Lessons learned from the 2019 Best Picture Nominees

Once again Regal Cinemas offered a fantastic opportunity to see all of the Best Picture nominees for $35.  Add in the popcorn and soda for five buck and it's the deal of a lifetime.  As I settled in with my $5 popcorn and soda, plus $4.95 for a box of Rasinets, it came to me:  This is a learning opportunity.  Don't miss the value of this moment.  I have the opportunity to experience what the Academy considers to be the 7 best motions pictures of the year, all in one week.  What can I glean from them to incorporate into my own writing?

Lesson 1 - A star is born

Insert characters that people care about.

I'll admit it.  I underestimated how long the box office line would be on a Saturday afternoon.  And the concession line.  And the fact that the 4:00 show actually started at 4:00.  So I was about three minutes late for the movie.  But from the moment I sat down, I was in love.  I fell in love with Ally and Jack as they fell in love with each other.  For me the strength of this movie was the performances of Lady GaGa and Bradley Cooper, built on the firm foundation of a well written script.  I think the challenge for the modern era of love stories is that the characters are not complex.  Or if they are complex, they're not very likable.  Forget lovable.  Another issue maybe that separately they are likable enough, but together, as a separate entity called a couple, they are not lovable.  So what makes a couple lovable?
1.  They have their identities of their own -  Separate from each other, they have story lines that are intriguing.  One doesn't exist on the screen solely for the purpose of the cinematic relationship.  You could watch a movie about either one of them and they would be equally interesting and entertaining.  In a Star is Born, I could sit and watch about Ally, the flawed beauty, who has always been told she's talented enough, but not pretty enough to make it in the music biz.  I could watch a movie about her fight to get that big break.  Just as intriguing would be a movie about Jack.  Broken past, broken hearted, broken down, but yet he is a star.  He is a star because of his brokenness. It's in the fabric of his music.  How does he manage to stay on topic, with so many demons pulling him down.  Two really good movies, rolled into one.
2.  They came together in a way that's organic- Yes, there has to be some choreographing to bring them together, but it doesn't feel forced.  It seems natural that this boozed-out singer would stumble into a drag bar, desperate for a drink, and find Ally performing among a see of drag queens, who adored her and accepted her as part of their family.  She shines in the cloud of smoke and booze and he can't his eyes off of her.  I think is one of those moments where you have to let the story tell you how they come together.  You can't really force the characters into finding each other, they have to find themselves.  You're role then, as the writer, it to observe and take dictation.  Let them him tell you how he would approach her and she'll say how she would react.  The first meeting is such a delicate moment.  You can't interfere as the writer.  Let it breathe.  Just sit back and take notes.
3.  They have passion.  Yes, the bulk of that comes down to the chemistry between the actors, but as the writer you have the responsibility to cultivate the proper soil for passion to bloom.  Passion doesn't have to mean sex.  Passion hot.  There is a concept in the law called "heat of passion."  Heat can an fierce argument that is resolved with a kiss, a slow dance when everyone else is doing the electric slide, lost in each others' eyes, oblivious to what's happening around them.  Passion is two singers on stage in front an stadium full of people, making love with their voices, blending in perfect harmony--with we as the audience feeling like we're intruding on a very intimate moment between lovers.
4.  They are not perfect.  If there were ever two flawed people is was Jack and Ally.  They were drawn to each other in part because of their flaws, and it's their flaws that draw us, as the audience to them.  Nobody likes perfection because we all realize that we're not perfect.  We may not all have drinking problems, or struggle with our self-image, but we can relate to imperfection.  I think deep down we think:  "If those two flawed people can find love, then there's still hope for me."  I think the trick with flaws, is there has to be balance.  Too many times I've seen a male character who is near sainthood with a woman who is insanely jealous, irrational and controlling--wretched, and I think:  "Why on earth would he be with her?"  Of course she's not the real love interest.  Somehow he manages to get out of that relationship--early in the movie--and he finds his soul mate.  A woman who is witty, intelligent, quirky but in a cool way and completely sane and they fall in love.  And I call BS.  Because the man who would be in a relationship with Miss Wretched would never fall for a woman like Miss Cool and Quirky.    Or if he did, he would quickly lose interest because she's not his type.  Unless, of course he went through some counseling or read a really, really good self-help book.  I'm sure there is a good movie out there that contradicts my belief her.  And if someone is able to pull that off, he or she truly is an exceptional writing.  All that to say, I just say, in creating your characters, don't go too overboard with flaws.  And if you do, make sure it's balanced.

Character development is part research, part observation and part allowing space for the characters to grow and evolve on their own.  It's one of the most fun parts of writing for me.  As you develop you potential best actress, best actor quality characters, be sure to take time to sketch them out, a bare bones sketch then go back and fill them, adding shades and highlights where you see fit.  Find some really good books and articles about character development and actually read them, study them. Finally, study movie performances.  What is it about those characters that people liked so much?  Or hated so much?  For one of my plays the villain ( a really nice guy in real life) stepped on the stage to take a bow and was booed mercilessly. We both smiled, that meant he did his job as an actor and I did my job as a writer.

One final note:  After the Oscar the nominations came out, there had been a lot of talk that Bradley Cooper had been snubbed in that he was not nominated for Best Director.  To be honest, this movie was just the first of the Best Picture films, so I have nothing to compare him too yet.  But I have to say, I agree with the talk.  He did an amazing job as a director.  (And I'm not just saying this because Cooper is a fellow Eagles fan)  His vision.  The look and pace of the film.  His ability to draw out of Lady GaGa a truly memorable performance.  In my humble opinion.  I walked out of the theater remembering that my first experience with Bradley Cooper was as the nosey reporter, who could never win Sidney's heart in the TV show Alias.  He has truly come a long way.  And I believe we'll be seeing him in that Best Director category soon enough.

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