CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE WRITING OF THE SCREENPLAY "THE WRECK OF THE ADMIRAL NAKHIMOV" A graduate project submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Mass Communication by Steven David Klitzing August 1988 • The graduate project of Steven David Klitzing is approved: :1arence Flick Dr. Alan Armer, California State University, Northridge ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT vii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1. The Educational Phase 4 Internship at a Literary Agency 4 Internship at a Production Company 5 Upper Division coursework 6 Graduate Coursework 9 The Author Takes Time Out 12 The Value of English Courses 13 Decision to Complete the M.A. 16 Writing the Proposal 16 The Master's Project 17 Committee Members Found 19 2. Research Methodology and Findings 21 How the Research Process Was Organized 21 Book Research 22 Periodical Research 24 Tom Clancy's Influence: Fiction Research 26 Reference Materials 27 KGB Research 29 iii Russia 31 Spy Research 32 Ship, Salvage and Maritime Research 38 Treasure Research 39 Ship and Maritime Technology 40 Underwater Technology and Diving 42 Interviews: Radars, Electronics and Jamming 43 3. The Film Review Phase 54 Raiders of the Lost Ark 55 Temple of Doom and Tron 55 King Solomon's Mines 55 Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold 56 Firewalker 56 Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr 57 Moby Dick 57 Sink the Bismarck 57 High Road to China 58 Under Ten Flags 59 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 59 Mysterious Island 59 The Poseidon Adventure 60 Captain Blood 60 Das Boot 60 Run Silent, Run Deep 61 The Maltese Falcon 62 To Have and Have Not 62 Key Largo 63 iv Witness 63 Salvador 64 Deadline 65 The Year of Living Dangerously 66 The African Queen 67 Romancing the Stone 69 Crocodile Dundee 70 Elements of These Films Used in the Script 71 4. The Writing Process 72 The Inspirational Phase 72 The Outline Phase 72 The Treatment 73 Character Studies and Backstories 74 The First Draft Screenplay 76 BIBLIOGRAPHY 78 APPENDIX A. Outline 82 B. Story Treatment 83 c. Character Studies 121 Rick Hogan 122 Kettie Boyd 133 Colonel Slava 144 Thor Bergen 155 Misha Orlov 160 Professor Zucharski 165 Mr. Boyd 169 Vasili Krivda 173 v The Chauffeur; Bodyguards 177 Yuri Titov; Captain Atarov; Assassin 178 Soviet Assault Troops; Norwegian Crew 179 D. Autobiographical Backstories 180 Rick Hogan 181 Kettie Boyd 192 Colonel Slava 200 E. The Script for the Screenplay 208 TABLE 1. Critical Path Analysis Chart (Planned) 356 2. Critical Path Analysis Chart (as Completed) 357 FIGURE 1 - 6. Diving Outfits and Equipment 358 7 - 12. Underwater Technology 359 13 - 20. Weaponry 360 21 - 26. Aerospace and Maritime Vehicles 361 27 - 31. Ship, Map and Mascot 362 . ~ vi ABSTRACT THE WRITING OF THE SCREENPLAY "THE WRECK OF THE ADMIRAL NAKHIMOV" by Steven David Klitzing Master of Arts in Mass Communication In May, 1905 the major naval battle in the war between Russia and Japan took place. It was nearly a total disaster for the Russian fleet, and one of the really significant losses was the czar's cruiser Admiral Nakhimov and the secret treasure she carried to her grave on the ocean floor. A major effort was undertaken to create a screenplay built upon this happening. To do so, extensive research was conducted into the historical details of the loss of the ship and into everything on which one must be knowledgeable in order to develop a credible story of search and salvage at sea. The details of this research are covered in the Methodology section of this project. The results of the research have been used in support of a story which really begins when the "cat is let out of vii the bag" a full two generations after the sinking. The secret of the treasure is discovered and this vital and fascinating information has come into the hands of a pair of unlikely American adventurers. But other, more sinister forces also have at least part of this knowledge. There follows a tale of adventure, danger and violence as three hostile groups converge on the presumed site of the treasure. It develops that the secret is not so much in where the wreck is located, but in how much gold and platinum is on board and, especially, how the Czar's operatives were able to mask and hide it so that it would escape discovery for so long. The screenplay ultimately answers these and several other questions and culminates in a climactic encounter which determines whether, how, and by whom the treasure is actually retrieved. viii INTRODUCTION "The Wreck of The Admiral Nakhimov" was conceived as a screenplay to fulfill a graduate project requirement for the Master of Arts program in the Mass Communications Department at California State University, Northridge. "The Wreck of The Admiral Nakhimov" is a story of high level intrigue and governmental secrecy. It is a story of greed, cruelty and deceit. And it is a story of courage, resourcefulness, loyalty and love. It is an adventure story. The tale has its roots in actual historical truth. The Battle of Tsushima Strait really did take place. The czarist Russian cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov" really was lost in that great battle. The ship really was carrying billions in gold and platinum when it sank. The old Russian admiral, the only person in the fleet who knew the secrets of this great treasure, really did die of a stroke before he could carry out the Czar's orders regarding its disposition. But the remainder of the story, built on these real events, is fiction. It is the story of Rick Hogan, a "leave me alone" and "live and let live" sort of man who scratches out a living at sea running his own interisland delivery service in the South Pacific. It is the story of Kettie Boyd, a well educated, attractive, independent young woman doing free lance photographic work in the islands. It is the story of 1 Colonel Gregori Slava, one of the "bad guys," a sadistic, hard driven and resourceful KGB agent who is bound and determined to recover the Nakhimov treasure on his own. It is the story of Thor Bergen, the strong-willed and brave Norwegian friend of Rick's, who provides much of the organizational and material resources for the "good guys" on their treasure hunt. And it is the story of how these principal characters and others, all focused on the same goal, finally converge on the treasure area in Tshushima Strait, and the conflict and competition, courage and sacrifice, which follow. "The Wreck of The Admiral Nakhimov," as told here, is divided into three principal sections. First, there is the treatment section, an outline of the story from start to finish. It sketches the chronology and high points, and provides a comprehensive overview of what the story is all about. Next come the character studies and biographical backstories, providing extensive background information on the make-up of the principal personalities; who they are, what they are, where they are from, and how they view themselves. Finally, the screenplay itself. This section depicts, in detail, all the action, scenery, attitudes, thoughts and dialogue necessary to the story. It is the actors' and director's script. The script was written last. Thus, it reflects certain changes recommended by the author's advisors and numerous adjustments made during the "tune-up" period 2 between the writing of the treatment and the writing of the script. But the overall theme remains unaltered. It is still the same story. And now, to these introductory remarks, there remains only to be added that the people, events and some of th.e places depicted herein are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual people, places and events is purely coincidental. 3 CHAPTER 1 The Educational Phase In the Fall of 1981, the author entered the Master's program at Cal State Northridge. During the course of his initial studies, from 1981 to 1983, he served two internships; one as a reader for a literary agency and one as a readerjresearch assistant for a minor production company. Lessons learned from these internships would later have valuable consequences. Internship at a Literary Agency By reading screenplays for literary agents, the writer soon learned what a bad screenplay looked like. He was told to move on if it didn't do anything in the first 20 pages. Most of the screenplays were muddled and didn't do anything. That was because most of the writers didn't have a story to tell or didn't know how to tell it. on a more encouraging note, he learned that a well-written screenplay attracted attention because it stood head and shoulders above 95% of the competition. The two literary agents were women and had already spotted what looked like a good prospect. It was discovered very soon why it had attracted attention above all the others. It had a few strong characters, though a weak story. It had a 4 strong male-female love story relationship driving it. It was also low budget. Internship at a Production Company In the second internship, the writer learned a few more lessons. The production company was staffed mostly by women. The producer was a man. It was the function of the women associates to weed out the bad stuff and bring him only the properties which looked like they could be developed. The women read newspapers and magazines in search of marketable ideas. They also read best sellers and kept track of Broadway plays to find useable properties.