SDCT Productions

At Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, tucked near a brick-wall stands a gravestone. The giant bold letters inscribed on it could be seen from outer space. They read simply “I'm a writer, but then nobody's perfect”.

I think about that epitaph every time I write a new screenplay. Billy T called me a few nights ago after I told him I needed to blog more. “Jeff” he says in a “sage” like manner while puffing on his cigarette (You know the advice you are about to get is sound when it comes from a man puffing a Marlboro) “You need to blog about the films that inspire you”. I hate to admit it, but he is right. So tonight as I'm working on a new feature length screenplay (Jeremiah Justice) and struggling through this pilot I'm going to submit to Spike TV, I figure this is as good of time as any to think about those screenplays that have influenced me.

Now there are a lot of great films, but very few are strong enough to stand on the screenplay alone. For example Waldo Salt's screenplay for Midnight Cowboy is pretty solid, but what made that film for me was Jon Voight's and Dustin Hoffman's performances. They brought life and personality to Salt's words. When I think of films that influence me, John Schlesinger's film would definitely be on the list. That's a list at some point I would like to share, but tonight we're going to discuss the:


Top 5 Screenplays That Influenced My Writing


5. The Deer Hunter written by Deric Washburn- Michael Cimino knew what he wanted and maybe he was the true creative force behind this 1979 winner for Best Picture. Whoever deserves the credit, the heart beneath this film is it's tightly structured three act screenplay. If the 3 hour running time intimidates you, keep in mind you can easily watch this film in three one hour episodes. There is a lot of things you have to give Cimino credit for. An example would be those tense Russian Roulette scenes, that ended up translating much better to film then on the page. Either way though, this is well crafted script that any aspiring writer could learn a lot from.

4. Changing Lanes written by Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin- Roger Michell's film is an excellent example of a film being nothing like it's marketing. This isn't what I would define as a white knuckle thriller. This was a film about morals, escalation and two men who didn't know when enough was enough. Gavin Banek's cathartic speech, in the film's climax, sums up what the film is truly about:

“It's like you go to the beach. You go down to the water. It's a little cold. You're not sure you want to go in. There's a pretty girl standing next to you. She doesn't want to go in either. She sees you, and you know that if you just asked her her name, you would leave with her. Forget your life, whoever you came with, and leave the beach with her. And after that day, you remember. Not every day, every week... she comes back to you. It's the memory of another life you could have had. Today is that girl.”





3. War Of The Roses- Written by Michael Leeson- When I sat down to write Let Them Come Apart, I had to decide what kind of story I wanted to tell. I can not stand, and I'm not interested, in films where people are just “ape shit” with no explanation. I got to give Rob Zombie credit, like or hate his version of Halloween, he gave us insight into Michael Myers home-life and family structure. That to me is more fascinating than the act of the person falling off the edge...I like to see the back story. About seven years ago I had a bad break-up, although we weren't married, it felt like a divorce. It was ugly, and to any outsider, it looked as though we hated each other (it still looks that way). What fascinates me is the months that lead up to our break up, when we were still civil. That is an interesting story, it makes the climax richer. I was trying to explain to you why War Of The Roses inspires me, I think in a roundabout way, I just did.

2. Crimes and Misdemeanors- Written by Woody Allen- Those who knew me thought I was going say Annie Hall. I love Annie Hall, don't get me wrong, but Crimes and Misdemeanors is much deeper story. Can you do something horrendous and bury the guilt? Will someone chose stability and money over true love? Like with all of his films, Woody Allen doesn't give us a Hollywood movie, he gives us a voyeuristic, realistic look at life. Someone told me once that Woody Allen has a pessimistic look at the world. I disagree, I mean he is no Cameron “Optimism as a Revolutionary Act” Crowe, but pessimistic? Not at all. Now Mr. Allen IS honest, brutally honest, and I think that can be uncomfortable for some people. He does have hope believe it or not. You can look no further than the last few moments of C&M in the words of Professor Levy to see this demonstrated:

“We're all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions, moral choices. Some are on a grand scale, most of these choices are on lesser points. But we define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are, in fact, the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, Human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation. it is only we, with our capacity to love that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying and even try to find joy from simple things, like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more.”

1. Sunset Blvd- Written by D.M. Marshman Jr., Charles Brackett, and Billy Wilder- I could have picked several screenplays. I figure I might take some heat for not reserving this spot for Chinatown, but this again is a list about scripts that inspire me not the best scripts of all time. Although if I was making “that list” I'm sure this one would rank in the top five. What's brilliant about Sunset Blvd, is you know in the first five minutes the path the main characters are going to take. In a way it's as painful as The Human Centipede. Now hear me out for a second. In The Human Centipede you know the characters fates before you even walk into the theater. You become a voyeur as you watch the inevitable unfold. The film becomes a study of the viewer and their own helplessness (read my co-hosts review for a similar take). This, in a sense, is the same feelings you get during Sunset Blvd. How many times did Joe Gillis have the opportunity to walk away? He could have gotten out of this situation long before the climax. Both him and Max were enablers and Joe paid the price in the end. We have all been there with the opposite sex and that is what makes the film all the more powerful.

Billy Wilder felt that the screenplay and how the actors interrupted it were more important to a film than fancy camera angles and techniques. He knew the script was the heart of any production. Billy Wilder died on March 27th 2002, 17 days after my 24th birthday. That night I put the finishing touches on my third screenplay “Christmasland”. I thought of Wilder that night, and the meaning behind the epitaph (the one I mentioned earlier) that was inscribed on his gravestone. The writer is the most abused person in Hollywood. If a film fails they blame the script, even though so many people are involved in the process...and so much gets changes. As I sit down to write my sixth feature length script, I'll go back to the films I mentioned above. It might be hard for you to understand how any or all of these would inspire anyone. I guess that's what makes me “Jeffrey Scott Richards” and “nobody's perfect”.