tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post5300390487702628388..comments2024-03-07T20:15:45.996-08:00Comments on The Bitter Script Reader: Everyone starts somewhere, so don't insist on being pretentious right out of the gateThe Bitter Script Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-10704065326459988482010-08-11T23:41:56.388-07:002010-08-11T23:41:56.388-07:00I'm not sure I agree with the Why? here. I thi...I'm not sure I agree with the Why? here. I think a lot of people write scripts about the Teapot Dome scandal or abusive HS boyfriends for the same reason people write terrible horror movies and gross-out comedies - that's what interests them. <br /><br />And there could be a good story lurking in there. They just lack the craft capabilities to write them well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-75901629692186595172010-08-10T09:54:25.289-07:002010-08-10T09:54:25.289-07:00I think all good scripts have a clear THEME, somet...I think all good scripts have a clear THEME, something which holds it all together, but that's very different from trying to be literary or make an important "message" script.<br /><br />Read somewhere that the theme should be expressed through the protag's problem (the flaw) and how that gets resolved reflects the writer's attitude.<br /><br />All of this would then play out through the protag's choices and development, and not people sitting around and actually discussing the theme explicitly, which of course would be incredibly dull.<br /><br />Pixar movies are a great example of what I've just been saying; they all have clear themes which are explored in an entertaining way which also resonates deeply with the audience.Jake Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630288121554160502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-61764089824184134512010-08-09T16:50:21.532-07:002010-08-09T16:50:21.532-07:00Sullivan's Travels is a constant inspiration a...Sullivan's Travels is a constant inspiration and defense of comedy's honor.Tyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10934993894792087433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-32895672739177023792010-08-09T16:25:56.878-07:002010-08-09T16:25:56.878-07:00Steve - I think you're on to something there. ...Steve - I think you're on to something there. Screenwriting professors who appreciate the skill it takes to write genre pics seem to be in short supply. It's one reason I love what Scott does over at Go Into The Story. I feel like if I was his student and said, "I want to write an action film about Colombian drug lords plotting to to take hostages at the X-Games," he'd say. "Wonderful! Let's make it the best genre action pic it can be!"<br /><br />A screenwriting prof in Iowa might scoff and suggest I write about a boy who deals with the pain of an abusive home by teaching an ostrich how to fly.<br /><br />Writing for contests is always a dicy thing. I said last week on Twitter that I'm constantly shown evidence that many "contest winners" are merely the fastest children of their particular obesity-combatting commune. <br /><br />Nicholls tends to go for these "important" scripts too, and at least based on the finalists I've read, there's a distinct dearth of commercial material there. The big difference is that at least those scripts get read by people in the biz. Few of them sell - which speaks to your point about comedies never winning - but at least they're seen.<br /><br />But as regular readers of this blog know, I consider most contests as waste of time and money that can better be spent elsewhere.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-72712630371761504922010-08-09T16:05:05.890-07:002010-08-09T16:05:05.890-07:00I was just thinking of this the other day. How mus...I was just thinking of this the other day. How must of the screenwriting classes I've taken seem to have pushed me to write "important scripts" instead of sellable scripts.<br /><br />But I also think that a lot of people writing these "important scripts" might be writing for contests. When was the last time a comedy won Nicholls?Steve the Creephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10265147408563991491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-29560281995970671332010-08-09T14:16:25.970-07:002010-08-09T14:16:25.970-07:00I really like this post. This is definitely someth...I really like this post. This is definitely something that hampered my creativity before and prevented me from moving forward with a story. I was constantly stuck on "but it's gotta mean something!" rather than creating an entertaining story. <br /><br />At times I believe that most of the stories that share purpose or meaning were never meant to do such a thing in the first place. A reader/viewer will interpret however he or she wants.Carlos Matthews Hernandezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04844149114686947104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-90607213672589045972010-08-09T13:16:56.681-07:002010-08-09T13:16:56.681-07:00I think that generally you find out how bad your w...I think that generally you find out how bad your work can be, or good for that matter, if you write it out as novel first. If it doesn't hold as a novel, it won't hold as a film. The sort of everything gone wrong no happy ending that you posited doesn't work as a novel. It reads like a postmortem. There has to be some redemption or reaching of acceptance and realization of something that brings a little inner peace to someone. When you can cover the evolution of the characters from end to end of a novel, then you can pare down to a script, or it's just two-dimensional as most films are. Who wants not only a postmortem report, but one with no depth to anyone in it? You can work as a transcriptionist for the coroner's office if that's your cup of tea, but it's not box office of any kind.Wojciehowiczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06962614928769270439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-71796010971682091722010-08-09T12:37:30.082-07:002010-08-09T12:37:30.082-07:00Re: the prom queen gets pregnant and abandoned......Re: the prom queen gets pregnant and abandoned...<br /><br />Why'd you go and spoil Quinn's storyline on "Glee," Bitter? SOME of us haven't gotten through the whole season's tivo yet.Sashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901858502467579784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-53311780185208539902010-08-09T11:31:08.389-07:002010-08-09T11:31:08.389-07:00I also wanted to add, that James Belushi had to hi...I also wanted to add, that James Belushi had to his credits Thief with James Caan, directed by Micheal Mann, and Salvador with James Woods, directed by Oliver Stone, in the 80s ... also Red Heat with Arnold, but that was a horse of another color, too.Joshua Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08239067667651048280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-22864008726731809382010-08-09T10:39:47.466-07:002010-08-09T10:39:47.466-07:00If it doesn't have an explosion and at least o...If it doesn't have an explosion and at least one fistfight, it is not a serious movie.Emily Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02163221455899041141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-86100140541254062752010-08-09T10:39:28.635-07:002010-08-09T10:39:28.635-07:00Dude, I have sooooo been there. A writer friend of...Dude, I have sooooo been there. A writer friend of ours read one of our action scripts, and tore it to shreds, because he thought we were "selling out" and we were "better than that."<br /><br />I don't know, the guy with the paycheck might not be better, but he's certainly better off.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04467543096755297798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-44200019128721889532010-08-09T09:19:41.726-07:002010-08-09T09:19:41.726-07:00From another perspective, I know a few fiction wri...From another perspective, I know a few fiction writers who were paralyzed by reviews of their first novels that described them as "important". There are few things more capable of instilling writer's block than feeling you have to live up to such a reputation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-67079190561208279252010-08-09T08:20:56.409-07:002010-08-09T08:20:56.409-07:00You left out that Bigalow's first movie was NE...You left out that Bigalow's first movie was NEAR DARK, a classic vampire movie before vampire movies became in vogue ... it's got Adrian Pasdar, Lance Henrickson and fucking Bill Paxton, dude. A classic.Joshua Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08239067667651048280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-60264833142495536012010-08-09T08:19:44.412-07:002010-08-09T08:19:44.412-07:00Good post bitter.. I often fail to do this...
&...Good post bitter.. I often fail to do this... <br /><br />"you shouldn't make the mistake of believing your first screenplay (or even your second or third) needs to be an important screenplay."<br /><br />And so I just exhaust my stories with gobs of potential ideas, but end up cutting majority due to the fact tackling all life's woes in one script is damn impossible. Especially as a young little puke screenwriter. I currently should just 'keep it simple'.Peter Dwighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01468813181562549863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-72256950012133130622010-08-09T00:45:13.391-07:002010-08-09T00:45:13.391-07:00Actually, Point Break is a very good movie, even b...Actually, Point Break is a very good movie, even by today's standards. It was the brain-dead marketing that made it look like something it's not.Scot Boydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11781536706181516950noreply@blogger.com