6 posts tagged screenplay

The first thing you realize when you start writing, is that everything that you think about is shit. You become your worst critic and you start hating yourself.

So you buy the big books, the ones by Vogler and McKee. For a brief moment, you feel like you’re in business, like you own the key to success.

You read them, and then you’re back at square one. Sure, the authors make sense, but you start wondering: “How does it relate to my own story”? You feel like Charlie Kaufman in front of his typewriter.

Confusion. Pain. Deception.

Fun times. 

Great examples:

• Pai Mei in Kill Bill 2
• Yoda in Empire Strikes Back
• Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid
• Master Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Usually a loner, the old master prefers spending years meditating alone, rather than living in society. Even if it’s an old mythological archetype, he’s often represented as an old asian man who speaks broken english. In martial arts movies, he often has a long beard because it symbolizes wisdom.

He often appears tough at first, but we later understand his good intentions. The master is there to guide the hero through his physical and spiritual journey; He becomes like a father figure. Sadly, he often dies because the hero needs a motivation for his quest.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_old_man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderly_martial_arts_master