The Craft of Scene Writing

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The Craft of Scene Writing Page 35

by Jim Mercurio


  Intern, The

  Interpreter, The: backstory; exposition

  Intimacy

  It Happened One Night

  It’s a Wonderful Life; hook

  Janney, Allison

  Jaws

  Jenkins, Barry

  Johansson, Scarlett

  Johnson, Don

  Jordan, Michael B.

  Julie & Julio

  Juliet of the Spirits

  Juno; subjective approach; tone; visuals

  Jurassic Park: scene analysis; setting

  Kane, Carol

  Kaufman, Charlie

  Keaton, Diane: Manhattan; Godfather, The

  Kidman, Nichole

  Kids

  King Kong

  Kiss Me Deadly

  Kissing Jessica Stein

  Kurtz, Swoosie

  L.A. Confidential; action scene context; camera work in; character; character orchestration; characterization; dilemma; expectation; reversal; rock bottom; surprise

  La Dolce Vita

  Lancaster, Burt

  Land of the Lost

  Lang, Stephen

  Langella, Frank

  Last Action Hero

  Lars and the Real Girl

  Last Boy Scout, The

  Last Tango in Paris; location; monologue

  Law, Jude

  Lawrence, Jennifer

  Lawrence of Arabia

  League of Their Own, A

  Leaving Las Vegas

  Lee, Spike

  Leigh, Jennifer Jason

  Lemmon, Jack

  Leo, Melissa

  Leonard, Robert Sean

  Lethal Weapon: action descriptions; character insight; character introductions; expectation; surprise

  Levitt, Joseph Gordon

  Levi, Zachary

  Levine, Ted

  Liar Liar; concept logline; exposition; hook; nonverbal dialogue in

  Limitless: concept logline; drugs in

  Location

  Logistical constraints

  Lohan, Lindsay

  Long Goodbye, The

  Looper

  Lord of the Rings trilogy: foil characters; mirror characters

  Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring: stumbling in

  Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; action; scene analysis; schizo moment

  Lost in Translation

  Love & Other Drugs: character growth in; creative counterpoint

  Lucy

  M

  Ma Vie en Rose

  MacGuffin. See props

  MacLaine, Shirley

  Madsen, Virginia

  Maggiorani, Lamberto

  Makavejev, Dušan

  Maltese Falcon, The; prop

  Mamet, David

  Man Trouble

  Man Up; doomed romance in

  Manhattan

  Manic Pixie Dream Girls (MPDG)

  Mara, Rooney

  M*A*S*H

  Mastrantonio, Mary Elizabeth

  Maze Runner

  McCabe & Mrs. Miller

  McLintock!; character; characterization; reversal; surprise

  McMillan, Kenneth

  meet-cute

  Memento: concept; setup; theme line

  Menochet, Denis

  Metropolis

  Mezrich, Ben

  Mi Vida Loca

  Midnight Cowboy: costume and wardrobe; title

  Midnight in Paris: ending; location; opening

  Micheaux, Oscar

  Midnight Cowboy

  Milk

  Million Dollar Baby

  Miracle in Milan

  Mise-en-scene

  Mission Impossible: dramatic irony; props

  Moby Dick

  Modine, Matthew

  Momentum

  Moneyball: dialogue; set-piece scene; subtext

  Monroe, Marilyn

  Mood

  Moonlight; action

  Moore, Mandy

  Mortensen, Viggo

  Mothlight

  Motifs; definition of

  Mr. and Mrs. Smith; subtext

  Mulholland Drive

  Mulroney, Dermot

  Murphy, Cillian

  Murphy, Donna

  Murphy, Eddie

  Murray, Bill; Caddyshack; Lost in Translation

  My Best Friend’s Wedding; action description; character; cheat; exaggerated importance; expectations; exposition; location; reversal; script draft of; structure and character; visuals

  My Dinner with Andre

  Mystery versus suspense

  Mystic Pizza: beats; concept; monologue in

  Napoleon Dynamite

  Narrative; goal-oriented; reality and

  Nashville

  Neill, Sam

  Neorealism

  Network

  Newman, Paul

  Nicholson, Jack: Batman; Duplicity; Man Trouble

  Night of the Hunter; visuals

  Night of the Living Dead; casting

  No Country for Old Men; theme

  Nolan, Christopher

  Nolan, Jonathan

  Nolte, Nick

  North by Northwest

  Nosferatu; visuals in

  Nutty Professor, The

  O’Toole, Peter

  Officer and a Gentleman, An: character tracking; meet-cute; obstacle course scene

  Oldman, Gary: The Dark Knight; True Romance

  On the Waterfront: communication; dialogue; dialogue, repetition

  Once Upon a Time in the West: beat, reaction to; dialogue; scene analysis; subtext; visual responses

  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

  One-take style

  Orphanage, The

  Oscar Winners

  Outlines

  Owen, Clive

  Pacing

  Pacino, Al: Dog Day Afternoon; Heat; Godfather, The; Serpico

  Page, Ellen: Juno; Tallulah

  Paltrow, Gwyneth

  Pan’s Labyrinth

  Parallax View

  Paranormal Activity

  Pasolini, Pier Paolo

  Patriot Games

  Pearce, Guy: L. A. Confidential; Memento

  Peck, Gregory

  Pegg, Simon

  Penn, Sean

  Pepper, Barry

  Persona

  Perspective

  Philadelphia

  Philadelphia Story, The

  Phoenix, Joaquin

  Pinky

  Pirates of the Caribbean

  Pitt, Brad

  Platt, Oliver

  Plot point

  Plot twist

  Point of view; narrative; objective; subjective

  Pounder, CCH

  Pragmatic intentions

  Precious

  Preston, Kelly

  Princess Bride

  Prometheus

  Proposal, The

  Props; charging; definition of; extension of character via; theme and

  Pullman, Bill

  Pulp Fiction: concept; props

  Purple Rose of Cairo

  Raging Bull

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Ransom

  Rapace, Noomi

  Rashomon

  Reeve, Christopher

  Reilly, John C.: For the Love of Game; Step Brothers

  Remains of the Day, The

  Repulsion

  Requiem for a Dream

  Reservoir Dogs

  Reversals; in action; in climax; opposites

  Rewriting; action descriptions; big-picture perspective; character; character arc; character, introduction to; character orchestration; character, questioning; climax; conflicts; definition of; dilemmas; ideas; lining everything up; location; motifs; ripple effect; rock bottom; scenes; structure; visuals

  Reynolds, Ryan

  Ribisi, Giovanni

  Rifkin, Ron

  Roberts, Julia: Duplicity; Erin Brockovich; My Best Friend’s Wedding

  RoboCop

  Rockwell, Sam

  Rocky; location; theme

  Rodrig
uez, Michelle

  Rollerball

  Romance

  Rope

  Rosemary’s Baby

  Rosenblatt, Jay

  Rourke, Mickey

  Rudolph, Maya

  Ruffalo, Mark

  Ryan, Meg

  Sarandon, Susan

  Saving Private Ryan

  Scene: advanced scene writing; backbone; brunt of; clarity; communication; definition of; dialogue, length of; division of information; dramatic irony; duration; final story question; goal; length; logic; mystery versus suspense; narrative point of view; nuance; parentheticals; point of; sequence versus; set-piece; single action; small unit; story density; structure; stumbling; subtle; Writing Rule #1; Writing Rule #2; Writing Rule #3; Writing Rule #4

  Scenes from a Marriage

  Schindler’s List; characters

  Schulman, Tom

  Scott, Tony

  Scream: motif; scene analysis; setup

  Searchers

  Sequence: definition of; scene versus

  Serkis, Andy

  Serpico; clarity; dilemma; setup

  Setting; character’s interaction with; kitchens; set-piece scene; theme

  Setups; subtext; surprise and

  Se7en: character growth; closing scene; motifs; opening scene; props; rock bottom; setting; title; visuals

  Seven Pounds

  Seydoux, Lea

  Sex, Lies, and Videotape; props in

  Shakespeare, William

  Shakespeare in Love

  Shallenberger, Matt

  Shane

  Shaw, Robert

  Sheen, Martin

  Sheen, Michael

  Shields, Willow

  Shutter Island

  Sideways; concept; reframe; scene analysis

  Silence of the Lambs; gender in

  Silent films

  Simon, Neil

  Singin’ in the Rain

  Sixth Sense, The; end; setting; surprise

  Sizemore, Tom

  Skarsgard, Stellan

  Slater, Christian

  Sleepless in Seattle: dilemma; theme

  Sleepy Hollow

  Smashable

  Smell of Burning Ants, The

  Smith, Kurtwood

  Social Network, The; dialogue; opening scene

  Some Like It Hot

  Something Wild

  Sorkin, Aaron

  Spacey, Kevin: L.A. Confidential; Se7en

  Spec script

  Speed

  Spellbound

  Spielberg, Steven

  Stagecoach

  Stagnation

  Stakes, tangible

  Star Wars: characters; characters, mirror; climax; concept; growth; scrawl; theme

  Status quo assumptions

  Steiger, Rod

  Step Brothers

  Stone, Emma

  Stone, Oliver

  Streep, Meryl

  Strode, Woody

  Stumbling; source of

  Style

  Subplots

  Subtext; of a beat; capturing; as surprise

  Sunset Boulevard; final line

  Superbad; character growth in; character insight; creative counterpoint; ending; opening scene

  Superman: The Movie; concept logline; dilemma; expectation; fainting and recovery scene; mugging scene; scene analysis; setup; surprise; “wild guess” line

  Surprise; change; in climax; in comedy; essence of; expectation and; finding; frustration and; linking; opposites; setup; as subtext; three rules for creating and evaluating; “who is at the door” question

  Suspense: creating; mystery versus

  Sutherland, Donald

  Swanson, Gloria

  Sweetie

  Synecdoche

  Tallulah

  Tangled: stumbling in; character arc; dilemma

  Tarantino, Quentin

  Taxi Driver

  Taylor, Lili

  Terms of Endearment

  Thelma & Louise

  Thematic intentions

  Theme; assumptions about; definition of; dialogue and; double entendres; summations

  Theme lines

  There Will Be Blood

  13th

  Thomas, Kristin Scott

  Thomas Crown Affair, The; action description; cheats

  Three Days of the Condor

  Thurman, Uma

  Tian, Valerie

  Tin Cup; body language in; clarity; “regulars” in; scene analysis

  Titles

  To Kill a Mockingbird: theme line

  To Sleep with Anger

  Tomei, Marissa

  Tone

  Tootsie; comic premise

  Town, The

  Toy Story 3

  Training Day

  Transitions

  Travelators

  True Romance: beat; beat, goal of; beat outline; cheats; dialogue; dialogue as action; expectation; interrogation scene; pacing; reversal; scene analysis; twist

  Turning point

  12 Angry Men; hook

  28 Days Later: dilemma; expectation; surprise; theme

  h Hour

  2001: A Space Odyssey; transitions

  Twist. See plot twist

  Umberto D

  Unforgiven; theme

  Up

  Upham, Misty

  Usual Suspects, The

  Vertigo

  Visuals; adverbs; action description; as, while, and participles; blocking; charging; cheats; context; density and detail; directing on the page; efficiency and clarity; essence of climax; figures of speech; fragments; initial function; language of; passive voice; rewriting; setup; wrestling with words for clarity and efficiency

  Voice of the script: beginning; ending; genre and beyond; managing expectations; personal; your voice

  Voight, Jon

  Von Stroheim, Erich

  Walken, Christopher

  Wall Street

  Wall-E

  Waltz, Christoph

  Wardrobe; extension of character via; state of

  Wayans, Damon

  Weaver, Sigourney: Avatar; Ghostbusters

  Wedding Banquet, The

  Weekend

  Weir, Peter

  Wendy and Lucy

  Wenham, David

  What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

  When Harry Met Sally

  “who is at the door” question

  Who’s Afraid of Virginia

  Woolf

  Wiig, Kristen

  Wild Strawberries

  Wilder, Billy

  Williams, Robin: Dead Poets Society; Good Will Hunting

  Willis, Bruce

  Wilson, Owen

  Winger, Debra

  Wizard of Oz, The

  Wonder Woman

  Wong Kar-Wai

  Wooley, Sheb

  Worthington, Sam

  Wrestler, The; dilemma; visuals

  Wright, Robin

  Wrinkle in Time, A

  Writing: action descriptions; adverbs; as, while, and participles; balancing modes; blocking; breaking the rules; brevity; character’s thoughts; cheats; closed mode; concept; context; deleting; density and detail of an action scene; directing on the page; efficiency and clarity; essence of climax; expressionistic style; figures of speech; final polish; finding the proper mode; fragments; free; initial function of an action scene; language of; medium, discovering you; minutia; open mode; orphans; passive voice; rewriting; scene, advanced; sentence fragments; setup of an action scene; small picture approach; subjective style; visuals; voice drafts; wrestling with a single word; wrestling with words for clarity and efficiency

  X

  X-Men series

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JIM MERCURIO is a writer, author, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He has directed or produced five feature films and helped countless writers as a teacher, story analyst, and script doctor.

  Jim directed the horror/thriller Last Girl, which won Best Feature at Texas DOA Film Festival. Jim produced Hard Scrambled, starring Kurtwood
Smith (That ’70s Show), which won best dramatic feature at Garden State Film Festival. He wrote and directed the bonus material for the film Making Hard Scrambled Movies—a two-hour seminar on making indie films—which The Washington Post called “a must for would-be filmmakers.”

  While receiving his Masters of Arts in Film from the University of Michigan, he won a Hopwood Award in screenwriting, one of the most prestigious college writing awards in the country. Past recipients include Arthur Miller and Lawrence Kasdan.

  One of the top screenwriting educators in the country, Jim has directed more than forty DVDs on the craft of screenwriting, including his own six-disc Complete Screenwriting: From A to Z to A-list. He was a star speaker at the Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles and was invited by Disney to teach story at SIGGRAPH in Boston.

  Creative Screenwriting magazine ranked him as one of the top screenplay consultants in the country. His clients range from beginners to Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated A-list filmmakers. To attend one of Jim’s workshops or work with him one on one, visit his site at www.jamespmercurio.com.

 

 

 


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