"You’ll meet a lot of people who, to put it simply, don’t know what they’re talking about. In 1970 a CBS executive famously said that there were four things that we would never, ever see on television: a divorced person, a Jewish person, a person living in New York City and a man with a moustache. By 1980, every show on television was about a divorced Jew who lives in New York City and goes on a blind date with Tom Selleck."
Aaron Sorkin’s commencement address at Syracuse University | Go Into The Story
gointothestory.blcklst.com
Here's the pinpoint link, including video:
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2012/05/aaron-sorkins-commencement-address-at-syracuse-university.html
Ex-f'in-actly!
The best talent make and break there own rules as they go along.
I truly hope AS realize this before they stumble down the "tried and trusted" route of same ol' same ol'...
Sorkin tells the same story in the intro to "The West Wing Script Book." He concluded, "People who don't know anything tend to make up fake rules, the real rules being considerably more difficult to learn."
That's what bugs me about things like the story that started my "we're not making movies with women" thread and the "10 scripts you're not allowed to write" thread. People make up fake rules and treat them like real rules, and both writers and audiences suffer as a result.
In addition to the safe bets that follow the "rules" (like "The Avengers" and an endless stream of comic book reboots and sequels), there's also room for companies like Focus and Bedlam and Fox Searchlight taking on stories like "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The King's Speech" just because they're great stories.
Here's the link to the "do not write" list. How many of YOUR favorites would be on this list?
http://coverageink.blogspot.com/2011/05/agents-not-sheet.html
My Mentor is, continues to be and will always be David Milch - with or without any personal advice his work and the way he 'gets to it' is truly inspirational and comes from a very 'pure' place that most won't allow themselves to go...
"Ten Genres to Avoid Like the Plague"
Meh...
They said the same about Pirate movies, and for a moment there they seemed right with
Cutthroat Island driving a few nails in that coffin.
Thankfully a great story showed them they were wrong...
Aaron Sorkin wrote, "People who don't know anything tend to make up fake rules, the real rules being considerably more difficult to learn."
Which says that writing for television does have "real rules."
And the rules aren't written down in a Master Book. YOu have to make up your own rules. That's the problem. Every screenwriter makes up their own rules. Some of them are wrong.
Conflict. Drama is based on conflict.
Conflict between people who love each other. Conflict between governments. And conflict between cultures. Avatar was popular because it showed a modern culture with technology coming into a culture with magic. That's always fun. Superman comics discovered that one a long time ago.
In an interview, Stan Lee was asked which Marvel heroes should be explored. He said Dr. Strange and Black Panther.
Dr. Strange... is Harry Potter grown up.
This is why "12 Princesses" could be popular. The culture, the World of Magic at the bottom of the secret tunnel under the Trap Door in the bedroom, shows us what a culture COULD be. If we didn't have to worry about mundane things and could embrace magic as the solution to all our problems. Or, as they say, Add a dwarf. Add Trolls, Elves, a Bad Fairy, giants, centaurs, giant spiders, talking animals and... well, The Lion King showed talking animals is powerful.
