photo Eva the Weaver
"Near midnight. At the subway. Torrential rain cascades down the steps of the exit. The young man in front of me rescues a destroyed umbrella from the station's dustbin; tonight, even a broken umbrella is better than nothing." "Ten o'clock. Cubans gather at a Milan railway station bar, to drink beer and to bathe in Latino Rap, blaring from the cassette player on the booth's counter. I am the only European who drinks coffee here. Italians, generally, aren't fans of Orisha. They don't even glance at us, as they scuttle past." For the past six years I have always carried at least one notebook with me. I also carry a camera. Although, these days, when I say camera I mean an iphone. The camera I use to collect locations. The notebook I use as a tool to develop my observational skills. Most of the screenplays from unknown screenwriters, that I read, suffer uniformly from a lack of observational detail. By this, I mean that the story-telling seems to be a pastiche of other movies and other TV shows, rather than based on any real world observation of people and how they behave. I hate to say it, but it seems like the vast majority of screenwriters do all of their observation of life from a couch, in front of a TV set. I understand this. One of the main reasons I was first drawn to writing for film and TV, was precisely because I love films and television. I have probably logged more hours as a consumer of film and TV drama than is good for a person. Many years ago, I realised recycling things I've seem in the cinema or on the TV, either consciously or unconsciously, isn't the best way to work. What changed my perspective, was when I realised that the drama I really loved, had managed to step away from the established tropes and memes of the industry; although I wanted my drama to be drama, I also wanted to be delighted by a fresh perspective. The drama I respected, drew its inspiration from literary and cinematic traditions, but was also underpinned with detailed observation of humanity. A unique perspective is what makes a writer valuable. Which is great news, because a unique perspective is the one thing that every human being has. Nobody in the world has experienced life or the world in the way that you have. You point of view is and always will be unique. Of course, time spent in front of the television or in the cinema slightly compromises the uniqueness of that perspective, because you have aligned your point of view with every other human being who has watched that movie. Conversely, any time spent wandering about in the real world increases the divergence of your perspective. Which is why I carry a notebook. I am totally aware that if I see something interesting, when I am out and about, that I am probably the only person in the world who is in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, to witness it. So, when I see something that fascinates or amuses me, I write it down. I call my observations, verbal photographs. I do that, because that is the exercise I have set myself, to see a moment of interesting behaviour in the real world and to jot it down, as if I was describing a moment in a film. The key elements for me, are that the moment is both visual, and at the same time that it also contains meaning. So, for instance, the note I made last year:"Ten o'clock. Cubans gather at a Milan railway station bar, to drink beer and to bathe in Latino Rap, blaring from the cassette player on the booth's counter. I am the only European who drinks coffee here. Italians, generally, aren't fans of Orisha. They don't even glance at us, as they scuttle past."The first time I found this bar at the railway station, it seemed naturally filmic. It's just a concrete booth with a few seats, but it's one of the few places in Milan where I've seen an immigrant group own their own territory. It's an understatement to say that Latinos and other immigrant groups are marginalised in Milan. All my other notes about Latinos in Milan, are about watching them work as illegal traders, on the subways and the streets, where they are under constant threat of arrest. This one observation works for me. It's exactly the kind of moment I'd insert into a movie, if the theme was "racism and alienation." Carrying a notebook forces me to actively observe the world and to take notice of the stories that are unfolding in front of me. This is a better way for me to be a writer to be in the world, rather than hiding behind a newspaper and plugging myself into my ipod. I don't think, as a writer, I can afford to cut myself off from the world. Especially, if I have any ambition to be a screenwriter. Regardless of whether a screenwriter feels the need to draw material from the world, as opposed to pulling ideas out of their imagination (ass), there is another reason for a screenwriter to jot down observations. The discipline of creating verbal photographs from observed situations, is exactly the kind of writing that most newbie screenwriters struggle with. The visual is too vital a component of cinematic story-telling, for a screenwriter to be lacking or inadequate. Screenplays are all about selling the visual. They are very precisely about taking your visualisation of a scene, and selling that to the reader. Like any other skill, the creation of succinct verbal snapshots doesn't come naturally. There is real craft in being able to convey the visual story of a situation, in just a few well chosen words. It's more than just seeing what is happening, it is about knowing which details are important and which aren't. In a situation where the protagonist sees a young woman sauntering through a piazza, the angle of the sun and the opaqueness of the cotton fabric may be the key elements... or not, because it is by understanding and conveying the points that are significant to us as individuals, that we create our own unique voice from our own unique point of view. Notebooks and observation are key skills for the cinematic screenwriter. For me they are connected. I can not imagine trying to improve as writer, without the daily discipline of observing the world around me and the continual attempt to convey my point of view in a concise and engaging manner. Oh, and if you haven't heard the Cuban band Orisha... well, this them. Enjoy. keep writing and viva la revolutionPosted via email from Filmutopia's Sunday Morning Movie Blog
