As
intriguing to me, as the story of the “Rain Man”, is the story
behind the movie. Do you know what that is? If not, I'll give you a
hint; it involves characters you never see onscreen. Specifically,
it's the tale of Charlie and Raymond's parents, among many others.
The
father that was never shown, had a profound effect on his children,
which shaped the behavior we see. The mother had passed, many years
before the beginning of the picture, but her journey as a character
and the void she left in her stead, is a crucial support beam for the
screenplay. The supporting characters we do see on camera, make
decisions that affect the film's final cut. Those people have their
own unique identities, lives and motivations; they're not
interchangeable. There's the girlfriend, with a story all her own,
the doctor and the prostitute and the business partner, Vern “the
main man” and more.
What
you may not have realized before, is the fact that these stories have
been talked about and written in detail. They are essential parts of
the narrative, though they are in the background. Even if they are
skipped over entirely, they are cogs in the wheel of the machine. Sometimes you
don't notice them, but they do their part to keep the motor running,
Classic
Movie Trailers - “Rain Man” (1988)
“Fiction
is life with the dull bits left out.”
That's
a quote from Clive James. It's simple, direct and truthful. However,
I feel I should add a few things. The most important suggestion I
have to offer, is that the dull bits, are what makes the story work.
Do
you know the difference, between a character that seems to live and
breathe, and a two-dimensional one? I've written more than my share
of the latter, so I know this for certain. The difference is, well
realized characters aren't just written well, they are written in
their entirety.
One
of the books, that has shaped me as an author, is Syd Field's
“Screenplay”. I refer to that book before any other, in regards
to the proper way to build character. The easiest way to approach it,
is to simply write a character's life from birth, up to the beginning
of the movie.
Imagine
that you're the writer behind “Rain Man”. You have a great idea, about an “Autistic Savant” and some other plot points. What do
you do next? Well, I'd suggest that you consider a character arc,
either for that specific character, or someone in close contact with
them. Make a decision regarding who will change, how they will change
and above all, how they were before.
This
is the time, to appreciate all of the hard work, that goes into every
movie, every TV show, every novel and cartoon you've every
experienced. If you'll take a moment with me, to reflect on the pages
upon pages of history, and interactions and plot points you never
see, you'll appreciate the ones you do, so much more. For just the
main character, to be a fully conceptualized idea, he or she needs a
mother and father, grandparents, friends, enemies, and others you
may not be aware of.
The
dull bits are left out. What you need to see is in the movie, or the
book, or the comic. You only need to know what they're showing you,
but they need to know much, much more. What's relevant will spill
over, into the main body of the work. Something as simple and as
small, as a father's love for his vehicle, can permeate the story,
depending upon how other characters reacted to him and his behavior.
If
you're a writer, you have to know it, otherwise you can't show it;
that's the truth of the matter. In order for a movie like this to
entertain you, there has to be some things that are left out. Still,
you'll able to see the depth of the product by what is suggested,
what is hinted at and what is spoken of, in passing. Those
foundations are there, they are strong, and the quality of the movie
would suffer in their absence.
--------------------
@ChannelSeals
No comments:
Post a Comment