I have in the last twelve months started doing more non-screenplay writing for the screenplays than ever before.
I am finishing a screenplay called Unfare. A taxi driver grieving for his dead wife hallucinates having breakfast with her every morning. A small side story is he is starting a new relationship with a barmaid at his local bar. He is keeping this secret from his dead wife as he feels like he is cheating on her.
This is a small part of a greater overall story. But to make sure I understand their relationship. I wrote an short story about their romance. It will never appear (may be glimpses) in the screenplay. At first I thought I had found a great way to procrastinate. But my subconscious writer knew I needed more.
I share this in a hope people will try new things to unlock the thing in their head that is so far untapped. If you have a “little something you do” and want to share, that would be great.
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Simple stories - complex characters does it..."Taxi Driver" would be just a guy driving a cab and thinking how shitty this world is if it weren't for Travis Bickle...
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True Kiril, when I first started I heard someone say “movie are about people”. I thought “bullshit”.
It took me years to see that simple truth.
When I started writing RAGE I was convinced that the theme meant it would have to be 19th century because it would be too sensitive to locate in the present day. But a year later I realized that a basic assumption (or rather my fear) was false. Now the finished screenplay contains none of the original characters and is based in the present day on actual events…
Hi James, I have a screenplay that I was sure was about a man on death row. It turned out to be about his lawyer.
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Craig - movies are not necessarily about 'people'. Movies are about 'relationships' and those relationships are nearly always founded in human style relationships. WALL-E certainly wasn't about 'people' but it certainly explored humanistic traits.
Hi Doug, I would say that Humanistic is people. Human is a very literal interpretation of people. But was made as human as possible.
Movie (IMO) are like you said about relationships. Don’t aliens taking over the world. That is a back drop. The seating that puts pressure on these relationships so we can see them for what they are.
A friend of mine had a cool boyfriend, until she was diagnosed with a lung tumour. He was gone. That pressure let us see the relationship. If that was a story. It would be about the tumour. It turn out okay. Removed and wasn’t what they thought it was.
Again, I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Luck people like us can hold two opinions in our heads at the same time.
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Craig:
Unfare sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't mind a look when it's finished.
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Not a problem Phil. I’ll send it as soon as I am not embarrassed by it. A good rewrite away.
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Craig, Excellent. I look forward to it.
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I'd love to see it also. Sounds fascinating!
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If your writing process is making income, then keep doing you.
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spending time to get a deeper understanding of your characters is rarely time wasted. It will influence their decision making process and make their evolution feel like it’s coming from somewhere human, rather than because the advancement of the plot requires it.
You're right, Ewan. One reason I spend time developing characters is so I can know how they will act and react when faced with decisions.