If You Can't Answer This One Question Your Script Will Be Rejected - Corey Mandell

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 256

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Here is our full interview with Corey - th-cam.com/video/CWfcjN8ajHg/w-d-xo.html

  • @leapfandler1608
    @leapfandler1608 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    This is literally the best advice EVER when it comes to screenplays!!! THANK YOU for this!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Glad it was helpful!

  • @susand9494
    @susand9494 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    Corey is the absolute BEST at explaining through story.

  • @arzabael
    @arzabael ปีที่แล้ว +53

    I love lessons like this. Technically my story is about supernatural occultism but the one thing my story is truly about, is the internal process one goes through when they stop needing the acknowledgment of others to know who they are.

    • @benjaminjeter8105
      @benjaminjeter8105 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That sounds like an awesome story. Like bro I would love to see, hear and experience what that tale has to show. It's such a great concept that my brain is already leaking out what that can render into that. Dope shit man, fr 👍

    • @arzabael
      @arzabael ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@benjaminjeter8105 if you’re a real human and you’re being serious, I love you

    • @benjaminjeter8105
      @benjaminjeter8105 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I'm real 😁 I love you too bro, chin up

    • @arzabael
      @arzabael ปีที่แล้ว

      @@benjaminjeter8105 are you a writer?

    • @benjaminjeter8105
      @benjaminjeter8105 ปีที่แล้ว

      You could say that I'm still getting into it. I don't read often but I've been infatuated with words and storytelling for a long time now. I am well versed at the most. But yeah I dabble, I got something cooking myself.

  • @GhibliNova
    @GhibliNova ปีที่แล้ว +26

    His class is freaking stellar, I highly recommend. My degree emphasis is in theater and of course we went into detail of Stanislavski, and I genuinely feel that what Stanislavski did for acting is what Corey is doing with screenwriting. 'The Method' writers are about to take over Hollywood. Chances are, not me 😂 but some of my classmates were incredible and they only gotten better with the method.

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว +74

    What do you think of this lesson? Do you agree with Corey?

    • @GamesRuleDoctor
      @GamesRuleDoctor ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I have been watching you for years and appreciate your guests and how support their knowledge with little interruption. The information they provide is often priceless and you are to be commended for your contributions to the greater community. And yes, I agree with Corey as some of my favorite movies/writers, that also happen to be lauded by others, can be summed up with the one question.

    • @katylee1914
      @katylee1914 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      This one is great ! The story about the house/island was so helpful!!

    • @irubberyouglueonethousand5384
      @irubberyouglueonethousand5384 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      💯💯💯

    • @JelloFluoride
      @JelloFluoride ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Uh, well sure... I agree. I would have explained it a thousand times better though.

    • @noteem5726
      @noteem5726 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Yes. The central theme is the soul of the film and it's the reason why so many films these days are soulless.
      They're all agenda driven and not story driven. So they continue to build sections of the house on the islands of different segments of the population instead of a single house that can stand on its own.

  • @ckrug32
    @ckrug32 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Thank you for being so generous, Corey. You have a gift for distilling complex concepts into easily digestible examples and ideas; the mark of any great teacher and writer.
    Your metaphor about the fragmented house on the island is a great image that I will continue to refer back to when I'm trying to zero in on my story and what it's REALLY (singularly) about.

  • @apocalypse369
    @apocalypse369 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Who needs film school when you got this gift of a channel, Thank you for the great content ❤

  • @seen921
    @seen921 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Love how he distills everything from how it all comes together as a writer to his learning how the processes work- he’s so honest and fun to listen to

  • @copony23
    @copony23 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    This channel is a goldmine ❤

  • @smacksound
    @smacksound ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Absolutely fascinating. As a voice actor, insight from great writers and directors are more valuable than actual instruction. The most valuable line I ever heard when approaching a script is "what is the writer trying to say?", with the understanding that the answer most likely lives in subtext. If you know that the rest takes care of itself. Corey articulates that beautifully.

  • @draganie
    @draganie ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Oh-the timing of this is perfect! I’m finally coming back to writing after years of taking a break when I wasn’t getting anywhere; how amazing that this popped in my recommended videos the week before I plan on plunging into writing seriously again!

  • @kikip3057
    @kikip3057 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Wow ! Really needed to hear this today. I have a script I've been working on for 2 years, and gone through countless revisions, to the point where I'm feeling very lost. This is the answer!! Somewhere along the way, I seem to have forgotten what my film was meant to be about. Will have to do some digging, but I'm hopeful that I can salvage the project once I determine my North Star. This lesson also helps me to understand why other scripts of mine were successful and others failed. This is a game changer!! THANK YOU!!

  • @skyshorrchannel3474
    @skyshorrchannel3474 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wow, the best, clearest example of digging deeper than I have ever heard.
    In the space of 2 minutes I understood a 10 part script I have spent a decade upon.

  • @rbowdenscipio3408
    @rbowdenscipio3408 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Thank you for releasing this.... Corey is so full of story-telling wisdom that I watched this video in chunks to process it one piece at a time. Very helpful stuff!

  • @simonburton992
    @simonburton992 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    My various piles of rubble are looking very embarrassing right now. On the other hand, I'm glad I'm not the only one doing this.

  • @TheEvilFungi
    @TheEvilFungi ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I took corey's classes. They're really good. He tells that Ridely scott story a LOT!

  • @Sam_Paam
    @Sam_Paam 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Such a great interview, I love how he picks up on anecdotes and inspiring collabs to make his points. Thanks Mr Mandell for inviting us onto the right question... birthmark of my story here I come

  • @Baci302
    @Baci302 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Fascinating interview. The lessons here can be applied to other disciplines as well. Thank you, Corey! Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. The magic is in the work.

  •  ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Danke!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you so much Marcus! We appreciate you giving back and supporting our channel!

  • @anastasiahagerstrom2120
    @anastasiahagerstrom2120 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is singuarly the most important advice I have heard to get my head in the game. Golden! Thank you for sharing.

  • @lonjohnson5161
    @lonjohnson5161 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This is helpful. I'm thinking about my current project and my one good script. The question is easy to answer for my good script, but is a little foggy for my current script.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Lon! Hope this helps you get to a point where you figure out your current script.

  • @dalemacinnis3385
    @dalemacinnis3385 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Cool. I'm going to go back through all my stories (from which I hope to make short films) and be sure I know what they're about. Thank you!

  • @SDIBINGA
    @SDIBINGA ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This dude's awesome

  • @edgewaterz
    @edgewaterz ปีที่แล้ว +3

    5:27 Corey says the best screen play ever is Network 1976 written by Paddy Chayefsky. The movie is a must watch for writers. It's insane and still rings the same bells with what is going on in the world today. If you like it check out The Hospital 1971 also written by Paddy. However I must differ with Corey on Dog Day Afternoon. That movie makes no sense even though it's based on a book. But it's ok to disagree. Corey's advice is so great. I could listen to him all day.

  • @Zaburi
    @Zaburi 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Corey Mandell for pass your experience. It fell on good ears. God Bless.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Glad it was helpful!

  • @PoetryInHats
    @PoetryInHats ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This was so helpful. It gave me a new way to look at my WIP.

  • @mixboy79
    @mixboy79 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    So insightful. This is something I constantly struggle with.

  • @Ruylopez778
    @Ruylopez778 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Although Corey gives us the solution to all our writing problems, direct from Ridley, with several clear examples, it also comes with a dose of reality; you need the integrity to throw away great ideas you want to include that don't quite fit, in order to make it truly resonate. And the second crucial take away is that time spent on really defining what you're writing about is more important than just churning out words and ideas. While this advice is incredibly helpful in how to apply your time, it doesn't make the process of creating good art easy. It will still always be a grind, even if the grind itself is at times thrilling, among other things.

    • @ssssssstssssssss
      @ssssssstssssssss ปีที่แล้ว

      You don't have to have that integrity but it will come at the cost of cohesion in your story. If you watch YCombinator videos, they'll tell you the importance of being problem focused with a startup and that you should stick to solving that problem and avoid distractions. I see this "what's it about" as the problem you are trying to solve with your story. So all those "great ideas" will end up being distractions.

    • @Ruylopez778
      @Ruylopez778 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ssssssstssssssss Therefore integrity is part of mastering the craft and the process. Those who aren't self aware enough to assess their work coldly are unlikely to produce great work, unless by fluke. And that's why process is so important. Alternatively, artists who lack that integrity need an artistic partner or mentor that can insist on changes. That isn't necessarily a healthy relationship, but it could work.

  • @KayFlowidity
    @KayFlowidity ปีที่แล้ว +1

    5:45 👌👌👌
    12:30 What's it about
    13:05 Loglines

  • @BenDunnPublishing
    @BenDunnPublishing ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great Idea/Concept to know, but personally, I'm not going to worry about it until after the first draft. When I have a story idea I figure out where and how I want to start it, then I have a pretty good idea on how I need to end it for the Bookend, but sometimes magic happens and the story heads in another direction. To worry that this new tangent is not at the core of the original idea or off the spine of a hard/fixed concept, would kill the magic for me and dismiss why it needed to go on a new tangent. So yeah, after the first draft I need to now find/define the core essence to hone the script. I will tell you the two things I looked for/asked in a script when I was a Reader. 1) Why have you brought me to this world? 2) What am I supposed to learn while in your world? *note: Using this video/advice as a guide on my last script, I am now able to sum up the script in a single line, which I wasn't able to do before... So, yes! Awesome advice!

  • @wisdomvision3330
    @wisdomvision3330 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thank you so much Wisdom Vision! We had a great time interviewing Corey. Glad to see you find value in his teachings!

  • @davidpearson611
    @davidpearson611 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    I watched this video twice in a row, then sat down and finally (FINALLY!) found the ‘One thing it’s about’ for my story: How do you live when the way you NEED the world to be CONFLICTS with the way it really is?
    Thank you very much Film Courage and Corey Mandell

  • @CJC0017
    @CJC0017 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This channel is a Fabulous resource oh my goodness thank you !

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Cheers!

  • @SpeakerBuilder
    @SpeakerBuilder ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I just re-watched "Remains of The Day" with Anthony Hopkins, and it has got to be the very best example of what is being discussed here, as every single aspect of that movie advances the narrative of the main character's strengths and flaws.

  • @DanielL.Phillips
    @DanielL.Phillips ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thank You Film Courage.. Thank You Corey for throwing another Bone.. That's very very important. I watched another Screen play writer on here share his stories about being in college and a teacher would have the students in the class and He would lay his head down on the desk and ask each student What's it really all about? What's the point? All I can say- Thank you very very much. Happy Turkey Day to Film Courage and the Mandell family.. P.S I watched the trailer for- Network.. ( It looks wild).

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Daniel! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

  • @bilalsarkac
    @bilalsarkac ปีที่แล้ว +10

    An addition to things Corey mentioned about Breaking Bad.. On second scene of Breaking Bad, at one point, exactly as Vince Gilligan put it down on pilot script, Walt seems like he's talking to himself and says "Growth, decay. Transformation. It's fascinating, really." This line is like the key of the world he's opening in front of us. And it's the purest and simplest way of formulating the whole story he's beginning to tell.. One of my professors always said that the ghost of the final should wander around, in the beginning..

  • @BreakerMorant1980
    @BreakerMorant1980 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    5:56 That is the most brilliant insight about Network I have ever heard. 🏆🏅🥇🎖🎉🎊🎆🎇✨

  • @johnrobinson4445
    @johnrobinson4445 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I really like this guy: down-to-Earth, knowledgeable, very very relatable. And this topic or insight is absolutely critical for the writing process. 164.

  • @johnnojojack-exe
    @johnnojojack-exe หลายเดือนก่อน

    I find that advice to be really cool. Anytime I'm thinking of an idea, working through a story, or hearing a friend's story, I intuitively think "what is this really about?" But because I'm a novice, I would feel silly making connections to that singular question. I definitely need to practice it more.

  • @fabianthaesler1317
    @fabianthaesler1317 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great episode - with a deeply central point of storytelling. Thanks for sharing! :-)

  • @anthonyleone2979
    @anthonyleone2979 ปีที่แล้ว

    So motivating and focused.

  • @Mulnader
    @Mulnader ปีที่แล้ว +9

    It's funny that a month or two ago, I came to the conclusion that I need to have two "one-liners" for my script that I've worked on for ~10 years
    It made me feel excited and confident that one has to be a "teaser" and the other is about the "true DNA of the film," which I'd never put on a poster
    But at the same time, it made me feel like I'm making some weird excuse because I don't really know what it's about. Thanks to Corey, I learned that instinct sometimes can fill a gap in knowledge

  •  ปีที่แล้ว

    such a great lesson 👍 thank you for this and keep up the good work!🙂 Favorite channel on you tube!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว

      Love this clip. This entire interview with Corey is excellent. Thank you Marcus, we are humbled to have your support.

  • @kahaterein7084
    @kahaterein7084 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very helpful vid, "core of the story" are often disregard in favor of characters and "climate".

  • @AdonisMediaProductions
    @AdonisMediaProductions 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm not surprised he got the shot to work with Ridley Scott, he's very eloquent and honestly every word is used with such a precision that no point did my mind even wander for a moment.

  • @scottwareham6987
    @scottwareham6987 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Fantastic lesson! You guys are amazing, thank you so much for all of these interviews/clips 😊❤

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว

      Corey is excellent! Thanks for watching Scott!

  • @edbradley6815
    @edbradley6815 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    @9:03 similar “story” about Abraham Lincoln, he was challenged to chop down a tree in two hours. They asked him how he would do it, he said, spend the first hour sharpening the axe

  • @Meteotrix
    @Meteotrix 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    10/10. I used to make warcraft pvp machinima videos, and i spent easily an entire year reviewing everyone's videos and wondering what set the good ones apart from the mediocre ones (back in 2008-2010), until I figured, the good ones have a main concept, theme, idea, whatever you want to call it, /whereas/ the mediocre ones were just surface-level copies that duct-taped a bunch of components that were all individually cool together, but lacked the cohesion and direction. Now, if you're a professional, that's a very basic lesson, "have a main concept" or whatever, but warcraftmovies was 99% amateurs and kids back in the day. This is one of my favorite topics in fact, but i'll stop here otherwise i'm writing a dissertation lol.

  • @timothyphelps6625
    @timothyphelps6625 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great story and excellent advice re : What's it About. Thanks,

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thanks for watching Timothy!

  • @kelmohror6960
    @kelmohror6960 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The interviewer is consistently, thoroughly superb! She is in the flow of excellence interviewing. Her pace and well-researched and finely thought-out questions enable the interviewee to both broadly paint an environment in which the interviewee can weave a fabric of concise and substantive answers we listeners can embrace and Improve our writing through. The interviewers tone conveys warmth and sincerity through each Film Courage interview she conducts. I am convinced she is an exquisite writer. 🥇

  • @AllanGildea
    @AllanGildea ปีที่แล้ว

    Outstanding- thank you.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  ปีที่แล้ว

      Glad you enjoyed it Allan!

  • @williamlavagna1096
    @williamlavagna1096 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This might be the most important insight into writing I've heard.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Corey has a lot of great insights!

  • @nh8444
    @nh8444 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I remember first looking at his website and thinking “holy effing balls, I’m not paying that much money for a course.” But the more I see of him, the more it seems like he knows. But it also seems like the writing industry is set up to be impossible to get into. I just gotta save the money to buy it while studying 3D animation, storyboarding, and screenwriting on the back of starting from scratch at 38 cuz my first career jump fell apart. F*ck…..my…life….. but you gotta keep going. It’s not about how hard you can get hit, it’s about how many times you can get back up. Plus, this is all I have left, lol. Art is all I have left. And I’d walked away from it years ago. Funny how that works. Life is weird.

    • @noteem5726
      @noteem5726 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      What kept you from making it your passion years ago?

    • @nh8444
      @nh8444 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@noteem5726 I never put 70 or even 80% effort into art. I was good at certain things, so leaned into those. That was impressive when I was young. In 5 years, most people were far beyond me. I never expanded into actually getting good. So to non artists, I could doodle something and I would get a positive reaction. But was embarrassingly elementary in my art for anyone studying art. I wish I had expanded. But now that I’m almost 40, I found a place to put art now that my main career fell apart. I can actually see art again. With 3D animation, I can put many things into motion that I can’t draw, but I also have an interest in writing as I’ve always written things, just not in a way I thought was useful. So strange. Now, I want to write and animate for myself. I finally have a medium to put all those ideas I’ve had for years into. I couldn’t see them as I was nowhere near art when pursuing my career that failed. If I get good at 3D and screenwriting, I may have a way back into my career in 10 years or so, but that’s if I’m still alive lol. The first career was for helping others, which is why it absolutely destroyed me when it happened. Art is more for me, which I love, but helping others is the thing I can’t seem to let go of. It just sucks that helping others doesn’t make a lot of money lol on average. Being poor isn’t so bad. Their smiles will fill me with content as I part from this world. A fair price to pay.

  • @artgoshow
    @artgoshow ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Evocative thanks🎉

  • @NativeBlackAmericanTv
    @NativeBlackAmericanTv 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    ...this fella is incredible...he is REALLY ABOUT WHAT HE'S ABOUT...(I'm one of many "workin' to get "there"...)...

  • @Multi1
    @Multi1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Before hearing the answer to the question, I'd like to take a guess. It's the theme, the entire purpose of the story is the theme. The core principle(s) of the story was trying to emphisize from the very beginning. And futhermore the story explains why theme is important and why you shouldn't ignore or forget it, the story will show the bad consequences of not.
    Did I get it right?...

  • @steeleye2112
    @steeleye2112 ปีที่แล้ว

    Been told this from various sources and it's completely true. I deliberately don't attempt to answer this question when I watch a new film. Then after a while I do and it nearly always makes the film so much better. In the case of Miller's Crossing, it's one of the reasons why it's the greatest film of all time. There isn't one sentence in the whole movie that doesn't refer to what the film is about. That and the fact that the music, art direction, costume, performances, pacing and photography all being as good as they can possibly be is what makes it the greatest film of all time.

  • @mychalsimmons4177
    @mychalsimmons4177 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow that makes so much sense thank Q

  • @RSEFX
    @RSEFX ปีที่แล้ว +1

    In the old days we used ta simply call this the THEME.Aka the point, the ESSENCE of the matter.
    Working with Ridley it became my job to try to get HIM to define what he wanted, er more or less the opposite of this person's experience. So I found it rather odd to be pushing one of my all-time heroes of film to fine-tune things.
    As a once-upon-s-time script-ascribe I couldn't begin any work on my hoped-for script without having figured out the theme/the point/the heart o'the thing, especially the ending (I always found openings easy to come up with). Currently RE-agonizing that whole experience as I am getting back to writing for a project. It can be sheer (wonderful, but terrible), or terrible but wonderful) torture Time is usually the greatest obstacle, along with the energy it takes to keep the mind in FOCUS during those long periods of time it takes to get there. Ugh.
    Thans for the video.

  • @Jesterswords
    @Jesterswords ปีที่แล้ว

    Sundance Collab's Screenwriting: Core Elements' course starts off with identifying theme. This really helps me to understand why, and I don't think I'll start a script differently again.

  • @shaneeuropa
    @shaneeuropa ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Glad i watched this to the end.

  • @theosophicalwanderings7696
    @theosophicalwanderings7696 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So once you know what your film is ultimately about, how are you supposed to incorporate this? For example, if your film is about longing for home, do you make every character "long for home"? How do you make everything conform to the theme?

  • @annaparra965
    @annaparra965 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How many laws would you break to prove your innocence? That’s what it’s about. Wow 😮 This is the most basic idea and it’s giving me so many new ideas💕

  • @kermitfrog593
    @kermitfrog593 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I don't know if Corey's the best writing teacher (how could you really know) but he's certainly the best orator.

  • @sparksdog8111
    @sparksdog8111 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    While he did say "it's not a novel, it's a screenplay", I think this is applicable to all types of art. If you paint on a canvas a whole bunch of different things, you have a collage, if you paint many things atop one idea, you just might have something great.
    Ironically, despite him saying "it's not a novel", this applies especially well to them. Most people, when reading a piece of literature, want to be enthralled by a story, they want immersion. In my opinion, without a unifying question or idea or concept the author wants to explore, that obsession from the reader is difficult to earn. Furthermore, the more media literate the reader is, the nore difficult it becomes to trick them into believing your everything story is actually unified under a strong core theme.
    I love this advice, because simple questions like it have had the most impact on my own writing. Often times, the answer to a writer's problems are simple and far easier to address than they may think.

    • @lancenwokeji6349
      @lancenwokeji6349 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      How would you know when you’ve dug deep enough to figure out what the story is about?

    • @sparksdog8111
      @sparksdog8111 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@lancenwokeji6349 I think part of it is just about getting that feeling that you've really struck gold. For me and what I'm writing currently, I let my ideas simmer and I compare them to those of stories I really think have a high bar of quality to see if my own have cooked long enough. I also don't think there's necessarily ever a point where you can truly go too deep, most writers often say there are things they wish they could improve about the finished works.
      For a more rigid and structured answer, I tend to consider a story at least good enough for rough drafting once I have several storylines and character arcs that all point back to the core theme of my story. A good example of this type of thing is the manga/anime Vinland Saga. Just about every character in that story has the same core dream of living in a peaceful world free of violence, yet they all go about their lives in different ways. Some of them try to achieve that dream, usually using drastically different methods, others don't even try to achieve it and simply resign themselves to coasting until their life is at its end. Point being, at least in my opinion, a great story is one where every character within has a natural parallel to every other character as a result of how the core theme is represented within them individually.
      Sorry for the essay breakdown of an answer, lol, I don't have a filter when it comes to talking about writing.

  • @jaroslavfricek7772
    @jaroslavfricek7772 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Amazing...❤

  • @robbmorris7790
    @robbmorris7790 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The best script I ever wrote was one that I figured this out first before I typed a single word. Then I found a corresponding quote from a well-known writer, and made that the "TEXT OVER BLACK" after FADE IN:.

  • @bairsm2081
    @bairsm2081 ปีที่แล้ว

    Superbe! Thank you!

  • @Universal_Cymbol
    @Universal_Cymbol ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Theme and log line. Get those two things, and you can write your story. 🤗

  • @awesomeSW1
    @awesomeSW1 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent breakdown!

  • @A_M_P_
    @A_M_P_ ปีที่แล้ว +3

    @13:20: with all due respect, "Mr. Chips turns into Scarface" sounds more like a pitch than a logline.

  • @mageprometheus
    @mageprometheus ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow. This line came to mind from my favourite Alan Parsons Project song, "The dawn of reason lights your eyes, With the key you realise, To the kingdom of the wise".

  • @andrewtea
    @andrewtea ปีที่แล้ว

    Superb storyteller

  • @brucewinters-cr4it
    @brucewinters-cr4it 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    2:36 is where he asks the main question

  • @ellywafula5801
    @ellywafula5801 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    In IB Diploma Film subject we call it 'The Filmmaker or Artistic Intention' of the film.

  • @158394
    @158394 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Can I get more examples from films and television of what the story is about? Like how Corey mentioned Breaking Bad is about "the study of change".

  • @diamondseeds2107
    @diamondseeds2107 ปีที่แล้ว

    So good I watched this twice

  • @Theomite
    @Theomite ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I can't argue with his point and I certainly can't refute his accuracy--the Ridley Scott story proves that--but* I disagree with the universality.* Because even the "about" is subjective and finite (there are numerous possible "abouts" in any story, but which one does the artist choose?), so the selection by the artist is subjective...but it's not exclusive. I suspect that the "about" can change if the story and the contents within changes enough. Take _Dollhouse:_ it ends with the apocalypse. Well, whatever it was "about" before was determined by the pre-apocalyptic environs; the post-apocalyptic environs change the "about" now. You either stop the story there or change what it's "about" from that point on.
    Take _Mad Men._ It could've been about Don Draper and his crew and the "about" that Weiner created. OR...it could also have been "about" the day-to-day life of humans in the city in the 1960s. The show could've jumped between 3-4 different work establishments with the sole purpose of forensically recreating the procedural life of the people with no plot constructed for it (think SLACKER, which has no plot, but is riveting because it moves between one compartment of minutiae to another). The same stories could've happened to Don Draper & co. but we'd never see half of it because the showrunner decided to make the "about" something else. The "Other About" would be just as valid....just as accurate...but would completely change the content of the show.
    The "about" can be as organic as the world in which the "about" takes place, I argue.

  • @l.b.2392
    @l.b.2392 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    What is 'Pulp Fiction' about?

    • @ErikBongers
      @ErikBongers ปีที่แล้ว

      Fight club?

    • @ErikBongers
      @ErikBongers ปีที่แล้ว

      We should start a list here.

    • @l.b.2392
      @l.b.2392 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ErikBongers check out Patrice O'Neil's summery of fight club. It's hilarious and on the money!

    • @l.b.2392
      @l.b.2392 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ErikBongers yes. I wanna know though 😅
      A Boxer trying to get back his watch (and out of town)?
      A Hitman trying not to sleep with his Bosses wife?
      Another Hitman trying to deal with a messy situation?

  • @kennycooper294
    @kennycooper294 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    he reminds me so much of tarrantino. how do you find out what the deeper meaning of your story is? you may think its about one thing but what if that one thing is too surface?

  • @puddintame7794
    @puddintame7794 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    "What is your story about...?"
    The very core of the story, the single overriding theme and the driving force, amalgamated into a single sentence.
    How's that?

  • @AbhayAggarwal
    @AbhayAggarwal ปีที่แล้ว

    Sort of like a premise, or what Lajos egri calls the "theme"?

  • @dcle944
    @dcle944 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I listened to the whole video and I still don’t have the slightest clue on how to come up with what’s it about?

  • @romeoe4694
    @romeoe4694 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    How do u know what your story is about?????

  • @calummurphy8063
    @calummurphy8063 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Is he just talking about theme? “What is the story about?”
    Is that just what is the theme or themes?

    • @tcrijwanachoudhury
      @tcrijwanachoudhury ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thats the impression I got, like what's the purpose of the script and what are you trying to say

    • @abhinavthakur4556
      @abhinavthakur4556 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes.

  • @MrJowisi
    @MrJowisi 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    He’s basically talking about thematic questions/discussion…very true, though

  • @edwardzimmerman3483
    @edwardzimmerman3483 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This question really makes you think about alot of awful movies being made that apparently didn't find an answer...

  • @michaelstrauss6587
    @michaelstrauss6587 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That was helpful.

  • @Gvillalba
    @Gvillalba 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Is he talking about the “theme” ? Still trying to process this.

  • @MatthewSmith-vc8go
    @MatthewSmith-vc8go 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Anyone have other examples of this in practice? He gives the example from The Network.
    But can anyone tell me the "What's it about?" for other well known stories?

  • @NunYaa504
    @NunYaa504 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So if I’m writing a story and the MAIN point of it is the dangers of addiction (gambling) on the surface, But the lead character has a tumultuous family life as a kid through adulthood namely with his father, would the One Thing my story is truly about is the importance of a Father in a boys life?

  • @lovevonzweigbergk6397
    @lovevonzweigbergk6397 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was great

  • @paulpena5040
    @paulpena5040 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    To be honest it's a bit confusing. Is he talking about the theme? I would have said Breaking Bad is "how far would you go if life never gave you chance" or something to that affect. Saying it's about change is just too vague. Am I wrong?

  • @DaltonKevinM
    @DaltonKevinM 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Theme?
    Edit: Yep, theme. I agree with your take that it is a universal guiding star and everything should be in service that that idea. I don't agree that novels don't do this, however. I think the good novels do this too.

  • @noteem5726
    @noteem5726 ปีที่แล้ว +104

    Forget the bechdel test 100% of modern films, especially Marvel, would not pass the "What's it about?" test.

    • @bruce3242
      @bruce3242 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      100%!? Really!? Tell me you don't watch movies, without telling me you don't watch movies.

    • @noteem5726
      @noteem5726 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@bruce3242
      Oh a rare Marvel fan! So you're the *one* who saw The Marvel? Tell me, how much did the wife's boyfriend pay for your tickets 🤔

    • @bruce3242
      @bruce3242 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@noteem5726 I haven't actually, because I don't like marvel, so I don't watch their films, but I can tell you the films I did watch this year:
      Oppenheimer
      The Killer
      A Haunting In Venice
      Pain Hustlers
      When Evil Lurks
      Luther: The Fallen Sun
      Extraction 2
      Totally Killer
      Beau Is Afraid
      Love At First Site
      Murder Mystery 2
      Fool's Paradise
      Johnny And Clyde
      The Kill Room
      Violent Night
      (All 2023 films by the way)
      Some of these films, I loved, and some of these films, I liked, and I can tell you now, they pass the "what is it about test" not all, but most, not that it matters.... Also.... What do you mean "rare marvel fan"?.... These movies make a crap load of money, if people really didn't want to seem them, they would stop making them.
      P.S. don't have a wife, single currently, but I still don't understand the comment you made about my pretend wife's, pretend boyfriend, but either way, I hope you understand my point.

    • @noteem5726
      @noteem5726 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@bruce3242
      No, actually, no, not really. So, you saw Oppenheimer? Can you tell me how the gratuitous sex and nudity can be defined under the *What's it about?* question?

    • @bruce3242
      @bruce3242 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@noteem5726 Literally said in my previous comment that not all of them pass the "what is it about test" and I said it doesn't matter for all of them.... I don't understand your frustration with the sex scenes in Oppenheimer.... If you don't like them, then just don't watch those scenes, or don't watch the film.... This ain't rocket science.

  • @homebrewfeverdreams
    @homebrewfeverdreams ปีที่แล้ว

    Did dude just say, “my favorite thing is the thing I don’t understand until someone explained it to me” and that is what makes something good?
    We all have to have things explained to us at times. And sometimes we go, “Wow! Amazing!” But a lot of the times we don’t and if needs to be explained to most then it is lost on most. Right?

  • @shamurevolt
    @shamurevolt ปีที่แล้ว

    Yes! This. This right here is what I hate about most movies. I’ve been trying to explain this forever.

  • @ogelsmogel
    @ogelsmogel 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    But how do you know when you find the right answer? To what the story is about?

    • @doubleplusdanny
      @doubleplusdanny 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      When the person with the most seniority agrees with you.

  • @VerseD785
    @VerseD785 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Am I right in saying "what your story is about", is the same as the theme of your story?