Making the Transformational Moment in Film: Unleashing the Power of the Image (with the films of Vincent Ward) Review

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Making the Transformational Moment in Film: Unleashing the Power of the Image (with the films of Vincent Ward) ReviewI'm probably Vincent Ward's biggest fan. At least I've never met a bigger fan. I have all his movies (including his student films) and all the memorabilia for all of this movies (posters, press kits, etc.)
Boy, was I looking forward to this book, as there currently exist, as far as I know, no books about Vincent Ward, other than the one he wrote himself: Edge of the earth: Stories and images from the antipodes.
I was hoping for a lot of inside information on Ward's life, his philosophy, and the circumstances behind many of his films.
There is some of that, but for the most part this book is not really about Vincent Ward's films as a whole. It's a film book, written for film students and directors. It lays out the cinematography of certain scenes and how they handle emotional progression, etc. The author also has a thesis (think of the title): that the films of Vincent Ward can be profitably studied for how they handle filmic moments where there is a turnaround, something the author opines that Ward handles well.
Maybe so, but this isn't what I was interested in. It's a lot of technical talk. What I was looking for was more of an appreciation of Ward's life and his films, and the story behind that. As I say, there was precious little of that, and quite a lot of pretentious theorizing about visual theory.Making the Transformational Moment in Film: Unleashing the Power of the Image (with the films of Vincent Ward) OverviewThis book is a bold exploration that gets under the skin of the filmmaking process and shows how audiences can be moved through deeply transformational uses of the medium. You'll learn how the raw materials of filmmaking are brought together so that the transformation happens. Key moments in films from Vincent Ward and others are used as examples, examining how the moment is staged, how visual composition is used, how narrative is constructed, how color, light and music are brought together, and how to get inside characters that we really care about. Roger Ebert describes Vincent Ward as a "true visionary." Here, the sources of Ward's filmmaking vision are revealed, offering a unique view of the creative process in film.

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The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success Review

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The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success ReviewI remember this like it was yesterday: I read a letter to the editors in regards to the film "The Deer Hunter." The person wrote: "I can't understand how a film that glorifies violence and beer drinking and hunting can win Best Picture." This person was, obviously, looking at the over all story - not at what the movie was REALLY about which is a film about love and sacrifice and, literally, laying one's life down for a friend. Far more depth than "beer drinking and hunting."
What are we talking about? The "subtext" of a film. What the film is REALLY about. "The Incredibles?" What's the movie about? "It's about a family of superheroes that does battle against an evil villain and saves the world!" What's it REALLY about: It's about love, the power of family, finding your identity, making sacrifices and doing what is right against all obstacles."
In the book: "The Moral Premise" author Stanley D. Williams, Ph.D. takes the concept of subtext and creates a layer of subtext under it. It almost asks: "What's the SUBTEXT really about?" And if you come up with the answer, then you have the Moral Premise.
The Moral Premise can be described easily as saying: "Evil actions equal failure, Good actions equal success" (depending on the script you are writing). That's a poor example of what the author creates. For example, Dr. Williams's Moral Premise for "Bruce Almighty" is:
Expecting a Miracle Leads to Frustration; but
Being a Miracle Leads to Peace
By digesting a number of films, including "The Incredibles," "Bruce Almighty," "An Officer and a Gentleman" and, to a greater extent, "Braveheart" - he breaks down the Moral Premise and then shows how those films adhered to the premise as stated. It is within the process of dealing with that Moral Premise and the fact that the characters first reject, return to, and live out, that Moral Premise that not only gives the film depth but also, in turn, creates Box Office Success (see full title of the book above).
Dr. Williams goes into extreme detail when it comes to figuring out that Moral Premise and then applying it to your story taking you first through chapters describing the Moral Premise and then taking you through steps giving you a step-by-step of applying the Moral Premise to your script.
The initial chapters, with titles like: "The Moral Premise in Modern Writing Guides" and "Structure of the Moral Premise" give you a fully detailed analysis of the subject (including footnotes) and then the chapters end with exercises to give you a better understanding of what was discussed.
The step-by-step chapters encourage you to apply what you've learned with your own script. Where the previous chapters felt, in some ways, like a class room - the steps feel more like you have been let loose on the world to use the knowledge that you have learned.
I will warn you: This is a weighty book - not in terms of size - but in concept. I found myself re-reading sentences to get a better grasp on what he was saying (often times thinking in my head how to apply what I was reading to my current story - and not paying attention to what I was reading). I am still not sure that I fully have the concept - but I do see how I can use some of the tools he has given me to add more depth to my current script - to give my characters more of a purpose, more of a reality, more of a "Moral Premise."
Where I felt the book could have improved was by providing BAD examples. We know there are a lot of terrible films out there that had no box office success - how did their lack of Moral Premise add to that failure? And how could have ADDING a Moral Premise possibly pull the film out of studio killing tailspin. Is there a Moral Premise in "Catwoman?" What about "Basic Instinct II?" But then there's the rub, I bet with both "Catwoman" and "Basic Instinct II" if you looked for a Moral Premise you could probably find one - so the movies sucked by either NOT focusing on the Moral Premise or they just sucked on a whole.
Another suggestion that Dr. Williams makes is by going through your characters, figuring out the arcs and the plot points and the dramatic (or comedic) beats BEFORE you put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboards). He suggests getting out 3x5 cards (or using a computer program) to plot these out and arrange them in a way that reinforces the Moral Premise. As helpful as this sounds - and I'm sure it is VERY helpful - most of my students want to jump right in and start writing their script and not think about these nuances and details (as important as they are). So if you want to dive right into your screenplay - go ahead - but you might need to do some backtracking.
Stan Williams does an outstanding job of cutting through what you think your screenplay is about and getting to the heart of what your screenplay is REALLY about. A must read for any screenwriter.
The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success OverviewThe Moral Premise reveals the foundational concept at the heart of all storytelling and successful box office movies. In concrete terms it explains how you can create your own success and, in the process, entertain, delight, challenge, and uplift this generation and the ones to come.

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Successful Television Writing Review

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Successful Television Writing ReviewThis book on writing for television is simply a must read if you plan on breaking into the business. But even if you never plan to write a single script, it's simply a very interesting and insightful glimpse into the world of television. The authors convey useful information with wit and style. Writing for TV isn't as simple as you might think. I was surprised and intrigued by all the intricacies of the industry.Successful Television Writing Overview

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