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Day 1: Belonging Together – SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like.
3. Rethink or create a scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite that scene/character.
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18 Replies
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INSIGHT: What makes these characters great? We are immediately invested in finding out what will happen. What future actions will they both take after this phone call.
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Other than the obvious, we are tricked into believing they are going separate ways, or rather motivated into rooting for them harder as they, oh no, travel into two *different* directions. The script is literally textbook for mirrored, reflected, and key-lock complementary questions, answers, and traits, as far as I read in the first pages up to this scene.
The most noticeable dramatic foundation is the character’s profile. On the inside, ANNIE is her mother’s daughter, a romantic and wounded by patterning herself on the outside on the dull rational side of her family.
She is freer, believer-regardless, and limned indirectly as wanting something more, not knowing what that is, right up until the point Sam’s mention of “magic” knocks her out of her Pavlovian orbit. She knows something is out there — now that a peer, non-parental figure mentioned it, she still doesn’t know it, and neither do we, till we presume it when he takes her “hand” 90 minutes later. All this, the *screenplay* set it up before anyone else was called in.
Her “rational” trait is contrasted with her mother and her first boss, and we unwittingly fall for feeling a smug “gotcha” when she falls for both that she just *give or take 18 months* disavowed. And now we know why those who know writing revere Nora, albeit Jeff and David may have something to do with it too.
[Drawing from the scene, the screenplay, some videos and from Memory. Facts I use here may not be in the final movie. Also, after reading the room for a week, happy to dial back from the sharing the formal breakthroughs and insight reconstruction. Also doesn’t advertise my utter ignorance up until taking this class.]
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Sandeep. I learn a lot every time I read your “ignorance”. You’ve made me realize I should find as much as I can about a movie in order to give better context to whatever scene we’re analyzing. Your use of the terms “magic” and “rational” also illuminate much of this scene for me, as I find this entire scene to be rather dreamlike, especially when I see them both snap back to the present when Marcia takes a break from Sam’s call. So, thanks for all that and more.
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Truly appreciate your comment, Larry. I figure we are here to share insights, but if they were only upsetting people, I was happy to hold them back. Although given how long my answer is on today’s assignment (Godfather) I wonder if you regret complimenting : D
That sequence is brilliant, I hope to distil my answer into simpler principles. Up until date I hadn’t one clue it opened with two 90+ second monologues. And I have watched it a few times. Or a hundred.
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Character Mastery: Week 2, Day 1—Sleepless in Seattle
Karyn Laitis
What causes you to believe they belong together? It’s Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks—of course they belong together in the film!!! (LOL) Their visual responses and reactions to Dr. Marcia are very similar. It is Christmas and each is alone. The night is when the loneliness demon appears—for different reasons with Sam-its grief and loss; with Annie, there is something missing in her relationship that is a cavern-unfulfilled. The connection is “Sleepless”—Annie listening for something meaningful, and Sam drawn into the call and being vulnerable and candid.
Notice any similar emotions, words and actions? They have similar responses to Dr. Marcia about “not wanting to invade Sam’s privacy”—they echo “sure you do!”. Sam is candid, dealing with the tough times of loss-not showing grief to Jonah. Annie senses that Sam needs someone as much as Jonah. She feels the depth of emotions of his words, needing to “shake it off” during the break. Sam makes light of the phone call with Jonah.
What drama is the scene built around? Getting through loneliness and grief during holidays.
What profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) showed up in the character’s words and actions? The journey explores if, when and how the two will ever meet and connect. They both have a sense of one another, and those feelings are visceral, not intellectual. Annie’s traits: Lonely, compassionate, a romantic, willing to settle, vulnerable. Sam’s traits: Lonely, willing to settle, Jonah is priority, vulnerable, open.
Breakthrough-what makes the characters great? See the common threads that connect the characters even though they are in different locations and emotional places. The journey can set the characters on a seeking adventure.
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Hi Karen. I’m getting your WordPress but my reply to you from my Gmail is claiming that your server is not accepting my replies? I don’t know enough about this stuff to fix it so I can send you my scene. If u know what 2 do let me know
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I’m not sure. I’m getting the WordPress replies but haven’t received anything on Gmail.
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Karyn. Perfect! Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks belong together, so their characters do. You made me realize that I was watching the actors not the characters.
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What makes this character great from a writing point of view?
This character has all it takes to be liked by the audience. He has innocence (even his son outsmarts him), vulnerability (he lets radio listeners opine about his relationship problems), and he has a wound (his wife’s leaving home). Despite regretting the loss of his wife, he is not negative towards her. Indeed, he even says, “She made everything beautiful.”Each of these characteristics is mutually reinforcing, so the writer has produced a character with total consistency in the various aspects of his personality, making him all the more realistic.
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Paul, I like your mention of Sam’s son. The kid has as more on the ball than anyone else in this scene. He’s present, and aware of the situation without being tearful or longing or sentimental. You might say his trait is maturity.
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It’s great that we have the cuts back and forth to see Annie’s reaction. This is an immediate and obvious connection. They also have some of the same dialogue – indicating they think alike. Annie really shows that she has compassion and an understanding of Sam. Sam, willing to go along with his son (on the phone, doing something he doesn’t want to do), shows that he cares for him. And, of course, providing feedback from “Dr. Marsha” is a hint that maybe Sam isn’t ok and does need help getting over his loss and finding someone new in his life. This all happens in 2 minutes. Wonderful.
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Insights/breakthroughs – Belonging together and living into their future doesn’t require proximity. The audience can see the connection happening, although they are both unaware of each other’s presence, and miles apart. IMO this is genius-level writing. All the relationships – Dr. Marcia/Tom, Tom/Son, Tom/Son/Dr. Marcia, Meg/Tom, Tom/Wife – intertwined. This really gets at a fundamental human need. People need people. At this point in the movie, it’s only planting the seeds of the drama to unfold, but the direction is clear. It’s obvious that they were meant to be together. I can’t discern yet what Meg Ryan’s character needs, but in a short scene, many of the Tom Hanks character’s needs are clear. Brilliant.
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Daily Focus – Searching for Breakthroughs
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective. Sam is perfect for this movie because it’s a Rom/Com, and he is funny and kind and loving. He has a deep wound, from the death of his wife, and only love will heal his wound. Annie is also a great character because she’s perfect for a Rom/Com: funny, sweet and kind. She also has a wound, the recent breakup of her relationship and her hesitancy to trust again.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like. One student mentioned that despite their distance, living on separate coasts, this may not keep them apart. What could draw them together is their similar personal traits and loneliness and the need to be loved. So their journey in this story will be fun to see…will they somehow end up together? If so, how?
3. Rethink or create a scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite that scene/character. Changing the backyard cookout scene, where Davie shows he’s lonely because his parents are in Europe and Tara, who’s self-absorbed, finally takes notice of him and cooks him a burger he really likes, because she too doesn’t like her Dad’s cooking. Tara is a scaredy cat and doesn’t want to go any further than up the road to Disneyland.
Tara and Davie’s needs complement each other. Davie is fearless and he takes risks that Tara is afraid to take, and he challenges her to explore the country club. He’s afraid of losing his parent’s love, so he doesn’t want to leave town, even to go up to Disneyland, because his parents could come home from Europe early.
Tara needs to save Davie from the Termo-Lytes, and she needs to be less self-absorbed and think of others. So they both need each other in this story. They will also become unlikely allies because they work together and with Davie’s grandmother, Meg, to defeat the Termo-Lytes.
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Leona. Your awareness of Rom/Com conventions is spot on. As are your own characters, the ones I’ve read that is.
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What’s not to love about love and romance, especially when a cutie-pie like Jonah is operating like a marriage broker. I fell in love right away. What makes Sam a great character is that he’s sensitive, funny, patient, kind, loving – wife and son,- and believes that falling in love is “magic,” which captures Annie’s imagination and belief in magic herself. She’s sweet, needy, emotional, empathetic, saucy and intrigued. It’s cosmic, as someone mentioned elsewhere, love across a continent. Without phones and Jonah, though, they might never have met. The potential for sweet love that’s improbable draws the audience into the movie and creates intrigue…we want to know how true love is going to happen…or not happen (wince).
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Patricia, I think you nailed their stereotypes perfectly. I’m not a fan of Rom/Com but Tom Hanks is up there with the best, able to play any role he chooses. Most of the time, I’m aware of his acting, because, in away, he’s always Tom Hanks. I’ll choose movies often by the actors in them. His earlier movies have escaped me though.
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Week 2 Day 1 BELONGING TOGETHER
Sleepless in Seattle
FIRST WATCH
They have parallel responses to the radio – he calling in, she listening in.
They both say “Sure you do” (and she smiles) when radio says “I don’t want to invade your privacy.”
When radio says that something sounds missing in Sam’s voice and that he’s living under a cloud, Annie is looking off into space, melancholy.
Annie has a pained look (for Sam’s situation, for all loneliness which shows in her own pained look) when he mentions his wife used to do everything, and it’s tough this time of year (Christmas).
When radio asks if maybe Sam needs someone as much as his son (Jonah) does, Annie says yes, and closes her eyes (answering for herself) when radio says don’t answer that.
When radio cuts to comments, Annie snaps out of her pensiveness, Sam shows his own return to awareness when turns to his son.
Both show a need for someone meaningful in their lives, both sensitive and longing.
SECOND WATCH
Drama Christmas, Sam’s a single dad of a bright young son with whom he seems rather close by talking with the kid as an equal.
Annie’s listening in on his private loneliness, with her own longing.
And both are tuned in to the same show.
Predictable that these two will get together because they belong together.
Profiles
Sam kind, gentle, caring, sentimental, dreamer, but domestically not much imagination (he left that up to his wife), lost his wife, single dad, future (looking for someone)
Annie sensitive, seeking someone, caring, dreamer
My breakthrough from others’ insights These two well-known actors are the real characters. They bring to the screen their own personas. Both characters are visceral rather than rather than rational. There’s a lot going on before this scene that leads to their commonality. Not having seen the movie or read the script, I realize that I should try harder to get my hands on the scripts used in this class. I generally look for a script after I see a movie that has some kind of impact on me.
What I learned rewriting my scene/characters my own writing I’m still in the brainstorming/outlining phase of my new script. I’ll experiment with subtext traits that belong together, which the pairs of characters don’t realize, but others around them do.
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Of course, they belong together, in spite of logistics. She agrees with him, speaking casually to herself, while driving and listening. He displays his kindness and patience with his son’s phone call to a stranger, and publicly at that. Hiding any embarrassment, he is understanding his son’s perspective and reevaluating his own. To her, he’s sweet, understanding and needy. She wants to fill that need.
I learned that my “belong together” scene is based on a gut feeling, a love at first sight, or love at first “hello” kind of thing – very romantic, and not the bang-bang thank-you of some scripts today. I will deepen my scene with reflective words and actions that show the characters REAL personality like this scene captures so beautifully.
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