Kevin, a reader of the blog, asked an interesting question the other day in the comments. He asked, “What do you do when you watch movies?”

I think anyone who has educated themselves on the movie making process (be it in front of, or behind the camera) got to a point where they never really looked at movies the same way again. For me this occurred during my first quarter at Savannah College of Art and Design. Specifically it was the day in my “Introduction to Video Production” that I first learned about the shot reverse shot:

Now, this might not seem like much to you, but to me I could never look at this sequence of shots again without going in my head, “Oh, there’s a shot/reverse shot sequence.” It doesn’t matter the movie, the TV show, the cartoon, any time I saw it from that point forward I knew what it was.

The point I’m getting at is that I had reached a new level of understanding about what goes into the film making progress. Once I had understood what a “short/reverse shot” sequence was, and knew how to identify it, I quickly worked it into my own camera work. My video projects quickly went from a series of establishing shots, with a close up here and there for good measure, to something DRASTICALLY better visually just because I started to use “shot/reverse shot” sequences.

This type of creative growth easily translates into writing. As I went about educating myself on screenwriting I’ve come across a lot of theories on how movies should be paced. Ways to dissect movies into major and minor beats. How to identify when a major plot point is about to unfold. I could go on… but instead I’ll fall back to Syd Field’s paradigm to give a quick summary of how he suggests a two hour movie should play out.

In a screenplay, the first plot point comes at the end of Act One, which should be at about page 30. On screen this should be about thirty minutes into the film. The mid point comes in the middle of Act Two, which would be at about page sixty. On screen this should be about sixty minutes into the film. The second plot point comes at the end of Act Two, which should be at about page 90. One screen this should be about ninety minutes into the film. Finally, “Fade Out” should come at the end of Act Three, which should be at about page 120. On screen you should see the credits start to roll right at about the two hour mark.

So, visually it breaks down like this:
30 minutes – Plot Point One
60 minutes – Mid Point
90 minutes – Plot Point Two
120 minutes – The End

There are other minor beats that can occur, Syd refers to them as Pinches, and includes the first one in between plot point one and the mid point, and the second one in between the mid point and plot point two. However, those aren’t really important for what I’m talking about.

As I’ve learned about story breakdowns and structuring methods like this, I’ve again started to look at films in a different way. Instead of visual cues, I’m thinking about plot elements, and when they occur. I’m often checking my watch when I’m in the theater, taking a mental note of when something happened. Is it close to 30 minutes? Closer to 20? Was it rushed? Things like that. I pause DVDs when I’m at home, looking at the time line to get an idea of how far the story has progressed.

A lot of times I try to figure out where the acts all start and end. Not all movies fall into the three act screenplay breakdown, but I’ve found DRASTICALLY more do than do not. Especially the big budget summer films. These movies follow that formula almost to a T.

I don’t take many notes when I watch a movie. Though sometimes I’ll have my computer nearby to jot some things down as they pop up in my head. There have been a few times where I’ve really decided to study a movie as an example. I’ve taken significant notes on “HEAT”, which I’ve mentioned MANY times is one of my favorite movies of all time, “Thelma and Louise,” “Collateral,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” and “Tombstone.” These are all movies I’ve seen dozens of times, so breaking them down in to more detailed components was really an interesting case study.

Like I said above, I do hit the pause button a lot when watching movies. Often times ten or fifteen times in a viewing. It drives my wife nuts. But to me it’s important. Sometimes a movie is moving along so swiftly I feel like the mid point or third act should be coming up, but then a pause it and realize I’m only 40 or 50 minutes in. That’s when I knew the writer and film makers did a great job. I’m on edge anticipating the next big beat, completely lost in the moment. Unless I hit the pause button after certain things happen, I have no idea of how they’re being paced out, or what page they’d like appear on in a screenplay.

I also pay attention to how certain plot points play out, sometimes rewinding them and watching them again. I pay close attention to why the director, or writer, chose to go about structuring the scene the way they did. Why are certain characters there? What did the event play out that way? Was there more that could have been done? Did they give away too much? Did they not give away enough? Was it predictable? Was it cliche? These are the types of questions that run through my head when I watch.

The more I write and read screenplays, the better I’m getting at dissecting films on a technical level. I’m by no means an expert, but the move I learn about the screenwriting process, the more I find myself enjoying films. For example, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed “Ingorious Basterds” as much had I not been writing. There were just elements in how scenes played out I thought were brilliant. I still think it ran too long though.

So there you have it. Some info on how I watch movies, and what I take away from them when I’m done. There is a bunch of stuff on the web, and in print, that can help you develop your viewing to a more educational and technical level. I don’t think any one method is better than the rest, but like with how I go about outlining, I read what I can and take what I need and make it my own.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

….the need, for speed!

I can explain my lack of posts, and nothing new to mention or talk about, with the following video:

I picked up Forza Motorsport 3 a few days ago and have been putting in WAY too much time.

I love racing games… probably too much.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

I just pre-ordered this sucker on Blu-Ray today. Can’t… freaking… wait!!!

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

I sent out my first draft of “Served Cold” to a few friends of mine, who also write, to get some feedback. This can take some time, because asking someone to read a screenplay and then give you some feedback is basically asking for about three to four hours of their time. This is not a small deal. So it’s understandable that it can take a while for someone to get back to you, if at all.

I got some feedback from my friend “Dusty” yesterday. Dusty has read some of my stuff in the past, so he can provide me feedback not only on my story but on me as a writer, which is a HUGE benefit. He always gives great feedback, going above and beyond what I’m usually looking for, shooting me an e-mail with notes as well as marking up my screenplay with additional notes.

What I wanted to do with this post was share what Dusty wrote. Dusty is honest without being mean. If he doesn’t like something he says so, but he explains why. He gives the type of constructive criticism that is important for an aspiring writer to come across. While he enjoyed “Served Cold”, it was by no means a home run, and there are a lot of things that I’ll need to address, but that’s what a first draft is for.

If you’re ever asked to read a screenplay and provide feedback, but aren’t sure how, Dusty’s comments are a great example of how to do it the right way. The point isn’t to be mean, or vicious, the point is to help the screenplay become better, and the only way to do that is with constructive criticism… but don’t be afraid to call a spade a spade. Writing feedback is hard, especially if you’re not confident with your own writing, but as with writing your own screenplay sometimes you just need to dive in and let is all come out.

Without further adieu, here is Dusty’s feedback:

So I have attached Served Cold pdf with my notes, they’re just logistics overall, now for the real thoughts:

- There were a lot of twists and turns, a lot of interesting plot points. Double crossing, back stabbing, and even big reveals (Cipriani is Adele’s dad!) So overall, it was good in that sense.

- You developed tension in a lot of ways. Even though I felt the cards stack up against Fisher, I felt he was capable of getting himself out of the trouble he was up against – this is good

- The Biggs double crossing Fisher’s team was good, but the convo they have seemed a bit forced. What prevents Biggs from shooting Fisher and just getting it over with? I kept saying the whole time I was reading it…”just shoot Fisher, the fucking loud mouthed mofo, goddammit!”

- I did not like Shawn dying, and Manny? Come on, give the guy a break! Let the goons kill Manny, let them kill Cindy, but let the poor kid live. You’re gonna lose your audience if Shawn is killed, because that is the fiber of Fisher’s being…you can’t destroy that. I would even say you could go as far as Vasser kidnapping Shawn, but you don’t want it turning into Man On Fire, either…so something in between. But for godssake don’t kill the boy

- I liked the scene of Fisher at the lake then cutting to the charred van being pulled out of the water…good attention getter and really makes your audience wonder what just happened. Good lead into the next scenes and the unraveling of the whole situation

- With Koteric, not sure why there is a restraining order on Fisher and his mom’s house? Explain.

- Don’t understand why Koteric comes up to Fisher near the end and wants to arrest him. A reversal would be even better. Maybe Koteric gives Fisher his blessing because Koteric has been trying to legally put an end to the Detroit Partnership for years and has come up short. Maybe Koteric gives Fisher his blessing because they have Shawn, or because he was friends with Manny…but you get the idea

- Some of your plot points worked, some didn’t. I noted them in the script. But for example, I thought the whole Lim working from the inside was a bit overdone. No one has to know it was Lim, hell, all they know is its a setup without explaining it…was a bit too much, and really abrupt, and really unexpected and unnecessary. I marked some others both that I thought were good, and were a bit far-fetched.

- Its a bit long. You can shave some of this down and turn it into about 90-100 pages. Most revenge movies are short and sweet. Take Die Hard with a Vengeance, good movie, but the plot points were so crazy at the end, they could have cut out about half of them and still had a great movie.

- I’m not sure if Manny is a necessary character. He’s the only one that I really didn’t feel anything for, nor cared for him.

- Also on characters, I’m not sure the difference between Vasser and Garnier…they seemed the same person to me. This might help shave off some time too, figuring out how to combine them. If you keep them, definitely figure out a way to explain each of their differences and importance in the script.

Overall, solid writing. Much better than the last script of yours I read. Your writing is maturing, that is for certain. I enjoyed the read. It didn’t get bogged down or overbearing, and for a revenge movie, I liked the action. It fit well within its genre.

Clean it up a bit, but overall, very solid and promising writing.

Hope this helps.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

I watched the series premiere for V tonight. Not too bad. They had a lot of ground to cover in the first episode, too much ground in my opinion. It felt a bit rushed. Maybe a 90 minute premiere would have worked better. Not sure. But it shows a lot of promise.

The acting was solid. Elizabeth Mitchell shined yet again and I’m digging Morris Chestnut, and was completely surprised by his plot twist.

The effects were above average for a TV show. Though I’d venture to guess we’ll see less CGI as the series progresses and it doesn’t need it as much. The big money shots were the ships showing up. With that over it’s an establishing shot here, a transport ship there, not a whole lot needed.

Which brings me around to the ships. Count me as not a fan of the new designs. I had on the ScyFi channel on, since it was showing the old series, for a half hour or so before V started tonight and the ship designs on that were a lot better. Somewhere between Star Trek and Star Wars. These new ships look like something out of Halo, or better yet a cheap Halo knockoff. But this is really a minor gripe.

Anyway, I’m digging the show so far and will be interested to see where it goes. Hopefully it slows down a bit, because I don’t think I can deal with a show that moves this fast on a weekly basis.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

When I think hard action movies, my head drifts off to a better time. A time where the ozone layer depleting was our greatest environmental threat. A time when WHAM! was a socially acceptable music group to listen to. A time when Theodore Huxtable was America’s dad. A time when greed was good, and coke was everywhere. Yes, I’m talking about the 80s, the golden age of hard action movies.

I’m not sure what happened to to action genre (the PG-13 rating is prime suspect), but after the 80s it all pretty much went downhill. I mean, where were the Die Hards? Where were the Robocops? Where were the Predators? Where were the Rambos? I could go on… oh, and I don’t mean sequels. I mean original movies with action like those.

Anyway, one of my favorites from the 80s era is Lethal Weapon. I’ve always had a soft spot for detective flicks. So it wasn’t hard to love this movie. You’ve got Mel Gibson at his best. Danny Glover being… Danny Glover. And Gary Busey, GARY FUCKING BUESY, as the villain! Lethal Weapon is the quintessential hards action 80s flick.

I wish they made action movies like this still. But they don’t. Everything has to be PG-13, which in and of itself prevents and serious villains or subject matter to be brought up. It’s a shame really.

Also, remember, this is pre-CGI, so all this stuff is stuntmen and wires. Well, and insurance. But that doesn’t make it any less awesome. It also takes place on and around Christmas, which puts it, along with Die Hard, in my Top 10 Christmas Movies of All Time.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

Who doesn’t like puppies?!

This random post was brought to you by http://www.dailypuppy.com/

-Steve

I’ve had a nice e-mail exchange with a reader by the name Peter who had some questions on my 56 points post from last week. And with his permission, I’m going to write a bit about what we talked about since I think it might help some other people out.

The conversation has been about how to know when you’re making progress, and how you can identify positive progress. My view is that the concept, or definition, of progress is subjective. What I consider progress might not be what he considers progress. And ultimately, concentrating on measuring progress isn’t going to help.

Any time I can move a project forward I consider that progress. Identifying progress, or even more specifically quantifying it, isn’t something that fits into rigid set of rules. I can’t quantify progress by saying, “Good progress writing three pages a night.” What if I’m not at the writing stage? Does that mean I’m not progressing? What if I’m brainstorming and I don’t to any writing at all? Does that mean I’m not progressing?

In my opinion, concentrating on measuring progress is an exercise in futility. You know if your project is working. You have to be the judge of that and trust your instincts. But just because something seems hard doesn’t mean that it’s not working. It just means it’s hard. It’s important not to confuse the two.

I explained to Peter that I’ve been sitting at the same spot in my 56 points for the past three nights. I haven’t gotten a new point down. But that doesn’t mean the project isn’t working. It just means I’ve hit a hard point in the story.

Just to give readers an idea of what I’m dealing with, here is, unedited, the 56 points I have as they stand on October 30th, 2009:

Act One

1. Kyle takes out two goons driving a truck full of drugs, then blows the truck up.

2. Patricia in a heated Senate hearing about “tensions in Warez”, gets a text from Kyle as she exits.

3. Kyle changing his appearance from shaggy mountain man to clean cut professional.

4. Kyle meets Diego at a bar, Diego gives him a briefcase, which is a surprise to Kyle. Kyle takes him outside to show him “his stuff” and kidnaps him.

5. Kyle assassinates Diego in a junkyard and gets airlifted out.

6. Patricia gets another text from Kyle while in her office about being successful.

7. Kyle at home, the senate hearing in the back ground. Opens the briefcase and finds pictures of Patricia and a man. He watches the DVD, which is some sort of handoff at an airstrip between them.

8. Patricia and Hector walking through the CIA lobby. She spots The Commodore, who tells her Kyle is on to her.

9. Patricia gives Kyle his next assignment, it’s an old friend named Duane.

10. Kyle calls up then meets his FBI friend. Gives him the pictures of Patricia and a copy of the DVD.

11. We meet Duane and Michele as they leave for lunch.

12. Unbeknownst to Duane, Kyle saves his life after Ceccini tries to kill him.

13. Arnone snags Duane as he returns from lunch and takes him to the loading bay where Kyle saves him.

14. PLOT POINT ONE — Kyle realizes he’s being set up as Duane’s targeted as an Enemy of the State, and Kyle is helping him escape painting him as a co-conspirator.

Act Two A

1. FLASHBACK: Martin looking over some paper work. Three bodies tied up and shot execution style. Kyle pokes his head in, a few more dead in the back, one in the hallway. Martin stuffs

Kyle and Martin walking through an office complex in Mexico, but everyone is already dead, including their targets. Martin leaves Kyle behind, tell him he’s done, and when he needs help, he’ll know where to call.

2. Kyle calls a number from a pay phone, jots down the address and maps out directions to Seattle.

3. Patricia in her office. Gets confronted by someone higher up in her chain of command about Kyle.

4. The Commodore meets Hector in front of the Lincoln memorial. Agrees to take out Kyle. After thirty years, he’s still cleaning up Patricia’s mess.

5. Duane filling up the car. Kyle on a pay phone. He talks to Mark who says the main in the pictures is Carlos Rivera. Kyle knew he’d recognized him. Mark says there’s buzz some CIA agent went rogue, and to be careful.

6. Kyle and Duane arrive at Rachel’s. She’s less than happy to see then and Kyle finds out he’s a dad.

7. PINCH ONE — Arnone finds Kyle and Duane at Rachel’s. Kyle kills Arnone.

8. Kyle tells Rachel to take Stephanie and head to her sister’s. He and Duane dump Arnone’s body, but are unaware of the tracer on their car. Kyle tosses Duane’s wallet out the window.

9. Patricia with several people in a “tracking room,” they’re working an angle out of the FBI, but nothing yet. Someone flags Patricia. They’ve got a signal on I-70 west. She tells Ceccini to take whatever he needs to take Kyle down.

10. Morning. Duane passed out in the passenger seat. Kyle walks out of a convenience store, prepaid cell phones in hand. He calls Rachel to check in, then dumps the phone he was using, and tosses the others in the back.

11. Kyle and Duane arrive at Martin’s house.

12. Shootout at house. Martin kills Ceccini. Kyle is shot in the leg.

13. Kyle has the bullet removed by a “doctor.” It’s harsh, Kyle is in a lot of pain.

14. MID POINT — Kyle wakes up, Duane passed out on a medical bed nearby. He joins Martin on the balcony. Gives Martina a quick heads up of what he knows. Martin says now it’s time to take the fight to them.

Act Two B

1. A White Audi A4 pulls over to the side of the road. The Commodore gets out and picks up Duane’s wallet.

2. Martin heads the crew heads south toward Los Angles, to find “The Scheduler.”

3. Mark called into his bosses office. Asked what he knows about this CIA agent missing.

4. Patricia in the “tracking room,” Hector has a call for her. It’s “him.” Patricia on the phone with Rivera. He wants to meet. She doesn’t. He wins. Normal place, two days.

5. Rachel and Stephanie coloring. A knock at the door. It’s Patricia. She shoots Stephanie and grabs Rachel, demanding to know where Kyle is.

6. Just a dream. Kyle checks in with Rachel. Has a bad feeling. Wants her to leave, go somewhere else. Anywhere. She won’t. The call doesn’t end well.

7. PINCH TWO –Kyle and Martin breach an immigrant dentists office. In the back is a room where drugs are being split. Quick gun fight and they capture Alphonso,The Scheduler.

8. Martin takes him into a room. Some screams. Martin emerges and lets them know about the drop tomorrow.

9. The Commodore walking through Rachel’s house. He checks the last calls dialed on her home phone. Locates her address book and finds the number, it’s her sister.

10. Safe House: Kyle and Duane go over what happens after the air strip. Martin tells them of the plan. He heads out to go set some stuff up for tomorrow.

11. Kyle and Martin watch as the hand off goes down.

12. Shootout at airstrip. They miss Patricia but Escobedo’s men take down Rivera’s plane as he tries to fly off.

13. Kyle turns on Martin, realizing he’s using him and he’s working for Escobedo, and kills him. Duane picks him up in the Monte Carlo.

14. PLOT POINT TWO — Back at the safe house Kyle fills in Duane. Kyle calls Rachel, but the Commodore picks up. He’s got Stephanie, Rachel, and her sister.

Act Three

1. Patricia pulls her crapped up car into a run down “repair shop.”

2. We find the shop now “closed.” Patricia on the phone in the “lobby,” a mechanic dead behind the counter. She calls someone. It’s the Commodore. He says he’ll have Kyle soon. He tells her to have a drop and his money ready. SHe needs 72 hours.

3. Kyle leaving Duane at a bus depot in Flagstaff. Duane doesn’t leave.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

You’ll notice a lot of empty space at the end there. I must have written, and rewritten, the end of act two and the start of act three ten times by now. I’ll probably rewrite them, and most of the other points, ten more times. I’m at a hard part in the outlining process. But that doesn’t mean the story isn’t working. Look at all the progress I’ve made! Obviously I’ve got something here, right?

Usually what I do when I get to this point, or maybe I should say what I’ve done when I’ve been in similar predicaments in the past, is one of two things. One, I walk away for a few days and work on something else. For example, working on the story idea that revolves around my uncle making the 1972 Olympic team. Or two, I watch a lot of movies. This just slams my head with stimulus, and a lot of the times something will fire off in my head that splits wide open the problem I’m facing. It doesn’t have to be movies in the genre I’m working on. It could be anything. But somewhere along the line something is going to trigger a thought process that will get me past my problem.

However, one thing I don’t do is give up. I think this is harder for first time writers to understand than it is someone who’s written at least one screenplay. More often than not you think your writing is shit. You think it sucks. The story sucks. Everything you’re doing sucks. Until you’re able to get past that, and look at writing as a long distance race, and not a sprint, you’re not going to progress, on your script or as a writer.

Remember, the goal isn’t to sell your first screenplay, the goal is to become a better writer so you can do this for a living. Don’t confuse the two, and the progress will take care of itself.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

In this video I do a brief follow up about the video I posted on my birthday, as well as go over a story idea that revolves around my uncle and his struggle to make the 1972 US Olympic team for the 3000m steeplechase.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve

When I was a kid there was a movie on HBO or Cinemax called Remo Williams The Adventure Begins. I thought it was awesome, if only for it’s sweet ass theme music. I had no idea that Remo was a character from a book (The Destroyer series). I just knew he could dodge bullets and otherwise kick ass.

From that day on Remo Williams has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s by no means a bad movie (is was nominated for an Oscar for Best Makeup). It’s not great either, but there is far worse action drivel out there. And hey, it’s got Wilford Brimley in it, and that’s got to count for something.

I think what I find most interesting about Remo Williams, is that it’s just a fun flick. Not everything sticks like it should, and Fred Ward, though awesome in general, doesn’t carry the character like he should. This is a movie that would have done better had it been approached with a tone more like, say, a Bourne movie, or like Taken was (though neither of those existed back then as movies, but you get the idea). It’s slightly tongue and cheek, but still serious at the same time, if that makes any sense. I love this film nonetheless.

It was with a big smile that I stumbled upon an article that said some studio was looking into bringing Remo back to the big screen. This time it looks like they’re going to take a more serious tone, and use The Destroyer title as well. I wish them the best. I don’t think people get sick of watching secret agent movies, be it Jason Bourne, James Bond, Bryan Mills, or Jack Ryan. And I hope Remo Williams ends up in those names as well.

For those curious, here’s a trailer for the original film… and if you’ve got some time and a spot in your Netflix queue, check this out, it’s a lot of fun.

Until next time, keep writing!
-Steve