Sunday Blog: Clever Screenwriting isn't that Clever

photo by Ernst Vikne

INT: A SMALL, SHABBY, APARTMENT KITCHEN: BRIXTON, LONDON 1984: DAY

Everything is this kitchen is clean, but everything is worn with age or cheap; or both. The fridge is noisy; the cooker is ancient; the curtains, at the one small window, are homemade.
At the small, Formica covered table, RITA (31), a woman prematurely making the transition from pretty to handsome. Her are hands caked in flour and fat, which she is kneading in a old, chipped mixing bowl. A stray hair irritates her and she gingerly uses the back of her hand to brush it out of her face.

On the floor ROB (3), a bright kid, paints a picture of a cat on the back of a scrap of leftover wallpaper. Finished, he hauls himself to his feet and presents the masterpiece to Rita.

ROB
Look what I did, Mommy.

FADE TO BLACK

One of the hardest things for a writer to do, is to resist the urge to be clever.

I don't mean intelligent. It would actually be wonderful if writers embraced the idea of intelligence. No, I mean clever. The distinction between being clever and being intelligent is largely about the desire that drives it.

Intelligent people want to understand things for the sake of understanding them; clever people want the audience to see how clever they are.

"Look what I did, Mommy"

I see a lot of cleverness in scripts and also on screen, and I don't like it when I see it. I don't like it for the same reason that I don't like clever cinematography and I don't like clever acting. It is very simply that when a writer draws the audience's attention to the writing, they are drawing their attention away from the story. It is about the difference between being clever and being effective.

For me, effectiveness at a scene level is about: simplicity, observation and theme. If a writer knows what the theme of their story is, if they have effectively observed human behaviour to the point where they can describe it, if they can convey that in a simple manner, then, for me, the job is done.

Where a scene tends to fail, is when a writer replaces one of those elements with cleverness... so, instead of simplicity we get cleverness, or instead of observation we get quirkiness (which is just cleverness with an ironic shrug and a grin), and instead of a theme we get clever, witty dialogue.

The thing about clever is that it is ultimately hollow and unsatisfying. Ultimately you don't give the audience anything to connect with, because at the heart of it, there is no truth other than the writer's desire to show off.

Great writing, for me, is about transcending the egotistical desire for praise, "Look what I did, Mommy," and at its heart is about finding some connection to the truth. Connection is effective and interesting... and where we find connection is in observation, emotional intelligence and ultimately in simplicity. Although it has become a cliche, there is a lot to be said for "keeping it real."

keep writing and viva la revolution

Posted via email from Filmutopia's Sunday Morning Movie Blog