After months of recommendations and glowing reviews from my friends, I finally decided to give Game of Thrones a shot. Whoa. I now regret waiting as long as I did. The show is absolutely phenomenal and I’m very proud to consider myself a part of it’s rapidly growing fan base. Especially with the newest (and amazing) trailer for Season 2 working it’s way around the web this week.
Over the last week or so, I powered my way through the exceptional first season while avoiding spoilers from virtually every fan I know. At the same time, I read a lot about the books on which the series is based. It’s a pretty fantastic world that author George R. R. Martin created.
What’s impressive about the television series is how well they established the world and the multiple story lines. It’s not easy creating a brand new world full of new characters, locations and cultures on the small screen. That’s part of the charm of Game of Thrones. By the end of the second episode, I was hooked and completely addicted to Winterfell, The Wall, The Starks, The Lannisters and the Iron Throne.
Something funny happened as I watched the first season. I found myself looking forward to the opening credits sequence at the beginning of each episode. Beyond that, I found myself humming the song constantly while I thought about my latest screenplay. The song fit very well into an action script I’ve been developing. I don’t mean to suggest that the opening theme could find a place in the movie someday. I simply felt inspired to write whenever I heard that song. I helped me get into my world and think creatively.
It’s funny how fate can sometimes step in when you are writing a new screenplay. Perhaps I was meant to delay watching the series until I was ready to write my new script? I like to think I was destined to fall in love with that theme and use it as a spark in my own writing.
Inspiration comes in many forms. Whenever something that triggers my creativity comes along, I try to seize every moment and write as much as I can. My new script has absolutely nothing to do with swords, knights, Lords or Kings. Yet here I am, playing the opening to Game of Thrones over and over again and writing…
It’s a good thing the show is amazing too. Win Win!
Do you connect songs to your screenplays? What other influences do you hold close while you write? Music? Art? Other screenplays? Movies? Television shows?
HELP KICK START YOUR BRAIN BY CREATING SOMETHING CHEESY, LAME, CLICHED AND/OR TERRIBLE…
I had to wake up this morning at 6 AM to take my dog to get his hair cut. That might sound awful to most but I consider myself a morning person even though I normally work late. Personally, I think waking up before the sun rises is the best time to write screenplays.
So while I was getting ready, I decided to challenge myself to come up with something new. It could have been anything really. A short, a feature, a concept or simply a main character would have sufficed… I had nothing or at least nothing I would consider good. Every idea I came up with was either something I had already seen or something I had no interest in seeing and that’s never a good thing. Sick of coming up with good ideas for a screenplay, I decided to switch gears and come up with a horrible screenplay idea.
THE BAD SCREENPLAY
This technique may sound counter-productive but it’s not. It’s just as difficult to come up with a bad screenplay idea if you set out to do so. The whole point is to be creative and get your mind working. (Especially if it’s 6 AM) Within minutes, I was making myself laugh with my horrid storyline and the cheese ball action hero I created. I called my bad screenplay idea:
THE MENTAL NOTE
The story is set in 1972 inside a mental hospital that houses diabolical super genius Pinter. One day, he somehow manages to medicate the head of the hospital in order to retrieve information on a top secret formula that induces violent behavior in patients. He uses this to create an army and escape. Opposing Pinter is a lonely police officer, Bruce, who has just finished a night shift and is on his way to visit his dying wife. Pinter and his army arrive to ‘diagnose’ more people and Bruce is the only one who can stop him.
The only reason I’d want to see this movie is so Bruce can stand before Pinter and say things like:
I’ll make a mental note of that!
And Pinter would reply:
… Go ahead!
See I told you it wasn’t very good. However, while I was figuring out how my main villain would meet his end, I came up with a new idea for a short film that I liked. And it’s all because of a mental hospital, a secret formula and a cheesy catch phrase.
Cameron Crowe’s films have always been hit or miss for me. I had high expectations for films like Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown but they didn’t inspire me like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. The thing about Cameron’s work is that it’s easy to love if you fall for the wonderful characters he creates.
That’s the genius of his writing. Whether you love his characters or not you can’t deny how real and relatable they are in their own unique way. For me, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous are absolute masterpieces and I constantly hold them up as examples of the type of screenwriter I strive to be.
So with the release of the trailer for his next film ‘We Bought A Zoo’, I have high hopes once again that his work will inspire my writing once more.
Jerry Maguire
As a movie fan addicted to screenwriting and a sports nut, it doesn’t get much better than Cameron Crowe’s ‘you had me at hello’ sports agent. I loved Jerry Maguire.
While the entire film is spectacular, it’s the first 15 minutes that inspire. I am a writer after all and watching Tom Cruise piece together his memo (or mission statement) always makes me feel like writing. The idea of seizing a creative burst and filling countless pages with passionate thoughts you believe in is an incredible feeling.
“It was the oddest most unexpected thing…”
Screenwriters around the world know what it’s like to pull an all-nighter solo with nothing but silence and darkness for company. It’s just you, your story and a glowing screen. The next morning you wake up refreshed but also terrified that your work might not be accepted when you send it out into the world. But you’re proud regardless because you didn’t let the opportunity slip away.
I loved Almost Famous for similar reasons. Here is a young writer who wants nothing more than to accomplish his goal of becoming a rock writer.
I love listening to the characters talk about what music means to them. It makes it so easy to love the story when it deals with passion and creativity. As a screenwriter, I love how one article could make or break William’s chances at success. Every word has to be carefully selected. Every quote skillfully chosen. Does he stay true to himself and take the honest approach or risk disappointing the editor of Rolling Stone in exchange for social acceptance.
It’s that choice that inspires me. Writing is hard after all and while I mainly write fiction, the characters are real to me. I owe it to them to be honest and choose every single word carefully. It’s the same way I feel when I’m watching these two films.
We Bought a Zoo
I hope this film will find it’s way next to Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous on my shelf. Who knows how I will relate to the film. The same can be said for any movie really. Fans of film spend their entire lives looking for the special moments that light up their imaginations. Cameron Crowe is responsible for several moments like that but there is always room for more.
It’s no secret I’m addicted to writing screenplays and over the years, I’ve developed a little tradition. Basically, once a year, I sit back and evaluate the screenplays I’ve written and set my goals for the following year. This occurs every year on September 1st.
Last year, one of my main goals was to finish at least one feature length screenplay. I did. In the Spring I finally finished a script I had been working on here and there for nearly 4 years. It was like a huge weight was lifted. For a long time, I felt like I couldn’t start a new project until I finished that screenplay. Finishing it was the highlight of Era 7.
My next goal was to polish old shorts and enter a few of them into competitions. I didn’t. I did go through and select the scripts I would have liked to submit but I never got around to entering them. I’m not sure what keeps holding me back but this is going to be the first thing I change in Era 8. This year, I will enter some shorts into competitions.
In addition to my feature length screenplay, I also finished 6 brand new shorts and I’m extremely proud of every single one of them.
I also developed a new feature that with a first draft well underway. Obviously, this will be my first priority this year. I want to have the script completely done by the end of 2011 so I can start something new in 2012.
What I love the most about Era 8 is the variety of projects I’ll be working on. In addition to writing new screenplays, I’ll also be contributing more screenwriting posts to this blog and to my new website which will launch very soon.
Not only that, I’ve got a top secret project that scares the hell out of me because of the honesty it will require to pull off. It’s going to be a ton of work to finish but I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
All in all, it’s business as usual for me. I still love to write screenplays and I love to write about my passions online. Each year I vow to evolve as a writer. And so today, I renew a promise to be a dedicated and passionate screenwriter.
LOOKING FOR GREAT CHARACTERS? DON’T FORGET REALITY TV.
Screenwriters HAVE to create great characters… Scratch that…
Screenwriting HAVE to create unique, entertaining and unbelievable characters!
You have to take the time and put in the work to craft characters that are loved, hated, admired or pitied. No matter what emotion they are meant to invoke, they have to be real. They have to be great.
Every writer has different ways to accomplish this including many forms of inspiration. Over the last few years, I’ve learned to love reality TV and a show I never really liked at all, until I met Russell Hantz.
Russell is a character that emerged as a villain AND a fan favorite. Are you looking to create a villain that people will love? Watch a TV show that you have ZERO interest in and you might be surprised by what inspires your next great character.
I was never a fan of Survivor.
I watched the first season like everyone else on the planet but the explosion of reality based shows turned me off. Back then, every new program was a game show or social experiment and networks wanted nothing except programs built to vote people off.
I missed sitcoms and dramas. Slowly, the millions of reality shows got voted off the air but the strongest remained. Those that stuck around were based on truly great concepts that lead to fascinating characters, clashes, twists and strategies I’ve come to adore. It was 4 ‘Survivors’ ago when I finally got back on board and realized why people love the show so much. I have Russell Hantz to thank for that.
Some people at work asked me to get involved in their Survivor pool so I put up my twenty bucks and drew Russell at random. Having no clue what to expect I recorded the show each week and eventually found myself rushing home to watch the latest episode before it was spoiled.
Every single show ended with a promo showing Russell with his back against the wall. The following week, he would find a way out of the jam and continue. I was contantly holding my breath because there was cash at stake but soon I realized I was genuinely cheering for him to succeed. Did I have a chance to win the pool? Perhaps a small chance but ultimately he didn’t win. Yet something far more interesting was happening. Something that interested the screenwriter in me.
Russell Hantz: The Character
It was amazing how Russell managed to take over the first Survivor. He dominated that first season. Every time somebody crossed him, he found a way to send them home. Along the way, he also found a way to become one of the most hated contestants of all time. People saw him as ruthless, selfish and undeserving of the title of sole survivor. Yet no matter how much the people wanted to see him lose, they still loved to watch him play. This is why he was voted the player of the game.
Here is a character who is so blatantly arrogant and foul. A disrespectful and conniving player who didn’t care who’s feelings he hurt. During the final tribal counsel he didn’t even know to show a little remorse. He was THAT confident that he would win. He was proud of the way he played and quite frankly he should be to a point but the burnt the bridges ultimately cost him the game.
The Reunion
What surprised me about the reunion show that follows the finale was Russell’s body language. You could tell he wanted to win more than anything and it devastated him to lose. In his mind (and mine) he played the game like no one else and deserved to win. Yet his antics robbed him of the title. Some people may not sympathize with him but you could see how badly he wanted it and watching him react as it slipped away was fascinating. You have to give him credit for playing as hard as he did.
Cheering against a villain is just as engaging as cheering for a hero.
Russell Hantz: The Villain
Heroes vs. Villains.
When I heard Russell was coming back I was pumped. Could he possibly repeat the same deceiving tactics and make it to the end again? I was willing to bet he would but truthfully, I just wanted to watch him play again.
So when it came time to ‘draft’ players in our pool, I actually paid to move up and select Russell. I did this for two reasons. First because I’m a fan and second because I didn’t know any of the other people having only seen the first season. He was my only shot.
It was a good move on my part because we were all in for another season of shocking twists and thrilling moments. All at the hands of Russell Hantz.
A part of me thought he would have learned his lesson and played a more social game but he continued to plot, scheme and make enemies. My money definitely wasn’t safe as he was playing with the most ruthless and also the most beloved Survivors ever.
Yet still, his ‘evil’ ways got him further and further into the game as he took out pro after pro after pro. Another game. Another final and again he was hated and loved. Cheered and revered. A fascinating person to watch.
But he hit his lowest point during the reunion. A cocky, remorseless Russell looked lost and scrambled to discredit the other players. He was angry.
After the show, it was clear he would never win the hearts of the players he played with.
A respected player. A hated person. An awesome character to watch.
Ironically, during his big speech, the seeds were planted at this reunion for his return and possible Redemption.
Russell Hantz: Redeemed
Would this time be any different?
For the first time, players knew exactly what to expect and I’m happy to say I didn’t draw him in the pool. He had no chance yet still, I was pumped to see if he could dominate another group of Survivors.
In the end he didn’t but finally, we saw the real Russell Hantz. A fierce competitor willing to do whatever it takes to win. You could literally see it in his face. Getting voted off was heartbreaking and being eliminated at Redemption Island broke him.
It was interesting to witness the villain we first met become the defeated emotional man we saw last.
IGN recently caught up with him and asked him about his emotional exit from the season.
IGN: You had some big emotions after you lost. What was going through your head, when you first broke down?
Russell: Yeah, the thing is, people think, ‘Oh, he was so sad because he got voted out.’ That’s not at all it. It wasn’t about getting voted out. I had everything going through my mind. I had, ‘Okay, now I can’t help Krista and Stephanie. I’m leaving them by themself with nobody that cares about them.’ I look at Jeff and I see in his eye, I feel like I’m letting the whole staff down. Jeff, Mark, all of them. I feel like I let my kids down, because my kids think I’m Superman and that I can do anything. They think I can win anything. And my kids never seen me cry in their life. Even my wife, she said our daughter said, ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever seen my daddy cry, and she’s ten.’ So you know… It’s like when you lose the Super Bowl. When you see them big ol’ boys on the sideline crying. Because they put everything into that. They give it their all. And that’s what I do. I give it my all.
He may have said it was his last time playing but I don’t think it is. You can see how much he loves to play Survivor and it’s clear how loved and hated he is by fans. People want to see him fail and succeed.
It’s true he was ruthless and hurt a lot of people. He betrayed friends and broke his word. He lied willingly and destroyed people’s hopes. Yet behind his evil acts, there was another layer. Another level.
Isn’t that what makes a great villain great?
It’s safe to say, I’ll be watching Survivor from now on. (… Big Brother too. It is also a quality show.)
and 
are absolute masterpieces and I constantly hold them up as examples of the type of 
