This weekend I had an opportunity to do something I never had before as a filmmaker. But I'll get to that later this week; tonight I want to talk a little about how I write.
Oh yeah, so I write. Sort of. I do a lot of writing, but I don't really show much of it off, because more often than not these days I'm writing for screen. And I'd rather hold most of it back until I get the chance to set up a shoot, or pass it off, or do literally anything but leave my ideas sitting on the internet for someone else to snatch up. It's happened, and it's more than a little annoying.
If you want to read what I have put online, feel free to check out my cobwebby blog In the Key of D!
Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Spectacle, Song
Aristotle's Six Elements of a Play
My background prior to any kind of filmmaking is theatre. I did a little in high school, I did a lot in college. I think that has something to do with my directing style. Last week I was assisting in an ADR session and suggested the voice actor shrug his shoulders, shift his weight onto his front foot, and hyperventilate to achieve different tones in his voice. You act as though you are on stage at all times, because if your voice doesn't sound genuine, why would your words?
I used to think a lot about the elements when I wrote, and could identify which elements were highlighted, or subverted, or ignored in a given work. Taking an analytical approach to writing and reading allowed me to become more effective as a dramaturg, sifting through sometimes dozens of scripts, searching for literary gold.
But the ones that stand out to me the most when it comes to film are Spectacle and Song. They're basically exactly what they sound like. Basically. Spectacle is the overall look of the work, whether it be costumes, lighting, special effects, whether the actor is smirking or sneering, all of it. Song is the sound of the work. Not strictly in the sense of musical backing or the pan hitting the stovetop, but also in the way the actor says their line. "Who are you?" and "Who are you?" are two completely different emotions. "Pass me the chocolate." and "Pass me the chocolate." are specifying in two different ways. And sometimes it's the difference between a question, and a statement, and a demand, and a lie. Diction is quite similar, but has more to do with the specific choice of word, rather than the manner in which it is presented.
Lately I've been working on adaptations more than original work, and one such adaptation has been at the forefront of my mind for a few weeks now. It has a long and storied background and history, and one hurdle in the writing process (that will most certainly repeat itself when it comes time for production) is getting the "feel" right. Certain visual elements need to present themselves. Certain events need to take place with specific circumstances. And certain familiar tones need to be heard to elicit memories and emotions.
Ask me sometime about what I'm writing. And then ask what music I have in mind. Everything I write has backing in some way. In my largest original work so far, every episode has at least one major song connection woven into the plot. In my largest adapted work, the music is taken from decades of popular source material.
Scrubs did an amazing job of bringing music into the show itself in a way that wasn't obtrusive, and in many cases actually improved the overall show. I like to think it's been my most major inspiration for musical writing style thus far.
I got into a lot more than I expected there, and not nearly as in-depth into how I use the music, but I hope sometime soon I can talk more about the projects I'm working on. The one I'm working on now is a doozie.
Oh, and if you catch me humming to myself, I'm not crazy. I'm writing.
Okay, I may be crazy too.
No comments:
Post a Comment