Contour At The Movies

Overall Impression – Sparks fly in this gentle, goofy, funny movie.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Margaret.

What’s she trying to accomplish? – Professional: convince Andrew’s family and the INS that their upcoming wedding is genuine, and not a sham to secure her a US visa. Personal: become part of a real family.  Private: overcome her fear of opening up emotionally.

Who’s trying to stop her? – Herself, INS Agent Gilbertson, Andrew’s dad, and to a lesser extent, Andrew.

What happens if she fails? – She’ll be deported to Canada, ending her life in the US and destroying her career.  Andrew will be sent to prison, his family will be crushed, and his grandma would probably die from the shock.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Margaret is divorced from her emotions.  She has no friends or family, her job is her life, and she’ll soon to be deported to Canada, leaving the only life she knows.

Wanderer – Margaret devises a plan to marry (temporarily) her assistant, Andrew, in order to secure a US visa and keep her job.  However, INS agent Gilbertson suspects they’re committing fraud, so they have to convince him and everybody they know that the marriage is genuine.  Margaret promises Andrew an editorial position for the risk he’s taking, and they’re off to visit his family… in Alaska.  Margaret must learn about Andrew, soon realizing there’s more to him than she ever imagined.  She also meets his family, including his loving mother, eccentric grandmother, and disapproving father.  Margaret must also learn to cope both with being a city girl in remote Alaska, and being in a family for the first time since she was a kid.

Warrior – When Margaret and Andrew kiss to keep up appearances, they realize there might be a connection between them.  As the wedding approaches, Margaret genuinely tries to get to know Andrew, open up about her past and personality, become part of the family, and fit in with the community.

Martyr – Margaret can’t bear to hurt Andrew and his family, so she comes clean about her scheme, sacrificing her professional life in the US.

AND, IN THE END…

THE PROPOSAL isn’t exactly groundbreaking in terms of the territory it (re)treads, but it does so with two great leads, real chemistry, Alaska, and a bunch of wacky humor.  Seeing a fluffy white puppy get carried off by an eagle might just appeal to my sensibilities, but there’s plenty here for even non rom-com fans to enjoy.

As romantic comedies go, we all know Margaret and Andrew will get together in the end.  The question is, how?  Given everything that stands between them, how can they possibly get together?  The elements that go into posing and answering that question form the meat of the story.  In this case it might be: how can the nicest assistant in the world and his evil ice queen of a boss fall in love when he hates her and she couldn’t care less about him?

It’s a cool dynamic, except main characters need to be sympathetic, and Margaret’s not exactly likable.  In fact, THE PROPOSAL spends much of its time portraying her as UNsympathetic.  One way this was achieved was by having her cause undeserved misfortune – namely, picking on Andrew.  A second way was by having her “kick the dog” – which means targeting something or someone helpless, often but not limited to animals, kids, or the elderly.  Margaret “kicked the dog” pretty literally when she tried to feed that puppy to an eagle!  The opposite goes for creating a sympathetic character: show that they’ve suffered undeserved misfortune and/or have them “pet the dog”.

By making us think of Margaret as a terror, the movie doesn’t just give us an enjoyably mean character, but it sets us up to (hopefully) be surprised and moved when it’s finally revealed that she is, in fact, extremely sympathetic.  Margaret’s a meanie because her parents died when she was a kid, leaving her alone to fend for herself in a cruel world.  Undeserved misfortune.  She also bonds with Andrew’s grandma.  That’s “petting the dog”.

If it strikes your fancy, have a look at similar movies and try to pick out those moments that help define a character as sympathetic or unsympathetic.  The same goes if it’s a reveal that shows a character is actually sympathetic, when you were led to believe they were unsympathetic.

- Dan Pilditch

So, when I agreed to do the “My Story Can Beat Up Your Story!” Screenwriting Seminar at STARZ ANIMATION I was told to expect 20 or 30 people…tops.

I got a call today from the fellow setting up the seminar.  We’re currently at sixty.  And it’s still two weeks away.

This is gonna rock!   I can’t wait.  And am I excited about the full-day seminar coming up in LA on August 30th?  Like you can’t believe.

UPDATE — As of today (July 2) we’re at 84.  Double-Dang!

The inaugural “MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY!” Screenwriting Seminar was a blast!   Twenty-five stalwarts showed up to downtown Toronto and we kicked some serious story tushie.   Not only did we go into greater detail on the concepts that were TotallyWrite and are now Mariner Software’s Contour story development software, but I introduced several new ideas as well; the 2 “missing” archetypes, “The Big Lie and the Big Truth,” and an exploration of the “Unity of Opposites” and how to use it to create a cast of characters for both your Hero and your Villain to work with and play off of.

Coming on the heels of the seminar, I’ve been invited by STARZ ANIMATION (they had a spy in the group!) to do a special session just for them in July at their amazing studio here in Toronto.  Want to see the quality of their work?  Click here to check out the trailer to the movie “9.”   After that, it’s off to Los Angeles for a special full-day seminar to be held at The Writers Store on Sunday, August 30th.  And after that…likely nothing for several months as season 3 of my series OVERRULED! goes into production.

So, thanks to everyone who came out this past Monday.  And a special thanks to Dan Pilditch (and company) for helping make “MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY!” a success.

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

Overall Impression – An entertaining horror that’s creepy, hilarious, ridiculous… and manages to pull it off.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Christine.

What’s she trying to accomplish? – Professional: break Mrs. Ganush’s curse before the Larnia demon drags her to hell.  Personal: succeed in life (score that promotion at work, impress her fiance’s parents, etc.) Private: figure out whether or not she’s a good person.

Who’s trying to stop her? – Mainly, it’s the Larnia.  We also have lesser antagonists such as Reggie, Christine’s underhanded competitor for a promotion, and Christine’s fiancé, who doesn’t believe in the supernatural.

What happens if she fails? – She’ll spend eternity in fiery hell.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Following Mrs. Ganush’s curse, the down-to-earth Christine is thrown into the world of the supernatural.

Wanderer – Christine visits Rham, a mystic who explains that she’s been cursed with the Larna, a demon that takes three days to manifest before it drags her to hell.  As the Larnia escalates its torment of Christine, she comes to believe in the curse.  Christine thinks she can get Mrs. Ganush to lift the curse, but upon learning she has passed away, Christine is forced to seek Rham’s advice on how to break it.

Warrior – As the Larnia steps up its game and threatens to ruin all aspects of Christine’s life, she fights to break the curse: she sacrifices her pet cat, visits a seer who calls the Larnia into physical form, but when all else fails, her last option is to pass the curse to someone else… living or dead. Throughout everything, Christine tries to win that work promotion and live a normal life with her fiance.

Martyr –  Christine could pass the curse to Reggie, sending him to hell in her place, securing her promotion and making her life perfect again. Instead, she does the right thing… which also turns out to be the grossest: Christine digs into Mrs. Ganush’s mud-filled grave and returns the curse once and for all… or so we think.

AND, IN THE END…

I’m always a little cynical before seeing a horror movie.   Rarely do I find them genuinely scary, and the most they seem to aspire to are sudden loud BANGS! to make you jump.  These are cheap scare tactics, and they used to work, too.  Unfortunately, they’ve become so overused that I can see them coming a mile away.  I know that when the scared woman goes into a kitchen, pots and pans will fall CLANGING to the ground.  I know that when something unseen turns the doorknob, it’ll be followed by a CRASH that splits the wood.  Most modern horror movies don’t even make me jump anymore, and I HATE that!  I LIKE being scared outta my mind!

That’s why I enjoyed DRAG ME TO HELL so much.  It felt like the filmmakers were having a great time playing within the horror genre, to the extent that cliches are embraced, turned on their heads and pushed to the limit!  In addition to getting creative (having a toothless gypsy gumming on Christine’s chin… EEEEUUUGHHHH!), it felt a little like a celebration of horror itself.

Structurally, DRAG ME TO HELL does its job.  THE FOUR QUESTIONS are clearly answered and consistent throughout, and Christine’s growth from ORPHAN to hardcore MARTYR at the end had the audience cheering!

Point of intrigue: in many MARTYR segments you’ll see the hero/heroine undergo a metaphorical rebirth, often through submersion in water, and even more frequently in a cave-like location.  It’s here that our hero/heroine makes their final transition into the character they need to become and/or finally displays the traits they need to display to achieve their PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL/PRIVATE goals.  In DRAG ME TO HELL, it’s when Christine seemingly drowns in Mrs. Ganush’s grave (cave-like and watery!), only to burst out a true warrior who’s willing to die and be reborn in order to win the day.

Can you name other movies with a comparable MARTYR moment?  Think of Jack cuffed to the pipe as the TITANIC sinks.  Think STAR WARS trash compactor scene.  Both of these scenes feature submersion in a cave-like place, and the trend emerges in a surprising number of flicks.  Keep an eye out for them!

- Dan Pilditch

Just got this in from a Contour user.  Besides that it makes me feel like a million bucks, I like that Kela points out one of the main strengths of Contour; instead of the structure feeling like it limits creativity, it actually frees your creativity.

Kela…from the bottom of my heart…thanks for the kind words!

———————————

Jeffrey:

I am new to Contour but I’ve seen the light…at the end of my dark, dark story tunnel. Using Contour is like talking to the one friend who doesn’t accept my BS. It’s damn near impossible to get off the true narrative track when answering Contour’s questions. With the main stops in place, my brain is free to create more interesting scenes and characters. The story components come organically from the hero’s experiences.

And the movie reviews are like attending Contour seminars. I fill out the archetypes before checking my answers against the Contour review. Thank you for the time you put into this tool and please, keep writing more reviews of anything and everything!

Your student, K. Anelons

Overall Impression – Woooweeewowow!  What’d you expect?  It’s Pixar!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Carl.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: achieve his and his late wife Ellie’s dream of living on Paradise Falls. Personal: develop a connection to somebody. Private: find the true meaning of adventure.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Charles Muntz and his talking dogs, Carl’s own inhibitions, and plenty of lesser antagonists.

What happens if he fails? – Muntz will kill them, capture Kevin (a rare bird), and Carl will never fulfill the promise of adventure that he and Ellie shared.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – After Ellie passes away, Carl’s left totally alone in the world.

Wanderer – Instead of moving to a retirement home, Carl decides to fulfill his promise of adventure to Ellie: to live on Paradise Falls!  So, he creates an airship by attaching thousands of balloons to his house and flies off on his journey!  Unfortunately, so does Russell, a ‘Wilderness Explorer’ who was stuck on the porch!  As Carl learns to handle the ultra-enthusiastic, yet slow-witted Russell, they navigate to a strange land, and the only way Carl can pull the floating house to Paradise Falls is with Russell’s help.  Along the way, they encounter a rare bird which Russell names Kevin, and also a talking dog named Dug, whom they soon discover is owned by Carl’s childhood hero, legendary hunter/explorer Charles Muntz!

Warrior – When Carl and Russell discover that Muntz is not only a little insane, but has been hunting Kevin, it’s time to RUN!   They escape the crazed explorer and his dogs,  but Kevin injures her leg.  Russell implores Carl to help Kevin back to her chicks, which he does, only for Muntz to track Dug, capture Kevin and set fire to Carl’s house.  Angry and refusing to break his promise to Ellie, Carl finishes his journey to Paradise Falls instead of rescuing Kevin.  However, Carl discovers that he already realized his promise: Ellie’s dream adventure was their wonderful life together, and her last wish was for him to start his own adventure.  Carl’s about to apologize to Russell, only to discover that he’s left alone to rescue Kevin!  Desperate to fix his mistake, Carl flies his house after Muntz, and has to fight though his flying zeppelin and scores of fighter dog pilots to rescue his new friend!

Martyr – Having lived his adventure with Ellie, Carl is able to let go of his house in order to save the day.

AND, IN THE END…

Oh, did I love this movie.  UP kicks off with one of the most involving opening montages I’ve ever seen.  From that moment on, you’re hooked, you’re involved, and THE FOUR QUESTIONS are addressed in an elegant, engrossing and economical way:

We meet Carl as a kid.  We meet Muntz (who’ll become Carl’s enemy).  We understand Carl’s desire for adventure. We meet Ellie.  She and Carl swear to one day go on an adventure to Paradise Falls.  They grow up, life gets in the way, then we lose Ellie, allowing us to understand the driving force behind the entire movie.  By the end, Carl’s a lonely shut-in whose only wish is that they’d gone on their adventure.  Already, we’ve either answered or begun to answer the FOUR QUESTIONS, and have a deep understanding of Carl’s PERSONAL, PRIVATE and PROFESSIONAL goals!  In short, Pixar’s ability to render characters we care about is second only to their skill at making exposition feel like anything but.

When it comes to Pixar movies, I can’t help but notice how the simplest approach tends to be the most compelling:

– Who better as Carl’s nemesis than his childhood hero, Charles Muntz?

– What better pairing than Carl and Russell as allies?  They’re polar opposites at first glance, but really they’re exactly what the other needs to become whole.

– What better way to make Carl a martyr than for him to sacrifice his house?  Carl thinks it’s his only connection to Ellie, and notice how it’s tied to Carl’s PROFESSIONAL, PERSONAL and PRIVATE goals?  That house was so integral to Carl’s character and a story that engrosses us that it’s a huge feat when he gives it away.  It’s almost like losing a beloved character.

Finally, to the 3D, which was by far the best I’d ever seen.  I won’t say you’ll have more fun seeing UP with an added dimension, since the 3D accompanies what is already excellent.  That being said, the visuals are so smooth and painless (Gone are the headache days!) you’ve really got nothing to lose aside from the extra $$$.

Check UP out, 3D or no!

- Dan Pilditch

COMING TO LOS ANGELES on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 is a special FULL DAY version of the “MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY!” Screenwriting Seminar.  Sponsored by the incredible folks at the Writer’s Store, this is going to be a full day of the most potent screenwriting information I know…the same stuff I’ve used every day in my 20 years as a working writer.  This isn’t just about how to make your screenplay better than everyone else’s (although I’ll show you that, too!) this is about how to create a career as a screenwriter…and maintain it.

For those of you who’ve been following this blog, you know that I’ve got my live-action series OVERRULED going back into production in the fall, so this is likely to be the last seminar I can squeeze in for a while.

As soon as the registration page is up, I’ll let you know.  I hope to see you there!  And for those of you in Toronto, on Monday night, June 15th I’m doing my half-day seminar at the Downtown Hyatt.    You can check it out or sign up at www.mscbuys.com.

Now, quit reading this and GO WRITE SOMETHING.

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

Only 10 days left until the “MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY!” Screenwriting Seminar conquers Toronto.  Space is still available, so if you’re interested in coming (and why wouldn’t you be?!?!?!?) please CLICK HERE or go to www.mscbuys.com to register.

Overall Impression – This year’s Palm D’Or winner offers great insight into the relationship between teachers and students.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Francois.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: teach the school’s curriculum to his students. Personal: define his relationship with his students.  Private: find the value in what he’s trying to teach.

Who’s trying to stop him? – The students, the school’s policies, and himself.

What happens if he fails? –  Francois’ reputation is on the line.  Additionally, his students will never appreciate the value of learning, sabotaging their own futures.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – As the class’s new teacher, Francois is the outsider.

Wanderer – Francois launches into the school’s syllabus, only to be bombarded with questions about what the students are learning and why they’re learning it.  While Francois’s lack of answers exposes genuine problems with the school’s system, his attempts to get the know the students are also met with limited success.

Warrior – Francois figures the students might be more receptive to a friend rather than an authority figure, so he steps up his efforts to get to know them: he meets their parents, he has them write self-reflective reports, and begins to understand their place in the class’s social hierarchy. However, conflicts soon arise, both among the students and between student and teacher, resulting in Francois snapping violently.

Martyr – While Francois admits his mistake to the school board and faces the consequences, another student becomes the unwilling martyr when the board allocates blame on him, avoiding any unpleasantness for a fellow teacher.

AND, IN THE END…

I found THE CLASS fascinating in a number of ways, especially its style.  Filmed like a documentary, but based on an autobiographical book by Laurent Cantet (who played an alternate version of himself as Francois), the movie offers an in-depth, colorful and completely unpredictable character study that feels incredibly real.

Francois wants to befriend his students, yet he’s their teacher… which makes him the enemy! How can he teach his students when they have no real connection?  How can he develop this connection without violating certain boundaries?  It’s a minefield!

Thankfully, THE CLASS isn’t one-sided, gracefully allowing us to identify with student and teacher alike.

On the one hand, we’re with Francois: we know nothing about these kids, but we want to.  His WANDERER and WARRIOR journeys are as frustrating and rewarding for him as they are for us.  On the other hand, I’m sure most of us have questioned certain knowledge forced upon us in school.  We’ve also experienced environments in which we’re too shy, guarded or disconnected to reveal who we really are.

Placing us between these two groups, yet making us part of both creates a wonderful moment when the students read their reports: not only does Francois learn about the kids, but they learn new things about their own classmates.

I should also mention how, through great use of an unwilling MARTYR, THE CLASS skillfully conveyed the injustice present in some school systems.  When the board blames a student for Francois’s outburst (something both he and Francois know to be flawed), the sense of wrongness that’s created is palpable.  The tragic thing is, Francois totally sympathizes with the students.  He just can’t act on it… he’s a teacher.

- Dan Pilditch

Just wanted to say WELCOME! to everybody who’s gotten on board with MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY! so far.

In particular, special thanks to Yan Krupnik for helping us reach over a THOUSAND TO-based film and TV peeps with news of the seminar.  Check out the trailer for Yan’s new feature “Drink Tea Outside” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMcTs6AMb8

Thanks all!