#27 - Getting Stuck
Edition #27 of the Lighthouse miniLetter!
You'll always get:
Three examples of great screenwriting
Two quotes about storytelling
One thing to think about
Plus some fun links at the bottom.
Three examples of great screenwriting
Lost (Pilot)
Written by JJ Abrams & Damon Lindelof
All this detail in the script. If you’re feeling it, put your titles in!
The Great (Pilot)
Written by Tony McNamara
Just fantastic tone setting.
Predator (April 7, 1985 Title Page)
Written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas
Not sure if there’s an actionable lesson here for most of us, but I can see how it’d be incredibly helpful to read a script with knowing who’s already in the starring role.
Also, kudos to finding the classic Predator font that early. The title might have changed, but not that typeface!
Two quotes about screenwriting
“If it’s not on the page, it will never magically appear on the screen.”
“Memory, time, cinema. It’s the same thing, really.”
One thing to think about
Are you actually stuck, or is it just difficult?
Writing is hard. No doubt about it.
One of the trickier things to figure out is when something isn't working, is it because you're going down the wrong road, or is it just a tough road to go down.
I haven't found any surefire way to know the correct answer, but I have found it helpful to focus on the end of that particular road.
It might be difficult to do, but if I can pull it off what does this do for the story?
This helps me really zero in on whether it's truly the wrong road, or if I'm just hoping it's the wrong road to avoid solving a difficult problem.
It's really just another way of asking:
Are you actually stuck, or is it just difficult?
BONUS: Letter from an Editor
A few weeks ago, I shared a writing example from Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. It was a small part of the script that was not in the final cut of the film. Here’s the passage, and my thoughts:
If you’ve seen the film, you know that the credits don’t happen here. Also, the last bit of Lane isn’t included at all. The scene ends with Ethan pounding on glass. Having the credits here and the match lit by Lane (a classic Mission: Impossible motif) I think is thematically stronger than what’s in the film. It was likely cut for pacing reasons.
But how important do you think it was for the production team, particularly for Sean Harris as Solomon Lane, to read this and understand what this film’s about? Just because something doesn’t end up in the final product doesn’t mean it’s not in the final product.
Well, a friend of mine who happens to be an extremely gifted editor reached out with his thoughts on why the selection might've been cut. Here's editor Jan Lefrançois-Gijzen:
Let's think about this cut visually and what it does for the film.
For reference, you can watch the scene here.
I'm willing to bet Eddie Hamilton and Christopher McQuarrie cut on Ethan banging on the window for several reasons.
In editing, emotion is king. Hunt's reaction to Lane's power and elusiveness makes Lane more powerful by contrast. The moment serves as the emotional roadmap for the rest of the movie! It's the north star for the audience when they don't know what's going on (i.e. "I'm not sure why we're in London now, but I know how Ethan FEELS about all this")
Hunt is a man of ACTION. What happens when you take away his power? Taking away Ethan's ability to act is the most dangerous thing his nemeses can do. Plus, Ethan losing power despite all his effort becomes a bit of a motif (hint hint climactic underwater setpiece)
If we were to follow the script (and McQuarrie wrote the screenplay, so he knows the intent of the scene better than anyone), Ethan's hand drags down... and the scene continues... outdoors... where this scary elusive emotionless antagonist we just met... lights a cigarillo? What does that scene tell us, except that the person who runs the super scary Syndicate respects indoor smoking laws? And we've lost all the emotional weight and intensity of Ethan's struggle!
Ending on this moment in the beginning makes the (Spoiler!) ending scene where Team Hunt locks Lane up in a similar glass box of powerlessness the perfect visual bookend for the story
I'm no screenwriter or master editor, but here's how you could potentially have the best of both worlds (and keep the "Lane-metaphorically-lights-the-fuse" thematic idea):
Instead of walking away, Lane walks toward the door, face-to-face with Ethan. He stares blankly as now all we can see are Ethan's hands pounding on the glass. Lane raises a cigarillo to his lips as Ethan pounds his last. Lane strikes a match and lights his cigarillo - taking us to the CREDITS.
Jan Lefrançois-Gijzen, Editor
Have a great draft,
David Wappel
PS Don’t Miss
To be successful, you need to fail (the article backs it up)