ELIZABETHTOWN - Greatly Terrible And Terribly Great

"Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous" were Cameron Crowe's masterpieces. They're perfect movies. Perfect; at least, if you like the Crowe touch; if that's your thing. Don't worry, I'm not forgetting "Say Anything" or "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" (which he wrote, but didn't direct..) but either way; these are his films; and the one thing you could say about Crowe, is that he was Crowe; which is basically Billy Wilder in color, with a little less wit but a little more romance.

And then there's "Elizabethtown," which is generally perceived as something that went wrong, which it did; or something that was terrible, which it wasn't. At least, not all of it. You see, with Elizabethtown; something strange happened - in that, we saw the very best and the very worst of Cameron Crowe. There are moments of true magic, and there are moments where it's almost cringe-worthy watching. The blame has mostly gone one of two ways. One way being "Orlando Bloom sucked," which he did, although; it wasn't really his fault, which we'll talk about soon --or-- that the script was too cheesy, which is wasn't - although I think maybe Crowe thought it was, and had a crisis of faith midway through shooting; which may explain how scattered the movie is.

So what is going on with this film? Strangely, at the beginning, the film is awful. It begins with an Orlando Bloom voice-over, which is one of the most unconvincing voice-over's in the history of cinema. Who knew Bloom could act so badly without a camera on? The way the scenes are directed and cut are also majorly problematic. The seamless feel of 'Maguire' and 'Famous' are gone, and we're left with clunky, awkward edits; which don't even flow continuity-wise. We feel like we're watching fifty different takes, cut together. That's true, probably; most films have multiple takes. But here it really shows.

Cameron Crowe made a film that he wanted to dedicate to his Father, and it was set in Elizabethtown. Weirdly, the film gets much better when we finally get to Elizabethtown. But up until that point, when it's set in Oregon, it's one big struggle. It's almost like, on some spiritual level; the film was at home in Elizabethtown but was alien everywhere else. It just doesn't feel like a real movie until twenty five minutes in. Naturally, this isn't very acceptable, and is a likely reason why most viewers lost faith.

Orlando Bloom is the wrong actor for the movie. I think this is a perfect example of bad casting. I feel sorry for Bloom (actually, not too sorry, he earns pretty well,) but this just isn't his kind of role. The screenplay was calling out for a Tom Hanks, or a Jack Lemmon, someone we believe in. Orlando Bloom, for all he tried, just didn't come across as a human being capable of any feeling. At least not as an actor. It's like that joke from "Friends" when Joey does terribly at an audition because he 'wasn't believable as a human-being.' Well, in Liztown; the character that's needed is like William Miller from "Almost Famous," he needs to be uncool, the blessed uncool. But with Bloom, you just can't buy it. He wouldn't get talking to a girl all through the night and then meeting her at sunrise, he wouldn't get the pure magic of a mix CD. The reason I feel sorry for him is that he really does try, he gives everything. And it probably is good acting, but it's not the right acting. It's not what a Cameron Crowe film needs.

But this is a film that's essentially about moments. It's about meeting someone as the sun rises when really you should be getting ready for work, it's about playing "Freebird" despite the fact you're about to get electrocuted, it's about running through a cemetery and feeling the joy of life, it's about taking solitary road trips, it's about breaking up with a girl when you're not even together and it's about learning to tap dance. THAT, is what Cameron Crowe is great at. He is the KWAN at that. And Crowe gets it right, a LOT in this picture, and he's never really gotten the credit for it. The all-night phone call scene is magic; and his use of Tom Petty's music, is magic; and the whole end sequence of the film is magic.

But overall, the film isn't magic. So what happened? A large part of it is that a film was made. And you can't force a film to be amazing. You just can't. "Elizabethtown" was a beautiful, moving, and funny screenplay. When I first read it some time in 2004 I absolutely fell in love, and was certain this would be the greatest movie of all time. It's what every Cameron Crowe fan hoped for. But how can a director live up to that pressure? The problem is: I think Cameron Crowe believed the hype. His genius at choosing perfect music for his movies had always been amazing to me. But I remember seeing him interviewed around the release of this movie; and he seemed almost smug, even lightly arrogant about how great he is with music, rather than humbled by it. And he seemed sure about himself, and the project, in a way that seemed different to how he was going back five years to when he made 'Almost Famous.' It shows when you watch the film. Some of the music fits almost *too well*, and it doesn't have the emotional impact that the director would have hoped.

When I read the screenplay, I was in love. When I first saw the film in the cinema, at the London Film Festival all those years back: I was angry. Angry for the first half of the film. I couldn't grasp Bloom's performance, or the fake sounding voice-over, or the awkward performances from Baldwin, Greer and Sarandon. But then after about thirty minutes or so, everything seemed to sink into place more, and I started to enjoy myself. By the end of the two hours, I felt true, pure, JOY. There really was MAGIC in the movie. It was inspiring, exciting, romantic and uplifting. If 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Almost Famous' are both a solid 9 out of 10, then 'Elizabethtown' is a solid 4 out of 10 yet also a solid 12 out of 10. It's everything and nothing, it's great and terrible, terrible and great. It's Crowe the artist, trying to live up to his other films; against the weight of a big-budget and a studio-endorsed movie star fresh out of that 'Pirates' thing.

Now, when I watch it; I find myself being forgiving. Underneath the many flaws, is Cameron Crowe's big-beating-heart. When he's on form, he is the epitome of a 'Kid In The Front Row,' when he's off form - he's still better than pretty much everyone else. When Cameron Crowe interviewed Billy Wilder, shortly before his death; Wilder said "Jack Lemmon was my everyman." That's one thing that Cameron Crowe hasn't found. Woody has his Keaton, Ephron has her Hanks, Capra had his Stewart - what Crowe needs is his everyman. And that's when he will truly become the legend that he very nearly is.

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Wanna Go Down To Rick's Tonight?

Fancy going down to Rick's tonight?

We'll find a table, get a drink, and listen to the guy on the piano. This is unlike any place you've been to before. There's a man called Sam who'll play exactly what you want to hear. He'll make you dance, make you sing, make you cry. No-one plays them like he does.

I should warn you; there's going to be some gambling out back, and there's going to be some Nazi's milling about -- but somehow, it always feels welcome. When you've visited Rick's once, nowhere else really compares.

The great thing about this place is that you might be sitting there, thinking it's just some unimportant gin joint-- but before you know it, the most beautiful woman in the world walks in and your whole life changes in an instant.

You always thought, if you saw her again-- you'd be prepared. But when the love of your life walks in unexpectedly, and she always will if you're at Rick's, then be prepared to find things out about yourself.

The reason I love this place; is because everyone cares. Everyone knows who you are and even Sam knows your favorite song. He might be reluctant, but if you need it. He'll play it.

Ever loved a song so much that it caused you pain? Ever wanted to hear a song again even though, deep down, you knew that you'd never recover properly after hearing it? Maybe if you stick around at Rick's for long enough, he'll let you stay after closing-- and maybe Sam will do what he really shouldn't do - and play it, in that way that only Sam can.

I know you're not sure whether you should go there or not. Someone might be there who could break your heart all over again. Or maybe she'll love you too.

Take a chance. Let's go out tonight. Let's go to Rick's. Who's coming with me?

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Screenplay Format Basics In Five Minutes - The Absolute Basics To Get You Writing!

You have two options with your scene. Inside, or outside. INT. is for interior, EXT. is for exterior.

Next up, we need to know where the scene is taking place. Is it in a cafe? In a football field? In a spaceship? It's best to keep this simple. Go with CAFE, or BEDROOM. Of course, there might be various bedrooms in the film -- so you need to separate one bedroom from the other, so you might say BOB'S BEDROOM or SMALL BEDROOM or CHILDREN'S ROOM.

Is it day, or night? You decide and choose either DAY or NIGHT. Some of my favorite screenplays from the past say things like 'LATER' or 'THAT EVENING' or 'TWENTY MINUTES LATER.' If you feel these are essential, then use them; but, generally screenwriting wisdom is that you just go with day, or night.

So far; your script looks like this:

INT. SMALL BEDROOM - DAY

Or:

EXT. BUCKINGHAM PALACE - NIGHT

Or:

INT. JUNO'S BEDROOM - MACGUFF HOUSE - DAY

All of the above must be in CAPITALS!
Now you need to set the scene for us. Where is it? Who is there? What information do we need to know?

Try to keep in concise. Some writers write a big long paragraph. The best ones don't. Say for example you need to tell us that Barry walks into the room and turns on a light switch. Some writers might write:

Barry walks into the room. He takes a look around, ponders over what to do-- before stepping further inside. He walks over to the light switch and hits it with his fingers.

But do you need to write all of that? You could just write.

Barry enters. He hesitates - then hits the switch.

If this is the first time we see Barry on screen, you need to capitalize him. BARRY enters. In fact; it's good to have a bit of information about him. You can write a sentence explaining him -- or you can be short and succinct. BARRY, 19, a computer-whizz. Obese. -OR- BARRY, 52, grumpy-and-balding.

Do whatever you need to do to make him interesting. It should be information that is relevant and important. There's no point saying that Barry is a chess fanatic if he spends every scene from that moment onwards surfing.

So far your script looks like this.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

BARRY, 79; a frail ex-cop with an attitude, steps awkwardly towards the light switch.

Now we need some dialogue. The person speaking always has their name in the center. Like this:
BARRY
If Barry speaks in voice over, it's like this:

BARRY (V.O)

If we hear dialogue, but the character is out of shot, we see this:

BARRY (O.S)

V.O meaning voice over, O.S meaning out of shot.

What you'll see in a lot of scripts is information under the dialogue, like:

BARRY

(screaming)

I am screaming really loud!

Or

BARRY
(confused)
I look like a woman.

BUT; I recommend you DON'T do this. I used to do it all the time. And if Aaron Sorkin wants to do it, no-one will stop him. And in fact, if you're absolutely desperate to do it, the world won't end. But it's best not to. If your dialogue is good, the reader/actor/dude on the internet will grasp your intent without them; and it allows for the actor and director to do their job, without you forcing something on them.

Dialogue between two people is very simple. It's as easy as this.

BARRY
I'm speaking dialogue.

GEOFF
No shit.

BARRY
Do you read that great
film blog?

GEOFF
Every day.

If something happens in the middle of the scene. Just write it in - from the left hand side. Like this.

BARRY
I'm speaking dialogue.

GEOFF
No shit.

Barry picks up a pen.

BARRY
Do you read that great
film blog?

GEOFF
Every day.
OR

BARRY
I'm speaking dialogue.

Barry's face suddenly ERUPTS into flame. Geoff ignores it.

GEOFF
No shit.

BARRY
Do you read that great
film blog?

GEOFF
Every day.

So now you can write a standard scene.

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE/WHERE/DAY OR NIGHT?
What's going on? What do we need to know?

WHO'S TALKING?
What are they saying?

The picture below shoes part of a scene from the 'Sunshine Cleaning' screenplay. I'm showing you this because it is a bit more accurate than my blog, formatting wise. As you can see, the dialogue isn't quite centered, it's actually to the left of the character name. For some reason, the blog editor isn't allow me to demonstrate that properly; so here is what it should look like.

Don't talk about camera angles. Writing CLOSE-UP or CAMERA TILTS LEFT is not your job! Your job is to tell a story.

The basic things I have told you are enough to get you started. I didn't want to say anything about content-- this is for people who've been daunted about simple formatting. And I hope this demystifies the basics!

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Screenplay Competition 2010...

Last year, on a bit of a whim, I started the Kid In The Front Row Screenwriting Festival. The winner was a wonderful script by Patrick O'Riley, which I will be sharing shortly.

Anyhow, the time is nearly upon us again, for a new competition. Once again, it will have a 5 page limit, and I will give you a few stimuli for the screenplay. And then we will have a short, sharp deadline -- so you'll need to be on your toes.

I wanted to get some awareness out there now; so that as soon as I launch the competition, you writers are ready to get WRITING. The competition allows for no procrastination, no waiting around for inspiration. Instead, it's a mini-version of a deadline you'd get from a studio, or a producer; we need this, NOW, and it needs to include THIS, THIS, and THIS. Just entering and completing something is proof enough that you are a writer. Entering, completing it, and writing something good - proves that you really know what you're doing.

Stick around, it's coming sooner than you think!

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Something Good Coming

It's weird how a song will just capture you sometimes. We like songs every day; but every now and then, maybe once every four months-- a song will really, really take you. And I'm not talking about a new song by The Script that is quite cool and everyone likes. I mean, an album version of a song by your favorite singer, or a YouTube cover version with only nine hits that you really really love. It just hits you.

I only found this song today. It's a recent track by Tom Petty, called 'Something Good Coming.' I've literally done nothing all day except listen to it. I think that when you find a song that moves you, really moves you, you need to keep listening to it, you need to figure it out; figure out what it means to you.

I know so well the look on your face

And there’s something lucky about this place

There’s something good coming just over the hill

There’s something good coming I know it will

Is this song important to me, and my life? Is there a feeling that it gives me that I've not been allowing myself? Does it just sound cool? I don't have all the answers-- but I know the way this song makes me feel is something new. It's something slightly different to what has come before. That's the power of music. That's the power of art. It's right there.

Tom Petty fans moan that this video only has 90,000 views when Miley Cyrus has 12 million. But that isn't the point. That isn't why Tom Petty makes music. It isn't a numbers game. This is, clearly, a very personal song for Tom Petty. There's a video on YouTube of him playing it with the band (which won't allow embedding, so I can't bring it here) - but you see how utterly engrossed Petty and the band are, and his little smile at the end when he knows they'll nailed the song. That's the power of music. That's the power of art. It's right there.

In the hands of a lesser singer, or perhaps even Petty earlier in his career - the song would have been something different. It might have been more obvious; more anthemic, more ballad-like. But that's what gets me about this song; it has so much restraint. It has a voice of experience, a voice of maturity, a voice of pain and a voice of love. And it's all rolled into one.

And I know that look that’s on your face
There’s something lucky about this place
There’s something good coming
For you and me
Something good coming
There has to be
I don't know whether you guys like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and I don't know whether you'll like this song. I guess it doesn't matter -- what matters is that we all keep an eye out for these types of songs. Songs that speak to us, as individuals, that speak our lives, that give us strength in our lives; and give us the companionship and understanding that sometimes others can't.

And I’m in for the long run

Wherever it goes

Riding the river

Wherever it goes

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