Thank you so much to all my Patreon supporters for making this video and this channel possible! I have some exciting things planned for this year, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss those. And, as always: What screenplays should I do in the future?! Let me know!
On the same note, I was thinking something similar while listening to it; thank you for editing in some café sounds behind your own voice so the jump between your explanation and their audio did not sound very extreme it was easy on the ears and the mind
I'd actually be really interested if you did an analysis of a bad or average script and broke down where and how it failed. Anyone else feel the same way?
fragr33f Doesn't even have to be where it failed, though that's a clear lesson also. Calling out missed opportunities to be better will elevate average writers by helping them recognize how to improve character development, pacing, calls backs, etc. When I was 13 or so, I saw Ridley Scott's Legend in the theater, and I came out so disappointed that I wanted to rewrite the screenplay for him. I saw so many missed opportunities to [edit: removed the word 'make'] allow us to care for the characters, I was frustrated that the movie failed to use them and it came out 'meh'. Cuz it's a gorgeous film, with a solid cast and creative ideas executed with style. Years later, when we finally got the director's cut on DVD, now I understand that it was a hack edit job by the studio to try to tailor for U.S. markets -- that was unnecessary anyways, since audiences are smarter than most studios think, and will watch longer films, if given a good story with juicy characters. TL;DR, What I'm saying is, there's a lot more to be learned from average screenplays than from complete failures.
The hard thing about analzing that script is that there's so much that's already been said and dissected from that movie. Hard to shine a new light on it. Hopefully we learn something new from this channel taking a closer look at it.
I am 100% sure that something new can be found. Every person that views a film views it through their own unique filter, and time is an important aspect. What I am keen to learn about is how Pulp Fiction maintained its cult status for twenty years, a phenomenon no critic in the mid 90s could have any real insight into. I hope that looking at why Pulp Fiction is considered a classic two decades on while something like True Romance isn't is part of Lessons from the Screenplay's analysis.
another excellent video from you! there was one year where the academy awards showed bits from the nominated screenplays and it was some of the most fascinating TV for me. this scratched my itch! haha
(No need to agree with me if you don't, just there's only a few people who even notice soundtracks, so I try to reply to them) Few people talk about this soundtrack? That's because a lot of people (like me) think this soundtrack officially marked the beginning of an era of film music based on ambience rather than melody, on ambiguity rather than emotion. I can't tell you how influential this score was, and how badly it has hurt the art of film music.
Well, I think its led to a lot of drama scores that just provide ambient sound design and thumping electronic beats rather than actually helping the movie become more than it is. A lot of the scores being nominated for awards are just long ambient sounds and one note at a time piano music - that started with The Social Network. Anyway, that's just my taste in music - I was just here to answer your question :)
alright. i definitely see what you mean. and i guess i agree. i think the social networks soundtrack definitely displayed the feelings of the characters though. when mark is hacking the houses facebooks and that song "in motion" plays, it adds to the rigid perfectionism of marks character and how hes determined to pull of an extremely difficult while drunk at 2 in the moring. it also adds to the pacing. the whole score fits the movie but its hard to see it in other ones. so i definitely agree.
I will never understand how this brilliant film could lose best picture to The King's Speech. The drama and writing from these pages still hold up today.
People always look at me funny when I say The Social Network is my favorite movie...but it is good to know I'm definitely not alone based on the comments I'm reading!
there's a youtube video where Andrew Garfield talks about how many takes he had to do of that scene and how painful yet fulfilling it is. Fincher's directing style is pretty spectacular
i would say, in a different sense of course, maybe ivory and guadagnino? i think that their styles complement each other in the same ways that fincher’s and sorkin’s do, except instead of being cerebral and witty, the product is a beautiful, hyper-new-wave natural romanticism
This film blew me away when I first saw it. I was about 13 when it came out and I saw it because I heard it was about Facebook (this was of course 2010 when Facebook was still cool with 13-year-olds). I expected a standard success story biopic. What I got was a masterpiece of filmmaking where everyone involved seemed to be at the top of their game. It was my first exposure to David Fincher and his perfectionist style of directing. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks and was a big part of getting me into electronic/ambient music. This movie made me take Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake seriously as actors. It was the first time pretty much everyone saw the amazing talents of Andrew Garfield and Rooney Mara. But above everything else Sorkin is the star of this movie. It's hard to give a truly bad performance with material this good. It was one of the first times I remember rewatching a movie just because I liked hearing the way the characters talked. Every single scene in The Social Network has more than one line that would be the best line in any other movie. People often criticize Sorkin by saying that people don't actually talk like that. True, but wouldn't it be great if they did? It's a movie. If directors can have a signature style then so can screenwriters. And it's not like the snappy dialogue is compensating for a lack of everything else. This movie's story and characters are incredibly compelling to the very end, it's paced perfectly, and it makes masterful use of nonlinear storytelling by cutting back to the courtroom scenes and using them to move the story forward. This movie is part of what made me want to be a screenwriter. Sorry for rambling. I just love this movie so fucking much. If this isn't a 10/10 I don't know what is.
I totally agree! And the argument that "people don't talk like that" doesn't make sense, because no one speaks like characters in any movie. My one asterisk on that, is that I think the filmmaking style has to support his kind of dialogue. The Newsroom didn't work as well for me because it was shot documentary-style and tried to feel very authentic...which did clash with Sorkin's dialogue. But yeah, this film is a masterpiece. And so fun to see Rooney Mara in the role that first brought attention to her...knowing that shortly after they finished this they started on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo..!
Lessons from the Screenplay True. Fincher did a great job at helping to make the dialogue feel believable. It also helps that all the characters are clearly of above average intelligence and adults. The scene in Steve Jobs where his daughter is around 9 and saying things like "if I had another ruler, I'd measure this ruler" took me out of the movie a bit. I don't care how smart this kid is, she's still 9 years old.
Silk Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's other film scores are great. Some other favorite artists in the genre are Aphex Twin, Tim Hecker, Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Stars of the Lid, Taylor Deupree, Oneohtrix Point Never, Rafael Anton Irisarri, and Jon Hopkins. Other similar soundtracks would be Blade Runner by Vangelis, Upstream Color by Shane Carruth and pretty much anything by Cliff Martinez.
I'm very glad that you mentioned David Fincher's influence on the movie. His cinematic choices give much more substance to the script as, in my opinion, he is a master of creating tension and bringing it to a breaking point. Exactly how you demonstrated in the case of Social Network with "If you guys were the inventors of Facebook you'd have invented Facebook" and in Gone Girl, as you beautifully pointed out, the moment where Nick asks for the lawyer and dialogue leading up to that.
My uncle owned the bar the first scene of the movie was filmed with mark and his girl. He opened up another restaurant in my hometown. RIP Uncle, I miss you man, i looked up to u :)
The Dark Knight doesn't actually have that strong of a script; it's mostly the filming of it and the acting that makes it good ... that and it's a superhero movie that both has an *actual* amount of action in it and it isn't tacky; it's more about what the Dark Knight *ISN'T* than what it actually is.
+Samuel Wallace In what way did The Dark Knight lack a strong script? I thought Harvey Dent's arch was brilliant. The Joker's ideology was disturbing smart. Rachel's decision between Bruce and Harvey was also very introspective. The concise dialogue was also very admirable.
Am I the only one who thinks that there should be an award show, like the Oscars or Emmys, for RUclipsrs? I mean, this video essay for example, is a truly masterpiece and should get much more recognition. You guys (I can hardly imagine it's just one person behind these videos) from 'Lessons from the Screenplay' are all geniuses and deserve a bigger audience than you already have.
I was in college and 19 when the movie came out, so roughly the same age as the characters in the film... I had been slightly obsessed with Fincher's past films and was eagerly waiting to see what his follow up to 'Benjamin Button' would be... when I found out it was a movie about 'Facebook', I was actually slightly disappointed at first, because I honestly had no idea how Fincher could make a dark gritty, Fincher-esque movie about Facebook of all things.... but when I saw it in theaters with my friend, we literally spent the rest of the night trying to come up with our own ideas for a successful website we could make (neither of us had an iota of the software, or creative skills required), but the movie had entranced us so much that we thought we were going to create the next best thing... my favorite movies are the ones that I can't stop thinking about for days, even weeks after seeing it... this was definitely one of those
@@utsgotnoguts I ended up graduating in mechanical engineering.. I started a family, but never started a business, though it's never too late... after seeing this movie in 2010, the thought that I had was "how can we make the next best website?", in other words, how can I compete with Facebook and RUclips... Instead I wish my thought had been "How can I start a RUclips channel?"... If I had started a RUclips channel back in 2010, that could've certainly led to something, and I certainly had no skills to create a fantastic website, but any average joe can start a RUclips channel and see where it leads.. Unfortunately, "being a RUclipsr" wasn't thought of as a career choice at that time.. there just weren't as many big RUclipsrs making good money, or if there were, I just didn't know about it
I'm so glad he pointed this out at 11:59. Every actor knows the difficult part about acting is not the happy ending or dramatic crying scenes, but things like that. Little nuances that we do every day that we never notice. So hard to make that look natural and Jesse does it so well.
Would you be down to do a Pixar movie? Perhaps, The Incredibles or Toy Story? They have such awesome scripts but are often under appreciated because they're "kids movies".
Noticed the brilliant use of ambient background noise from the film in the 4:40 sequence which you had to have manually manipulated and extended to continue while you interjected. Very nice touch!
Fantastic video, as always! Question -- How do you animate the audio levels in your video (11:52) when you're matching it to someone's narration/VO? I can never figure that out!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. It really means a lot to me that people are willing to support the channel, so I wanted to make this as good as possible. I may have gotten a little too nit picky, which is why it took so long. Hopefully will be making videos at a faster pace moving forward!
No worries man, I can totally understand the nit pickiness haha. Some of the larger videos I've made have taken 400-500 hours. Quality>Quantity, keep doing what your doing, at whatever pace it takes. As long as you keep making kick ass videos like this i'm happy :)
I am India based film maker/writer, and I a would like to congratulate Michael for the way he has managed decoding some of the most tough screenplay structures and present it for aspiring writers and filmakers. A great work indeed.
It's true...the first version of this video was almost 20 minutes long...but tried to touch on too many things and wasn't cohesive. Editing can be painful sometimes, especially when there is so much more to say!
Thanks! I have seen Cloud Atlas. My thoughts were that I loved the ambition and what they were trying to do, if maybe the ultimate result was a bit all over the place. But I think it has a great message and is unlike any other film I've seen.
Still one of my favorite videos on RUclips. Your combination of high-level research, detailed preparation, thoughtful insight and impeccable editing make for exhilarating videos for movie (screenplay) lovers such as myself - by far #1 channel on RUclips for this subject matter. Your subscribers count reflects this. Keep it going, and keep in mind that your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thanks!
Absolutely love this channel, I'm never disappointed. Have you taken a look at Sorkin's MasterClass on screenwriting? Also - I'd like to see a lesson on a fantasy screenplay, maybe Pan's Labyrinth?
A fantasy screenplay would be cool. And I have not done his MasterClass...I am curious, but didn't want to influence this video and end up just repeating what he says or something.
Oh yes!! if you have time, read it and watch the movie... I think Tony Gilroy is really intelligent (and underrated), he really trims it down to a very concise and engaging script... and this one was his personal project.
This is one of my FAVORITE genre films that have come out in the last 20 years. I know it's over 10 years old, and it hasn't really lost its power for me. I think one of the film's (and likely the script's as well) great strengths is that Gilroy kept in all the supporting characters who didn't have a direct impact on the story, specifically Michael's extended family. It really helped underscore the main character and his motivations.
I'm 4 years late but I think this is testament to how greatly you've analyzed this movie. I've been watching multiple video essays these past months to make sense of my timeless fascination with this movie. Yours just blows every other analysis out of the water. My favorite is how you dissected the classic beginning scene. Easily my all-time fave scenes ever.
I would LOVE it if you did "Moonlight", one of my favorites movies from last year, and I think it has a pretty tight script. Love your channel thank you!!
I would love to get your analysis of the screenplay of Good Will Hunting. It's one of my favorite movies and I think Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote beautiful dialogue.
In all the years RUclips has existed and the thousands (tens of thousands?) of videos I must have watched--- this was the first time I've actually logged in and subbed to a channel. Time to watch everything you've done. Really fantastic stuff.
Thank you! I do write, not as much as I should be. My main focus has always been directing though. You can see some of my old work here: ruclips.net/p/PLNG5rL9TYct0qJ87N5HakHdwfyPKmSuQK
As always, an extremely informative and poignant video essay. I was looking forward to this one for awhile. Keep up the great work and I can't wait for the next one!
i love this videos, and i would just love to see some analysis in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Superbad and/or Good Will Hunting, hope one day i get to see that. Superbad because i would like to see how a comedy script works (in this case efectively).
It took me a long time to watch this movie. The premise seemed boring and I couldn't imagine how a movie about that subject matter could be interesting. Its one of the best movies ive ever seen, ever.
Great video! I love this channel, its very informative, professional and has a great feel to it. Some movies i'd love to see analyzed at the screenplay level by you are: Inception, The Prestige, In Bruges, Lord of the Rings (I read the Two Towers screenplay and its great), The Untouchables, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gladiator. I'm sure you have your own list and lots of suggestions already. Can't wait for your next video!
You are amongst many people who have inspired me to write again and for that, I must thank you sir! Keep up the great work, you’re content is engaging while being both informative and entertaining all at once! I love how we are taken on a journey through the films from the perspective of the literature and the challenges screenwriters face when attempting to match their original intentions in the script with their ability to effectively communicate them on screen is very interesting!
Amazing video as always. Aaron Sorkin is such a brilliant writer! Would love to see a vid on Django Unchained, Interstellar, Silver Linings Playbook, Steve Jobs, Birdman, The Revenant, and The Cornetto Trilogy
Studio 60 is SO underrated, I don't like all of the cast and the comedy performed on the Studio 60 stage falls flat at times, but I love this series so much!
Suggestions for analysis: -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones & Michael Palin) -- Back to the Future (written by Bob Gale & Bob Zemeckis) -- Almost Famous (written by Cameron Crowe) -- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (written by Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh) -- Adaptation (written by Charlie Kaufman) -- Ratatouille (written by Brad Bird, Jim Capobianco & Jan Pinkava) -- Inglourious Basterds (written by Quentin Tarantino) -- Zero Dark Thirty (written by Mark Boal)
DUDE UR SO FUCKING AWESOME MAN THANK YOU. Um fun story I was at summer school at USC, and Aaron Sorkin's daughter Roxy sorkin was in our program and he visited his daughter's film set and everyone got to meet him. I wasn't there but I heard from my roommate how he was like really nice and even taught everyone a little bit about screenplays. ISNT THAT COOL?
absolutely amazing! you are able to capture each thing that makes a certain movie great even down to the slightest details. fincher is one of my favorite directors, and i truly fell deeper in love with his work due to your video. watching your videos inspired me to pursue a career in film production! you are my favorite channel! :D
I love your series! Thank you. I saw a French-Belgian drama-thriller film, Disorder, written and directed by Alice Winocour. There was very little dialogue. The sound track, not music, but the sounds of the movie really drove the movie. I thought it was incredible and would like to see an analysis of Disorder and how a script is driven by more than dialogue.
I swear everytime you release a new video I feel blessed! And as for suggestions : Drive, Oldboy, anything by Tarantino, Donnie Darko etc... You could also show us examples of bad screenplays who have poorly written characters and structural problems, to show us what to avoid when writing our own stories!
I watched this movie for a class multiple times a few years ago, this scene was so fun to watch. I figured it out on the second watching lol. Amazing movie, very inspiring in some ways.
I really love the way you talk, not too slow or fast, clear but relaxing. I don't know much about screenplays so I appreciate the way you explain everything easy to understand but also nice and concise. Thank you so much!
Damn... i went through this comment section and saw a lot of amazing movie screenplays being suggested and i wanted to suggest Clerks by Kevin Smith. Don't get me wrong i think it's an amazing movie but it is pretty different to many of the movies suggested. However i believe there could be some very interesting things to talk about with this script.
I was wondering if you've seen Enemy(2013) by Denis Villeneuve. It's one of my favourite movies and I think that it could be a great and challenging video if your up to it. Great work keep it up.
I really don't understand why Fincher always is marked as a "visual director", because: his shots are actually very down-to-earth and classic in the most time. Also his color grading is very calm. What's actually really unique is the timing and rhythm. in this respect he is a genius and perfectionist !
Lessons from the Screenplay ooooohhh myyyyyy gawd... I've been subscribed for a while but now you've become a top 5 channel. I'll be sure to start making donations to your Patreon account. Really looking forward to Pulp Fiction and I hope you're doing well!
Great video. So much to learn as always. Would you do a video on the screenplay to the Coens' 'A Serious Man'? Also, Steve McQueen's 'Shame' would be a wonderful choice.
Sabol Kralj I think we can agree that LFTS should do something about one of the Coens' movies. NCFOM is a masterwork indeed - as is McCarthy's novel. But in my opinion, A Serious Man is even a better movie that is unfortunately extremely underrated and should be analyzed especially in respect to script, cinematography and editing.
SO happy to see that you uploaded a new video, especially one a lot of us have been anticipating like crazy! Thanks so much for actually taking into consideration what your audience wants but also taking time to make it worth doing. As for suggestions, a look into how you see 12 Angry Men would be something I would really be excited for.
Really enjoyed your deconstruction of Sorkin's writing on this one. Admittedly, I'm already in awe of Aaron Sorkin's hyper-paced and relentless writing style, and the rich dialogues. More so now, after Steve Jobs. This brings me to a humble request: Please deconstruct any of the many beautiful scenes from Steve Jobs. Perhaps, one of the numerous heated exchanges between Jobs and his mentor Scully, or between Jobs and his work-wife Joanna.
Thank you so much to all my Patreon supporters for making this video and this channel possible! I have some exciting things planned for this year, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss those. And, as always: What screenplays should I do in the future?! Let me know!
I still need to see Nocturnal Animals! La La Land definitely on the list.
Lessons from the Screenplay La La Land just because I love that film so much.
Lessons from the Screenplay La La land was seriously great! You NEED to watch it!
Lessons from the Screenplay capo Michael please make vídeo of the Truman show!! saludos desde Argentina tus vídeos son geniales. abrazo
La La Land, Nocturnal Animals, Manchester by the Sea!
Your editing during the Erica/Mark is impeccable, really engaging and easy to follow
Thanks Devin! That's great to hear because I was worried it would be a bit difficult to follow.
@@LessonsfromtheScreenplay You made it easier to follow from the film and really pick up the nuances so thank you!
@@LessonsfromtheScreenplay Well, for the purpose it served, you indeed made it digestible
On the same note, I was thinking something similar while listening to it; thank you for editing in some café sounds behind your own voice so the jump between your explanation and their audio did not sound very extreme it was easy on the ears and the mind
I'd actually be really interested if you did an analysis of a bad or average script and broke down where and how it failed.
Anyone else feel the same way?
fragr33f Doesn't even have to be where it failed, though that's a clear lesson also. Calling out missed opportunities to be better will elevate average writers by helping them recognize how to improve character development, pacing, calls backs, etc.
When I was 13 or so, I saw Ridley Scott's Legend in the theater, and I came out so disappointed that I wanted to rewrite the screenplay for him. I saw so many missed opportunities to [edit: removed the word 'make'] allow us to care for the characters, I was frustrated that the movie failed to use them and it came out 'meh'. Cuz it's a gorgeous film, with a solid cast and creative ideas executed with style. Years later, when we finally got the director's cut on DVD, now I understand that it was a hack edit job by the studio to try to tailor for U.S. markets -- that was unnecessary anyways, since audiences are smarter than most studios think, and will watch longer films, if given a good story with juicy characters.
TL;DR, What I'm saying is, there's a lot more to be learned from average screenplays than from complete failures.
that'd be great
A popular request...I plan on doing this, just have to find the right film.
TheJenSolo really great point
I got the perfect bad script video idea for you, homie...three words:
M A N
O F
S T E E L
Holy fuck, I can't wait for you to do a video on Pulp Fiction.
I can only imagine doing that one will be nuts. So much to talk about!
Lessons from the Screenplay In my opinion it's Tarantino's best film.
I have to say I think structurally Inglorious is better. But I'd like to see LFTS weigh in!
The hard thing about analzing that script is that there's so much that's already been said and dissected from that movie. Hard to shine a new light on it. Hopefully we learn something new from this channel taking a closer look at it.
I am 100% sure that something new can be found. Every person that views a film views it through their own unique filter, and time is an important aspect. What I am keen to learn about is how Pulp Fiction maintained its cult status for twenty years, a phenomenon no critic in the mid 90s could have any real insight into. I hope that looking at why Pulp Fiction is considered a classic two decades on while something like True Romance isn't is part of Lessons from the Screenplay's analysis.
another excellent video from you! there was one year where the academy awards showed bits from the nominated screenplays and it was some of the most fascinating TV for me. this scratched my itch! haha
Awesome! I think I remember that. It was pretty cool.
Oh well hey there Jon! Didn’t expect you here 😂
@Param Shah yeah same
nobody talks about the soundtrack of this film. Amazing.
(No need to agree with me if you don't, just there's only a few people who even notice soundtracks, so I try to reply to them)
Few people talk about this soundtrack? That's because a lot of people (like me) think this soundtrack officially marked the beginning of an era of film music based on ambience rather than melody, on ambiguity rather than emotion. I can't tell you how influential this score was, and how badly it has hurt the art of film music.
How has it hurt film music?
Well, I think its led to a lot of drama scores that just provide ambient sound design and thumping electronic beats rather than actually helping the movie become more than it is. A lot of the scores being nominated for awards are just long ambient sounds and one note at a time piano music - that started with The Social Network. Anyway, that's just my taste in music - I was just here to answer your question :)
alright. i definitely see what you mean. and i guess i agree. i think the social networks soundtrack definitely displayed the feelings of the characters though. when mark is hacking the houses facebooks and that song "in motion" plays, it adds to the rigid perfectionism of marks character and how hes determined to pull of an extremely difficult while drunk at 2 in the moring. it also adds to the pacing. the whole score fits the movie but its hard to see it in other ones. so i definitely agree.
Sure, it might've worked here, but everyone started copying it.
Yes!!! Finally a new video! And about one of the best screenplays in recent memory!!! Aaron Sorkin is definitely one of the stars of this film.
That's a good way to put it! And yes, sorry this one took me awhile :)
King of Wakanda maaan you are everywhere! i bet there are multiples kings of wakanda, that isn't possible lol 😂 the
Marcelo Drummond nope, check the subscribers and the subscriptions every time you see me! It's me all the time!
King of Wakanda
Why do I fucking see you on every RUclips channel?
Isiskos similar interests
I will never understand how this brilliant film could lose best picture to The King's Speech. The drama and writing from these pages still hold up today.
I think there's no use in trying to make sense of the Oscars.
The Kings Speech catered to a societal problem The Social Network catered to a reptile problem
I don't understand either. The social network actually in my opinion is the best movie of the decade.
This movie and inception both lost to the kings speech what a disappointment
King‘s Speech is an amazing movies
People always look at me funny when I say The Social Network is my favorite movie...but it is good to know I'm definitely not alone based on the comments I'm reading!
Oh yeah, definitely not alone :)
Tarantino said it's the best film of the decade. "It crushes all competition."
Mine too, along with Matrix
@@hamidhimself even better than his own films?
I love the scene where Eduardo barges in from the doors, the amount of MOMENTUM, Christ, it builds up so beautifully. Great video! Learned a lot :D
there's a youtube video where Andrew Garfield talks about how many takes he had to do of that scene and how painful yet fulfilling it is. Fincher's directing style is pretty spectacular
The way he smashes Zuckerbergs laptop 😢 so good
Has there ever been such a combination of writing and direction as Sorkin and Fincher?
I'm sure there have...I just can't think of any at the moment.
i would say, in a different sense of course, maybe ivory and guadagnino? i think that their styles complement each other in the same ways that fincher’s and sorkin’s do, except instead of being cerebral and witty, the product is a beautiful, hyper-new-wave natural romanticism
The Godfather?
Schrader and Scorsese on Taxi Driver/Raging Bull, Robert Towne and Polanski on Chinatown
Quentin Tarantino and Quentin Tarantino
This film blew me away when I first saw it. I was about 13 when it came out and I saw it because I heard it was about Facebook (this was of course 2010 when Facebook was still cool with 13-year-olds). I expected a standard success story biopic. What I got was a masterpiece of filmmaking where everyone involved seemed to be at the top of their game. It was my first exposure to David Fincher and his perfectionist style of directing. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks and was a big part of getting me into electronic/ambient music. This movie made me take Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake seriously as actors. It was the first time pretty much everyone saw the amazing talents of Andrew Garfield and Rooney Mara. But above everything else Sorkin is the star of this movie. It's hard to give a truly bad performance with material this good. It was one of the first times I remember rewatching a movie just because I liked hearing the way the characters talked. Every single scene in The Social Network has more than one line that would be the best line in any other movie. People often criticize Sorkin by saying that people don't actually talk like that. True, but wouldn't it be great if they did? It's a movie. If directors can have a signature style then so can screenwriters. And it's not like the snappy dialogue is compensating for a lack of everything else. This movie's story and characters are incredibly compelling to the very end, it's paced perfectly, and it makes masterful use of nonlinear storytelling by cutting back to the courtroom scenes and using them to move the story forward. This movie is part of what made me want to be a screenwriter.
Sorry for rambling. I just love this movie so fucking much. If this isn't a 10/10 I don't know what is.
I totally agree! And the argument that "people don't talk like that" doesn't make sense, because no one speaks like characters in any movie. My one asterisk on that, is that I think the filmmaking style has to support his kind of dialogue. The Newsroom didn't work as well for me because it was shot documentary-style and tried to feel very authentic...which did clash with Sorkin's dialogue.
But yeah, this film is a masterpiece. And so fun to see Rooney Mara in the role that first brought attention to her...knowing that shortly after they finished this they started on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo..!
Lessons from the Screenplay True. Fincher did a great job at helping to make the dialogue feel believable. It also helps that all the characters are clearly of above average intelligence and adults. The scene in Steve Jobs where his daughter is around 9 and saying things like "if I had another ruler, I'd measure this ruler" took me out of the movie a bit. I don't care how smart this kid is, she's still 9 years old.
ambient/electronic music sounds awesome. I love the theme for the social network, could you point me to some similar music?
Silk Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's other film scores are great. Some other favorite artists in the genre are Aphex Twin, Tim Hecker, Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Stars of the Lid, Taylor Deupree, Oneohtrix Point Never, Rafael Anton Irisarri, and Jon Hopkins. Other similar soundtracks would be Blade Runner by Vangelis, Upstream Color by Shane Carruth and pretty much anything by Cliff Martinez.
Silk also this isn't the same genre but if you like The Social Network soundtrack you'll probably like the album Mezzanine by Massive Attack
I'm very glad that you mentioned David Fincher's influence on the movie. His cinematic choices give much more substance to the script as, in my opinion, he is a master of creating tension and bringing it to a breaking point. Exactly how you demonstrated in the case of Social Network with "If you guys were the inventors of Facebook you'd have invented Facebook" and in Gone Girl, as you beautifully pointed out, the moment where Nick asks for the lawyer and dialogue leading up to that.
I agree! He really is a master at what he does.
Sorkin ad before a Sorkin video. Illuminati confirmed.
I got a fucking condom ad.
Dammit!
Let me guess, Sorkin's masterclass
@@mayurdhanwani6664 i literally got the same thing wth
My uncle owned the bar the first scene of the movie was filmed with mark and his girl. He opened up another restaurant in my hometown. RIP Uncle, I miss you man, i looked up to u :)
F to pay respects
Rip
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy thanks yall, i appreciate the condolensces
the social network soundtrack is pure gold
The Incredibles please?
Best-written superhero movie ever IMO
TJ Hastie Incredibles or Dark Knight. Tough call. Visual storytelling or characters?
The Dark Knight doesn't actually have that strong of a script; it's mostly the filming of it and the acting that makes it good ... that and it's a superhero movie that both has an *actual* amount of action in it and it isn't tacky; it's more about what the Dark Knight *ISN'T* than what it actually is.
Samuel Wallace Ah, I'm still learning how to tell good writing from good directing from good acting.
+Samuel Wallace In what way did The Dark Knight lack a strong script? I thought Harvey Dent's arch was brilliant. The Joker's ideology was disturbing smart. Rachel's decision between Bruce and Harvey was also very introspective. The concise dialogue was also very admirable.
Am I the only one who thinks that there should be an award show, like the Oscars or Emmys, for RUclipsrs? I mean, this video essay for example, is a truly masterpiece and should get much more recognition.
You guys (I can hardly imagine it's just one person behind these videos) from 'Lessons from the Screenplay' are all geniuses and deserve a bigger audience than you already have.
Exactly.
From what I can tell its just Michael! Which is the insane part
The streamys?
photosynthesisprototype the streamys are rigged
I was in college and 19 when the movie came out, so roughly the same age as the characters in the film... I had been slightly obsessed with Fincher's past films and was eagerly waiting to see what his follow up to 'Benjamin Button' would be... when I found out it was a movie about 'Facebook', I was actually slightly disappointed at first, because I honestly had no idea how Fincher could make a dark gritty, Fincher-esque movie about Facebook of all things.... but when I saw it in theaters with my friend, we literally spent the rest of the night trying to come up with our own ideas for a successful website we could make (neither of us had an iota of the software, or creative skills required), but the movie had entranced us so much that we thought we were going to create the next best thing... my favorite movies are the ones that I can't stop thinking about for days, even weeks after seeing it... this was definitely one of those
Glad to hear that! Just wanted to leave this comment here in case you want to share what you've been upto lately (any startup..ish)
@@utsgotnoguts I ended up graduating in mechanical engineering.. I started a family, but never started a business, though it's never too late... after seeing this movie in 2010, the thought that I had was "how can we make the next best website?", in other words, how can I compete with Facebook and RUclips... Instead I wish my thought had been "How can I start a RUclips channel?"... If I had started a RUclips channel back in 2010, that could've certainly led to something, and I certainly had no skills to create a fantastic website, but any average joe can start a RUclips channel and see where it leads.. Unfortunately, "being a RUclipsr" wasn't thought of as a career choice at that time.. there just weren't as many big RUclipsrs making good money, or if there were, I just didn't know about it
@@bennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn no worries. Family first!
I'm so glad he pointed this out at 11:59. Every actor knows the difficult part about acting is not the happy ending or dramatic crying scenes, but things like that. Little nuances that we do every day that we never notice. So hard to make that look natural and Jesse does it so well.
HOLY SHIT YES! Aaron Sorkin inspires me so much!
He's the reason I first started paying attention to screenwriting.
Lessons from the Screenplay same. He's great
pls do 'Manchester by the Sea'
Would you be down to do a Pixar movie? Perhaps, The Incredibles or Toy Story? They have such awesome scripts but are often under appreciated because they're "kids movies".
For sure! There's a lot to say about Pixar's storytelling.
Lessons from the Screenplay please do up first
pleeeeeaaaaase!!!!!!
please eeeeeeee do Monsters Inc :")
One of my favourite movies. Probably top 5, easily top 10!
Agreed!
Yes Honestly
Fincher and Sorkin should collaborate more often because based on the social network, they can make the greatest movies of all time.
Noticed the brilliant use of ambient background noise from the film in the 4:40 sequence which you had to have manually manipulated and extended to continue while you interjected. Very nice touch!
Hey, can you do something on City of God or any Kurosawa movie?
Ooh, good suggestions!
Yes please, +1 on City of god
High and Low, Rashomon of course Seven Samurai would all make great videos.
Great video Lessons, We did on on the Social Network as well, curious what you think about it.
Thanks! I'll have to check it out!
Fantastic video, as always! Question -- How do you animate the audio levels in your video (11:52) when you're matching it to someone's narration/VO? I can never figure that out!
Thanks! There's a built-in effect called "Audio Spectrum." Here's a tutorial on one way to do it: ruclips.net/video/8J3JJoA7NYU/видео.html
Can you do something from Lars Von Trier? Dogville for instance.
Great video once again! Can I suggest maybe at least once, you pick a really bad film and discuss why it failed in terms of writing?
for example, Nine (starring Daniel day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard); the screenplay for it is terrible af but everything else in that film is perfect
i agree with you 100% !
Hezekiah Pabico interesting idea
congrats on breaking another patreon goal man, it's been a pleasure supporting your channel. Always looking forward to your next video!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. It really means a lot to me that people are willing to support the channel, so I wanted to make this as good as possible. I may have gotten a little too nit picky, which is why it took so long. Hopefully will be making videos at a faster pace moving forward!
No worries man, I can totally understand the nit pickiness haha. Some of the larger videos I've made have taken 400-500 hours. Quality>Quantity, keep doing what your doing, at whatever pace it takes. As long as you keep making kick ass videos like this i'm happy :)
The most wonderful thing for a writer is to find a director with same equation and understanding of life.
Very true!
I need to find a good collaboration this year.
Brilliant essay as usual, Michael. Would love to see you tackle a Kaufman script?
Thank you! And yes. This will definitely happen.
Lessons from the Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, duh!
I am India based film maker/writer, and I a would like to congratulate Michael for the way he has managed decoding some of the most tough screenplay structures and present it for aspiring writers and filmakers. A great work indeed.
500 Days of Summer! PLEASE! Or even maybe TV like The Office?
Oooh, good suggestions!
Nocturnal animals !
I need to see it!
It's a brilliant thriller full of beautiful symbolism! Mi favorite movie of 2016
Awesome.
Man a video on that would be so amazing, im sure you'll like it!
This was incredible. As was this film. Several more videos could probably be made about it, taking apart the script. Thanks for this one :)
It's true...the first version of this video was almost 20 minutes long...but tried to touch on too many things and wasn't cohesive. Editing can be painful sometimes, especially when there is so much more to say!
I can imagine! I often had the same issues with Film essays. That being said, I don't think we'd complain about a Part 2 ;)
Perhaps one day ;)
Lessons from the Screenplay Or part 2 with Steve Jobs, I think Sorkin and Boyles collaboration was energetic too.
Put the editors cut on patreon! No doubt people will storm your patreon.
your videos are some of the best film analysis videos I've ever come across!! Have you ever seen cloud atlas? I'd love to hear your thoughts
Thanks! I have seen Cloud Atlas. My thoughts were that I loved the ambition and what they were trying to do, if maybe the ultimate result was a bit all over the place. But I think it has a great message and is unlike any other film I've seen.
DO Memento
andrim that would be good.
The prestige would be fucking awesome too
as well as arrival
Still one of my favorite videos on RUclips. Your combination of high-level research, detailed preparation, thoughtful insight and impeccable editing make for exhilarating videos for movie (screenplay) lovers such as myself - by far #1 channel on RUclips for this subject matter. Your subscribers count reflects this. Keep it going, and keep in mind that your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thanks!
Absolutely love this channel, I'm never disappointed. Have you taken a look at Sorkin's MasterClass on screenwriting? Also - I'd like to see a lesson on a fantasy screenplay, maybe Pan's Labyrinth?
A fantasy screenplay would be cool. And I have not done his MasterClass...I am curious, but didn't want to influence this video and end up just repeating what he says or something.
Mickey really curios about this as well. I'm thinking about taking that class but I'm not sure if it's worth it
7:10 The stage version of A Few Good Men has flashbacks though; even the movie has some. Lots of plays are non-linear.
Jesus christ how the hell does the screenwriter get less credit than the director. These days people only focus on the director.
Please do a Pulp Fiction analysis
Thanks again!! could you do one on Michael Clayton? would be great... I know it's not a popular movie, but I love it.
I have heard it's a fantastic screenplay.
Oh yes!! if you have time, read it and watch the movie... I think Tony Gilroy is really intelligent (and underrated), he really trims it down to a very concise and engaging script... and this one was his personal project.
This is one of my FAVORITE genre films that have come out in the last 20 years. I know it's over 10 years old, and it hasn't really lost its power for me. I think one of the film's (and likely the script's as well) great strengths is that Gilroy kept in all the supporting characters who didn't have a direct impact on the story, specifically Michael's extended family. It really helped underscore the main character and his motivations.
I'm 4 years late but I think this is testament to how greatly you've analyzed this movie. I've been watching multiple video essays these past months to make sense of my timeless fascination with this movie. Yours just blows every other analysis out of the water. My favorite is how you dissected the classic beginning scene. Easily my all-time fave scenes ever.
As a filmmaker, I'd like to thank you for sharing such dense and well-structured information with us.
True Detective Season One and the writing of a narcissist that is Rust Cohle.
Up!
that's a good screenplay for sure!
I think you may have meant nihilist
Haha yeah nihilist. Thanks
Rust is far from a narcissist.
What you say about collaboration is true. But have you seen the Trial of the Chicago 7?
I would LOVE it if you did "Moonlight", one of my favorites movies from last year, and I think it has a pretty tight script. Love your channel thank you!!
I would love to get your analysis of the screenplay of Good Will Hunting. It's one of my favorite movies and I think Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote beautiful dialogue.
Agreed. That movie is pretty great. :)
In all the years RUclips has existed and the thousands (tens of thousands?) of videos I must have watched--- this was the first time I've actually logged in and subbed to a channel. Time to watch everything you've done. Really fantastic stuff.
Wow. I am honored!
You need more subscribers this was awesome! By the way do you write any screenplays or any scripts in general?
Thank you! I do write, not as much as I should be. My main focus has always been directing though. You can see some of my old work here: ruclips.net/p/PLNG5rL9TYct0qJ87N5HakHdwfyPKmSuQK
Lessons from the Screenplay awesome!
My favorite movie of all time!! Your video on it is excellent. You really did it justice.
As always, an extremely informative and poignant video essay. I was looking forward to this one for awhile. Keep up the great work and I can't wait for the next one!
Thanks Ryan!
The Social Network is as close to perfect as a movie can get. You just want to live inside of its world forever.
i love this videos, and i would just love to see some analysis in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Superbad and/or Good Will Hunting, hope one day i get to see that. Superbad because i would like to see how a comedy script works (in this case efectively).
Very good set of suggestions! It would be pretty interesting to see the script for Superbad.
also 12 years a slave
I still have flashbacks from that fucking movie
Adriano Vazquez every time a slave is hit with lashes, It hurts. Amazingly portrayed. Extremely sad
@Mohit Kohli
My fave of 2013 b/c how McQueen portrayed the theme.
Adriano Vazquez - now that was a DAMN good screenplay. I loved the economically written Shame more but both are masterpieces.
"It's raining"
Jeopardy: "Is it Vancouver?"
Damn you're soo good. By the way can you help me with my English homework to analyze some stories and plays 😅
i think you should do Locke (2013). It's amazing how you can do a 85 min film with only an actor and a car. Plus it's a overlooked film.
Interesting. I'll have to check that one out.
Brilliant editing. Your videos are beyond excellent. You should do a video on the silly brilliance of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
this is my favorite david fincher movie they should work more together
I agree!
What a truly inspirational analysis, thank you so much :)
It took me a long time to watch this movie. The premise seemed boring and I couldn't imagine how a movie about that subject matter could be interesting. Its one of the best movies ive ever seen, ever.
still waiting for pulp fiction...
Some of us are still waiting for you to analyze scripts from Charlie Kaufman, more specifically Sycnedoche: New York
Word. I haven't forgotten!
Just finished Trials of Chicago 7. Would love to see you do another one on Sorkin!
Great video! I love this channel, its very informative, professional and has a great feel to it. Some movies i'd love to see analyzed at the screenplay level by you are: Inception, The Prestige, In Bruges, Lord of the Rings (I read the Two Towers screenplay and its great), The Untouchables, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gladiator. I'm sure you have your own list and lots of suggestions already. Can't wait for your next video!
Thanks! And thanks for that list, those are some great suggestions.
You are amongst many people who have inspired me to write again and for that, I must thank you sir! Keep up the great work, you’re content is engaging while being both informative and entertaining all at once! I love how we are taken on a journey through the films from the perspective of the literature and the challenges screenwriters face when attempting to match their original intentions in the script with their ability to effectively communicate them on screen is very interesting!
Amazing video as always. Aaron Sorkin is such a brilliant writer! Would love to see a vid on Django Unchained, Interstellar, Silver Linings Playbook, Steve Jobs, Birdman, The Revenant, and The Cornetto Trilogy
Good list!
Lessons from the Screenplay Thanks, can't wait for Pulp Fiction. One of my favorites!
Studio 60 is SO underrated, I don't like all of the cast and the comedy performed on the Studio 60 stage falls flat at times, but I love this series so much!
Suggestions for analysis:
-- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones & Michael Palin)
-- Back to the Future (written by Bob Gale & Bob Zemeckis)
-- Almost Famous (written by Cameron Crowe)
-- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (written by Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh)
-- Adaptation (written by Charlie Kaufman)
-- Ratatouille (written by Brad Bird, Jim Capobianco & Jan Pinkava)
-- Inglourious Basterds (written by Quentin Tarantino)
-- Zero Dark Thirty (written by Mark Boal)
DUDE UR SO FUCKING AWESOME MAN THANK YOU. Um fun story I was at summer school at USC, and Aaron Sorkin's daughter Roxy sorkin was in our program and he visited his daughter's film set and everyone got to meet him. I wasn't there but I heard from my roommate how he was like really nice and even taught everyone a little bit about screenplays. ISNT THAT COOL?
How about "We need to talk about Kevin"
I keep hearing good things, but keep forgetting to watch it!
Please do watch it, it's my absolute favorite film at the moment!!!
So what I’m hearing during this entire video is that we need Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher to actually do a lot more work together ❤️
absolutely amazing! you are able to capture each thing that makes a certain movie great even down to the slightest details. fincher is one of my favorite directors, and i truly fell deeper in love with his work due to your video. watching your videos inspired me to pursue a career in film production! you are my favorite channel! :D
I love your series! Thank you.
I saw a French-Belgian drama-thriller film, Disorder, written and directed by Alice Winocour. There was very little dialogue. The sound track, not music, but the sounds of the movie really drove the movie. I thought it was incredible and would like to see an analysis of Disorder and how a script is driven by more than dialogue.
These analyses really let me appreciate how amazing films can be!
I swear everytime you release a new video I feel blessed! And as for suggestions : Drive, Oldboy, anything by Tarantino, Donnie Darko etc... You could also show us examples of bad screenplays who have poorly written characters and structural problems, to show us what to avoid when writing our own stories!
All good suggestions! I do want to do a "bad" screenplay at some point.
I "thumbs up" your videos before I watch them. I just love you so much!
:)
Incredible editing and extraordinary content! I love this channel, keep up the good work, Michael!
Thank you! :)
This is the first of your videos i've watched, and i'm hooked! I really look forward to see what you'll do next : )
Awesome! Welcome :)
love Aron Sorkin's dialogue....can you do The Newsroom's pilot episode.....it had an iconic monologue and some good cut-between-the-scenes.
I watched this movie for a class multiple times a few years ago, this scene was so fun to watch. I figured it out on the second watching lol. Amazing movie, very inspiring in some ways.
Ah! Finally a vid :D
Do an Edgar Wright movie, Hot Fuzz probably?
Pramit Chatterjee The whole Cornette trilogy is amazing.
That would be fun!
I really love the way you talk, not too slow or fast, clear but relaxing. I don't know much about screenplays so I appreciate the way you explain everything easy to understand but also nice and concise. Thank you so much!
Awesome, that's great to hear. Thanks!
Did the writer really misspell SATs as SAT's? If so, that would be disgraceful for a writer. Or did you do it?
It didn't matter too much if the readers are able to understand what you were going for.
Maybe this guy could write his own movie.
Damn... i went through this comment section and saw a lot of amazing movie screenplays being suggested and i wanted to suggest Clerks by Kevin Smith. Don't get me wrong i think it's an amazing movie but it is pretty different to many of the movies suggested. However i believe there could be some very interesting things to talk about with this script.
You know, that's another film that I've heard amazing things about but have managed to somehow not see. I will try to fix this!
I was wondering if you've seen Enemy(2013) by Denis Villeneuve. It's one of my favourite movies and I think that it could be a great and challenging video if your up to it. Great work keep it up.
I have! It was a very interesting movie...I need to see it again. It would definitely be a challenge :)
I really don't understand why Fincher always is marked as a "visual director", because: his shots are actually very down-to-earth and classic in the most time. Also his color grading is very calm. What's actually really unique is the timing and rhythm. in this respect he is a genius and perfectionist !
How can a video be so cool? Well executed, loved this tut...
Can you please do a video on Joss Whedon? I know he's only done a few movies, but his TV shows are something to behold.
It would be nice if you do videos about '12 Angry Men' and maybe 'Citizen Kane'.
Yes. Those are great suggestions. So many movies to do!
Lessons from the Screenplay ooooohhh myyyyyy gawd... I've been subscribed for a while but now you've become a top 5 channel. I'll be sure to start making donations to your Patreon account. Really looking forward to Pulp Fiction and I hope you're doing well!
Great video. So much to learn as always.
Would you do a video on the screenplay to the Coens' 'A Serious Man'? Also, Steve McQueen's 'Shame' would be a wonderful choice.
Oo, good suggestions.
If he's going to do a film by Coens, he needs to do NCFOM first and foremost.
Sabol Kralj
I think we can agree that LFTS should do something about one of the Coens' movies. NCFOM is a masterwork indeed - as is McCarthy's novel.
But in my opinion, A Serious Man is even a better movie that is unfortunately extremely underrated and should be analyzed especially in respect to script, cinematography and editing.
laertesdd Aye, we can definitely agree on that.
SO happy to see that you uploaded a new video, especially one a lot of us have been anticipating like crazy! Thanks so much for actually taking into consideration what your audience wants but also taking time to make it worth doing. As for suggestions, a look into how you see 12 Angry Men would be something I would really be excited for.
A great suggestion! And I'm glad you enjoyed it! I definitely wanted to make it as good as possible since it was such a frequently-requested one.
Great video. I loved the.. uhm.. you know.. hiccups section:)
Who cares about Structure and Collaboration??
We're all gonna die anyways.
Enjoy Arby's.
Eric ?
Filmmakers probably
Really enjoyed your deconstruction of Sorkin's writing on this one. Admittedly, I'm already in awe of Aaron Sorkin's hyper-paced and relentless writing style, and the rich dialogues. More so now, after Steve Jobs. This brings me to a humble request: Please deconstruct any of the many beautiful scenes from Steve Jobs. Perhaps, one of the numerous heated exchanges between Jobs and his mentor Scully, or between Jobs and his work-wife Joanna.