Story Gravity

Story Gravity: Just as gravity moves matter, a story can move people, influencing the way they think, act, and believe.

The Screenwriter's Contract with the Audience

As a screenwriter, you have a contract with your audience. Did you know that? I didn’t until I watched Andy Guerdat's interview on Film Courage on YouTube.

Here is the interview between Andy Guerdat and Film Courage.

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The Contract: The Audience Pays; The Screenwriter Makes Them Feel

Andy Guerdat sums it up perfectly: “The contract we make with the audience is: they pay us money, and in return, we make them feel something.” It's clear and simple: They pay; you evoke emotions.

While this is true, it misses a crucial element: having a point, a reason to tell the story. Let me explain why.

Making the Audience Feel Is Not Enough

Stories are about emotions. However, without a point, the story doesn’t matter. You can watch the worst horror movie and still feel afraid, see a bad comedy and laugh, or watch poor-quality porn and feel aroused. It’s possible, but that’s not why people watch movies.

You can feel emotions from a bad story, but a good story will always make you feel something significant.

Emotions in Greek Theater (1200 - 323 BCE)

"Ancient Greek civilization, the period between the end of the Mycenaean civilization (1200 BCE) and the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), significantly influenced later Western culture in politics, philosophy, and art." - Britannica

According to Aristotle, Greek tragedy aimed to create an emotional release, called catharsis, by making the audience feel pity and fear. These tragedies focused on human suffering, showing characters facing hardships, loss, and tough moral decisions, which made the audience deeply empathize with them.

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The Revised Contract: It's Not Only About Emotion, It's Also About Having a Point

In short, storytelling is about emotions. Our job as screenwriters? Make the audience feel. That’s the deal we strike with every script. But we should not forget why people go to see movies: for a story with a meaningful conclusion. Therefore, I would adjust Andy Guerdat's contract.

Revised Contract: The audience pays money; the screenwriter makes them feel by telling a story with a meaningful point.

Note: This article was assisted by ChatGPT for spellchecking, shortening, and rephrasing sentences.

Directing Advice by Steven Spielberg: "You Need To Look At The Old Films"

I've found this video of Steven Spielberg saying: "You need to look at the old films.". It's not long, it's just 2:19 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LYJhvMbwn8

Funny Story: He used to bribe his kids to watch old movies :D

Steven Spielberg's Advice for Young Filmmakers

Steven Spielberg: "It's the stories they're going to get an audience to pay attention to you, not the shots" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dzo-O9cXXg

Rod Serling's Background As WWII Veteran

Rod Serling publicity photo for the premiere of The Twilight Zone, 1959. Courtesy CBS Television.

My friend Jonathan shared a link with me about Rod Serling's background as a WWII veteran and how the war influenced his legendary show, "The Twilight Zone." (1959 - 64) I can also see this influence in his work on "Planet of the Apes" (1968). And early in his career, Serling was inspired by comedian Jack Benny. Did you know that Rod Serling was Jewish?

Rod Serling's background as a WWII: Click

Steven Spielberg on the Importance of Studying Classic Films

Snapshot: Video by American Film Institute published in 2011 on Youtube.com

Hello,

here is a 2-minute video from Steven Spielberg, speaking about the Importance of Studying Classic Films. It's a video on Youtube, published by the American Film Institute in 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdoC-5OI2xY

Key Takeaway

1. Don't Forget the Classics: Spielberg worries that young folks are missing out on old movies, especially from the 1930s and 40s. They might know a lot about modern films and directors like Tarantino, but they're not tuned into the rich history of cinema.
2. Learning from the Masters: He points out how today's filmmakers, even big names like himself, learned from the masters of the past. The directors of the 1970s, like Spielberg, were influenced by those who came before, showing that inspiration travels through generations and time
3. Give Old Movies a Chance: Spielberg urges everyone to give black and white films a shot, even if they seem old-fashioned at first. He's noticed that once people start watching, they get drawn into the story, proving that good stories never go out of style, no matter when they were made.

Spielberg says we should watch old movies because they teach us a lot, but young people often ignore them. He wants everyone to give black and white films a chance because they're still great stories, no matter how old they are.

Best,

André

Note: 

Jerry Seinfeld: "The Movie Business is Over" - Part 1

Part 1/2

     (Netflix, Movie Poster, "Unfrosted")

There is something going on in the movie business. The quality is poor. We are producing and consuming movies with low-quality standards. And most people are not aware.

Pixar is good, Marvel is bad.

Jerry Seinfeld: “Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives. When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.” (IndieWire.com; 23.Apr.2024)

Why is that? I can't say for sure. But Jerry Seinfeld reminds me of a time when I was a young man, 12 to 16 years old: I was wondering why my family and friends would go into the movie theater and, after watching, didn't want to talk about it. I was eager to talk, but somehow the people didn't care. Why was that? I don't know.

What can we do to make film become the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy?

Watch good movies. Don't accept bad ones. When you are in the cinema, walk out of bad ones, and stay in for good ones. Don't accept bad movies.

Do you want to know what is good and bad?

In part 2 of this blog post, I'm going to share with you how you can spot good or bad movies.

And in order to conclude this blog post: Pixar is good, Marvel is bad. 

Blog post part 2 coming soon....