November 27, 2013

Character and Story Based Movie Review

1. Describe the main character. 

(think of all those things that would be pertinent) - problem, attributes, relatable or not, how did he/she win over the audience?, what change has to happen, how does the change occur? (good hero for a movie, why or why not? give reasoning for your answers) etc

1. Antagonist - same for the villain (as per our discussion)(same as above)

1. Secondary characters (just a few) - what do they do? What purpose do they serve? How does this movie make them interesting or not? 

1. Story Structure - apply the screenplay paradigm to the movie you watch - note the elements that fit at those specific times 

5. Discuss originality in general - of story and character - Were you surprised at any point, what worked, what didn’t, what was enjoyable, etc (from a story perspective) 

November 20, 2013

Screenplay structure (story structure)

Hero stuff

Villain stuff

Opening pages

Presentation on a movie genre - ie sci-fi, R comedy, fantasy book adaptation, Twilight zone rip off movies,

Check out the first chunk of a movie you wouldn’t watch

Check out a screenplay and report on the first 20 pages

Focusing on creating our own opening 5 pages or so (HOOK)

Reviewing in detail one entire movie like a bawss

Rushmore
Silence of the Lambs
L.A. Confidential
Mean Girls
Saving Private Ryan

November 19, 2013

The Villain

many movies don’t have a villain, but there always has to be opposing energy
this could be a wolf, a bear, an ocean, a desert, a dessert, almost anything that tested and challenged the main character and STOPPED him/her from moving forward with his/her goals
classic movie structure - a bad character, a competitor, an enemy to hunt, search for, beat, etc.
the idea is that a movie is only as strong as the hero?
sometimes it’s the negative character that makes the movie

good negatives have certain characteristics

Believable
if we can believe in the negative energy or character, it is MUCH more effective
stupid negatives equal stupid responses (ie punch fighting the wolf in The Grey), which makes the challenge ridiculous - ridiculousness is the kiss of death in a movie villain
Loki - Thor movie - ridiculous? The Avengers - he “plans” to get caught
Skyfall - ridiculous bad guy? He plans to get caught
Man of Steel - ridiculous? too strong, too tough, too dangerous - way past believable
The Dark Knight - Joker - WHAT!? he plans to get caught!? *except* The Joker actually fits the plan a little better - he’s completely crazy - the ridiculous fades

Consistent in his/her actions
Inglourious Basterds - the Nazi in that is awesome - consistent and ridiculous, but it fits because he’s always over the top in charming, etc.

Layers of Depth and Interesting Behaviours - the more unusual and interesting and layered the bad character, the better the movie - some actors ALWAYS want to play bad guys
the details of weirdness and strangeness can make a bad character WAY more fun to watch than a hero
most movies will try to create a very interesting villain

The Villain is separated from everything else - every other character, the real world, etc
the bottom line of the villain is usually that he/she is unloved and alone and this is the source of his/her negative energy

The Villain has some core belief that is actually, if you think about, not ridiculous and not a bad idea - that belief makes some kind of sense and it could, if you get into their mindset, explain his/her actions - the Villain’s perspective is TOTALLY LOGICAL, or, on the other hand, BUGNUTS CRAZY (or, better, BOTH)
The actual role of the Villain in a movie is the act as the FORCE to push the Hero towards positive change.

Without the negative, the hero would NEVER change, never grow and never progress to the ending that is awesome and good. 

The Villain is actually a force for good (in a way) when it comes to the character.

This whole thing is in our psychology and in our religion and everywhere. 

Dialectics - thesis + antithesis = synthesis

November 18, 2013

The lead character - the hero

The best movie heroes have a few different characteristics:

they have powers that separate them from the average people

Billy Madison - super rich
Happy Gilmour - crazy rage slapshot
Seth (Jonah Hill in Superbad) - his love for his best friend
etc...

The idea to this is that the hero can’t be normal, or why would we watch?

they have to be relatable - HUGE in Hollywood movies
the hero has to be someone that the audience KNOWS, understands and can feel like they could be, or be with - the hero has to have problems and issues that make sense to viewers
even SpiderMan starts by being bullied -
we need to be able to associate with their problems and their fears and their hopes

they need to have problems and issues that cripple their lives
every hero has to be in trouble - we automatically want to watch when that character is up against the odds
often, they are facing things that are common phobias (Indiana Jones and snakes)

they have to be involved in something that is exciting and OUTSIDE of the norm
we want heroes who are ASPIRATIONAL - doing things we wish we could do

Save the Cat moment - the hero usually does something in the first few pages that makes him/her look “nice” a moment that shows heart -
Skyfall - Bond wanted to save the other agent rather than chase the bad guy

The hero is also in a bad place mentally and needs change - this change is the change that will make the hero fit in where they live (or change where they live)
this problem is a problem of CHARACTER - it’s internal
Mulan is a girl in a male-dominated culture and she refuses to “act properly”

November 15, 2013

Screenplay Reading Ass.

1. Read the first 20 pages. (feel free to read more if you like)
2. Google the writer - anything on him/her? Brief info paragraph
3. Summarize briefly the section you read. 
4. Brief description of the main character. Is he/she likable? Does he/she have any special abilities/awesome characteristics, etc? Does he/she have an obvious problem?
5. Brief description of the setting. Where, when? Why do you think the writer chose this particular time and place? 
6. Fill in some of those paradigm elements as you see them: hook, set up of character, etc - show how that script fulfills its job
7. Do you want to see this movie? Why/why not?

November 14, 2013

Your Movie Setup

1. Who is the main character? Give me a little bio. 

1. .What is the setting? Brief description. 

1. What is his/her problem? Describe the main character’s “issues” that will get solved in the course of the movie. 

1. Who is the main character’s enemy? (if any) What is this person like? 

1. Then, describe the first 10 minutes of your movie. 

what is the hook? what questions we will be asked? what is the problem’s manifestation? etc

November 13, 2013

Second Half of Act 1 - (p. 11 - p. 23-27)

The real plot of the movie begins in this chunk.

I bet this is when Tom Hanks finds out he has to go get Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan.

I bet this is when the other guy is hooked up with a new partner and she’s an Asian girl who wasn’t allowed to fight... in Pacific Rim.

I bet it’s when every character hits a problem that forces a physical, mental and emotional change.

This change is the start of the plot of the movie - the crime, the disaster, the investigation, the build up of troops, the quest, etc.

It begins a whole new Act - Act II (goes from p 30 or so to p 75 or so)

Complications/Problems/Big Changes/Scary Moments

The first half of the second act is about the hero making some kind of progress.

Usually, getting into a new world, a new concept, a new situation, finding things out, making some kind of friends, gathering information, items of use/power.

There may also be some kind of testing or obstacle course or a maze of some sort.

This is usually a very exciting part of any movie - because we’re learning so much as an audience.

At the half point, there is a Moment of No Return, a Confrontation, a Mini-Ending, a Dramatic Intensity higher than any before in the movie.

At this point, there is usually some kind of pre-confrontation between hero and villain

In Planet of the Apes, this is when Taylor speaks and changes the whole idea of humans in the ape world.

In the second half of the second act, everything goes downhill.

The villains gain momentum, the energy is much darker, the hero is in much more trouble, and it gets progressively worse until p.80 or so.

At page 80 or so, we enter Act III

Usually, at the end of Act II, there is a moment called The Low, or the Darkness, or The Touch of Death - it happens ALL the time in average movies.

The partner dies, the couple separates, the dog is killed, the daughter is kidnapped, the revelations come out that threaten whatever is important, etc.

The hero is driven into a terrible low and it looks like “all hope is lost”.

HOWEVER - there is next a moment where the hero digs deep, finds strength and often, some symbol to help him/her decide to deal with the low, with the problem AND with the inner problem he/she had at the start.

This part is KEY to all movies (pretty much) and it’s the crazy, American, moralizing that makes some people dislike pop movies.

The point is a character point = Hero, you need to embrace change. You need to be the person who ISN’T like he/she was at the start.

This whole inner layer of the character changing (character arc) is really what the movie is about.

It’s a journey from Point A to Point Z - from before to after - from broken to fixed

Act III

Resolution/Roller Coaster Ride/Big Chase/Big Fight/Big Moment of Confrontation/Big Realization/Finding the Thing the Hero Needed

Usually only about 20-30 minutes.

Has to wrap up the hero’s character problem - the hero needs to get what he/she needed to be whole, to be a real person.

Often takes place in front of witnesses or a crowd (very American)