Wow, great point in the first 90 seconds; you can start with either character or plot, but there's more opportunity to find something we haven't seen before in character than in plot.
Dear Sean Reid, I am humbled by your genuinity and genius! Watching this video and witnessing your incredible mind at work, has been the most enjoyable experience I have had since subscribing to this channel. You are without a doubt a joy to work with. My spirit for screen writing has been rekindled. Thank you so much!
Anyone who was offended by what you said needs to rewatch the video and pay closet attention because nothing was racist nor offensive. Thank you for the insight and information.
To everyone who is talking about racism. He stated that the stories have been done in a diverse way for white males But for WOMEN & BLACK Males the stories are still narrow. Everyone is so focused on he said white males don't have stories. Its about diversity & visibility. Most Movie leads are white males simple. Nothing racist just observation.
He stated that white males have a "few less" things that have never been seen before. Part of what rankles me is the way he said it. The outward also has little to do with depth of story. I'm white, female, and Jewish. So what? Every *fact* of my life is set dressing and trick lighting. But my *story* is riveting--and so is everyone's, if you got them to tell it to you. The trick is to not judge the characters that come to mind for you as a writer. [Side note: One fascinating thing I find--if we're talking inclusion--is the dearth of mention of the following peoples as being needed and wanted in stories: Asians, Native American and other indigenous people, and Polynesians. Somebody write in a Tongan or Samoan, for ___'s sake.]
The aging butler came to me right away. I saw of this right away of a butler who used to be a pro basketball player that fell on hard times and had to become a butler to pay for his financial mistakes. Only to be connecting to a young boy that is an up and coming basketball player himself that he serves. Something like that.
The butler and the time travel. I like the idea of transposing something contemporary into science fiction or fantasy (space plumber, magic tech support)
Hero lives in a normal place, gets approached by a Wizard-type goes on an adventure... has to save a damsel in distress... there's a big bad guy that the hero has to overcome... then the character at the end reflects on his growth. Can't go wrong with this story.
Around the 3 minute mark, "Mergin Ivory"? I just can't make it out and trace back what reference he is making. Could someone help me out? What is he referring to?
Almost nothing in cinema was handled worse than Walter Mitty ('the secret life of'). It would-have/could-have been infectiously rewatchable even as detached and ben-stiller'y as it was.. ..if they'd just Not-have 'phoned it (right-the fuk) in' *by pretending an 11yr old boy would EVER trade a 600 USD (pro downhill) skateboard - for a fucking 60ç stretch-doll; of a distant-past (has-been/never-was) 50yrs ago fake-wrestling "personality". And I don't know who wrote it. But guaranteed they'd press a button on the director & co, for that one, ..and nobody would prosecute.
I'm revising my debut novel and have found this entire channel to be a great help. Andy Guerdat is one of my all-time fave guests. Also Jill Chamberlain, Shannan Johnson...and John Bucher (deep stuff). Go with it!
Are these people unaware that "the butler reminiscing about his past' had been done: Remains of the Day, book by Kazuo Ishiguro, film by James Ivory. I mean, you'd at least think that it would have rung a bell.
The point of the game are ideas for developing a pitch. Your own examples demonstrate that a basic idea can be built upon in several ways and deliver a unique story.
@@Ruylopez778 Nice catch. Though I'm sure that she, like me, missed that (if you watch these vids regularly, you notice that she doesn't really know much at all). Still kind of weird that he didn't mention it by title. Kudos, though, thanks for the info!
@@jamesferry1523 It seems to me that Karen often 'plays dumb' in order to let the guest elaborate or avoid cutting them off when they are in the flow. I think it is also intentional to make the interviews more understandable for a broader audience. The reason I say that is that she can be incredibly perceptive and insightful with her questions and responses, especially when they keep in a segment that they could have edited out for clarity or for time.
@@Ruylopez778This is my opinion of her interview technique, also. She comes up with too many dang good questions to think otherwise...and sometimes you can hear her trying to not jump the gun on the guest.
Wow. The passing comment that white male characters have no room for anything new/different is narrow minded and actually pretty prejudiced. As if one’s race confines the scenarios of life and experiences one can have. This type of thinking should be challenged. It’s actually racist. And I’m an African American man posting this comment, in case someone is wondering.
Let me help you both understand. We, as in the free world, have been bombarded by white male's stories for the majority of film and literature's history. And it's high time for something new. Until recently, this perspective has been the only one film producers have invested in on the mainstream. We've not seen black men's or other gendered POC's stories beyond slavery or gangster tropes, and as result, there is a huge trove of gold that has yet to be featured on the big screen. Cheers!
Oh, shut up, with that... it easy to understand what he meant if you actually listened to what he said, not the straw man in you've build in your head. We have seen a lot of white male protagonist in different rules thus many variation of what a character can be, because most protagonist, by far are white males, so they there are no a lot of room to grow in that department, compare to female characters in general or non- white male characters. Imagine a protagonist to move like Inception but he is a American of south Asian descent. I bet that he would be a character we haven't seen before.
@@mohamedMustafa-yn4uc It’s not a straw man argument, my brother. It’s about principles. Be careful emphasizing superficial traits as character. Was Luke Skywalker a white male character? well, yes. But well no. You learn pretty quickly as a story writer that the superficial conditions and settings of a plot aren’t the character development. That was the root of her question. Plot vs. Character. Also the logical conclusion of this dismissive attitude you support means that when a story comes across one’s desk and the main character isn’t some identity minority, the impulse will be to reject it on its surface (or at least make the bar much higher) because it’s a white male. Is this really how we want to start dealing with our art? It is possible to start being prejudiced against whites and that’s not a world we want to develop, not in the name of either payback, diversity or “they had their chance- now it’s our turn.” It’s not a straw man argument. It’s about what are the principles of fairness we need to inculcate in our culture and entertainment.
I was really looking forward to this then Sean's subtle racism made me leave. here's a tip, sean: if a white person was speaking and used the same language as you did and directed at black men, he was be called a racist.
Arthur rarely have I been accused of being a racist, and if you truly feel that is where I was coming from I can only apologize to those I have offended, my intention was only to illustrate as is the case the movie industry and the stories have been dominated by white males, therefore many more of their stories have been told.
@@ronisean But the color of one's skin doesn't define a persons experiences. Until we come to acknowledge people as individuals rather than group them together, we won't be able to move past any of this. I appreciate your comments and your insights in the entertainment industry.
'the color of one's skin doesn't define a person's experiences.' that is an insane statement. It absolutely does. Should it? no. But the world we live in and the experiences within are very much different for POC.
@@arthurcheater3359 "But the color of one's skin doesn't define a persons experiences." No such exaggeration was made in the video or comments. It would be perfectly reasonable to acknowledge that race and gender is a part of experience, even though by and large most people go through the same general experiences. Just like nationality, education, income can also play a part in experience. Two opposing ideas can exist at the same time; people are broadly all the same, and different people do have different experiences based on gender/race.
@ZapruderFlix admittedly, not just MY total misreading of what he said--others as well. The fact that Mr. Reid himself has to pop in this comment section to clarify--that is proof alone that he misspoke.
Wow, great point in the first 90 seconds; you can start with either character or plot, but there's more opportunity to find something we haven't seen before in character than in plot.
Thank you Ruy.
Dear Sean Reid, I am humbled by your genuinity and genius! Watching this video and witnessing your incredible mind at work, has been the most enjoyable experience I have had since subscribing to this channel. You are without a doubt a joy to work with. My spirit for screen writing has been rekindled. Thank you so much!
Thank you Cameron! I love the writing process.
… those that I have offended, I do apologize.
To those that understood what I said and the great compliments, thank you!
Anyone who was offended by what you said needs to rewatch the video and pay closet attention because nothing was racist nor offensive. Thank you for the insight and information.
To everyone who is talking about racism. He stated that the stories have been done in a diverse way for white males But for WOMEN & BLACK Males the stories are still narrow. Everyone is so focused on he said white males don't have stories. Its about diversity & visibility. Most Movie leads are white males simple. Nothing racist just observation.
Thank you KVBBZ, greatly appreciate the support.
Only a pleasure,. Thank you for your insight Sir. Learnt alot on unpacking a story through a dynamic character.
He stated that white males have a "few less" things that have never been seen before. Part of what rankles me is the way he said it. The outward also has little to do with depth of story. I'm white, female, and Jewish. So what? Every *fact* of my life is set dressing and trick lighting. But my *story* is riveting--and so is everyone's, if you got them to tell it to you. The trick is to not judge the characters that come to mind for you as a writer.
[Side note: One fascinating thing I find--if we're talking inclusion--is the dearth of mention of the following peoples as being needed and wanted in stories: Asians, Native American and other indigenous people, and Polynesians. Somebody write in a Tongan or Samoan, for ___'s sake.]
Really interesting. Basically - I think the message is that you need to be a guy with an active mind and a vivid imagination like Sean Reid.
Thank you Paul, I had my vitamins that day:)
For the mouse story, Ratatouille and The Tale of Despereaux (book) come to mind
Redwall series too. Brian Jacques I think was the author, too lazy to Google first tbh.
Exactly what I thought. A small mouse with a big heart in a kitchen is basically Ratatouille
Which two cards would you have chosen?
The mouse.
The aging butler came to me right away. I saw of this right away of a butler who used to be a pro basketball player that fell on hard times and had to become a butler to pay for his financial mistakes. Only to be connecting to a young boy that is an up and coming basketball player himself that he serves. Something like that.
A sentient AI comes to life. Has the ability to switch genders, ethnicities, etc as needed to infiltrate corrupt corporations.
The butler and the time travel. I like the idea of transposing something contemporary into science fiction or fantasy (space plumber, magic tech support)
I was thing “Being there” as well
10:42 Sounds like Dino Crisis. Great as always! Thanks!
I need to meet this man
Same picks, almost the same thoughts... writers do think alike 😅
being is.. thank you for this / big love
Hero lives in a normal place, gets approached by a Wizard-type goes on an adventure... has to save a damsel in distress... there's a big bad guy that the hero has to overcome... then the character at the end reflects on his growth. Can't go wrong with this story.
Around the 3 minute mark, "Mergin Ivory"? I just can't make it out and trace back what reference he is making. Could someone help me out? What is he referring to?
'Merchant Ivory', a production company. They made 'Remains of the Day' and 'Howard's End'.
@@Ruylopez778 Thank you 😘
@@JuanHans No worries. The name was familiar, but I had to google it before it clicked why he said that.
Almost nothing in cinema was handled worse than Walter Mitty ('the secret life of').
It would-have/could-have been infectiously rewatchable even as detached and ben-stiller'y as it was..
..if they'd just Not-have 'phoned it (right-the fuk) in'
*by pretending an 11yr old boy would EVER trade a 600 USD (pro downhill) skateboard - for a fucking 60ç stretch-doll; of a distant-past (has-been/never-was) 50yrs ago fake-wrestling "personality".
And I don't know who wrote it. But guaranteed they'd press a button on the director & co, for that one, ..and nobody would prosecute.
How much of this can be applied to novel writing
For plot ideas? I would imagine it'd be the same
I'm revising my debut novel and have found this entire channel to be a great help. Andy Guerdat is one of my all-time fave guests. Also Jill Chamberlain, Shannan Johnson...and John Bucher (deep stuff). Go with it!
You know, batman’s guy “Albert”
Because I'm a little darker than you. I probably have a better chance of being a more original character? Doesn't sound... yeah, It's racist.
Not racist moron
One minute in already talking about white males le bad. Very original much inspiring.
Nowhere in there does he seem to make any such claim. If I've missed it, apologies, but I'd ask you to quote the specific statement.
@@jenssylvesterwesemann7980 Sean absolutely dismissed any possible originality to characters if they are "straight white males...you have a few less."
@@arthurcheater3359 that is a total misreading of what he said. You're projecting.
@@arthurcheater3359
But "you have a few less" is a direct contradiction to your claim of no originality whatsoever. At least it appears to be to me.
Are these people unaware that "the butler reminiscing about his past' had been done: Remains of the Day, book by Kazuo Ishiguro, film by James Ivory. I mean, you'd at least think that it would have rung a bell.
The point of the game are ideas for developing a pitch. Your own examples demonstrate that a basic idea can be built upon in several ways and deliver a unique story.
That's why he said, 'Merchant Ivory', the production company that made the adaptation... So in answer to your question, 'no.'
@@Ruylopez778 Nice catch. Though I'm sure that she, like me, missed that (if you watch these vids regularly, you notice that she doesn't really know much at all). Still kind of weird that he didn't mention it by title. Kudos, though, thanks for the info!
@@jamesferry1523 It seems to me that Karen often 'plays dumb' in order to let the guest elaborate or avoid cutting them off when they are in the flow. I think it is also intentional to make the interviews more understandable for a broader audience.
The reason I say that is that she can be incredibly perceptive and insightful with her questions and responses, especially when they keep in a segment that they could have edited out for clarity or for time.
@@Ruylopez778This is my opinion of her interview technique, also. She comes up with too many dang good questions to think otherwise...and sometimes you can hear her trying to not jump the gun on the guest.
Wow. The passing comment that white male characters have no room for anything new/different is narrow minded and actually pretty prejudiced. As if one’s race confines the scenarios of life and experiences one can have. This type of thinking should be challenged. It’s actually racist. And I’m an African American man posting this comment, in case someone is wondering.
Kinda lame this guy is showing off, am I right?
Let me help you both understand. We, as in the free world, have been bombarded by white male's stories for the majority of film and literature's history. And it's high time for something new. Until recently, this perspective has been the only one film producers have invested in on the mainstream. We've not seen black men's or other gendered POC's stories beyond slavery or gangster tropes, and as result, there is a huge trove of gold that has yet to be featured on the big screen. Cheers!
Oh, shut up, with that... it easy to understand what he meant if you actually listened to what he said, not the straw man in you've build in your head. We have seen a lot of white male protagonist in different rules thus many variation of what a character can be, because most protagonist, by far are white males, so they there are no a lot of room to grow in that department, compare to female characters in general or non- white male characters. Imagine a protagonist to move like Inception but he is a American of south Asian descent. I bet that he would be a character we haven't seen before.
lmao anytime somebody feels like they have to say their black, their not actually black
@@mohamedMustafa-yn4uc It’s not a straw man argument, my brother. It’s about principles. Be careful emphasizing superficial traits as character. Was Luke Skywalker a white male character? well, yes. But well no. You learn pretty quickly as a story writer that the superficial conditions and settings of a plot aren’t the character development. That was the root of her question. Plot vs. Character. Also the logical conclusion of this dismissive attitude you support means that when a story comes across one’s desk and the main character isn’t some identity minority, the impulse will be to reject it on its surface (or at least make the bar much higher) because it’s a white male. Is this really how we want to start dealing with our art? It is possible to start being prejudiced against whites and that’s not a world we want to develop, not in the name of either payback, diversity or “they had their chance- now it’s our turn.” It’s not a straw man argument. It’s about what are the principles of fairness we need to inculcate in our culture and entertainment.
I was really looking forward to this then Sean's subtle racism made me leave. here's a tip, sean: if a white person was speaking and used the same language as you did and directed at black men, he was be called a racist.
Arthur rarely have I been accused of being a racist, and if you truly feel that is where I was coming from I can only apologize to those I have offended, my intention was only to illustrate as is the case the movie industry and the stories have been dominated by white males, therefore many more of their stories have been told.
@@ronisean But the color of one's skin doesn't define a persons experiences. Until we come to acknowledge people as individuals rather than group them together, we won't be able to move past any of this. I appreciate your comments and your insights in the entertainment industry.
'the color of one's skin doesn't define a person's experiences.' that is an insane statement. It absolutely does. Should it? no. But the world we live in and the experiences within are very much different for POC.
@@arthurcheater3359 "But the color of one's skin doesn't define a persons experiences."
No such exaggeration was made in the video or comments.
It would be perfectly reasonable to acknowledge that race and gender is a part of experience, even though by and large most people go through the same general experiences.
Just like nationality, education, income can also play a part in experience.
Two opposing ideas can exist at the same time; people are broadly all the same, and different people do have different experiences based on gender/race.
@@jimthebob2696 keep playing the victim
Dude implies that character originality is derived from the skin color of the actor/character in the first 90 seconds--not a good look.
@ZapruderFlix admittedly, not just MY total misreading of what he said--others as well. The fact that Mr. Reid himself has to pop in this comment section to clarify--that is proof alone that he misspoke.
Dude, if your characters have to be either women or black men to be interesting you shouldn't talk about the subejct