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Day 5 Assignment – GOOD WILL HUNTING
Provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
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22 Replies
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These are great characters because they have created lives for themselves without drugs, alcohol, or self pity even though they have deep wounds. The audience can root for both of them.
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The insights and breakthroughs on this particular assignment are truly game changing for my script. This scene demonstrates how you can write dialogue that turns on a dime from an innocent and hopeful question to a self destructive explosion at the end.
What I learned from the 1st viewing?
The underlying subtext for both Skylar and Will is the wounds they carry that drive fear and gets in the way of intimacy and true love. The explosion in the dialogue demonstrates the deep wounds that Will feels and the unknown trigger that Skylar created when she was asking WIll to join her in California
What I learned from the 2nd viewing?
The drama that is the foundation for the scene is the challenges of designing a future together when the communication from one party has been less than authentic and honest.
The traits I see:
Skylar:
Hopeful, in love, clarity and determined
Will:
Scared, aggressive, defensive and ashamed.
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How do we contact anyone to exchange scenes? Judith Watson
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Judith:
Bob Kerr here. My private email is : kerr9606@comcast.net
I assume we just exchange emails and our rewrite. I couldn’t find any other access pt.
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WATCH 1ST TIME FOR:
What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?
– Skylar is going to California and wants Will to come with her, but he’s afraid she’ll ditch him over there (out of his element)
How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions?
– For Will, it has made him distrust any loving relationship, stifled his emotions, and because it also involves severe physical wounds, has made him bellicose.
– For Skylar, it has made her search for a more authentic love than the superficial ones in elite society.
How is each character threatening the other’s wound?
– Skylar wants a deeper, loving relationship, but Will’s afraid to love and be loved due to being an orphan and mistreated in foster care.
– Will would like to continue the non-commitment relationships with Skylar in his familiar territory, where he feels safest.
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WATCH 2ND TIME FOR:
What drama was this scene built around?
– They are making love, but are about to split, with her going to California and him staying behind. Or he could go with her.
What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
– Skylar is heart-broken at the loss of her father. She is a loving person and needs a deeper relationship. She loves Will and wants him to love her and be with her.
– Will is almost totally closed off, afraid of all relationships because of the hurt it may bring. He is violent and it seems she is triggering him to be violent against her, but he hits the wall instead (which I guess is his way of saying I love you).
– When Will says he doesn’t love Skylar, we know that it not true — it is only a way to keep him sealed off from emotions and the world.
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They are great characters because of their deep wounds, esp Will’s, and that makes them somewhat right for each other, but also in conflict.
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Lynn:
Bob Kerr here. I guess we exchange emails and connect that way for our exchange.
My email is: kerr9606@comcast.net
Hope this works.
Bob Kerr
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Thanks. I’m sending you my scene. Looking forward to yours. My email is lynnvinc@hotmail.com
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First Watch:
What causes both characters to reveal their wounds? Skylar wants Will to come with her back to California, but Will is hesitant.
How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions? She wants love and is asking for it. Is he scared? He acts like the love isn’t real or is scared to make such a serious decision.
How is each character threatening the other’s wound? If he does not come, that means he does not love her, which is one of her fears. He doesn’t trust her desire to be with him for the long haul.
Second Watch:
What drama was this scene built around? The underlying drama is the birth of a new relationship. How fast should it develop?
What traits showed up in these characters’ words and actions?
Skylar – Eager, bold, excited, loves love
Will – Fearful of new things, secure in his surroundings, distrustful
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These are great characters from a writing perspective because – for Will, his wounds, his past of neglect and his hangup of being ‘on the other side of town’ is preventing him from being emotionally honest with Skyler, which is exactly what Skyler needs – emotional honesty. Will’s fear of abandonment is dominating any potential love connection, as he constantly puts obstacles in his way, obstacles that do not exist, only in his mind…what if you decide you don’t want to be with me – you don’t want to hear about my horrible upbringing (when in fact she does) and Skyler, by trying to get closer to him, by trying to get him to open up, innocently saying ‘i do want to hear, i want to ‘help you’ triggers Will’s feelings of being broken, inadequate, ‘do i have a ‘save-me’ badge on my back’. He can’t allow himself to believe someone really cares for him, because no one ever did and that hurt, then. He’s blocking future hurt.
Will is unable to be open for fear of being hurt and abandoned. He is a contradiction – when Skyler first asks him to tell her he doesn’t love her, he replies ‘i didn’t say that’ but then, when she gives him the trigger (unknowingly), a way out of potential pain by offering him to say he doesn’t love her and she’ll leave him alone, he then tells her he doesn’t love her.
They are both wounded and both bring about the potential pain early on rather than having to live in fear of feeling it later (Skyler admits she is afraid but is going to take the chance, Will is not ready to face future pain so he’l suffer this pain now of leaving )
they are great characters from a writing perspective because we the audience, know they feel the opposite of what they are saying, but because of their wounds, they cannot (Will more so) be emotionally honest and take that chance at love. We can all relate to this and we root for them, for love, that they will make it over their obstacles – it’s a great dramatic scene because it leaves us wondering and hoping that Will realises he is living in fear not love, which is the only place to live.
I particularly liked Robert’s insights 🙂
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Ann-Marie:
Good afternoon. For the feedback exchange part of the first week’s assignments, I would welcome the opportunity to exchange a rewritten scene based on what we learned from this week’s lesson. Let me know if you are interested in exchanging scenes and feedback.
Thanks,
Robert Kerr
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Hi Robert,
Yes, that sounds good! How do we proceed?
Thanks,
Ann Marie
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Ann-Marie:
Bob Kerr here. I guess we exchange email addresses and that is how we connect. I couldn’t find any other access point.
My email is: kerr9606@comcast.net
Thanks,
Bob Kerr
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Insights about this scene…
– the fight is a game changer in their relationship. Things are spoken that have never emerged before
– the scene transforms from tranquil to nasty in a very short amount of time
– since neither of them wins this fight it creates the expectation of an aftermath in which there will be an attempt to resolve the impasse
– it reveals both of their backgrounds in a more dramatic way than a calm conversation would
– high drama + information/exposition make for a dynamic and memorable reveal
Breakthrough for me
I have a scene in a script very much like this one but with the roles reversed: the male lead gives the female lead exactly the same ultimatum: tell me you don’t love me and I’ll go. And she does send him away, because she’s afraid of opening up her life to him.
He feels compelled to save her from herself. He tries to save another female character later on as well although for very different reasons. The breakthrough is that I have been treating this propensity to rescue women as simply a trait of his but now I think I should invest him with – and reveal – a wound that has led to this trait.
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Cheryl/Hal:
Not sure where to designate whom I am exchanging scenes with for the final aspect of week one. I’m exchanging with Lynn, Ann-Marie and Judith. Thanks, Bob Kerr
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Hi Everyone,
My email is joanbutler357@gmail.com
This is my scene. If anyone has comments or wants me to look at their scene please email me.
BY JOAN BUTLER
Set-up: 14-year-old Robin identifies herself as nonbinary but her mother doesn’t know.
Robin is living into a future where she is recognized and accepted as nonbinary by everyone.
INT. HOPE’S APARTMENT – KITCHEN – DAY
Hope ladles porridge into bowls at the kitchen table. Robin enters. She wears thermal jeans, a pink turtleneck sweater with lace at the cuffs, and subtle make-up.
HOPE
You look very nice.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – DAY
Robin checks that the coast is clear then whips into the boy’s bathroom with her knapsack.
INT. SCHOOL – BOY’S BATHROOM – DAY
Robin enters a stall. She removes her pink turtleneck and her bra. She binds her breasts then adds a large black T-shirt and an extra-large hoodie.
She washes off her make-up at a sink. Two BOYS enter and use the urinal. She puts up her hood and makes a bee line for the door.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Joan Butler.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
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Hi Robert,
My email is shinemedia88@gmail.com – it was 2am last night when you were only starting so I have a bit of a time lapse…if you want to email your scene and I can email mine to you?
Thanks, Ann Marie
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Week 1 Day 5: Character Wound – GOOD WILL HUNTING
1st viewing:
• What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?
Skylar asking Will to come with her to California and then asking him what he is afraid of.
• How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions?
Skylar loves Will and wants their relationship to continue and to grow. She doesn’t want her heart broken again.
Will questions her motives. He verbally attacks her saying she just wants a fling with a guy from the wrong side of town. That she’ll drop him to marry some rich, spoiled prick.
• How is each character threatening the other’s wound?
Will is afraid that Skyler may learn something negative about him, lose interest in him and leave him stuck alone in California.
He is afraid to step out of his protective safety zone and is afraid of abandonment.
Skyler is afraid that Will doesn’t love her.
2nd viewing:
• What drama was this scene built around?
It is built around Skylar asking Will to go to California, his questioning her why and her asking what he is afraid of. And it is built around their wounds.
• What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
Will: anger, insecurity, judgemental, defensive, frightened
Skylar: sincere, caring, loving, perhaps needy
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These characters are great because they deal with their wounds in different ways. Skylar wants to give it a try even if she’s scared but Will prefers to run away even if they actually both want to the same thing: TO BE LOVED.
– What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?
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Skylar wants Will to go with her to California but he refuses to. While they question each other and push each other, they’ll share/show their wounds.
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– How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions?
Scene starts with Skylar caressing Will’s back, asking the question with a lot of tenderness => LOVE.
Will doesn’t react with enthusiasm at all, he questions her decision but she’s sure of it the way she says “Oh yeah” => HE PULLS AWAY FROM HER. He says it is serious thing as she might discover something she doesn’t like about him and then he would be stuck in California with someone who doesn’t want him anymore => HE’S SCARED SHE WOULD WANT TO TAKE IT BACK.
Skylar is HURT and says he could just say if he doesn’t love her then when she asks what he’s SCARED OF because he doesn’t want to live out of his comfort zone and leave his world => HE’S UPSET and STANDS UP and says she’s from another world, that she’s going to marry a rich guy from Stanford and have a future totally different from what he can offer her => FEAR OF REJECTION.
Skylar is HURT because he’s obsessed by money and she shares with him she’d give back all her money if only she could have another day with her father => LOSS OF LOVE as her Dad is not there anymore. She’s so hurt that she accuses him of putting his shit on her whereas he’s the one who’s scared. She pushes him by saying that HE’S AFRAID SHE WOULDN’T LOVE HIM BACK but SHE’S AFRAID TOO. When she says that at least she’s been honest with him because he lied about his 12 brothers, he wants to leave => HE RUNS AWAY. But she stops him => SHE LOVES HIM, SHE DOESN’T WANT TO LOSE HIM.
He LOOSES HIS TEMPER shouting the truth about his past, being an orphan => FEAR OF BEING ABANDONED AGAIN. She STARTS TO CRY because she knows she hurt him and she tries to calm him down. When she says that she wants to help him => TO KEEP HIS LOVE, Will gets more angry because he feels like he’s “desperate” to her, like having a “Save me” sign on his back. Tension rises, she tries to calm him down by touching him but he gets even more angry, pushes her against the door and hits the wall => SHE FEELS SHE WENT TOO FAR AND MIGHT LOSE HIM. She tries to get closer and says she loves him, she pushes him by saying she wants to hear that he doesn’t love her, to create an electroshock => SHE’S CONFRONTING HIM, BELIEVING HE WON’T SAY HE DOESN’T LOVE HER.
After a moment, he ends up coldly saying he doesn’t love her and leaves => BY REJECTING HER, HE’S PROTECTING HIMSELF. HE PREFERS TO LEAVE HER THAN TAKING THE RISK OF BEING ABANDONED AGAIN. He might also think he’s protecting her by leaving her.
She breaks down in pain => LOSS OF LOVE.
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– How is each character threatening the other’s wound?
Skylar asks Will what he’s scared of, as he finds excuses not to go with her to California, she tells him he hasn’t been honest with her as he lied about having 12 brothers => HE’S BEEN ABANDONED = ORPHAN.
Will first question her decision and says he can’t go to California with her because he has a job here and because he lives here. She thinks he doesn’t love her but she’d rather hear it than having him pretend to.
By expressing that he’s worried she would not love him anymore, Will is actually mirroring her fear as well, she even says it “I’m scared too”. When she says “I love you” he doesn’t answer back. She adds that if he says it, she wouldn’t call him anymore and wouldn’t be in his life. He ends up saying that he doesn’t love her and leaves => LOSS OF LOVE.
– What drama was this scene built around? </div>
Skylar wants Will to go with her to California but he refuses to. She loves him but he’s afraid she won’t love him anymore so he prefers to leave her rather than being abandoned again.
– What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
Skylar: truly loves him, caring, honest, courageous, strong, knows what she wants, scared but deals with it
Will: self-doubt, thinks he’s not enough, had a very hard childhood (orphan, cigarette on his skin…) and youth (got stabbed), he’s hiding himself behind a cold emotionless face, has a lot of anger, he’s scared and runs away.
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These characters are great because they deal with their wounds in different ways. Skylar wants to give it a try even if she’s scared but Will prefers to run away even if they actually both want to the same thing: TO BE LOVED.
– What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?
Skylar wants Will to go with her to California but he refuses to. While they question each other and push each other, they’ll share/show their wounds.
– How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions?
Scene starts with Skylar caressing Will’s back, asking the question with a lot of tenderness => LOVE.
Will doesn’t react with enthusiasm at all, he questions her decision but she’s sure of it the way she says “Oh yeah” => HE PULLS AWAY FROM HER. He says it is serious thing as she might discover something she doesn’t like about him and then he would be stuck in California with someone who doesn’t want him anymore => HE’S SCARED SHE WOULD WANT TO TAKE IT BACK.
Skylar is HURT and says he could just say if he doesn’t love her then when she asks what he’s SCARED OF because he doesn’t want to live out of his comfort zone and leave his world => HE’S UPSET and STANDS UP and says she’s from another world, that she’s going to marry a rich guy from Stanford and have a future totally different from what he can offer her => FEAR OF REJECTION.
Skylar is HURT because he’s obsessed by money and she shares with him she’d give back all her money if only she could have another day with her father => LOSS OF LOVE as her Dad is not there anymore. She’s so hurt that she accuses him of putting his shit on her whereas he’s the one who’s scared. She pushes him by saying that HE’S AFRAID SHE WOULDN’T LOVE HIM BACK but SHE’S AFRAID TOO. When she says that at least she’s been honest with him because he lied about his 12 brothers, he wants to leave => HE RUNS AWAY. But she stops him => SHE LOVES HIM, SHE DOESN’T WANT TO LOSE HIM.
He LOOSES HIS TEMPER shouting the truth about his past, being an orphan => FEAR OF BEING ABANDONED AGAIN. She STARTS TO CRY because she knows she hurt him and she tries to calm him down. When she says that she wants to help him => TO KEEP HIS LOVE, Will gets more angry because he feels like he’s “desperate” to her, like having a “Save me” sign on his back. Tension rises, she tries to calm him down by touching him but he gets even more angry, pushes her against the door and hits the wall => SHE FEELS SHE WENT TOO FAR AND MIGHT LOSE HIM. She tries to get closer and says she loves him, she pushes him by saying she wants to hear that he doesn’t love her, to create an electroshock => SHE’S CONFRONTING HIM, BELIEVING HE WON’T SAY HE DOESN’T LOVE HER.
After a moment, he ends up coldly saying he doesn’t love her and leaves => BY REJECTING HER, HE’S PROTECTING HIMSELF. HE PREFERS TO LEAVE HER THAN TAKING THE RISK OF BEING ABANDONED AGAIN. He might also think he’s protecting her by leaving her.
She breaks down in pain => LOSS OF LOVE.
– How is each character threatening the other’s wound?
Skylar asks Will what he’s scared of, as he finds excuses not to go with her to California, she tells him he hasn’t been honest with her as he lied about having 12 brothers => HE’S BEEN ABANDONED = ORPHAN.
Will first question her decision and says he can’t go to California with her because he has a job here and because he lives here. She thinks he doesn’t love her but she’d rather hear it than having him pretend to.
By expressing that he’s worried she would not love him anymore, Will is actually mirroring her fear as well, she even says it “I’m scared too”. When she says “I love you” he doesn’t answer back. She adds that if he says it, she wouldn’t call him anymore and wouldn’t be in his life. He ends up saying that he doesn’t love her and leaves => LOSS OF LOVE.
– What drama was this scene built around?
Skylar wants Will to go with her to California but he refuses to. She loves him but he’s afraid she won’t love him anymore so he prefers to leave her rather than being abandoned again.
– What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
Skylar: truly loves him, caring, honest, courageous, strong, knows what she wants, scared but deals with it
Will: self-doubt, thinks he’s not enough, had a very hard childhood (orphan, cigarette on his skin…) and youth (got stabbed), he’s hiding himself behind a cold emotionless face, has a lot of anger, he’s scared and runs away.
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What I learned: it’s helpful to bullet point the steps in emotional scenes to make sure each action/reaction builds…
What causes both characters to reveal their wounds? Prior experiences have taught Will that interpersonal connectedness brings physical/psychological trauma and abandonment, so he’s coped by avoiding new relationships. Skylar has coped with her wound of parental death by continuing to work/learn and risk love. Skylar’s excitement about her idea of Will joining her in California forces her to, incrementally, increase the pressure on Will so he’ll make a decision—and then explain why he’s reluctant to come. The emotional pressure on Will raises with each step:
· Come to California! Will asks, “But how do you know (it’s safe)”
· Skylar communicates she doesn’t really know, but does, in a way, because she ‘feels it.’ —which forces Will to re-feel—and anticipate a re-experiencing of the sadistic childhood experiences he associates with the vulnerability of connection, which he tries to explain by saying she might want a “take back” (change her mind), which…
· Skylar doesn’t emotionally relate to, so she restates her request: I want you to come to California, forcing Will to say he can’t go to California and Skylar to ask, “why not” which Will tries to explain with ‘surface’ arguments: his job. His home, prompting Skylar to say…
· “If you don’t love me, just say” which Will reacts to with “I’m not saying I don’t love you” so Skylar demands, then why, what are you so scared of, and Will’s dismissing ‘toss-off’ line, “what am I so scared of?” Evokes frustration in Skylar such that she says what she sees (his feelings and defenses): you’re scared. You avoid by living in this safe little world, which causes Will to become defensive and reveal his Worldview expectations of her:
· “You just want to have your fling with the guy from the other side of town” before you marry some other trust fund baby your parents will approve of” which causes Skylar to tell him his view of her is wrong, by disclosing her past & on-going emotional state…
· Skylar reveals her money’s from her father death, and that she’d trade it for another day with him if she could, but since she can’t (acceptance) she just deals with her reality (insinuating: like he should), after which she demands…
· “Don’t put your shit (fear) on me” we’re both scared. And calls out something else she sees: his dishonesty. “What about your twelve brothers” from which, Will tries to escape by…
· Trying to physically leave, which Skylar physically prevents, which…
· Forces Will to fully feel and express his emotions, and disclose his severe childhood abuse and abandonment, and say, “You don’t want to hear this” which…
· Prompts Skylar to say that she does want to hear/help which…
· Makes Will feel humiliated, and demand, “Do I look like I need to be saved” and..
· Skylar to say (and feel deeply), again, “I just love you. If you say you don’t love me, then I won’t call you, I won’t be in your life.” And Will to say…
· I don’t love you—and leave, Skylar devastated.
How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions, and reactions?
Skylar’s wound has motivated her to live fully and truthfully, which causes her to persistently push (continuously ‘upping the ante’) Will into “full truth and living.”
Will’s wounds have caused him to limit his world, and his sharing of that world (and himself), which causes him to try to shut down Skylar’s requests and attempts to more deeply understand him with increasingly desperate and dramatic measures. His final three being: verbal and physical violence (yelling, pounding the wall), emotional (and dishonest) violence—“I don’t love you” and physically leaving.
How is each character threatening the other’s wound? Skylar’s coping by “living” is threatened when the man she loves copes by “not living.” And vice verse.
The drama the scene was built around is forced self-disclosure of their deepest wounds.
What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
Will:
· Protective/loyal (tries his absolute best, given the growth he has yet to do, to ‘stay in the ring’—avoid breaking up with her)
· Tough – a fighter (as above. Also, his physical reactions)
· Sensitive (the intensity with which he responds to Skylar’s and his own pain)
· Brilliant/photographic mind (how many ‘chess moves’ Skylar must make before Will ‘breaks’ and discloses his trauma.
Great as a character because of how intensely Will’s tough/street smarts are defending him, psychologically, in ways that will need to be defeated for his arc.
Skylar:
· Supportive/respectful (her kind, gentle commitment and attempts to use her own disclosure of love and struggle as the primary means of reaching Will).
· Confident (she keeps doggedly on, in this psychologically defensive ‘chess game’ with uber-intelligent Will
· Smart (as above)
· Playful/fun (how she tickles his back and attempts to otherwise emotionally, playfully engage Will).
Great as a character because: her fun, love and wound all force Will’s journey.
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When I first saw this movie , I liked it tremendously. Upon dissection of this scene, I am not as impressed with it.
Above are some excellent analyses, but I have a different viewpoint. Skylar needs to approach this more slowly and give Will a chance to warm up to her proposal.
By boxing Will into a corner, she forces a bad ending. She’s not a trained counselor and her actions create a messy situation. Had she given Will some space and time, I believe he would have warmed up to the proposal.
By forcing the issue, she destroys their budding love. He has some serious problems and he can’t deal with them well in such a short time.
Drama between two wounded people is just painful, since none of it is necessary. I would rather see a better constructed conflict. This is a lot like watching two juveniles upset with each other.
My breakthrough on this scene is to make sure the material can withstand dissection and the test of time. Remember, this is the first screenplay from Ben and Matt, fresh out of college.
“It’s only my opinion.”
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My problem with this scene may be clearer if I provide an analogy. Skylar does not mention that she is thinking about moving to California. She tells Will that she is going and wants him to come along.
If she really loves him, why isn’t he a part of the decision-making process to go to California? She seems ready to throw Will in the back of a U-Haul trailer, like he was a piece of furniture.
Consider this analogy. Skylar is a different person. She has been wounded by men many times in the past who claimed they loved her only to get her into bed and then dumped her.
Along comes a different Will who is falling in love with her. He tries to seduce her and when she wants to wait to make sure that he really loves her, he says, “You’d do it if you loved me.”
It’s the same thing. Skylar’s love is not real. Otherwise, she would include Will in the decision making. She didn’t.
That’s why I want a better conflict.
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