i thought it might be cool to have a thread where we can share links to articles on screenwriting, filmmaking, the industry (or more properly, industries, as SR serves a global audience) etc
now these articles don’t have to be about the latest, new thing and, in some ways, it’s better for their longevity if they’re a little “timeless” – and you don’t even have to agree with them ... you just need to have found the article interesting and think other screenwriters may find it interesting, too
now assuming CJ is cool with all this, i’d like to suggest a couple of additional guidelines:
• linked articles should be at least tangentially related to screenwriting etc; and
• no thinly-veiled ads for competitions, script advisors, managers, writing apps, etc
cool? here’s a few to get the ball rolling:
Scene Character – Terry Rossio
Terry argues that just as your characters each need to have distinctive characterisations, so do your scenes
http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp51.Scene.Character.html
The Art of The Big Lebowski: The Importance of a Rug – Ryan Hollinger
how the Coen brothers play with Raymond Chandler’s notion of “the scene outranks the plot”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYzzCsBQgA4
A visit from the ghost of coverage past – John August
John revisits his coverage of Tarantino’s “Natural Born Killers”
https://inneresting.substack.com/p/a-visit-from-the-ghost-of-coverage
How do you make a movie about a hyperobject? – Ben Goldfarb
about writing “Don’t Look Up” – i posted a link to this article on a certain facebook screenwriting group, and it was taken down for being ‘too political’ (wtf?)
https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.2/climate-change-how-do-you-make-a-movie-a...
A.I. is B.S. – Adam Conover
that “Adam ruins everything” guy calls BS on what is currently being spruiked as “AI”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro130m-f_yk
enjoy!
Interesting thread.
Here's a fun interview with Mario Puzo, reminiscing about writing the Godfather screenplays.
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701492922/a-look-back-at-the-godfather-wi...
A short paraphrase, Puza wrote the screenplays off the top of his head and didn't know anything about screenwriting. After winning Oscars, he decided to learn screenwriting. He bought a book and the first chapter said. "Study Godfather I."
classic – i've seen the quote before, but haven't read the interview – thanks
No problem, Robert.
Here's a few more fun links. Not all are directly related to screenwriting, but they have personally helped me in my creative journey.
Neil Gaiman - Make Good Art. This is from a speech he gave to University students. Here's the transcript.
https://jamesclear.com/great-speeches/make-good-art-by-neil-gaiman.
An artist was so inspired by his speech they created a comic that illustrates everything.
http://www.zenpencils.com/comic/50-neil-gaiman-make-good-art/
Brandon Sanderson - Ideas are Cheap. He's a writing teacher, seems like a fun guy, and he references Jurassic Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3JlBLG7xOI
Ira Glass - The Gap. This is fantastic advice for writers, at any stage of your writing journey. Breaking through the gap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FQKciKfHI
Both videos have text/captions for everyone.
thanks for these – interesting stuff
Neil Gaiman is always inspiring – and Ira Glass' idea around TASTE, or as i would put it, your own personal BULLSHIT DETECTOR when it comes to the quality of your work, is something i've read versions of here and there over the years, but something that doesn't seem to get enough attention in discussions around screenwriting – the idea that, as you write and reject and rewrite your work, you are not only improving as writer ... you are also developing the most important ability of all – the ability to judge your own work and (hopefully) figure out how to improve it – a skill the legions of script advisors out there would prefer you to never develop
i agree with Brandon Sanderson's statement that IDEAS ARE CHEAP, if only because i have a folder with over a hundred ideas ... and i ain't that bright – but the thought occurred to me:
is this notion of ideas being cheap, more of a NOVEL thing rather than being a SCREEN STORY thing?
y'see, given my oeuvre tends to rattle around between the sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres, there has long been the siren call of the HIGH CONCEPT – the idea so amazing that no matter how ordinary your writing, a studio will you pay big bucks just to take it away from you – of course, the golden age of high concepts were the eighties and the nineties, when i first began 'seriously' dabbling with the craft
back then, i happened across a site called Wordplayer in which Terry Rossio's first three "columns" explained his concept of the STRANGE ATTRACTOR:
http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp01.A.Foot.in.the.Door.html
http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp02.Strange.Attractor.html
http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp03.Beachcombing.html
of course, today the received wisdom is that our spec scripts are no more than writing samples, and that we should leave the IDEAS to the studio's IP departments – so maybe thinking about a "strange attractor" for our next spec is just a waste of time
[ yes, i'm aware of Terry Rossio's anti-vax stance and his poorly phrased defense of his position, but that doesn't mean he didn't know what he was talking about when it came to screenwriting in 1990s Hollywood ]
I love Ira Glass' phrasing on this one. You know your writing isn't good enough yet, because your taste is really good. It's only a matter of developing your writing so that it's as good as your taste.
Sanderson's point about ideas being cheap is that many writers, and I count myself as guilty as anyone, tend to get way ahead of themselves. That initial burst of inspiration and BOOM, I get the best idea ever and it's an awesome feeling and I can see all these wonderful things happening because of my idea. However, in the end, it's only an idea. It's not a developed concept. This applies to any writing: screenplays, novels, short stories, poetry, hell, even non-fiction. I would go so far as to say this also applies to anything creative. Many times I've had ideas for visual art, that are very exciting, only to watch those ideas fizzle out and die a sad death. It always seems like a good idea at the time...
It's all well and fine to love your ideas, as well as you should. Using Rossio's articles (I had read them, a while ago, and I'm ignoring his anti-vaxxer stance), especially about having an attractor, emphasize the difference between ideas and developed concepts.
The ideas don't have value. What you decide to do with the ideas is invaluable. Make good art. (Credit Neil Gaiman).
Lily, i agree with what you're saying – "ideas" aren't the same as "developed concepts" – so i'll try to clarify the question:
assuming that the current received wisdom is true, i.e. that, given that original IP appears to be something most producers are not interested in, are our spec scripts nothing more than writing samples – and if so, should writers 'waste their time' developing fresh concepts to base their screenplays on – or should we just concentrate on crafting our best version of the retired-hitman-gets-dragged-out-of-retirement-for one-last-job screenplay (or whatever other hackneyed concept you prefer*)?
in short – is the time spent on finding/inventing and developing a cool concept to base your spec script on, worth it?
now i'll admit, for me it's a rhetorical question – because i'm not interested in (or capable of) spending a lot of time on making another version of something i've already seen before – but i'd be interested in hearing what other people think
* a note to anyone who has written a retired-hitman-gets-dragged-out-of-retirement-for one-last-job* screenplay, i'm not referring to you or your script
The looming threat of AI to Hollywood, and why it should matter to you
John August is interviewed re AI, the (now) ongoing writers' strike and the future of humanity
https://www.vox.com/culture/23700519/writers-strike-ai-2023-wga
Robert, whew, that's on a personal level. Do want to continue coming up with fresh concepts? If yes, does it matter if those fresh concepts gets movies made? Or, would you be happy just completing the scripts? Conversely, is it more important to you to get movies made? I honestly can't answer any of those questions.
Funnily enough, I read that Vox article earlier today. It's probably the most well-researched article about the WGA strike that's free to read. So thanks for posting the link. It all comes down to the same issue. Anything that's not human-made isn't legally recognized under copyright laws. At the same time, that also means anything that's not human-made doesn't need to get paid. And people want to get paid. Though, in all fairness, AI is only one of the many issues. Either way, I think the results of this WGA strike will be interesting.
Here's a scary thought; if AI-generated scripts can't be copyrighted, and thus have no intellectual property value, but it's becoming impossible to differentiate AI-generated scripts from human-written ones, does that mean any spec script created from now on will become inherently dubious to industry members?
I'm starting to really appreciate my previous LoC registrations LOL!
Every time I see this fear about AI, it makes me cringe. It seems everyone is ignoring the gigantic elephant in the room. AI generated writing is rudimentary at best. If a writer's writing is indistinguishable from AI, then it might not be that good in the first place. I'm sorry. It had to be said. That probably hurt like an MF.
On the plus side, those whose writing is not technically perfect, just might stand out better in this age of AI. So, um, don't be a robot?
I just want to clarify something on this thread. AI is not the cause of the WGA strike. People not paying writers residuals and cutting corners with things like mini rooms, is the cause.
John August wrote a good article about this issue yesterday.
https://inneresting.substack.com/p/why-writers-get-residuals?utm_source=...
My guess is that we are at the beginning, not the end, of the AI copyright conundrum. For example, there is sure to be legal challenge somewhere down the akin to - AI can only generate words via a person entering prompts, I entered and refined the prompts and therefore the material produced by the AI was really based on my unique prompts and ergo is my property.
Here's another cool link from Neil Gaiman. He shared the actual WGA strike documentation. It's two pages so that everyone can read what's offered and the rejections.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=805912877570311&set=pcb.805913194236946
DAVID – yeah, i'm sure the studios are getting their legal people to looking at ways of "legitimising" AI-generated projects – the example John August gave – where the studio gets an AI to generate an outline or first draft and then hires a writer to "clean it up" – is something i'm sure the studios have considered as it would allow them to avoid paying the writer based on a *written by* credit because their work was based on "pre-existing" material
LILY – that 2-page document is pretty damning, making clear the AMPTP's antagonistic attitude – some have suggested that this bolshie attitude is being driven, in part, by the fact that many of the AMPTP's members are now not traditional studios and so: don't properly understand the screen entertainment business and are not used to dealing with unions in constructive manner
setting aside the end times for a moment – here's a couple of links to articles that question dominant paradigms re story structure and writing screenplays
Desire & Screenwriting
this article covers Céline Sciamma’s BAFTA screenwriters’ lecture, in which she places the notion of *DESIRE* at the centre of her screenwriting process – interesting stuff – fyi: the article includes a link to a video of the lecture
https://writingcooperative.com/the-most-important-screenwriting-lecture-...
Fairy Tales as an antidote to your MFA (Master of Fine Arts) education
this article argues that fairy tales violate more or less every single rule of fiction writing that has been drilled into us in creative writing classes ... and yet the form endures ... so what gives?
https://countercraft.substack.com/p/fairy-tale-as-mfa-antidote
One of my hobbies is the study of fairy tales. The main reason I enjoy studying fairy tales is that if you go back in time, they're horror stories and not fantasy at all. Horror movies typically (not always but it's common) follow five act structure. The original fairy tales often follow a five act structure as well. All of this means, for me, is that Turn and Burn Guide works flawlessly.
Lincoln Michel's article, while well-written, has a big historical gap. The earliest recorded fairy tale (that we know of) is from the Bronze Age. It's called The Smith and The Devil. There are numerous links but I'm not sure if any of them are accurate translations.
He mentions the psychology of fairy tale concepts and "show don't tell," but both are modern inventions. At the oldest, industrial revolution. Granted, in fairness to the author, including all history would be a much longer article, possibly a book.
However, I do agree 100% with the conclusion of his article.
Albert Einstein famous quote on fairy tales:
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2013/12/einsteins-folklore/
Thanks, Kaye, that's a very cool article that I hadn't read before. Now I feel little better about being a total geek for studying fairy tales.
thanks, Kaye – that Einstein fellow was pretty bright
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so i saw a video essay that, in passing, questioned the importance of plot
a new genre, the vibes movie
in the essay, of Patrick (H) Willems' attempts to define a new movie genre he just invented, called Vibes movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZStkUxC4iL4&t=2814s
in the essay, Patrick argues that in Vibes movies (e.g. the Bond movies, Tenet, Miami Vice) the plot is subservient to the "vibe" – i.e. to the feeling you get watching while watching the scenes play out
scene outranks plot
this then reminded me of an old Ryan Hollinger essay (before he decided to focus on horror) about the Coen Bros' The Big Lebowski:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYzzCsBQgA4
here too, the importance of plot is questioned with, if i remember correctly, the Coen Bros talking about Raymond Chandler's view that (when writing for the pulps), "the scene outranked the plot" – suggesting that the coherence of the plot was way less important than providing a series of entertaining scenes
three good scenes and no bad ones
which then reminded me of that old Howard Hawks quote: “A good movie is three good scenes and no bad scenes.” – of course, Hawks directed The Big Sleep (based on a Chandler story), a movie notorious for being impossible to follow:
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-big-sleep-proof-that-plot-doesn-t-m...
which then got me thinking about how some contemporary audiences “consume” (ugh) their stories – watching shows or movies in snippets on their phones as they go about their lives
Shameless plug...I wrote an article on sticking to one genre (or not):
https://www.screenwritingstaffing.com/post/screenwriting-is-sticking-to-...
Halogencore
i was catching up with the Scriptnotes podcast (ep. 656) and was introduced to a new genre called “Halogencore” – a term invented by writer, Max Read
here’s the beginning of Max’s definition: “Halogencore movies are stories of corporate intrigue and malfeasance, told from the point of view of characters on the "outside of the inside" — low-level apparatchiks, functionaries, subordinates, and middle managers, navigating crisis from the periphery of real power.”
now while i have enjoyed many of the movies he references, it’s not the sort of thing i write, but ...
it then occurred to me that i could use this approach, framework, whatever to structure a story around a sci-fi/horror concept that’s been bugging me! – woohoo!
maybe Halogencore could be a way to frame your story concept – learn more here: https://letterboxd.com/max_read/list/halogencore/
My youtube channel, of course.
But on the topic of AI. There will be the standard clause guaranting no AI. Plus there would be fraud charge if you made that statement and it was proven false.
I have this paragraph I am adding it to a page at the end of screenplays. It is removed when it is sent to humans.
"The copyright holder of this work reserves all rights to the content herein. Unauthorized use of this work, in whole or in part, for the purpose of training artificial intelligence (AI) models, including but not limited to machine learning, deep learning, or any other data processing or algorithmic system, is expressly prohibited. This restriction applies to any form of copying, extraction, or incorporation of the work into any dataset or training process, whether now known or developed in the future. Violation of this provision may result in legal action for infringement of copyright and related rights."
It holds no legal standing as yet. But it conveys intent. Intent is an important legal concept. If I ever need to show I explicitly stated no AI. I have it.
Hey Craig,
Just a follow-up to "...Plus there would be fraud charge if you made that statement and it was proven false..."
But who defines what constitutes AI?
I've long published my scripts as e-books, but a couple of years ago Amazon.com attached a new criteria about AI that includes translation.
As far back as 2010, I used Google Translate to translate simple road signs in foreign countries, or small bits of dialogue, into Italian, French, German, etc. to add realism and texture to the story. Now Amazon calls that AI, and I had to alter all of my e-book definitions to say "AI was used in this book"; otherwise, I couldn't save any updates that I'd done via my annual polishes.
But who even knew (I didn't) back in 2010 that using Google Translate was going to be lumped in with the AI battle of content creation?
True story!
But I think it's nonsense. I didn't use AI to compose or create any of the story elements. But, as per some "regulation extremist" employed by Amazon, I now have "Used AI in the writing of this material" attached to my stories - a number of them.
People might say "oh, but they didn't mean stuff like you did," but "machine translation" is specifically mentioned as a use of AI by Amazon, and who knows what will happen if I don't check off that checkbox and somebody tries to disable my copyright with the US Office because of it.
I just thought I'd put this out there, because it always comes down to "Who gets to define the definitions" that takes things too far and stifle things at the creator's end using fear of losing rights as a weapon.
Hi,
The court overseeing the case would be the decision maker. So here is the scenario.
1. I sign saying no AI.
2. AI is discovered. This could put them in breach of WGA rules, or even lose access to copyright protections.
3. This causes a financial lose. They take me to court claiming loses from now until the end of time.
This will prevent me from lying and using AI
Steve raises an interesting point. Technically, even just using a spellchecker would be using AI to many people, especially a more advanced one like Grammarly.
Very true. But it is not the existence of AI. It would be the application of AI. Same as a gun. The existence of a gun is not an issue. Shooting a person is the issue.
AI could have varying impacts, from removing copyright protections to breaching WGA agreements. So as decisions are made standard are set, common law and interpretation are established.
screenwriter Cole Haddon shows how he pitched a movie like *Squid Game* six years before it came out ... and explains why it failed
https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/were-all-trying-to-escape-a-dystopian
okay, this is not actually "cool screenwriting stuff”, but in the spirit of the season i thought i’d regift an xmas present i wrote some years ago – a Lovecraft pastiche set in an isolated colonial outpost in South America, and structured as fragments of a lost manuscript
... it may form the basis of a screenplay one day, if the missing pages are ever found ;•P
it’s about 9-pages, if it were set in 12pt Courier
https://assortedprojects.net/#/the-slow-wrath/