Brrr… Winter’s Coming

Unless you live in a more tropical clime, of course. But, actually, winter comes everywhere. Case in point? Take a look at people shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills this winter. Even though the temps are in the 70s and 80s, many are wearing winter boots and fur coats. Bizarre, right? But it’s an example of how winter drives our psyches… it makes us do things just because of the idea of winter, even when those behaviors and choices have no logical reason to exist in a place like Southern California.

Which makes me wonder what winter really is—is it about temperatures, or is it about a state of mind? Does our state of mind change in winter just because the stereotype of winter is coldness, even when we’re in a clime that isn’t cold? Interesting, right?

What about films? Are there films where winter plays a part in the story? Has a film been set in winter by the screenwriter for some reason? If so, what’s the reason? Is winter an antagonist? Does winter hinder the characters’ goals? Does it enhance the story? Is winter, in some way, a character in the film?

The first film set I was on was in 1991—it was the set of All I Want for Christmas. I don’t remember how I got onto the set, probably through a friend who worked on the lot. Even though I had lived in LA just over a year, just being in the city and meeting other wanna-be writers gave me entrée onto studio lots, etc. Because if you’re there and pursuing your dream, you’ll definitely meet other people who are doing the exact same thing—and, like you, they’ll all be employed at entry-level jobs and many will be on studio lots, which allows them to bring guests onto the lot.

I was psyched to be on the set of All I want for Christmas because I’d never been on a real movie set. And the star of the film was Jamey Sheridan, who I thought was a terrific actor. [If the name isn’t familiar to you, look him up on IMDB—I guarantee you’ve seen him in something.] Critics were a bit tough on the film as it was a total piece of fluff… Roger Ebert said “All I want for Christmas is not to see All I Want for Christmas again.”

So OK, it wasn’t a great film. But it will always be special to me because it was my first movie set experience.

When we got to the set it was nighttime. It was so interesting to see the HUGE number of people involved in making the film—lighting people, camera people, costume people, production assistants…I’d say there were over 50 people doing something on that set that evening.

While I did get to see Jamey Sheridan do his scene for the evening, what do I remember most about my night on the set? It snowed. Of course, it didn’t really snow because we were on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. But this was the movies, so it snowed. I can still remember the fake-flakes drifting to the ground. It was a terrific example of how movies are just plan magical.

So winter. Snow. What do you say we look at some winter films to prepare you to come up with your OWN winter film idea? We’ll begin looking at winter movies next week, and who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired by these chilly films to write one of your own!

Copyright © Diane Lake

18Nov18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com