This Savage Art

There is an interesting entry on One Slack Martian’s blog that discusses the altered dialogue from Raging Bull. Yes, it is true that Scorsese, DeNiro and Pesci did a lot of tooling with Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin’s screenplay. One Slack Martian noted from the dialogue passage on his blog:

I’m not sure if this accomplished anything, but I enjoy reading “authentic” dialogue. But we need to remember that we want the “illusion of authentic dialogue” in our scripts.

He makes a great point here about “authentic dialogue”. When writing there is a strong pull to make characters “talk the way people talk”. That can be misleading. Part of making dialogue feel real is crafting it in a way that is still rooted in who the characters are. In the case of this film and others like it I think there is a misconception that profanity=authenticity. Anybody can put a few thousand “fucks” in their screenplay but that doesn’t mean it will amount to anything authentic. Profanity is not an “authenticator”. It just means you can write the word “fuck”. After reading the passage you will see that the scene is all about verbal jousting coming from the mouths of the working class. It’s neighborhood talk from neighborhood people. There is a lot to gain and a lot to lose for all of the characters involved. This is something I am dealing with now with my characters because they are working class and they have the same stakes on the table. You want it to ring true so you can’t ever forget who these characters are, what they want and where on the food chain the exist. Knowing that is always a good start.

Reading about the background of Raging Bull I got some insights into the techniques they used to get this level of authenticity. When working through the scenes, Pesci and Scorsese would work out a “trigger” to get a reaction from DeNiro. When Scorsese was getting DeNiro’s angle Pesci would be playing off him telling him to “go fuck your mother” or something to that effect to get the angered reaction Scorsese wanted. This combined with the screenplay and intense rehearsal before production and on the set is what created that level of authenticity. Who owns the dialogue? They all do. Film is a collaborative effort and this is where the collaboration really paid off.

A personal note: this film is the reason I wanted to make films for a living. When I first saw it, yes, in the theater at the age of 13 (which would probably explains a lot), I was mesmerized. No, I didn’t know what a director really did but I knew my head was spinning after I saw this film. It was brutal, nihilistic and visceral. That is what a great film should make you feel, spent. It should take you on a journey no matter how hellish or fantastical. No matter how deep and personal or light and wacky. It should take you to a place and never apologize for putting you there. This is what film meant to me after I saw it. I haven’t been the same since.

Tags: screenwriting, writing dialogue, Raging Bull

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Also courtesy of One Slack Martian.

Updated, one more time: From Adventures in Storytelling

More of an overall screenplay checklist from Wordplay.

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This being the end of the year I thought instead of a recap (who knows, I might do that later) I would offer up a little wisdom I learned while tackling a rewrite of Where Are You Seventeen? This was the first screenplay I wrote years ago and I thought I would try to update it and breath some new life into it. I also took a writing workshop this year and these are some of the things I learned from watching myself and others read their work to other writers. This is kind of a simple screenplay workflow that might save me and maybe you some headache in the future so here goes. This is by no means an absolute way to do it, just works for me:

Get The Idea

Pretty simple, I mean where else can you go but up. This is the spark that will lead to a screenplay. If it really excites you and feels special there is a good chance other people will feel the same. It might be a storyline or a character. Play with it and see where it goes. Write down a storyline in one or two sentences. Now go to sleep. Wake up the next day and read that storyline. Does it still grab you? Is it worth developing? Can you see yourself six months from now still working on this screenplay?

Develop The Idea

This means carrying the idea for the screenplay around for a period of time. This is the stage where you form the idea and find out if it’s even worth the effort of becoming a full-length screenplay. You need to understand what it’s about, create a collection of scenes that flow. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Play with ideas and take as many notes as possible. When creating notes try to be organized by numbering each note so you can make reference to it when creating the outline. Build character profiles if it helps. This is the time to make sense of it all before you commit anything to an outline. Figure out the story you want to tell and how you are going to tell it. I repeat, figure out the story you want to tell and how you are going to tell it.

Outline

Create a scene by scene list of the screenplay in the order in which it will play out, simple descriptions with references to notes if necessary. DO NOT RUSH INTO THE OUTLINE IF YOU ARE NOT READY. This can turn into a cluster-fuck and cause headaches and rewriting nightmares later. Feel good about the story in your head before you outline.

First Draft

After living with your notes and an outline for a period of time where you feel confident you are ready to put it down on paper, vomit a draft out so you have a solid interpretation of your story. It is important to just lay it down as fast as possible. It will suck and we all know that but just understand that everything gets better with a rewrite. The real point here is to get it out. Now let it sit.

Future Drafts

How many? The number is endles. Well, not endless but if you are on the 25th draft you might want to rethink the whole writing thing. It’s really up to you and your story. This is where the real work comes in. These are the drafts that you can kick and beat into submission in order to make them work for you. You may need to totally dismantle sections or entire acts of the screenplay for it to make sense. You will always be coming up with better ideas as you go along. This is about refining your original ideas and pulling out some new, better ones. The process is like a funnel. Starting out wide and becoming narrow. Push your scenes and characters until you feel they have arrived and you have an original, unique story. Show these drafts to trusted people, workshop it. Get feedback and take that feedback into consideration. You will learn a great deal about your story from hearing what other people think of it. You don’t have to agree with them but you will never know what someone elses words will do to the way you see your story. I find it invaluable. If you want to take this even further, when you feel you are close to a final draft, have a reading with actors. You will hear the screenplay in an entirely different way. Your brilliant dialogue might not be so brilliant. Remember, you are writing characters for actors to play. Do not read any stage direction or characters yourself just listen to the reading and the reactions.

Final Draft

This is the point where it is done. You’ve rewritten and gotten feedback and feel satisfied that you’ve taken the material as far as you can take it. Now pat yourself on the back, celebrate and put it in a drawer. Repeat from the beginning asap.

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In the midst of this bitter cold transit strike I heard some really great news. By way of Google Alerts I got an e-mail announcing the release of the Sam Peckinpah Box Set I’ve been waiting for. So I went over to Amazon to see if it was for real and sure enough, there it was. Ready for release on January 10th. If you want to see an amazing director do his thing with these four great films pre-order this set now!

Along with featurettes and commentary we finally get to see The Wild Bunch in all it’s uninterrupted glory (the previous release does the unthinkable. It stops in mid-film for the viewer to flip the DVD to the other side for continuation. I mean, come on!!!)

Here are the DVD specs courtesy of reviewer on Amazon:

This upcoming release from Warner Brothers will contain the following:

-The Wild Bunch Two-Disc Special Edition, Disc 1:

* Commentary by Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* New digital transfer (16×9 2.35:1)
* Peckinpah trailer gallery
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish

Special Features Disc 2:

* Never-before-seen The Wild Bunch outtakes
* Additional scenes
* 3 documentaries
o Sam Peckinpah’s West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade – A feature-length biography of the legendary director, featuring rare film clips, interviews with family and colleagues, and narration by Kris Kristofferson.
o 1996 Oscar Nominee The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage
o A Simple Adventure Story: Sam Peckinpah, Mexico and the Wild Bunch

-Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid Two Disc Special Edition, Disc 1:

* 2005 Special Edition: (115 Mins.)
* Commentary by Special Edition Producer Nick Redman, Supervising Editor Paul Seydor and fellow Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* Peckinpah trailer gallery
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish (Feature Films Only)

Special Features Disc 2:

* 1988 Turner Preview Version: (122 Mins.)
* Commentary by Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* 2 new featurettes:
o One Foot in the Groove: Remembering Sam Peckinpah and Other Things
o Deconstructing Pat and Billy
* One for the Money: Sam’s Song
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish (Feature Films Only)

-The Ballad of Cable Hogue:

* Commentary by Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* New featurette: The Ladiest Damn’d Lady with Stella Stevens
* Peckinpah Trailer Gallery
* Languages: English and Spanish
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish

-Ride The High Country:

* Commentary by Peckinpah documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* New documentary: A Justified Life: Sam Peckinpah and the Hogue Country
* Peckinpah trailer gallery
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish

Tags: Sam Peckinpah

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I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been forced to put a link to the SNL short, Lazy Sunday from Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg. I know it’s all over the internet but I’ve watched it three times today without any signs of letting up. What do you want from me? My city’s in lock down. These two sell the hell out of it. Maybe this will put a smile on your face in these trying times.

“Snack Attack Mother Fucker!”

Tags: Transit Strike, Lazy Sunday, Parnell and Samberg

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At 70 years old, Woody Allen finally gets his way. In past interviews he always spoke of his admiration for serious dramatic filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman and now it looks like he may be in the same category. Past attempts like Another Woman and Interiors resulted in luke warm responses. Could this be different?

After seeing the trailer for Match Point, Woody’s latest, I have to say I’m intrigued. I mean, a trailer is a trailer. It could resemble everything a film is or absolutely nothing depending on what demographic the studio is trying to hit up (e.g. King Kong with the ladies, paahhleeeze). The Match Point trailer is a little amped up for any Allen film but it looks like it has the markings of a new direction for him. It might be worth a look.

Tags: Woody Allen, Match Point

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Today was Howard Stern’s last broadcast on terrestrial radio in New York. He says goodbye to this world and goes to satellite radio next year. I’ve been a fan for many years and regardless of what your feelings are towards his style of entertainment I don’t think you can deny the importance of a move like this. Hear me out…

Stern has relentlessly been at the mercy of the FCC over the past couple of decades and he finally had enough. His move to Sirius radio was motivated by frustration. Not only is censorship an issue here but so is the future. I personally don’t like to be told, like a child, what I can and cannot watch or listen to and neither should you. As a filmmaker, what I can create? Don’t get me started, too late. We are moving into a new era of customizable everything. They want our dollars so we have the say. Pick, choose, download. Get what you want, when you want it, no matter what the content. We tell you, you don’t tell us… that’s what is important here.

So here is to Howard, they didn’t break you. A true inspiration in a world that is so bent on homogenization. A battle hard fought and won by a man who is truly a dying breed. Ahhh, now I finally feel proud to be an American. You can hear Howard on Sirius radio on the other side January 9th. Good luck to him and the crew. I’ve got mine and I can’t wait to hear him speak his mind all day long but hey, that’s just me.

Tags: Howard Stern, Sirius Radio

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A computer program now has the ability to let us know if that miserable little screenplay we are all writing has a chance in hell of making Titanic numbers. So unless you’re working on the next Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia or King Kong maybe you should reassess your life up to now or you could just go back to what you were doing.

Where is HAL when you need him?

Tags: film marketing, marketing software

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