TODAY'S NUGGET: Hard Eight (1996) - An Excellent Note; Best Way to Grasp "Writer's Voice"

[Quick Summary: In Reno, Sydney, an old timer, takes under his wing John, an aimless young drifter who falls in love with misfit Clementine.]

TWO THOUGHTS:

1)  EXCELLENT NOTE FROM WRITER TO WRITER.  

Q: Was there an experience or conversation at the [Sundance] Lab that ultimately shifted a direction of the film?

A: I had written a scene where two people talk about doing a scam. I had written one guy telling another guy about a scam that he could pull to get a. free hotel in Vegas. I sat down with Richard LaGravenese [also in the Lab], and he said, "Why am I reading about this? Why am I not seeing it?" And I thought, "Well, that's kind of incredible. Why don't I show it?" That's just a very basic thing, one really strong  thing I took. (underline mine)

2) WRITER'S VOICE.  

- What is it?  Over the years, I've learned that it's an intangible feel (pace, rhythm, word choice, etc.) imbued in your writing that sets it apart from others.

- How do I get it?  No surprises here: Reading widely (scripts, novels, etc.) 

You have to get really comfortable in the word saddle to see how others tell a story and lay it out, so that you can figure out how you like to lay out a story too.

In the example below, I think the writer of this script shows that he has an intimate voice that makes us curious about the dynamics between two strangers:

EXT. COFFEE SHOP/PARKING LOT - DAWN

CAMERA holds on a coffee shop off a stretch of highway.

The back of a FIGURE enters FRAME at waist level. CAMERA DOLLIES BEHIND THE FIGURE, HOLDING AT WAIST LEVEL, ACROSS THE PARKING LOT, APPROACHING THE COFFEE SHOP ENTRANCE.

Sitting on the ground, outside the door is an unshaven man, late twenties, JOHN.

The FIGURE passes by him, enters the coffee shop. 

CAMERA holds on John. BEAT. The Figure steps back out of the coffee shop.

FIGURE (OC): Hey...

John holds his head in his lap.

FIGURE (OC): Hey.

JOHN: What?

FIGURE (OC): You want a cup of coffee? (pause) You want a cigarette?

John looks up.

JOHN:...what...?

FIGURE (OC) I'm a guy who's offering to give you a cigarette and buy you a cup of coffee.

                                                                       CUT TO:

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Voice is the writer's footprint, the way they tell a story.  

That being said, it does require time to acquire boots to create a said memorable footprint.

Hard Eight (1996)(1/24/95 shooting script w/revisions)
by Paul Thomas Anderson