Roz Sohnen filmmaker, writer, teacher
The newsletter: April /May 2024 9th Edition
Photo by Martin Katler/Upsplash
DESIGNED TO WIN
I recently viewed FERRARI, a film made by Michael Mann starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, the man who revolutionized race car driving. The film was a disappointment on many levels. So I tried to figure out why. The script was weak and the direction was not up to the other work by Michael Mann. I found myself bored and not interested in the characters. I decided to read the script to find out what could have been changed to create a more exciting drama.
There was no mystery in the storytelling. Everything was on the nose, told to you without any opportunity for the viewer to determine meaning from subtext.
It takes place in 1957 after the war and Enzo is no longer racing. Perhaps a bit of backstory would have made the character more interesting and sympathetic. Instead starting at this point in his life there is only conflict with his accountant, business partners, wife and drivers. He has lost a son but he and his wife grieve separately. He has another son with his lover, a child who does not bear his name. Why should I care? Even anti-heroes should make us care.
What is the theme of the movie? Why is the story being told? This is what I think is at the crux of the problem. There is no drama, passion, or emotion. The scenes were episodic and lacked drive. No character transformation, no change in spite of the events which might have caused a more reflective character to challenge his world. When one scene causes the next scene to happen, there is more drama and it allows the audience to become involved. But, even in episodic scenes if there is conflict that shows us what the protagonist wants and what stands in his way we can observe what action he takes to overcome his obstacles.
Since I will be teaching scene writing in the next few weeks, comparing the scenes in this film with other films where the scenes give us information, conflict and show us who our characters are, what they want and how they attempt to get it, I found the architecture of the scene most important. This is not easy. If it were, there would be many more good films. The scene is the brick that builds the story and therefore of prime importance. Each brick should be there for a reason and if it were removed, something valuable would be missing. It is always best when two characters in a scene have objectives that are in opposition. What each desires in the scene should be Urgent, Specific, and Immediate.
An excellent example of good scene writing is the opening scene/sequence in FARGO. Perhaps you can recall the meeting of the Bill Macy character with the thugs he has hired to abduct his wife. They meet in a bar. He’s late. They are waiting. He has gotten the meeting time wrong. They are expecting the car, a Burnt Umber Sierra and $50,000. He has brought the car. He plans to deliver the money when the job is done. So there is conflict. What do the thugs want? What does Bill Macy want? Whose point of view is it? What do we learn about the characters through this scene? How do we know the thugs have been waiting a while? (A visual clue) So part of the scene involves the given circumstances. What has happened before the scene? How does that impact the behavior of each of the characters in the scene? This also expresses the tone of the film. Begin by looking at scenes that you think work and try to analyze why. Then look at scenes that are boring and don’t work and ask why. This is very helpful.
What are your thoughts about scenes that work? Can you give us some examples. I’d love to hear your comments.