tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88585251171711276722024-02-21T07:41:53.868+05:30Screenwriting argumentsEssays, ramblings and rants on screenplays and screenwritingAshwini Malikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07308946967995170440noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858525117171127672.post-73981741443872073062014-02-22T15:58:00.000+05:302014-02-22T16:03:10.385+05:30Beyond Craft: The RASA Approach to Screenwriting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By Ashwini Malik</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Introduction</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A few months ago, I did what
I had been putting off for years: I read the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra, </i>the ancient Indian guidebook of the performing arts.
Interesting as it is, I must confess that as a manual of the performing arts,
that text holds only a moderate interest for me. What I found fascinating about
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> were the two
chapters on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory – I
thought they were invaluable to cinema in general and screenwriting in
particular. I had, of course, heard a lot about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory and how it has influenced all Indian performing arts,
including Indian cinema, but I always saw a mere superficial resemblance
between Indian cinema and what I understood about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory. Let me explain. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory, in brief, states that for a viewing experience to be
complete and satisfying, a play must evoke in the viewer a variety of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i> or flavors or sentiments (from the
following 8: erotic, comic, pathetic, furious, heroic, terrifying, odious,
marvelous). Of these 8, a play may have one ‘dominant’ sentiment, with several
others present in smaller, varying quantities. (The original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> mentions only eight <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i>. The ninth – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shanti</i> or peace – was added later, thus leading to the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Navras</i>, meaning ‘nine <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i>’. In this essay, I’m sticking with
the original eight <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i>. The word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>, which means juice, has been
translated variously, into, ‘flavor’, ‘sentiment’, ‘emotion’ and ‘mood’. I have
used all these interpretations interchangeably, since the purpose of this essay
is not to argue about semantics. I am less interested in the technicalities of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory and more in its core
philosophy.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is a well-known fact that
popular Indian films are a hotchpotch of ingredients: there’s drama, emotion,
songs, action, romance, intrigue, comedy… all in generous doses. Yes, perhaps
this can be attributed to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>
theory of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i>. However,
this sort of a simplistic, rather crude interpretation of the ancient text
never quite excited me. Also, most popular Indian films have these ingredients
by design, in almost precise doses, thus making the film seem artificially
crafted. The ingredients do not mix into an organic whole but stick out
awkwardly, resulting in a lumpy, unwholesome product. (It must be said,
however, that the power of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>
theory is such that popular Indian films continue to succeed despite this
awkwardness and lumpiness.) So, as I said, I never did take too seriously the
influence of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory on
Indian cinema since I believed (and still do) that the popular Indian cinema
has, by and large, abused the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>
theory to the point of making it irrelevant, at least to cinema. For this
reason, I kept putting off the reading of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But I couldn’t put it off
forever, could I? After all, I am a ‘teacher’ of screenwriting, mentor
regularly at workshops, engage with students, Indian and foreign, every day of my
life. So I read the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i>.
When I came to Chapters 6 and 7 – the chapters dealing with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory – I was, to put it mildly,
taken aback. And humbled. Let me explain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Taken aback. Because on
revisiting in my mind the films that I had found great, films that had given me
a complete, stimulating and satisfying experience, I felt certain that they all
seemed to be following the fundamental principles of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory. And I mean films from across the world, across genre,
across even divisions like art-house film and commercial film. From <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casablanca</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charulata</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raise the Red
Lantern</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Before Sunrise</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pulp Fiction</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8 ½</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L’enfant</i>, from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mughal-e-azam</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satya </i>to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Udaan</i>, from Eric
Rohmer to Bergman to Satyajit Ray to Ghatak to Majidi and Kiarostami and
Cameron and Nolan and Loach and what have you. And though it is possible that
some of these filmmakers were familiar with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory, it’s unlikely that all of them were. But their
approach to screenwriting and filmmaking was evolved and holistic, and clearly
resonated with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Humbled. I had written an </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://screenwritingarguments.blogspot.in/2011/03/manual-malaise.html"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">essay</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
attacking screenwriting manuals that went hoarse advocating rules and
principles governing screenwriting. I have always felt that such manuals tend
to reduce screenwriting to a formula and lead to predictable, formulaic films,
which are churned out by the dozen every month in Hollywood. And yet, here I
was, awed by what is essentially a manual, with rules, formulae, principles and
divisions and sub-divisions!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The truth is that I felt
that if the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory is understood
and assimilated by writers and filmmakers, it could give us a new, organic,
holistic approach for connecting with audiences through the movies.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Beyond
Craft</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So am I saying that if one
manages to understand and assimilate the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa
</i>theory, that’s all one really needs to write an effective screenplay? Not
at all. What, then, is the value of traditional storytelling craft as reflected
upon by the likes of Aristotle and Lajos Egri?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The craft is important, of
course. An understanding of structure, creating complex characters, identifying
the central conflict, are all extremely important in telling effective stories
using the medium of cinema. However, I have always felt that there is far too
much emphasis on the so-called ‘principles’ of screenwriting and not enough on
the fundamental quality that makes us connect with a work of art: the feeling
that the work has given us an experience that encapsulates life. Let’s call it
the life-experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Life, as we know from
experience, is a bundle of contradictions. Over a period of years we see and
experience every conceivable emotion. It is this experience of life that art
seeks to capture. What makes us connect with a work of art, in this case
specifically film, is that in a matter of 2 hours or so, the film has given us
this experience of life. In other words, it has resonated with our life. We
have felt the pain and the joy, the frustration and euphoria, the passion and
the anger, the fear and the relief that are a part of normal life. Often a
single feeling or sentiment dominates a film. Love, fear, pathos, joy,
whatever. Even in such cases, the film that connects with us succeeds in giving
us a life-experience via the portrayal of other emotions as well. So the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory works at two levels in a
film: one, it helps the film become a microcosm of life by instilling into it
emotions that we experience over extended periods; and two, it enables the film
to capture life in the moment, putting into perspective the dominant emotion by
showing us how the world continues to be awash with other flavors as well, even
when we are preoccupied with our own specific condition. If, for example, at a
certain point in life we are struggling to cope with the death of a loved one,
it is the pain or sorrow of this struggle that defines that phase of our life.
However, while this sorrow is the dominant feeling, the world that we inhabit,
the world that includes us, continues to overflow with all kinds of flavors at
all times. And yet, while all these flavors continue to exist, they do not
overpower the dominant feeling of the sorrow at the death of the loved one. It
is this ironical state that defines life. Life is an assortment of conflicting
emotions. This is the essence of life and any film that manages to capture this
essence is likely to connect with its intended audience, be it the glitterati
at Cannes or city viewers in a multiplex or the peasants at a rickety cinema in
an Indian village. (The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i>
has high regard for the audience, whose entertainment and enlightenment are its
chief concerns.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory is that it transcends craft
as well as form. It can enrich any kind of work, be it a mainstream film
intended for a large audience, or a work that challenges conventional
storytelling forms.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rasa theory</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Natyashastra</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> is
an ancient Indian text in Sanskrit language, written between 200 BC and 200 AD.
It is attributed to the sage Bharata, although it is likely that it was the
work of several persons, and was written over centuries. This text encompasses
all Indian performing arts – theatre, dance, music. Written in Sanskrit verse, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> is a detailed text, with divisions
and subdivisions, and rules and principles for every little aspect. Like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mahabharata</i>, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> too claims that what is not in it is not to be found
anywhere else either. Chapters 6 and 7 of the treatise deal with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory, which essentially states
that there are eight dominant sentiments or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i>
that a play can evoke in the audience. These sentiments are evoked by the
portrayal of eight corresponding states. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sentiment
evoked in audience <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>via
the portrayal of the state</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">1. Erotic (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shringara</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2. Comic (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hasya</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Mirth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">3. Pathetic (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Karuna</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Sorrow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4. Furious (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raudra</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Anger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">5. Heroic (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Veer</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>Vigor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">6. Terrifying (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bhayanaka</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Terror</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">7. Odious (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bibhatsa</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Disgust</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">8. Marvelous (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adbhuta</i>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Astonishment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory asserts that while
every play must portray a variety of states evoking a variety of sentiments,
all ingredients in equal measure are not present in life and therefore must not
be present in a play. There is usually one dominant sentiment, though it is
important to note that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>
theory does not mention this as a rule. Perhaps it’s possible to have an
organic mix of ingredients in a work without the clear dominance of one. We
have seen this in many a film (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Godfather</i>, for example. Or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8 ½</i>. And
closer home, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Meghe Dhaka Tara</i>, and
more recently, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Udaan</i>), where it’s
difficult to define the, if you will, genre, clearly, but it’s quite obvious
that the film contains several sentiments. And when there is a single dominant
sentiment, other (though not necessarily all) sentiments must be present to
enrich it. Thus, a thriller becomes a more satisfying watch if it also has
romance and comedy and drama, a love story is more enjoyable if it has
organically woven elements of fear and horror, and so on. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
4 levels of application</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let’s start with a
fundamental, though regrettably pretentious, question: what is the purpose of
cinema? For a moment, let’s put all the exalted purposes aside and look at it
purely from the point of view of the viewer. The viewer wants to be engaged,
entertained, stimulated, enlightened, occasionally challenged and provoked and
disturbed, but finally, satisfied. How does one do this? By creating an
experience on screen that is, a) interesting, b) convincing, and c) complete. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">An experience will be
interesting if it is unusual and/or dramatic. An experience will be convincing
if it unfolds plausibly (and the viewer is happy to suspend his disbelief for
an experience if it’s interesting enough). Finally, an experience will appear complete
to a viewer only if it is meaningful in some way, either by giving him an
insight into life or simply the general feeling that he is better off for
having seen the film. So, to narrow it down a bit, for a viewer to be engaged,
entertained, stimulated, enlightened, occasionally challenged and provoked and
disturbed, what is needed is an experience that not only echoes life, but also
makes sense of its seeming pointlessness and randomness. An experience that
strives to capture the essence of life. But how does one capture this essence
of life? Life itself is the product of all kinds of things, with a multitude of
happenings and emotions jostling about in a manner that seems totally random.
How then, does one make sense of life? Perhaps an understanding of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory can help us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> often gives the analogy of a fulfilling meal that has
several spices and other ingredients expertly mixed. In other words, the
essence of life can be captured if the viewer is given an experience that contains
an organic mix of several sentiments. The operative term here is ‘organic mix’.
How does one create an organic mix, where different ingredients don’t stick out
awkwardly because they have simply been forced into a work? The answer might
lie, perhaps, in fusing the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>
theory with the very form of the screenplay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are 4 levels at which
a screenplay is put together. (I’m proposing 4, in order to put forth my
argument. Someone else might say 3 or 17 or whatever. It doesn’t matter.) The
most basic level is the seed or the germ, which to translate into concrete
terms, would be the concept of the story. The very concept must contain the
potential to develop into a screenplay that can have various sentiments in an
organic mix. The second level is that of character: who are the people that
inhabit the story? Do they represent a cross-section of the society in which
the story is set? The third level is that of the sequences or the incidents
that are used to tell the story. As we know, the story in a film unfolds via
incidents and a screenplay is nothing but a series of incidents strung together
to make a whole. The very choice of these incidents must be such that they are
able to capture the essence of life via a variety of sentiments. The fourth
level is that of the scene. The scene is the smallest unit of a screenplay and
can be seen as akin to a moment in the script. The moments that a screenwriter
chooses to tell the story must be exactly appropriate, ones that, when seen
together, reflect a variety of sentiments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A question arises: is it
possible to show a variety of sentiments or emotions in each film, without making
the script seem contrived? It is not easy and if one were to attempt to do this
consciously perhaps the contrivance will show as it does in most popular films,
where things seem to have been forced in to give this so-called ‘complete’
experience to the viewer. However, if we can approach stories in an open,
all-embracing fashion, we might begin to get somewhere. As writers and filmmakers,
what we are effectively doing is creating a brand new world, which we hope will
be true enough to resonate with the world that we know. This world that we
create must be capable of coming alive and the only way that can happen is if
it has everything that the real world has. The world of the story must have
people, governments, roads, traffic rules, relationships, love, joy, pain,
fear, sorrow… Everything. Not an easy task. While we can never really replicate
the real world in cinema, the closer we get to it the truer will it ring.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Level
1: The Seed</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are two aspects to the
seed. The first thing we need to look at is the feeling or emotion that is
powering the screenplay. Is it deep enough and strong enough that the
exploration of it will inevitably cover a gamut of sentiments? Like for
example, the pain of betrayal and love that torments Rick in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casablanca</i>. Or, the intense love and
pain afflicting Tomek in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Short Film
about Love</i>. Or, Phil Connors’s frustration at being stuck in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Groundhog Day</i>. Or Charu’s intense
loneliness in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charulata</i>. If one looks
closely at films that have connected, one will note that a profound pain powers
each of those films, because, when it comes right down to it, it is pain that
is the essence of life. In every phase of life, even in apparently ‘happy’
ones, the overwhelming feeling is that of life being a ‘pain’. Even if it’s
simply a matter of traveling from one place to another, the traffic or the
hurry or a rash driver will make the journey painful. And if the journey is not
a pain then the pain will begin when the purpose of the journey starts
unfolding. If we’ve gone to discuss a deal – business deal, property deal, any
deal – there’s the pain of negotiating and putting up with an unpleasant or
manipulative person. If we get the deal, there’s the pain of fulfilling the
deal in a world designed to make things difficult. If one is in a situation of
romance, of course, the pain becomes especially deep and delicious. In short,
one is always struggling, some of us more than others, but no one is not
struggling. Of course the struggle of maneuvering through a traffic jam is
unlikely to power a hundred-minute screenplay but it certainly does contribute
to the overall feeling of life being a struggle. Since cinema is limited in terms
of time and cannot possibly show all our small and big struggles that give life
an overall sense of struggle, a story zeroes in on a core of pain. Pain,
therefore, is good for a script. Pain is what a script needs. Pain is what a
script demands. The pain that Eva feels due to her mother’s neglect in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Autumn Sonata</i> is so deep and fierce that
just a mother and daughter going at each other verbally makes for a riveting
viewing experience. The pain of jealousy felt by Salieri in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amadeus</i> is enough to power a play and a
film to success and glory. Michael Corleone being forced to join the family
business because of his father’s death leads to such anguish that we’re
mesmerized as we watch his intelligence and charisma find an outlet in ruthlessness
and extreme brutality. Malcolm Crowe’s pain at not being able to save his
patient resulting in his life and marriage coming apart makes him a compelling
protagonist. Alvy Singer’s pain at not being able to make his relationship
work. The little boy’s pain at losing his sister’s shoes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Children of Heaven</i>. The pain that women
are going through to survive in the oppression of Iran in Jafar Panahi’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Circle</i>. I can go on…. No matter what
genre a writer is working in, the core power of the story emerges from the pain
or suffering that torment the protagonist or protagonists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we can tap into this core it will give us
a whole universe, which is exactly what each story needs. To put it bluntly:
FIND THE PAIN!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The second aspect of the
seed is more tangible. What is the story really, concretely about? A famous
filmmaker, struggling to make a spectacular, big-budget film, escapes into
memory and fantasy as he deals with director’s block, a lack of inspiration, a
mistress and a wife, an edgy producer and a demanding star. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8 ½</i>; 1963; directed by Federico Fellini;
written by Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or, during World War II, a
cynical bar owner in Morocco comes face to face with the woman he loved, the
woman who betrayed him and made him a bitter man. She has a husband, a war
hero, in tow and they need to get out of Casablanca and the bar owner, who has
contacts in Morocco may be in a position to help. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casablanca</i>; 1942; directed by Michael Curtiz; written by Julius J.
Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch; based on the play ‘Everybody comes to
Rick’s’, by Murray Burnett, Joan Alison)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or, a teenaged boy in Poland
falls deeply in love with a much older woman whom he watches from his apartment
through binoculars. The woman discovers him, leading to complications. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Short Film about Love</i>; 1988; directed
by Krzysztof Kieslowski; written by Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzystof Piesiewicz)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or, an egocentric weatherman
travels to a town to report on Groundhog Day. This is something he’s been doing
for years and is sick of. After finishing his report he finds himself trapped
in a time warp, reliving the same dreadful day again and again. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Groundhog Day</i>; 1993; directed by Harold
Ramis; written by Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let’s look at each of the
above four plotlines and analyze their potential for creating a complete and
fulfilling viewing experience by a natural incorporation of varied sentiments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">8½</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:
While there’s no clear dominant sentiment here, except possibly the Comic, since
that is the tone of the film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8½</i> is
perhaps the perfect concoction of all flavors, each one distinct, and yet each
one blended flawlessly into the whole. The erotic comes into play with: the
mistress; the beautiful leading lady whom the director’s mind insists on
transforming into his muse; Guido’s memories of Saraghina; and of course his
harem fantasy. Comic is the tone of the film. Pathetic is his actual condition,
as also that of his wife and mistress and others who come in contact with him.
The furious exists in his wife, his mistress, his producer, in himself, and
just about everybody. And yet Guido remains a heroic figure, crazy enough to
attempt an ambitious film without a script and without inspiration. The
ramifications of his audaciousness are terrifying, so is his imminent fate, as
he’s clearly going for broke. His life is full of the odious – his grotesque
sexual escapades with his tawdry mistress, as well as the surreal memories and
fantasies. In fact, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8½</i>, the erotic
and the odious are two sides of the same coin, as they so often are. Finally,
spectacle is an essential part of Fellini’s vision. It is not mere coincidence
that Guido is attempting to realize every director’s dream – a film that is
spectacular (Marvelous) and deeply personal at the same time. Something that
Fellini accomplishes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8 ½</i>,
spectacularly so. Fellini must have been familiar with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Casablanca</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:
Clearly, the dominant emotion here is love. However, let’s look at what all the
plot line promises: since the situation is about betrayal in love, there is
bound to be sorrow; since she betrayed him and they are now face to face, there
is bound to be anger; since the protagonist has to engineer a daring escape,
heroism and fear are part of the package; since he is a bar owner, there is
scope for mirth as well as disgust; disgust in the hero is also directed
towards the woman as a result of the deep pain that he feels at the betrayal.
There seems to be no place for the Marvelous here but we have seen that the potential
mix is already rather wholesome. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A
Short Film about Love</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: Erotic is the dominant sentiment. With love
comes sorrow. With a boy spying come disgust and anger. Because of the element
of danger involved in spying, there is also scope for heroism and fear. The
basic situation itself has comic possibilities.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Groundhog
Day</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:
The dominant sentiment here is Comic. And because the protagonist finds himself
in an undesirable situation, there is sorrow. Heroism comes into play when the
protagonist needs to escape the situation. The situation itself is potentially
dangerous. Anger is the natural reaction of the protagonist and the magical
element provides the element of astonishment. Since the protagonist is an
egocentric and we’re dealing with a groundhog, disgust can hardly be avoided.
Love, of course, is crucial to his transformation into a better man. That seems
to cover everything! Is it surprising therefore that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Groundhog Day</i> is such a delightful viewing experience?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Admittedly, the plotlines of
several bad films will have the potential for all sentiments to play out.
Therefore, it is important that this potential is properly exploited at each of
the other three levels, like in the above four examples.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Level
2: Character</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Stories are about people,
even when they are not, like in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lion
King</i> (the pain of seeing your father killed and being blamed for it) or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Finding Nemo</i> (the pain of losing your
child), which are about people in the guise of animals and fishes. The writer
endeavors to create a complete world in his story and this world is peopled by,
well, people. Obviously, we can’t have as many people or as many important
characters in a film as there are in our lives. And yet, it is important to
have a representation of characters that make it seem like the writer has a
world of people in the script. How does one do this? Let’s begin with the
protagonist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The protagonist is whom the
film is about. A character whom we identify with, who takes us on this journey
through various sentiments, who becomes us in the story so that we soon find
ourselves rooting for him, even when he does things that we may not want him
to. Andy in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shawshank Redemption</i>
(1994; written and directed by Frank Darabont; based on Stephen King’s short
story ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’) becomes our guide through the
story, whose life we live vicariously, via the film. For Andy to be capable of
undertaking and eventually completing the journey that the story has envisaged
for him, he needs to have certain qualities. He must have the motivation to, at
first, survive and eventually, escape. These he gets from the injustice that’s
been done to him by his wife and by the system (his pain). He must have the
ability to outsmart the warden and Hadley, and he must have the ability to escape.
He must be educated and clever because that’s the only way he can outwit the
jail authorities as well as the other prisoners who are more powerful than him.
He must be compassionate so he is able to form bonds within the prison
community. He must be quiet and reclusive, because his eventual escape hinges
on keeping a secret for several years. So, even as the story determines the
character, the character in turn determines the story. Clearly, there cannot be
a rigid process to this. Character and plot determine each other in a way
that’s natural, even chaotic, and this is how it must be. Let’s continue with
Andy for a bit. We’ve seen his heroic qualities, but heroic qualities alone do
not a human being make. For him to be one of us, he must have weaknesses too.
That’s what will make him Everyman. Every protagonist is an Everyman, just like
every human being is. Each of us, in that sense, is unique and universal at the
same time. In fact, the more uniqueness we can discover in our characters, the
more universal they’ll seem. So, Andy suffers abuse in prison because it’s only
natural that he would – he cannot be strong enough to avoid that or he’ll start
alienating us. Andy’s wife was having an affair with another man, and one
wonders if that was so because of Andy’s inwardness, his inability to express
his love. The male perception of a man whose wife cheats on him (the cuckold)
is of a weak man, a not man-enough man, or, if you will, a flawed man.
Incorrect though that perception might be, it will still be entertained by the
majority of the audience, men as well as women. All these qualities contribute
towards making Andy a well-rounded character, with the motivation and ability
to convincingly fulfill the journey that the story has in store for him, and weak
or human enough to make that journey interesting. Here is a character that can
take us on a journey through the sentiments. But this isn’t enough. Other
characters too must inhabit the story, characters that not only serve the
purpose of the plot, but also make credible the world that the writer has
created. Let’s look at the other characters in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shawshank Redemption</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There’s Red the narrator,
kind, practical and resourceful. Hadley the guard, violent, merciless, selfish.
Norton the warden, ruthless and corrupt. Bogs the rapist. Brooks, old, gentle,
fragile. Tommy is young and hopeful and honest. Finally, there’s Rita Hayworth
(and Marilyn and Raquel). And yes, Jake, the crow! That does seem to be a
diverse enough assortment of characters to give the sentiments an open playing
field and show their magic. A perfect cross-section in the world of Shawshank,
a world that emerged because the appropriate seed was planted. No wonder then,
that<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Shawshank Redemption</i> has
turned into one of the most-loved films of all time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Level
3: Incident</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A screenplay basically
comprises of a series of incidents strung together. These incidents, or
sequences if you like, may happen close to each other in time or as far apart
as the story demands. For a story to be told effectively, the appropriate
incidents need to be identified. It is in the choice of these incidents that a
potentially good screenplay can be ruined. The incidents must be such that they
have the potential to unfurl the plot, as well as contribute towards giving us
a life-experience. Of course, this can only happen if the right seed has been
chosen and appropriate characters enlisted to populate the story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let’s look at the incidents
that Satyajit Ray picked to tell the story of his masterpiece, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charulata (Charulata: The Lonely Wife</i>;
1963; written and directed by Satyajit Ray; based on ‘The Broken Nest’, a
novella by Rabindranath Tagore). Visualize these incidents and try and identify
the sentiments that they evoke. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The film begins with the ‘bored housewife’ sequence.
But just look at the moments Ray has chosen to convey her boredom and, more
importantly, the depth of her character. Charulata hums, smiles, pulls out a
book by Bankim Chandra, plays with an opera glass, running from window to
window to look at a plump man striding ahead with an umbrella in his hand. The
masterstroke comes when she looks at her husband, Bhupathi, through this opera
glass while he walks past her without noticing her, so engrossed is he with
himself. Later, she sits with Bhupathi while he eats (and she doesn’t) and
finds a cure for her loneliness: he’ll ask Charulata’s brother who’s coming to
work with Bhupathi, to bring his wife along. She also mentions <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Swarnalata</i>, Tarak Nath Gangopadhyay’s
acclaimed novel, which Bhupathi, of course, has no interest in. Look at the
range of flavors that Ray has been able to capture in this very first sequence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then comes the ‘grand’ arrival of Amol,
amidst storm and rain, while Charu is playing cards with her sister-in-law,
Manda. We have also met Charu’s brother by now. He’s working with Bhupathi as
manager and speaks of a horse going wild, among other things. Look at the
imagery that’s being evoked. Not to mention the kaleidoscope that Manda is
looking through, the view from which is the first shot of the sequence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then, Charu is in Amol’s room, singing. A hot
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">samosa</i> (a popular Indian snack)
scalds his tongue. His shirt is torn and Charu makes him take it off so she can
mend it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then there’s a debate between Amol and
Bhupathi. While Amol plays the piano. The debate is settled with an
arm-wrestling contest between the two! A contest that Bhupathi wins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Amol-Charu relationship progresses over
literary discussions that induce snores from Manda. This, the central
relationship of the film, progresses further, in a garden, with Charu on a
swing, singing with abandon. She makes for Amol a notebook, he shakes hands
with her and they strike a ‘deal’ that his writing is to stay between them.
When Amol thanks her for the notebook, Charu sings ‘thank you, thank you’.
Charu is clearly getting attracted to Amol and seems confused by this, and hurt
when he tells her that he’s spending time with her at Bhupathi’s instance. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Much to Charu’s dismay, Bhupathi mentions a
marriage proposal to Amol. He rejects it and Charu is inexplicably pleased.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Charu’s brother Uma says ominous things to
his wife Manda, including – can you lie for me?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Amol sings and dances as a happy Charu
watches. Until, she learns of his essay’s publication in a periodical. She’s
livid at the ‘betrayal’, and locks herself in, crying. Bhupathi happens to
arrive at this inopportune moment and Charu picks up a broom and pretends she’s
hunting down a cockroach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Charu writes with determination and anger and
gets published in an even more prestigious magazine. She beats Amol over the
head with this magazine, then throws away the paan that Manda made for Amol and
makes one for him herself, asserting her rights over him. She does all this
with defiance, confidence and her body language has a childish heroic quality
that is disconcerting and affecting at the same time. She gives Amol a pair of
embroidered slippers. Now she’s even, at peace. Amol can see something’s come
over her. He praises her writing and she falls deeper and deeper in love,
finally rushing to him and breaking down on his chest, leaving him utterly
bewildered and shaken. This sequence itself is a riotous mix of flavors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bhupathi and his friends discuss politics and
listen to a live music performance. Uma empties Bhupathi’s safe and absconds.
Charu insists that Amol stay on to help Bhupathi. Amol is confused, disturbed.
A desperate Charu tries to make Amol promise that he will not go away.
Recklessly, she clings to him, physically. Amol knows things have gone too far.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bhupathi tells Amol about the betrayal,
leaving Amol feeling guilty.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Amol leaves, suitcase in hand. There is a
finality with which he leaves, leaving a letter rather than saying goodbye personally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Charu is devastated and furious. She
immediately orders the servant to ‘remove his (Amol’s) bedding’ from Amol’s
room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The beach. Bhupathi and Charu are on holiday.
Charu proposes a new paper, in which Bhupathi will deal with politics while
Charu will look after the ‘other’ stuff. He extends his hand to help her up.
She takes it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Back home, Charu is unable to contain herself
when faced with the finality of Amol’s departure. Believing she is alone in her
room, she breaks down on the bed and wails: ‘why did you go away’. Bhupathi has
heard, and knows. She hears him leave and knows that he knows.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bhupathi is deeply hurt as he travels in his
coach (we don’t see the ‘wild’ horse that pulls the coach). A heroic Charu
tears up Amol’s letter, while in the coach, Bhupathi looks at the handkerchief
embroidered with his initial by Charu.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When Bhupathi returns home, Charu extends her
hand to him. He responds by extending his. But the frame freezes before their
hands can touch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It speaks of Ray’s expertise
as a filmmaker that he manages to orchestrate this vigorous intermingling of
sentiments into a film that is as precise as it is fulfilling. All the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasas</i> are evoked with a confidence
bordering on audaciousness. (In fact, Ray acknowledged the importance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i>, which he described as ‘the
interplay of moods as expressed by various characters in a work of art’*.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Level
4: Scene</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This may well be the most
important level, since, of the 4 levels, this is the most tangible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the scene that we see performed, with
action and dialogue. It is the scene that our immediate response is to, and our
relationship with a film forged via. It is only in the scene that we experience
the sentiments directly, by a naked contact with the film. Our sensory response
to a film is really to a scene. If the first 3 levels are in place, the scene
can become the difference between a good and a great script. In fact, several
films become popular primarily on the strength of their scenes, because even
when the story and characters are less than compelling, absorbing scenes can
give the viewer an entertaining enough experience. With the first 3 levels in
place, a brilliant script can use the scene to great effect. Let’s look at the
first sequence – the entire wedding sequence – from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Godfather</i> (1972; directed by Francis Ford Coppola; written by
Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola; based on the novel, ‘The Godfather’, by Mario
Puzo). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The first scene itself seems
almost consciously to be following the tenets of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory, in the way the sentiments are evoked. The erotic
sentiment is evoked via Bonasera’s description of his daughter’s experience
with her boyfriend, where he tried to take advantage of her. (Yes, the image is
not a pleasant one, but unfortunately, even rape holds an erotic fascination
for human beings.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also evoking the
erotic is Don Corleone’s reference to his daughter’s wedding. The comic
sentiment is evoked by the way Don Corleone toys with Bonasera, finally
bullying him into accepting Don Corleone as godfather. The pathetic sentiment
is evoked via the experience of Bonasera’s daughter. The furious sentiment via
Bonasera’s anger, as well Corleone’s at what he perceives as Bonasera’s
insults. There’s the heroic sentiment in Corleone’s love for justice, albeit of
a primitive kind. His persona, emphasized by the respect that he is shown by
other men in the room, too drips heroism. Corleone’s power and manner evoke
terror and the act of Bonasera’s daughter’s assaulters is odious. Other than
astonishment, all the other seven sentiments are evoked in the first scene
itself! Now let’s look at the rest of the twenty-six minute sequence,
sentiment-wise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Erotic: The conversation
between Michael and Kay; Sonny and his girlfriend making out against a door;
the wedding itself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Comic: The mirth of the
wedding; Johnny Fontane’s song; Luca Brasi and his fumbling dialogue with Don
Corleone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pathetic: Sonny’s wife’s
sorrow; Kay’s situation on discovering Michael’s family; Johnny’s situation
vis-à-vis his sinking career.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Furious: Sonny and the FBI;
Sonny and the photographer; Don’s reaction to Johnny’s situation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Heroic: Michael’s uniform;
Don’s dispensing of justice; Michael telling Kay that he is not like his
family; Michael pulling Kay into the photograph.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Terrifying: Don’s power as a
criminal who controls judges and politicians; the realization that a criminal
can be so powerful, charismatic, and ‘respectable’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Odious: Sonny thrusting in a
vulgar manner, as he has sex with a woman against a door; vulgar dancing and
drinking; Michael’s story about brains on a contract and the offer that cannot
be refused.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Marvellous: The astonishing
cake and the general spectacle of the wedding.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As is obvious from the
above, the sentiments have been given a glorious opportunity for display by a
seed (a combination of the pain of a man forced by circumstances into joining
the mafia and the saga of a powerful criminal family) that has given rise to a
world peopled by varied and interesting characters. Again, is it surprising
that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Godfather</i> continues to be a
thoroughly satisfying viewing experience?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So then, is it possible to
actually apply the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory and
make our screenplays richer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps not
in a direct, methodical way. But it might help to look at stories from the
perspective of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasa</i> theory. That
life is, at all times, a bundle of varied sentiments, even though we may be
experiencing a certain dominant sentiment at a given time. What is liberating,
however, is that there is no formula to doing this and every story must be
allowed to guide its writer towards discovering its unique combination of the
sentiments or flavors. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Finally, to quote from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Brahma,
the Creator</span></u><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: I
have created the ‘Natyashastra’ to show all actions of both gods and men. In it
there is sometimes reference to duty, sometimes to sport, sometimes to polity,
sometimes to money, sometimes to peace. Sometimes laughter is found in it,
sometimes fighting, sometimes lovemaking, sometimes killing. It chastises those
that are ill-bred or unruly, gives courage to cowards, energy to the heroic,
enlightens men of poor intellect, and gives wisdom to the learned. It gives
firmness to those afflicted with sorrow and brings composure to the agitated. It
is a representation of actions and conduct of people, which is rich in various
emotions and which depicts various situations. It relates to actions of men
good, bad and indifferent, and will give courage, amusement and happiness as
well as counsel to them all. There is no wise maxim, no learning, no art, no
craft, no device, no action that is not found in it.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My understanding of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Natyashastra</i> is based upon two English
translations of the text: one by Manmohan Ghosh, and the other by Adya
Rangacharya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">*</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Revisiting
Satyajit Ray: An Interview with a Cinema Master, Bright Lights Film Journal.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Copyright
2012 Ashwini Malik</span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">About the author:</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://screenwritingarguments.blogspot.in/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ashwini Malik</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> is
a Mumbai-based independent filmmaker, screenwriter, screenwriting teacher and
script consultant. Born in 1969, Ashwini obtained a bachelor’s degree in
English Literature from Delhi University and then went to India’s premier film
school, Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) to study Film
Direction. His graduation film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Waiter in Slow Motion</i>, was in official competition at the prestigious
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 1995. Ashwini began his
career in television and went on to write, direct and produce a number of
fiction and non-fiction shows. In 2002, he directed his first feature film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clever & Lonely</i>. Since 2004, Ashwini
has also been involved in teaching Screenwriting. He has taught at his alma
mater FTII, and currently teaches at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai. He also mentors regularly at workshops in India and abroad.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
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Ashwini Malikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07308946967995170440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858525117171127672.post-20349160912024720302011-03-28T22:30:00.018+05:302012-12-16T07:33:16.124+05:30The Manual Malaise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>How screenwriting ‘principles’, as advocated by teaching approaches to screenwriting and most books on the subject, are rendering screenplays formulaic, contrived, superficial and soulless.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Abstract</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">As it transformed into a multibillion-dollar industry over the last few decades, cinema, like any other business, started getting governed by market demands. The form and content of films needed to become more and more user-friendly, in order to provide audiences with easy, uncomplicated and instant gratification. In other words, cinema became a product, and profits the primary motive. This was inevitable and there really is no use arguing with this. To cater to the demand of screenplays that would be embraced by large audiences, there was a deluge of screenwriting manuals (referred to as ‘books’) in the marketplace. Each manual seemed to have found a formula or principles or guidelines that would result in a successful script. The arguments presented were persuasive (often supported by elaborate diagrams), and soon, screenwriting came to be governed by principles laid down in these manuals. Each manual strove to outdo its predecessor by laying down ‘groundbreaking’ approaches to screenwriting, so that we have reached a situation today where stories in cinema have become formulaic and contrived, characters have been reduced to stereotypes, and character motivations are usually false. Compounding the problem is the approach taken by most screenwriting teachers, which is similar to that of the manuals. This essay argues that screenwriting does not need an ‘approach’. Good screenplays flow naturally, without following any set guidelines. The craft is intuitive and therefore, hidden from view. I will also attempt to show how the ‘manual approach’ has led to loss of creativity in screenwriting. I am using for my argument the screenplays of two well-known and highly regarded films: <i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman; Director: Michel Gondry; 2005) and </span><i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (Screenwriters: Krzysztof Piesiewicz and Krzysztof Kieslowski; Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski; 1988).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My argument will attempt to show that the former, like most recent films, has, intentionally or unintentionally, fallen prey to the ‘manual approach’ to screenwriting and, while impressive on the surface, is in fact, a shallow, soulless, by the numbers screenplay, peopled by stereotypical characters. In contrast, <i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is an organic, moving work featuring genuine characters and complex, real emotions.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My assertion, finally, is that to learn to write a script, one does not need manuals, but a more organic approach that allows space for some magic to creep right back into films. What this approach is, I’m still unsure of, but my feeling is that it involves less of the study of simplistic screenwriting principles and more of an in-depth analysis of a vast number of individual screenplays. (Being an avid reader of other forms of fiction is also essential, of course.) If we were to do this study of several great scripts, I have no doubt that we’ll see broad patterns and, if you will, principles. But I suspect these will be too broad, too basic, and too few to merit a book-length manual. More like a chapter really.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m not for a moment suggesting that screenwriting courses at film schools be done away with. (I wouldn’t have continued my involvement with the teaching of screenwriting if I didn’t believe in it.) Lectures, workshops, analyses, mentoring are all extremely valuable for the learning of screenwriting. I’m merely questioning the ‘manual approach’.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Note: I shall be considering the scripts of the finished films for the purposes of this essay. Also, this essay is written with the assumption that readers have seen both films.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Why these two films <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">First and foremost, the choice is instinctive. <i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> has always made me uncomfortable; always given me the feeling that I’m watching a video game rather than a story that gives me an insight into love, or characters that move me by their pathos. On the other hand, Kieslowski’s film is one that never fails to pull me into the emotional (as well as physical) journey of the characters, one that flows from one scene to the next via a natural escalation of conflict, one that works with economy and precision without seeming to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">While Kaufman’s Oscar-winning screenplay illustrates perfectly the pitfalls of the ‘manual approach’, <i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is a screenplay that seems naturally crafted, if that’s possible, precisely because it refuses to be tied down by principles. It is also interesting to note that while both are well-regarded, important works, they came out almost twenty years apart, one in Hollywood and one in Europe. While it would too simplistic (though tempting) to reduce their differences to those of era, continent and auteur, these are facts and cannot be ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I must mention here that I do not consider <i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to be a bad script; it is, in fact, much better than most films that have appeared in the last few years. It’s clever, so clever, in fact that it almost succeeds in camouflaging its flaws behind little screenwriting tricks. It could have been so much better, if only it had explored the full potential of its premise and not fallen victim to the manual syndrome. (Kaufman’s </span><i>Being John Malkovich</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is a relatively superior screenplay in this respect.) I am taking an extreme position in order to make a point and </span><i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is certainly symptomatic of the malaise afflicting most scripts today. Also, I had to choose a script worthy of analysis by virtue of its success amongst critics and audiences, rather than pick a soft target.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Approach to this essay<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going to avoid the obvious approach of taking elements like Story, Character, Structure etc. and comparing the two screenplays point-by-point. This approach runs the risk of straitjacketing the two screenplays into predetermined parameters. Also, one will be compelled to compare specific elements where a comparison may not be relevant. I propose to take you through each screenplay, to understand how it unfolds, with only an occasional comparison of specific elements. I understand that this approach may be tougher on the reader since it does not facilitate easy conclusions. But just as screenplays should not be mathematical, neither should an essay on screenwriting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The film begins with introducing the protagonist, Joel Barish, who skips work on Valentine’s Day (after spouting a cliché about the holiday having been invented by greeting card companies) and ends up in Montauk. We’re interested, the cliché notwithstanding, because the character seems promising and Gondry dazzles us with his hip directorial style. In Montauk, Joel sees Clementine, first at the beach, then at a restaurant. Joel’s voiceover tells us he falls in love with every woman he sees. Joel is coming across as a shy man who mouths funny lines. (‘Sand is overrated. It’s just tiny little rocks.’ ‘Nice is good.’) So far so good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joel and Clementine get chatting in the train, she having made the first move. And now, signs of stereotyping begin to emerge. Clementine is ‘a vindictive little bitch’, the Hollywood-style ‘free spirit’ who speaks her mind, is attractive, ‘unusual’, gregarious and funny. (She stays at this impossible level right till the end of the film.) Joel, on the other hand, is shy and ‘complex’, but his dialogue is funny, because dialogue must be interesting, character be damned. So, characters meant to be dissimilar, end up speaking similarly. Also, faithful to screenwriting principles, we have two ‘interesting’ people who are very unlike each other, whereas, life tells us that even people who are not so unlike can have interesting relationship issues. But no, a film cannot take this chance. They end up at Clementine’s place where she continues being the extroverted ‘free spirit’. In case we didn’t notice, she also proceeds to state everything:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clementine: I mean, I'm always anxious, thinking I'm not living my life to the fullest, taking advantage of every possibility, making sure I'm not wasting one second of the little time I have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She states much more, and they set a date for ‘honeymoon on ice’ the next night. And so, to further underline that these people are ‘quirky’, they must go to a frozen lake. Where, to further emphasize her free-spiritedness she must use the words ‘ass’ and ‘fuck’. But wait a minute, these are also ‘sensitive’ people, so they must gaze at the stars and speak about constellations.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">They return from the frozen lake, Clementine runs into her home for a toothbrush and the film goes into flashback. Joel is sobbing uncontrollably, the day before Valentine’s Day. We are teased with a glimpse of what is the memory-erasing procedure getting under way, after which we flash further back. Joel is with friends. Clementine has broken up with him and refuses to even recognize him. An upset Joel is told by his friend that Clementine has had him erased from her mind. Let’s pause a little here. This is what the manuals would call the end-of-Act-I-moment. (Either this, or the moment a couple of minutes later when Joel decides to undergo the procedure himself.) We’ve been introduced to the characters, we know the situation and now we’re ‘ready’ to get into the ‘real’ story, which is about Joel deciding to get Clementine erased from his mind and then rebelling against the procedure because he has realized he loves her. Why do we have to wait 25 odd minutes before the real story begins? Why can’t it begin at the beginning, like it does in <i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, as we shall see subsequently? </span><i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> could begin with Joel discovering that Clementine has had him erased and we could get to know the characters as the film progresses. Why wait for the ‘set up’ to be over? Why the need for such a dogged adherence to the principles of structure? Why can’t the story be allowed to determine the structure, instead of the other way round? Yes, the first 25 minutes of </span><i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, at least in terms of dazzle, are effective. Kaufman and Gondry have created a feeling of anticipation and suspense and we want to know more. The opening sequences also provide the opportunity of coming full circle in the end. However, there’s a price to pay. Because as per the manuals the real story can begin only at the end of Act I, and Act I has taken up over 25 minutes, the screenwriter is not left with enough time to explore the struggle of the protagonist. Or perhaps the screenwriter is not interested in truly exploring the protagonist’s struggle, so he uses principles of structure to maneuver the story down a predetermined path. But more on this a little later.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joel goes to Lacuna, meets Dr. Mierzwiak, hesitates for an appropriate duration (one scene with friends) and decides to go ahead with the procedure. The memory erasure process begins (backwards) and we see the memory that led to their break-up. We now discover the problem with their relationship – he’s too possessive, too jealous, too suspicious. Basically, he cannot deal with her free-spiritedness. Okay, so now it looks like there could be some complexity to Joel, he could even be interesting. Except that, very soon, we see a memory where Clem wants to have a baby and Joel doesn’t. Now I’m beginning to get suspicious. Jealousy, not wanting to have a baby... The problems are getting a little too typically male. And multiple, which is what happens when there is no <i>real</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> problem to explore. But let’s wait a bit. There’s an embarrassing scene establishing Mary as a quote freak, before we move on to the next memory and next problem in the Joel-Clementine relationship. Now you get the king of clichés: she says he doesn’t talk with her and she doesn’t know him! This is turning out to be a self-help-article relationship. (By the way, just so no cliché is left out, he also doesn’t clean the hair off the soap in the shower.) Clearly, multiple problems have been created to distract from the absence of a real problem. When there’s nothing to say, one ends up saying everything. They have no real problem because they’re not real people but types. The film has already become a victim of the manual syndrome. Unusual and unalike characters have resulted in cardboard cutouts and thus we’re left with the problem that there’s no problem between them. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since a film needs a ‘bad guy’ (because the script knows there’s no real problem, a bad guy may help provide the necessary ‘complications’), Patrick has to volunteer to steal Clementine’s affections and complicate the plot artificially. Why the need for the Patrick-character? Since the story is about how Joel decides to get his mind erased of Clementine and then struggles to retain her in his memories, this struggle should be strong enough to power the screenplay. But it isn’t, because, as I said earlier, the script isn’t interested in truly exploring his struggle, the promise of the premise: should he or should he not erase Clementine? That would have been interesting, but a) difficult, and b) complex, and therefore not so easy to ‘consume’ by the audience. And so, the script plays a trick upon us: it quickly pushes Joel into the procedure and makes it unstoppable once started. Whereas, it would have been infinitely more interesting to either give Joel the option to stop the procedure until at least a certain amount of time into it, or give him a few days before he makes up his mind about it (the latter option would also go better with Joel’s character, since it is Clementine who is supposed to be ‘impulsive’, not he). That way, his dilemma could have been explored beautifully: do happy memories prevent him from going ahead with the procedure, or will he go ahead with it because the bitter memories outweigh the happy ones? The screenwriter could explore the conflict in Joel’s mind, which is what this film should really be about. But since the film refuses to explore this dilemma, it is forced to fall back upon principles of structure. With a curtailed struggle, it needs an Act I – which, on closer scrutiny, turns out to be mostly exposition – to fill the time. After which, the truncated struggle fits comfortably into the Act II template, since the only real obstacle is the unstoppable nature of the procedure. However, the script knows that this is a rather weak obstacle, and poor Patrick has to step in to bolster it. Patrick, strictly speaking, doesn’t even serve a plot purpose. He’s there just because you need a bad guy to make the protagonist’s struggle seem tougher. (There’s another muddled sub-plot in the film – of Mary and Stan. What does that do? Nothing. Zilch. Nada.) The script is incapable of exploring the complexity of a simple plot. So the plot must be complicated in order for it to seem complex. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let’s proceed and see how the script falls further prey to a manual-imposed structure. It’s about mid-point now and the main ‘struggle’ of the film needs to begin. Joel needs to ‘want’ to stop the process (the main ‘struggle’) and so, sure enough, we see a ‘happy’ memory. Very conveniently, he didn’t see a happy memory earlier, because that would have meant Joel starting his struggle too soon into the film. So the first few memories have to be bitter. And so the struggle of the protagonist begins. (It’s odd that no one before Joel wanted to exit the procedure, since everyone must have a happy memory or two to motivate them. But then I suppose that would make the central conceit of the film untenable. So we must assume two things: that no one before this loved as deeply as Joel and Clementine. And, no one before this was as smart as them.) Joel and Clem decide to hide in a memory where she doesn’t belong (how they get to a memory where she doesn’t belong is another matter but I’m not going into the logic of the premise) because the protagonist, as the manuals tell us, must be ‘pushed’ to ‘the end of the line’, no matter how contrived it might look. So they hide in some ‘quirky’ childhood memories with Joel repeatedly stepping out of character and into Jim Carrey mode. Mierzwiak has to be brought in to track Joel and Clementine down. (Mierzwiak also needs to come into the picture so that Mary, his smitten office receptionist, can get a chance to get disillusioned by this process and eventually spill the beans to everyone who underwent the procedure and thus wrap up the plot. So purely functional is this subplot of a naïve young woman exploited by her much older boss.) The filmmakers have also managed to give us a glimpse into Joel’s somewhat repressed childhood, because everything must have a cause, and the cause must be clearly stated because if it isn’t then no one will get it, seeing as it doesn’t come through in the story that is unfolding. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And soon, the procedure is back on track, ‘pushing’ Joel and Clementine further, ‘testing’ their love further. We see some more ‘struggle’, till, structurally, it’s time for the film to proceed to its ending. At this point the characters, in keeping with the manual approach, are in an impossible situation. There is simply no way out. So now the script must take recourse to another ‘principle’: if we see the protagonists struggle enough, we will forgive the film if it lets them off the hook, however illogically! And so, because we have seen them make this ‘great’ effort (like hiding in his ‘humiliation’ – when he’s caught masturbating by his mother. See how unafraid the film is?) to stay together, we will forgive the writer for giving them an escape route, an opportunity to be together. And so, Clementine whispers the magic words, ‘Meet me in Montauk,’ and their subconscious retain this, because their love is so true. Somewhere before this, of course, the pretentious title of the film has also been dealt with via a ‘Pope Alexander’ quote. Much in keeping with the manuals, to justify the appearance of the quote a character must be a quote freak.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flashback over, Joel and Clem end up listening to each other’s tapes about the other person, get mad at each other and then:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clementine: I'm not a concept, Joel. I'm just a fucked-up girl who's looking for my own peace of mind. I'm not perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joel: I can't see anything that I don't like about you. Right now I can't. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clementine: But you will. But you will. You know, you will think of things, and I'll get bored with you and feel trapped... because that's what happens with me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joel: Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clementine: Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">One cardboard cutout deserves another. ‘Fairytale’ ending. Everything tied up. Just like the manual said. What could have been an exploration of romantic love turned into a mere technical exercise. We get to know a lot <i>about</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> the two main characters and yet we do not get to know them at all. The problems in the relationship are left unexplored because the emphasis is on creating a clever little film from a clever little premise. Too clever, unfortunately, for its own good. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>A Short Film about Love<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The film begins with a brief prologue. A boy’s bandaged wrist. A woman moves a hand to touch it, an older woman’s hand stops her hand. Then we see a boy of about 18 – Tomek – as he lies in bed, asleep, dreaming about a beautiful older woman who is seen in her home through a window. The boy smiles. Not a word has been said, but the effect is exquisite, if impossible to describe. We know something terrible happened to the boy and yet his memories seem happy. Already we are hooked, by an odd juxtaposition of images. Something no manual can teach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The film moves into the past. Tomek steals a telescope and sets it up in his room. Then we see the beautiful woman coming into the post office where Tomek works. She’s here to pick up a money order for which she has received a notice. Tomek, who is clearly besotted with her, tells her there is no money order for her. She leaves. Next we see Tomek studying in his room. An old lady comes and asks him to watch Miss Poland on TV. He goes with the old lady and watches for a bit, then his alarm clock rings and he returns to his room. He calmly uncovers the telescope, diligently wraps the cloth with which the telescope was covered, and looks though the telescope as the beautiful woman – Magda – walks into her apartment. He’s happy to be doing this. Without a word being said we discover she’s an artist. He phones her, she answers and when he doesn’t speak she calls him a jerk. He calls her again and says ‘sorry’. Then she removes her bedcover and opens the door. A man enters, they kiss and it’s clear they’re going to have sex. Tomek can’t watch anymore. Very economically, the whole situation has been set up in this scene. Not a word is uttered to give information to the audience. The screenwriters respect the audience enough to not patronize them, instead taking them along on a cinematic journey, with the confidence that whatever information is needed will emerge naturally as the film progresses. So we don’t know the relationship between the boy and old lady, and though we may guess that the notice for the money order may be forged by Tomek so he can see Magda from up close, the viewer is not insulted by the filmmaker by having this information forced down his throat. This restraint imparts a mysterious quality to the film. Cannot be taught by manual, because how do you teach exactly what to reveal and what not to? The manual approach tends to simplify – either reveal all, or nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We’ve seen the protagonist stealing, we’ve seen him spying on a woman in her intimate moments and it’s clear that he’s been doing this for a while, and we’ve seen him make a blank call to her. The screenwriters, again, have the confidence to show us their protagonist doing ‘bad’ things because they know that doing ‘bad’ things doesn’t necessarily make a person bad. So we’re already identifying with a peeping tom, in fact even feeling sorry for him, perhaps because we’ve seen his bandaged wrist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tomek now watches Magda in a supermarket where she’s come to buy milk because there’s no milkman these days. Then there’s another scene between Tomek and the old lady as she reads out a letter to him. It’s clear she’s very fond of Tomek and he of her, and though we begin to sense that they’re probably not mother and son, it is not made clear yet. Some people might argue that the mysterious quality that this sort of thing results in is unnecessary and tiresome. Perhaps, but this is a quality that permeates life, and therefore must be captured by cinema. Such withholding of information may occasionally seem irritating, but that’s mainly because we are used to watching simplistic entertainments designed for easy consumption. And in any case, this information will emerge in due course, naturally. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tomek proceeds to watch Magda and she has another man at home tonight. Tomek has been watching Magda for many months, but now he’s getting bolder, he’s ready to take this relationship further. The film caught Tomek at the precise point in his life when he is ready to step up efforts to engage with Magda – when he stole the telescope. The plot now moves forward. As Magda proceeds to have sex with her new lover, Tomek calls up the gas company to report a leak in her apartment and interrupt her lovemaking session. Also, the old lady tells Tomek that if he wants he can bring a girlfriend home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The narrative moves rapidly to the next stage as Tomek tells the supermarket attendant that he’ll deliver the milk. He delivers the milk and gets a chance to see Magda, at home, in her nightclothes. Nothing more. But nothing less either. Via each scene in the film, the plot is being taken forward significantly, but naturally. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">That night Magda returns home late. She’s had a tiff with her lover who drops her home. Tomek watches Magda as she cries (over spilt milk!), then he goes to the old lady’s room, where they talk. And now, all of a sudden a fresh insight hits us. Each one of these three characters is hopelessly lonely and in pain. Tomek is attempting to build a relationship with Magda to assuage his loneliness, the old lady is trying to hang on to Tomek to assuage hers and Magda has been having sex with men so she can have company. And all of this the screenwriters have done in a most natural way, without proffering extra information. The screenplay is clearly not slave to a simplistic, manual-like interpretation of structure. There is no clear Act I or end of Act I, where the story takes a turn into Act II and moves into the ‘real’ story. Because the ‘real’ story, about Tomek spying upon Magda and getting increasingly obsessed with her, starts at the beginning of the film, when the telescope is stolen. Not at the end of Act I, like in <i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. </span><i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> begins the story when the film begins because it has the confidence to know that we will get to know the characters during the story and via it. Why waste 25-30 minutes in exposition when that time can be used to tell the story? And this story needs time, because unlike in the case of </span><i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, here the screenwriters will not shy away from exploring its complexities. We have much more information about Joel and Clementine (how they met, how they fell apart, Joel’s repressed childhood) and yet we hardly know the characters because the plot requires them to act like robots rather than human beings. We know hardly anything about Tomek and Magda and yet we seem to know them very well. Knowing </span><i>about</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> a character must not be a substitute for knowing a character. I am not recommending that all films emulate the structure of </span><i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. Each story must find its own structure. </span><i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> succeeded in finding its.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So Kieslowski’s three sad, lonely people draw us into their world. Tomek uses physical pain to camouflage a deeper pain, while Magda uses the sensation of running her finger through the spilt milk on the table to distract herself. A haunting image, and certainly not the stuff of screenwriting manuals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And now, the central relationship moves to the next level. Another fake post office notice is slipped into her mailbox by Tomek. Magda comes to the post office and tells Tomek that she wants to see someone ‘older’. An argument with the postmistress later, Magda walks out in tears and Tomek, who can’t stand to see her so, follows her and confesses the truth. She’s upset because she should be upset, but, having asked Tomek to get lost, when he turns around and walks away, she almost calls him back. Perhaps she understands him a little. Perhaps she’s a little flattered. Or maybe she’s just behaving like a human being, and people occasionally do inexplicable things. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">That night Magda reveals her cynicism, her bitterness and her anger. She first makes Tomek watch while she has sex with her lover, then tells her lover about Tomek. The lover proceeds to beat up Tomek: ‘Don’t do it again. It’s not nice at your age.’ The old woman, who has seen it all, nurses Tomek.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next morning things go further. (In fact, manual-purists will be pleased with the rapidity with which the plot unfolds!) When Tomek goes to deliver milk, Magda accosts him and mocks him sadistically, then asks why he watches her. He tells her he loves her and she asks him if wants to sleep with her. He says he doesn’t. She’s taken aback, because she suspects he means it. The choice of characters now becomes clear. It had to be an experienced, cynical woman and an innocent boy who still hasn’t lost his idealism. He reminds her that once she too was idealistic, just like him, and it alarms her that she has gone and lost that idealism. What if she has made a mistake? A blunder? Wasted years and years, compromised her morals because she was weak enough to give up hope without a fight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tomek gets up the courage to ask her to come for ice-cream and is delighted. We now see the man in white (unexplained by the film, and by me).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tomek and Magda are at a restaurant. She tells him she doesn’t believe in love. He tells her about himself. He’s learning Bulgarian because he had a Bulgarian friend at the orphanage. He has only one friend now, who is away and whose mother he stays with. This friend also used to watch Magda. Magda mentions a steady lover who left her, never to return. Tomek remembers him. Tomek used to like him. Magda plays with Tomek now, asking him to caress her. He’s a challenge to her. She has to prove to herself that she was right in losing hope and becoming bitter, that it’s not her fault. She has to conquer the boy and demolish his idealism. And so she takes him home. Notice how we discover Tomek’s relationship with the old woman, and how naturally this information has been slipped in. It may not have hurt the story if we’d known this earlier, but discovering it now adds to the impact. At the precise moment when Magda and Tomek connect physically, are we told that Tomek has no family. Talk of dramatic impact.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">At her apartment, Magda continues to mock him, describing the sex act and sexual arousal clinically and graphically, taking away all notion of love from it. (The lonely old lady is watching all this through Tomek’s stolen telescope.) Magda then makes Tomek feel her, and when he ejaculates in his pants she says: ‘Love… that’s all it is.’ Tomek is devastated. But Magda has failed too. She knows that his love for her was pure, as only an adolescent’s love can be. She knows she gave up hope too soon. She told him a few minutes earlier that she’s not a nice person. She didn’t mean it then, but now she knows it’s true. Magda is instantly repentant. She has been ‘pushed’ to the ‘end of the line’ by the purity of Tomek’s emotions and yet we do not feel like we’ve been manipulated, probably because of three reasons. One, the choice of characters who are real and genuinely flawed. Two, although the premise (a boy watching an older woman through a telescope) is not extraordinary, the plot escalates naturally from one incident to the next. And three, the element of mystery, which assures us that we’re watching life unfold. Cannot be taught.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">As he runs out of Magda’s building and into his, Tomek comes across the man in white again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A remorseful Magda fishes out a pair of binoculars to watch Tomek, but he switches off the light. Magda puts a banner in her window saying, ‘come back, sorry’. But Tomek has seen the unpleasant side of life and this is unacceptable to his idealism. He proceeds to slit his wrists. Magda, unaware of this, continues to be in a disturbed state of mind and turns her lover away when he rings the bell. Tomek is taken away in an ambulance and Magda goes to his place and meets the old lady. The old lady is evasive, merely saying that Tomek is in hospital. She clearly sees Magda as a threat, like a mother would. The tables are turning, the plot has reached almost soap opera melodramatic levels but by now we’re so invested in the characters of the peeping tom-cum-thief and the morally questionable, sadistic woman that we do not mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now it’s Magda’s turn to get obsessed. She looks for Tomek, waits for him and when a phone call comes, believing it’s him, she tells him that he was ‘right’. She watches his window through binoculars. One might argue that her obsession is no more than a concern since she feels responsible for whatever it is that has happened to Tomek. And yet, the fact remains that Tomek means much more than this to her. Though saying that now she has fallen in love with him may be going too far, he has certainly restored her faith in love. She has recovered her idealism and is ready to deal with the pain of love again. Too pat? Perhaps. Do we mind it? Nope. We don’t mind it because the screenplay has delivered on the promise in the premise. A lonely boy has been hurt badly, because the screenplay refused to pull punches and allowed life to unfold without seeming to interfere. A woman’s soul has been stripped bare; she has been shown in all her ugliness, because human beings often are ugly. We continue to empathize with the characters because we have been touched by their pain and reminded of our own ugliness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">After Tomek returns from hospital, Magda goes to see him, but the old woman will not allow her a moment of privacy with the sleeping Tomek. The film ends with a beautiful scene, a ‘fairytale’ ending. (Apparently, Grazyna Szapolowska, the actress playing Magda, wanted a fairytale ending for the film, an ending different from <i>Decalogue VI</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, the shorter version.) Magda looks through Tomek’s stolen telescope and sees herself as he saw her – crying (over spilt milk). Tomek comforts her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The journey is complete. Tomek will have come of age, Magda has had her faith in love restored, the relationship between the two has gone the full distance and at no point did one get the feeling of watching a mathematical theorem being proved. The characters are real and weak and flawed and ‘bad’ and so we can identify with them. Are we wiser about love? Now that would be a bit much to expect a film, even a Kieslowski film, to do. For that we will have to continue to depend upon our own experiences, go through our own pain. Just like Tomek and Magda.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Conclusion<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">If we look carefully at how the script of <i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> unfolds, we will note that there is a certain precision about it: each scene takes the plot forward significantly but not by too much; each character has a growth; information is revealed with a precise economy; things come full circle as Magda gets obsessed with Tomek; and there’s a ‘fairytale’ ending. And yet the mathematics, which must have gone into this, never reveals itself. My belief is that the mathematics, or craft, is invisible because the script is not slave to a set paradigm. Even when it ends up following certain broad principles of storytelling, it succeeds in going into territory that the manual approach is unlikely to reach. This ‘craft’ is impossible to define, and each script demands its own. The moment we define it, it becomes formula, thus not allowing intuition to play its part. In </span><i>A Short Film about Love</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, real, interesting characters have been put in an interesting situation, after which all the screenwriters have done is follow them, study their every move and show us what they do. The craft is intuitive. In </span><i>Eternal Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, on the other hand, ‘principles’ of the craft determine the story and the characters, and the mathematics cannot, therefore, stay hidden. It shows up repeatedly, in a dogmatic 3-Act structure, too much information, stereotypical characters, a token and mechanical struggle, and a contrived fairytale ending. And so, while on the one hand we get a moving story that touches our hearts and minds, on the other we have an emotionally hollow, gimmick of a movie that dazzles us on occasion, but never quite succeeds in making us feel for the characters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The manual approach has destroyed many a potentially good film. Perhaps what we need is a non-approach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There’s a quote attributed to Somerset Maugham: “There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” I think anyone involved in writing screenplays must memorize these three rules. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Ashwini Malikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07308946967995170440noreply@blogger.com