From Idea to Script to Sale
The 400th Blog!!!
As it’s summer, I hope you’re out on a beach reading this. Or that you’re at least relaxed on a porch somewhere enjoying a barbecue and the company of friends.
What is it about anniversaries? Those round numbers—birthdays with a 0 on the end, for example. Somehow they seem more worth celebrating.
Why is that? I wonder if it’s not just an excuse to celebrate. And what’s wrong with that?
So how to celebrate my 400th blog? Well, I can’t invite you all over for dinner, but I can invite you into the world of a writer—writer/director in this case—who was instrumental to changing what film was all about: François Truffaut.
I thought of him, this being my 400th blog, because of his film The 400 Blows [1959]. Now, if you’re not a period film person, don’t worry—this is not your typical 50s film. This one is special. Take a look at a trailer for the film.
Before he made this film, Truffaut had only made short films. This was his breakthrough—the film that catapulted him into the forefront of filmmakers. It won all the prizes. Why? Because it looked at life differently than most films did—through the eyes of a child. And the revelations about the adult world through the eyes of this child will keep you mesmerized.
A second Truffaut film that I just have to mention is one of my favorites of all time: Day for Night [1973]. Be ready to be amazed—take a look at this clip—and it’s a real treat, it’s the first 7 minutes of the film.
Notice how, right from the beginning, you’re brought into the world of movie-making. If you don’t realize it right away, you soon do—that those vertical lines on the left side of the screen are about sound, and in this case the sound of the music as it’s being played for the film. So you’re introduced to the fact that this film is going to explore the making of film.
After the credits we cut to a scene out in a town square. Something is going on but we’re not quite sure what, as we watch a young man come out of a metro station and eventually go up to a man and slap him. Then we hear the word “Coupez!”—which means “Cut” in English. And that’s when we realize we’re on a film set! And that’s what this whole film is about—movie-making.
It’s interesting that both of these films—The 400 Blows and Day for Night—have characters whose lives are full of movies. And if you love movies, they’re definitely ones you must see.
There’s something about the magic of film that comes through in Truffaut’s work. And if you’re drawn to working in this business, you can’t miss them. They will move you and delight you as well as entertain—and make you quite happy to be part of [or working to be a part of!] this amazing business.
Next week we’re back to our look at films of the heart—Match Point.
Copyright © Diane Lake
21Jul24
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Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com