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Detective genre, FARGO, FROM HELL, MISSOURI, script tropes, SE7EV, THREE BILLBOARD OUTSIDE EBBINGS, TRUE DETECTIVE -

THE DETECTIVE SCRIPT PART 2

THE DETECTIVE SCRIPT PART 2

Let’s continue our conversation about detective script tropes. If the killer isn’t pursuing a Killer, then there is a 90% chance the case will Go All the Way to the Top. Meaning case or corruption in question will eventually be shown to involve businesspeople, politicians, clergy, etc. Back in the late-‘90s when everyone seemed to be writing nothing but detective scripts, every once in a while the Killer would also Go All the Way to the Top. We sometimes see that occur in produced titles like TRUE DETECTIVE and FROM HELL. However, the past several years we have seen a...

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ON NAMING CHARACTERS

ON NAMING CHARACTERS

Here are a few loose thoughts on naming characters. Admitted, it’s mostly a lot of “what not to do,” but when you read a lot of scripts you’ll see some common tropes and missteps. * If our character is the protagonist of an action movie, detective thriller, or other story in which he’s meant to be a tough guy, it’s better to avoid the cliché of calling him something like Jack Slade or John Stone. Sure, we get it; the geological last name implies solidity, the J-sound first name provides contrast. But simply put if I pick up an action...

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THE DETECTIVE SCRIPT: PART ONE

THE DETECTIVE SCRIPT: PART ONE

The Detective Script is so named because the protagonist is a detective. About 25% of the time he’s a private detective. If the detective works for a city, about 75% of the time it’s New York. The detective is almost always (90%) divorced or separated. Otherwise, he’s a widower. If the detective is married and she’s still alive, his wife will (90%) become a victim of the antagonist, or at least be menaced. If the detective is divorced or separated, there is very frequently (80%) a kid involved. The child always lives with the mother; the detective might have visitation....

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"Telling of the Legend", "The Campfire Story", CANDYMAN, DARK SKIES, INSIDIOUS, Professor Exposition, SINISTER, THE CONJURING, THE EXORCIST, tropes -

PROFESSOR EXPOSITION

PROFESSOR EXPOSITION

There is a trope character I like to call “Professor Exposition.” We often see Professor Exposition appear in horror movies. This is the character who explains to the leads (and by extension the audience) what is doing the haunting, perhaps a bit of backstory, and how to potentially stop it. He’s called Professor Exposition because this is a character whose primary story function is to deliver a pure blast of exposition, straight no chaser. Typically, exposition is a necessary evil, with an emphasis on evil, because exposition is boring, and it’s very hard to write and act this stuff in...

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10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, ADVENTURELAND, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, BETTER OFF DEAD, CLUELESS, DAZED AND CONFUSED, EASY A, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, HEATHERS, MID 90s -

TEEN COMEDIES

TEEN COMEDIES

I have seen many teen comedies, and for every teen comedy film I have seen, I have read many, many, many teen comedy spec scripts. There is a reason for this: With rare exception, teen comedies are based on specs. And of those exceptions, the scripts are often adaptations of classic literature (an excellent example being 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU). Interestingly, teen comedies tend to be most successful when they fall into one of two opposed extremes: Either the dramedy that largely draws from true life experiences of the writer/filmmaker, or the hyper-artificial story that uses the tropes...

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