Writing for Film, Filming for Writing: More Scripts!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through those scripts last week, and identifying the authorial voices in each one, whether it was Joss Whedon’s sarcastic wit or Aaron Sorkin’s cold, detached … wit. Anyway, I thought I might change things up a little this week, and look at some films that don’t emphasize dialogue. I wondered how that might affect the screenplay, whether the big print might be more detailed or structured?

                                        Old Man River

I began with J.C. Chandor’s incredible 2013 existential disaster movie, ‘All is Lost’. Apart from the opening narration, the film is virtually free of dialogue, depicting the trials of ‘Our Man’ as he desperately struggles to survive at sea. The first thing I noticed about the screenplay is how precise and pragmatic it is. It’s hard to describe, but look at this section of the big script:

“OUR MAN rushes towards the back of the boat, as he enters the main cabin he sees a four foot long gash in the side of the boat.

There is water pouring into the cabin from the bottom of the gash.

The gash is located right at the navigation table of the boat where all the electronics are located. The water is pouring in around and through the electronics including the GPS, RADAR, RADIO, and SATELLITE PHONE.”

Everything is detailed, but simple, almost Orwellian in its detached precision. Interestingly, though, that is a tone that permeates the film. It’s beautiful, but also very clean and precise, framing exactly what the audience needs to grasp the situation. Our Man’s actions are simple and pragmatic. He doesn’t panic or flounder, he immediately sets out to do what must be done. Once again, that clear voice that exists in the script translates to what we see on screen. I also found it interesting that Chandor capitalized the technological aides. Maybe capitalizing props is normal, I haven’t read/written enough screenplays to know, but it seemed that he was referring to them as characters. While Our Man is the only human on screen, it does seem that there are other characters within the film: the sea itself, the boat, the crate that gouges that “four foot long gash” in Our Man’s vessel.

My next screenplay belongs to one of my favourite films, Damien Chazelle’s 2014 incendiary drama, ‘Whiplash’. I thought this one might be interesting because while there are dialogue heavy scenes, reliant on smart editing and intense performances, there are also lengthy scenes of music. Specifically, drumming. The final scene of the film features a 10-minute drum solo – I know nothing of the instrument, or the musicianship behind it, but I was utterly engrossed. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to see how Chazelle penned these scenes.

“We hear a hit. A drumstick against a drum head. Crisp, sharp.

Then a second hit. Then a third and a fourth. The hits growing so fast they start to blur together. Like gunfire…”

This is the opening scene on the film, and I thought that it was particularly interesting, specifically when compared to Chandor’s ‘All is Lost’. Chazelle, I thought, was much more … poetic in his description. More filmic, maybe? But that’s how the film hits you, the shots are sharp and aggressive at times, the drumming does put you in mind of a whip cracking, of gunfire. Again, that voice transcends the material.

“He’s in control, pouring himself into his drums – and it’s a sight to behold. Like a master dancer, movements so fast yet precise, brash yet elegant…Violent, frenetic playing, but there’s something gorgeous about it…”

This excerpt is from the end of the film, the aforementioned solo sequence. The entire description is like this, like it’s been pulled from a literary piece. I think it’s interesting because while Chandor’s big print focused on the clean simplicity of his film, Chazelle’s channels the raw emotion that he’s aiming to evoke. Both films are brilliant, but both writer/directors (possibly this is how the voice translates so cleanly) approach the material in completely different ways.

Next week: films I think don’t have a particular voice. Or, films I don’t like. Let’s be honest.