Questions are Raised about some of Shyamalan's Films
September 10th, 2004
Here's something that seemingly has been swept under the rug by the main stream press.
Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan’s the �The Village� and the award-winning children's novel �Running Out of Time� have striking similarities according to Josh Grossberg of E! Online in a report earlier last month.
�Running Out of Time� has sold more than a half-million copies since it was published in 1995. It could possibly have come to the attention of Shyamalan, whose movie mirrors the book in several key areas including the central character, the setting, the application of the time period in which they're set, and the secret that provides �The Village� with its surprise ending.
Margaret Peterson Haddix, the author of �Running Out of Time,� said she saw the film and reportedly acknowledged that she also found �some similarities,� but did not go on to elaborate.
�It was the fans that really pointed it out in the first place,� says van Straaten a spokeswoman for the book’s publisher. �The book is about a young tomboyish girl in a rural village in the 1800s who comes to learn that, in fact, it is a historical preserve in 1996 and that the adults have kept that secret from the children of the village. She finds that out when her mother sends her out to get medicine. But she learns it pretty early on in the book and then discovers all sorts of other intrigue.�
The movie takes place in 1897 where adults keep a secret from the children. In the movie the town's isolation is strictly enforced to maintain the secret. And in both the film and the novel, a young woman is sent out into the world to bring back medicines that the villagers desperately need.
A spokesman for the Walt Disney Company, which released the film in late July, told the Mercury News that studio officials spoke to Shyamalan’s representatives and that there is ��absolutely no connection'� between the movie and the book.
Interestingly enough, this may not be the only case of Shyamalan lifting story ideas from others. Last year Pennsylvania screenwriter Robert McIlhinney filed a claim that accuses the filmmaker of ripping off his script for the filmmaker's last movie, �Signs.� McIlhinney claims his unproduced script �Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil� has similar elements. No details were given on how Shyamalan would have managed to get ahold of McIlhinney's script.
But if you think about it, Shyamalan would have some reasons for not giving credit to possible sources for his inspiration. �The Village� has grossed over $112 million thus far. On top of that, Disney gave him $5 million for �Signs,� as he listed himself as the sole screenwriter. That deal made him the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood at the time.
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at, and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at (yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we often work on the part we understand best — the part that scares us least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters, you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a plot.
Everyone pursuing a screenwriting career will eventually realize this journey is not for the thin of skin or for those who cannot handle the emotional ups and downs this business brings. If you haven’t yet experienced the soul crushing disappointment of finally having written a script that goes into development, but it doesn’t make it to production and sits on a shelf, I don’t envy you. It’s happened to me a handful of times out of my nearly two dozen paid screenwriting assignments. Learn this early — there are no guarantees in the screenwriting game. You take your lumps, heal, and move on to the next screenplay and the next one.
I love Readers! Yes they are the gatekeepers to the Promised Land and like it or not they do have power. But just how much? Well, I’m here to show you. I got my hands on a classified document folks, the holy grail… An actual copy of a real STUDIO MEMO covering GUIDELINES for their READERS.
Scenes must have a reason to exist in your screenplay. Each scene must advance the plot forward through dialogue and/or visual storytelling. Characters’ journeys drive the script’s narrative, and each scene must steer their journey forward. Although some scenes might not even contain any characters, these scenes must still provide information about your plot, as well as your characters’ lives and actions. There is no set rule as to how many lines, paragraphs, or pages constitute a scene.
The following has nothing to do with wet t-shirts. This entry is actually about screenwriting contests - a subject with little marquee value. One of the most popular category of questions that I find in my e-mail box is about screenwriting contests. As I say over and over, I believe that most are a waste of energy and entry fee. Some - like the Nicholl and Disney Fellowships - are very reputable and have launched a few Hollywood careers. Regardless of how reputable any contest might be, the screening process for most seems tenuous. Low fees for contest readers and a bulk of scripts guarantees a sloppy vetting system.
"Lowtide" writer, director and producer Kevin McMullin has sold his short story "Bomb" and is tabbed to write the script for "low seven figures" and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott is attached to Direct. According to reports, 20th Century beat out studios Apple, Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an expert. In screenwriting, it’s no different. Some of the best screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created countless books trying to encapsulate all they’ve learned in their work. If you’re a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help you out.
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history… But if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.
What is a successful second act? One that keeps the reader engaged, moves the story forward, and successfully delivers it into the falling action; that being the third act climax and the denouement. A bad screenplay has a second act that simply doesn't keep the narrative trajectory in place and thus the spine of the story sags; meaning rising tension and conflict is not taking place.