How Does Diablo Do It?

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  • How Does Diablo Do It?

    Just listened to a Q&A with Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman of Juno fame.

    Here's are my take-aways: Juno was her first script; she started by buying Final Draft and started typing with no screenwriting classes or any formal instruction, and she wrote the Academy Award winner in less than six months. Obviously she didn't worry about stuff like plot points, pinches, the timing of certain events, or other structural stuff. - the kind of stuff that my little screenwriting group and I worry over.

    Reitman said they pretty much used her first draft.

    So, how did she accomplish all that without learning any basics? I would love to attend a live Q&A with her to ask her those questions.

  • #2
    Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

    My theory: she's a mutant. A rare once-a-decade-if-that exception. I'd love to earn an Academy Award on my first script, but I'm not naive enough to think that'll happen. Maybe on my second. Who knows.

    I have no idea how she did it. Welcome to the club-o-bafflement. None of us do.

    INT. PINEAPPLE - DAY


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    • #3
      Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

      I think Jason's a nice guy. Love his writing too.

      Bot
      Last edited by Robot17; 04-12-2009, 05:54 PM.
      Since I sensed a sudden lack of appreciation for my presence, I hopped out of the Jumpy-jump, snatched my glow-stick from the fridge and galloped away on the Rent-A-Pony. - Stolen from Jcorona

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      • #4
        Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

        He said it takes him five years to write a script and that's why he said he directs other people's scripts.

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        • #5
          Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

          This is a seriously loaded question as the Diablo-haters will crash this thread soon. I'm only a sorta Diablo-hater so I'll get this in and out before the real fireworks begin.

          I actually think, if you have some talent (doesn't have to be a lot - but some), that you have a chance of writing a great screenplay on your first try. For the very reason you stated. You don't follow the rules so the result is something unique.

          Now 99% of the time, that result is unique *bad*. But every once in awhile, someone will break through with a script that's genius. McQuarrie talked about this with The Usual Suspects. He had no f'ing clue what he was doing. He said if he knew then what he knows now, he would've never written that screenplay, and often says he wishes he didn't know all the things he knew now.

          BUT! A couple of things. First, it's possible to write a great script going on *instinct* BUT unless you know the inherent craft of screenwriting, it will be extremely difficult to repeat that success. Because unless you get lucky with every script you ever write and your instinct is always correct, sooner or later you're going to have to start solving problems in your script. This is where someone like Cody isn't experienced. And where she'll start running into trouble. I haven't read Jennifer's Body. I know a few people dig it and a lot of people don't. But it's definitely not burning up the charts like Juno was.

          SECOND, she had help. Someone who knows her story better can clarify this. But I at the very least know she was guided by Reitman (someone who grew up in a Hollywood home) and I believe any of us here would improve our scripts tremendously under the guidance of a smart producer or director.

          And finally, nobody would know the writer of Juno, nor would she have likely won the Oscar, if she had been a fat 43 year old male writer named John Smith. I know people will take me to task on this. But exposure plays a huge role in the Oscar voting process and nobody had as much exposure that year as Diablo Cody.
          Last edited by ScriptShadow; 04-12-2009, 06:53 PM.
          Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

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          • #6
            Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

            Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
            Obviously she didn't worry about stuff like plot points, pinches, the timing of certain events, or other structural stuff.
            I don't "worry" about that sort of stuff, either. My thought is that structure should happen naturally so long as what you're telling is, in fact, a story.

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            • #7
              Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

              Originally posted by wilsoneads View Post
              And finally, nobody would know the writer of Juno, nor would she have likely won the Oscar, if she had been a fat 43 year old male writer name John Smith.
              Well, I have no hope then...at least I'm not fat
              "Berne is the capital of Switzerland. It has seven times the size of the graveyard of Naples, but it's only half as funny."
              Luciano di Crescenco

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              • #8
                Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                I'm not a hater, but apparently JENNIFER'S BODY is so bad she's going to have to return her oscar.

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                • #9
                  Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                  Print the legend: She was a film & media grad at U of Iowa. I suspect even in an Iowa film class you study scripts. At the very least, you study films and film theory. I suspect you probably write at least one script in your four years. After that, she wrote a couple of books (at least one - the stripper one - began on a blog, I don't know about the secretary one). She wrote commercials for a living.

                  I suspect there's a stack of early scripts that are not part of her bio.

                  - Bill
                  Free Script Tips:
                  http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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                  • #10
                    Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                    I heard that she got exposure from the books she had written, and that exposure lead to connections, and those connections gave her screenwriting advice/tips/tricks/whatever you wanna call it. I suspect she had A LOT of guidance with Juno.

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                    • #11
                      Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                      Geoff knows her. We should ask him. Geoff?
                      Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

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                      • #12
                        Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                        Now 99% of the time, that result is unique *bad*. But every once in awhile, someone will break through with a script that's genius. McQuarrie talked about this with The Usual Suspects. He had no f'ing clue what he was doing. He said if he knew then what he knows now, he would've never written that screenplay, and often says he wishes he didn't know all the things he knew now.
                        There's a interview with mcQuarrie that came out together with the screenplay. In it, there's a clear indication that Bryan Singer read the first draft, gave him pointers and asked him to improve certain things etc. Singer had by this point directed Public Access so obviously also would have some experience in terms of structure/dramatic tension etc. So McQuarrie didn't write the script in isolation. Also, who knows who Singer gave drafts to to get feedback from right?

                        SECOND, she had help. Someone who knows her story better can clarify this. But I at the very least know she was guided by Reitman (someone who grew up in a Hollywood home) and I believe any of us here would improve our scripts tremendously under the guidance of a smart producer or director.
                        I think Mason Novick played a part in helping her here (and maybe he also had people helping him ie: coverage etc - we don't know). But there's a valid point that she'd already written a book previously and was doing heavy 'writing' at that point. And then you have a director who's going to direct the movie come in and give feedback - all that is also help.

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                        • #13
                          Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                          Yeah but Singer is, by his own admission, not a writer. And back then, he knew absolutely nothing. He barely even knew how to make a movie. I got this from McQuarrie's interview with the Creative Screenwriting podcast. You should check it out. It's the single best screenwriter interview I've ever heard or read. It's just two hours of awesome.
                          Last edited by ScriptShadow; 04-12-2009, 08:56 PM.
                          Script Reviews - 5 a week! http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/

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                          • #14
                            Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                            It's possible to write way over your head. I experienced this myself. The second script I ever wrote was much better than it should've been and much better than anything I would write for the next year or two.

                            It's like a mediocre baseball pitcher throwing a great game. Some nights things are clicking and everything falls perfectly into place. What separates a pro from a flash in the pan is the ability to consistently deliver.

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                            • #15
                              Re: How Does Diablo Do It?

                              Originally posted by wilsoneads View Post
                              Yeah but Singer is, by his own admission, not a writer. And back then, he know absolutely nothing. He barely even knew how to make a movie. I got this from McQuarrie's interview with the Creative Screenwriting podcast. You should check it out. It's the single best screenwriter interview I've ever heard or read. It's just two hours of awesome.
                              I've always held The Usual Suspects as the prime example of the difference between how writers and directors get credit for a film's success.

                              To my mind, the strength of The Usual Suspects is almost entirely in the script. Singer's a serviceable director, but to be frank I don't think he's anything special. Most of what people would cite as great about the movie, it's all in the script.

                              And yet Singer's film career after the success of that movie looks like this:

                              Apt Pupil (1998)
                              X-Men (2000)
                              X2 (2003)
                              Superman Returns (2006)
                              Valkyrie (2008)

                              Hollywood immediately opened to him and he's worked continuously ever since. Meanwhile, McQuarrie's film career continued on like this:

                              The Way of the Gun (2000)
                              Valkyrie (2008

                              Aside from his indie flick, it took him thirteen years to get another major studio movie produced, and even that was like Singer throwing his old writer pal a bone.

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