So You Wanna Make A Movie – “Writing Genres: Comedy”

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advice, Bill Murray, Butter, character, Comedy, concept, Deadpool, design, development, dialogue, filmmaker, Ghostbusters, goals, Groundhog Day, History of the World, ideas, inspire, Mel Brooks, Men in Tights, movie, movie maker, necessity, Originality, Parody, process, Pt. I, Robin Hood, screenwriting, script, situation, teach, The Thin Man, When Harry Met Sally, writer

Hello readers! Just wanted to write and let you know that I’m not dead. And no, I haven’t given up on posting. My job has been very interesting the last few weeks and it’s hard to keep up with that and with this whole posting thing. The good news, though, is that it has given me time to come up with new ideas.

Now if you need a refresher, last time we were talking about studying film. Well, I think this goes hand in hand with that. It’s a bit of a change in pace, but I think it will come in handy. And, as a bonus, since I’ve fallen behind on my posting, the next few days will have a new post about a new genre. Hopefully I can get through most of them. Okay, ready to get back into things? Good.

I’m starting with comedy for two reasons. First, I think (and a majority of people might agree) comedy is the hardest thing to pull off well and I think it’s always best to start with something difficult and go downhill from there. And with comedy, it’s the one thing that walks a fine line of skill. The other reason is because with the new GHOSTBUSTERS coming out today, it will perfectly illustrate some points. Now, if you know me or you’ve stuck with me, you know that I don’t fall into the closed-minded group of people who don’t have a good reason to see the movie. I choose not to see it for a variety of reasons. Some I’ll illustrate here. But my opinion is just that – an opinion. If you’re excited, go see it. I’m one person. And as long as you don’t call me sexist or misogynist, then we’ll remain friends. Okay, moving on.

So what makes comedy so hard? Compared to other genres, comedy is very polarizing. Action can appeal to everyone (if done well, of course) and drama can appeal to a large group (again, if done well). But comedy seems to be the most divisive. This is because people are very different about what they find funny. Personally, I’m old school with my comedy – both in writing and in enjoyment. What do I mean? I enjoy comedy that doesn’t insult my intelligence, for one. Obvious humor is one thing that seriously irritates me. An example I used once before was when a “comedy” movie has a character hit in the face with a shovel (I think IDENTITY THIEF was the example) and suddenly the character hit shouts out “Ow! You just hit me with a shovel!” Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I just saw that. Why do I need it said again? It’s almost a dead-horse mentality. And as an audience member and a writer, it feels lazy and insulting that they assume I didn’t see it the first time.

Subtlety goes a long way with comedy. It gives the audience something to think about, like “why is this funny? Oh, hahaha!” Now I know what you might be thinking: Why do I need to think about why something is funny? I don’t mean you have to go into the philosophy aspect. I mean simply this: You have to decide if something is funny. How many of us have laughed at those Dad jokes in life because, let’s face it, they were actually funny? It’s because we think about why it is funny and we appreciate the effort into it. Consider these examples from Ghostbusters, both the reboot/remake and the original:

This line was emphasized in a trailer or somewhere. Personally, I don’t think it’s all that funny. Why? It doesn’t give me a chance to appreciate the humor. Instead, it practically screams “This is supposed to be funny! Laugh!” Now, consider a similar scene from the original (the actual part I’m talking about starts at 1:04).

With one line, we laugh. Why? Because it’s so simple. It’s subtle. It’s not in your face. It’s not forced. It’s the character’s actual reaction as they would say it. But not only that, but the reaction from Dan Aykroyd is priceless. His friend just had an encounter with a ghost and he’s almost like “Man, I wish it was me!”

Now, of course there is an exception to this rule of subtlety. As writers, we have to know our characters. And if our character is over the top, then the comedy they provide should be. But it should also be subtle. How is that possible? Like this:

Is this over the top? Just a bit. It’s part of her character (by which I mean she’s proving a point). So how is this subtle? Mostly in part due to the final line of the scene (delivered by director Rob Reiner’s mother). You don’t know how people are going to react, and when it’s over, it’s not what you expect. It’s a surprise. A line from SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS comes to mind and perfectly sums it up: “It’s so overt, it’s covert.” It comes out of nowhere, but you kinda expect it at the same time. But you don’t know how it goes over. The one character I think who best portrays this is Deadpool, from his movie. We know the character and we know he always has to say or do something, but in the context is what matters and we laugh because we don’t expect it.

Context is another big thing for comedy. Depending on how and where a line is delivered or a situation gets out of hand (in a funny way) has an impact on the audience. Let’s turn to the master of parody, Mel Brooks. In my favorite movie of his, HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PT. I, there’s a scene where characters are trying to escape Roman soldiers. Suddenly, Moses raises his hands and splits the water they are trapped at. It’s only after they escape that we realize that Moses wasn’t trying to save them. He’s being held up and robbed. What context is this? It’s a biblical miracle explained away as simple larceny. Not quite the same? Let’s look at ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS. The archery contest. When Robin Hood supposedly loses but retaliates with pulling out the script and getting another shot. Context? The hero technically lost. But by going meta, he can pull out a win because that’s the way it’s “supposed” to go. Here’s an older compilation from the THIN MAN series of films from the 30’s (I told you I was old school).

Nick and Nora are a married couple who solve mysteries together while throwing back liquor as often as possible. Context? You can figure it out by now.

Finally, when writing comedy it’s not always about jokes. Sometimes a situation is all you need. My next example is from the movie BUTTER.

Now, the situation: Hugh Jackman (completely playing against type brilliantly) just had sex with his old flame (a married woman). And what does he do? He prays to god and thanks him. Now, the humor in this scene, to me, comes from the way he prays, not the fact that he prays. It’s set up by the situation. And it’s funny because who prays to god that way? GROUNDHOG DAY, another Bill Murray movie, proves this point. The fact that he has to relive the same day over and over is funny enough. But the way he goes through it and tries different ways to deal with annoying locals is hilarious.

Now, I hate to keep picking on the new Ghostbusters, but honestly, I’ve been overloaded with so much from that movie that it’s fresh in my mind. And because I try to avoid movies I’m not interested in. But as an example, there’s a scene where the characters are at a concert. And to get to the ghost, the character Patty tries to crowd surf. Instead, she lands on her back and cries out, “I don’t know if it was a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell!” While to some this could be funny, I don’t think it is. Why? Because it’s tired. I’ve seen it a hundred times or more.  Comedy, from a situational standpoint, should be fresh. It doesn’t necessarily have to be original (Groundhog Day uses an old idea but adds the twist of being set during a holiday in a town that takes it VERY seriously), but this situation takes a tired idea and tries to spice it up with a very obvious jab at weight (not race or gender, as it’s trying to direct our attention to).

I think I’ve held your attention long enough. Here’s what I’m going for: When you write comedy, don’t try to make it obvious. It comes off almost in same vein as the “Movie” movies (Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.). Comedy should be subtle to give people a chance to think about why it’s funny and decide if it is in fact funny. If you want natural comedy, think about how you would react in a situation. If you ask yourself “Is this funny because it is? Or is it funny because I say it is?” then you might have luck figuring it out. Stay away from the obvious. Part of what makes humor funny in a movie is when the audience sees something they might expect and are pleasantly surprised.

So, while I have no intention of seeing Ghostbusters because of my creative difference, I suggest if you want to go see it, do so. And if you don’t like it, then you have an opinion. I have no agenda. Everyone has their own tastes. Anyway, next time we’ll talk about drama. I think that’s the next hardest genre. So until then, write funny!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Film Study Pt. 7

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Adaptation, advice, concept, design, filmmaker, format, H.P. Lovecraft, ideas, inspire, list, lovecraft, making, movie, necessity, outline, plot, point, preproduction, process, screenwriting, student, teach, The Colour Out of Space

Hello readers and welcome back! Did you miss me? I apologize for the delay in posting. I did have internet access last week, but I have recently started a new job (with a local news station) and I’ve been busy trying to move completely into my new place. But enough with excuses. Let’s get back to work tonight, shall we.

Now, since I realize that recent posts have seemed a bit…repetitive, I thought I would try something a bit new. We’ll still put it under film study though, so it’s not completely new. Here’s the idea in a photograph:

Now, it may be hard to read my handwriting (don’t feel bad, I’ve heard that for years), but this is essentially a plot outline for an adaptation I want to do of “The Colour Out of Space” by H.P. Lovecraft. What I’ve done is taken major points (not necessarily plot points) and jotted them down in a list. Obviously I haven’t finished. I’ll have to put this off a bit later. Anyway, why would I suggest something like this? Since no two people are the same, I won’t say this is a perfect method, but it helps me. By listing out certain points of the story, I can see the order and either move them around or remove them entirely. But at least I know what I had. This is more useful with an adaptation, but it can be applied to original work as well. Especially if you have the foundation set up already (i.e. the characters, setting, etc.). If you write down your ideas for the story, you can put them in any order you like. This can help establish what your major plot points would be as well as help organize thoughts that aren’t quite clear yet.

Now this may not work for some. Notebooks can start to become crowded. However, I will say that some ideas, if they share common elements, can play across different ideas. I can’t tell you how many pages in my notebooks are either just quotes that I can use in any story or how many pages share similar thought trains. Notebooks, in that sense, are essential. Of course, you could keep everything on a computer or tablet, but personally, I find it easier to write it down. Plus, computers and such have a limited life expectancy, even if you back it up. Notebooks can last a while.

So why is this in film study? Easy. I believe that if you try this technique you may find yourself a bit more organized and your ideas a bit more free flowing. And, when it all comes together, you can thank me in your award speech!

So that’s it for my first post back. My schedule is kinda early (I have to wake up at 4.30 every morning), so I don’t want to make any promises about the next post. I will try to keep up still, but I don’t know how well I’ll do yet. So until next time, happy plotting!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 6

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advice, character, dialogue, humanistic, ideas, inspire, language, movie, necessity, process, screenwriting, script, speech, writer

Welcome once again readers! It’s late and the internet is being difficult for me, so I’ll make this quick. Our next area of film study is something that, quite honestly, I have the most difficulty with. I’ll explain why in a moment. But let’s talk about something incredibly important – dialogue.

Dialogue, as you pretty much know, is the spoken word. It’s all that stuff we hear the actors say on screen. And let’s be honest, dialogue has to be memorable. Maybe not all of it (though there are those people who can quote certain movies flawlessly), but a good portion. Haven’t you watched a movie and thought “Wow, that’s a great line!” That’s what we’re going for. So perhaps watch your favorite movie and study how the characters speak to each other and to themselves. It’s not just spoken word, but body language. It’s very humanistic.

Now why would I have trouble with this? Two main reasons. The first: I’m very old school in my mentality. I speak a bit more formally and use more educated words than the usual mid-twenties American would. Second: I tend to have my characters speak more like I would. I don’t imagine how they would speak. Remember: we’re just writing down the character’s stories. We are translating it for everyone else. That’s a bad habit to get into.

What’s so important about dialogue? Well, if you have ever spoken to anyone in real life, you know how many layers there are to dialogue. The situation demands a certain finesse when it comes to speaking. If you don’t believe me, just watch one of your favorites and see how the delivery of a line implies not only what they are saying but also the mood and mentality of the character.

I wish I had more on dialogue, but it is late here and I have a million things to do. Next week, I wouldn’t expect a post simply because of the whole move I’m going through and I don’t think my new place has internet yet. So keep an eye out for the next one.

Missed Post

Hey readers,

Sorry I missed last night’s post. I’ve been incredibly busy. I am moving next weekend and my new place doesn’t have internet. Yet. So I’m going to try and make a post tomorrow morning or Thursday. If not, it’ll have to wait until Monday when I actually have time.

-Alex S.

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 5

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advice, character, choice, concept, design, development, film, Guardians of the Galaxy, horror, ideas, inspire, Knowhere, location, making, movie, movie maker, necessity, plot, process, screenwriting, script, setting, Star Wars, student, study, teach, The Revenant, writer

Hey guys, and welcome to another exciting week of film study! At least, I hope it’s exciting. I know a lot of this recent stuff must sound redundant to what we’ve already talked about, but I’m hoping you can see what I’m trying to accomplish. For tonight’s post (which, due to the lateness, might be tomorrow’s), we’re going to talk about your favorite settings. Study time!

Setting, as we know, is a funny beast in film. It is both unimportant and very important. How? Is that even possible? Have I finally gone off the deep end? Nope. And here’s why: setting is not important when it comes to the characters and, to an extent, the story. A truly good writer knows that he can transpose his characters and story into any setting (and, sadly, some filmmakers seem to do this over and over and think they can get away with it – which they sometimes do). STAR WARS could very easily have been a western or a medieval piece. THE REVENANT could have been set in space or even in modern day. The point is that your story (any story, no matter how it originates) can probably fit into another setting. Think about that for a second.

Setting is important when it comes to the choice. Once you settle on a setting, that’s when it becomes its own entity. It has to be brought to life by you and your crew. It’s funny, in a way. The setting only becomes important really when you decide which one you like the best.

So here’s the studying part: What appeals to you about a certain setting? Do you like a western? If so, why? Is it the landscape, the harshness, the desperation, the discovery of the time? Or maybe you like space because of the vast unknown stretching around us. Or you like a horror setting because it keeps you on edge. Think about that. Watch your movie. Take note of the setting, the environment. What sticks out most to you?

It’s short and sweet, but setting is not something you really need to dwell on. Honestly, once you pick something and give your characters something to experience, the audience will do the same. And that’s where I leave you. Next time, we talk about dialogue. See you then!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 4

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advice, character, concept, design, development, friends, goals, Han Solo, ideas, inspire, Life Story, Mindblown, movie, movie maker, necessity, plot, process, resonate, Scanners, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, student, study, teach, writer, X-Men

Hello readers, and thank you for being patient as I return from my trip down south. By the time this gets published, it’ll be Tuesday, I’m sure. But oh well. Tonight we’re going to study our favorite characters and what makes them stick in our brains.  After all, their story is the one we’re following. Ready? Let’s go.

I’m sure most of you can tell me who the character is in the picture, right? We know what he does, what his friends’ names are as well as his vessel. Han Solo has become such an icon that we know exactly who he is with just a glance. But why do we know him? Why do we care? What is it about Han that just makes him such an awesome character? Or if you hate him, why?

Characters, as we all know, are important to the story. We are taking a journey with them and if they’re boring, the journey is boring too. Since this is about studying the elements of a movie, let’s take a moment to consider a few things.

First, what’s the initial appeal of the character? Is it the way they dress, the way they speak, the way they move? Does something catch your eye about them? When you create characters that resonate with you as a writer, you begin to live with them. Literally. You know their life stories, their pains, what makes them tick. And every time you visualize them or think about them, they bring a smile to your face. Like hanging out with your friends. Because that’s who they are.

Second, to tie in with the previous statement, is how much we really know about the character. Not just Han Solo. Others as well. As the story progresses, we should learn more and more about a character. In Solo’s case, we don’t learn too much more about him. But he does change from the selfish rogue to a fighter for the Rebellion. The point is that we don’t need to know everything about a character. But we have to understand why they are who they are and what choices they made. Which leads to the next point.

Three. Pick a man vs man story type. I’m going with X-MEN. Hopefully you’ve all seen the first movie. So look at the way it’s presented: Super heroes fight to protect everyone from crazy villain who wants his race to dominate the planet. Yes, that’s simplified, but here’s the kicker: What if I told you it was also about a man who’s entire race has been the subject of prejudice and he tries to force everyone to fit in? Is your mind blown?

Ok, maybe not. But think about it: Every character has their own story. The hero and the villain. And each is the protagonist in that story. What that does is make both sides understandable and thus we can relate to it.

So when you watch your favorite movies, think about the characters. What makes them appealing? Not only to you, but to audiences in general. Why do we root for one to win and the other to lose? Do we like what we see or do we dig deeper and try to understand their motivations? Think about that.

Next time, we talk about settings and studying that. So hopefully I’ll see you then!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 3

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action, balance, concept, design, development, energy, fight, filmmaker, goals, ideas, inspire, kinetic, making, Marvel, Michael Bay, movie, necessity, plot, potential, process, scenes, science, screenwriting, script, story, student, teach, writer

Hello readers! Thought I wouldn’t make it, didn’t you? Well, I almost didn’t. Internet issues are still cropping up every now and again so this post might come quicker than I’d like. I want to start off saying that next week I won’t be posting only because I will be out of town and without my computer. Hopefully I’ll be finding a job that better justifies the advice I give to you. Anywho, this week we’re going to study action.

Remember last week when I said story and action are interconnected? As we’ve seen before, action drives the story. So suffice it to say that the two are very closely related. But as you look at the films you like, you’ll notice there are two types of action, which I’ll refer to as kinetic and potential. Yes, science comes into this whole mix. Now, hopefully you know what these words mean. So how is action potential and how does it progress the story? If we consider kinetic action as all the big flashy stuff (explosions, jet fighter dogfights, good old-fashioned barfights), then potential action is all the stuff in between. It’s essentially buildup. But the key is that the characters are always doing something. It may not become immediately obvious, but every action they take builds up to the next big kinetic moment. Then the energy is taken up by the kinetic moment and we start over again building up potential.

Too much and too little of either action is bad, of course. But the trick is recognizing it in different films. That’s the whole point of studying, right? So here a few key things to keep in mind: In an action heavy movie (anything by Michael Bay, a Marvel movie, etc.), notice how much more kinetic action there is which is balanced by potential. For every explosion and fight sequence, there is a learning moment. A planning moment. A character development moment (character is our next point of study).

So what about movies that are more drama or comedy oriented? These are kinda inverted with more potential and less kinetic. However, they are usually split up in different ways (i.e. an action movie has several big fight scenes or whatnot and a few moments in between. A drama will have much slower scenes with sporadic action moments thrown in). A mystery story will have more kinetic scenes with suspects being confronted with a bunch more potential scenes about investigation. Get it?

So look at your favorite movies and see if you can tell what type of action fits into what scenes. Then, you can apply the same dynamics to your own script and hopefully create a well balanced piece of work! Like I said, next time we’ll talk about characters, but after I come back. See you then!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 2

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action, advice, concept, design, dialogue, Fallout 4, ideas, inspire, Lord of the Rings, movie, movie maker, necessity, New York City, process, screenwriting, script, story, student, subtlety, teach, writer, Zombieland

Welcome back readers! I apologize for last week. I intended to make a post on Tuesday to make up for my lack of posting, but I have to be honest, I was incredibly tired. That, and I started a new book for the month and countless hours being devoted to Fallout 4…yeah. Anyway, we started talking about studying your favorite films and paying attention to the minute details that appeal to you. So let’s delve into that a bit further, starting with the story.

For some reason, people think that opinions are universal. Why? I don’t know. But what appeals to you in a movie might not appeal to another. Last time I asked you to look at a movie of your choosing and pick out the little bits. Did you pay attention to the story? Did you notice any subtleties this time around that you didn’t notice before that add a bit of depth to the experience? Kinda going back to Fallout 4, I have noticed that a lot of attention was put into the subtle elements – skeletons holding hands in bed, a single skeleton in a dress and alone in a cabin, etc. Now this may not seem like much, but your brain will do something fascinating with these things: It creates a story. All by itself, this element gets your imagination bubbling.

Granted, Fallout is a video game. But that doesn’t mean that the same subtleties can’t apply to film. Take for instance the movie ZOMBIELAND. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and go watch it. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you don’t like zombies or Twinkies. Anyway, one of my favorite subtleties in that movie is this:

Columbus: Are you one of these guys that tries to one-up everybody else’s story?

Tallahassee: No. I knew a guy way worse at that than me.

That exchange of dialogue is so subtle that I missed it the first time. And it adds that bit of depth. But we’re talking about story here. Zombieland wasn’t really big on subtlety, but there are other movies that are. It’s all about subtext in those cases.

What else stood out to you about the story? Was it the characters? The locations? The action? While there is enough to these categories to deserve their own post, we’ll lump them together for now. After all, the story must drive the characters and the action. The locations are also dependent on the story. You won’t see Lord of the Rings set in New York City. That just doesn’t work. Obviously.

So what’s the point of paying attention to these small bits of story? You are looking for the inspiration. In general, if you watch any three, four or five movies, chances are you’re going to find some sort of connection that appeals to you. Not only that, but if you are the one doing the writing, you’ll find that whatever you write kind of leans on all these inspiring moments.

I know this post seems kinda…meh. It’s late. It just became Tuesday about a minute ago. I’m tired. But I wanted to get the idea out there. So next week we’ll study the action. It ties in with story, so it’s not a tremendous leap. So I’ll see you then!

So You Wanna Make A Movie – Studying Pt. 1

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accomplished, advice, character, concept, design, entertainment, exercise, film, Film Study, filmmaker, goals, homework, ideas, inspire, making, movie, movie maker, necessity, plot, process, script, Star Wars, student, study, teach

I know what you’re thinking: Ewww, studying! No thanks! Well, if that’s your attitude, feel free to leave now. But I assure you, I don’t plan on giving you homework. At least, not traditional homework. I’m not a teacher so what right do I have. Though I have been giving you advice for the last couple of years…hmmm. Anyway, tonight we’re going to start our film study section. And it will be a bit more fun than traditional homework, I promise.

Essentially what this section is going to be about is your observations. Without getting into too much technicality, consider some of your favorite movies. Most people watch a movie an unconsciously enjoy it or not. They don’t necessarily watch it with a purpose beyond entertainment. So I’m going to assume you’ve seen some of your favorite movies more than once or twice. So the next time you do watch one, examine it. What aspects do you like? The effects? The Story? The Acting? Something else? If you enjoy these things after so many views, then they all mesh together perfectly and become background to the primary goal: entertainment.

What do we hope to accomplish by this exercise? A couple of things. Firstly, watching movies that you enjoy stimulates your creativity. Secondly, by understanding the techniques of our favorite movies, we can emulate and expand upon them. Now, that’s not saying that you’ll surpass Spielberg or Abrams, but it gives you a goal to strive for. Again, not surpassing those you watch. Instead, the goal is to define your own technique.

Now, I realize that my previous statement about people not watching beyond entertainment might be confusing as that is our main goal. Here’s the thing that people don’t tend to grasp: As I’ve mentioned, a movie can be considered bad to most, but you enjoy it. Or it can be good to some (winning awards even) and you hate it. What makes a movie good or bad is your own opinion. But there is a second level that lets you know if you’ve accomplished your goal of entertainment – you’ve made people question why they like the movie. If your audience comes out of the theater asking each other what their favorite part was and why…congrats! You’ve made entertainment!

Well, I think that’s good enough to start with. Sadly, I must leave you all to read an increasingly dull book. I don’t know why. But next week we’ll get more specific on what to keep an eye on and how to expand on that idea. So until then, happy studying!

Introduction – The Final Frontier

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film, filmmaking, final frontier, Star Trek, study

Hey readers, thanks for being patient with me as I continue to skip post days. Since I feel like I’ve touched on everything I can teach you (well, most everything), I figure there’s not much left. And if you’ve been with me for the last year and a half, thanks for being so loyal. I think I will still continue but possibly as a VLOG. Who knows?

Anyway, what’s left that we can talk about? We’ve talked about the whole process from beginning to end and I have every reason to believe that you could be going out and making a movie. Well, we can get a little into the life outside of moviemaking. By that, I mean studying other films and theater going and such. I know it doesn’t sound all that awesome like the last year of stuff, but I swear I can connect it all. So that’s what we’re going to do. Next week, we’ll talk about the study of film and what you can do to improve your own technique. So this last section will focus on study and improvement. Alrighty? Cool. I will see you next week then for the final start! Assuming of course my dodgy internet can hold out for a post!