A Hollywood Story – 9

We’ve been talking about writing Hollywood stories for the past few weeks, and I want to get back to that, but I’d like to take a break to talk about the writer/director John Singleton who died this past week. Because John’s breakthrough film, Boyz n the Hood [1981], was in many ways a Hollywood story for Singleton.

Boyz n the Hood tells the story of three young men and one of their fathers who live in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, an area he portrayed as a place where gangs rule and rival gangs wouldn’t think twice about gunning down someone who had dissed them.

It’s a moving film—I can remember so vividly seeing it for the first time.

Singleton had just finished film school when he began shooting this film. He brought to the screen a story that he knew about, in a place that he was familiar with, concerning people like those he’d grown up with. And the film was a huge hit—both critically and with the viewing public.

One of the amazing things about the film is that Crenshaw and Hollywood are just about 8 miles apart—but you’d never mistake one for the other. Hollywood is a place where, supposedly, dreams can become reality and Crenshaw? Good luck dreaming at all, the odds are totally stacked against you.

But in many ways, Boyz n the Hood was Singleton’s own Hollywood story. He took something he knew about—the inequities, the randomness, the sadness of the place he’d grown up—and fashioned all of that into a story that is truly timeless. You have characters who are caught in this place, who aren’t able to rise above it, who have no hope to escape it, and you have characters who, despite the odds, make it out and are able to achieve their dreams.

Telling this story—a story he knew something about, to be sure—was Singleton’s entrée into Hollywood. He would go on to create more films and television shows and produce a body of work to be proud of.

But look at how it all began—he took something he knew about, something that he had unique experience with that most people don’t, and he wrote about that. He fashioned characters to tell a story that he knew at his very core.

If you haven’t seen the movie, do take the time to do so—it’s worth every minute. And let Singleton inspire you to follow in his footsteps. If you’ve been reading these blogs because you’re interested in writing your Hollywood story or, really, any story, ask yourself how you can make it your own. What can you bring to your story that is uniquely you, what kind of story can you tell that ONLY you could tell?

Singleton was unique, and he mined what he knew to create a true work of art in Boyz n the Hood. Be inspired by him and find your own unique Hollywood story to tell.

Copyright © Diane Lake

05May19

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com