THURSDAY'S SCRIPT TIP:

CONFLICT CONDOMS

I have this term "Underhanded Pitch", which is something that sounds great... until you try to script it. You can pitch the story and everyone loves it! They want you to write it! Their business affairs department starts putting together a contract and they expect you to start on the script (before anyone has cut you a check). You might even be able to work out some sort of treatment... but usually that's where you hit the big stumbling blocks. An "Underhanded Pitch" is something that works as an *idea* but doesn't work at all as a *story*. Sometimes that's because it's a "TWILIGHT ZONE story" that has a beginning and a twist end, but no middle... and if you add a middle it just gets in the way of the set up and the twist end punchline ("It's a cook book!") and now the idea doesn't work. Great for a 30 minute TV episode, terrible for a 110 minute movie. But sometimes it's due to a "Conflict Condom", where the idea sets up a story where the conflict happens to someone else or someplace else or has some other barrier between the protagonist and the problem so that the conflict just doesn't matter. These are the ideas that I throw away, because no good screenplay can come from them. But after you pitch it, Business Affairs is still putting together than contract...

Because there have been several recent (2023) articles about this twenty year old film,,,,

There was a lot of criticism about the scientific accuracy of THE CORE 20 years ago, but not much talk about the obvious story flaw. In my Script Secrets *class* I talk about the importance of starting your script with a good idea. There are two basic kinds of ideas: Producer Ideas and writer ideas. A producer comes up with an idea, realizes it's brilliant, and hires a bunch of writers to try and make it work. When the writers keep failing, the producer knows that it's the fault of those writers... they just aren't creative enough to figure out how to make it work. The other kind of ideas are Writer Ideas. A writer comes up with an idea, looks at it from every angle and if they find a problem, they throw it away and look for another idea. It may take a writer 100 ideas before they find one that actually works. Because the idea works, when they go to script, the script will most likely work.

One of the most critical aspects of any story idea is the conflict - because story IS conflict. Does this idea have a conflict that we can see? Is the conflict difficult enough to resolve that the struggle to solve it will take at least 90 minutes? Is the conflict emotional - will we care whether the protagonist solves it or not? Can the conflict escalate... or is it a "flat-line conflict"? The core conflict in your story needs to work, or the entire story won't work. No mater how great your characters, no matter how fantastic your dialogue, no matter how amazing your visual story telling... it's all for naught. The central conflict doesn't work.

The basic problem with THE CORE is that the concept avoids the conflict.

The Earth's core has stopped spinning, creating a bunch of natural disasters threatening civilization. From crazy birds who lose the ability to navigate while in flight and keep smashing into buildings and cars and people to killer lightening storms that seem to seek out famous landmarks around the world and blow them to bits. Eventually the weather will go so wacky that we will al die.

Okay - the stakes are high (one of the important things required in a script idea), but what can a protagonist do to save the world? How do we deal with this conflict?

That's where the next part of the idea kicks in. A scientist played by Aaron Eckhart theorizes that we can kick-start the Earth's core with a well placed nuclear blast. A second scientist (played wonderfully by Stanley Tucci) concurs... but how do you get the nuclear weapons to the Earth's core? Enter wacky inventor Delroy Lindo who has created a submarine that travels through the Earth, using a high powered laser to melt the rock ahead of the ship. They draft a couple of space shuttle pilots played by the ever-toothy Hilary Swank and clean-cut-Canadian Bruce Greenwood, plus a family-man weapons expert played by French actor Techy Karyo. So now we have our team of protagonists, lead by Eckhart. These folks will save the world.

CORE CONFLICTS

But here's where the idea kind of falls apart. When you put all of your characters into a tube and that tube doesn't really interact with anything else, you have no real conflict. The "dirt-sub" burrows into the Earth, and sometimes runs into trouble - they encounter a layer of diamonds that damage the hull of the craft, they fall into a void and the craft is damaged, etc. But these conflicts are between the "dirt-sub" and the earth - the protagonists just sit behind controls pushing buttons. The conflict may end up killing them, but the *struggle* part of the conflict is between the sub and the earth. We can't really see it happening - there are no windows on the sub (all they could see is dirt, anyway). So we have people sitting in chairs pushing buttons and yelling instead of real conflict! This is a fundamental problem with the idea itself.

You can't get the people out of the tube without losing the audience - space suits don't work in dirt, and the one time when they try to get the crew out of the sub is so silly and contrived that every critic has mentioned it in their reviews. The sub is made out of a high tech material that can withstand the heat and pressure of being deep inside the earth... but when the crew throws on space suits to go out and repair the ship you wonder how the flimsy suits can withstand the heat and pressure that only moments previously was crushing sections of the ship. Taking the crew OUT of the tube violates the concept... but keeping them inside the tube removes them from the conflict!

Many scripts (including my own ANDROID ARMY) work by trapping a group of people in a confined space, forced to battle a conflict outside while they deal with conflicts among the group. Though THE CORE can't have its characters battle the conflict outside (without being burned by lava) they could have created conflicts within the group. But, with the exception of the arrogant Stanley Tucci, everyone in the tube tends to get along and work as a team. They almost have to - they've been hand picked for this mission. Most "pressure cooker" stories trap their characters through external events - the zombie plague forces people to take shelter in a farm house in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, a riot forces people to take shelter in an abandoned police station in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, there's a swell Stephen King story about people trapped in a grocery store when a killer storm breaks out, the scientists are trapped by an arctic blizzard and a shape-shifting alien in THE THING and the passengers are surrounded by angry Native Americans in STAGECOACH. In each case, these people don't VOLUNTEER to be trapped, as the crew does in THE CORE. Being FORCED to deal with people you don't like is different than ASKING to deal with them... so THE CORE can't really use the conflict within the group. Plus the conflicts within the "dirt-sub" aren't as interesting or important as saving the world. Who cares if Stanley Tucci is an arrogant ass when billions of people are dying?

When you cut away from the people sitting in the "dirt-sub" pushing buttons, the only thing to cut to is a hacker sitting (D.J. Squalls) in a chair typing into a computer or some guy at Mission Control watching a screen... where's the conflict in that? The hacker and the guys at Mission Control are still just pushing buttons... but they're even farther removed from the conflict than the "dirt-sub" crew!

No conflict we can see.
No conflict that has interaction with the protagonists.
The minute they get into the ship, it's boring (into the earth, and snooze inducing).

In FANTASTIC VOYAGE (which this flick "homages" several times) the sub was cruising through the human body - which was cool. Seeing anti-bodies at work or blood flowing or trying to get through the human heart without being pulverized are exciting things to watch. Tunneling through rock is not exciting at all. In FANTASTIC VOYAGE the human body is one of the stars of the movie - it's fascinating. But dirt? Not that fascinating. A big problem is that to *make* it fascinating would require giving everyone a geology lesson that would be dull as all heck. We don't need an anatomy lesson in FANTASTIC VOYAGE, we all own human bodies and have a basic idea of how they work. Using earth as the location kills the film at the concept stage - it's just not an interesting environment. It's dirt & rock & lava.

Plus, in FANTASTIC VOYAGE they could go outside and explore! The protagonists could put on dive suits and interact with the conflict outside. Several times when the submarine was damaged, the crew had to go outside and fix it... while battling anti-bodies or blood currents or some other faucet of the conflict. This created action and dramatic situations. Can't do that in lava... so they're basically stuck in the ship. When they do venture out (to clean the crystals from the ship - scene lifted from FANTASTIC VOYAGE) we don't believe it for a minute.

Someone early on should have asked - where's the action in this concept? How do we SEE the struggle between these guys and the earth? How do we get them DOING SOMETHING instead of just sitting there in their chairs for that last two thirds of the movie? Make sure the core conflict in your idea is something that we can see. Something that involves the protagonist in DIRECT STRUGGLE rather than just sitting at a control panel pushing buttons. If the core conflict doesn't work, the story won't work... toss that idea aside and look for an idea that works!

Remember: No conflict condoms!

PS: Co-writer John Rogers has redeemed himself several times over by creating the TV series LEVERAGE and LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION.

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IDEAS AND CREATIVITY - 80 minute MP3 packed with information. Tools to find ideas that are both personal *and* commercial. Hollywood wants scripts with High Concept stories... but not stupid scripts. Developing *intelligent* high concept ideas. How to turn your personal story into a blockbuster - or find your personal story in a high concept idea. Brainstorming and being creative. Ideas and Creativity is $10.00 (plus $5 S&H)

WRITING INDIES - Writing an Indie film? This class covers everything you need to know - from Central Locations to Confined Cameos. Using examples from SWINGERS, THE COOLER, STATION AGENT and others, this 80 minute MP3 is packed with information. How Indoe films challenge the audience (while mainstream films reassure the audience). Structures, using BOYS DON'T CRY, RUN LOLA RUN, HILARY & JACKIE, and others as example. Writing for a budget, writing for non-actors, getting the most production value out of your budget. Writing Indies is $10.00 (plus $5 S&H)

WRITING HORROR - The essentials of a horror screenplay - what do ROSEMARY'S BABY, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE EXORCIST, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE OTHERS and OPEN WATER have in common? This class will tell you! All of the critical elements necessary to write a script that scares the pants off the audience. Writing Horror is $10.00 (plus $5 S&H).

Click here for more information on CLASS MP3s!

STORY IN ACTION SERIES!

THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MOVIES

NEW: Updates On Films 7 & 8 Casting!

All Six Movies analyzed! All of the mission tapes, all of the “that’s impossible!” set pieces and stunts, the cons and capers - and how these scenes work, the twists and double crosses, the tension and suspense (and how to generate it), the concept of each film as a stand alone with a different director calling the shots (broken in the sixth film), the gadgets, the masks, the stories, the co-stars and team members (one team member has been in every film), the stunts Tom Cruise actually did (and the ones he didn’t), and so much more! Over 120,000 words of fun info!

THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MOVIES - 347 Pages - Only $3.99 !

BRAND NEW!

*** THE BOURNE MOVIES

NEW: Updates on TREADSTONE TV show!

All five "Bourne" movies (including "Legacy" and it's potential sequels) - what are the techniques used to keep the characters and scenes exciting and involving? Reinventing the thriller genre... or following the "formula"? Five films - each with an interesting experiment! A detailed analysis of each of the films, the way these thrillers work... as well as a complete list of box office and critical statistics for each film. This book is great for writers, directors, and just fans of the series.

Only $3.99 - and no postage!

Over 240 pages!

*** THE TERMINATOR MOVIES *** - For Kindle!

He's back! The release of "Terminator: Dark Fate" is set to begin a new trilogy in the Terminator story... 35 years after the first film was released. What draws us to these films about a cybernetic organism from the future sent back in time? Why is there a new proposed trilogy every few years? This book looks at all five Terminator movies from a story standpoint - what makes them work (or not)? What are the techniques used to keep the characters and scenes exciting and involving? How about those secret story details you may not have noticed? Containing a detailed analysis of each of the five films so far, this book delves into the way these stories work... as well as a complete list of box office and critical statistics for each film. This book is great for writers, directors, and just fans of the series.

ONLY $3.99 - and no postage!

NO KINDLE REQUIRED! Get the *free* app (any device, except your Mr. Coffee) on the order page on Amazon!

HITCHCOCK FOR WRITERS!

Strange Structures!

*** HITCHCOCK: EXPERIMENTS IN TERROR! *** - For Kindle!

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Contained Thrillers like "Buried"? Serial Protagonists like "Place Beyond The Pines"? Multiple Connecting Stories like "Pulp Fiction"? Same Story Multiple Times like "Run, Lola, Run"?
HITCHCOCK DID IT FIRST!

This book focuses on 18 of Hitchcock's 52 films with wild cinema and story experiments which paved the way for modern films. Almost one hundred different experiments that you may think are recent cinema or story inventions... but some date back to Hitchcock's *silent* films! We'll examine these experiments and how they work. Great for film makers, screenwriters, film fans, producers and directors.

Only $5.99 - and no postage!

LEARN SUSPENSE FROM THE MASTER!

*** HITCHCOCK: MASTERING SUSPENSE *** - For Kindle!

Alfred Hitchcock, who directed 52 movies, was known as the *Master Of Suspense*; but what exactly is suspense and how can *we* master it? How does suspense work? How can *we* create “Hitchcockian” suspense scenes in our screenplays, novels, stories and films?

This book uses seventeen of Hitchcock’s films to show the difference between suspense and surprise, how to use “focus objects” to create suspense, the 20 iconic suspense scenes and situations, how plot twists work, using secrets for suspense, how to use Dread (the cousin of suspense) in horror stories, and dozens of other amazing storytelling lessons. From classics like “Strangers On A Train” and “The Birds” and “Vertigo” and “To Catch A Thief” to older films from the British period like “The 39 Steps” and “The Man Who Knew Too Much” to his hits from the silent era like “The Lodger” (about Jack The Ripper), we’ll look at all of the techniques to create suspense!

Only $5.99

ADVICE FROM 1920!

*** VINTAGE #1: HOW TO WRITE PHOTOPLAYS *** - For Kindle!

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Screenwriting books have been around as long as films have. This series reprints vintage screenwriting books with a new introduction and history, plus new articles which look at how these lessons from almost 100 years ago apply to today’s screenplays. Anita Loos book is filled with information which still applies. In addition to the full text of the original book, you get the full screenplay to Miss Loos' hit THE LOVE EXPERT, plus several new articles on the time period and women in Hollywood.

ONLY $2.99 - and no postage!

MOVIE MAGIC SOFTWARE

Movie Magic Screenwriter is the best selling screenplay formatting software and the choice of Hollywood professionals. Screenwriter automatically formats while you write so you can focus on what you're writing, not where it goes on the page. It also formats for television, stage, novels and comic book scripts so you've got an all in one package for any story you want to write. Academy Award Tech Winner!

* * * Buy It!

copyright 2023 by William C. Martell