gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : The James Bond Chronicles: 'Goldfinger'

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:46:07 +0000

Here's some more pix and screenwriting analysis of Goldfinger from my Big Hollywood article of July, 2009. http://bit.ly/G6I8C

Big Hollywood : Today's Daily Thread

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:24:56 +0000

Here's a post I wrote on The Kid from last year on Big Hollywood. http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/rdvonch/2009/10... I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on a new series of screenwriting posts with original video that I hope to get up, soon. See you then!

Big Hollywood : Open Thread: Happy First Birthday to Big Hollywood!

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 01:43:50 +0000

Thanks, SgtRock -- you've been there since my first post and it's very gratifying to see you still commenting. As I told JR_Head, I plan to post something new this month with video. See you then.

Big Hollywood : Open Thread: Happy First Birthday to Big Hollywood!

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 01:41:01 +0000

Thanks, JR -- I've been working on a new post for some time now and I hope to have it up this month. it's taking a long time because I'm experimenting with adding some original video to help explain things. I definitely will be back and get the post up ASAP. Thanks again for your kind words.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 22:02:42 +0000

Thanks, David -- I hope the following posts are helpful, too.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 22:01:19 +0000

Thanks bwbandy -- I enjoyed writing this one.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 22:00:38 +0000

Thanks, David!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 22:00:03 +0000

Yes, that's exactly what the next three posts will do. Thanks for your interest and I'll try to do a good job of it.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:58:43 +0000

Thanks, Katiebird -- just what I like to hear!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:58:04 +0000

Thanks, CorporalO -- my screenwriting class in college was also useless. I was fortunate enough to have two extremely talented classmates who also wanted to write for Hollywood. I collaborated professionally with both of them. Through trial and error, we taught each other how to do it. I wish i knew then what I know now -- and what I know now I'm putting into these posts!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:52:56 +0000

Thanks, Desert -- it's comments like yours that keep me writing.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:52:14 +0000

Thanks very much, Stephen -- take a look at my comment to Cambias about doing a book.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Charlie, the Kid and the Cop

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:50:56 +0000

Thanks! Turning these posts into a book is something I'm considering. Although all my literary friends warn me that the book business is terrible, right now. A decisive factor will be comments to my posts. If it looks as if people find my ideas useful, then I'll keep moving forward on it. I don't want to write something that doesn't really help. Most screenwriting books assume that the screenwriter already has a basic understanding of the process. But a beginner needs to know not only how to write, but why to write -- which is why I spend so much time considering the moral and ethical themes of screenplays. If you know why you want to tell the story, it automatically suggests how to tell it. Thanks again and I'll let Big Hollywood readers know if a book is in the works.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Thinking Inside the Box

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 14:05:11 +0000

One of the things I've worried about in this post and past posts is that I present the writing process as if it were a hierarchical progression or perhaps a linear progression. To be understandable, my essays follow a hierarchical / linear flow, so it appears as if I'm saying that the writing process is like that, too. However, as you suggest, writing the script is achieved by considering many different angles at once. Each step is not fully formed before advancing to the next -- at least, in the beginning stages when thinking about the direction the script will take. This is actually part of what I will speak about in my next post -- how to think about the script in the initial stages. As for the boxes of other films, the Christmas Box is the big box for "Elf" That's the first place the screenwriters looked for inspiration about -- well, just about everything! If you are lucky, a producer will come to you with the boxes already set up -- "I want you to write a movie based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Try and include each tableau on the ride in the movie." Wow! what a great assignment that would have been!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Thinking Inside the Box

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 02:08:56 +0000

You know, one of the things I've worried about in this post and past posts is that I present the writing process as if it were a hierarchical progression or perhaps a linear progression. To be understandable, my essays follow a hierarchical / linear flow, so it appears as if I'm suggesting that the writing process is like that, too. That's why in my next post I plan to tackle just that issue, by describing the actual thought process I use when conceiving a screenplay. It is, as you suggest, not as rigid as I present it -- at least, not at first. The theme can come first, or various ideas coalesce around a theme as you kick things around. By the time I write FADE IN, however, I already have the major themes laid out and the first act in a very detailed outline. Acts 2 and 3 are still sketchy, but I have confidence that I've set things up enough that I won't run into trouble. As you start writing, new things come to you, but only once or twice has the screenplay gone off the rails into another direction. Usually the good ideas are ones that reinforce the Boxes you've already decided on. A bad idea is one that doesn't reinforce the Boxes! As I say, I'll lay all this out in detail in my next post. As for other movies, off the top of my head "Elf," "Pirates of the Carribbean", and "Up" are big Box movies. The "Christmas Box" in Elf is as big as the "Gold Box" in Goldfinger. A few of the "Up" boxes are "crossing the heart," the "mail box" box, balloons, the hearing aid, the scrapbook, and clouds. Throughout the movie, the screenwriters keep pulling stuff out of these boxes all the time, each time with a little different meaning attached to the object, or to make a new point.

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: The Moral of the Story

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 13:59:14 +0000

Hmmm...I just happen to know of a screenplay where the eco-nuts are the villains. It's located at http://site.globalvillageidiot.org/ I have to admit I'm biased in favor of the writer because I know him...but I enjoy his work!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: The Moral of the Story

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 01:08:24 +0000

For dialogue, I relied on the 12/11/92 draft found at DailyScript. They must have tweaked it before shooting!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: The Moral of the Story

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Whoops. I must have conflated the two. But he ends up "getting what he deserved"...it just took a little longer!

Big Hollywood : Heroic Hollywood: Something We Can Believe In – Again

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:31:53 +0000

Thanks to everyone for their comments! They are deeply appreciated. I will write more on the subject and post again.