by John | Jul 2, 2017 | Ian Kennedy, Movie Reviews and TV Reviews, Writing Insights
We delve into what MANCHESTER BY THE SEA storytelling and narrative techniques were implemented to make this film a subtle success.
Spoilers alert… this article will discuss the outcomes of the story in order to demonstrate how and why it works.
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA tells the story of a withdrawn and passive protagonist, Lee Chandler, portrayed by Casey Affleck. The writer/director Kenneth Lonergan deliberately creates a narrative in which the protagonist resists positive growth and development. This is an important rejection on mainstream Hollywood storytelling gurus, who emphasize that change in the protagonist needs to be the driving force of the narrative – that the protagonist must strive towards a personal goal to earn our empathy as an audience. But it certainly isn’t, in the Manchester by the Sea storytelling!
In fact, this protagonist is so set against positive growth, that when presented with attractive women hitting on him, he doesn’t even acknowledge their advances, and starts fights with random guys instead at whatever bar he’s getting drunk at. It’s hard to imagine a writer rejecting the mantra of ‘positive character growth’ more vividly. The driving force of the story is Lee unwillingly forced to become a father figure again, when his brother dies and he is made custodian for his nephew. Normally, this would form the platform for a feel-good movie. Not here – Lee never willingly ‘accepts the call to action’, however many opportunities the story gives him.
It is a long time before the audience is given a reason for why Lee has become so averse to happiness and positive growth. We learn that he (accidentally) started a fire which killed his children. We even see his estranged wife moving on – she is now pregnant to her new partner. At the climax, she even tries to help Lee move on, but his decision is expressed by the line “I can’t beat it.”
Lee lets his demons, guilt and rage at himself consume him. The nearest thing we get to personal and positive progress is his final decision to move away from his nephew again, but this time to get a sofa-bed in his new apartment, so that his nephew can visit sometimes. A feel-good movie would have played out this story arc in a completely different way, and would have provided many more notable plot developments along the way to force and test his progress.
In conventional stories about men accepting forms of custody over children – such as THREE MEN AND A BABY or ABOUT A BOY (or even the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King book, THE DARK TOWER film), the presence of a child and unexpected custodianship creates a catalyst for transforming a progressive character into an empathetic protagonist. Lee, in a similar scenario, never adjusts to it and fails to find his own catalyst for personal growth – the sort of plot convention that we would normally expect to find in a screen telling of a story like this.
The subtlety of storytelling carries this film. Whereas Affleck’s performance as Lee is praised for portraying seething rage below his character’s actions, in practical terms all of these behaviors are mostly shown implicitly not explicitly. And they are played out in unexpected scenarios, rather than directly confronting issue head on like conventional stories would do.
Acclaim for MANCHESTER & criticism from some audiences against it are two sides of same coin – mainstream audience members may find this film slow and actionless compared to what they are used to, but these are the same qualities that critics and the Academy have been keen to back. Cinema has been dominated by so much heavy-handed, on-the-nose storytelling, for example in the endless succession of superhero movies, that it has left critics and pros hungry for a new, realistic, refreshing approach to storytelling, and that is something MANCHESTER BY THE SEA provides.
Next up – The ARRIVAL of subtlety in sci-fi!
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© WriteMovies 2017
by John | Jun 26, 2017 | Writing Insights
WriteMovies Writing Tips – Robert McKee and being secure as a writer
“Secure writers don’t sell first drafts. They patiently rewrite until the script is as director-ready, as actor-ready as possible. Unfinished work invites tampering, while polished, mature work seals its integrity.” – Robert McKee
This is so true for everyone, especially those involved in our contests. For those of you who missed out on the Semi-Finals last week, this is your chance to go back to your script and get it as “director ready, as actor ready” as possible. No script we receive in our contests is the finished article, and our consultancies can help you figure out why your script is placing where it is, and what improvements can be made next – but this shouldn’t be something to be anxious about, it’s something to challenge yourself with, to come back next time stronger.
Even our eventual winners’ scripts won’t often be production-ready on their initial entry – there is always tweaking to be done, that’s why we give winners a year of free script development. Our Director of World Wide Development Ian Kennedy says:
“I’ve always found that working as a producer and director and actor has made my scripts better, because the better you know what those professionals will need in order to realize your script into a production, the better you will write to fulfil those needs for them. And therefore the better you’ll write, full stop!”
We can and will help both our winners and those of you who missed out to fulfil their script’s potential. If we believe we can sell it for you, then we’ll take it another step, and pitch it to the industry…
Share this quote from our Facebook page and our Twitter feed to inspire your writer friends, too, and to motivate yourself into getting your script as perfect as you possibly can. Hard-work is underrated, but so vital…
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© WriteMovies 2017
by John | Jun 18, 2017 | Ian Kennedy, Movie Reviews and TV Reviews, Writing Insights
Watching several of the most acclaimed movies of the last year, one thing that really stood out to me was how subtle and low-key they were. MOONLIGHT, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, and ARRIVAL have a lot of differences, but they’re all more subtle scripts than we’re used to seeing at the cinema. Their success points to a new willingness in Hollywood, critics and audiences for subtle storytelling – as long as the subject matter is deep enough to deserve it! At WriteMovies we’re pleased to see this happening – and we think that the kinds of script we back and pitch can benefit.
Spoilers alert… this article will discuss the outcomes of the story in order to demonstrate how and why it works.
Imressive MOONLIGHT street art.
First up, let’s take a look at MOONLIGHT, the winner of Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2017 Oscars. This is a low-key story about a gay black character who grows up in Miami. The protagonist of this three-chapter story behaves in a quite withdrawn way – his unwillingness to speak for himself is the most vital character trait.
Similarly to how the same quality characterizes the protagonist in THE KING’S SPEECH, this reticence represents an inability to overcome his personal demons, as well as his closeted homosexuality. However, in THE KING’S SPEECH, King George VI can speak, just not that well, but MOONLIGHT often doesn’t even go that far.
The film begins with a lengthy period with our protagonist as a boy, known as Little. Little is taken under the protection of a local drug dealer, after he runs away from a group of children trying to hurt him. Little begins the story running away, being taken care of, and not taking care or standing up for himself. In fact, it takes a long time for Little to even say anything, and even then, it’s brief.
This huge silence really nails down the central question of MOONLIGHT. Will Little ever be able to speak for himself, to express what he needs, and achieve his goals as a person?
This lack of dialogue from the protagonist, which notably goes against convention, can result in a passive protagonist. Mainstream story and screenwriting gurus recommend putting the protagonist front and center as the driving force of the story – whereas this film makes a virtue of doing the exact opposite. Even the climax of the film, the main achievement of change in his life is simply that he finally admits to his on-off friend/lover about his feelings, and even this is staged very implicitly. We understand by it that maybe from now on he won’t spend his life living in the shadow, living in in silence. But as far as big plot developments, and character arcs go, that’s about it. Two assaults in the middle of the film – the first against him, the second by him in revenge – are almost the only moments of plot development that are visible, not subtle.
The only part in MOONLIGHT that can be considered “action”, a physical emotional action that is not highly implicit, is when the protagonist is beaten up and finally takes sudden and shocking vengeance against the culprit. This sparks an immediate end to the teenage chapter in his life, and the next time we see him is as an adult, when he is now a full-time drug dealer, his life course set by his previous experiences.
MOONLIGHT’s non-sensationalist handling of drug dealing is one of its greatest strengths. The serious consequences and impact that drugs have on real people is clear – especially in the protagonist’s own mother – but the film doesn’t make judgment on those who pursue this lifestyle and means of income – there is no prejudice against it.
The successful subtlety of this film is perhaps clearest in the climax of the first act. The protagonist finally asks his mentor if he sells drugs to his mother, whose addiction is a major issue in their lives. Little’s mentor acknowledges both of these things. This confirmation sets Little on a new path that will take him away from both his mother and his mentor. This moment of self-determination alienates him further from the people around him, heightening still further his withdrawn personality traits. Once again, this is handled in a subtle and tasteful manner by both writer and director. Proving that subtle scripts can definitely work!
Next: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – a protagonist who fights to NOT grow as a character!
Exclusive to WriteMovies – To syndicate this content for your own publication, contact ian (at) writemovies dot-com.
© WriteMovies 2017
by John | May 22, 2017 | Writing Insights
These WriteMovies Writing Tips will help with your struggles to go beyond the first part of the script – the stumbling block can often be going further..
“They say it is the first step that costs the effort. I do not find it so. I am sure I could write unlimited ‘first chapters’. I have indeed written many” J. R. R. Tolkien.
The idea, the first page, that first act can all come so easy to use, but the stumbling block can quite often be going further. Every story has a beginning, middle and end, but we never anticipate that the middle will be the tough part – yet it is. As writers, we may know where our story starts and where it ends, but getting from A to B can be difficult.
But don’t stop writing – keep pushing forward. If you don’t know what to write next we suggest two options:
- Go back to your outline, or create one if you haven’t already. Some don’t need one, but it’s so helpful to have one.
- Write what you DO know is going to happen, then fill in the blanks later. This might not be the most conventional work around, but if this helps you finish that script then what does it matter!
Use this for motivation this Monday to finish that script that never got past the first ten pages, or that book that is only a chapter old – then take a chance on it and enter it in the Spring 2017 Contest…
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© WriteMovies 2017
by John | Mar 2, 2017 | Movie Reviews and TV Reviews, WriteMovies News, Writing Insights
Here’s our 2017 Oscars reaction… by John Sullivan
Well, that was unexpected… Another Oscars night to remember, but this time for all the wrong reasons. The glitz and the glamor of the awards became overshadowed by a massive screw up during the Best Picture announcement. But we’ll come back to that. Now that the results are in (unless I have the wrong card, too…) we can take a look at how the night went… I think we all know how it went. (more…)
by John | Feb 23, 2017 | Highlights, Movie Reviews and TV Reviews, WriteMovies News, Writing Insights
Here are our 2017 Oscars predictions for the Adapted and Original Screenplays… by John Sullivan
The Oscars buzz is growing… are you ready? Me too! Got your invitation to the ceremony? No, me neither… It’s OK, though, we can still have a bit of fun predicting who will take home one of those little golden men. Best Picture seems obvious, though. And we can probably guess Best Actors. Screenplays? Hey, that’s our thing! So, place your bets for this Sunday, here’s my predictions for which scripts will end up winning… (more…)
by WriteMovies | Dec 2, 2016 | Highlights, Ian Kennedy, Writing Insights
Why winning writing depends on being a team player…
Winning one of our competitions has several perks – the cash prize, the year of free script development and mentoring, the free publicity, and, of course, the potential that your script will be promoted to talent agents, producers, and studios within the international film industry – and for the best winning writing, we’ll even pitch it ourselves (and that’s something we promise in our competition Terms and Conditions).
(more…)
