Peter R. Feuchtwanger's Lounge Discussions

Dan, that’s interesting. Where did you deploy?

Dan - I flew medivac & SAR for the 5th AirCav up north in I-Corps. Boy didn't we have fun?

Missed you, Dan & Doug. Was embedded with the 1/8 in Beirut, and every conflict since, it seems. Retired from NBC News in 2015. You guys saved my ass in Somalia. Semper fi.

Don't take it out. Just cut it back. There's no reason to take it out completely. Or at least I don't think so.

Die Hard: YippieKiYay you bad guy!

Aliens: Get away from her you alien mother!

Little Miss Sunshine: Darn!!!!

There are films where swearing is warranted and should be supported and there are films where it's probably not and should be avoided (like "Toy Story" or "Cars"). Those IMHO who advocate a wholesale "movies shouldn't have any swearing" IMHO aren't approaching it from a position of what's best or works for the story, but operating from a religious or moral dogma standpoint. They're advocating a moral standard/personal standard which is fine as it's their prerogative as a consumer. However the real world is full of cursing. They want escapism from reality that actually has cursing. Ie. Fantasy. Again, it's fine if it fits and that's the challenge but it's really not about swearing. It's about using language effectively including swearing.

Remove the "N" word from a slave narrative?

Remove the "R" word that a person negatively uses for a person with mental disabilities?

Remove the "C" word that a misogynist uses?

Why neuter what's natural and fits? I haven't heard a good argument that serves the story. I have heard lots of moral or religious based arguments which are good for those who adhere to those or put a primacy upon those.

Dan Guardino - I thought this was a "networking" site. I thought we helped others. That service is part of what I offer. In the past, I've brought people to Stage 32 and even wrote a guest BLOG for them that brought a lot of traffic here. From the question, I honestly think the poster would benefit from a professional reading his material. And, it doesn't have to be me, I was offering. But, I don't offer free services, as I would guess, you don't either. And, I certainly wouldn't begrudge you that right. But, I appreciate the discussion. :)

Dan MaxXx - It's very easy to troll a board and jump in with a snarky comment, but I was offering legitimate help. Not twisting anyone's arm to take it.

John Hunter - Clearly, I was selling. ;)

Hope everyone is having a PRODUCTIVE MONDAY! :)

Slow Monday. Lemme jump off a writer's forum, cruise around the block and look for damaged cars and offer my bodyshop services. Later folks.

Dan, I appreciate you pointing it out - it's all good.

Dan MaxXx - If you offer competitive pricing and I need a part for my Cadillac can I give you a call? ;)

Ronald, getting back to your query, it's possible that you might just want to go back and edit your script. Using economy in the action passages and removing all parentheticals that are actor emotion notes, (they will make their own choices), is a great way to trim the fat. I've been going over my earlier scripts, applying those edits, and I've dropped 4 to 10 pages, depending on how far back I go. Sometimes there is also unnecessarily repetitive dialogue. And... Starting a scene at the latest possible moment, as William Goldman once advised.

Definitely! I already found extra "fluff" that isn't even needed! Thank You all for the comments! I will let you know on the process from here on out!

I've been wondering about those terms too but by now I have impressions of what they mean. Let's see how close I come in accuracy, assuming someone knows what they truly mean and corrects me:

"Tent pole" means films that are shown virtually everywhere in the USA and in the big overseas markets, high budget, lots of pyrotechnics, often based on comic books.

"Contained" means the film takes place primarily in one setting and the overall costs to make the film are low.

"High concept" means you can generate intrigue just from the logline with some hook that hasn't been seen before, the same, but different, e.g., Snakes on a Plane.

"Grounded" is usually associated with Sci-Fi, I think, and means, I think, that the sci-fi aspect is actually a possibility in the near future and wouldn't be cost prohibitive.

"Elevated" strikes me as vague and near as I can tell means the script is clever in some way.

Well, I don't know if there are definitive answers, but there are certainly answers. Lol! ;) I'm sure others will add, but... in a nutshell:

Tentpole: A program or movie that supports the financial performance of a movie studio or television network, which may be expected to support the sale of tie-in merchandise, and/or build a franchise. "Tentpole" is a studio term that relates to risk allocation. A tentpole is designed to carry less financial risk than the rest of the film slate to return an overall profit to the studio.

Contained: A story/film that takes place in a limited number or single location. A "contained" script is of a story that occurs in one, maybe two(three) locations and features a small cast, thus they generally cost much less to produce. "The Disappearance of Alice Creed," "127 Hours," "Buried," "Open Water" are examples of contained films.

High Concept: A concept that is easily understood and quick to visualize, and has mass entertainment and broad appeal. "Snakes on a Plane" is high concept. "Jurassic Park" is high concept. "High concept" delivers upon an easy-to-grasp idea.

Grounded: A story that feels "grounded" in its reality, is authentic, or is logically grounded, has a sense of "realism" and believability. The term "grounded" is very subjective. An area of example, say... a science fiction film that is grounded in real science. Or another example/term: "Grounded Sci-Fi" may be set in a realistic, earth-bound, future world, as opposed to say... "Valerian." Or compare "District 9" to say, STAR TREK.... "District 9" feels much more "grounded."

Elevated: An "elevated" concept has an added intelligent, complex twist or hook to it. An "elevated" concept may also blend different elements from different genres together to create a new approach to a type of story. "Silence of the Lambs" is elevated. It's not just about an FBI Agent who has to hunt down a serial killer; it's that she also needs the help of an even worse serial killer in order to do so. That twist elevates a common concept: FBI agent hunting down a serial killer.

Both of you answered pretty much what my research was able to discover, but it's great to have this confirmation. Thank you.

To an extent perhaps...but (I feel) imagination and creativity goes a great deal further as well. Again...examine Q. Tarantino style and his movies...look at M. Shamaylan (probably misspelled his name sorry LOL). Those are only 2 incredible artists who are world famous for their style of creativity and imagination. Looks at Kelley Armstrong (author of Bitten series booked which was actually turned into a tv series). Creativity and imagination will always out play everyday life.

I don't mean to, but I am just drawn t comedy. It's what i like to write. I have done comedy slash genres though. I have comedy/crime, comedy/horror, comedy/sci-fi. It's not about limiting. It's about enjoyment.

I’m with you Cherie. With WELL over half a century of life behind me, I’ve witnessed and experienced much – from the most exhilarating joys to the darkest tragedies; from euphoric success to devastating failures. Through all, it’s been my comedic outlook and nature that has kept me afloat. Every script I write becomes a comedy/something-or-other. I recently tried writing a real horror script (Stephen King kind of stuff.) All my old-folk peers thought it was one of the funniest things they’ve ever read; my teenage grandkids and their friends thought it was terrifying. Go figure. My advice to screenwriters is stay comfortable and develop your own style - Works for me.

I've written a few different genre scripts however they all (unintentionally) centre around a relationship between two people.

Robert - no Quentin is VERY funny but what i meant is that he's never going to have the style of a Jennifer Aniston/Kate Hudson/Reese Witherspoon Rom Com film. Which puts me in total agreement with Sue. IMO deciding who you will be as a screenwriter it mixes with what your goals are and things are never a straight line, right? My pov is based purely on a screenwriter trying to market their scripts to production companies/agents/studios bc that's what I am surrounded by. Too many agents/producers I've interviewed say the same thing they got a great thriller/horror/whatever writer and their follow-up script was a rom-com/teen drama/something that was completely different and they had no idea what to do with it. Many times what you've written influences opinions on what writing assignments you get. Again, everyone's experience is different. And there is no right way to do things. Esp not in this industry (well, besides being respectful and behaving with a level of common sense, but even then most people...:). What works for one might not work for another. I've seen people get success with both approaches.