Samo za okorjele filmske entuzijaste (ulaz na vlastitu odgovornost)

[La Familia]

Making 'Saving Private Ryan'


Vraški je zanimljivo Spielberga promatrati na setu: u izlizanoj kapici, s ekipom u blatu... Podsjeća me na mog susjeda Blaža za vrijeme svinjokolje Strašan radnik (Spielberg, ne susjed - Blaž je pijanac i poremećena propalica, a svi njegovi kreativni dosezi sastoje se od toga da na vlastiti plot zakelji karton s natpisom: Koljem po kućama s vlastitim alatom, 098 xxx xxx). Ima onaj jedan antologijski Stevenov savjet mladim filmašima: Cipele! - Prosim? - Kupite si par dobrih, udobnih cipela. Nda, u jednom trenutku veli: Dođeš na teren i onda odjednom shvatiš da se tvoji crteži baš i ne poklapaju sa setovima. I već pomisliš kako će sada početi drobiti o tome kako je vrlo važno prilagoditi se toj novonastaloj situaciji, ne - tip bubne: Dobro, nema problema - ja onda malo premjestim zgrade

[La Familia]

From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters take their place alongside the politically charged works of the Japanese new wave, making this a truly unique volume. The ethos of Intellect's Directory of World Cinema as a project is probably best communicated by John Berra's editorial taken from the Japanese volume where he comments:

"This was never intended to be a conventional film guide, as the overall aim was always to discuss Japanese cultural life and history as expressed through the medium of film."

As an academic publisher of subjects related to creative media, Intellect has established a strong reputation in the field of cinema studies through its book and journal programmes. We are excited about the launch of this project, which will bring a new dimension to the academic study of film – the Directory of World Cinema.

The project consists of three components:
* A pre-print web-based database, which will facilitate content collection and provide free access to the content.
* A series of printed volumes for each world region, of about 300 pages per volume. In each series, a new volume with original content will be published every two years.
* Post-publication online PDFs of the published material, sold to libraries.

Klik na fotku/cover za download knjige:






Free for a limited time.

(also available to download in a double page iPaper format from Scribd)

p.s. opet se nastavlja rekvijem servera foruma.hr

[La Familia]

San Francisco Bay Guardian's big "Year in Film" package


---





Senses of Cinema, Issue 53

[La Familia]

Oscars: Do we already know the winning screenplays?

Yes, we do per Sijmen's Oscar Experiment:

In 2000, I found myself a secret weapon to predict the Oscar nominees: a mathematical and statistical Formula, based on the relation between the Pre-Oscar Awards and the Oscar nominees.

And the best thing about is... It works!

And the winners are...

Original Screenplay
1. The Hurt Locker (12.44) - LOCK! -
2. Inglorious Bastards (7.17)
3. A Serious Man (6.97)
4. 500 Days of Summer (5.77)
5. Up (5.61)

6. Sin Nombre (2.41)
7. It's Complicated (2.35)
8. The White Ribbon (1.50)
9. Broken Embraces (1.15)
-. Il Divo (1.15)
-. The Maid (1.15)

Adapted Screenplay
1. Up in the Air (20.83) - LOCK! -
2. In the Loop (6.22)
3. District 9 (4.92)
4. An Education (3.51)
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox (3.25)
-. Precious (3.25)

7. Where the Wild Things Are (1.70)
8. Julie & Julia (1.35)
9. The Informant! (1.00)

I think that's right: The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air.

BTW, here is Sijmen's formula.

A ovdje su i pobjednički scenariji:


Hurt Locker, The

Download Script

Undated Revised First Draft by Mark Boal.
Story by Mark Boal & Kathryn Bigelow.
Source: Digital – Pages: 131 – Size: 258 kb – IMDb


Klik na fotku/poster za download:


UP IN THE AIR (2009) Screenplay

[La Familia]

Nobody knows anything.
-William Goldman





DISCLAIMER: The following ebook(s) are uploaded for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and no copyright infringement is intended.

William Goldman is the man, and he's an inspiration to every person who needs to write

Ne samo za one koji imaju potrebu nešto pisati - za sve kreativce; od trećeg asistenta, direktora fotografije, montažera, redatelja, "običnog" filmofila, blagajnice u Konzumu... Upravo ovu knjigu neke od najvećih filmskih faca proglašavaju jednom od najdražih (s razlogom ). Vrijedi preporuka da je nabavite/kupite.

Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting
William Goldman
Date of Publication: 30 March 1983
418 pages

William Goldman may not be familiar by name, but you're bound to recognize his work. The subtitle, "A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting," would suggest that this is Goldman's memoirs. In truth, this is really more of an introduction for laymen to how movies are made, told from a screenwriter's perspective. There are three sections, each distinctive in its offerings.

The first section is an introduction of the key roles in films, complete with anecdotes illustrating each's ability to influence the outcome of the project. Studio people with power of approval, directors, writers, actors, stars, agents; Goldman's thesis is that each is insecure and paranoid, and that everything one does is strictly to better his own idea of what his own self-interest might be. A star encounters an agent at a gathering, and the latter scoffs at the former having to take a taxi on the way, rather than a limousine being sent for him; the star switched agents not long after. Sound petty? Sure it is; but petty by which party? The agent who poached a client, the star who was talked into being upset about taking a taxi...or the original agent, who saw fit not to pamper his star client? What of Dustin Hoffman deliberately making an aged Lawrence Olivier go through a series of physically demanding takes just to wear out the acting legend? Olivier's graceful compliance--with nary a registered complaint--underscores not only Hoffman's insecurity and pettiness, but exposes the difference between a star and a real actor.

The second portion of Goldman's book is chock full of anecdotes from his film work up to the date of writing, on a film-by-film basis. How's this for a filmography: Charly, Masquerade, Harper, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Thing of It Is..., The Stepford Wives, The Great Waldo Pepper, All the President's Men, Marathon Man, The Right Stuff, Great Hotel and A Bridge Too Far. Of these, only Butch and Bridge are written glowingly. In point of fact, Goldman spent five years working to make Great Hotel...and ultimately removed himself from the project; the rest, he completed and the results varied.

What makes this volume so fascinating, though, is the third act: "Da Vinci." The title refers to a short story published by Goldman in 1960, which is included in its entirety. Goldman then walks us through how he would approach adapting his short story as a screenplay. Once that's finished, he presents a screenplay (again, in its entirety). These three pieces (story, screenplay and notes about the adaptation process) were then sent to key movie-makers for their thoughts on how each would approach this were it an actual film. Production designer Tony Walton, cinematographer Gordon Willis, editor Dede Allen, composer David Grusin and director George Roy Hill each weigh in about not only how each works in general (expanding the scope of Goldman's book in the process), but questions and remarks concerning this specific screenplay.

Anyone who has seen or heard Goldman speak on a DVD feature will expect the salty language that permeates this work. This is a guy that is entirely in love with movies, and largely frustrated by participating in the making of them. (Small wonder, once you've read these "adventures.") Very few people named in this account come off very well; Olivier and Richard Attenborough are the only two that come to mind as I write this. Even Robert Redford, with whom Goldman collaborated several times, fails to come out of this unscathed.

Be advised that there is a streak of sexism throughout--key personnel, when not named, are called "he;" there are "copy girls" and other such titles. These are not necessarily to be taken as Goldman's sexism, though, but rather a reflection of the industry at the time. Even today, there are few women directors, studio executives or producers. For those who aspire to change that, I would strongly suggest they start by reading this account of the dangers and frustrations that lie ahead.

Klik na fotku/cover za download:

Familija d.o.o. kaže:

About the writer:
• Goldman is a successful screenwriter, novelist, playwright and nonfiction author.
• Goldman’s screenplay credits include All the President’s Men (#54) and The Princess Bride (# 85).
• Goldman is the author of the famous quote about Hollywood, “Nobody knows anything.”
• In 1988, he became the only man ever to judge both the Cannes Film Festival and the Miss America Pageant in the same year. He documented his experiences in Hype and Glory, a now out-of-print memoir. —IMDB
• Goldman leaves his Manhattan apartment in the morning and writes in a nearby office. About 5 p.m., he's stops writing, leaves the office and enjoys the rest of the day. “The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can go to the movies,” he says. —IMDB
• Goldman on writing: “…all basic human truths are known. And what we try to do as best we can is come at those truths from our own unique angle, to re-illuminate those truths in a hopefully different way.” —Adventures in the Screen Trade
• “The reality is that the single most important thing contributed by the screenwriter is the structure.” — William Goldman, interview from The Craft of the Screenwriter
• The sequel to his famous (some might say infamous) book Adventures in the Screen Trade is called Which Lie Did I Tell?
• Screenwriting awards/nominations for William Goldman: WGA Screen Laurel Award, 1985; 5 Writers Guild Award nominations, with 2 wins, for All the President’s Men (#53) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; 3 Golden Globe nominations; 2 Academy Award nominations, both wins, for All the President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Screenwriter William Goldman, who wrote "All the President's Men", talks about his experience in the movie business, which includes his Academy Award for the screenplay of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".




Chain Reaction - John Cleese interviews William Goldman



Chain Reaction - John Cleese interviews William Goldman 2of3

Chain Reaction - John Cleese interviews William Goldman 3of3


Print:

Newman, Hoffman, Redford and me

He wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but maintains that 'nobody knows anything' about movies, not least him. 'I was programmed to fail,' screenwriting legend William Goldman confesses to Joe Queenan


Scenariji:

"ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN"

Misery (1990)


Knjige:

Adventures in the screen trade: a personal view of Hollywood and screenwriting

Which lie did I tell?: more adventures in the screen trade

Šteta što na wga.org više nije dostupan jedan njegov intervju. Uglavnom, Goldman potanko objašnjava kako od početka svoje karijere muku muči s gramatikom, kaže da ni dan danas ne zna gdje staviti zarez u rečenici. Zamislite, jedan William THE Goldman. Najinspirirajući intervju koji sam pročitao u životu.

[La Familia]

We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party
by Matt Zoller Seitz

For this exhaustively subjective reflection on ten years of moviegoing, we solicited suggestions from a number of L critics and friends; the roughly chronological arrangement of clips generally reflects the year of the films' public premiere, though some films have been grouped with the year of their initial US theatrical run.

p.s.

[La Familia]

Živi smo, zdravi, u novoj dekadi (iako ona počinje tek 1.1. 2011.)... Možda samo žedni - prokleti alkohol,


THIRST (2009) Screenplay


Klik na fotku/poster za download scenarija:





A za liječenje mamurluka (po provjerenoj recepturi naših starih):


And Now for Something Completely Enjoyable, Courtesy of a Young Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam’s latest, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, debuted in limited release last week to sterling box office, and it will be expanding soon across the country. This should come as a huge relief to Gilliam himself, who recently confessed to us that he always worries about becoming cynical and losing his drive. In honor of Parnassus’s release — and also because we could all use some poisoned Christmas cards right about now — we offer up the director’s first short animated film, a hilarious and surreal three-part wonder from 1968 called Storytime. It will no doubt remind viewers of the elaborately absurdist animated shorts Gilliam would create for Monty Python’s Flying Circus starting the following year. It also appears to be the source of one of the most famous gags from 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Storytime (Gilliam, 1968)

[La Familia]

Always Itemizing: Movieline's Year in Lists


mwahahhahahhahahaha!

[La Familia]

The Wire -- (Other) 100 Greatest Quotes


Još jedan mali izlet na igralište TV-a, ali kakvog TV-a!

I still refuse to believe that the best damn drama on TV -- "The Wire" -- is off the air. Back in November, I demonstrated my obstinance by posting this: "The Wire -- 100 Greatest Quotes", an awesome YouTube video by some saintly soul named hh1edits (here is his/her YouTube channel).

The Wire is back. Sort of. hh1edits plowed through all 5 seasons of the series to find the other greatest 100 quotes.

Per the previous post, about every quote comes laden with F-bombs. So if you're at work, strap on your headphones - and let the good times roll!

If you're jonesing for more of "The Wire," here is an interview in Rolling Stone (from 2006) with the series creator and show runner David Simon. And here is Simon on tape.

And here's Simon with Bill Moyers:

Part One




Part Two

[La Familia]

Video interview: Francois Truffaut

A special New Year's Eve treat: A series of videos featuring noted writer-director Francois Truffaut. His writing credits include Les quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows - 1959), À bout de souffle (Breathless - 1960), Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player - 1960), Jules et Jim (Jules and Jim - 1962), L'enfant sauvage (The Wild Child - 1970), La nuit américaine (Day for Night - 1973), and Le dernier métro (The Last Metro - 1980).

Part 1 - On his early films





Part 2 - On preparing for a film

Part 3 - On something he learned from Alfred Hitchcock

Part 4 - More on Alfred Hitchcock


AFI Lifetime Award: Honoring Alfred Hitchcock

And finally Truffaut interviewed for the French television show "Champ contre champ," where he discusses Jean-Pierre Leaud and making cinema that is both intensely personal and popular in appeal:

[La Familia]

DISCLAIMER: The following ebook(s) are uploaded for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and no copyright infringement is intended.


Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting By Syd Field

For almost twenty-five years, aspiring screenwriters have turned to guru Syd Field for clear and insightful step-by-step guidelines on the art and craft of writing screenplays. Now, with a totally new, up-to-date perspective on today's film industry, Syd Field again proves why he is revered as a master - and why SCREENPLAY remains the bible of the film industry. From inception through completion, from opening scene to finished script, here is a sourcebook designed to help today's aspiring screenwriters turn their ideas into scripts that will sell and succeed on the screen tomorrow.

PRAISE FOR SYD FIELD

"[Syd Field is] the most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the
world."
—Hollywood Reporter

"Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays."
—JAMES L. BROOKS, Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer

"I based Like Water for Chocolate on what I learned in Syd's books. Before,
I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structure
really freed me to focus on the story."
—LAURA ESQUIVEL, writer, Like Water for Chocolate

"If I were writing screenplays ... I would carry Syd Field around in my
back pocket wherever I went."
—STEVEN BOCHCO, writer/producer/director, NYPD Blue

"Syd Field's book[s] have been the Bible and Talmud for a generation of
budding screenwriters."
—Salon.com

SCREENPLAY: The Foundations of Screenwriting

"Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a
would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood."
—Library Journal

"[Syd Field is the] guru of would-be screenwriters __ Screenplay is their
bestselling bible."
—Los Angeles Herald Examiner

"Full of common sense, an uncommon commodity."
—Esquire

"Quite simply the only manual to be taken seriously by aspiring screenwriters."
—TONY BILL, Academy Award-winning producer, director

"Impressive because of its rare combinations: a technical book, apparently mechanically sound,
that's quite personable and lively and also seems to care about us, about our doing things right
and making good. His easy-to-follow, step-by-step approaches are comforting and his
emphasis on right attitude and motivation is uplifting."
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A much-needed book."
—FRANK PIERSON, Academy Award-winning screenwriter; president, Writers Guild of America, West

"The basics of the craft in terms simple enough to enable any beginner to
develop an idea into a submittable script."
—American Cinematographer

"A much-needed book... straightforward and informed ... accurate and
clear, and should be enormously helpful to novices."
—Fade-In

"The complete primer, a step-by-step guide from the first glimmer of an
idea to marketing the finished script."
—New West

"Experienced advice on story development, creation and definition of
characters, structure of action, and direction of participants. Easy-tofollow
guidelines and a commonsense approach mark this highly useful manual."
—Video

"Great advice for screenwriters. I always tell young writers to pick up
Screenplay and read it right away—then either embrace it or rebel against
it, but it'll certainly get your mind turning in the right ways."
—DAVID KOEPP, award-winning writer, director, Spider-Man, Secret Window, War of the Worlds

Klik na fotku/cover za download knjige:

[La Familia]

DISCLAIMER: The following ebook(s) are uploaded for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and no copyright infringement is intended.


Steven Spielberg: A Biography

Steven Spielberg: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies)
2007 | ISBN: 0313337969 | Pages: 176 | PDF | 1.2 Mb

Steven Spielberg is hailed as one of the most influential and commercially successful film directors in motion picture history. Through his role in developing, directing, and driving the special effects of many of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, includingJaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Minority Report, Spielberg changed the way movies are made and left an indelible mark on popular culture. This biography traces his rise from shooting films as a shy young boy with the family's 8 mm camera to his first unpaid job at Universal Studios, to the rise of DreamWorks, the studio Spielberg founded and quickly turned into a filmmaking powerhouse. While Spielberg's best work may lie ahead, this biography puts his legendary career and work to date into perspective by offering analysis and commentary from fans and critics alike.

Klik na fotku/cover za download knjige:





REPLAY PARTY





Za sve one koji su prvi put na temi - Must read dobrodošlica,

RIJETKI DOKUMENTI:



What may be a holy grail of Indiana Jones artifacts was posted online on Monday: a 125-page transcript of the original story-conference meeting involving producer George Lucas, director Steven Spielberg, and writer Lawrence Kasdan. The blog, Mystery Man on Film, somehow got its hands on the alleged transcript, which features the filmmakers talking at great length in January 1978 about what would eventually become Raiders of the Lost Ark. The thing's a pure joy to read. In it, you can find the genesis of everything from Indiana Jones' name to his fear of snakes to his (possibly risque) romantic history with Marion Ravenwood.

Klik na fotku za download:





Plus:

Familija d.o.o. kaže:

REPLAY:


Naime, stari linkovi više nisu u funkciji.

Napomena: Samo za edukacijske svrhe.

[La Familia]

DISCLAIMER: The following ebook(s) are uploaded for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and no copyright infringement is intended.


The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was one of the most significant creative forces of the twentieth century, a man who made a lasting impact on the art of the animated film, the history of American business, and the evolution of twentieth-century American culture. He was both a creative visionary and a dynamic entrepreneur, roles whose demands he often could not reconcile.

In his compelling new biography, noted animation historian Michael Barrier avoids the well-traveled paths of previous biographers, who have tended to portray a blemish-free Disney or to indulge in lurid speculation. Instead, he takes the full measure of the man in his many aspects. A consummate storyteller, Barrier describes how Disney transformed himself from Midwestern farm boy to scrambling young businessman to pioneering artist and, finally, to entrepreneur on a grand scale. Barrier describes in absorbing detail how Disney synchronized sound with animation in Steamboat Willie; created in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sympathetic cartoon characters whose appeal rivaled that of the best live-action performers; grasped television's true potential as an unparalleled promotional device; and--not least--parlayed a backyard railroad into the Disneyland juggernaut.

Based on decades of painstaking research in the Disney studio's archives and dozens of public and private archives in the United States and Europe, The Animated Man offers freshly documented and illuminating accounts of Disney's childhood and young adulthood in rural Missouri and Kansas City. It sheds new light on such crucial episodes in Disney's life as the devastating 1941 strike at his studio, when his ambitions as artist and entrepreneur first came into serious conflict.

Beginning in 1969, two and a half years after Disney's death, Barrier recorded long interviews with more than 150 people who worked alongside Disney, some as early as 1922. Now almost all deceased, only a few were ever interviewed for other books. Barrier juxtaposes Disney's own recollections against the memories of those other players to great effect. What emerges is a portrait of Walt Disney as a flawed but fascinating artist, one whose imaginative leaps allowed him to vault ahead of the competition and produce work that even today commands the attention of audiences worldwide.

Klik na fotku/cover za download knjige:

[La Familia]

Filmutopia’s Sunday Morning Movie Blog


Blogčina, vrsta članaka u kojima najviše uživam:


How I Reveal A Character's Inner Life Without Dialogue

Blake's Seven Fan Script Excerpt

[La Familia]

imdb


Love the Beast

What if you were a Hollywood movie star with an obsession for cars and racing? You would probably read every script with even the tiniest link to the subject matter, in the hope that you could tell a great car story of the likes of "Grand Prix", "Le Mans" or "Mad Max". Then one day you happened to open your garage door and sitting there, right in front of you, was the film you had been searching for. This is what happened to Eric Bana and this time around, the co-star is his very own Ford GT Falcon Coupe- THE BEAST. Eric realized the story was in fact, about him, his first car, a lifetime of ownership and a lifetime of friendship. He set about documenting his own 25 year long love story. A simple tale of one man's ongoing relationship with his very first car. After years of precious restoration, Eric and his 3 closest friends, decided to enter the car into one of the most grueling and dangerous motor races that exists: The Targa Tasmania Rally. This would be a personal Everest for both man and machine, until...on day 4 of the race, tragedy strikes. The man who was hell bent on trying to convey how much he and those around him loved "THE BEAST", had just destroyed it. Eric has now unwillingly cast himself in his own real life drama. We follow him from inside the race car to the surreal world of the red carpet. This compelling true story follows Eric's progression as a car lover, and as a person conflicted by what he has done. The personal and social pressures mount up in the face of re building a car that means so much to him. Along the way Eric seeks guidance and wisdom from not only the inner sanctum of his 3 life long friends but also Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson, and Dr Phil.

Vraški zabavno

[La Familia]

DISCLAIMER: The following screenplays are uploaded for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and no copyright infringement is intended.


Klik na fotke/postere za download scenarija:


NINE (2009) Screenplay

Nine

BY ROGER EBERT / December 23, 2009

My problem may be that I know Fellini's "8½" (1963) too well. Your problem may be that you don't know it well enough. Both of us may be asking, who exactly was "Nine" made for?
This is a big-scale version of the 1982 Broadway production, which won the Tony Award as best musical. It's likely that most who saw it had either seen the Fellini film, or made that their business.

THREE KINGS (1999) Screenplay

[La Familia]

Gaspar Noé about movie posters, hooker cards and IRRÉVERSIBLE


[SLIKA OBRISANA]

Did you get any violent reactions from Irréversible?

Not really, although once I was in Telluride and people were saying to me “Be careful, this film director saw your movie and he wants to smash your face in,” so I said “Ok, send him over, tell him that I have a blade and I love fighting.” Actually I didn’t have a blade, I never carry a blade, but what can you say to that.

Who was it?

I can’t tell you.

[La Familia]

[La Familia]

Music for Film

[La Familia]

Dva izuzetna scenarija:

Mixtape

Genre: Drama/Coming-of-Age
Premise: A thirteen year old outcast finds a mixtape that belonged to her deceased parents, accidentally destroys it, and uses the song list to find all the music.
About: Finished with 14 votes on this year’s Black List. Mixtape may have finished even higher had it officially gone out. If there’s a script that truly embodies the spirit of the Black List, this is it. It’s the “I’m a Loser, Baby” or “Paranormal Activity” of the screenwriting world, a script that found success purely through word of mouth. Stacy Menear, the writer, doesn’t have any previous sales or credits. The film will be directed by "King of Kong" helmer Seth Gordon. Playing the part of Beverly will be Chloe Moretz ("Hit Girl" in Kickass, as well as the lead in the remake of "Let The Right One In")
Status of Project: Securing Financing
Status of this Draft: First draft
Writer: Stacy Menear
Details: 119 pages (August 14, 2009)

Whoa. If you had told me that one of my favorite scripts off of this year’s Black List would be an emotional drama about a 13 year old girl cobbling together random songs from a broken mixtape, I would’ve expected you to also inform me that you were a robot from the future sent to save mankind. I’m still in shock after reading this, as I’m amazed that Menear even attempted the story. Its subject matter is a literary mine-field, the kind of graveyard where scripts go to die. Over-sentimentality. Saccharine. Melodramatic. One wrong step and you can fall perilously into any of those. By blinking you could be My Sister’s Keeper.

As if that wasn’t difficult enough, Menear bases the story around music, which basically nuclear charges every one of those mines. Music is one of the hardest things to write about in a screenplay because a) the reader can’t hear the music, and b) a song you love very well may be a song the reader hates. Mention an old Richard Marx tune to a metalhead and there goes your audience. Looking at this script before reading it, I anticipated a 2012 like disaster (you can use either the movie or the expected disaster for that analogy – both work).

But Mixtape is anything but a disaster. It’s an anti-disaster. It’s an antaster.

Beverly Moody has it as tough as any teenager can have it. She’s an overweight poor 13 year old girl without any friends who lives with her ultra-conservative grandmother. In other words, she was born to be bullied. In one of the many instances you know you’re dealing with a unique writer, Menear doesn't paint Beverly's nemesis as the typical Adonis blond-haired jock you remember from all those 80s flicks, but rather a wickedly cruel boy in a wheelchair. A bully in a wheelchair? Talk about turning a cliché on its head. I knew I was in good hands immediately.

Moretz will play the part of Beverly

The only thing that keeps Beverly going is the threadbare memory of her parents, who died in a car accident when she was a baby. Her grandmother never speaks of them, and so all Beverly has to go on is a single picture of the two when they were younger. This picture is the source of much of Beverly’s confusion and misdirection. Her parents are the complete opposite of her. Hip, cool, punk-rockers – clearly music lovers and proud rebels. How did *she* come from *them*? Beverly wants nothing more than to find out the answer to that question.

One day, while rummaging through some old boxes, Beverly comes across a mixtape made by her parents. Excited, she throws it in an aging walkman, only to accidentally destroy the tape. All that’s left is a list of odd sounding songs from the most obscure bands imaginable. If names like Bikini Kill and The Quick don't ring a bell, you better hold your breath. They're actually two of the more popular groups on the list. Beverly decides that through hell or high water, she must find every one of these songs.

Eventually she teams up with a fellow outcast named Ellen, a Korean girl who just moved in down the street, and Nicki, the chain-smoking “freak” girl at school that everyone is both repulsed by and terrified of. Ellen’s got a computer, which allows them to locate some of the songs, and Nicki’s a walking music encyclopedia, which allows them to find songs that even the internet doesn’t know about. Throw in Anti, the aging hipster who owns a run-down version of a High Fidelity record store, and Beverly is able to peck her way through the list.

Seth Gordon will direct.

A side effect of this journey is her connection with the music, which, to her grandmother’s chagrin, starts to change her. Beverly starts to punk herself out, if only to get closer to these people she never knew. One of the great story touches Menear uses, is he places one impossible song on the list – a song listed as “The song that reminds me of that day in the park.” It becomes the ultimate impossible goal for Beverly. To find the single song that truly defines her parents,' the song which will allow her to understand who they really are. But how do you find a song without an artist or a title? How do you find a song that you’ve never heard before? Watching and wondering if Beverly will ever find this song is both heartbreaking and riveting, as we end up wanting her to find closure just as much as she does.

As people struggle to compare this to something for reference, I think the obvious example is going to be Ghost World. However in that film, the girls were under the delusional perception that they were hip and cool. Beverly and her friends have no such delusions. They know they’re the outcasts, the losers, the wannabes. And it’s that angle that gives them and the script so much charm. They’re the true underdogs, and we desperately want for them to win.

There's so many things I loved about this script. Like the contrasts. For instance, how this awkward nerdy girl had a pair of the coolest parents ever. Her attempts to change, to become like them, in order to understand them, and not quite understanding what she's doing along the way. Like paying lip service without knowing how to sing. It works perfectly. Even the grandmother, who could’ve been a throwaway character, has a vested interest in the journey. She already lost one daughter to that lifestyle. Now she must watch idly as her granddaughter eases into that world as well, knowing that she’s helpless to stop her.

I’m still trying to figure out why this script resonated with me so much when so many others like it fail. Maybe it’s the exploration of people through music. Maybe it’s the obvious love Menear has for his characters. Maybe it’s that he’s not afraid to put those same characters through hell. Whatever it is, it worked. I’d probably say this is the best script I’ve ever read about music. And that’s coming from someone who hates punk-rock.

This is one of those rare scripts that gets it all right. I have no choice but to put it in my Top 25. (by the way, here's another take on the script)

[ ] What the hell did I just read?
[ ] wasn’t for me
[ ] worth the read
[x] impressive
[ ] genius

What I learned: Although it’s not done here in Mixtape, I’m seeing it done more and more these days. Back in the old world, it was considered script suicide to list actual songs in your screenplay. For various reasons (mainly that the writer ain’t gonna be the one choosing the music when the movie comes out, but also who’s to say that the reader even knew what song you were talking about) it was one of those rules you simply didn't break. But Youtube has changed all that. Nowadays, you can list a song with a note (“check it out on Youtube”) and allow the reader to instantly hear the song you have in mind. You still run the risk of turning the reader off if they hate the song, but now they at least know what song you’re talking about. I know I’m in the minority, but I’m one of those people who believes that as more and more people read PDFs on their computers and ebooks, that multimedia writing will become more common (which I favor). That means music, pictures, and videos embedded right there in the document. I’m interested to hear what you guys think of this practice? In favor of it? Or would you rather stay old school?

note: If you look to the Top 25 list, a few of the scripts near the bottom half have moved around. Some of these scripts just stay with me while others fade away, forcing me juggle them around. The Voices is up there too now.

Scenarij dostupan klikom na:

Script link: Mixtape (This script is meant for educational purposes only. If you are the writer or copyright holder of this script and would like it taken down, please e-mail me at [email protected] and I will do so immediately)

Everything Must Go

Genre: Coming-of-Age
Premise: A recently fired salesman comes home to find out he’s been kicked out of his house by his wife. So he takes his things, which she’s left outside, sets them up in the front lawn, and starts living there.
About: As many of you know, this is my favorite script! So I decided to finally review the damned thing! What a novel idea, right? To actually review the script that I like the most. So yes, the rumors are true. First time screenwriter/director Dan Rush will be directing Will Ferrell in the movie. Producer Wyck Godfrey describes the movie (which starts shooting March 1st) as Leaving Las Vegas with the humor of Bad Santa. I thought about that long and hard and determined that that’s a pretty accurate way to describe it. As a side note, this script finished Top 15 (I believe) on the 2007 Black List.
Writer: Dan Rush (based on short story “Why Don’t You Dance” by Raymond Carver)
Details: 110 pages (Draft 4/4/08)



Some people have asked why this script is number one on my list. They argue that it’s a very ordinary if not quirky tale about a guy who sits on his ass for 90% of the movie. Well as I’ve always argued, the one thing you can’t control as a writer, the one x-factor you’re helpless against, is if the person who’s reading your script identifies with the subject matter. A guy who doesn’t like vampires is never going to like Twilight. A girl who doesn’t like coming-of-age movies is never going to like Garden State. There are movies with universal themes that can sometimes pull people in no matter what the subject matter is, but for the most part, if the person isn’t into what you’ve chosen to write about, you’re dead to them from page 1.

To take that notion even further, to truly connect with a reader, you must create a character that the reader feels is, in many ways, them. This is probably obvious. If you go back to the movies that have moved you the most, chances are, there was some key element of the main character that you yourself were experiencing in your own life. The more intense and life-affecting that element is, the more drawn in you became. Like subject matter, this is something you have no control over as a writer. Some people are going to identify with your character, others will not. Of course you can shape and mold your character to be relatable, likable, sympathetic, and altogether impossible to dislike. But it won’t be the same as if the reader connects with the very core of that person. When a reader discovers a character who they feel is them, they don’t read your story, they experience it.

Everything Must Go came along at a time when things weren’t exactly going my way. Without getting into specifics, there were several situations that made me feel like the world had turned against me. And the way I decided to deal with this misfortune was to basically say, “Fuck You.” I planted my feet firmly in the ground, crossed my arms, and told the world I wasn’t moving. That stance led to an interesting journey that was at many times very painful, but ultimately allowed me to discover a part of myself I never knew. When Nick Porter, the main character in “Everything Must Go,” refuses to be kicked out of his house by his wife and, in protest, starts living in his front yard, I felt like I had met a kindred spirit, a man who understood exactly what I was going through.

The 40-something Nick isn’t happy he fucked up his life. It just happened. A regional sales manager at the kind of company you’d forget two minutes after I told you, Nick’s past has been embattled with alcoholism. Although he’s doing better, a past “incident” at work has convinced his superiors it’s time to let him go. Confused, angry, beat-up, Nick heads home, hoping for some support from his wife, only to find out when he gets there, that she’s gone. And the doors are locked. And the locks have been changed. And all of his things (furniture, clothes, stereo, poker table) have been dumped “violently” on his front lawn. In a span of a couple of hours, Nick’s entire life has imploded.

This brings up the question, when you can’t go home and you can’t go to work, where do you go? Well, Nick decides not to go anywhere. In a display of defiance, he sets up all of his furniture and things right there on the front lawn….and starts living there. It’s his big “Fuck You” to the forces that be.

To make things easier, Nick positions his chair right next to his mini-fridge stuffed with as much beer as it will hold. He then simply begins watching people in the neighborhood go about their lives. This is where the meat of the story is, as Nick begins interacting with the spectrum of unique characters that reside on his block and who he’s never really paid attention to up to this point. These include his annoying stickler neighbor, a pregnant woman who just moved in across the street, and a loner 13 year old boy.

This was yet another area where my personal experiences helped me identify with Nick. A while back, I had lived in an apartment complex for about three years. For the most part, I kept to myself, and didn’t know anybody. When I finally moved out, I spent three days lugging my things down to my car. In those three days, I met nearly everyone in the complex. Some of the nicest coolest people I’ve ever met in my life! And the irony was, I was never going to see them again! This is similar to the experience Nick goes through. I felt like Nick Porter and I were the same person.

Nick interacts with these people with varying degrees of success. His sole purpose seems to be to keep his fridge stacked with beer, an increasingly difficult goal because his wife has frozen his bank account, his company has come to take his car, and the police show up to inform him that he’s not allowed to have his things on the front lawn, as it’s a violation of city code. With literally nowhere to go, Nick is on the brink of being homeless.

But luckily he stumbles into a loophole. The Texas Code allows anyone to hold a yard sale for a maximum of six days. So by throwing up a yard sale sign, Nick buys himself roughly one week (ticking time bomb) to figure out what to do with his life. The funny thing is, the yard sale actually begins to attract customers. However Nick refuses to sell any of his personal things, despite that fact that he’s dirt broke.

And that’s where the power of Everything Must Go comes from. The yard sale becomes a stand in for who Nick Porter is - all the things he's accumulated up to this point in his life. That coffee table you put your feet up on every day for seven years? That overpriced television you spent four months of overtime saving up for. The stereo you'd turn on every night after mixing a whiskey sour. These are the things that defined your life for the past 15 years. Imagine if you had to give them away. How difficult that would be. Watching Nick struggle with this, and eventually accept it, is one of the more powerful moments I’ve ever experienced while reading a script.

Everything Must Go is not a “perfect” screenplay. I’m sure there are things you can pick apart in it. You could even make the argument that the main character is passive the whole way through (although I’d argue that because he’s taking a stand, he’s being active). Still, the things it does right, it does exceptionally well. As if everything else wasn’t awesome enough, the script even throws in a shocking little twist ending. All of that combined with the personal connection I felt for Nick Porter is why I have this at number 1. I can’t wait to see the finished film.

Note: I know I was initially skeptical about Will Ferrell playing the part of Nick, but the more I think about it, the more I think the casting works. The script is dark, but with glorious moments of black humor. Throwing a serious actor in there may not have allowed those sparks of humor to shine, and this script needs those beats to add some levity. The key is going to be how much ham Ferrel throws in the oven. If he underplays it, it could be awesome. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

[ ] What the hell did I just read?
[ ] wasn’t for me
[ ] worth the read
[ ] impressive
[x] genius

What I learned: Sympathy sympathy sympathy. Quickest way to have us fall for your characters is to put them in an unfortunate situation. Maybe your female hero just lost her baby. Maybe your hero just lost his house in a fire. Maybe your character just got dumped by the love of his life. When we see a character who life is pissing on, we immediately sympathize with them and want them to do well. But an extension of that rule is this, make sure your sympathy is proportionately related to how potentially unlikable your hero would be under normal circumstances. So for example. Nick is a soulless, selfish, snarky alcoholic. That’s not exactly “fall in love with him” material. So what Rush does here, is he creates multiple situations to create sympathy. Nick didn’t just get fired. That wouldn’t be enough. He also loses his wife, is locked out of his house, and has his car taken away. We need that many sympathetic things to like Nick.

Scenarij dostupan klikom na:

Script link: Everything Must Go (This script is meant for educational purposes only. If you are the writer or copyright holder of this script and would like it taken down, please e-mail me at [email protected] and I will do so immediately)

I za kraj, nekoliko mantri spojenih u jednu:

THE (8+) MANTRAS of SCREENWRITING

Ass in chair.
See. Read. Write.
Minimum words; maximum impact.
Just get the damn thing done.
The first draft of anything is sh*t.
Writing is rewriting.
Trust the process.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Have no fear.