Screenwriting Lessons of Michael Arndt from Go Into the Story

For those interested in screenwriting, the blog "Go Into the Story" by Scott Myers is a valuable resource and his Twitter Feed (@GoIntoTheStory) is a great one to follow.

Scott has begun a series of posts looking at writer Michael Arndt's approach to screenwriting.

Fans craving an early idea of how Star Wars: Episode VII will be structured or what kind of story Arndt might tell should give these posts a read.

Part 1: Follow your bliss, Theme is critical, and Writing is writing and re-writing.

Theme is critical. Stories are always about something. Little Miss Sunshine is about winning and losing, success and failure. The Hoover family is – on the surface – a bunch of losers. And yet on their Hero’s Journey, they discover commonality, even filial love in their shared state.

Part 2: The lens of character and hard work.

On approaching Toy Story 3 from Woody's perspective:

Arndt explains Woody’s personal development by comparing his emotional progress in the films with that of a child. “In Toy Story, Woody is learning to share the spotlight with Buzz,” he explains. “He’s like a child who gets a new sibling and has to realize he doesn’t always have to be the favorite. That tracks emotionally with someone who is 5 or 6 years old. 

“In Toy Story 2,” Arndt continues, “Woody has to deal with and accept his mortality. That tracks with a child who is 8 to 10 years old.” With the plot devised for Toy Story 3, Woody needed to progress to a more mature sentiment — that of a teenager — in order for the film to have the correct impact. “Woody learns about the impermanence of things and the necessity for letting go and moving on,” Arndt says. “So there’s an arc to his development across the trilogy. Even though there are common elements in all three films, I do think we’re telling a different story in each of them, as well as one big over-arching story that spans the trilogy.”

On Pixar's philosophy towards constructing a screenplay:

Arndt’s observations on his time at Pixar only confirm what many film pundits and fans have long suspected: Pixar’s films are such rousing successes because of the attention each individual at the studio dedicates to the screenplays. “Andrew Stanton’s rule of thumb is that it takes 10 man-years of labor to make a good screenplay,” Arndt explains. “Either two writers working five years or 10 guys working one year. For Toy Story 3, it was even more than that — probably the equivalent of 10 people working two or three years.”

Part 3: Ending the story

This scene you’re about to see is the climax of the movie. And it’s really the thing I’m most proud of because as a writer, I’m a big believer in endings. I think that the ending of your story is when the meaning of your story is revealed. But I also think in setting up the story… a good story for me is for a character, right before the climax, taking a decisive action, making an important decision. And usually you’ve got to make that decision as difficult as possible.

Video of Michael Ardnt speaking in 2007 at a book store in San Francisco from Post #3


Little Miss Sunshine: The Shooting Script from Cody's Books on FORA.tv

SOURCE: GoIntoTheStory

Spike TV Ink Master: Star Wars Episode Tonight 10 P.M. EST/PST

Tattoo, Tatooine. It is only fitting that Spike TV's reality show Ink Master would feature a Star Wars episode.

Tune in tonight Tuesday, November 13 at 10 PM and see what these tattoo artists do with Star Wars inspired art.

From Spike TV:

Today  Tuesday, November 13 at 10 PM, ET/PT, nine remaining artists on Spike TV’s hit tattoo competition-reality series “Ink Master” will have to use their Jedi powers and feel the Force flowing thru them in a special “Star Wars” Forever episode.  In this “Star Wars”-themed episode, the artists will be tested on their ability to use contrast in their designs, specifically the way they enhance dark and light areas and use opposing colors, forms and lines to make their tattoos bold.    

 As always, “Ink Master” starts off with a fundamentals skill test called the Flash Challenge.  In this week’s Flash Challenge, the artists must create a unique design using contrast on a Clone Trooper Helmet.  All the finished helmets were displayed and auctioned off at “Star Wars” Celebration Six with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and as an added bonus, the winning Clone Trooper helmet was signed by “Star Wars” creator and visionary, George Lucas.  

 All the human canvases for the Elimination Tattoo for this episode are all super-fans of “Star Wars” and all request various designs featuring the iconic characters and symbols from this epic saga. The artists again have to demonstrate their ability to use contrast in their “Star Wars” tattoos.  Which of the artists will continue on their destiny to become the next “Ink Master” and who will be the next to be told to pack up their tattoo gun and go home?

SPIKE
Flash Challenge: Contrast
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SOURCE: Spike.com

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Test of Strenth (5.07)

In this week's episode of TCW we meet the Star Wars universe's Ollivander, in this case an ancient droid named Huyang voiced by Dr. Who actor David Tennant. As Ahoska and Huyang instruct the younglings aboard the Jedi transport the Crucible, Hondo and his pirates board the ship in an attempt to steal the lightsaber crystals.

"The young are often underestimated."As the younglings return from Ilum with Ahsoka, their ship comes under attack by Hondo's gang of pirates. The children must use ingenious and improvised traps to thwart the brigands.

A Test of Strength presents a pretty straight forward story, our two mentors Ahsoka and Huyang are helping the younglings decide on components and begin constructing their lightsabers when the pirtates attack and board the Crucible.  We have a violent game of hide and go seek as the younglings attemp to keep their lightsaber crystals out of Hondo's hands.  In the end both the mentors are incapacitated, Ahoska is captured and taken aboard Hondo's ship, while Huyang suffers a couple "flesh wounds"  losing his arms and his head. This sets up the younglings at the end of the episode to have to mature and in next weeks episode come ot he aid of both Huyang, by repariring him, and Ahsoka, by rescuing her.

This episode was littered to little Original Trilogy references. Hiding below the deck echoes A New Hope as the Falcon is brought aboard the Death Star. Petro's remote practice also brings us back to Luke's early training aboard the Falcon.

The younglings addressing Huyang as "Professor" made me think of Han's sarcastic nickname for C-3PO in Empire Strikes Back, when Solo said, "Chewie! Take the Professor in back and plug him into the hyperdrive!"

It was also interesting to think of storytelling possibilties based on one of Huyang's throw away lines. Much like Obi-Wan in A New Hope when he mentioned "the Clone Wars," Huyang drops a couple references to important events in galactic history that are new.  The Battles of Rashfond and the Peacekeeping of Parliock are implied to be ancient events, will they provide story fodder down the road?

Of course the OT wasn't the only thing to get references, The Old Republic computer game got a shout out by the inclusion of the TOR era Jedi symbol on the hatches inside the Crucible.

Of course my favorite part of this entire story arc is the lightsaber lore and we get even more in this episode. We have a description of by Huyang of some of the component materials and shapes for lightsabers. You would be hard pressed not to notice the influence of the Harry Potter franchise and it's wandlore and the enigmatic wand builder Ollivander. I really liked this touch.

When the Wookiee youngling Gungi chooses a material for his hilt he picks wood. Apparently there is one wood that is strong enough like metal to act as a lightsaber hilt, the wood of the brylark tree.  Additionaly we get the following line form Huyang, "a simple grip, a curved approach, one inlaid with the bone of the Cartusion whale, pastillion ore or black onk." 

We also get the added tidbit that lightsaber crystals must have the Force awakened within the crystal before the lightsaber can be used. We also learn that Huyang keeps a record of the design of every lightsaber created by a Jedi.

It is interesting that the awakening of the crystal and the use of the Force in assembling the lightsabers is similar yet slightly different than the portrayal of lightsaber construction that we get in the EU.  The EU novel I, Jedi has some of the most in-depth description of lightsaber construction and the use of the Force to unify the various components of the lightsaber at something beyond the mechanical level.

The use of Huyang, the Gathering and the Crucible makes me wonder what George is saying about lightsaber construction and whether or not this implies that all Jedi lightsabers before the Empire where created on expeditions aboard the Crucible under Huyang's supervision. If this is the standard practice then it stands to invalidate tons of EU stories about how and when Jedi construct their lightsabers.

The importance of lightsaber construction and Petro's reckless disregard reminded me of an important moment in the Expanded Universe. Adult EU fans may have missed this because it occurred in a young adult novel, but Tenel Ka's accident at the Jedi Academy would have long lasting implications to the EU.

In Kevin J. Anderon and Rebecca Moesta's Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers, Tenel Ka constructs her lightsaber out of a rancor tooth and uses a flawed crystal inside the lightsaber. During a sparing session with Jacen Solo, her blade fails and Jacen's lightsaber chops of Tenel Ka's arm. 

In this week's episode we see Petro use his miss assembled lightsaber as a makeshift explosive to allow the younglings to flee to safety. 

Rating: Like all the episodes of the "younglins" arc, I will be grading this episode on a curve. By targeting the episodes at a younger demographic, it is a different flavor than the majority of TCW episodes at this point in the series' development. That being said, A Test of Strength gets a 8.5. Lots of little references, a very cool set of lightsaber lore, a great new droid, and pirates makes this episode a fun one.

Direct Link to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Test of Strength (5.07)

Clone Wars Download: Webisode 5.07: A Pirate's Life


Coming up on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 

11/17/12: Episode 5.08: Bound for Rescue 

"The younglings attempt to rescue Ahsoka from Hondo's pirates."

11/24/12: Episode 5.09: A Necessary Bond

"Pirates and Jedi reluctantly join forces after Grievous attacks Hondo's settlement on Florrum."

SOURCE: Starwars.com

Starwars.com Member Exclusive TCW Season 5 Darth Maul Arc Preview

Membership has it's benefits.

If you sign up for an on-line membership at Starwars.com you can now view an exclusive video clip from an episode of the upcoming Darth Maul arc.  

The video can be found HERE.

The video features an introduction by Darth Maul actor Sam Witwer and shows a scene in which Maul, Opress, and Pre Vizsla are appearing before the Hutt Grand Council on Nal Hutta.  

Hutt Grand Council as seen in Season Three's "Hunt for Ziro"

It appears that our sometimes hero and sometime villain band of bounty hunters, Sugi, Embo and  Dengar are working security for the Hutts.  Most likely scenario is that Maul is present to attempt to convince the Hutts to follow him and negotiations aren't going very well. Facing the bounty hunters and Hutt thugs, Maul, Opress, and Vizsla a retreat and are pursued as the clip ends. 

Just a tease of what is in the video clip...

SOURCE: Starwars.com

Watch Now: Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome Episodes 1 & 2

Machinima has the first two short episodes of the Battlestar Galactica Prequel, BSG: Blood and Chrome up on their website and Youtube now.

The series features a wet behind the ears Bill Adama, callsign "Husker" and is set in the tenth year of the First Cylon War.

You can watch the two episodes below.

Episode 1:



Episode 2: 



Trailer: 





SOURCE: Machinima.com