FRIDAY'S SCRIPT TIP:
VISUAL
METAPHORS
The hallmark of a great scene is that is does several things at once in an
effortless manner that appears to be unplanned... what the character would naturally do. This requires
skill and planning on the part of the writer. Not all great scenes require dialogue - sometimes actions
speak louder than words.
In Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor's ABOUT SCHMIDT, Jack Nicholson plays the title role - an expert in insurance
actuarial tables for Woodmen Insurance who is retiring after dedicating his life to charting the exact
moment when a man will die given various pieces of personal information. He has compiled his life's
work in a series of files and has lovingly placed them in several clearly labeled boxes so that the fellow
who replaces him can use them. At exactly 5 pm on his last day he grabs his coat and leaves the office -
the boxes containing his files neatly stacked against the wall.
But retirement doesn't suit Schmidt - he gets tired of sitting around the house listening to his wife
vacuum. So at 9am he heads down to the Woodmen Building, says "Good morning" to his co-workers
as he passes them in the hallway, and enters his office...
Except it isn't his office anymore. The young whipper-snapper hired to replace him is sitting behind
the desk. And the desk is in an entirely different spot. And there's no sign of his files (his life's work).
He asks the young whipper-snapper is he needs any help with anything. Any questions about how to do
the job? Any questions about anything in the files? The young whipper-snapper answers, "No". Then
the phone rings. After a while, Schmidt realizes he's just in the way, grabs his coat and leaves. On the
street, he passes the dumpsters... where the boxes containing his files are neatly stacked waiting for the
garbage men to take them away. His files are unwanted, he is unwanted. After 25 years, they have
thrown Schmidt away. The files are his life's work... and symbolize his life. Not a word of dialogue
when Schmidt sees 25 years of his life in the dumpster - the pictures tell the story.
In LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING future king Aragorn, Lord
Of Dunedain, (Viggo Mortensen) has sworn his heart to elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler) - even though
human/elf love may be illegal in some states. Before he rides off to do battle with Dark Lord Sauron's
evil orks, she gives him her medallion to wear close to his heart. A year later in THE TWO TOWERS,
the medallion is his most cherished possession. A symbol of his love for Arwen. When he sleeps, he
holds the medallion in his hand and dreams of her. But the battle has raged on, the fellowship has
broken, and Aragorn, too-short-to see-over-the-wall dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davis) and elf warrior
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) find themselves in the kingdom of Rohan looking for help. Though the King is
intent on remaining neutral, his beautiful sword-wielding daughter, Lady Eowyn (Miranda Otto) sides
with Aragorn.... and falls for him. The two are evenly matched with swords and with wit. Lady Eowyn
has finally found a man who is her equal, and romance blossoms. When Aragorn returns from a fierce
battle, she decides to profess her love for him... but stops when she sees Legolas handing Aragorn the
medallion he had lost in battle. Stops when she sees the way Aragorn holds the medallion, caressing it...
as if it were princess Arwen herself. Even though millions of miles may separate the two, the medallion
acts as a SYMBOL of their love. It's obvious by the way he holds the medallion, that he is still very
much in love with Arwen. So Lady Eowyn turns and walks away - broken hearted. Not a word is
spoken in this scene - that symbolic medallion says it all.
Whether your story is about the battle for identity and dignity after retirement or the battle for Middle Earth, using metaphors is a great way to SHOW how characters feel by using symbols.
MY BLOG!
SCRIPT SECRETS STORE - time to monkey around!
Can't wait to see INDIANA JONES AND THE WHEEL CHAIR OF DOOM?
Did IRON MAN make up for that awful version of THE HULK they put out a couple of years ago?
Is SPEED RACER the coolest film you've seen all year?
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