“Find a real moment between people”

“My theory about creative work is that 99 percent of it is intention. When you go in with the intention of exploring something real, then that’s what you’ll get no matter what’s around it. It may not even be successful — people may not like it and it may make no money — but that is what you’ll have. And if you go into something with the intention of showing off and just being absurd for absurdity’s sake, then hey, that’s what you’ll get. I’m interested in trying to find a real moment between people, and hopefully that’s what people get out of my work.”

Many descriptions may come to mind when we think of Charlie Kaufman movies, such as whimsical, inventive, bizarre, mindboggling. But his comment above, especially this point — “I’m interested in trying to find a real moment between people” — is likely to re-frame the discussion.

For it appears, by his own words, what Charlie Kaufman is most fundamentally about is creating authentic characters who share genuine human experiences.

As you approach FADE OUT, facing the prospect of rewriting your script, this is definitely a touchstone for subsequent drafts, something to consider with every scene, every interaction, every plot point.

Remember…

“Find a real moment between people.”

I encourage you to head to comments to discuss today’s questions. And for a related discussion on The Black Board, check out these topics:

• Breathtaking moments
• Mogens Rukov on natural story moments
• People forget years and remember moments
• Standout moments in film
• Surfacing moments

The Quest” has entered Week 23! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s a 24-week immersion in the screenwriting process and you can do it here — for free!

Today and every Monday through Friday for 10 weeks, I’ll use this slot to post something inspirational as GOYOQ participants pound out their first drafts.

Why not use the structure of this 24-week workshop to Go On Your Own Quest? That was an idea that gathered energy among many members of the GITS community which I described here.

For more information on Go On Your Own Quest, go here.

Plus you can join The Black Board, the Official Online Writing Community of the Black List and Go Into The Story, another free resource to help keep you inspired and on target at you Go On Your Own Quest from FADE IN to FADE OUT on the first draft of your original screenplay.

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