The Black List (Scripts)

Started by cinemanarchist, December 19, 2010, 11:52:25 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Robyn

I haven't paid much attention to this list before, but decided to read Daddio by Christy Hall this morning and thought it was really, really good.

A passenger and her cab driver reminisce about their relationships on the way from the airport to her apartment in New York.

from the first page:

QuoteNOTE TO READER

In 2015, quintessential New York City cab companies were
begrudgingly partnered with UBER for a short time, allowing an
option for what was called an "UberT."

The alliance quickly dissolved, however, as cabs refused to
actually be paid through the app itself. After a great deal of
legal push back on both sides, UBER deleted the UberT option and
yellow cabs launched out, creating their own smart phone
application.

Unfortunately, as cabs were busy clinging to their antiquated
business model, their competition grew drastically with the
addition of VIA, JUNO, and LYFT, among others.

Yet, it won't stop there. One day soon, car services will solely
invest in vehicles that are self-driven.

The unique experience of chatting with a New York City yellow
cabbie is truly about to go the way of the dinosaur, making this
film a very purposeful and passionate time capsule of sorts.

Please keep this in mind as you read.

apart from the great dialogue and characters, what really makes it such a enjoyable read is how beautifully it describes things:

QuoteLifting away from the yellow cab to more of a GOD'S EYE
VIEW, the awe and wonder of urban living becomes evident
through the beauty and poetry of light.

From high above, the many roadways, highways and freeways
that lead to the island of Manhattan look more like
bright veins pumping bioluminescent yellow and red life
to and from the heart of an other worldly creature - the
city itself possessing a heartbeat, a beacon of
shimmering hope in the permeating darkness that surrounds
it.

QuoteINT. NYC YELLOW CAB, BACK SEAT - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)

Red and blue, red and blue, pounds upon Girlie's pensive,
porcelain, a direct competition against the bright yellow
headlights that aggressively backlight this beauty from
behind.


All is still. Too still.


All is quiet. Too quiet.


Girlie watches as Clark secures his soda back in the cup
holder and begins to play percussion on the steering
wheel again - unable to sit still.


As his thumbs TAP to the rhythm of some song stuck in his
head, Girlie's gaze falls to her backpack.

The BEAT of the driver's thumbs crescendoes in Girlie's
mind as that wave of fierce addiction washes over her
again.


TAP, TAP, TAP - goes the "drums."


Her fingers twitch.


She softly bites her bottom lip.


TAP, TAP, TAP.


Suddenly, Clark itches at the back of his neck in
frustration.


SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH.


Girlie watches as a small flake of dandruff falls from
Clark's short hair in slow motion.


Her face turns very curious by this bright white fleck,
as pure as snow, as it innocently floats within the
pulsing red and blue lights, until it softly falls upon
the broad shoulders of Clark's cotton t-shirt.


Something about it proves perfectly imperfect.

A small glimpse of humanity.


The poetry found within our flaws.


QuoteWhen no reply comes, Clark TURNS HIS HEAD FOR THE FIRST
TIME, engaging in a real human connection - a moment in
time, capsulated in slow motion - advancing these two
souls far beyond mere reflections in a rear-view mirror.

The cab suddenly ceases to be "front seat" and "back
seat."

Somehow this place, this metal cage, has emotionally
expanded.

And you can feel it.

It's in the air.

It's in the light.

It's in the shared silence.

"The poetry found within our flaws." also sums up the script for me, because it's all about two very flawed characters who are sitting in a taxi and trying to figure each other out - and even though I kind of disliked them sometimes, it's also what made me connect and feel for them.

ono

I don't know... it reads nice, but in the past when I've put flowery description into a script, the feedback I inevitably get is, "are you writing a novel?"  So, I'm hesitant to do that, and keep things like a blueprint when possible.

Robyn

yeah, I know you shouldn't do it, but I think it works because it doesn't happen often and when it does it's just emphasize the importance of that moment.  but I dunno, it's a balancing act like everything else, and I guess this part (for example) could work like this too:

QuoteI guess this could work like this too, and still
Girlie watches as a small flake of dandruff falls from
Clark's short hair in slow motion.


Her face turns very curious by this bright white fleck,
as pure as snow,
as it innocently floats within the
pulsing red and blue lights, until it softly falls upon
the broad shoulders of Clark's cotton t-shirt.


Something about it proves perfectly imperfect.

A small glimpse of humanity.


The poetry found within our flaws.


if you watched that moment in the film the last three lines wouldn't matter anyway, but maybe some directors would have preferred the first version, because they would get a better understanding of what the writer where getting at. I don't know though, I keep reading scripts that is breaking a lot of "rules", and I guess you shouldn't break them too just because other people do it. it's good despite this though, so you should read it.

do you recommend anything from the list?

ono

Quote from: KJ on January 02, 2018, 01:26:21 PM
do you recommend anything from the list?
Not yet.  Haven't actually had a chance to read anything from it yet.  I will definitely post here when I do.  Been focused on writing for once, and actually finished a short script the other day.  So I'm happy about that.

WorldForgot

Quote from: ono on January 02, 2018, 02:29:11 PM
Quote from: KJ on January 02, 2018, 01:26:21 PM
do you recommend anything from the list?
Been focused on writing for once, and actually finished a short script the other day.  So I'm happy about that.

Congrats!
Hardly a better feeling than finishing a draft.

Robyn

I read 8 pages of Ler Her Speak (the abortion movie), thinking it was the J.K Rowlings one. I was like "this got dark very fast. I wonder if J.K is supposed to be one of the kids she's trying to intoxicate in the garage? why are they in Texas?"

then I began reading the right one and this is more like it:
QuoteShe approaches TWO MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN sharing a paper bag of
chips (that's french fries, you Yankee wanker).

QuoteDAVID BECKHAM clutches an ENERGY DRINK on the page of a
glossy advertisement. He smiles at us, his foot resting on
top of a FOOTBALL (that's a soccer ball, you American
tosser).

Robyn

so this is basically just a script about J.K walking around with a notebook, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel reading this? "oh, the boat she's traveling on now is called luna! look, the water strain in the ceiling looks like an owl! and her ex boss is actually snape???? it all make sense! it's like Harry Potter but in real life!!!"

Drenk

What's the title of the J.K Rowling script?
Ascension.

Robyn


Drenk

Quote from: KJ on January 03, 2018, 09:00:14 AM
When Lightning Strikes

Oh, God, it begins with a kid saying Avada Kedavra.
Ascension.

Robyn

the 30 first pages is like that, then there's a cliché Portuguese love story for the next 30. maybe it gets better, I don't know..

Robyn

ok, so I didn't know she went through all that, and that might be interesting for some fans, but the overall story wasn't strong enough. sometimes it felt like the writer just wanted to throw in as many references to Harry Potter as possible (the script actually ends with a Did-you-catch-all-the-reference checklist), and there were few times the references felt relevant. it got better in the second half though and when she was depressed the references actually made sense to the story, like when she's telling her psychiatrist that she feels like there's something sucking every happy moment out of her, or when she sees her dead mother in a reflection... I guess it could be a fun read for die hard fans, but otherwise it's pretty uninteresting. just a standard script about a struggling author.

I agree with this review and thought this was a nice quote:
QuoteWith that said, When Lightning Strikes gives us plenty to think about as writers, starting with the title. "When Lightning Strikes." Is that all zeitgeist novels and films are? Lightning in a bottle? Are our digital documents evenly weighted lottery tickets and nothing more? I don't think so. I believe that you can align the variables (clever concept, marketable premise, practice practice practice) so that the storm forms around you, increasing the chances that the lightning will strike nearby.

Robyn

looking through the old blacklists. this sound, well, ambitions

QuoteIN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Colby Day
Explores the entire history of the universe and our species through three interwoven storylines that question the very nature of life, love, mortality, where we've been, and where we're going; the past, present, and future of the human race.
AGENCY: WME
AGENT: Mike Fera
MANAGEMENT: LBI
MANAGER: Harry Lengsfield

wilder

Things from the 2017 Black List loglines I never want to see in movies ever again

-Assassins
-Biopics
-"Changing the course of human history"
-The CIA
-Comas
-Drug smuggling 
-The Mafia
-The CIA
-Multiple personality disorder as a plot engine
-Murder as a plot engine
-A "new appreciation for life" as a climax
-"One last assignment"
-Serial killers
-Terminal illness used as a plot device
-True stories
-The CIA

Edit - oh, ono had this covered

Robyn

you'll love this one from the 2016 list:

QuoteNORTHEAST KINGDOM
Alex R. Johnson
When Angie witnesses the betrayal and murder of her father during a smuggler's drop, the vigilant and determined young woman calls in the help of a mysterious female assassin to seek revenge against all those responsible.