TODAY'S NUGGET: Rocco and His Brothers (1960) - How Pacing Helps to Flesh Out a Character

[Quick Summary: Rocco and his brothers are uprooted to Milan, where a prostitute comes between him and his brother Simone.]

I appreciate that Visconti scripts are very naturalistic, but disciplined.

It takes a lot of rewriting:
a)  to make sure that the right pacing gives characters and scenes time to breathe, but not dawdle; and
b)  to boil down characters and scenes to their essences.

For example, in the scene below: 
- Rosaria is the mother of Rocco and his brothers.
- Vincenzo is one of her sons.
- They are quite poor and live squashed together in housing for the evicted. 
- Notice how the writers take the time to show Rosario's mental calculations through her reactions: She hears Vincenzo, freezes, carries on wrapping, expresses her thoughts to Ciro, then addresses Vincenzo. 
- This fleshes out Rosaria into a three dimensional character. She has a life outside this scene and concerns other than Vincenzo.  The writers give her time to finish what she was doing (wrapping) then turn to Vincenzo's problem.  

 

Rosaria's room at the housing for the evicted.

...As Luca runs to rummage through some drawers, a heavy silence settles over the room, as if something is about to happen. Rosaria clears the table. The others get up. Luca bring the paper and Rosaria begins to wrap up the remaining sweets.  Vincenzo and Ginetta gaze at each other for mutual support. Then Vincenzo speaks.

VINCENZO (suddenly taking courage): Mama, Ginetta and I have to get married! 

Rosario freezes for a moment. Then she continues wrapping up the sweets in silence. She seems not to have heard.

ROSARIA: Tell Ciro to eat them, and that I'm sending them to him.

A very expressive glance passes between Vincenzo and Ginetta.

VINCENZO: Ma, did you hear what I said?

Rosaria turns and hand him the package. She is cold as stone.

ROSARIA: (her voice trembling): Vince, what are you asking me? (Louder) What are you telling me? (She indicates Ginetta for the first time, alluding to the Ginnellis.) After what happened with them, if you want me consent...(Melodramatically) you'll have to bury me first. (She gestures broadly toward Ginetta.) It's just a pity for this poor girl who doesn't have much to do with it.

 But Vincenzo touches Ginetta's head and finds the strength to go on.

VINCENZO: No, I'm marrying her, Mama. I'm telling you I'm going to marry her.

Rosaria shrieks in answer.

ROSARIA (shouting): You're treating me this way? My sons treat me this way? Can a person stand such injustice?

She strides up and down the room, prey to an exaggerated agitation.

ROCCO (trying to stop her): Calm down, Mama. Ginetta's a good girl. Why shouldn't Vincenzo marry her?  

ROSARIA (impersonally): If Vincenzo wants to do just what he wants to, it means he hasn't got a mother any more. (She throws herself on her home-town saints - blooming there for Easter - and groans.) I've brought them up, I've taken care of them, I've watched over them, these sons of mine...And now must they raise their heads? (She continues to address the saints, as everyone listens in an atmosphere charged with apprehension; looking at the saints.) Vince, open your eyes, open your eyes. "Two eyes have gazed upon you -- three want to help you - Saint Anne, Saint Lena, Saint Mary Magdalen..."

VINCENZO: Mama, what are you exorcising for? (Embarrassed pause) It's too late... (Resolutely) now. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  I don't trust the audience like these writers do.  

I worry I'm boring the audience, so jump to answering the question too quickly.  

Here, the writers observe reality, which is that Rosaria has a lot on her mind and would be juggling in her head how to respond.  They allow the question to linger (will Rosaria give her approval) and give her time to finish what she was doing.  This fleshes out the character because Rosaria's actions are not about getting to the next plot point, but about what she'd really do as a mother living her life. 

Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
by Luchino Visconti, Suso Cocchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, Enrico Medioli
Based on the book Il Ponte della Ghisolfa, by Giovanni Testori 

TODAY'S NUGGET: White Nights (1957) - How to Make Your Point by Visually Sequencing a Scene

[Quick Summary: One lonely night, a lonely guy connects with a lonely girl, though she is waiting for her boyfriend who left her a year ago.]

This is my first exposure to the neo-realistic, post-war, Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti (best known for The Leopard).  

One of the things Visconti does well is plumbing the depths of character with the sequencing of his visuals. 

This is an element of cinema that has been difficult for me to learn, i.e., that the sequencing of pictures can convey to the audience more about the character's internal feelings even than plot alone. 

A good example is the scene below. Prior to this scene: 
- Mario wanders around at night and doesn't want to go home.
- He's come to work in this small town a few months ago.
- He sees Natalia on a bridge, waiting for someone. 
- He follows her, but she disappears.
- He eventually finds her and they engage in a conversation.
- She tells him the story, that she lives with her anxious, protective grandmother, and that they had a Lodger in the house.
- She and the Lodger fell in love, but he has had to go away for business for a year.. 
- She promised  to wait for him, with no guarantees.  Mario thinks she's absurd.
- The sequencing of the visuals (FLASHBACK, PRESENT, JUXTAPOSITION) does tell the story, but the purpose of the scene is more about conveying the emotional impact on Mario.
- Notice how Mario's abrupt objection changes the dynamic (and how the audience feels as well).
- Also notice the effective juxtaposition at the end.  The visual contrast of  the situations (Mario and Natalia apart and upset vs. a kissing couple close and happy) makes us feel even more for Mario.

Outside, along the canals. Night. 

NATALIA'S VOICE: We came here too. He told me again that he couldn't take me with him then...he couldn't marry me then... but he swore I was the only woman who could make him happy.

The lodger and Natalia walk along the canal in a nocturnal setting very similar to the present scene.

LODGER: Listen to me, Natalia. I have to go away for a year. And I can't ask you to promise me anything. I don't want you to promise me anything. I don't want you to be unhappy because of me. You have to be free. When I come back next year, if you still love me then, I swear to you, we'll be happy.

NATALIA"S VOICE: You want to test me, I told him. But I'm not afraid. I'll wait for you.

Outside. Night.

Natalia speaks to the young man, whose back is to the camera.

NATALIA: I'll be here to meet you a year from now...at this very time...and you'll still love me... and I'll be yours... yours forever... 

With those words, Natalia has drawn closer to Mario, almost as if she were addressing them to him, with the same intensity that she mist have had with the other man. Mario at once moved and uncomfortable, moves a bit away from her.  

NATALIA: He left the next morning... and.. I'm here to wait for him.

There is a long silence. Natalia bows her head.

MARIO (violently): But this story is absurd! 

To recover from the emotion the girl's closeness and her confessions have provoked in him, Mario raises his voice and speaks with irritation and extreme agitation.

A pair of lovers who have been kissing in a dark corner not far from them. Mario and the girl turn in alarm.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  My fear in my own writing is that the audience won't connect the dots in my sequences. It helps to see here how the visual sequencing flows with the clear purpose of making a point (hearing Natalia's story --> results in an impact on Mario). 

White Nights (1957)
Story and script by Suso CecchiD'Amico & Luchino Visconti
Based on the novel by Fedor Dostoevski

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Temptations of Doctor Antonio (1962; part of the Boccaccio '70 anthology) - When Hypocrisy is Revealed in a Satire

[Quick Summary: Outraged Dr. Mazzuolo tries to get a provocative billboard of a woman removed, but is shocked when the billboard woman literally speaks to him.]

In this short film, Dr. Mazzuolo lives a "very moral" life and has definite ideas of how women should behave and dress. 

When a billboard goes up with a provocative woman drinking milk, Dr. Mazzuolo is outraged.  He causes a loud commotion to get it taken down. 

The satire is his obsession over a paper billboard and the over-the-top lengths he'll go to get rid of it.  It's hypocritical because his motives are not particularly virtuous. 

This is best seen in the scene below:   
- Dr. Mazzuolo has gotten the billboard woman covered up with a covering, but the rain has brought it down.
- Anita, the gigantic billboard woman, comes to life and speaks to Mazzuolo.
- Her sheer size is so exaggerated vs. Mazzuolo.  It's a good visual of how he feels; of her vs. him; of one man trying to fight against a larger idea. 
- I really liked the irony of this scene too. Anita's unexpected reaction to Mazzuolo's verbal abuse (shower of tears) brings home to me that he could deal with the billboard woman as an idea but had difficulty dealing with a real woman.

 E.U.R. quarter. Night.

... He laughs once more, harshly and somewhat hysterically. His laughter is suddenly echoed by Anita's, which explodes unexpectedly, bloodcurdling despite her cordial tone. Mazzuolo shudders in horror.

MAZZUOLO (with mixed aggressiveness and terror): What's so funny? ...

ANITA: You laughed, so I laughed too. What's the matter, can't I even laugh? I have a cheerful disposition, you know ...

To overcome his terror, Mazzuolo now explodes in violent abuse, all a-tremor with sanctimonious indignation.

MAZZUOLO: No! ... I can laugh. Not you? Your laugh is cynical or irresponsible! ... You haven't any right to laugh at decent people! You think it's so easy to be decent and pure? It's much easier to be licentious, like you are! For shame! ... Do you have any idea of the ruinous effect you have on people? on the family? on Society? ... Ah, you're just taking the sun, eh? ... Enjoying the scenery? ... You liar! ... I'll shout it right to your face: liar, hypocrite, corrupter of morals! ... You're sowing ruin and scandal! ... If so many decent people go wrong ... if there's so much evil in this world of ours, so wanting in faith and hope, it's your fault! ...

An enormous tear plunges down from on high, forming a little puddle on the ground beside Mazzuolo. Then another, and another. Sidestepping to avoid them, Mazzuolo goes on, his face flushed with wrath.

MAZZUOLO: ... You're crying? ... Cry, cry, it'll do you good! ... I'm glad I made you cry! ... At last I've been able to confront you face to face ... give you a moral whipping ... Weep, weep! 

He opens his umbrella as the huge tears continue to shower down around him. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked that the writers didn't try to soften the hypocrisy and make Dr. Mazzuolo more likeable. Satire requires that characters are unrepentant as they go hard after what they want in order to lampoon them.

The Temptations of Doctor Antonio (1962) 
by Federico Fellini & Ennio Flaiano & Tullio Pinelli

TODAY'S NUGGET: I Vitelloni (1953) - One Unspoken Way to Reveal an Unplanned Pregnancy Without Feeling Forced

[Quick Summary: A character study of the lives of five young men in a small Italian town.]

I have to admit that I've been reluctant to read more of Federico Fellini's writing because of my previous experience reading 8 1/2 (1963). 

I may have to revisit 8 1/2 after reading today's script,* which was written 10 years earlier.  

I like this script because it feels like real, small town life, yet isn't boring; it moves forward, yet doesn't feel forced. How does that work? It's harder than it looks.

One good example of this is the scene below in which a pregnancy is discovered: 
- Fausto, Moraldo, and Leopoldo are friends and attend a festival together.
- Sandra is Moraldo's sister.
- Fausto is dating Sandra. 
- Sandra enters a beauty pagent at the festival.
- After she has been crowned Miss Siren, she faints.
- Her family calls for a doctor.
- Notice mother's behavior and how it changes from concern to suspicion to accusation. It's all very unspoken and natural, not mannered or forced.

Kursaal hall. Night. 

The doctor leans over Sandra and listens to her heart as Moraldo continues to comfort his still-frightened mother.

MORALDO: Mama, Mama, calm down, calm down. It's nothing.

MOTHER: What d'you mean nothing; look at her!

Fausto makes his way through the crowd in the main hall but stops at the doorway to the little room and looks inquiringly at Leopoldo, who is already stationed there.

LEOPOLDO: Sandra's fainted; she's sick.

The doctor has completed his examination and stands up, silent.

MOTHER (anxiously): Is she better?

She leans over Sandra, who opens her eyes.

SANDRA: Mama!

MOTHER: Darling!

Sandra sees Fausto standing in the doorway. She immediately drops her eyes and suddenly bursts into desperate tears, hiding her face in her hands.

SANDRA (sobbing): I want to die, I want to die

Her mother bends over her and rests her face gently on the girl's hair.

MOTHER: Oh my dear little Sandra, my lovely girl, what are you saying? You want to die just tonight, when you've just become Miss Siren? No, darling, don't say such things, not even as a joke! (Turning to the doctor) Doctor, what's wrong with her?

Fausto, evidently uncomfortable, watches the scene from the doorway. The mother continues to look uncertainly at the doctor as if to elicit an answer. Moraldo is frowning.

MOTHER: Answer!

The doctor looks gravely into the mother's eyes and then at Moraldo.

MANCINELLI (clapping his hands): All right, young folks, everybody out.

At the doctor's words, the mother is struck by a sudden suspicion. She looks first at Moraldo, then at Sandra. Moraldo silently turns to gaze at Fausto.

Fautso, who was about to enter, steps back warily and then makes his way out through the crowd. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Mother's emotions flit from concern to suspicion to accusation at a very fast speed, just based on looks.  

The writers had to be astute observers of character to get Mother's pacing of emotions correct.  They had to be specific and true to life, otherwise the audience will not grasp that we are clocking her unspoken train of thoughts. 

I Vitelloni (1953) 
by  Federico Fellini & Ennio Flaiano
Story by Federico Fellini & Ennio Flaiano & Tullio Pinelli

*Fellini was nominated for 14 Oscars, 8 of which were for writing (including this script and 8 1/2).

TODAY'S NUGGET: Darling (1965) - How Excellent Writing Elevates Character in an "Impersonal Sex Scene"

[Quick Summary: An amoral model who sleeps her way to the top has to face consequences in the Swinging Sixties of London.]

Frederic Raphael is an astute writer who nails character with real panache and nuance. (See my reviews for Two for the Road and This Man, This Woman).

For example, many other writers would describe an "impersonal sex scene" by focusing on characters' beliefs about sex (transactional) and where they are mentally (occupied with other relationships).

But Raphael (who won an Oscar for this script) adds something special: humanity.  

Prior to the scene below:
- Diana, a model, lives with Robert, a tv director.
- She truly cares for Robert, who is difficult sometimes. 
- She has no qualms about a side relationship - only for recreational sex - with Miles, a businessman.
- Diana tracks down Miles at his gym where he was fencing.
- They retreat to his flat for sex.
- See my bolded section below and my comments in brackets.

INT. MILES' BEDROOM. DAY.

Small change, all silver, being stacked with great care on top of the chest of drawers. The money graded through half crowns to a tuppence.

MILES takes a hanger out of the wardrobe where his suits hang in neat rows like executed gentlemen. He takes out a hanger and holds it out.

DIANA's bare arm takes it. The essence of this scene is that the two are never seen embracing or in two-shot. They undress and seduce each other very coolly, in ritual, never as part of a relationship, never in mutual joy. [These bolded sentences impressed me.  2nd sentence: Raphael, who also wrote for tv, is very aware of what the camera (i.e., visuals) can say that dialogue cannot.  By keeping them apart visually, the sex feels impersonal. 3rd sentence: I thought the description exactly nailed the feeling of this sexual seduction. It's also rather ironic. They're here for sex, to feel better, but they're not really engaged with each other or feeling much at all.]

DIANA: I always feel as if there's one more corner to turn...and I'll be there.

MILES: (sitting on a chair, taking off his shoes) And so you will.

DIANA raises a stocking over her head.

DIANA: And there'll be another.

MILES: (taking off his sweater) That's the attraction of corners.

The coverlet is pulled off the bed and neatly folded.

DIANA: I do love Robert, you know. 

MILES: Why not? 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: This isn't your typical "impersonal sex scene."  I believe the humanity of these characters, that they're contradictory beings.  It's totally realistic to me that they'd try to keep emotions out of a very emotion filled act.

Darling (1965) 
by Frederic Raphael

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Misfits (1961) - A Really Great "Willow-O'-the- Wisp" Role for Marilyn Monroe

[Quick Summary: A recent divorcee attracts three very different men in Reno, NV.]

One thing that isn't often mentioned about this film is that playwright Arthur Miller wrote Marilyn Monroe a really great character in the part of Roslyn.*

(I do imagine it didn't help Monroe that her husband (Miller) had written her a role is about a divorcee, and she was about to become one in reality.)

Roslyn is fully fleshed out.  On the one hand, she's effervescent, a "willow o' the wisp," and a fun charmer.

On the other hand, her emotional honesty can be rather blunt.  She dips in and out of humor as well as emotional quagmires with amazing dexterity. 

Prior to the scene below:
- Roslyn got a divorce and is now staying with Isabelle. 
- Roslyn meets Guido, who falls for her, and Gay, who's not as impressed.
- Roslyn wants to leave Reno for the countryside.
- Guido suggests the four of them go out to see his house in the country.
- Guido built the house for his wife, who died in the house giving birth 
- In the scene below, the foursome have just arrived at Guido's house.
- The house is half built, and overrunning with weeds.
- There's no front steps. The door is a few feet above the ground.  
- Guido has just said his wife wasn't like Roslyn, not graceful. Roslyn adds "She's dead."

Guido, struck with guilt and wounded by some aspersions on his fidelity to a previously hallowed wife, tries to keep his grin and the gay mood, but his eyes are resentful, and he halts. On the couch, Gay and Isabelle are observing, eating sandwiches and drinking, sensing something serious now.

GUIDO (Trying to laugh at her): What do you mean by that?

ROSLYN (She stays close to him looking up into his face): Whyn't you teach her to be graceful?

GUIDO: You can't teach that.

ROSLYN: How do you know? I mean you do you know? I mean did you ever dance that way with your wife? 

GUIDO: Well she just couldn't make that kind of . . . 

ROSLYN: You see? She died, and she never knew how you could dance! I mean it's nobody's fault, but to a certain extent -- (She holds thumb and index finger a half inch apart) -- I mean just to a certain extent maybe you were strangers.

GUIDO (Defensively; hardening): I don't feel like discussing my wife. 

ROSLYN (she takes his arm -- the jazz is going, she is high now): Oh! I didn't mean to make you mad. I just meant that if you loved her you could have taught her anything. Because we have to die, we're really dying right now, aren't we? All the husbands and all the wives are dying every minute, and they are not teaching one another what they really know! (Genuinely trying to plead with him) You're such a nice man, Guido -- why are you so afraid?! (She wipes her hair out of her eyes to blot out the sight of his resentful face, and suddenly . . . ) I want air! (She goes quickly to the door and starts to step out. GAY rushes from the couch and catches her before she goes down where the step is missing. ISABELLE rushes right behind him. GAY, holding her. . .) 

GAY: You better lie down, girl.

ISABELLE: Come on, let's get back home. Heist her down, Cowboy. 

ROSLYN: No, I'm all right, I'm all  . . . ! (She starts once again to walk out the door. GAY leaps down to the ground and SHE falls into his arms standing up. She looks into his face, laughing in surprise at her sudden drop) How'd you get out here?

ISABELLE (Calling from the threshold): Get me down, Cowboy! Get in the car, Roslyn! -- we're goin' home! 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I marveled at that Miller didn't betray Roslyn's effervescence while allowing for great emotional dexterity. It would be so easy to favor one way or the other. 

The Misfits (1961)
by Arthur Miller

*Things that are often said about this film:
- It was the last film for Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable.
- Both passed away shortly after the film. 
- It was written for Monroe by her husband, the playwright Arthur Miller.
- Monroe did not enjoy filming. 
- She and Miller were having problems and would divorce after the film wrapped. 

TODAY'S NUGGET: It Takes Two (a.k.a. Househusbands)(1988) - Don't Be Afraid of Longer Character Descriptions in a Comedy

[Quick Summary: After two complete opposites are paired up on the neighborhood watch, they have to pull together to deal with dead bodies and a drug cartel.]

I was attracted to this script because of its original title, "Househusbands."  Unfortunately, the story didn't stick with me for long afterwards.*

However, I did like how the writers characterized the characters so you'll remember them. They're descriptive and fun to read, and carry the point without forcing it.  

Most importantly, I felt something when I read them.  

For example:

1) This character seems to shout "Stay away!"

ex. "Duncan is an extremely cheap looking girl, about twenty. Her hair is ratted; clothes black leather. Lipstick the color of exposed lung-tissue. Eye makeup...not even Stephen King has the balls to write about. Lewd knuckle tattoos, mantlepiece breasts and hickeys all over her neck and chest.  Right now, she has the passenger visor down and is analyzing Dale's reflection on the clip-on mirror."

2) This character seems to have secrets beneath the surface. 

ex. "Otto almost smiles. His eighty rounds per second sense of humor working." 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Fun is key in comedies, so don't be afraid to give character descriptions more space on the page if you need it.  

I have a bad habit of short changing the descriptions, favoring utility over a fully rounded character. I need to remember that some characters just need more space.

It Takes Two (a.k.a. Househusbands)(1988)(8/16/88 1st draft)
by Thomas Szollosi and Richard Christian Matheson

*I haven't seen the finished film, but it seems to be very different than this first draft.  

TODAY'S NUGGET: State of Play (2009) - Multiple Causes of Urgency Within a Scene

[Quick Summary: A journalist (whose college friend is now a current Congressman) investigates the suspicious death of the Congressman's mistress.]

Continual threats to life and limb gets exhausting after awhile in thrillers. 

Thus, I was interested to see what else today's script would do differently. It's not a perfect script,* but I liked that there was creative use of urgency.

For example, the scene below has layers.  It's not just about Cal escaping the elevator, but that he's found the killer and needs to let someone know.

Just prior to this scene:
- Cal has a photo of the killer, Bingham, and traces it back to the latter's apartment.
- Cal recognizes Bingham at the door and they briefly exchange pleasantries. 
- Cal backs off and gets in the elevator.
- Also note: This is a turning point scene that occurs on p. 79 of 125, not earlier at the midpoint, nor later at the climax.

INT. COMPLEX ELEVATOR -- NIGHT

CAL with the phone. Doors closing and...Signal loss. 

CAL: Shit!

CAL descending. 5...4...3...  Chunk.

It has stopped. Everything suddenly black. then, a moment later, an emergency light powers on. But the car isn't moving.

CAL trapped. Coincidence? Can't be. Fuck...

Pulling his phone -- saving it around the car -- searching for a signal -- there, up by the ceiling, a flicker.

CAL (PHONE)(CONT'D): Jimmy. Cal McAffrey...just tell Bell I've found the killer. Five-sixty-six, Jasper Avenue. Five-six-six Jasper! I need cops. I need cops here immediately!

CAL perched on the railing -- wedged near the ceiling -- bent like a contortionist to hang with the signal and --

THE ELEVATOR jolts! -- power on -- CAL falling hard to the floor -- barely catching his breath as the elevator drops a few feet before stopping suddenly and -- 

THE DOORS OPEN TO

INT. COMPLEX LOBBY -- DAY

An empty lobby. CAL steps out cautiously. Did Bingham take the stairs? 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked that this wasn't the run-of-the-mill "I must escape" type of urgency.  There's a different purpose and consequences if Cal fails. 

State of Play (2009)(11/1/07 draft with revisions)
by Matthew Michael Carnahan
Revisions by Tony Gilroy, Peter Morgan, Billy Ray
Based on the BBC miniseries created by Paul Abbott

* I was confused by the ending on the page. I think it was trying to connect a lot of dots in a short period of time.  I note that this film was an adaptation of a BBC tv mini-series that ran 6 episodes, so perhaps it was trying to condense too much into a 2 hr. film?

TODAY'S NUGGET: Duplicity (2009) - Why Do I Believe the Chemistry (& Fireworks) Between These Characters?

[Quick Summary: Two industrial spies, who are in a secret love affair, are on opposite sides of a case.]

Tony Gilroy writes scripts that actors want to play. 

Why? One reason is because the chemistry between characters has real conflict and interesting dynamics.  I want to see how these fireworks resolve.  

For example, in the scene below: 
- Ray is being followed.
- His work buddy, Dale, is watching his back. They're on the phone together, trying to figure out  who is following Ray.
- In Grand Central Station, Ray recognizes Claire. He follows her into a store.
- Notice how FAST the writer gets us into the action. Ray blows by the usual "hi how are you" --> straight into his beef with Claire. 
- The audience sees Ray's behavior and realizes (without being told) that Ray and Claire know each other. Only someone familiar would bypass the usual greetings.
- Also: the suspense draws me in (WHY is he so mad?).
- Also: the provocative, snappy dialogue keeps me reading ("You charm me. Seduce me. Screw me.")

INT. SAKS FIFTH AVENUE -- DAY

... CLAIRE blinks. But she's a big girl. It's a public place...

CLAIRE: Look, seriously, I don't know you think I am, but wh-

RAY: You charm me. Seduce me. Screw me. Then you dope me and ransack my hotel room. (he still can't believe it) And how sick is this? Last thing I remember before I passed out whs how much I liked you.

CLAIRE: I'm sorry...I just...you don't look crazy, which is the only reason I'm not screaming for a security guard, but --

RAY: I can't believe you're going this way. 

CLAIRE: Is this...(glancing around) ...it's a joke, right?

RAY: You have any idea how far my ass was hanging out because of you?

CLAIRE: Is this? Are you selling something? What are you selling?

RAY: I got up the next morning, went back to the consulate and practically crawled over glass to get a copy of the guest list. Then I spent the next twenty-four hours trying to figure out if you were working for MOSSAD, the Syrians, or the Russians.

CLAIRE: Really...(maybe he is crazy) And who was it?

RAY: Still working for the C.I.A.? (like he nailed her) We're supposed to be on the same side, Theresa. Which was a lousy cover name for you, by the way -- you're not a THeresa. 

CLAIRE: What the hell are you talking about?

RAY: American Consulate. Dubai. You and me. Fourth of July, 2003.

CLAIRE: You are crazy (Does this ever work?)

RAY: We were drinking red, white and blue Margaritas. I had a knee brace. You had a toe ring -- first toe ring I ever saw, by the way.

CLAIRE: If you follow me, I'll scream.

And she's walking -- fast -- back the way she came -- back into the Perfume Jungle, and he's right on her ass --

...RAY: Come on... you don't want security any more than I do.

CLAIRE: You're right, I want the cops.

RAY: They're gonna want your name.

CLAIRE: Leave me alone! (wheeling on him and --)

HER PURSE -- the strap catching his arm -- tearing -- THE BAG SPILLING OPEN TO THE FLOOR and --

CLAIRE: -- look -- look what you did! --

CLAIRE dropping -- grabbing at the stuff that's spilled --

CLAIRE: --get away -- just -- you hear me? --

RAY: Oh no...

And the way he said it -- the way he looks -- something fundamental has shifted here suddenly --

RAY: You?

There -- at his feet -- her keys -- a KEYCHAIN -- a little Rubik's cube (Eight ball? Troll?) keychain and --

RAY: You? You're the drop...(pulling an identical keychain from his pocket --) I'm ...

CLAIRE: You? You're the meet? (yup) No... 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I believed the chemistry because they're both continuing to engage in the fight, trying to get what they want, even though something isn't adding up. Ray wants answers and Claire wants to avoid him. 

Duplicity (2009)(undated)
by Tony Gilroy

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Devil's Advocate (1997) - A Great Writer is Inventive in Getting the Audience into the Character

[Quick Summary: A defense lawyer makes a deal with the devil to defend him.]

I think what sets a good writer apart from a great writer is inventiveness.  

I particularly look for unusual visual (which is often called "cinematic") ways into characters that we've not seen before. 

For example, this script presents who the Milton character is in one startling image: 

INT. CATHOLIC CHURCH - DAY

Milton down below. Lowering a single finger into the holy water. Instantly -- it's boiling and we --

                                         HARD CUT TO; 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I think this image is quite inventive because it's arresting and also makes me more curious about what's the character will do next. 

The Devil's Advocate (1997)(1/18/97 shooting script)
by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy
Based on the novel by Andrew Neiderman
 

TODAY'S NUGGET: Cutting Edge (1992) - A Strong Voice + Economy of Writing (Clarity, Pacing, What the Characters Want)

[Quick Summary: When a female skater loses her skating partner, she and a hockey player team up as a doubles pair for the next Olympics.]

Q: What is "voice"?
A: "Voice" can be defined as "how a writer tells a story that is unique to him/her." 

Q: Is voice truly evident on the page? That is, that a particular writer wrote a script?
A:  Sometimes.  It's not just a point of view, but HOW the writer leads you through the story.

Q: What is a good example of a strong voice?
A: One of the strongest voices I've seen is writer Tony Gilroy, whose scripts I'll be posting about in the upcoming weeks (both original and rewrite jobs).*

Q: What is it about Gilroy's voice that is so evident? 
A: I think one would hire Gilroy because you like the way he tells a story. I like the way he balances tone in the dramas and action thrillers that he's known for. 

He has distinct brisk pacing, a way of getting into the story fast, and sustaining suspense, all while being very clear about what the characters want.  

Today's script is an unusual one: 
- It's Gilroy's first produced film credit as a writer.
- It is also sort of a sports/romance/action story to boot.
- Though this is a younger Gilroy script, it has all his trademark pacing and clarity.

In the scene below: 
- It is the1988 Calgary Olympics.
- There is a simplicity of two athletes of very different temperaments on a collision course.
- We are clear what each wants: to win.
- Note the economy of writing.  In a very few words, we feel the urgency of the moment, yet the Doug and Kate's mutual annoyance of encountering an obstacle.  

INT. THE BOWELS OF THE SADDLEDOME

An empty passageway. DOUG is lost. Sweating. Cursing. Charging blindly ahead. From above, the MUFFLED ROAR of the crowd. If he could claw his way up to the ice he'd do it.

                                                                           CUT TO:

A DIFFERENT PASSAGEWAY

KATE striding ahead -- rounding a corner  and -- SMACK! -- right into DOUG -- a head-on collision and it's no contest -- KATE sent flying on her ass --.

DOUG (barely stopping): -- Does this go up to the ice?

KATE stares at him, incredulous. "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER" begins to play in the distance.

DOUG: Is this the way to the ice?

KATE (still sitting there): Why you barbarian jerk -- is that all you have to say?

Screw this, DOUG is already several steps away and moving. 

KATE: Where were you raised, in a barnyard?

DOUG stops mid-stride. This kind of shit demands at least a moment of his time.

DOUG: Honey, where I'm from we stand for the National Anthem.

Now he's gone. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  I was impressed by how much takes place in such little space on the page.  It takes a lot of drafts to hone a script to get it into this shape. 

The Cutting Edge (1992)(4/15/90 draft)
by Tony Gilroy 

*Interestingly enough, the only other writer who had this strong of a voice (i.e., I could spot his invisible fingerprints on the page) is the legendary writer,  William Goldman, who was one of Gilroy's mentors. 

TODAY'S NUGGET: Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Why "Vari-Speed" Tells Us About Character

[Quick Summary: Holmes and sidekick Dr. Watson are on the trail of an enemy that wants to destroy England.

I wasn't surprised that this script was tailored to its director Guy Ritchie, who favors cinematic techniques like swish pans, slow motion, etc.

I was surprised to see how the writers included these techniques on the page, ex. "vari-speed" in the scene below. 

I think it works because it shows the speed of Holmes' thoughts. In other words, "vari-speed" is about character, not just a cool technique. 

INT. CATHEDRAL CRYPTS - ENTRANCE - NIGHT 

 ...We see Holmes' eyes from the shadows, as he lowers his jacket and thinks through his plan of attack.

HOLMES (V.O.): Head cocked to the left, partial deafness in right ear. FIrst point of attack.

PRE-VISUALIZATION IN VARI-SPEED

FOCUS ON the spot behind the man's right ear, just at the top of the jaw -- the most vulnerable point. Holmes launches a hammer blow, and we ramp from 24 fps to 00 fps (ULTRA SLOW MOTIONS) as he makes contact. The man's head is thrown back as he spins round.

HOLMES (V.O.): Then throat, paralyze vocal chords, stop screaming.

BACK TO 24 fps. The man's mouth opens to cry out. we RAMP BACK UP TO 400 fps as his Adam's Apple is struck with a precision karate chop, strangling his scream.

HOLMES (V.O.): Stink of alcohol, heavy drinker -- knuckles to liver.

BACK TO 24 fps, RAMPING TO 400 fps as a devastating knuckle-punch to the liver doubles up the bowler-hatted thug and crumples him to his knees.

SECOND-TIME ACTION - SUPER FAST REPEAT OF ABOVE

Holmes flashes out of the shadows, moving so fast that we can barely see what he's doing.

THWACK! Hammer blow to ear.
CRACK! Karate chop to throat.
WHAP! Knuckle punch to liver.

BACK TO NORMAL MOTION as the man crumples to the ground, Holmes takes his bowler hat from his head and flips it onto his own in one super fast move.

Holmes drags the battered man into the shadows, lifts his lantern and proceeds down the spiral staircase. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Beware using a cool technique without linking it to character. One works. The other will come off flat.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)(9/29/08 draft)
by Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg

Story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Paths of Glory (1957) - A Villain's "I'm Not Sorry at All" Final Speech

[Quick Summary: During a court martial, a French colonel defends his regiment over refusing to shoot at fellow French officers in a suicide mission that was ordered by a General.]

Every villain doesn't think he's a villain.  He thinks he's justified for what he's done.

This script does a great job of exploring how a villain thinks, and ends in a great summation speech at the end (below).

In this scene:
- Gen. Rousseau called for the suicide mission.
- Col. Dax is a lawyer who was drafted into the war.
- The "guilty" regiment was ordered to choose a few soldiers to be punished for the whole regiment. They were to be shot with a firing squad.
- After the soldiers were absolved, Rousseau and Dax walk together.
- Note how Rousseau's musings show that he's thoughtful, but not particularly moral. He rationalizes away what he has done.  

EXT. VARIOUS ANGLES - PARADE GROUND

...They walk along in a friendly silence.

GEN. ROUSSEAU (expansively): Which one of us was on the side of the angels, I wonder.

COL. DAX: I'm not sure I follow you, sir.

GEN. ROUSSEAU: Well, take, for instance, the case of the early Christians. What was it, perhaps more than anything else, that strengthened and solidified them? -- persecution, wouldn't you say? The cruelest kind of injustice. Tyranny gave birth to the Manga Carta. Callousness and indifference to human welfare brought about the French Republic. And so on through History. It may be that progress comes really through a kind of challenge. And who is to say that if those men had been shot today, that it wouldn't have been a step towards the end of a certain kind of despotism in the army?

COL. DAX: General, you have a very strange theory there. I am not at all sure that I agree with you. 

GEN. ROUSSEAU: I'm not at all sure I agree with myself. You know, perhaps when they say man is a rational animal, what they really mean is that he has a limitless ability to rationalize, to make excuses for himself, to feel self-righteous no matter what he does. I don't know why I'm rambling on like this. Probably because there's nothing left for me to do but talk. You know, Colonel, I am undoubtedly a very wicked man - but I don't feel wicked inside. Though, I suppose that's  a prerequisite for being labeled truly wicked. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I thought these last two lines were particularly chilling because Rousseau is rational yet has lost a moral center. 

The Paths of Glory (1957)(undated draft)
by Stanley Kubrick and Jim Thompson 

2026 OSCARS: Train Dreams (2025) - When Someone Becomes Important to You (Combination of Voice Over + Action)

[Quick Summary: The life of beauty and heartache of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker.]

Q: What's this film about?
A: It's a quiet story about beauty of the world and the passage of time.  It's got a mood and atmosphere to it that's reflective, like a tone poem. 

Q: That sounds boring. What makes it so special to be nominated?
A: The writing sneaks up on you, and fits perfectly with a protagonist who doesn't say a whole lot, but feels things deeply and simply. 

For example, in the scene below:
- Robert lost his family early in life and was raised by foster parents.
- He experienced a lot of things, but has remained uninvolved and unconnected emotionally.
- Things changed when he meets his wife, Gladys.
- Suddenly something makes connection worthwhile and it changes him.
- This scene below is the first time he notices her, a moment of seismic importance.
- He is someone who is unused to communicating.
- Notice how the writers honed the writing to bring out the truthfulness of the moment, yet its simplicity.  They chose to use voice over + drop of the gaze, in order to give the latter more meaning. 

INT. METHODIST CHURCH - YEARS LATER

Grainier is in his early 30's, looking like a stray animal. Singing along to the hymns. It's a small church. Not more than two dozen in the congregation.

NARRATOR (V.O.): He felt that nothing much attracted his interest, until, that is, he met Gladys Olding.

He watches GLADYS, singing in the choir. Her voice stands apart to him.

But when she looks at him, he's too shy to hold her gaze. He looks down to his choir book. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I'm not a huge fan of voice over, but here, it's used well.  

It gives context to the drop of the gaze, i.e., Robert is shy, yet really wants to connect, which is unusual for him.     

Train Dreams (2025)(undated)
by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Based on the book by Denis Johnson

2026 OSCARS: Hamnet (2025) - Telling, Not Showing" is Effective When the Pressure is Too Much (Emotional Life)

[Quick Summary: After William Shakespeare marries the forest-loving Agnes, they grieve the death of their son Hamnet.]

This script has a typical story arc about healing a rift when tragedy happens: 

Will and Agnes meet, marry, and have kids --> Their son Hamnet dies and they grieve --> They are reunited through Will writing the play "Hamlet." 

One thing I really liked about the script is how it expresses small emotional moments that eventually pile up into a barrier of communication. 

I thought it was interesting that the writers did this by breaking the "show, not tell rule"* with the reverse, i.e.,"telling and not showing."  

For example, in the scene below: 
- Will has been very unhappy at his father's glove making business.
- He and Agnes are married and living at his parents' house.
- Agnes wakes up in the night. Will is not there. He's trying to write at night.
- She tries to comfort him, but he yells at her.
- Notice how the "telling and not showing" is to clarify indescribable feelings, or a short cut language.  To explain it on screen is unnecessary.

INT. HENLEY HOUSE - ATTIC - NIGHT

...Once Susanna stops fussing, Agnes comes back to Will. She gently touches the back of his neck, trying to sooth him. But he turns his head away, wiping any tears he may shed. He will never let her see him weak.

WILL (CONT'D): I'm sorry. I've had too much to drink.  

She takes his hand. He flinches.

WILL (CONT'D)(controls himself): Please. Not now.

AGNES: What are you afraid I will see?

WILL: I'm a violent, dangerous man.

He is holding all the emotions in. They are threatening to burst out of his chest and kill him. [I particularly like this description of something he can't express.]

AGNES: You are none of that. You're a good man, a good man. 

He puts his arm around her waist. He lets her rub her fingers through his hair, soothing him.

AGNES (CONT'D): Is it...are you..do you wish we had not...wed? Is that it?

He looks up at her, his face pained, aghast.

WILL: No. Never. How could you say such a thing? You and Susanna are all I live for. Nothing else matters.

AGNES: What is it, then?

WILL: ...I don't know. I'm lost. I have lost my way, Agnes. The landscapes you saw... (changes his mind) It's nothing. It's nothing.

She knows what he means. Those landscapes she saw haven't been realized, and it's torturing him. But he says no more after that. [Note this "breaks a screenwriting rule" that you shouldn't include anything that can't be seen.  I think it's very effective here to explain emotions that the characters don't have to explain to each other.]

AGNES: ...What can I do for you?

WILL: Nothing, my love. Nothing.

She is now at a complete loss. 

WILL (CONT'D): Please go back to sleep. I need to work. All is well. I just need to work.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I think "telling, not showing" can be effective.  Here, it connects a lot of dots for the reader quickly for things that are unnecessary to belabor.

Hamnet (2025)(undated)
by Chloe Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell
Based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell

*You know how I feel about the so-called "screenwriting rules." They're guidelines when you need help. They're not absolute.  

2026 OSCARS: Marty Supreme (2025) - One Key to a Hair Pin "Reversal of Fortune" Moment (Hope-Fear)

[Quick Summary A table tennis player is thwarted as he schemes, cons, and hustles friends and strangers to finance a trip to the World Championship.]

TWO THOUGHTS: 

1)  PROS:
- This is a well written, script and reads fast.
- The script attempts to capture a bold, foolhardy emotional roller coaster.   
- The protagonist is an audacious, confident, unpleasantly selfish young man. 

CONS: 
- I appreciate the criticism that the story seems to be a scatter shot of events that aren't cohesive and build to something (episodic?).   
- Though life is very episodic, trying to connect events that are not "one of a whole" is distracting.  Also, the start-stop-start-stop rhythm is distracting.
- You'll either love its truthfulness, or hate the jerkiness of the flow.  

2) ALWAYS EMOTIONALLY TRUTHFUL.  Like its protagonist, the script takes big swings that may/may not work. For the most part, it works.

Why? I think it's because the writers were careful to be truthful with emotions, especially in the big moments.

For example, in the scene below:
- This is a hair pin, "reversal of fortune" moment.
- Milton Rockwell, a rich guy, offered to sponsor Marty in Japan.
- Marty turned Rockwell down because he had principles.
- Marty has slept with Milton's actress wife. Milton doesn't know.
- Now Marty is begging for that job back because he has no other options.
- Why would we believe Marty would change his mind now? Earlier, it was setup that there isn't anything he won't do - steal, bargain, con, etc.
- Then in this scene, emotions flip flop quickly between hope and fear, desperation and bravado. 
- Note that the audience can stick to these hair pin emotional turns because they're always truthful. Marty is really that fast - a fast speaker, a fast hustler, a fast opportunist.

EXT. MOROSCO THEATER - CONTINUOUS 

...MILTON steps into the car. The Chauffeur heads around to the driver's side. MARTY raps his knuckles on the window.

MARTY: Mr. Rockwell...(knock knock) Please.... (knock knock) Mr. Rockwell... [Fear. Descending. Desperation. He's at rock bottom.]

MILTON (voice muffled through the glass): What!

MARTY: Look, let's be pragmatists for a second. Put your personal feelings about me aside. You and I both know the kind of value I'd bring to an event with Endo on his home turf. You said so yourself. I'm like a stick of dynamite over there. Whatever other plans you've made, they're going to pale in comparison... [Hope. Ascending. There's hope, a crack in the door.]

A pause.

MARTY (CONT'D): Can we just sit and talk about this reasonably for 2 minutes? There's more than enough common ground here. [Hope. Ascending. He's widening the door.]

Another pause. 

MILTON: Fine, get in the car.

MARTY: Thank you!

MARTY runs around to the passenger side. MILTON motions to the driver and the car takes off. MARTY runs alongside it, banging on the window, until he can't keep up.  [Fear. Descending. The door is slammed.]

MARTY (CONT'D): SON OF A BITCH! YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THE IDEA IF IT WASN'T FOR ME!! [Fear. Descending fast into the ground.]

The car continues down the street. [Fear. Hits rock bottom again.]

Hold a few beats on MARTY, stewing. He steps back on the curb and realizes that Kay's ASSISTANT has been standing there, uncomfortable, waiting to speak to him. [Hair pin turn into hope. Ascending.]

MARTY (CONT'D): What!

ASSISTANT: Um, Ms. Stone would like to have lunch with you. [Hope. Ascending fast.]

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: One key to staying on the rails, even in a hair pin "reversal of fortune" moment, is staying emotionally true to the character. 

I would've been pulled out of the story if Marty, who is a self-absorbed, fast talking, opportunistic person, suddenly grew a conscience, or slowed down to think. 

Marty Supreme (2025)(dated 2/2/25)
by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) - One Key to Writing an Exaggerated Tone in a Tall Tale

[Quick Summary: After outlaw Roy Bean appoints himself judge and jury of Vinegaroon, TX, he encounters wild adventures and famous visitors.]

How do you get across the exaggeration of a tall tale?  One key is that repetition can help the tone.

For example, this is the introduction of Bad Bob in today's script:
- Roy Bean has appointed himself the judge of the county.
- Nick the Grub has left the dangerous life of being one of Bean's deputies and has become an onion farmer. 
- Bad Bob is an antagonist. He arrives at Nick's farm.
- Notice the number of actions that say "Bob is tough," piled on one after another. 
- Notice also how quickly the actions happen in such a short period of time.

EXT. PRAIRIE - FULL SHOT - RIDER

...Bob looked around and dismounted. Nick the Grub had just come out of his hut and was feeding his horse and watering onions. He had a pot of water boiling for coffee. Bob strode over to him, looked the horse up and down and SHOT it between the eyes. It made a hideous SOUND and settled into the dust. [Action 1: Bob shoots a horse without thought or remorse.]

BOB (continuing): Cook it for me. [Action 2: Bob orders Nick to cook a horse, which is a meat that most westerners will not eat.] 

Bob sat down and pulled out a huge onion from the ground. He dusted it off, then took a big bite out of it like it was an apple. He took another and washed them down with the scalding water. That's how mean he was.  [Action 3 & 4: Bob eats an eye watering onion raw, then drinks scalding water.]

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Exaggeration is helped in a tall tale by the repetition of the outrageous actions, in both number and speed of delivery.

Audiences unconsciously compare this to real life, and know that repetition of this sort does not really occur. 

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) (10/18/71 final draft)
by John Milius  

TODAY'S NUGGET: Fat City (1972) - Strong Introduction to a Character

[Quick Summary: At the same gym, life is repeating itself in the lives of two boxers (one older, one younger).]

THREE THOUGHTS: 

1) HUSTON ON EXPRESSING IDEAS. I agree with what John Huston wrote in his autobiography about the difficulty of expressing the writer's ideas:

The most important element to me is always the idea that I'm trying to express, and everything technical is only a method to make the idea into clear form. I'm always working on the idea: whether I am writing, directing, choosing music or cutting. Everything must revert back to the idea; when it gets away from the idea it becomes a labyrinth of rococo.  

2) FILM VS. SCRIPT. I watched this film first and thought, "What's the point?" I couldn't figure out what Huston's central idea was. 

When I read the script, it also meandered and seemed pointless...until the last 2 pages coaleses into a full circle moment that explains the pointlessness.  

3)  STRONG INTRODUCTION. I did like the strong introduction to the protagonist, Billy Tully (below) because it sets the tone and our expectations.

In this scene:
-  Tully was a good boxer, but has gone to seed.  
- His wife left him, which was a turning point for when things went sour, and from which he hasn't recovered.
- Here, we see that he's the kind of guy always trying to escape responsibility.  
- I also liked that it didn't try to do overload the audience with too much information. This sets the mood of a guy who's sloppy with his work.

INT. STOCKTON BOX FACTORY - TULLY, SAW OPERATOR, FOREMAN, OTHER WORKERS - NIGHT

Tully goes to a saw that is not in use. The SAW OPERATOR, an aging, discouraged-looking man, rises as Tully approaches.

SAW OPERATOR (carefully extinguishing cigarette; yelling over noise of saws): Foreman's been by.

TULLY (voice raised): What he say?

SAW OPERATOR (same pitch): Wanted to know if you were here yet. Said I thought you were in the can.

Tully takes up his position on opposite side of table from the Saw Operator, who now switches on saw and begins feeding small boards into it. Tully stacks the sawed pieces according to size.

THE FOREMAN, a large, muscular, fairly young man, comes up to Tully.

FOREMAN (loud): Well, Tully, I see you finally made it.

TULLY: I got here on time. I been in the lavatory.

FOREMAN: I was just in there. I didn't see you. 

TULLY: When you came in I went out. You walked right by without seeing me.

FOREMAN: I don't have to see you, Tully. If you'd walked past me I'd of smelled you. I 'd know that wine breath anywhere. I could close my eyes and walk right to you. (reaches out, takes an incorrectly sorted piece of wood from Tully's stack, moves it to proper place) Look what you're doing here! Are you drunk? Lucky for you you're not running a saw.

TULLY: Now you got a lot of nerve. In the first place I'm not drunk and, in the second place, I wouldn't have one of your damn saws. I'm not leaving any of my fingers behind for these wages.

FOREMAN (turning away; disgustedly): I never seen such a bunch of deadbeats as on this night crew!

As he walks away, Tully begins to sweat and swallow. He grimaces, closes his eyes. Nausea overcomes him. He gestures to the Saw Operator to stop the saw, hurries away. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked this introduction because it leaves us with more questions than answers. What will he do next?

Fat City (1972)(11/4/70 draft)
by Leonard Gardner and John Huston
Adapted from the novel by Leonard Gardner

TODAY'S NUGGET: To Live & Die in LA (1985) - A Good Example of "It's All About the Relationship" as Motive

[Quick Summary: A Secret Service agent pulls out all the stops to chase the counterfeiter who killed his partner.] 

I still hate the pat answer, "It's all about the relationship between the characters," because whatever does that mean?

Today's script partially answered that question for me.  It's a great example of how a relationship can motivate a loner (here, the protagonist).

In the scene below:
- Chance is the protagonist.
- He and Hart are Secret Service partners. Hart retires in 3 days.
- Because there's so much betrayal in his work, Chance trusts very few people, and is very loyal to them, especially Hart.
- This scene shows that rare moment where Chance feels safe. It explains so much of why he'd chase Hart's killer to the ends of the earth.
- Also notice the end of the scene when Chance feels the threat to his prized friendship.  There's a subtle change in tone and mood, i.e., character motivated.

EXT. PARKING LOT - UTRO'S - LATE DAY

Chance and Hart walking toward their cars.

CHANCE: Got something for you.

He opens the lid of his trunk and removes a graphite fishing rod folded into a 15-inch leather carrying case. 

CHANCE (continuing): Your retirement present.

HART: You're a week early.

CHANCE: It's burning a hole in my trunk.

Hart opens the case and brings the rod to full seven-foot extension.

HART: What the hell --

CHANCE: They tell me the trout jump all over it.

Hart puts his arm around Chance. They embrace warmly.

CHANCE: I'm gonna miss you, Amigo.

HART: Me, too.

CHANCE: Listen, I know you got somethin' goin' tomorrow.

HART (smiling): You readin' my mail again?

CHANCE: Master. (pause) Where?

Hart shakes his head 'No".

CHANCE (continuing): You're not goin' out alone.

HART: I got three more days on the job and I want to make the most of 'em. No sense the two of us running down the same lead.

CHANCE: We're partners.

HART: Damn straight we are. And when the bust goes down it's ours. Like always.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: This script helped me see better that what Chance wanted most was that connection, and how resulted in his behavior (also known as "character motivated action"). 

To Live & Die in LA (1985)(11/8/84 draft)
by William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Limey (1999) - Do You Know How (& More Importantly, WHEN) to Use the "Flash Cut"?

[Quick Summary: An unpredictable English ex-con comes to L.A. to kill the man whom the con thinks killed his daughter.]

I like to see how other writers use literary devices because knowing about a tool isn't the same as knowing how (and more importantly, when) to use it.  

For example, in today's script, writer Lem Dobbs uses the "flash cut" as a device to peer into a character's present thinking (i.e., subjective mental state).*

A good example is the scene below:
- Wilson is a criminal who has an estranged daughter Jenny.
- Jenny left the UK and moved to California and died.
- Jenny's boyfriend at the time was Valentine.
- Wilson thinks Valentine killed Jenny but doesn't know why yet.
- Valentine is now living with Adhara. This scene occurs at their home when a party is about to begin. 
- All these flash cuts are from Wilson's POV. Nothing has happened yet. 
- Note how it gives the audience a SUBJECTIVE feel what Wilson is thinking.

INT. HOUSE

Valentine turns to greet Adhara who's come downstairs looking great.

ADHARA: Gee, for someone who doesn't like buffets...

VALENTINE: Do you see me eating? 

FLASH CUT:

WILSON, walking toward Valentine. Something in his face says violence is imminent.

VALENTINE glad handing more guests.   

WILSON

watching.

FLASH CUT:

WILSON. Again, walking toward Valentine. This time his hand reaches into his jacket. For the gun.

WILSON

hands Ed his drink.  

ED: Where you going?

Wilson says nothing. Starts to move inside the house.

ED: You're not gonna do nothin' in front of all these people...

FLASH CUT:

WILSON. Getting closer to Valentine.

VALENTINE. Oblivious.

WILSON. Closer. The hand is coming out. With the gun.

WILSON

Part of the way across the living room. Wearing the same expression we saw int he first flas cut: violence.

VALENTINE

chatting away.

WILSON

closer.  

FLASH CUT:

WILSON. Just a couple of feet away. Gun out.

VALENTINE. Sensing trouble. Turning toward Wilson...

WILSON

still moving through the crowd, getting closer. Hand reaching into his jacket.

VALENTINE

smiling, talking.  

FLASH CUT: 

WILSON. Five feet away. Gun extended now. 

VALENTINE. Facing the barrel. About to die.

WILSON. Closer still. The crowd seems to be getting thicker. Hand still in his jacket. 

VALENTINE. Still doesn't know what's coming.

 WHAT I'VE LEARNED: The writer used the "flash cut" judiciously.  Its purpose is psychological, to create a mood, and not simply to dump information.  

The Limey (1999)(9/17/98 draft w/revisions)
by Lem Dobbs 

* This is an unusual purpose than other flashes of time:

- the "flash back" which takes the audience back into the character's subjective memory, or
- the "flash forward" which  is most often used to show objectively what will happen in the future.