Line 'O the day - August 20, 2006

A dime a dozen doesn’t sound right anymore, I think inflation might have changed what the dozen is actually worth.

Line 'O the day - August 14, 2006

Becoming a professional in your spare time is not an easy task.

Line 'O the day - August 13, 2006

Your position in time is like trying to go up the down escalator.

Line 'O the day - August 12, 2006

I think Jesus added a couple zeros onto his time spent in the desert.

Line 'O the day - August 6, 2006

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts. --- Jaques

Line 'O the day - July 30, 2006

Wanderlust is a disease that requires a transplant.

Handmade Tools

Okay, this is my first screen writing post. I'm not Mr. August nor Mr. Myers, but I'm a writer all the same and process matters. I've never had a specific process when I sit down to start a script. I like to mix it up, as it were. Sometimes I'll outline like crazy, sometimes I'll create big dossiers on my characters and just start the script from there, other times I just fill up a notebook with fragmented ideas and then try to fit it together like a puzzle. But they all start from a core idea, and that's where this post comes from.
The core idea here started as a title, that's it. And a question was asked, what kind of movie would that title be attached to? The answer was a crime flick, or more pointedly a lighter crime flick. No Goodfellas, no Animal Kingdom here, but rather a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. So then, change focus just a tad and Guy Ritchie comes into one's head. Now I don't want to make a Guy Ritchie knock off, I already did that seven years ago. It was a shitty script (occasionally I worry I'm a hack today, but god was I ever a hack back then). But here in my preliminary stages, while I'm building my little world in my head, perhaps something could be gained from dissecting the Ritchie/Vaughn crime film. And so I sat back, looked at them and came up with this.

Couple of notes real quick here.
I've left out Revolver. Personally I didn't think it was that bad, but it's a bit cerebral and no one has seen it, so there.
Second, these 'rules' are just me messing around. They work well for me as a tool to have in my head as I start working on my script. I may choose to use the idea of an Item (or McGuffin as Hitchcock would say), but disregard the rest.

Anyway, lets say these rules were premeditated by the filmmakers. We'll discuss them as if they were real. Sounds like a plan.
The McGuffin is always an important devise. And in these pictures it serves it's purpose, to get the ball rolling. In Snatch, Turkish has no knowledge of the diamond until everything has shaken out, but his ultimate fate is tied to it. That entire 'B' plot is known to everyone save Turkish, and he only winds up with the damn thing cause he couldn't stand the dog squeaking. It's a major theme in these movies, and in crime film in general, the lead's fate is always just beyond his control. Turkish is beholden to just about everyone he deals with. And he's playing catch up until everyone else's hand is played out. Provided he's likable, which the lead always is in these flicks, reaching for the brass ring ideally keeps the audience in their corner.
Speaking of likable characters there's always the Wild Card. Pitt's gypsy boxer is fun, but I'd rather talk about Johnny Quid. Johnny plays two roles, as far as my rules go, he's the Wild Card as well as the Missing Person. Plus the Item is in his possession for a good portion of the film. What Johnny does with himself and the painting has a lot of weight as far as what happens to a number of the other players, but that notion isn't apparent to him, nor does he care. The Wild Card, from a writing standpoint, holds the key to the climax. Johnny pulls Roman and Mickey into the Showdown, and while there tries to out his step-dad as the informant. That the Crew's storyline syncs up with Johnny's at that moment is how a climax is supposed to work. In Snatch the Wild Card was running his own game the whole time, unbeknown to everyone, but in the end it saves the Crew of Turkish and Tommy.

I could go on about each of the rules individually, but you see what I'm aiming at. But when looked at as a whole what do they provide us? The chart isn't an outline exactly, but it is a decent tool in developing an idea. Which is where it all started. So I'm writing a new script, it's a crime flick, with some comedic elements. Already I've put myself inside a sandbox, all I need is the right tools to build what I want. Now these are just four examples in that genre, and one could assume that if you looked at other offerings in this category of film you might be able to match those pictures to these rules. And so here is where I start my brainstorming.
I'll need a lead character, lets give him a crew of confederates, and build those characters up. Right there is a few pages of introductions, familiar banter, idiosyncrasies and we start their plot rolling. Now we need our bad guys, more introductions and them throwing a Deal at the crew and getting our plot up on its legs. It could involve an Item or not, we'll see. Where's the Wild Card come in, does he start out aligned with the Crew or against them? The Outsiders get thrown into the mix, maybe thats the first act turn. Plus you get more character introductions (lets not be crass and call it filler, we need to know who these folks are). Who goes missing, are they important to the Crew or the Big Bad? How does that gum up the Deal? Somebody makes a move that screws up one or all the other players, and we're making our way into the third act. Let's go ahead and resolve the Good Outsiders plot here in the middle of the third act, sorta a false showdown. But of course something didn't go according to plan and we careen toward the actual Showdown. And the Big Bad gets beat, the Crew escape with their skin, and the Wild Card comes out ahead. Yet we need that extra cap, the Fortuitous End, something to make it all worth it for our lead. Which is why we started the damn thing to begin with.

As a writer I love new tools, something I'm sure every craftsman enjoys. Being a writer though, I can make my own tools and it costs me nothing but time. These rules are simply a tool, and if they prove useful great. If not, well I'll put them into my tool box and perhaps they'll be handy in the future. The important thing I would stress here is that creating new tools goes hand in hand with developing new ideas. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, is a great analogy to creating a story. Also you can't make an omelet without a whisk, or at least a very good omelet. And so I need to create the best whisk possible so that I can make one hell of an omelet.