Structure: Michael Clayton

A structural overview of Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007) in 8 Sequences. When I watched the film during its theatrical release, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Because of the relatively low budget (an estimated USD$25m) for its production values, Tony Gilroy was able to make some brave non-commercial decisions with his screen story. This didn’t go … Read more

Exciting Coincidence?

“A strong inciting incident is an event that happens to the protagonist, never an action by the protagonist“, I said. Then I asked you for exceptions, i.e. strong Inciting Incidents that are actions by the protagonist. Now have a look at the first three responses I received: 1.) THELMA & LOUISE, 2.) PULP FICTION and … Read more

Shifting POV

Often when filmmakers use the term ‘omniscient point of view’, I believe what they really mean is: ‘shifting point of view’. Most of the film will still be told from the standpoint of one ore more individual characters, shifting from one scene to the next and from one character to the next. Even in films … Read more

Just Ad(d) Words

No post in September. I had other matters to attend to (photo). (For the whole story, you may have to brush up on your Dutch.) If you’re set in your writing ways and happy with your Underwood, just skip straight to the DVD Commentary section. Otherwise, here are some tips to save you the money … Read more