Lesson 1

[JOSEPH SWANSON]

Joe Swanson Finds the Essence

What I learned is that it’s helpful to understand what each scene is trying to accomplish to evaluate if it’s truly having it’s maximum impact.

Script I chose: BIG FISH

Scene 1

Location: Act One

Logline: Will’s father tells a sprawling story at Will’s wedding about how he used his ring to catch a mythical fish on the day of Will’s birth.

Essence: Will’s father’s propensity for tall tales drives a wedge between him and Will who favors reality to fantasy. Will believes his father prefers his make believe adventures to his real family.

Scene 2

Location: Act One

Logline: En route to Will’s home to see his father, Josephine rubs excess hand lotion on Will’s hands.

Essence: Though Will despises his father, he has followed his example and found an enduring love evident even in the smallest of gestures.

Scene 3

Location: Act One

Logline: Will’s Father tells a story about how as a child he and his friends visited a witch and discovered how they’d die.

Essence: Will’s father is an entertaining storyteller, but above that he knows how he’ll die and this teases our expectations for the finale.

Scene 4

Location: Act Two

Logline: Cleaning out his father’s belongings, Will finds an intriguing file that indicates his father owns some land that his mother knows nothing about.

Essence: Will suspects that his father is a liar and perhaps a philanderer putting Will on a path of discovery about his father’s true nature.

Scene 5

Location: Act Three

Logline: At his father’s prompting, Will tells him how he dies.

Essence: Will must finally tell his own tall tale, engaging in an exciting story that’s a fitting ending to his father’s life of tall tales.

[JOSEPH SWANSON]

My selection for most profound essence:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT

Will sits in a chair beside the bed, working through the crossword puzzle. A KNOCK as Dr. Bennett enters with his overcoat and bag, ready to leave for the night.

DR. BENNETT
Glad to see you’re not trying to have a heartfelt talk. It’s one of my greatest annoyances, when people talk to those who can’t hear them.

WILL
My father and I have an advantage. We never talk.
Dr. Bennett smiles as he checks Edward’s chart.

WILL (cont’d)
How long have you known my father?

DR. BENNETT

Thirty years. Maybe more.

WILL
How would you describe him?

DR. BENNETT

(re: chart)

Five-eleven. One-eighty. Regulated hypertension.

(beat)
How would his son describe him?

Tables turned, Will searches for an answer. He doesn’t have one.

Dr. Bennett hangs the chart back on the bed.

DR. BENNETT (cont’d)
Did your father ever tell you about the day you were born?

WILL
A thousand times. He caught an uncatchable fish.

DR. BENNETT
Not that one. The real story. Did he ever tell you that?

WILL
(suddenly interested)

No.

DR. BENNETT
Your mother came in about three in the afternoon. Her neighbor drove her, on account of your father was on business in Wichita. You were born a week early, but there were no complications. It was a perfect delivery. Now, your father was sorry to miss it, but it wasn’t the custom for the men to be in the room for deliveries then, so I can’t see as it would have been much different had he been there. And that’s the real story of how you were born.

A long silence, just the sounds of the hospital, doctors being paged.

DR. BENNETT (cont’d)

Not very exciting, is it? And I suppose if I had to choose between the true version and an elaborate one involving a fish and a wedding ring, I might choose the fancy version. But that’s just me.

Will half-smiles.

Patting Will’s shoulder, Dr. Bennett leaves. We STAY ON Will and his father for a long time, then Will takes his pen and starts making a list.

Essence: Will is given another way to consider his father’s flights of fancy – perhaps a strict adherence to reality isn’t as important as Will believes.

It’s a key scene as it provides a turning point for Will. It sets the stage for Will’s necessary transformation so that he can participate in his father’s final fantastical tale: his death.

[Stephen Bohannon]

Script I choose: Wag The Dog

Scene 1 Location: Beginning
Logline: A damaging story for the President of the United States means calling on an expert PR guy

Essence: With a storm brewing on the horizon, focus must be shifted another direction, at all costs

Scene 2 Location: Turning point
Logline: Days before a re-election bid, an impending war is more sexy than the president abusing a girl scout
Essence: The public will devour anything, give the something to eat

Scene 3 Location: End of Act One
Logline: Bringing in a skilled but egotistical Hollywood type to produce a war, presents a problem with discretion.
Essence: In addition to the challenge of pulling off a covert mission, there’s issues to resist monetizing the initiative.

Scene 4 Location: Mid-point
Logline: Bringing to “war” to life means more than images, gotta sell it!
Essence: Needing more time, the “war” requires promotion, theme, song etc.

Scene 5 Location: Conclusion
Logline: Success means record approval ratings for the President and re-election, and a dead fictitious hero, but zero recognition for the effort
Essence: The motivation for taking on the job, has nothing to do with anything except resuscitating career after trending poor critical reviews

My selection for most profound essence:

This scene clearly lays out the need (address a disastrous news story of the president and a girl scout), and the objective (create something more sexy). The entire story evolving around this premise…

ANGLE INS. THE SHEET.

IT READS:

AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES I REGRET THAT

PERSONAL INCAPACITY HAS RENDERED ME MOMENTARILY UNABLE

TO CONFRONT AND CORRECT….

ANGLE

BREAN LOOKING ON, AS AMES READS, AND SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. BREAN TAKES THE SHEETS.

ANGLE INS.

READING OVER BREAN’S SHOULDERS:

1.) Statutory Rape.

2.) The President’s long-documented mental problems

3.) Brought about by reaction to Drugs to control

flu…?

ANGLE AMES READING OVER BREAN’S SHOULDER.

AMES

…did he have the flu…?

CAIN

It can be documented that he displayed the…

BREAN LAYS DOWN THE SHEET SOMBERLY, EVERYONE LOOKS AT HIM.

BREAN

This ain’t the illegal immigrant Nanny.

CAIN

There was a group of Girlscouts here from Indiana last

month. One of them expressed an interest in a

Frederick Remington bust. The president took her into

the oval Office, for a period…

AMES

Three minutes. It couldn’t have been over three

minutes, the Secret Service…

BREAN GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET.

BREAN

Okay. And she’s alleging…?

CAIN GESTURES BREAN TO KEEP READING THE SHEETS IN FRONT OF HIM. HE DOES SO. PAUSE. TO HIMSELF.

BREAN

(CON’T)

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

AMES

We are virtually certain it isn’t…

BREAN

Who’s got the story?

(PAUSE)

AMES

Don’t you want to know if it’s true?

BREAN

What difference does it make if it’s true?

(PAUSE)

It’s a story, and, it breaks they’re gonna have to run

with it — How long’ve we got til it breaks?

(PAUSE)

AMES

Front page. Washington Post. Tomorrow.

BREAN

Well, yeah. Now. That’s not good. Okay:

(PAUSE)

Okay. We’ll set up the War Room Here…

AN AIDE BRINGS HIM A CUP OF COFFEE.

BREAN

Thank you. Now: where is he?

LEVY

China.

BREAN

When’s he coming back…?

LEVY

Touchdown, Andrews, fourteen hundred, today.

BREAN TAKES A NOTEBOOK OUT OF HIS POCKET, AND LOOKS AT IT.

BREAN

(AS HE READS FROM HIS NOTEBOOK)

Alright, now, here: he stays on the ground in China til Tomorrow.

CAIN

…why?

BREAN

…you the Press Office?

CAIN

…Yes.

BREAN

(SHRUGS)

Earn your money. …He’s ill, the Plane is sick…

CAIN

(MAKING NOTES)

…Good…

AMES

When do we bring’em back?

BREAN

You gotta give me a day. I need a day.

(PAUSE)

He’s sick, get it out now. Get him on the phone ‘n tell

him how sick he is. We got to get it out before the

story breaks, so we aren’t quote, responding to it.

Issue is as a bulletin. He’s got some rare strain

of…

AMES

It won’t hold.

BREAN

All I need is the one day.

AMES

It won’t even hold the one day, Ronnie —

BREAN

Yes — It will… Now: why is the President in China?

LEVY

Trade Re1ations.

BREAN

You’re goddamn right. And it’s got nothing to do with

the B-2 Bomber.

(PAUSE)

LEVY

There is no B-2 Bomber,

BREAN

That’s what I’m telling you.

(PAUSE. HE GLANCES AT HIS WATCH.)

The two things: the two things: Rare strain of flu,

No Cause to Be Alarmed. And the B-2 Bomber…

(TO AIDES)

Clear me a space. Get me a copy, go rob one, get it

off the computer, Wash Post, N.Y. TIMES,

AIDE

You want some research, flu? Side-effects of medi….

BREAN

Naw, we can’t play this one catch-up. That’s how long

since you stopped beating the wife. We have to…

AMES

We’re going to have to explain away the…

BREAN

They caught him in the closet with a Girlscout. Side-effects

of a pill ain’t gone trump that. You have to keep ’em guessing for

(HE GLANCES AT THE CALENDAR)

Two weeks. You don’t have to Cure Cancer, Pal, you

just have to give them something more interesting than…

CAIN

What’s more interesting than boffing the girlscout?

BREAN

Well, that’s what we’re doing here…

BREAN IS SUNK IN THOUGHT. AN AIDE STARTS TO SPEAK. AMES SILENCES HIM, BREAN BECKONS AMES OVER.

BREAN

(SOTTO)

Gemme twenty thousand dollars….

AMES NODS, AND WAVES AN AIDE OVER AND WHISPERS TO HER.

BREAN

(CONT.)

And gemme a car.

AMES

Car and a driver, Mr. Brean, the Westgate, Now, please…

BREAN

Okay, look, who’s takin’ the press conference today?

CAIN

Is there a press conference today?

BREAN

What do you think? What I need from you: I need a

base of operations. Some place in the District. I

need some clean money …

LEVY

How much…?

AMES GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET.

BREAN

And, to hold it together, I need two days. There is no

B-2 Bomber: here’s what you do ahout that: whoever is

leaking stuff to that geek at the Post, lets it slip,

“Geez, I hope this doesn’t screw up the B-2 Program…”

“What B-2 Program, and why should it screw it up?” “If

the president moves to deploy the B-2 before it is

fully tested.” “Deploy the B-2, Why?” “In the

Crisis.”

AMES

What crisis?

BREAN

I’m working on it. Same time, you call Billy Scott at

Joint Chiefs, and pour him onna plane right now to

Seattle, y’got that…? All flustered and worried. To

talk to the Boeing people.

AMES

(TO LEVY)

Do it…

LEVY MOVES TO A TELEPHONE.

BREAN

(TO CAIN)

And you?

CAIN

But there isn’t a B-2 bomber.

BREAN

Where’d you go to school, Kid. Wellesly?

CAIN

Dartmouth

BREAN

Then show a little spunk. There Is no B-2 Bomber,

General Scott, the best of your knowledge, is not in

Seattle to talk with Boeing…

AMES

It won’t hold.

BREAN

One day, Two days? Course it’s gonna hhhh….

CAMERA TAKES THEM DOWN THE HALL, WHERE WE SEE THE CLEANING PEOPLE, WITH FLOOR POLISHERS, LOOKING UP AT THE PICTURE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRLSCOUTS, AND SNICKERING.

ANGLE ON BREAN AND AMES LOOKING ON.

THE CLEANING PEOPLE NOTICE THEY ARE BEING WATCHED AND DISPERSE.

AMES

It won’t hold, Ronnie, it won’t prove out.

BREAN

We don’t need it to prove out. We need it to distract

them for two weeks til the election.

AMES

What would do that…?

HOLD, ON BREAN THINKING.

AMES

(CONT.)

What in the world would do that?

BREAN

I’m working on it.

HE TURNS AROUND AND STARES AT THE WALL.

[Patricia Brown]

Pat Brown Finds the Essence

Script Chosen: HOT FUZZ

Script I choose: HOT FUZZ

Scene 1 Location: METROPOLITAN POLICE STATION
Logline: A police officer’s training shows how his skillset grows.
Essence: The scene sets up the skills Nicholas Angel possesses in a very entertaining way.

Scene 2 Location: SERGEANT’S OFFICE

Logline: A cop with an exceptional record learns he’s not respected by his superiors.
Essence: Angel is surprised when he finds he’s been transferred against his wishes to an out-of-the-way posting, despite his excellent record—in fact, because of his record.>

Scene 3 Location: CRIME SCENE
Logline: A cop’s ex reveals she’s seeing someone else.
Essence: Angel can’t have a normal relationship because he’s a workaholic who can’t let his job go.

Scene 4 Location: THE CROWN PUB
Logline: A cop who strictly follows the law causes unintentional problems.
Essence: Angel is so keen on following the letter of the law he can’t even relax during his off hours causing him to start off on the wrong foot with his new neighbors.

Scene 5 Location: DANNY’S PLACE
Logline: A workaholic cop learns how to relax and let go of his job
Essence: Angel finds he can relax and have fun with someone and it’s not about work at the same time the killer is getting more serious.

<font face=”Arial, sans-serif”>ESSENCE: Angel rejects the offer to go back to London because he’s found a place he can be a good cop and have a life outside of being a cop. He can balance his life in Sandford.</font>

<font face=”Arial, sans-serif”>
</font>EXT. ROAD – LATER

FRANK sits handcuffed in the back of an ambulance, wearing a neckbrace.

SKINNER is carried through shot on a stretcher, the model church spire still sticking through his face.

The HOODIES record this sight on their mobiles.

SKINNER Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

We see the Swan cuffed to a car door by the neck.

The OLD MAN IN A CAP approaches to retrieve him.

ANGEL and DANNY sit with blankets around them. They are addressed by the three officers from the start of the film.

CHIEF INSPECTOR What do you say Nicholas?

INSPECTOR We’ve been trying to reach you for days.

ANGEL Well I’ve been kind of busy.

SERGEANT We need you back. The figures have gone a little squiffy in your absence it has to be said.

CHIEF INSPECTOR Come back to London. Sandford’s hardly fitting for such an exceptional officer.

ANGEL looks to DANNY, then back at the model Sandford.

ANGEL Yes, but the thing is sir. I like it here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we have to do a considerable amount of paperwork.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by  Patricia Brown.