Script - First Draft (4/24/20)
TO MY PEER REVIEWER: I TALK ABOUT SOME SPOILERS FOR THE FOLLOWING MOVIES: Cast Away, A Quiet Place, Her, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Whiplash.
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Anything that's italicized is video notes, and not a part of my dialogue
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Here's a link to my cover letter.
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SPOILER WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING FILMS, TIMESTAMPS WILL BE IN THE DESCRIPTION TO AVOID CERTAIN MOVIES IF YOU WISH
Begin by showing the scene for superman. Green light, train, chest
Film, has been a huge part of my life, to say the least. As a kid I grew with oldies like 1978’s Superman with Christopher Reeves, fostering my love for comic book films at a young age.
Show scene from Superman, as my voice ends, his theme begins to pick up.
The disney/pixar animated classics were a formative piece of my childhood as well, such as Toy Story
Show the scene of Toy Story.
And I couldn’t possibly forget the magical Harry Potter series that defined my childhood and remains as one of my favorite book and movie series of all time
Show getting his wand
I could go on about the nostalgia and memories I had watching movies. There’s just too many to choose from.
Cut to Black.
But then, something changed.
Have a fade in to some cool shot or something like that
Recently, I’ve become obsessed with movies… not just as entertainment, but as an art form. I’m not exactly sure what started it, but since then, I’ve been watching a broad range of films and spending time to learn more about them, and cinema in general. Seeing the behind the scenes or hearing someone’s thoughts about the movie always fascinates me. Movies like David Fincher’s “Se7en” or Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy were films that I had never even heard of or thought I would ever watch, and yet, I was impacted and found incredible meaning in them.
It’s a passion I’m so glad I’ve grown and will continue to nurture it as I grow older, but it’s begun to make me wonder:
Have text over some blurred footage that says: What Makes Film Compelling?
What makes film so compelling to us?
Is it the sheer entertainment, or the technical beauty, or the deeper messages that a story can convey? I’ve thought about this for a while, and I think all of those play a huge role in why we love film. But what I think is really engaging is that, film shows us, ourselves.
Something I encountered during my research was a psychological theory known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This idea shows us this pyramid to describe motivation. And while humans are complicated beings with many layers, I think this does a good job at telling us a bit about who we are. And I think film exemplifies these ideas in depth and detail, which is why we love cinema so much. I won’t break down every tier…
CUT TO BLACK
...but here’s a few I’ve noticed.
Fade in to Cast Away
37 08
To this day, Robert Zemeckis’ Cast Away is one of my favorite movies. Not only is it propelled by Tom Hanks incredible performance, but musical score and memorable characters (wilson) carry the film as well. It’s a gripping story about fed-ex employee Chuck Noland, and his struggle for survival after being stranded on a deserted island. This movie is a prime example of Maslow’s first tier: Physiological needs, which are the basic biological requirements for human survival, like food, water, shelter, and sleep.
Something else I’ve noticed while watching this film is that while Chuck is on the island, there’s no music.
Play a brief clip to convey no music, then voiceover of me saying:
It’s purely just ___ (figure out how many minutes he is on the island in the film) minutes of humanity at its most vulnerable, and it creates a very authentic and realistic tone. That’s one of the many things this movie does beautifully: conveying realism, especially in terms of his survival. These core needs are ultimately Chuck’s first actions. Whether it be fluids from a coconut, making a fire for warmth, or fishing for food. If Chuck needs something little else matters until he satisfies his need, which is one of the key aspects of Maslow’s hierarchy: lower needs must be attended to before higher needs.
Another part of Maslow’s theory is that all other needs are considered secondary until the primary levels are met. For Chuck, this is exactly how it plays out, and how we as readers expect. Mastering technique, comfort, company; all of which comes later. The most important thing initially is survival.
Play a last one liner from last away, maybe his ending monologue
FADE
Play the scene from A Quiet Place with the board game
A Quiet Place is one of the most clever and well thought out movies I’ve seen. It’s reliance on lack of dialogue, lack of sound, and purely visuals and uneasy tension throughout makes for an extraordinarily entertaining experience. And as we move up Maslow’s pyramid, we find another tier in this movie: Safety Needs.
Once the basic needs for survival are met, that’s when we can start to focus on more complex needs. These safety needs involve the human desire for order, predictability, control, to avoid harm. For the most part, people want security in their lives to ensure some sort of consistency.
In this world, all of that is gone. These mysterious creatures hunt by sound; any noise at all could be your last. We follow a family who’s established themselves well in this world, and have settled on a widespread territory. As the movie shows us their lives, we see almost everything they do revolves around their safety, mainly because they have to.
Unlike many horror movies, they’re very smart in what they do. Walking on sand barefoot to avoid any crinkling leaves or rolling rocks; learning sign language to avoid speaking aloud, only speaking when a louder sound drowns them out. One of the more intense sequences is when Emily Blunt’s character goes into labor, and viewers are treated with one of the most impressive parts of the whole movie. The brilliance of these characters shines, from their visual cues to signal what’s to come (the red lights), to the fireworks to drown her screams which were foreshadowed when John Krasinki’s character is teaching at the waterfall, to the underground bunker and oxygen case for the baby to keep it quiet, which is also foreshadowed earlier on. While a more extreme case than what many might experience today, they showcase a lot about human behavior when motivated by safety needs.
Show the ending scene of her loading the shotgun.
Then transition into the cast away Wilson birth
I come back to Cast Away for this third tier because the introduction of a certain character is truly one of the most touching and compelling parts about this movie and it’s character.
Show the scene of his rage fit.
This third tier involves the Love and Belonging Needs. As the name suggests, we seek friendship, trust, and acceptance in times of isolation, much like the times we are living in today in 2020.
In an attempt to cast a fire, his desperation and hopelessness shines. He is alone, and will not be found anytime soon. We see many attempts at reaching out, like signalling for help, or trying to raft out to a far away ship only to fail and injure himself in the process. But it’s after these attempts that, he spontaneously decides after some frustration, to make a friend for himself: Wilson the volleyball. The film grows this relationship over time, and soon, Chuck’s conversation’s begin to become more complex, when he starts to talk to Wilson as if he’s responding to something Wilson says. As humans we have a “persistent social nature.” And in times of pure and utter solitude, Chuck finds a friend.
Fade to black on the seen where he’s taking care of Wilson or finds him after throwing him out.
But there’s more to this tier of motivation than just friendship.
Fade into a scene from Her, him walking outside, maybe him saying to play a melancholy song.
One of the most fascinating and touching films I’ve seen is Spike Jonze’s Her. In the near future, Joaquin Phoenix embodies the lonely Theodore Twombly as he slowly falls in love with a computer AI system. This kind of love and belonging is more intimate than a friendship; throughout the film Theodore is struggling with his past after a divorce with the love of his life. He struggles to make new romantic relationships and has heavy feelings of heartbreak and sadness.
Owl Visual
I keep waiting to not care about her...feeling lesser feelings scene
But when he finds comfort in Samantha, his world begins to change. This desire for acceptance among someone is filled, and he finds excitement in the world again. His outfit changes, the movie almost seems visually brighter. He’s happier.
Theodore goes through a bit of a journey in this film, after meeting with his ex to seal the deal, she’s quite disapproving of his new relationship. And after some time of questioning his feelings, he decides that she’s worth it, and that she satisfies that need of his. And even when Samantha is gone, and after her revelation which comes almost like a betrayal, he’s able to let go of Catherine, and overcome his struggles, finding company in end, which is exactly what he needed to be free.
Amy Adams Quote
Fade to black
Fade into Ferris Bueller’s “they bought it” line
The classic and iconic story of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of my favorite comedies, and to this day is still talked about, and referenced in pop culture as well for many of its most famous scenes and lines.
Bueller, bueller scene.
But after a recent rewatch, my favorite scenes aren’t the ones showcasing the hilariousity of Ferris and his perfect day off. It’s the scenes with his friend Cameron that truly stick out to me.
SHOW THE ART GALLERY SCENE.
Cameron’s journey showcases another tier of Maslow’s theory: Esteem Needs. These relate to esteem in oneself in terms of dignity, confidence, and independence, as well as reputation and respect from others. Cameron’s goes through all of this.
Throughout the movie, we see Cameron’s hesitancy towards Ferris’s grand plan, starting with him sick in bed, until he takes on Ferris’s offer after some heavy contemplation.
Car decision scene.
And during these fun scenes, we get brief moments where we learn that Cameron’s not as cheery as Ferris is. He’s got a bit of a nervous and dull outlook on life. And, he’s a bit submissive to other’s needs and has low confidence. Instead of looking out for himself, he goes with Ferris when he’s actually sick. While worrying about getting in trouble with school, he poses as someone else to lie to the Dean of Students. And probably the biggest one: when it comes to his dad’s prized possession, the iconic Red ferrari, he lets Ferris pressure him to take it for a spin to top the day off.
And it’s truly with that moment in the museum that I think Cameron begins to change. As he stares into this pointillism painting by George Seurat, I think he sees this girl, close to her mother, symbolizing the love from a parent that he never got as a kid. In this moment, he starts to change. And by the end, he has.
In a powerful monologue, he finally stands up for himself, growing the confidence he never had, and his kicks and hits to his father’s car is like a coming of age. He’s finally living for himself. He learns to take a stand, and ultimately grows and motivates himself to focus on being free. It’s a heavy and powerful moment placed in this comedy, but it’s truly one of its greatest moments.
Life moves pretty fast. Or, cameron car scene
Fade out.
Fade into the drums scene of whiplash from the opening
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is praised for many things; it’s brilliant filmmaking, intense story, and the top notch acting, featuring one of J.K. Simmons best performances of his career as the conductor Terence Fletcher.
Not quite my tempo scene.
This story of first year student Andrew Neiman and his aspiration of drumming exemplifies one of the highest tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy: Self Actualization. This need is a bit different from the others. Once the other needs have been met, we can now focus on our potential, pursuing talent, our seeking of personal growth, and reaching our peak. It’s about one’s desire to become the most they can be. And for Andrew, his goal is simple:
“I wanna be one of the greats” scene.
This is one of the highest forms of human motivation according to Maslow, and we see that in Andrew, as he is willing to go to great lengths to fulfill his needs. From his intense practice that usually ends up with his hands bleeding, or his unwavering determination to succeed like when he gets into a literal car crash, but runs to still perform.
And, in one of the most outstanding movie endings I’ve ever seen, Andrew gets another chance to show Fletcher what he’s made of, and he hits it out of the park. Fletcher uses the performance as a way to enact revenge on Andrew for getting him fired, and has the band play a song that Andrew wasn’t prepared for. After a moment of defeat, Andrew gets back up, and decides to take matters into his own hands, and march to the beat of his own drum, bursting into “Caravan” and going on to play an extended drum solo after the song concludes. In a moment of pure approval between the two, they share a final glance, and nail the final note.
This finale is what self actualization is all about. Andrew’s drive, persistence, and determination to be one of the great drummers is what motivated him to go above and beyond. And after hardship and struggle, it paid off. This peak experience is what Maslow’s pyramid is building up to, and what can be described as the one of the most personal and rewarding self fulfillment for human beings.
Show the ending of Whiplash, when it cuts to black
Fade into a montage of all the films.
It’s clear through all these films that movies showcase these human tendencies, these human characteristics that tell beautiful stories about us. But what does it truly build up to, why are we so drawn to these stories?
Movies show us who we are. They show us pieces of our lives. The emotions, the feelings, and the character that means so much to us. By telling these stories and bringing these parts of us to life right in front of us, it’s like seeing everything you know from a different perspective, reliving your greatest and worst moments but with fresh eyes, finding out more about the world and yourself, inspiring us and our daily lives and really, just finding out more about what it means to be human. To be alive. And in my mind, that’s the perfect reason for film to exist.
End with Theodore smiling. Or with the moon song from Her.