The other night I saw a great movie, While We’re Young. The story is about a child-free couple in their 40s who become fast friends with a couple in their 20s, then one person’s duplicity causes a mess of professional and personal problems for almost everyone involved.
The screenplay is fantastic. Some movies are just a pleasure to watch, some a waste, and others inspire you to make something just as a great. While We’re Young fell into the inspiring category for me. The narrative includes a few film en abyme moments as three of the characters are documentary filmmakers. I felt energized to create while watching and afterwards.
I chose my major in college with the intention of becoming a screenwriter. I got my degree in cinema, took the GRE, and wanted to apply to graduate programs in screenwriting. But I kept feeling like academics were getting in the way of what I wanted to do: Write. Why not just write? I took a non-writing job and expected to keep it for a year or two before transitioning to work in the film industry. Five years passed before I resigned to write full-time. (I considered graduate programs before resigning, but realized I had the same dilemma and I might as well finally do what I wanted to do.) My writing business rarely requires script writing, but screenplays are always in the back of my mind.
Just as the films I see influence my screenplay ideas, the authors I read influence my poetry and short stories. How else can you experience styles and devices? I’ve grown less tolerant with “bad” books and movies. I’ve started reading books in the past few months (several from self-published authors) and they were simply terrible. I couldn’t read more than two sentences without seeing an obvious grammatical error or cliche. I am quick to turn off a movie on Netflix if the story, directing, or acting irks me. I abandon books with poor editing or plot holes. I know it’s good to read pieces to learn what not to do, but I worry doing so will in a way pollute my perceptions and negatively influence the work I produce. A few writers have told me that when they are in the thick of producing their work they refuse to read other writers for fear their work will become an echo of another author.
I’ve been filling my TBR pile with award-winning classic and contemporary authors, reading The Best American Short Stories anthologies, and re-reading works that I not only enjoy–but make me want to create. I want to see more movies that inspire me in the way While We’re Young does. I want authentic literary inspiration—in film and literary forms—while I’m young.
I’m looking forward to that movie! I love Naomi Watts, and Ben Stiller can be absolutely delightful when he wants to be.
The latest movie I have seen is Fast and Furious 7, and although a completely different genre, I really love a big action film that exists just to entertain you (and I had read a great screenwriting article on it), and I also didn’t want to miss the chance to see Paul Walker’s last film on the big screen.
I’m with you on movies or TV series that turn you off when they fail to deliver what they promised. Awesome pilots and first seasons are generally followed by an unwelcome change of pace.
Which is infuriating: so much effort goes into creating the best screenplays you can, and you take reader notes seriously to improve it. And then, you see movies/shows that you wish had stopped from happening or had editing power on 😀
My latest inspiring film was Laggies with Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell. It was sweet, clever, fun and hit just the right questions. It’s a cast I’d love to work with, and kind of romantic/comedy/drama that I love watching and creating.
Yes–I remember you recommended that Laggies movie. 🙂 I looked for it after you raved and I am still waiting for it to come to Netflix or Prime.
Don’t you love going back and watching the pilots of successful TV shows? “The X-Files” pilot is so old school and grainy…just like the “Sex & the City” pilot. SATC had those awful directly-address-the-camera moments a la Ferris Bueller in the first few eps. (Complete coincidence that that SJP is married to MB in real life.) I feel like pilots are hyperboles of characters that they get to become comfortable with later on.
I should start reading screenplays again. It’s nice to see what the writer intended before the director puts their signature on things!
There’s a reason I keep watching Friends and Coupling:) I’ve seen many entertaining comedies after them, but never stuff that hilarious.
I should warn you about TV scripts, though. Sometimes the writer has picked different names for the main character and or title. Suits was originally A Legal Mind, and Jessica was called Katherine. Patrick Jane from The Mentalist was called Daniel Jane, and Perception was called Proof (and Daniel was called Geoffrey!) It’s fun but weird:)
I should watch SATC again. I miss a lot of their honest talk and dating disasters.
I’d really like to see this one. It’s funny someone above mentioned Fast & Furious which my BF would really like to see… I’m kind of “meh” about it, but maybe I’ll go with him to see his if he’ll come with me to see this. That said, I love it when a movie inspires me in some way, and I really love and appreciate a good screenplay. Have you seen “Wish I was Here” by Zach Braff? Though the title drives me batty, the movie itself was pure perfection and mesmerizing.
Yeah, I’ve never been much for F&F. I haven’t seen the Zach Braff movie yet–I’ve been wanting to! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂