African Cinema Conference presents...
Copyright 1997-2003, Artslink.co.za
(www.artslink.co.za) All rights reserved.
It's still all in the script.
We'll never make good movies until we see good scripts up there on the
screen - or on TV, argues Naas Ferreira.
It is amazing how many would-be scriptwriters believe that they don't need
training or a formula to write a screenplay or a television script. This
occurs is not only in South Africa, but worldwide. The big five Hollywood
studios receive about 25,000 scripts annually and produce only 400
screenplays. Most of the rejected scripts show a lack of understanding of
the structure of a good story.
So-called artists "don't want to be tied down by structure or formula
because it will inhibit the flow of creative juices." It looks like some
"screenwriting artists" in South Africa have a similar excuse for their
laziness. Beethoven, Dickens, Van Gogh, Picasso, Pollack, Coppola,
Spielberg, Scorcese and many more have all one thing in common. They have
mastered their craft and turned it into art. Picasso drew bottles for a
whole year before he moved onto the next stage of his development.
The true geniuses of the world are rare. Mozart and Shakespeare are two
examples of artists who received a rare gift and by applying their craft
diligently, produced great art. Mozart used the conventions of concerto's,
operas and concerts of his day, expanded on them and wrote exquisite music.
Shakespeare took well-known stories of the day, cast them in different
settings, added his unique vision, and wrote great theatre. They were not
restricted by conventions or formulae but changed them to suit their needs.
Art develops because some artist takes "that which went before" (conventions
and formulae) and tweaked them in a way to create a new form that others
copied, until another artist tweaked that form. So, whatever you do, you
cannot escape conventions, structure or formulae, or becoming a master of
your craft (art). It is sad that we live in a get-rich-quick world where
everyone wants instant success and the heck with learning the craft.
Let's take an example of the great opening scene from The Godfather and look
at the structure. I am using Brady's Structure of the Screenplay as
reference. I am quoting him from memory; so all the deviations are mine. I'
ve looked at the scene many times to make sure of the structure.
The scene opens with a close-up of the face of a middle-aged Italian man
sitting in a study, talking to someone screen left. His opening words are:
"I love America." As he relates his sad tale about the rape of his only
daughter and the injustice they suffered at the hands of the law, the camera
moves back to reveal a figure on screen left. This is Don Corelone- you only
see his hand and part of his head.
The middle-aged Italian man is the undertaker Bonasera. He's pleading for
justice from Don Corleone for the rape of his daughter. He gets up to
whisper in Don Corleone's ear what he wants. Then we see Don Corleone's full
face for the first time.
Don Corleone says he cannot commit murder because Bonasera's daughter is
still alive and hasn't been killed. Bonasera is willing to pay anything to
see the rapists dead. But Don Corleone answers that Bonasera never came to
him out of friendship and now insults him by offering him money to commit
murder. Don Corleone wants Bonasera to treat him as a friend and call him
Godfather. Eventually, Bonasera asks: "Be my friend, Godfather." The
Godfather says that justice will be done and leads the undertaker to the
door. The Godfather will someday ask a favour in return.
The main character (protagonist) of the scene is Bonasera. His scene goal:
He wants Don Corleone to give him justice. The Godfather is the opponent
(antagonist). When Bonasera asks for murder, Don Corleone refuses. This is
the first obstacle. When Bonasera says he'll pay anything, he moves beyond
his own morality because his goal is greater than anything. The Godfather is
insulted and demands more, he demands that Bonasera become part of the crime
family and that he throw away his middleclass morality.
Bonasera then "dies" when he acknowledges Don Corleone as Godfather. He is
giving up everything he believed in since he came to America. Bonasera is
successful in achieving his goal, but at a high price, his own ethics and
dignity.
This scene tells us much about Bonasera and Don Corleone just through
dialogue. It also reveals the inner workings of a crime family. And I hate
to say this, but compare this approach to some of the scenes in the
TV-series, The Rez.
Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, the two screenwriters of The Godfather,
knew what they were doing and what they wanted to achieve with the scene.
The scene has a beginning: Bonasera stating his and the scene goal: He wants
justice. The middle is Don Corleone's refusal and explanation of his
reasons. The end is when Bonasera calls Don Corleone Godfather and the
assurance that he will get justice.
Every scene should have a beginning, middle and an end; or a beginning and
middle; or a middle and end. One can play with the structure of the film and
begin with the end, then the middle and then the beginning; or start of with
the middle, then the beginning and then the end; or any which way you like.
Examples of changed structures are Pulp Fiction, Memento, Rules of
Attraction and many more. But each scene should take us to the next level of
complication for the main character.
This structure was not arbitrarily chosen by some mogul Hollywood producer,
but is part of the human programme. When the first people sat around
campfires, telling tales of their exploits they started off with: "This
morning when I started out ..." or "Yesterday..." and concluded with words
like "... and that's how I got back." When we converse with a friend about
our day, we use the beginning, middle and end structure. It is part of our
human nature. How we organise the three elements is where our creativity can
flourish.
But not enough South African screenwriters spend time mastering their craft
and many producers don't know what constitutes a good script. We will never
be a film producing country like the Australians unless we invest in
training excellent screenwriters. With the partial demise of SASWA, the
possibility of that happening seems as remote as me winning the lottery.
--
Copyright 1997-2003, Artslink.co.za
(www.artslink.co.za) All rights reserved.
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