Shawn Whitney's Lounge Discussions

Movies aren't about events. They are about the characters impacted by those events.

Probably an event seen through the eyes if a character, alongside their own life, would dissolve the "reporter account" aspect. This would then bring another question, would the characters own life be the Macro or Micro story, in relation to event.

There are dramatically told histories of great events - told through the eyes of multiple people. The novel Fontamara comes to mind or some histories that are focused on how a population or social group are affected by and respond to events. And certainly there are ensemble films, like those of Altman (whom I love). But the key is that the view of events and the experience of the people in the story are united by a common approach to the story, ie. a theme. I think theme is often underrated or has become unfashionable - it's all about style, execution, technique - but theme is the heart of any good story.

Thanks, Patricia!

Thanks, Owen. It's definitely true that all the "subs" have to be tuned into your theme - subtext, subplots - or you're sending out mixed signals that dilute the point of the story.

Great article on premise!

Thanks, Shawn. Much appreciated. Another one to be posted tomorrow on action!

I don't know, Bill, you sent me your Soul Train dance shots and I thought they were retro chic!! I definitely approve! Soul Train was the jam; wish I would have known you back in the day :)

Monica: I might have...uh... accidentally sent them to you....yeah...accidentally.... because you're a professional dancer and all, and I might have been seeking some ....uh...er...uh.. professional feedback....but...hmm..."retro chic?"....hmm...check this out...I do have this time machine here.....and I finally got the "Back to the 1970's" button working again....so...you know...just sayin'...I'm just sayin'..

Bill C: I'm keeping the train shots for a special occasion.

Drummers are the biggest pains in the ass. Always creating drama and leaving bands. I can't count all the pickup gigs I got covering for drummer's who had relatives die, divorces, crimes of passion etc.

Phillip: no disrespect to you, bro...you're a great drummer..but you know how I feel about drummers. My drum machine doesn't eat all the food in my fridge...doesn't spill whisky on my mixing board or burn my car seats....doesn't go to the bathroom in my backyard...doesn't scare my neighbors...never needs bail money or hit on my gf....doesn't throw drum sticks or beer bottles at me...and does everything I tell it to do.

It's just like you, if you were a well-behaved drum machine that runs on solar power. Heck...it is you...and I even drew your face on Phil-Kit 3000...since all the sounds in it are sampled sounds of you playing. Which is all legal in my new home in Bhutan. Where there are no extradition treaties with the U.S., just in case you're thinking about going all drummer-loony on me at some point in the future. Heck...we don't even have diplomatic relations with the U.S. here. All you Americans are so sue-happy. And I live in a fortress that used to be a Buddhist monastery. And I trained the monkeys to bite the private parts of any person that isn't me. And most of them can fly. I'm the Alpha Monkey-Boy here, and they know who cooks and butters their monkey-bread. And it's from scratch, and not that Bhutan monkey-bread mix that they sell in the village.

And just to make it a little clearer for you, since you're a drummer, and hard of thinking...I'm not a revenge kinda-guy...that's for people with seriously deep character flaws...but you shoulda never ate all the brisket at the Sunday Gospel Brunch at Stubbs that one day 11 years ago...and you shoulda never blamed it on me. And I'm not a vengeful, Ugly American type...I'm a Loving Buddhist with some serious dance shoe, clothes and moves from the 1970's....but I'm just sayin', bro....I'm just sayin'.....and this all applies to the guy who started this forum topic seven years ago, too...whoever he is...cuz his words have that drummer vibe, too, and I know how all you drummers stick together and have that drummer network thing going on.

Gotta go now. I have a lot of fresh monkey-bread to butter before Monday Night Football begins...well... Tuesday Afternoon Football to us Bhutans...but you know what I'm sayin', bro...you know what I'm sayin'.....

Cause it's not a finished product. At least in the case of screenwriting. It's the blueprint for other artists to come in and bring it to life as a film or television production.

That's like saying a home owner with a vision shouldn't listen to an Architect or a General Contractor that he might want to move a bearing wall for better structural integrity; or that she should ignore prudent, well-meaning advice from electricians and plumbers as to minor modifications that might improve livability, pricing, construction, etc.

Filmmaking and television, at least, are collaborative arts. The screenwriter is only contributing the plan. The foundation and inspiration usually - but the craftsmen know how to make movies and television.

If you want to write what you want with no one's feedback, then you should self-publish novels and short stories. And there's nothing wrong with that.