Concept more important than story for spec writers?

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  • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

    To me it makes total sense that the studios would make films from board games. After all, it's not as if there are any good mystery novels out there with actual characters in them. Or novels about battle at sea, or novels about aliens, or novels about real estate. There is definitely a huge lack of material to draw from, so I can totally see why, faced with such a vacuum in Previously Established Intellectual Property, studio execs would choose to get out the board game. And on the way to that closet where they keep their dusty old inanimate board games, they are no doubt walking by a huge waste bin filled to the rim with original screenplays peopled with living characters who fight and hurt and love and kill and weep and suffer and scheme and triumph.

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    • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

      Originally posted by Jeff_Shurtleff View Post
      I agree with you. Write the best that you can.

      But, sometimes it's better for the studio to say "From the people who brought you ICE AGE comes SHARK TALE"

      Easier to market them rather than you're unknown name.

      That's just the way it is.

      Jeff Shurtleff
      That doesn't usually happen. It's "from the director of..." or "from the producer of..." or "from the team who brought you..."

      It's hardly ever "from the writer of..." Unless they have a lotta memorable sh|t under their belt.

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      • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

        I'm pretty sure I've seen "from the writer of" but yeah, nobody gives a **** about writers except writers and the ones trying to make a buck from them.

        The exception of course are writer-directors, like Tarantino, Woody Allen, etc. They are known for both skills beyond the film nerd realm. And obviously, if you can say "from the writer-producer of THE WEST WING", you score a few points as well.

        It's funny, and yes I'm ashamed to admit this as a writer, but the first time I saw CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, I wasn't aware of who had written it. I was sitting there on my futon thinking Damn, that was some fine writing, and then the end credits came up, and there was Sorkin, and I was like WHAT, and then I was like DUH, and then I was like SCORE, and I may actually have performed a little futon dance, I can't recall.

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        • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

          Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
          It's funny, and yes I'm ashamed to admit this as a writer, but the first time I saw CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, I wasn't aware of who had written it.
          Shame on you.

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          • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

            Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
            Shame on you.
            Right?!

            ETA: But in a way, it was kind of cool. Like reading a script blind. It wasn't great writing because it was Sorkin, it was because of Sorkin that it was great writing.

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            • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

              Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
              Right?!
              Somehow I always am, yes.

              CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, btw, is my favorite movie Sorkin has written. But that's another discussion for another day.

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              • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                Somehow I always am, yes.

                CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, btw, is my favorite movie Sorkin has written. But that's another discussion for another day.
                My favorite passage is the skinny chess kid who starts rattling off weapon descriptions as if he were the freaking head honcho from the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a White House security briefing. CLASSIC Sorkin.

                Hard to get that from a board game..

                Then again, CWW is probably not the definition of success for most HW execs. But as long as crappy tentpole hits keep making the financing of more "difficult" films possible, I'm all for it. As long as we still have some measure of choice as audience members and film lovers, do whatever you have to do, Mr. Executive.

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                • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                  Very good movie, man. The Social Network is great but Wilson's War has some sense of satisfaction that escapes Social Network. Makes it more enjoyable somehow.

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                  • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                    Originally posted by ATB View Post
                    Very good movie, man. The Social Network is great but Wilson's War has some sense of satisfaction that escapes Social Network. Makes it more enjoyable somehow.
                    Plus it's one of those rare flicks that gives you a genuine GO USA feeling that doesn't involve an alien invasion or some kind of meteor hitting the earth. An absolutely remarkable tale grounded in real historic facts. And I'm not a big fan of Hanks, but he totally rocked that role.

                    I guess that is an example of "films for adults" that we keep hearing about

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                    • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                      You're both right. Oh so right.

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                      • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                        Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                        You're both right. Oh so right.
                        I'm going to totally ruin that beautiful sentiment by saying the following: one of the great tragedies of my life is that, should I ever be in the position to meet the writing god Sorkin, well he was a LOT hotter when he was on crack. There I said it.

                        But seriously, google Charlie Rose / Sorkin, the interviews are absolutely riveting. This is a guy who fell in love with the sounds of dialogue at a young age, and who had to learn how to work plot into his stories. He was a lover of words first, a craftsman of story later.

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                        • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                          Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
                          I'm going to totally ruin that beautiful sentiment by saying the following: one of the great tragedies of my life is that, should I ever be in the position to meet the writing god Sorkin, well he was a LOT hotter when he was on crack. There I said it.
                          That didn't ruin the beautiful sentiment at all, considering that I'm not even remotely judgmental when it comes to that sort of thing. Shit, I encourage it.

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                          • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                            Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                            That didn't ruin the beautiful sentiment at all, considering that I'm not even remotely judgmental when it comes to that sort of thing. Shit, I encourage it.
                            Well no comment on that

                            But yeah, the perfect synthesis of form and function: a rarity. Action films with depth, character-driven narratives with (at least) some sense of story, both with amazing dialogue, that's what we should all be striving for. I personally think that a 90 minute conversation (BEFORE SUNSET) can be just as thrilling as a thriller, but those are the exceptions.

                            Hitchcock would be a great example: master of suspense, master of sexual tension, master of dialogue.

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                            • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                              Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
                              Well no comment on that
                              Wimp.

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                              • Re: Concept more important than story for spec writers?

                                Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                                Wimp.
                                I'm not even supposed to be here. My novel + crippling pangs of guilt await.

                                (euphoric on the last chapter, paralyzed on the current one. Being a writer sucks.)

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