26 Screenplays

How many times have you said, “I love you”?

How many things have you meant when you said it? I desire you. I want you to feel guilty. Will you make me a sandwich?

Words, particularly written words, are the surface of a larger meaning. A particular director working with a particular set of actors can interpret a script many ways. Stage plays stand the test of time because they are constantly being renewed and redefined for the current generation. Ibsen might have written a play about people dying of syphilis, but it can easily be updated to refer to people dying of AIDS.

The flexibility of art is key to the longevity of art.

The screenplays in the book are designed to be taken apart, updated, and revised to meet the needs of a particular project. Each one holds interpretive surprises that are beyond what I, as the author, could ever dream of. That is part of what makes this project so exciting.

And, as a bonus, each film made from the book gets an “I love you” from me.

A good way to start thinking in visual terms is watch movies with an eye towards the cinematic storytelling.

Every once in awhile, this blog will discuss certain films that a filmmaker should watch and learn from.

The Seven Samurai is a great example of cinematic storytelling. It even transcends spoken language (while the spoken word in the film is Japanese, it works like a silent film in many places; every thing you need to know is available visually).

What to watch for:

Composition.

In many places a perfectly composed image pans to another perfectly composed image. While the acting seems a little exaggerated and stylish, it works because the visual language of the film is exaggerated and stylish. There is a lush, emotional world being explored here, and it is being explored visually.