Copyright by Noah Ira Zisman 2010 The Report Committee for Noah Ira Zisman Certifies that this is the approved version of the following report: How to Achieve Extinction Without Killing Yourself: The Process of Writing a Screenplay APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Stuart Kelban Andrew Garrison How to Achieve Extinction Without Killing Yourself: The Process of Writing a Screenplay by Noah Ira Zisman, B.A. Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts The University of Texas at Austin August 2010 Abstract How to Achieve Extinction Without Killing Yourself: The Process of Writing a Screenplay Noah Ira Zisman, MFA The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 Supervisor: Stuart Kelban “How to Achieve Extinction Without Killing Yourself: The Process of Writing a Screenplay” examines the creative procedure of writing the sci-fi feature Extinction. It explores the step-by-step process of idea genesis through to the third draft. iv Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION......................... 1 CHAPTER 2: THE HOLLYWOOD STRUCTURE.............. 4 CHAPTER 3: EXTINCTION IS BORN.................. 10 CHAPTER 4: OUTLINE THEN OUTLINE AGAIN.......... 14 CHAPTER 5: ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO – DRAFT ONE...... 19 CHAPTER 6: THE PERILS OF A SECOND DRAFT........ 23 CHAPTER 7: THE FINAL EXTINCTION................ 30 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION.......................... 33 Appendix A: Pitch.............................. 35 Appendix B: Dead Planet Graffle outline........ 39 Appendix C: Mars Awaken Graffle outline........ 40 Appendix D: Mars Outline....................... 42 Appendix E: Dead Planet Treatment.............. 44 Appendix F: Mars Step outline.................. 53 Appendix G: Mars Cheat Sheet................... 57 Appendix H: Extinction Rewrite Pitch........... 58 Vita........................................... 62 v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION It took me five years to complete my first script. I can’t be sure of the title because I changed it so many times. I believe the last version was called Don’t Play Cards With the Devil, named after a Daniel Johnston song that devolves into him screaming “DEVIL” over and over. At one point it was called The Losing Hand, but that was when the protagonist bet and lost his hand (the actual physical appendage) in a gruesome poker match, a scene that I cut (pardon the pun) in later drafts. This was the screenplay for which I gained entrance into UT’s RTF screenwriting program. Like a bad relationship held in a broken heart, I have scripts in various states of disrepair that haunt the memories of my computer. I have folders in folders in old hard drives that have buried within them a directory listed as “screenplays” or “writing” or “dope ideas”. The Losing Hand (I still like that title best despite the fact it no longer carries the pun of the old version) was my best effort to use writing to pull myself from mediocrity. Don’t get me wrong: I have other skills, especially if I want to embrace a life of administrative assisting or 1 Barista-ing (that’s a fancy way of saying coffee maker for those who are initiated). But I had decided (at least for that moment) that if I couldn’t make something happen with this script, that I didn’t have what it takes to be a successful screenwriter. In short, being accepted into the RTF program gave me the push I needed (or shouldn’t have had, as the case may be) to keep me toiling as a writer. As an undergraduate, I had a screenwriting teacher who told a story to illustrate one of the dangers of screenwriting. A man is hired to paint the centerline in the road. On the first day he amazes his employer because he paints fifteen miles – unheard of. The next day he only does five more miles – the first day must have been a fluke. The following day he only paints one-quarter mile. The boss becomes concerned. He talks to his new employee to find out why his output has decreased so drastically. The worker tells him that he is painting as fast as he can, but after he fixes what he has already painted he is too exhausted to paint much more. Reworking ad infinitum what has already been written can be a major roadblock to finishing a screenplay for many writers, including myself. 2 This program has been invaluable in giving me tools to tackle the writing process, to move beyond the first 15 miles of centerline. I will go through some of those tools as I examine how I went about my process for writing my screenplay Extinction. I will describe the kind of script I wrote. And I will explain the genesis of the idea, how it evolved, what the process of tackling it became (including the outlining process), and changes that evolved through the multiple drafts. 3 CHAPTER 2: THE HOLLYWOOD STRUCTURE UT emphasizes screenwriting for classical narration (the three-act structure). The skills that I have developed are certainly transferable to other types of scripts, however, they are best suited to the three-act structure. For other types of visual narrative forms, I will probably have to adjust my process. I make a note of this because there are many alternative structures that are used, even in Hollywood. I have a strong interest in other narrative forms and I try to consider these when I develop a screenplay. I want to be a working screenwriter and I do think that the most likely road to success is through classical narrative structure (three-act). It is important to understand its strengths as well as its limitations. The classical narrative structure is traditional, the most widely used, the easiest for an audience to digest, and in general, it seems to generate the most revenue at the box office. It consists of an active protagonist that seeks a goal and must change in order to achieve it. It is cause and effect related. It has a catalyst that launches the story, a mid point, a low point, and a climax. 4 My earlier studies in screenwriting presented a different form of story structure than what was emphasized in UT’s program. One theory, based on Joseph Campbell’s Hero of A Thousand Faces, maintains that all stories are just variations of seven myths. One of these is the hero myth, which Campbell claims can be found in all cultures despite differences in story detail. In other words, there are elements included in all hero myths that strike a chord in people, which the three-act structure seems to share. The way that three-act structure is approached at UT is less about meeting with all the specific moments that a hero encounters in the hero myth than it is with nailing down story pacing. Having a tight script means that it is paced properly. It builds in tension and crescendos. It fits together neatly and is clean. The story is always briskly moving forward. I do think, however, that this structure has certain limitations. For instance, a single protagonist that must always be active restricts the point of view. This can make it difficult to convey complicated issues because it constricts the myriad ways a topic can be discussed. A quick example can be seen in the film Slumdog Millionaire. 5 This film does an excellent job of following the three-act structure but as a result of hitting the correct beats and following a single character, its presentation of the female love interest and poverty of India is problematic. The aim of the film isn’t to go into gender politics or too deeply into class politics. Its main goal is to entertain. However, dramatizing poverty for the sake of the story leaves the film open to criticisms of exoticizing the poor of India. The politics of three-act structure could be a paper in and of itself, but my goal here is to touch on it in order to point to its limitations. My interest in film springs from it being the ultimate medium for complex communication. There are many ways that it accomplishes this. If a prototypical three-act structured movie is a modern myth (which I think something like Spiderman is) then many of the ways film communicates are more analogous to poetry than myth. I do think there is some combination of the two that can happen. Pulp Fiction is an example of an alternate narrative form that has some of the elements of three-act structure. But there is a difference between it and normal three-act structure. I imagine the approach to writing it would not be the same. 6 Three-act films can be like novels in that they have room for experimentation and can be pushed to exceed their limitations although novels generally have more latitude than classical narrative film. Early Jean-Luc Godard films best illustrate this. Band of Outsiders has many elements of a classic three-act narrative (it is inspired by it after all), but some of the scenes are completely inappropriate for the classic three-act model. One of the most beautiful scenes in the movie is when the three main characters are just hanging out in a coffee shop and they decide to dance. It has nothing to do with the main plot of the film and if we follow the three-act model rigorously, it should be cut. However, it is one of the best scenes in the movie, it’s fun, gives us character insight, provides us with what feels like an authentic moment from the characters lives. Godard intends to push the boundaries of film more than tell a story.