The Toughest Scene I Wrote: Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”)

Once again, Vulture does screenwriters a solid:

In this series, Vulture has been speaking to the screenwriters behind 2013′s most acclaimed movies about the scenes they found most difficult to crack. What pivotal sequences underwent the biggest transformations on their way from script to screen?

In this article, Coogler discusses a scene that was particularly challenging because it was “the very first scene of the shoot.”

I have a bunch of tough scenes that fit the bill, but the scene that probably went through the most versions was the scene between Oscar and Sophina where Oscar confesses to losing his job.

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I tried some improv with Mike and Melonie, and that started to help, but I had to go back to the actual Sophina for inspiration, to ask her about what she and Oscar went through. Something she said to me and Melonie that was really helpful was, “Me and Oscar were homies. We were best friends before we started dating.” She said that still, to this day, she finds herself wanting to text message him when she wants to share good news. Not everybody can say that about their romantic partners, that this person I love is also my absolute best friend. So when we went back and did the scene, they played it like Oscar was letting his best friend down, and the scene made more sense.

For the rest of the article, go here.

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