Comments for Jamie Stein | Script Consultant

Comment on A History of Violence by jan

jan — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Not all movies made from scripts are that great, it is the story that counts and makes people excited. No matter how great you write a script in every detail, yes the story is always what it boils down too. I believe in a wonderful story that has you wanting to see more or like a book you want to read till the end without putting it down.

Comment on A Word on Charlie Sheen by Michael Andrew

Michael Andrew — Sun, 08 May 2011 05:52:59 +0000

Wow. Interesting, Mr. Stein.

Comment on Tom Ford’s A Single Man by daigoumee

daigoumee — Wed, 04 May 2011 08:57:29 +0000

this post is very usefull thx!

Comment on Inception, Post #2: A Word on Character Transformation by legal steroids

legal steroids — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:39:04 +0000

I am glad that i found your website, there are a couple of cool articles

Comment on Tom Ford’s A Single Man by Jamie Stein

Jamie Stein — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:38:35 +0000

But do you feel like this part of our hero – his love of aesthetic detail – ever informs the drama? Is it ever resolved? Or dramatized? Or is it just incidental to what’s going on? And do you feel the movie addresses the question of how exactly this man is able to finally “live in the moment” by the end when he could apparently never do it before (even when he was in love with his beloved boyfriend)? In other words, what was it specifically about this day’s journey that freed something in him that had never been freed before?

Comment on Tom Ford’s A Single Man by Rita

Rita — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:07:58 +0000

I experienced the highly stylized world of the film differently
– I read it as the heightened reality, the POV of a man who thinks he is seeing life for the last time. And since Tom Ford very clearly depicts his hero from the very beginning as a man who savors the aesthetic details (see: his modern house, meticulously laid out outfits) it follows that his final moments on earth would be… Perfectly designed. I read the heightened beauty — for instance, the scene outside the liquor store with the gorgeous hustler-type as the sun sets in exaggerated reds (projected maybe?) behind them– as a sort of aching elegy to life from a man who’s reluctant to die. And that really moved me.

Comment on A Quick Tutorial on Developing Theme: by Jamie Stein

Jamie Stein — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:29:20 +0000

Hi Sam, thanks! When I think of “Inception,” I don’t think of it as a story of pessimism vs optimism. I think of it as a movie about emotional catharsis: Cobb starts out as a man on the run from his deepest guilt (in this case, quite literally – his projection of his wife’s memory is out to kill him!) and he ends as a man who has not only confronted this guilt but actually let it go. So, I would frame Cobb’s statement like this:

Cobb goes from a ruined, haunted man on the fringe to a redeemed, unified man back in touch with life when he is finally willing to forgive himself for his most destructive mistake.

A few helpful notes:

1) A hero’s transformation is basically another way of answering the question, “What is at stake for my hero in this movie?” Always go for the most obvious answer. In “Inception,” Cobb’s optimism isn’t the main thing at stake – what’s really at stake is his last chance to be with his children -which, taken one step deeper, is about him reclaiming the pieces of his destroyed life. This movie is about a destroyed man finding redemption.

2) The act that facilitates the transformation will always happen at the end of the movie (otherwise, there would be no movie – can you imagine if Will Hunting realized that “it wasn’t his fault” in the first half hour?). Cobb is still outrunning his wife (and his guilt) when he accepts that assignment – this doesn’t change until he confronts his wife at the climax (and lets her go). That act is always going to be the thing your hero is absolutely determined to avoid (that is why it will be such a powerful act of surrender when it finally happens), and it’s always going to be something inside of himself.

P.S. Have you checked out my blog posts on “Inception” yet?

Comment on A Quick Tutorial on Developing Theme: by Sam Gharai

Sam Gharai — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:56:12 +0000

Hi Jamie,

I loved this essay a lot!

I’m working on a screenplay right now and, although it’s nothing like INCEPTION, I wanted to know if you think this would be a good example of an ACTIVE STATEMENT for that film?

“Cobb goes from a pessimist to an optimist when takes an offer to salvage his life.”

Reason I ask is I want to ensure that I completely understand how to design a solid Active Statement.

Thanks!
Sam

Comment on A Word on TV Spec Scripts by Jamie Stein

Jamie Stein — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:46:20 +0000

Thanks

Comment on A Word on TV Spec Scripts by name meanings

name meanings — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:25:51 +0000

great work