I'd like to start off by saying very clearly that these are MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES from the year. Obviously, that means particular genres that I like will be more represented. And I'm not saying that these are the technically "best" films of the year and deserve to win all the Oscars, because I'm very much embracing my own subjectivity and preferences here. One of the biggest criteria here is whether I would watch the film again, which does lend itself to blockbusters and comedies with lighter subject material rather than heavy dramas. For example, I thought The Zookeeper's Wife was a really good film, but perhaps one watch was enough. I have seen Dunkirk, but not in a cinema, so I feel I didn't get the proper experience to be able to really appreciate it. These films are 2017 releases according to the website letterboxd. I feel the need to state that I haven't seen Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, The Big Sick, Coco, The Shape of Water, or The Florida Project yet, and I am expecting to really like all of them. And don't worry, there are no spoilers here.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
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I recently finished reading Blake Snyder's Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need. It's the first screenplay writing how-to book I've read, and going in I felt a mixture of eagerness and scepticism. Having already written a first draft of my first feature-length screenplay I was looking forward to learning more about the craft from an industry professional, although I knew I had to take the advice with a pinch of salt. That was the right mindset; it's an incredibly interesting and useful book as long as its word isn't taken as gospel. It would be better used to enrich and enhance screenplays already written or being written, or to learn from and put away when it comes to writing, rather than to use as a rigid base for your writing. Snyder presents this book as the comprehensive tome of screenwriting knowledge, which it is not, because there is no such thing. Every screenplay is different and is written differently, and there are both "good" and "bad" screenplays with conventional and unconventional structures. Save the Cat! is not designed to simply make good screenplays, it's designed to make marketable screenplays, which it makes clear, and this inevitably creates a certain conventionality. That said, it does what it aims to. It's all useful stuff, especially his screenwriting 'rules'. Some seem obvious once they're spelled out, but they're very insightful: for example 'The Pope in the Pool', which basically means dealing with exposition by distracting the audience with something else so they don't even realise they're being told a lot of information. Another idea I liked was his 'emotional colour wheel', about making sure your scenes provoke different emotions to create a 'roller coaster ride' of a screenplay. His beat sheet template was perhaps overly specific with its page numbers, but very useful in terms of pacing. I will definitely be taking Snyder's advice to fix problems in my current and future screenplays, and I do recommend this book. Just leave room for your own ideas- don't stick to the template. I'm currently writing a short film, and I thought it would be helpful for me to gather my thoughts on it by writing a sort of pitch. I'm posting it here for my own future reference, and because I thought it might be interesting.
Private Investigations (title pending) is a short film that focuses on Mae and Lizzy, a young romantic couple who are also a private detective team with a growing reputation. As their relationship is starting to crack with neither of them willing to see it, they take on one more case. The case is an inheritance dispute within an aristocratic family after the passing of Lord Barton, who left an ancient family heirloom to someone in his will without making it clear exactly who he was referring to. After the reading of the will, this heirloom was pronounced missing, hence the Dowager Lady Barton's calling for Fielding & Wellbrooke (afraid of the publicity that involving the police or legal action would bring.) The case is not the focus of the film, the relationship between Mae and Lizzy is, but the case is important for the structure of the story and as a site of conflict, and the solution may be thematically relevant. Despite the rather sombre subject (heartbreak), there are moments of comedy and lightheartedness from Mae and Lizzy's friends and particularly the individuals they meet during the case. Up until a crucial moment three-quarters of the way through, the focus will be equally on both Mae and Lizzy, separately and together, but after that point it will belong primarily to Lizzy, with Mae reduced to a supporting character. It's a story about love, heartbreak, failure and loneliness, but also about empathy and coexistence. Characters Lizzy Fielding: Loud, confident, determined. Fiercely optimistic. Socially oriented- does not function well on her own. Led by emotion and instinct. A bit of a show off; likes to express herself in a dramatic stream-of-consciousness way. 'Scattered' is a nice way of putting her attitude to organisation. Mae Wellbrooke: Reserved in comparison to Lizzy. Realistic, rational, systematic. Kind and thoughtful, but prone to overthinking. Likes to be completely sure of herself before expressing her thoughts. Intuitive in a different way to Lizzy. Uses humour to deflect conversations. The Dowager Lady Barton: Lord Barton's widow. Treats Mae and Lizzy with incredible snobbery. Generally apathetic. Matthew Guilder: Lady Barton's nephew. Has been staying with the family since the news of his uncle's death. Sensitive and thoughtful, if a trifle unintelligent. Has a connection with Mae. Detective Grayson: Middle-aged, serious. Doesn't want to deal with the young and lucky 'pretend detectives'. Seen during a press conference for the last case the couple solved. Billy: Friend to both Mae and Lizzy, but Lizzy's best friend. Tall, assertive, supportive. |
"After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world."- Philip Pullman Archives
January 2018
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