Lecture 3: Make It Fresh

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Lecture 3Make It Fresh
Aliens (1986) Story by James Cameron, David
Giler, and Walter Hill, Screenplay by James
Cameron

• Professor Daniel Cutrara

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Previous Lesson

• Scene Fundamentals
• Scene Analysis

Casablanca (1942) Written by Julius J.
Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch
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This Lesson

• Genre and Structure
• Conventions as Creative Limitations
• Reinventing Genre
• Mixing Genres
• Assignments

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Genre and Structure
To anticipate the anticipations of the audience
you must master your genre and its conventions.
- Robert Mckee

• Lesson 3 Part I

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Genre and Structure

• According to McKee
• Each genre imposes conventions on story design.
• Conventions are specific settings, roles, events
  and values that define individual genres and
  their subgenres.
• To satisfy your audience you must master your
  genre.

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Audience Expectations

• Conventions must be followed because
• Audiences go to movies with expectations that
  must be met.
• Horror, Action, Adventure, Mystery
• However, you can break conventions with well
  constructed inventions that will surprise and
  please your audience.

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An Invention

• The Horror convention where the hero and audience
  believe the monster is dead, but the monster
  really isnt, became standard for thrillers and
  action movies in the 90s.

Scream (1996) Written by Kevin Williamson
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Conventions as Creative Limitations
The Age of Innocence (1993) Edith Wharton
(Novel) Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese
(Screenplay)
Lesson 3 Part II
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Convention Categories

• Settings
• Historical, future, war, medical
• Roles - type of characters expected
• Nobles, aliens, detectives, arch-villains
• Events
• Love at first sight, a crime, a chase
• Values
• Love conquers all

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Creative Limitations

• According to McKee
• The principle of creative limitations calls for
  freedom within a circle of obstacles.
• Genre conventions are the rhyme scheme of a
  storytellers poem.
• Genre convention is a Creative Limitation that
  forces the writers imagination to rise to the
  occasion.

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Reinventing Genres
Lesson 3 Part III
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Reinventing Genres - 1

• Genre conventions are not carved in stone, they
  evolve, grow, adapt, modify, and break apace with
  the changes in society. (According to McKee.)

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Reinventing Genres - 2

• The Western has shifted from the simplistic
  portrayal of good settlers versus bad indians in
  films like John Fords 1939 Drums along the
  Mohawk to the exploration of flawed humanity in
  the HBO series Deadwood, created by David Milch.

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Mixing Genres
Lesson 3 Part IV
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Mixing Genres

• Bringing different genres together in one story
  allows for fresh and exciting storytelling.
• However, if it isnt done well, it can lead to a
  failed screenplay.
• Depending on the mix, Hollywood can find it
  difficult to market.
• Boys on the Side - Road Story turns Aids Drama

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Mixing Genres - Alien

• Pause the lecture and watch the clip from Alien.
• What genre(s) are present in this scene?
• What elements of the storytelling create the
  genre conventions?

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Mixing Genres - Alien (continued)

• Alien contains elements of Sci-Fi and horror.
• These can be found in the following
• settings, roles, events, values
• Horror is also communicated through the direction.

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Conventions - Alien

• Settings
• Sci Fi - spaceship
• Horror - enclosed space - like Haunted House
• Roles
• Sci Fi - scientists, explorers
• Horror - the preyed upon victims
• Events
• Sci Fi - encountering aliens
• Horror - encountering monsters

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Conventions - Alien(continued)

• Values
• Sci Fi - knowledge of new species
• Horror - survival of the human species

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The Action Description - Alien

• Mood is created through the action description.
• Lighting shadows, enclosed spaces
• Setting stark, mechanical
• Pacing the slow build up of tension
• Point of view when we see what the character
  sees and when we see more

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Mixing Genres 2

• Pause the lecture and watch the clip from Aliens.
• What genre(s) are present in this scene?
• What elements of the storytelling create the
  genre conventions?

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Mixing Genres - Aliens

• Aliens contains elements of Sci-Fi and Action.
• These can be found in the following
• settings, roles, events, values
• Action is also communicated through the direction.

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Conventions - Aliens

• Settings
• Sci Fi - Colony in another solar system
• Action - A devastated colony
• Roles
• Sci Fi - Space Marines
• Action - Space Marines
• Events
• Sci Fi - The encounter with an alien species
• Action - Battling the alien species

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Conventions Aliens (continued)

• Values
• Sci Fi - saving the human race
• Action - saving the human race

Aliens (1986) Story by James Cameron, David
Giler, and Walter Hill Screenplay by James Cameron
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The Action Description - Aliens

• Action requires a different mood from horror.
• Lighting not the ominous look of horror. The
  Marines bring the light into the darkness.
• Setting the weather and the structures are
  embattled.
• Pacing fast, energetic, not the slow build of
  horror.
• Point of view we see the bigger picture.

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The Alien Franchise

• The same story can be told in different genres,
  and mix of genres, however, the genre choices
  help define the uniqueness of each story.

Alien Resurrection (1997) Written by Josh Whedon
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The Importance for Hollywood

• The Market - Hollywood identifies genre markets,
  caters to them, and works to sustain them over
  time.

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The Challenge for the Writer

• Genre demands Mastery
• Genre imposes Creative Limitations

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Assignments

Lesson 3 Part V
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E-Board Post 1

• What genre or genres does your script fit?
• Explain why?
• Is this the best genre to tell your story?

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E-Board Post 2

• Choose one of your peers analysis of their
  genre and post a comment. You can affirm their
  analysis and/or raise questions and offer
  suggestions.

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End of Lecture 3
Aliens 3 (1992) Story by Vincent Ward
Screenplay by David Giler, Walter Hill and Larry
Ferguson

• Next Lecture
• Subplots and Secondary Characters