Screenwriting Bradley Effect
I like to waste my time drinking and shooting the shit with chiqs, but a writer’s group will do in a pinch. I used to go to a lot of them. It was a habit. A fix. And there were no cute girls. Ever.
They made me feel good about myself cos I could see that I was just as bad as everyone else. The difference though, I reveled in my baddery.
In the 2 years that I wasted, I did not learn one useful trick or tool. People would offer platitudes in the name of criticism, that were of no fucking use. Dialogue is too on the nose; Add more depth, and my favorite, focus on the character.
It took great restraint to not lunge at my fellow writers across a table, and sometimes it slipped. And I would get thrown out of the group. I was ejected from so many groups that I had to change cities, and start afresh.
I would ask what their film is about and a standard response would be — It’s about a guy who’s really into The Smiths, and has a complex relationship with his father, and he goes on a cross-country road trip and discovers himself. It’s a character piece — and I would say, “wow, it’s very layered.” That’s how my Karma gets balanced.
They would ask about mine, and I too would say — It’s a complex film about a character’s deep insecurity and inability to keep secrets, and the lives that are damaged in the process — while I was actually writing a comedy about “the worst witness protection program” called WitLESS Protection (which I abandoned when a movie was announced with Larry the Cable Guy by the same title. It also showed me my aukaat. That’s as good as I can get. Not even a Rob Schneider film).
These writers would sing paeans about the importance of character. They wrote 4-page long backstories for each character, right down to the favorite color, and consequent Freudian mindfuckery. And my spleen wept for the trees.
They were so enamored by these “great” characters they had created, they would try to shoehorn every trait into the film, making it Boring, or the characters had no bearing on the resulting scenes.
What they failed to do was write a strong film scene.
Can you write 3 strong scenes and no bad ones (Hawks’ definition of what makes a successful picture)?
What’s a good scene?
A guy running late for an appointment, and can’t find an auto is ok. A bhai late for a hit and can’t find an auto is a good scene – Automa$%$%
I like to write the scene, and let it define my character.
I am currently writing a naach-gaana romcom, and I had a notion that my hero would be a streetsmart trickster. I was thinking of scenes for the film, and I had an idea. I realized it could be my hero introduction scene. The scene was funny and visual. But it just didn’t work.
It didn’t work because I made my hero the observer/commenter of the scene to fit with his trickster character, which is bad drama. I had a choice to make. Lose the character or the scene.
It should be obvious which I chose. In keeping the scene, I changed my hero, but it did something else for me. I have a strong scene that reveals character. The audience and I know him now. I don’t need reams of backstory.
I went back and looked at every other scene I had written with him, and by modifying to fit his character, I made the scenes stronger, and my character clearer. I lost a coupla scenes but it didn’t matter. What I have is good.
I still don’t have a scene that will reveal the heroine’s character, so I’m working with a vague notion. I want her to be something. But she won’t. Characters are intransigent that way.
I’m waiting for that scene that will define her within the scope of my story. Perhaps, SWAT can help.
In the mean while, when someone asks about your film, don’t be afraid to tell them it is plot or scene driven.
Tags: Bradley Effect, character, naach gaana, obama, PFCOne, romcom, Screenwriting, SWAT
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But, Dabba, my plot is genuinely character driven and I have focused on character deeply. HOw will my karma get balanced?
Hahaha… I was at such a group a couple of weekends back, told them I was writing about a pan ‘dabba’wala who has a shop behind CM’s house in hyderabad who get introduced when he is telling tales about how there is a secret passage from where he stands all day to the bunglow behind him… and his name is hyder and he is ‘a bad’.
I was laughed at… by a bunch of desi’s… haha..
Good one!
… so I assume my character has the necessary depth ;-)
subbu,
buy me booze.
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ravptor,
absolutely no depth. what are his inner demons? what kinda music does he like? and what’s his favorite paan?
Dabba what happens when a writer becomes a produced screen writer? Does he deny he ever went to such writer groups?
I wonder if there are such groups in Mumbai or Chennai or anywhere else in India. Would writers here be willing to share their stories and their apprehensions? Pitch in with your views, writers.
And yes, Dabba, SWAT could definitely help those who are looking to finish or polish their stories.
Why does every hipster/emo/depressed character like The Smiths or Morissey ?
if ur going to measure my charecters depth by music and deamons, then, I don’t think u have one…
Not personal u know wat I am saying…
hmm changing the character from already written scenes…
The last time I heard it being done was from one of my friends. But only that his thriller had dissolved into a fart comedy.
Dabbaji No offense, but it seems u suffer from paralysis of analysis … at least ur post surely makes me think so …
it sounds like the dry lifeless computer programmed writing that is mathematically and logistically perfect … but emotionally void and incapable of emotion arousal
I have few questions. Please be kind enough to answer them ….
1. “Characters are intransigent that way.”
what are intransigent characters ? Pls explain/elaborate …
2. Pls give examples of the three
a. Plot driven film
b. Character driven film
c. Scene driven film …
3. Pls explain
“Dialogue is too on the nose” what does it mean ??
Pls give me an example of on the nose dialogue film and another not-so-on the nose dialogue film
4. Who is Mr Hawk ? What is his definition of a ‘what makes a successful picture’ ? Do u have a URL ?
5. “the observer/commenter of the scene to fit with his trickster character, which is bad drama. ” What do umean an observer/commentator of the scene ? Please give an example. Also indicate how it is bad drama
6. Is the bradley meaning this lady ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_King
Pls explain what Bradley effect is and how is it relevant to the post …
7. I got the example of ur definition of a good scene vis a vis an ok scene …
However, If a film has all the 120 scenes as good scenes, will it still be a sureshot good film ? (ignoring ofcourse that they will be adequatly performed, photographed, and edited) ?
Is a film only a combination of 120 good scenes ? and no ok scenes ? Do u never need an ok scene in a film ?
@ scriptlarva –
nothing wrong with a fart comedy if that’s what hos story really is
@ kk –
no need for the extra respect so u can drop the ji.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_effect
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will respond to the other Qs shortly
Sorry to be a little off-topic, but apparently the Bradley Effect has disappeared.
http://election.princeton.edu/2008/09/27/the-disappearing-bradley-effect/
Stepping off my know-it-all boxtop, great screenwriting remains a big mystery to me. I only recognize it when I see it, hopefully.
So, given that, I do appreciate that you need a structured way to approach the project. If you end up heading in the opposite direction of your original approach, more’s the better. At least you know why the tried and true doesn’t apply here. No need to feel conflict about it, I say.
@ kk –
3. dialogue too on the nose –
in many hindi movies, you have characters calling the hero handsome, or some character will tell the heroine “hey, you’re looking gorgeous,” or in the recent example pointed out by scriptlarva in bachhna haseenon, when deepika padukone, spouts her character’s thoughts, dreams aspirations in a monologue.
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not on the nose dialogue –
when anupam kher tells his wife not to give him rajma chawal at night in khosla ka ghosla.
howard hawks – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/
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he believed that to make a good (or maybe he said successful) film, one needs 3 good scenes and none bad. I don’t particularly care for that. I think every scene should be good.
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or one must atleast shoot for it.
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takeshi miike said that a film is worth making if there’s one good shot in it.
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tomorrow when i am famous, someone will quote me also. i don’t let pull-quotes influence me.
observer of drama vs creator of drama –
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let’s say in the auto film, the bhai has already been established as one with a short fuse, will take matters into his own hand, and doesn’t care about people or anything.
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his character will not look for 10 autos before taking charge. so he’ll grab the first auto, throw the driver out and go for the hit. That’s not a scene.
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the scene u have is really good, and has dramatic potential, and can be built on, and defines the character, and even allows for some transformation.
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u have 3 choices
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lose the scene or change the character (to what is there currently) to make the scene more dramatic or the worst, insert ur hothead protagonist as the second fiddle in this scene where the drama is driven by the current character.
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a variation is the scene in Company, when Vivek wants to kills some guy, and is going apeshit around him, and ajay devgan is cooly calculating the repercussions of letting vivek off him. Whose scene is this?
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changing the character to fit the scene will not always work, but in the initial drafts of a screenplay I don’t like having a very strong pre-conceived notion of characterization.
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i am limited by good visual scenes i can create, and I let the good scenes define my character if it falls within the scope of the story.
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characters are intransigent
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see 15. if u have pre-decided that the bhai character is a no-nonsense guy that doesn’t suffer fools, u can’t force ur character to behave a certain way because it suits your plot/dramatic needs.
and for Q 2
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I don’t believe in the distinction between plot and character. Story is a combination of both. The right character in the right plot.
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if i had $15,000 for every time someone told me they’re writing a character piece, or character driven drama, I would have become a millionaire last weekend.
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but the terms plot driven and character driven are used widely, so i’ll hazard a loose definition.
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if the question you pose somehwere in the begininng of the film is will he/she accomplish it, then the story is plot driven. (eg., Lagaan, khosla ka ghosla, die hard, most thrillers, action-adventure films, comedies)
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if the question is what will happen to a character, u have oye lucky, american beauty, fight club.
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and occasionally comes along a movie where you ask, will he get it, and what will happen to him, and u have a masterpiece – No country for old men, Oldboy, Memories of Murder
@ravptor – my comment was intended to be cheeky. clearly, i need to do a better job of writing funnies.
one character driven movie i saw today was The Darjeeling Limited.. the plot was nonsense..
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one movie i like all the shots is Meenaxi by MF Hussain.. of course mainly because of artistic shots.. as a whole the movie is okay.. but all the shots are beautiful.. the script could have been better..
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so my vote is absolutely for the plot and screenplay.. that could make for weak characters and few okay shots and lots of good shots. .
or maybe I need point out that I GOT THE FUNNY
I usually dont comment on posts but this didactic writing must be criticized for pretending to know what it is talking about.
thank u dabba .. learnt a lot ….
liked the artikle. thanx for a dabba-ful of dope.
@KV
I was exactly of the same opinion around 2-3 yrs back. Until I tried to write a few screenplays. Now I have to agree with atleast some parts of it. If one is talking about commercial movies you will have to pay attention to it. But if you have in mind a parellel movie where you want to try something completely different,you can ignore it.