As per usual, instead of writing, today I watched a movie. It’s just how I roll. Today’s film du jour: The Nines, written and directed by my man John August.  It wasn’t what I expected, but to be honest I wasn’t really expecting anything. ¹  Overall, it was an enjoyable movie.  It’s a difficult movie to summarize, but essentially it’s one of those movies that questions what is this world we live in and “is that all there is?”

Fandango describes it briefly, and not by doing it any favors, like this:

Writer/director John August ponders the metaphysical aspects of life and art in an episodic allegory that follows three artists as they embark on a soul searching journey of fate versus free will. When a troubled actor is placed under house arrest in “The Prisoner,” his imagination begins to run wild due to the fact that his spirited publicist and cynical neighbor provide his only link to the outside world. Later, after the planes of reality fold in on themselves during the production of a Project Greenlight-style show which documents the filming of a popular sitcom in “Reality Television,” “Knowing” follows a successful video game designer and his family as they become stranded in the middle of nowhere due to automotive issues. Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, and Melissa McCarthy star in a drama that peels back the layers of reality to ask whether or not mankind really has any control over his ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

 The movie is broken down into three completely different parts, requiring the three stars to play completely different roles.  This is where the movie surprised me.  I’m going to have to give props to Ryan Reynolds and Melissa McCarthy. ² Ryan Reynolds has become known for his comedic rom-coms and fluffy comedies and Mellissa McCarthy isn’t even on many people’s radars to be cast as a leading lady.   Both of these actors I have seen in various movies and television shows where I was never unimpressed by them but never really gave them a second thought afterwards either, however in this movie I was actively impressed by both of their acting chops.  

It wasn’t hard to get lost in their performances and forget that it’s the same people playing entirely different roles.  Ryan Reynolds goes from playing a shallow, dense, actor in the first part to giving a layered portrayal of a gay showrunner in the second part and then a completely different performance as a nurturing father in the third.  My words do it no justice, I promise.  There is no way that I can describe Ryan Reynolds change in inflection from character to character or how Melissa McCarthy is able to play herself in one segment without looking like a self-aware tool.    This of course has a lot to do with the script’s characterization and John August’s direction, but there was definitely a reason he cast the way he did.

Though the plot of the film is good, it might not be for everyone, however, it is not difficult to give a solid recommendation on performance alone.  Next time you’re in Blockbuster, rent The Nines.

A reader of John August’s screenwriting blog asked him to comment on a David Mamet quote.  Both the quote and the post are found here. 

When writing a movie, I think writer’s are often out to create a script that “changes people’s lives forever.”  I guess this is either because they want an Oscar or they are just blinded by their own pretension.  It can go either way really. I agree with Mr. August that there are many profoundly inspiring movies, but I don’t think that’s necessarily because the writer started out with that goal in mind.

I think that it is very easy to forget about the story we want to tell.  We spend so much time toiling over the bureaucracy of structure, ¹ the turmoil of the craft and the creation of the subtle, yet well-honed message that we forget about making a good story.  I vote that here and now is the perfect oppurtunity to knock down the walls of pretension and just let ourselves be swept away by the utter enjoyment of being completely entertained by story.

I’m not saying that all movies have to become fluff or lack substance (or subtext).  SciFi movies are known for being  commentary on our actual society, but you don’t feel like there’s propaganda being hammered into your skull for two hours straight. It’s just that, without story there is no film.  Period.

Story is good.

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ACT I

Math class is boring as hell.  There are only 10 different numbers that you can put together in various combinations, but there are 26 letters that you can assemble to make much more interesting ones.  You fall asleep in History class because, frankly, the stories in your head are a lot more interesting then the one you’re reading about in a textbook.  Something deep inside of you tells you that you are destined for something else, but common sense says “shut the hell up.”   So, after scratching a many idea onto diner napkins, a few people that hold a certain amount of sway in your book say “Hey, you can write!”  To which you reply with a grunt of some sort, nah, but then for some reason you find yourself enrolled in a Screenwriting course of some fashion.

The man lecturing you is a burly man, with mucho body hair, and has a down to earth yet holier than thou aura about him.  You feel the need to both reject every thing he says to you while simultaneously soaking it up.  He prattles on about the elusive “Three Act Structure.”  This is something you must know if you are to ever write a successful screenplay and as he continues on about innercaves and midpoints and elixirs, you think obviously, this does not apply to me, for I am a natural talent not bound by silly mortal rules.

Then you find yourself stuck on page thirty two.  So fine, you pick up a book on screenwriting and once again this three act structure dealio comes up.  It’s worded slightly different, but you aren’t fooled, you’re a cunning one you are, and it’s most certainly another theory on the the Three Act Structure and to be perfectly honest, it makes no more sense to you than when your writing guru was trying to explain it to you a week ago. Being the persistant hero that you are, you continue reading various books and watching “Hero Journey” movie examples like Star Wars and The Matrix.

Just before you are about to give up and go back to your old ways of writing in circles, this structure stuff clicks.  You’re not sure why, but it does.  You suddenly understand what that Vogler guy mean by “elixir” and what “Saving the Cat” is all about.  You can’t explain it, but now you have all this power floating around in your head, and you are going to use it for good.

ACT II

For all your hard work, you finally get to coast.  Planning out stories has never been easier.  You know where the story starts and where it has to end up.  It’s awesome.  It’s like a weight has been lifted off of you.  As you flex your muscles, you are able to see the Hero’s Journey in every movie you watch. ¹  You can now construct and deconstruct at the same time!  Life was never better and you start to think wow, I’m really going to make it as a screenwriter.

Then one day, this three acts thing hit you like a ton of bricks and you can’t get out from underneath it.  You start to ask why did you bring this curse upon yourself?  You start to long for the days where you could just write a script — or at least watch a movie — without having to think about what step you’re at.  You have an awesome first act written but for some reason you can’t figure out how to set up Act II so that you can go into the innermost of the innermost caves. ²What will be the sword?  What will be the ultimate Elixir? You don’t know, and honestly, you have no idea how caves and boons have to do with your romance comedy.  

You go back to your burly lecturer and ask him to solve your problems.  Well, he can’t.  Only you can.  He says you must learn and then you must forget.  What the…  He’s cryptic and annoying.  So you take your stack of paper and go back to your laptop.

But you plow through. Then the next three attempts at story you’ve hand in are rigid and formulaic.  Just like you expected.

What is a screenwriter to do?  You win some, and you lose some.  You may be able to write a text book satisfactory story but you seem to have lost all sense of originality.

So you say, screw you three act structure! You betrayed me with your false promises and now I’m going back to how I was.  But you can’t. Something is missing.  You try to write but there’s always a sense of longing that you can’t get past.  And the montage music just won’t shut up.

But then a glimmer of hope…

Act III

You pick up one of the screenwriting books that you have been using as a table leveler for the last several weeks.  It brings back good memories of discipline and structure.  You smile to yourself as you flip through the pages.  And realize, Three Act Structure is not the enemy, neither is the Hero’s Journey.

As it turns out you had the message all wrong. Three Act Structure is a only a tool.  When examining a draft (or writing one) you look at it and think hm, something is missing and that’s where the Structure is comes in.  Allow me to explain.  It dawns on you that in the middle of your script, there needs to be a change of some sort.  A big kick in the nuts.  Otherwise what are you building too?  You always want your story to be taking new and unexpected turns, and halfway through seems to be a good a place as any.  So what’s the best middle of your story?  Take a step back.  Look at your story as a whole.  Where is the story most likely to end up?  Take your cue from there, because as Michael Hauge asked in his Screenplay Mastery seminar, “How do you know if you’re halfway done with a marathon if you don’t even know where the finish line is?”

Story structure isn’t a template, it’s a guide.  Use it as a tool to help you when you’re stuck or to get the ball rolling, but don’t rely on it solely to tell your story.  Ultimately your instinct is what’s going to make the best story possible, but there’s nothing wrong with asking for help along the way.

So there, you return to your world, having it changed forever… and hopefully for the better.

The End. Roll Credits.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about the Three Act Structure and/or The Hero’s Journey, there are so many talented people with their own takes on the idea(s).  Browse and see which one is most accessible to you.  And if you don’t like any of them 100%, that’s fine, do what I do, and mix and match.  ³

Joseph Campbell started it all with his book Hero with a Thousand Faces.  Though, when he wrote this, cinema wasn’t around yet, but it’s where most of the other story-tellers get their ideas from.

Chris Vogler took Cambell’s book an rand with it and adapted the Hero’s Journey in The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.

Syd Field has THE go-to book on screenwriting.  Screenplay is one of the first and still most widely used book on the craft.

Blake Campbell has an interesting and accessible take on the Hero’s Journey in his book Save the Cat (and followup book Save the Cat Goes to the Movies).  This book takes out a lot of pretension and puts the How-To book in Laymen’s terms, which I find helpful to newcomers.

These days good advice isn’t just limited to the dead tree variety.   John August and Alex Epstein both have incredibly helpful and informative blogs about screenwriting, most of which are inspired by reader’s personal questions.  Epstein has also written two books Crafty Screenwriting and Crafty TV Writing.

Last but not least, Michael Hauge is worth checking out if he is ever conducting a seminar near you.  He also has authored a couple books and has videos of his presentations available at his website.

_________

As a child sat firmly in the craze we call the world wide web, I am all too familiar with the world of blogging.  Essentially started by the great Doogie Howser, MD and continued on into Neil Patrick Harris’s more recent works as Barney Stinson,¹ blogging is integral in today’s life, well, at least it’s fairly well known.  From that first (and fourth) Livejournal page to the more recent Myspace and Facebook endeavors, I like many of the others that I know have failed to manage and update a many of blogs of my own.  Though, as of late, I have been reading a lot of blogs ² — and I LIKE them.  Yes, I do, I do, I do-ooo.  

John August is my newest Blogger-find and you may (or may not) know him as the writer of films such as Go, The Corpse Bride and my personal faves, the Charlie’s Angel’s remakes. ³  He offers many insights about screenwriting and life in the face paced L.A. industry, claiming to do it to be the mentor that he wished he had way back when, or something to that effect, but of course, better articulated.  He also made a comment about how he believes that if everyone took time (as in minutes at at time here) to impart just the little bit of wisdom that they had, the world would be a very different place.  One would think in the instant gratification world of internet that we live in now, that that wouldn’t be too hard to do.  So, that’s what I’m doing.  I think.

Okay, so I haven’t really worked out what the wisdom I’m going to impart is going to be, YET, but it will come, and I assure you, you will thank me for it.  Until then, however, you will have to suffer through me ranting about my Wii Fit progress.  And possibly, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear about the screenplays that I am putting off.  Now that’s progress.  

Current Wii Fit Progress:

Weight: 62.2 kg    BMI: 23.13   –

Wait, I sort of just jumped into that one.  I should start from the beginning.  As a belated birthday gift I received a Wii Fit, which I promptly used three times before forgetting for 2-3 weeks.  But! I have decided to give it another go, and by reasonable goal setting, I am going to lose those extra kilos, just for the heck of it. ⁴  Anyway, I started out at the beginning of this week at about 61.5, where i steadily went down to about 60 (22.5 BMI or something) until two days ago I jumped up .4 kg and then .8 since yesterday.  So, with a still determined grin, I present my Wii Fit stats.

Weight: 62.2 kg     BMI: 23.13   Mood: disappointed.

And a quick screenwriting update: Er, one time this week, I opened the screenwriting software and corrected three whole typing errors.

Also I would like to give a quick thank you to John Watson ⁵ for the footnote plugin.  Without you there would be no hope of my incoherent long-winded sentances making any sense. So, this post I dedicate to you my fellow blogger. 

Seacrest Out.