history these days, was always an interesting screenwriter. Ever since his debut feature film, Following (1998), Nolan had his interest in morals, and in the situations those morals are twisted again and again.

Nolan also loves to play with structure and time, and with the subjective perception vs. the reality, or the outside 'objective' world. In Memento (2000) it was the man with the lost memory who is trying to find the truth about his past, and now he enhanced this idea in Inception, with the spectator being almost the protagonist himself. More on that point later, but the spiral-like structure of Inception is inherent to the very basic idea, or theme, of the movie.

I read once an interview with Nolan, where he talked about his films Memento and Insomnia. Nolan said:

I think it has a fascinating and very evocative psychological situation. A great moral dilemma that is taken one direction in the original movie, and I think its a great movie, but as I saw it, it occurred to me that you could by changing the characters take the same situation, the same intense psychological relationship between the two main characters and take it in a rather different direction and create a different kind of moral paradox.
A moral paradox, that is what we get in many of his films, and to an account in all of Nolan's films. But like David Lynch's Mullholland Drive was in a way his best work, or perhaps the movie that summarizes in the best cinematic way Lynch's ideas - the same happens here with Nolan and Inception. Theme, cinematic language, narrative twists: all those motives that made Christopher Nolan the auteur he is, they all exist in Inception, and in a much purer, clearer way.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Shooting People, why do you need it?

A few years back, when I was living in London, I joined Shooting People (www.shootingpeople.org). I enjoyed being part of a community of filmmakers, even if it didn't mean much. I wasn't doing much those days, mainly rewriting a script with no results, but ShootingPeople gave me some hope.

And, some connections too. Networking is part of any game, and in times like this, when you're writing and stay most of the days in-doors, on-line networking can help.

ShootingPeople grew since I last visited them. They are not what you'd call a mean machine, but they're big enough to make things happen. Its main focus is short films and documantries, but you can find there almost anything, and for sure sombody to share the lonely times of being a filmmaker, a screenwriter, or just an unemployed editor.

Other communities are out there, too, of course. You just need to find your ONE. And stick to it.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Who're you calling a writer?


Something I read today:

I've written all my life, both non-fiction and fiction. i've wanted to tell stories all my life. but writing fiction - specifically screenplays as i've done little short story writing and no novels - has always been very difficult, painful and not a process i would ever describe as one i enjoyed.

Should they teach you screenwriting at all?

An interesting post I've read on the Twelvepoint blog. There's this agent, he represents both screenwriters and book writers. Now, he thinks screenwriters should write prose as well. Why? Read on.

No, you know what? Don't read. You're just escaping writing again, aren't you? I'm just going to quote this agent here, very short, so you could go back to whatever it is that you are writing at the moment. Me? I'm stuck since two weeks on page 12 of my first draft for a script that may never see a green light, or any light at all.

I believe that one of the great fallacies in the teaching of scriptwriting is precisely that I do not believe we should be teaching ’scriptwriting’. Instead I believe writers should study (and learn to appreciate) storytelling. One of the most important motivations, apart from making money, for a writer should be that he or she is compelled to be a storyteller and after forty years of working with writers, I believe it’s easier to tell the story in prose than in script. As Alexander Mackendrick, the director of The Ladykillers said: ‘Don’t try to work out story in script form; do it in prose first.’

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Rules for writing fiction


Today I found this great page on the website of The Guardian. It's a collection of writers' 10 tips for writing fiction. Some are serious, some less so, but it's interesting for sure. It's not always relevant for screenwriters, but first of all, many screenwriters write other things too. And besides, screenwriting is still not too far from fiction writing, in some senses. Neil Gaiman had one great tip, I think it's the one I liked most:

Write.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Where the wild things are - the movie

I want to begin with the conclusion here. WTWTA is a good movie.

Many doubted the possibility of adapting a 100-words-book into a full length feature film, and the (earlier?) draft of the script received a hard criticism from its reader, but the end result is stunning.

I think the problem of most people with the movie was the lack of action, or, perhaps, the lack of conflict. Also in the book, the kid just closes his eyes and solves his anger in his dream. And in the dream when he misses home he simply returns. But, and this is a very important issue here, this film isn't about big conflicts in the outer world. Like the book, Max has some problems at home, but the main conflict of him is how does he make sense of it, how does he deal with his problems, and not how he solves them. To deal with it means to understand it, and all Max needs to do is to better understand his life, perhaps to get some more control over it.

So we go with Max to where the wild things are, and it's a fantastic hypnotic story, that works on the mind the same ways the book does. Little words, loads of feel.

Way to go, brave brave Spike Jonze.

Friday, March 5, 2010

All Oscar 2010 guesses

Oscars are coming, and the best part of the ceremony is the speculations on the winners of this year's golden man. Myself I have my hopes and fears, but here are the biggest name on the business making theirs:

Oscar 2010 speculation list
Roger Ebert will be probably right in most Oscar categories. Pretty much the sane version of the Oscar Bingo. He even admits it by saying:

I can't remember a year when it seemed easier to predict the Oscars.
My guess is that he means Avatar. Money remains the key to Hollywood Hysteria.
Other lists that look pretty much like Ebert's is this and this.
A slightly different approach is apperent on that list of The Daily Tar Heel. Only the main categories are included here, and no word about Avatar.
Another surprising list is the one of OscarFrenzy.
The voice of the people: the forum of Rotten Tomatoes shows that the crowd is not very single-minded on the 2010 Oscar wins.
But the really interesting fight this year is the one on the Best Animated Feature. It has been a year full of superb animation movies, some will include Avatar as well in that list. The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Coraline. the Village voice talks about one film that should not be left out, in an article entitled: The Illuminating Power of Oscar Nominee.

And when you just can't have any more of the Oscars, The Envelop brings you even more.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Another scriptwriter with something to say

I read an interview with a screenwriter, jack Sekowski, and he said:

It's frustrating since I go to the movies and see that most of the stories told are fairly simple. So why am I driven to make things more complex...thereby giving myself more work? I don't know the answer to that.

I sometimes feel exactly the same, but the truth is that even what seems very simple and straight forward on screen is the result of complex thinking, of narrowing too many ideas to one crystal-clear story. A simple movie was once a complex script in someone's mind. How to make the complex into simple, that's the craft of screenwriting.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Enneagram of Personality: 9 types of characters

Lately I found this page on wikipedia, about the Enneagram of Personality. It's a very comfortable way to look at your script's characters and understand their personality pattern. There are nine patterns: The Reformer, The Helper, The Achiever, The Individualist, The Investigator, The Loyalist, The Enthusiast, The Challenger, The Peacemaker.

The Enneagram describes those personality patterns, including character's motivation, healthy- and unhealthy state of being, fears etc.

I find it extremly helpful for screenwriters to use such tools, as George Clooney says in Up In The Sky: "I stereotype. It's faster".

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A scriptwriting tip from ScriptShadow

What I learned: Once you have your gimmick down, once you have your hook, forget about it. Forget about how you’re going to sell the thing. Switch your focus over to the story and the characters. Make them the best they can possibly be. I think that’s the problem with a lot of today’s writers. Is they rely too much on their premise. They think that that’s going to do all the work for them. It’s a casualty of movies like “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” doing well. Because so much of the joke is implied in the title and the marketing, that writers assume if they get that part squared away, their job is over. But Executive Search goes back to a time where writers still cared about their characters. You need to do the same thing in your rom com.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

hot topic: should ScriptShadow stop?

The community is on fire: a script analyst who owns a website called ScriptShadow publishes unproduced scripts online and writes an analysis. Wired Magazine and John August already posted articles against this habit of our secret guy.

I myself only discovered him after reading those articles. I find this website a real treasure, but I also understand the problems it creates. No writer would want an unfinished script of his to be published. And criticized!
But since the ones who are enjoying the site are not often the ones who are getting hurt by it - lets just have fun without thinking of the politics of it all.

Friday, January 8, 2010

The Scriptwriter's Guide

As a struggling scriptwriter myself, it is sometimes funny to meet other scriptwriters on the street and find that they are looking to get some ideas from me for how to make it into the industry. It is funny but totally understandable. In this business it seems like anybody who got one script produced is a very successful writer. Perhaps it is so, but it is not the kind of success you feel every day, not that kind that makes you feel like you can talk about it with others. Most chances this thing of yours that got produced was written long time ago, and you feel like Tina Turner that 30 years after still performs with "private dancer".


But, anyways, I won't play the role of the suffering scriptwriter. I actually DO have some tips for the novice screenwriter, and I include myself in that group as well.

Tips for the novice scriptwriter

Breaking in the industry

  • With every script you write and send, also those small copy-tests of a scene or so, attach a cover page that has your phone and email on it.
  • Don't underestimate the power of old contacts. With today's social networks on the internet, you can feel not-too-weird contacting old acquaintances or colleagues.
  • Call production companies, broadcasters etc. for a copy-test (a writing sample made for their needs).
  • Try to write an episode for a TV series you know well. Better one that is not to long on TV already, maybe had a season or two. Call the channel and ask to whom you should send it. In case he says you shouldn't, send it to the script editor and the producer.

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