John August on How long should it take to write a script? I’m hesitant to give a firm number for how many weeks it should take to write a script. Every project is different. Big Fish took me the better part of four months, while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was three weeks. But part of the reason Charlie was only three weeks was because that’s all the time there was. There was already a release date, and sets were being built. And that points to the better question to ask: How quickly should a professional screenwriter be able to turn around a script, given some urgency? In my experience, the most successful screenwriters are the ones who are able to accurately estimate how much time they’ll need. That’s part of the craft, just like a cabinetmaker promising a delivery date. For my work on Iron Man, I told them exactly how many days it would take to address certain issues, and delivered pages every night.
The Three Versions of Batman In the very final moment of the movie, Batman scampers off to his future as a pariah, while Gordon explains to his baffled son: “He’s the hero Gotham deserves . . . but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.” So, in this very canny, complex action movie (the director of The Prestige and Memento seems incapable of a narratively direct movie), the duality is clear. Dent and Batman are both knights, but Dent is “shining” while Batman is dark knight. Dent is the hero Gotham needs/not deserves while Batman is the reverse. In short one might say (with just a jot of overreach) that Batman willingly takes on the mantle of everlasting infamy in order to save humankind. The thesis pursued in this article is that this strong thematic aspect of The Dark Knight finds its roots in a short story by the labyrinthine Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges.
Which Came First, the Theme or the Script? I tend to start with a story -- that is, a character with a problem. The character and the problem usually suggests a theme. I don't stress too much about themes because no one goes out to watch the movie with the great theme. They go to the movie with the great story.
Mike Le’s very funny I Wanna Osama. Danny Stack continues his series on the steps of the pro writer: Step 4: Industry Insider Step 5: Get an Agent Step 6: Discipline Step 7: Attitude Bill on the Oscar Winner Who Can’t Sell Scripts Once you break in, you have to work even harder to keep your career going. I've said before - you are always breaking in, again and again. You can coast a little on a big sale - other people will want to meet with you and some of those meetings may turn into assignments. But if you don't start pedaling soon you're going to hit that hill before you're ready and will have lost any momentum.
Lucy’s 12 Character Journeys We Can Learn From Badlands, 1973. This is a real favourite of mine. I first watched it when I was fourteen: it was accidental; I couldn't sleep and it was on BBC2 really late. I got into massive trouble for waking up one of my younger siblings when all the gunshots went off in the field bit. Like Bonnie and Clyde, the two main characters have a real chemistry and even though the Martin Sheen character is a total psycho and they're horrible murderers, we can still see *how* this all happened, even if we don't condone it. Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers seemed a pale comparison when I got hold of a (then-banned) copy at school, from my video "pusher" Weird John (that was his real name, honest).
Julie Gray shares her 2009 Hollywood Calendar Is there a specific time when spec scripts are best to go out? Well, like everything in Hollywood, yes and no. It's like some playful god designed Hollywood with rules that are upside down, backwards and ever-changing, just to mess with us mortals, isn't it? If I had to warrant an opinion as to when spec season is at its best, I'd say it's sometime between mid-January through July. Many production companies have a fiscal year that ends in October. That means in general, that by July or August, they're out of money to buy anything new. But then from Thanksgiving through the first of the year, when business is famously slow because of the holidays, nobody's buying much anyway. Anybody who's anybody is off skiing in Vail or snorkeling in Maui.
"Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre." - The New York Times Book Review
"A medical thriller of the highest order... a stunning, riveting journey into terror and suspense." - Bestselling author Michael Palmer
The Anonymous Production Assistant looks back on his favorite bits of script coveragewhen he was a reader: “This script is so aggravatingly bad that it’s hard not to suspect it’s some elaborate practical joke, and I’m being filmed even as I write this coverage.”
James rants about Twilight "This sucks, I'm about ready to leave." I don't remember at what point she said this, but it was getting towards the point where I was just as frustrated at this film. The book was so perfect for a film adaptation (overlong and repetitive, therefore capable of handling a large number of cuts) but it got messed up in the translation somewhere. At times, I wish there was more of the Edward/Bella relationship going on but at others I just want them to stop staring at each other and do something. I don't know, the whole experience left me very conflicted; I know there are problems with the film but I'm at a loss as to what needed to be fixed. The film is shot a lot in either close up or extreme close up, creating an intensely intimate atmosphere that mirrors the relationship between Edward and Bella, and I applaud Hardwicke for taking such an unneccessary stylistic chance in such a crowd-pleasing film, but it really gets in the way some of the time. First of all, it does Robert Pattinson no favors and secondly, it provokes unintentional laughter in some of the scenes. When the band of bad vampires show up to the Cullen family baseball game, the constant cutting between extreme close ups of Edward's and James' (Cam Gigandet) eyes and the members of each group ready to pounce on each other like that cafeteria scene in Mean Girls where the kids turn into wild animals was hilarious, but for all of the wrong reasons.
Write Vision’s How to Write a Scary Movieand Great Dialogue. Bordwell on Douglas Fairbanks But how can such a genial fellow yield any drama? Give him an idée fixe, a cockeyed hobby or life philosophy into which he can pour his adrenaline. Now add a goal, something that his obsession blocks or unexpectedly helps him attain. Toss in the staples of romantic comedy: a good-humored maiden uncertain how to tame this creature of nature, a few old fogeys, some unscrupulous rivals. Hardened crooks may make an appearance as well. Be sure to include some tables, chairs, sofas, or horses for him to vault over, as well as some perches near the ceiling or on the roof; Doug feels most comfortable lounging high up. Add windows, for his inevitable defenestration. (In a poem about him, Jean Epstein wrote, “Windows are the only doors.”) There should also be chases. Other comedy stars run because they must. Doug’s joy in flat-out sprinting suggests that he welcomes the chance to flush a little hyperactivity out of his system. At the story’s climax he must save the day, taming his obsession and achieving his purpose while acceding to the claims of the practical world.
Hitchcock and Romantic Irony Part Oneand Part Two An examination of Hitchcock’s films reveals that sexuality carries with it not only the stench but also the stain of human perversity. His aestheticism works through three possible formulations of the romantic ideal: 1) An ambiguously connoted romance that achieves an idyllic transcendence to a state of love, 2) An idealization that contains something destructive, or 3) An idealization that leads to annihilation and death. These three possibilities can give us a glimpse into Hitchcock’s religious views on heaven, limbo, and hell, since the romantic ideal manifests the possibilities of rebirth (heaven), suspended animation (limbo/purgatory), and condemnation (hell). We can combine these forms of the romantic ideal into a unified nomenclature (as does Allen). Firstly, there are films about romantic renewal. In these comic thrillers, Hitchcock acts as a divine narrator controlling his characters from a position above the fictive world. In films like To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest he directs elements of good fortune onto his protagonists while making sure that the elements of human perversity are used to good ends toward romantic renewal. Secondly, there are films about ironic ambivalence. The majority of his works lie within this category. British films with an ambivalent tone are The Lodger (1926) and Murder! (1930). Hollywood films with ironic ambivalence are Strangers on a Train (1951) and Rear Window (1954). In these works, Hitchcock acts as a more reserved narrator who suspends himself from making any commentary, hovering in between the romantic ideal and its subversion. In this case, the simultaneously opposite perspectives compete in a back-and-forth struggle for dominance while the narration refrains from judgment. These competing perspectives are sustained by making use of the distinctions between the point-of-views of the characters and the narration. Thirdly, there are films about ironic inversion, which mostly interest us in this paper. Only a few of his works lie within this category, containing narratives that destroy the romantic ideal all together. Examples of such films begin with Downhill (1927), a silent British film that becomes a research platform for Hitchcock.
1. Becoming conscious of the shadow. The shadow possesses those characteristics of the ego that we tend to push aside -- our dark places, our weaknesses, fears, hidden desires, etc. The shadow normally appears in dreams, but in Synecdoche he exits in Caden's construct of reality in the form of Sammy Barnathan (Tom Noonan), who has been observing Caden for over twenty years. Yet instead of integrating the shadow into his persona, Caden lets it run loose, where it eventually becomes more him than him (in that Sammy begins a successful affair with Hazel, something Caden could never do.) Sammy's death can, perhaps, be seen as Caden finally coming to terms with his shadow, though killing it might not have been the wisest choice.
2. Becoming conscious of the anima/animus. Jung believes it is critical that we locate traits of the opposite gender within us. For men, that requires an acceptance of the anima, or female psychological tendencies. Once again we see it manifesting itself not in Caden's persona, but in his "real" world. It begins with several occurrences of people mistaking Caden for a woman, which is odd as there's nothing visible/audible that should cause that confusion. Then, like Sammy, Caden's anima appears as Millicent Weems/Ellen Bascomb (Dianne Wiest), though this time Caden takes it one step further than the shadow and actually trades places with her. This leads to the third stage:
3. Becoming conscious of the archetypal spirit. In our waning years, Jung believes we begin to take on "mana personalities", which are associated with the archetypes of the wise-old man and the earth mother. Yet in Caden's case, he hasn't let go of the anima, for though he is now an old man, he takes on a female role, and assumes the identity of the cleaning woman Ellen Bascomb.
4. The final stage of the individuation process is self-realization, which requires the proper relationship between the ego and the self. One could argue either way as to whether or not Caden successfully reaches this stage. For whereas he has learned a bit more about life and love (albeit too late), his failure to live has left him an empty shell who functions only on orders spoken to him by his anima. (Get up, eat, say thank you, etc.) Even his death has to come via prompting -- it's a stage direction, neither peaceful nor harmonious. (This is another of the film's great tragedies that caused me all sorts of unrest.)
I just have to share these fabulous links. Some days, I do feel overwhelmed by the amount of information the world puts out there. There just isn’t enough hours in the day to enjoy it all...
Watch the short film Glory at Seafor free. It’s available for only six weeks. Michael Tully writes, “Glory at Sea was the only short film to make it into Hammer to Nail's Top 13 of 2008. When you watch it, you'll see why. At only twenty-five minutes, it has the sweep and gravity of a feature. It is the closest to God I have come in quite some time. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, and enjoy...”
I’ll let them say it for me: "The Britannica Blogis proud to announce that Videoart.net, the 'underground video artists network,' will be highlighting here one film each week from its outstanding collection of contemporary short videos by current filmmakers and artists."
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So check this out. Interview Magazine just relaunched its website, and it looks fabulous! Consider all of this free content:
Jack Whitetalks with Cate Blanchett for the cover.
Thurston Mooretalks with Spike Jonze (and by the way, the Playlisthas word that Jonze is not only still hard at work on his adaptationof Where the Wild Things Are but also on a documentary about Maurice Sendak).
These courses will help you lay the foundation for creating and appreciating fine movies.
Studying the Arts and Humanities: Follow this course to get an introduction to the arts and humanities through a series of exercises. [The Open University] Philosophy of Film: This course offers a philosophical analysis of film art. [MIT] Feeling and Imagination in Art, Science, and Technology: Follow this seminary on creativity to learn about the development process and more. [MIT] Philosophy in Film and Other Media: This course will teach you about thematic issues of philosophical importance. [MIT] Introduction to Art History: Follow this course to see art throughout history and how it has developed and functioned. [University of Utah] Shakespeare, Film and Media: This course takes a look at the history and use of Shakespeare on film. [MIT] Art of Color: Understand the way colors work through this course that discusses color history, interactions, and psychology. [MIT] Introduction to the Visual Arts: This class explores video, sculpture, and public spaces in visual arts, offering a look at visual langage and concepts in artistic practice. [MIT] Introduction to Media Studies: Become a more literate and critical consumer and producer of media culture through this course. [MIT] Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics: Learn about the thinking behind making things beautiful. [Minnesota State University] Art and Understanding: Follow this seminar to get answers to the question, "what is art?" [Columbia] Making sense of the arts: With this overview course, you’ll get an introduction to life as an artist. [The Open University] BSAD Foundations in the Visual Arts: Learn about visual art and artistic development in this course. [MIT]
Personal Development
These courses will help you better develop yourself as a filmmaker.
Pathway to Dreams: Use this course to establish your goals, direction, and voice as an artist. [Connexions] Projects in the Visual Arts: Personal Narrative: This course requires you to complete video exercises and screenings to develop your skills and art. [MIT] Interrogative Design Workshop: In this workshop, you’ll learn how to be a fearless speaker in your art. [MIT] Creativity and Mental Illness: Professor Raj Persaud discusses the popular occurance of both psychological dysfunction and extreme ability in the arts. [Gresham College]
Evaluation
With these courses, you’ll learn the essentials for movie criticism.
Learn about your voice as a storyteller through these courses.
Comedy: This course offers a look at comedy in different media from a variety of authors and creators. [MIT] Film as Visual and Literary Mythmaking: Follow this course to learn how film and literature can create myths. [MIT] Forms of Western Narrative: Learn about Western storytelling in various media through this course. [MIT]
Cinema
These courses will help you get a better understanding of cinema.
Learn the important details and concepts behind actually creating films.
Documenting Culture: Understand the how and why of capturing everyday life on film by studying this course. [MIT] Media Art: In this course, you’ll learn about time-based art practices, and gain production experience. [Capilano University] Introduction to Video: In this course, you’ll learn about video by completing assignments that will teach you about video capture and editing. [MIT] Digital Video: An Introduction: Follow this e-seminar with filmmaker Michael Rubin to create a personal video project. [Columbia] Introduction to Photography and Related Media: In this course, you’ll get instruction on the fundamentals of photography, artistic exploration, techniques, and more. [MIT] Holographic Imaging: Check out this lab course to learn the ins and outs of holography. [MIT] Blender 3D Design: Follow this course to get an understanding of how to use Blender software to create 3-D objects, animation, and more. [Tufts] Media Art II: This course is a continuation of Capilano’s Media Art, offering experience in imaging, public art, and more. [Capilano University] Producing Films for Social Change: Get a good look into the creative and production process behind films that spark social change and discourse. [Tufts University] Environmental Sustainability: Perspectives on the World: This e-seminar with Oscar-winning director Milos Forman will provide you with education on scriptwriting, casting, and more. [Columbia]
Design
Follow these courses to learn about scenery and design.
Design for the Theater: Scenery: Learn more about scenic designs in theory, history, and current practice. [MIT] Symmetry: Follow this course to learn more about concepts in symmetry, including group theory, axioms, and the four properties. [The Open University]
Industry & Culture
With these courses, you’ll gain a better understanding of the culture and industry of movies.
Introduction to Spanish Culture: Examine Spanish culture in this course through the country’s art, literature, film, and more. [MIT] Do Movies Have a Future?: Take a look into the future of the film industry through this lecture. [Princeton] German Culture, Media, and Society: Explore the culture of Germany through the country’s short films and radio plays, as well as learn about trends and topics in media including film. [MIT] Media in Cultural Context: Consider the international trade of video and television with this course. [MIT] Experiences in Interactive Art: Learn about interactive digital art, and creating a conversation with your audience. [MIT] Topics in Indian Popular Culture: In this course, you’ll learn about Bombay cinema, "masala movies," and more. [MIT] Modern Art and Mass Culture: Get an introduction to modern art in this course. [MIT] Introduction to Anthropology: Through this course, you’ll gain an understanding of cultural anthropology. [MIT] Japanese Literature and Cinema: Learn more about the culture and films of Japan through this course. [MIT] Visualizing Cultures: This course will ask you to look at and create graphics from different cultures. [MIT] Studio Seminar in Public Art: Check out this course to learn more about creating projects for public spaces. [MIT]
Robert McKee Says Hollywood is “finished.” If screenwriting guru Robert McKee has the plot right, Hollywood is the villain in the piece and TV is the hero. But how the story ends is another question. "Hollywood films? The death rattle of a dying industry," said the acclaimed screenwriting instructor, in Paris for one of his sold-out "Story" seminars. "The best writers are creating TV series. It's all in TV," he told AFP.
Batman R.I.P. IT IS enough to send any fans of the Caped Crusader into a flap. Batman is set to be "killed off" after almost 70 years of crimefighting. Scottish writer Grant Morrison has penned a dramatic new instalment of the Dark Knight's adventures, called Batman RIP, in which fans will see "the end of Bruce Wayne" as Batman. The storyline, which was due to reach its climax in the latest issue of the Batman comic, released today , is said to see Wayne so shaken by a secret from his past that a new Batman must be found…
Screenwriter reveals ideas for Singer's planned third X-Men film Author Thomas McClean's book Mutant Cinema: The X-Men Trilogy From Comics to Screen answers some of the questions raised by fans, who have been desperate to find out what Singer and his own writers Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty had been planning for their unmade version of the third film. Dougherty had already revealed some time ago that they had wanted to cast Sigourney Weaver as Emma Frost, a comic book psychic who would be reimagined as an empath able to control people's emotions. Some reports have suggested that Frost would have been an old flame of Xavier and would have emotionally manipulated a resurrected, unstable Jean Grey into the evil Dark Phoenix. McLean's book adds new information: Dougherty says the resolution of the Phoenix plot would definitely have been a major part of their version: "The main element for me was Jean coming back and learning how much power she could wield - that she just became overcome by it." Dougherty says that many of the ideas he was considering, such as Magneto trying to use Phoenix as a weapon, ended up in the filmed version. He also says that the idea of Jean using Cyclops' power to kill herself was one they liked, though they would have made it clear that only Phoenix's body was dying. Her spirit would live on, evolving Jean past mutant and into a godlike cosmic state.
Why the WGA was Right and SAG is Wrong Out screenwriter brings Milk biopic to the big screen Not only is Milk about the life of the first openly gay man elected to public office, but it represents a huge leap in Dustin Lance Black's profile as a screenwriter. Before the film's release yesterday, he spent a great deal of time researching Harvey Milk. "There were three years of research traveling to San Francisco from Los Angeles, meeting the real-life people and doing those interviews before there was a script," he says. "The research didn't stop then. We started producing the film and as a producer on it, we had to get even more exacting on what things looked like and where things took place. We were researching all through post-production."
Mel Gibson Ordered To Attend Deposition For Screenwriter Suit The Los Angeles judge overseeing Mel Gibson's lawsuit against the co-screenwriter of his epic film The Passion Of The Christ has ordered the star to attend court for a deposition. On Monday (24Nov08) L.A. Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon told Gibson's lawyers that it was likely the Lethal Weapon actor would be made to answer questions at a pre-court testimony to get to the bottom of the money spat with writer Benedict Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, who directed the controversial religious epic, over accusations he cheated the screenwriter out of millions of dollars in potential earnings.
Another Melissa Rosenberg interview Melissa: In terms of “was it intimidating,” I was not all that aware of the fan base. The minute I became aware of it, I stopped looking because I knew that it would become intimidating. So I purposefully kept myself in the dark because I wanted to be in a place of being able to tell the story and translate the story without the outside influences of the fans. And just to be able to tell the best story possible. The most important thing [principle] was to stay true to the characters’ emotional arts. There are going to be scenes that are either compilations of a couple of different scenes of the book or missing scenes, but the important thing is if the soul of the book is there and if you go away feeling the same way you feel when you read the book. That’s what my objective was - to keep the soul of the project.
MIT builds lab devoted to storytelling The center is envisioned as a “labette,” a little laboratory, that will examine whether the old way of telling stories — particularly those delivered to the millions on screen, with a beginning, a middle and an end — is in serious trouble. Its mission is not small. “The idea, as we move forward with 21st-century storytelling, is to try to keep meaning alive,” said David Kirkpatrick, a founder of the new venture.
Author pens screenplay to fix memoir omission Author Don J. Snyder of Scarborough holds a draft of his screenplay that he hopes to make into a film. Snyder wants to correct his published book of a decade ago, “Of Time and Memory,” and set the record straight about his 19-year-old mother's death. Richard and Peggy Snyder shortly after their marriage in November 1949. The mother of Scarborough author Don J. Synder died 10 months later, shortly after she gave birth to Don and his twin brother in a small Pennsylvania town. Since he wrote “Of Time and Memory,” a tale rooted in his mother’s death, Don Snyder has learned more about what really happened to his mother.
How A Novice Ended Up Writing Gran Torino For Eastwood The script was so well crafted and understated (and the credits went by so fast) that, after seeing the picture, I immediately called Bill Gerber, one of the film's producers, to find out which one of the many A-list screenwriters who must always be knocking down Eastwood's door had penned the story. "Are you sitting down?" Gerber asked. He had quite a surprise. The writer, Nick Schenk, who lives in Minnesota, had never sold a feature script in his life. In fact, the only writing work Schenk had done was for "BoDog Fight," a mixed-martial-arts TV show, a game show called "Let's Bowl" and some comedy sketches collected in a DVD called "Factory Accident Sex." ("That title doesn't exactly help my career, does it?" Schenk jokes.)
Schenk says he wrote the script, using a pen and a pad of paper, sitting at night in a bar called Grumpy's in northeast Minneapolis. It was a good release for Schenk, who was holding down a series of day jobs, driving a fruit truck and doing construction work. "I just scribbled away every night," he told me. "The bartender there is a friend, so sometimes I'd ask him questions about where I was going with the story as I was writing. When it came, the words just came. One night, I knocked off 25 pages right there in the bar."
Video interview: Eric Roth In this interview excerpt, Roth talks about his writing process wherein he starts his writing sessions every time on page 1. He says, it's "really a process of rewriting."
Here's a Peter Tolan Interview:
The LA Times write-up on John Michael Hayes When Hayes won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Rear Window, he brought the small ceramic statuette into Hitchcock's office. After examining it, Hitchcock told Hayes, "You know, they make toilet bowls out of the same material." "I felt that he resented my receiving an award when he didn't," Hayes told Donald Spoto, author of the 1983 book The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. (See also my recent article.)
William Goldman Talks Newman, Redford, Butch and Sundance At the recent Screenwriting Expo, he was interviewed by writer Aaron Sorkin (who mercilessly teased girlfriend Beth Swofford, a top agent at CAA, with being eager to read everyone's screenplays), who like everyone else, admires Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, partly because it helped to invent the buddy comedy. "Westerns are dead now except for Mr. Eastwood," said Goldman. "You could make the argument that unemployable in movies today would be John Wayne, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant."
A Bit of Advice: Don’t call your fans “saps” and “dipshits” The trials and tribulations that the Heroes TV show is undergoing right now – with speculation rising about whether it stands much chance of a fourth season – wasn’t helped recently when its creator, Tim Kring, was quoted effectively calling fans “saps” and “dipshits”. This was at Screenwriting Expo, where he was talking about the ways people watch their TV in the modern day viewing era. Sadly, it's fair to say that his comments didn't come across well, seemingly insulting the very devotees that his show needs right about now. (See also L.A. Times Blog article on the controversy.)
Interview with James Bond Writers Neal Purvis is living every teenage boy's fantasy - his alter ego is James Bond. As the scriptwriter of the past four 007 movies, Mr Purvis gets to decide who the world's most popular secret agent kills and who he kisses. The 46-year-old is one half, along with Robert Wade, of one of Britain's most successful screenwriting partnerships. “To write a 007 film is a dream come true,” he says. Being a scriptwriter may not be as glamorous as other dream careers, such fighter pilot or brain surgeon - Mr Purvis writes most of his scripts on a laptop sitting alone in a café - but it is just as difficult to succeed. It took Mr Purvis and Mr Wade many years to attain their success.
Marc Grossman, Parisian Juicemeister Marc Grossman, the charismatic owner and driving force behind Bob’s Juice Barin Paris, is an iconoclastic figure. A former award-winning scriptwriter and Harvard grad -- something you’d never guess from his bohemian demeanor and laid-back character -- his tiny juice bar located on a shabby-chic Canal Saint Martin backstreet has garnered rave press from the French gastronomic and expat community. That attention has led to cookbooks (Smoothiesand the recently released Muffins, both from Marabout publications) and might put Grossman on the throne of France's coolest juice empire.
Warcraft Movie Still Seeking Screenwriter "Legendary Pictures is currently trying to assign some names to write the screenplay and find someone to direct it, so it's still really early in production," Pearce said. "They want to make sure they get the right talent for those different parts, especially the screenwriting, because that's the foundation for the movie."
On Simon Beaufoy's Adaptation of Slumdog Millionaire The other thing Beaufoy felt certain about was that the theme of the movie had to be bigger than just a poor slum kid who strikes it rich. So he looked at the culture around him to find his answer. "I went to Bombay; it's a very passionate place, a very romantic place, and I suddenly understood those weird Bollywood films -- the singing and the dancing and the romance -- and I thought, that's it, it's got to be a love story. That's what will override this money thing. I just didn't want to write a story about a guy getting rich, and I knew that was it." And so Beaufoy set out to give his hero a heroine to love and to pine for, which gave him the means to build a scaffolding of classical-hero narrative structure over the foundation of the game show story. Once he determined that the love story would become the central thread, he had to go back to the source and decide what from the original story would fit in with the romance angle, and what had to go. And he knew that the tone of the film was crucial: this would be a melodramatic film, with moments of comedy and mirth interwoven with brutal violence, scenes of crushing poverty and torture. "Indian cinema isn't concerned with being authentic as a rule. That's a broad generalization, but it's largely true," Beaufoy says. "In England, you couldn't get away with with torture and comedy in the same movie, but here you could."
Ten Things I Love About Old Movies Worst Idea Ever: Poseidon Screenwriter to Write Oldboy Remake Screenwriter Mark Protosevich is in talks to write the American remake of Oldboy for director Steven Speilberg. Star Will Smith reccomended Protosevich for the project after working with him on I Am Legend. Yes, your worst fears have come true, the guy who wrote the 2006 adaptation of Poseidon might be writing the script for the English-language adaptation of Old Boy. This can’t be good news. In the 2003 South Korean film, a man named Dae-Su is locked in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing why or who is holding him captive. He is suddenly released, given money, clothes and a cellphone and is sent on journey for revenge. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and was highly praised by Jury President Quentin Tarantino. Praised for it’s intense visuals and twisted story, Oldboy was met with positive reviews in the States, and is currently getting an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.3 user rating on IMDB, for a #117 placement on the top 250 films of all time.
Screen Writer Pens New Book On ‘Margery’ News reaches me that the Crown Publishing Group has acquired the rights to the non-fiction book by screenwriter David Jehar about the controversial physical medium ‘Margery’ Crandon. According to Mr. Jehar the advance he was paid for his book was in the “high six figures.” He said his book will tell the story of Harry Houdini’s campaign to discredit ‘Margery’, who made the front page of the New York Times in the 1920s as the controversy over her mediumship reached fever pitch.
Above is a picture of Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, andJohn Michael Hayeson the set of To Catch a Thief.
What a lucky bastard.
For the record and for those newbies who may not know, John Michael Hayes passed away recently. He is the one screenwriter who has worked more often with Alfred Hitchcock than any other screenwriter, having written the scripts for Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.
After reading Steven DeRosa’sWriting with Hitchcockearlier this year, which chronicled the rise and fall of John Michael’s working relationship with Hitch, I have been on a John Michael Hayes kick ever since. I consumed his screenplays. The Man Who Knew Too Much can be read here. Rear Window can be foundhere. I’ve also been watching his films. I bought the restored Rear Windowjust so I could see the John Michael Hayes interview (and also hear the film commentary by John Fawell, which was great). I started watching many of his post-Hitchcock films, too, most recently Nevada Smith, which was good.
There would be no doubt in anyone’s mind after studying Hayes’ work how well Hayes’ style and sensibilities meshed with Hitchcock’s. He was perfect for Hitch, and they met each other at just the right time in both of their careers. It’s little known that Hitch was actually struggling at the time when Hayes came along. Their historic collaboration transformed both of their lives and careers. Of course, make no mistake about it. The auteur theory applies to Hitchcock. Those are all HIS films, and Hayes helped conceive Hitchcock’s vision of those films. However, the contribution of Hayes is not to be dismissed, particularly when it came to characters and dialogue. There are very good reasons why Hayes worked with Hitch more than any other screenwriter, because he brought a lightheartedness to some very dark concepts, which is so welcome and enriching to those films. It was GREAT FUN! Plus, at the end of every John Michael Hayes story, there was always hope. Hayes has become a model for me in those respects.
I don’t know where I’d place him in the pantheon of all-time great screenwriters, but he holds a very special place in my heart.
Here’s another image. He was a good-looking guy! It saddens me greatly how a human life is glanced over in obits in the media, like when they say, as they did in the Times Online, “John Michael Hayes was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1919. He began as a newspaper reporter before serving in the US Army during the Second World War. He moved to California where he worked in radio before turning to Hollywood in the early 1950s…”
That is not the story of John Michael Hayes. His time in Hollywood writing for the radio was actually cut short due to a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis, which kept him bed-ridden for months back in Massachusetts. Plus, his family didn’t support his writing career. But as soon as John could walk again, he snuck out of his family’s home (while they were away at the movies), left a note, and hitchhiked his way across the country from Worcester, Massachusetts, all the way to Hollywood, California, while hopping on two canes and with only $15 in his pocket. Seriously, he just left. He didn’t tell his family he was going either because he knew they would’ve discouraged him.
THAT is how much he wanted to be a writer.
Yeah, all you aspiring writers out there think you have it so rough? Tell me you want to be a writer as badly as John Michael Hayes. Tell me you would’ve done what John Michael Hayes did.
Within a day and a half, Hayes arrived at Zanesville, Ohio, where he spent 75 cents on a telegram informing his parents that he was okay. He continued, nonstop, until he reached Flagstaff, Arizona, where he boarded a bus during a thunderstorm. Hayes finally arrived in Los Angeles with $4.50 remaining and checked into the Mark Twain Hotel for the night, planning to go the following morning to CBS, where he had worked previously. En route to CBS the next day, Hayes passed the NBC radio studios, where there was a line of people waiting to get into one of the popular quiz shows, Double or Nothing. Hayes decided to stay and see the show. While he waited on line, one of the show’s assistants saw him on canes and let him inside the studio ahead of everyone else. When he got inside, he was asked if he would like to be a contestant. Hayes said yes. The questions they asked were about English literature, and he won $640.
Hayes remembered, ‘I went down the block to deposit my money in a bank. Next door was CBS. I went in, pressed the elevator button, and ran into Ernie Martin, a friend who had since become a Broadway producer. Ernie looked me up and down and said he needed a writer for a new show with Lucille Ball and he hired me.’ The show for which Hayes was assigned on the spot was My Favorite Husband. Specializing in comedy and suspense, Hayes turned out expert scripts for many diverse series, including Amos ‘n’ Andy, The Story of Dr. Kildare, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Sweeney and March, Alias Jane Doe, Nightbeat, and Richard Diamond, Private Detector.
Can you believe that? And then he married a hot blonde model!
I can’t find where I read it, but I do recall someone calculating that John Michael Hayes wrote roughly 1,500 scripts for a wide variety of half hour radio shows before he turned to screenwriting. Even then, he STILL struggled with screenwriting, because he relied so much on dialogue for everything. Hitchcock had to retrain him on his methods of pure cinemaand visual storytelling.
To all you vain newbies out there who have read one book and written maybe two scripts and you think you’re so great – come talk to me when you've written 1,500 scripts with characters and dialogue. Just consider how much experience he had before he wrote all that great dialogue we know and love in his films with Hitchcock.
Chris Wehner reprinted an interview with Hayes. I have always loved this story about his first meeting with Hitch, which is told in greater depth and clarity in Writing with Hitchcock, but it’s still funny here:
I was given a copy of the Woolrich story by my agent, and was told to meet with Hitchcock later that week for dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. My job was simple: Read the Woolrich piece, and be prepared to discuss it in great detail and length. It was not unlike preparing for the most important book report of one's life.
The meeting itself was a near fiasco. It felt much more like a personal test of endurance than anything resembling a story conference. Hitchcock arrived late and, with time to sit and worry over his arrival, I had a couple of drinks, which I wasn't entirely used to. Upon his arrival, we had a feast for the ages, along with copious amounts of alcohol.
Plied by the liquor, I rambled on for much too long about Hitchcock's prior films. And I wasn't entirely complimentary. Hitchcock appeared to listen, but once the meal itself was finished he abruptly left. And we had never even spoken about Rear Window at all. Later, after returning home, my wife asked how the meeting went. I told her we'd better start packing our bags, as I felt quite strongly that my opportunity with Hitchcock had vanished along with any future career I had envisioned in the industry.
Amazingly, upon reporting for work on Monday, I was told that Hitchcock immensely enjoyed our dinner and that I was to be hired immediately.
Hehehe…
Now get this. I have to share this, which is why I always think of Hayes as a lucky bastard. Once he got the writing assignment for Rear Window, he got to spend 5 days with Grace Kelly just to get to know her and get a feel for her range so that he could shape her character for the film. Can you believe that? 5 days with Grace Kelly! Not to mention that Hitch was already upset with her because during the last film, Dial M for Murder, she “slept with the writer.”
So you can imagine what I’m thinking, right? I've already admitted that I have spent time with Style and Mystery. Stick around with these guys long enough and they will tell you that any pick-up artist doing everything right only needs... seven hours.
That bastard, John Michael Hayes, had 5 days to spend with Grace Kelly.
Man, they don't make films like this anymore.
Now I’m not suggesting that anything happened. She may very well have still been involved with that “writer” from Dial M and Hayes by all accounts was quite happily married with that hot blonde all the way up to her death in 1989. And she was just as breathtakingly beautiful.
But that bastard got to spend 5 days with Grace Kelly.
I’m just saying, if that was me, Kelly would’ve had second thoughts about that Prince and the world might’ve been a different place.
Hehehe...
There’s another story I must share while they filmed To Catch a Thief:
On one of their days off, Hayes accompanied Kelly and Grant’s wife Betsy Drake on a tour of Monaco, and the writer taught Kelly how to play roulette. She won some money, after which the trio went to lunch and continued their sightseeing, ending up outside the Grimaldi museum. Kelly was delighted by what she could see of the gardens, the gates to which were locked. Hayes remembered, ‘Grace said, ‘I wonder if we could find some way to get in.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’ll see if somebody can get to the Prince, or his public relations man, and get you a tour of the garden while you’re here.’ But we finished the location photography before a tour could be arranged.’ The following year, when Grace Kelly returned to the Riviera, she was a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival. This time she did meet Prince Rainier, who gave her a personal tour of his gardens. Within a year’s time, she had retired from the screen to become Princess Grace of Monaco. Years afterward, Hayes remembered, ‘Later, when she invited my wife and myself to the palace, Grace said, ‘Now I can show you the garden.’
BTW - Check out all the Life Magazine picsof Grace Kelly.
When John Michael was hired to write To Catch a Thief, Hitch asked him, “Have you ever been to the Riviera?” No, was the response, and Hitch sent Hayes and his wife to the Riviera for two weeks to do “research” on the new script.
That lucky damn bastard.
It is quite a shame about his break-up with Hitch. I don’t have anything to add to the matter except to say that I side wholly and completely with Hayes. That was about Hitch’s ego and nothing else.
I agree with what was saidin the Times:There were losses on both sides. Hayes departed for more lucrative but less distinguished films while Hitchcock rarely again enjoyed the luxury of having brilliant scripts promptly delivered. On later films, such as Torn Curtain (1966) and Topaz (1969), where the scripts had run into trouble, Hitchcock’s personal assistant, Peggy Robertson, suggested calling in Hayes. Not one to swallow his pride, Hitchcock ignored her advice.
Steven Derosa has a bio available ofJohn Michael Hayes in pdf. Interestingly, there is a wonderful link found herewhere Derosa shares a cut third act scene from an early draft of To Catch a Thief, which Hayes loved but couldn’t sell Hitch on the idea.
I was offered an absolutely monumental sum of money by the man who owns the rights... That money would help me in my old age... I don’t know. Some pictures have a magic that’s almost indefinable. Grace is gone. Hitch is gone. Jimmy’s too frail. Wendell Corey’s gone. Raymond Burr is dead. We couldn’t recapture that kind of innocence. What could it possibly be?
But I’ve done a story, just in case.
Hehehe…
I do love John Michael Hayes. May he rest in peace.
I'm famous yet anonymous, failed yet accomplished, brilliant yet semi-brilliant. I'm a homebody who jetsets around the world. I'm brash and daring yet chilled with a twist. I also write for Script Magazine.
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