The Hateful Eight Conundrum

"Don't download my fucking script! Yes, I'm talking to you!"

Before I start, I must say that Quentin Tarantino NEEDS to make The Hateful Eight.

He just needs to.

If for no other reason than to reinvent the subgenre known as Contained Thriller.

There is so much I want to say about this, but I'm finding it difficult to get my thoughts in order.  I'm experiencing so many different emotions right now.  An odd combination of excitement, shock, sadness, and guilt.  So I'm going to attempt to take those emotions, and isolate them to figure out why I'm so impacted by Tarantino's latest opus.

EXCITEMENT

Last week, when I heard that the screenplay for The Hateful Eight had leaked.  I became a man on a mission.  I searched high and low, any place and every place I could potentially download the script, and immerse myself in it.  It took a couple days, but I inevitably found a source.  Once I obtained the script, I planned my entire weekend around reading it.  However, weekends are usually pretty hectic for me, so I was only able to read thirty pages on Saturday morning, and read another sixty pages on Sunday night.  I had planned to read the remainder on Monday morning, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to put it off until today.  And now having read The Hateful Eight in its entirety, I'm having a bitch of time picking my jaw up off the floor.

This screenplay is just fantastic!  Almost heartbreakingly so.  The story is a pure Tarantino suspense festival.  I won't go into details about the story, or the characters.  Because all I can focus on is the effect the screenplay had on me.  Though being a first draft of a Tarantino script, it is infamously riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.  But the story is SO confidently delivered, I almost suspect that QT put the errors in there intentionally as if to dare the reader to stop by saying, "Yeah, I know I spelled 'coffy' wrong.  But you still can't put it down, can you?"

And I couldn't, even when I HAD to put it down, I was driven by an overwhelming desire to find out what was going to happen.  This is an effect very few screenplays have on me.

Now my feelings on The Hateful Eight caused me to wonder, "Do I REALLY love this script?  Or am I biased because I'm a lifelong Tarantino fan?"

Yes and no, I suppose.  Yes, for obvious reasons.  No, because there were a couple points in the first half of The Hateful Eight where I checked out a little bit because it's very much a slow burn thriller, which means not much is happening at the beginning.  Would I have kept up with it if it wasn't a Tarantino script?  Or would I have dismissed it like many other scripts I've attempted to read in the past?... Good question.

The answer is probably not, and that reason is the dialogue.  That richly textured dialogue that no one can do justice to quite like Tarantino.  Because I don't normally get into the characters of a story until they're knee deep in the muck of the tale.  So as a reader, great dialogue is what I always look for when perusing a script.  And The Hateful Eight has it in bundles.

SHOCK

Now that I've isolated my excitement, my initial feeling of shock is wearing off.  I think a lot of that feeling had to do with how Tarantino ended the script.  Without listing spoilers, I'll just say that the final moments of The Hateful Eight build to an operatic level of intensity.  It feels like a bomb is about to go off, and when it does, the violence hits like a punch to the chest.  Then it's over before I could even register what happened.

I read those final pages with my sleeping four month old daughter in my arms.  As my eyes absorbed the brutal crescendo of The Hateful Eight, I inevitably reached the final two words of the script:

THE END

THE... END...?  THAT'S the end!?  No!  NO!!!  I want more.  Tell me more!  That can't be it!  It can't!

Without context, one could assume that this was a negative reaction, but that would be wrong.  It's the best possible reaction I could possibly have, and the exact reaction I believe Tarantino was going for.

At the same time, I was amazed that Tarantino had the audacity to end his story SO abruptly, and leave the audience SO deflated, and still make it work SO amazingly well.

This is a master at work!

SADNESS

Of course, I'm saddened that Tarantino has chosen that this will not be his next film because of the whole script leak controversy.  When this story broke, I made the argument (as did many others) that, "So what?  The scripts for Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained leaked online years before the actual movies were released.  What's Tarantino so mad about?"

It didn't occur to me that it was a trust issue.  Someone CLOSE to Tarantino leaked the script to an agency, and some joker that works there posted the script on the web for everyone to see before ANY casting or budgetary decisions were made.  At least with those previous scripts, most of the actors were in place, and the budget was set.  So I feel for Tarantino.  How can you work with someone you can't trust?  It could destroy the whole collaborative dynamic, and hurt the film as a result.

So I agree that Tarantino should shelve The Hateful Eight for a little bit until the heat dies down.

But to abandon the project entirely!?  I just can't accept that reality.  This is just too great a script to be lingering on a shelf for the rest of time.  It's so vividly imagined, and wholly inspiring.

When Tarantino describes a Wyoming backdrop in 70mm CinemaScope, I not only could SEE it, I felt like I was there.

That's the key to great storytelling.  Make the audience FEEL like they are there.  And it takes true talent to pull that off.

GUILT

This is where my inner conflict comes into play.

On one hand, I'm happy that I got the chance to read The Hateful Eight.  It was as influential as anything Tarantino has ever written, and it's a story that's going to stay with me forever.  So thank you, Quentin Tarantino, for this screenwriting master stroke.

On the other hand, I feel guilt because Tarantino didn't write this for people to experience on the page.  He wrote it for people to experience it on the screen-- and not just any screen, a 70mm CinemaScope screen.  And by reading the script before the movie was even financed, I took Tarantino's gift, and spoiled the surprise for myself.

So I must apologize for that.

However, as a screenwriter, The Hateful Eight is required reading BECAUSE the movie isn't being made.  Without a movie to compare it to, the screenplay can exist on its own merits.  It can teach writers how to craft a Tarantino level of suspense, because there's no higher level out there.  There's a distinct sense of timing within the pages of The Hateful Eight that Tarantino has been toying with since he jumped on the scene twenty-two years ago, and he's been perfecting it little by little with every flick he does.

CONCLUSION

It is an enduring hope that QT will reconsider his decision to not make The Hateful Eight.  However, if he doesn't, the screenplay will remain the most popular unproduced script in the history of movies, a title held previously by Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon (which I've never read, and I'm sure most of you have never heard of).

It is another hope that this story spreads screenwriting awareness.  Because most people don't think about where movies come from.  They're just there, and people just accept them as that.  The Hateful Eight controversy could quite possibly reinforce one of my original intentions with this blog, which is to get people to read screenplays who don't normally read them.

If someone REALLY wants to see Tarantino's new movie, but they've never read a screenplay before, then they're going to read the screenplay because the movie doesn't exist.  And it's a sad thought...

But it's also beautiful.

Life Block

I had planned a very in depth blog today. I was going to explore Tarantino's whole Hateful Eight script leak controversy. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, life intervened. So I'm not energized enough to delve into those waters, and give you fine readers the coverage you deserve.

That being said, this brings up a subject that definitely needs exploring for unknown writers who have been unable to turn their dreams into a stable career.

How do you balance your life, and your ambition without going insane?

Still trying to figure out the answer to that confounding riddle. So if you came here for solutions, you've come to the wrong place.

Some folks write to battle stress. I find that writing, simply organizes stress. Writing puts stressful situations in perspective. That's why so many people create blogs like this one. There's an idea, or an emotion they NEED to get out there, if for no other reason but to get it out of their head.

Now as much as I'd love to sound off about my personal woes, this isn't the appropriate place for those kind of sentiments. Maybe in the future, I'll be more forward with that information, but for now I would prefer to examine how a series of stressful situations can impact a writer's storytelling style...

In my experience, it hasn't done shit for me except create writer's block.

Stress stunts me creatively. I wish it could inspire me, like other writers who have overcome adversity. Unfortunately, my imagination doesn't work that way. My creativity needs to be coddled and nourished. Like a needy child. And that's just ridiculous. It makes me feel like I'm not a natural writer.

Why should my brain require the utmost comfort in order to concentrate on my stories? I should be able to write instinctively and effortlessly. Though I suppose that kind of mastery takes years and years of constant persistence.

Every little bit helps, and this blog is no exception.

It's a constant struggle to create fictional worlds while balancing real life. So there's really no point in bitching about it. The world isn't going to stop being an asshole just because I have a screenplay I need to write.

Besides, some people have it a lot worse. And those are the folks that have great stories to tell. Only problem is, most of their lives are so off the wall, that they will never find the time to write their tales for an audience.

And that, my friends, is Life Block in action.

My Scriptshadow Experience

For those unaware, Scriptshadow.net is an indispensable resource for aspiring screenwriters.  It's a blog I've been following for the last couple years, and I was always fascinated with one weekly feature on there called Amateur Friday, where Carson Reeves, the site's moderator, reviews a screenplay by one of Scriptshadow's loyal followers.

The growing popularity of the site caused more screenplay submissions than Mr. Reeves knew what to do with.  So he created the Amateur Offerings Weekend, where five amateur scripts are posted, and the users decide which one would be reviewed on Amateur Friday.

I'm happy to report that after a year and a half of submitting my work to Scriptshadow, one of my scripts was chosen as part of the Amateur Offerings Weekend!

But before I go any further, a little backstory on the script in question, which I've entitled VEGAS TRIO.

In July 2013, a friend of mine got in contact with a couple of producers that wanted to make a madcap Las Vegas comedy about three pick up artists who party like rock stars, then run afoul the mob for one reason or another.  I was told that there was already a script written, but they were unsatisfied with it.  So I was given the opportunity-- not to rewrite, but to create a completely different script from scratch.  And they wanted it done in three weeks.  I was told the budget was in place, and given a list of locations and props I could include in the screenplay.  They were just waiting on ME to finish the draft before they started shooting.

I thought to myself, "This sounds legit." Why wouldn't it be?  I researched these producers online, and found that they did have work out there.  And the project I was writing was being promoted on Facebook, and people seemed like they were genuinely excited about it.

Needless to say, I thought this was my ticket to the big time.  This was exactly what I needed to establish myself as a professional writer.  These guys make shit happen!

I started the script, and emailed it piece by piece as pages were completed. I was ensured that what I was giving them was exactly what they were looking for.  I was ecstatic!

A couple weeks later, in the midst of writing the script, I was told that I was going to be paid 300 dollars upon completion, plus more for whatever rewrites I did.  I was destitute, so 300 dollars was almost like hearing a million.  My wife was pregnant at the time, so that 300 dollars was going to be a great help to get us through the month.

In any case, I was just happy to be a paid screenwriter, no matter how paltry the sum was. Only problem, that paltry sum never came.

After a week of waiting, I emailed the main producer.  I asked him when I should expect the 300 dollars to be wired to me. He evasively replied, "Today or tomorrow..."

That was five months ago...

I don't think I'm getting my money.

I was a fool!  I shouldn't have sent one page of that script without signing a contract that guaranteed payment. I later learned that the producers in question were alcoholic cokeheads that just wanted to party, and not make a serious picture.  Bully for them!

In the end, they threw my screenplay away, then made a shitty pilot with a different script that makes Vegas Trio read like Shakespeare in comparison.

So my motives for submitting Vegas Trio to Scriptshadow, as opposed to one of my more superior scripts, is an enduring desire for vindication.  I may not have been paid for my work, but at least the work is out there.

And as excited as I was that Vegas Trio was chosen as part of the Amateur Offerings Weekend, I was more excited about the reaction the script was going to generate among the users.  Were they going to hate it?  Or would they consider it a deeply involving exercise in excessiveness?

Here are some blurbs from the comment section of the article:

"It went beyond humor into outright crudity."

"...I read to p22 of Vegas Trio and then all the stuff about 'you fucked my mother' and descriptions of her vagina - and I'm out."

"...it's way way way too crass, juvenile and just mean-spirited and disgustingly misogynistic... This has no heart, no likeable characters and is just offensive, not in a good way."

"Who are we supposed to like here? Are we supposed to root for these idiots who indulge in endless drugs and sex and seem to despise women?...  Your punchlines are all delivered with a crude sledgehammer. It's cheap. Do better...  write something you can be proud (of), something that you wouldn't be embarrassed to show to family members."

"IMHO, the writer should dig deeper and not make his leads so unlikable/disgusting without any "Save the Cat" redeeming qualities."

"I hated, hated, hated the leads in Vegas Trio. It's not that they were badly written but that they were just awful people. I want to see people change and better themselves, but I like there to be something about them that makes me want to go along on that ride with them."

-----

In other words, it wasn't well received.

I did get ONE marginally positive review that complemented the story structure in spite of its vulgar nature, but no raves.

I don't know why I was surprised, while I was aware that the leads of my script would be construed as unlikable, what I didn't count on was the viewpoint that my bumbling PUA trio was SO off putting that it would cause the readers to recoil in utter disgust.  I was confounded by the poor reception.  So much so that I lowered myself to defend my work on the forum.

In response to the negative reviews, I wrote this:

"I can't help but feel I'm being baited to react to the overwhelmingly negative criticism that Vegas Trio has received. I can't pinpoint exactly what I'm feeling except for an intense adrenaline rush from all the feedback. My goal with this script was to assault the reader with its excessiveness. To marvel at how irredeemably douchey these guys are. Because personally, I hate douchebags, but I' m fascinated by them. This script is really just a "fuck you" to them. However, most of the folks that have started Vegas Trio immediately see it as a "fuck you" to the reader because they didn't get a nice, cuddly, relatable protagonist to take their hand and lead them through a wondrous journey of change, and self discovery. I could have done that, but it would have felt inauthentic for the story I wanted to tell. I wanted the characters to be people you love to hate, but can't help finding out what shenanigans they're going to get into next. This is something reality shows get away with all the time. Vegas Trio (like reality TV) is junk food for the brains. At the same time it was experimental in the sense that you get to see the world through the eyes of over privileged alpha male degenerates who are used to getting whatever they want, and see women as nothing but a pair of tits, and a juicy hole with some limbs around it.

After long consideration-- confused as to whether I should be upset, defensive, or concerned at the bad reviews-- I've decided to be proud of this reaction. It's inspiring that something I've written could ignite such a level of scorn among the users of this site. Because if you're not going to love my work, I encourage you to hate it. Hate it with every fiber of your being. Because there is no bigger failure than mediocrity."

-----

I kind of wish I could unwrite that.  Defending your work on a public forum is like exposing your penis to a group of geriatric nuns.  It's just asking for trouble.

But I was upset.  This project caused a lot of heartache for me after I wrote it.  It diminished a lot of my hope for being successful as a writer.  And I had to get my feelings out somehow.

I understand places like Scriptshadow exist for people looking to improve their work, and I appreciate the chance to get reviewed on the site.  The feedback was rough, but it was a nice bit of exposure I desperately needed to evolve as a writer.  It was both humbling, and horrifying to have my work eviscerated by total strangers.  It's something every writer should go through in order to keep your ego in check.

It also helped me come to a very sobering realization...

There are millions of writers out there who pass their work along to others for feedback, but they really don't want feedback.  They want to be told that their script is amazing, that they did good.  They want a theoretical pat on the head, or a cookie for doing such a great job.  And honestly, that expectation is just fools logic.  And it's a logic I've been guilty of for far too long.

Look within yourself.  Do you love what you've written?  Stand by it, regardless of criticism, then move on to the next script.  If not, keep working on it until you do love it, then move on to the next script.  Because no matter how tight you make the plotting, or how much depth you give the characters, there's always going to be people out there who will consider it a complete waste.

It's all about keeping busy.  Forging ahead, and satisfying your own personal vision.  It may not get you into the limelight, or turn you into a celebrated screenwriter, but at least you'll have a piece of writing you can be proud of.

I more than likely won't get a review from Carson Reeves on next week's Amateur Friday.  But in all honesty, I don't think it's necessary.  I've already learned so much from this experience, and I'm thankful for that much.

If anyone is brave enough to read Vegas Trio, click HERE.

A Mission Statement From A Frustrated Scribe

Let's say you want to write movies. Sounds awesome right? A pretty inexpensive way to make a name for yourself. Especially if you have a distinctive vision where you can SEE the movie inside your head from beginning to end. And once you get that vision out in writing, you can find the right person who will love what you wrote every bit as much as you do. They'll understand your intentions with the story. They'll tell you with rabid fervor that, "This movie needs to be made now!" 

It's your dream come true! This is amazing! Then once you give it a little bit of time, producers will finance your phenomenal script, a highly regarded director will sign on to helm the project, and your vision will be translated to the screen without any alterations!

Then the movie is released, and audiences love it! Widespread critical acclaim will point out how exceptionally well written your work is. How the dialogue flows like an immaculate stream of clear water, which adds authenticity to the impressively detailed world of your story. All of a sudden, you are a scribe in demand! Studio executives will plead for your next masterpiece. Assignment offers explode your phone with infinite opportunities!

Then one day, you're nominated for an Academy Award, and against all odds, you win! You thank all the people that made this moment possible. You look forward to your golden future. You are set for life! All because of one brilliant script...

 Doesn't that sound fantastic!? Isn't that the reality that all aspiring screenwriters hope for?...

Well, guess what. It's all a gigantically elaborate lie.

And if you believe it, you'll toil in obscurity for the rest of your life. You'll develop an inconsolable depression that cripples you beyond all hope. You'll keep telling yourself, "I thought I was special. I heard the stories of struggling screenwriters in the business, but I didn't think it applied to me because my vision is much more clearer than theirs."

 You are not the exception to the rule, no matter how talented you believe yourself to be.

 One does not simply walk into Hollywood.

 Even if your work was well received enough to be bought by a studio, the final result on screen will more than likely be so unrecognizably altered from your original script that you'll wonder why you ever wanted to be a screenwriter in the first place.

 This points out the most confusing aspect of the industry for me. Why does a studio buy a script if the producers are just going to change everything anyway?...

 I'm not prepared to answer that question, but I am prepared to figure out how to cope with that reality. Because at their core, screenwriters are artists, not Dictaphones for directors and producers. However, that's the way screenwriters have been treated since filmmaking  became a moneymaking enterprise.

I personally believe that the underlying motivation for writers strikes is the unspoken philosophy that states, "If I have to sacrifice my creative integrity to appease a bunch of studio fat cats, then I demand to be paid more for my services."

That sounds fair, right? Screenwriters are flesh and blood human beings who are passionate about what they do. They aren't office equipment whose sole purpose is to print out pages in order to match the bloated vision of executives. If a producer proposes a change to your work, it's akin to saying, "Dance for me monkey! But do it the way I WANT you to! Or YOU'RE FIRED!!!"

 So with this truth in mind, what am I to do as a screenwriter myself? Of course, the most obvious answer is to go direct my own scripts. That's perfect if I had access to the money, equipment, and time-- which I don't. What else is there?

Oh, I can write a book! Brilliant! Wait-- why would I expect anyone to read that? People don't like reading books-- even the ones they WANT to read. It takes too much effort to get through. And besides, I've written too many screenplays over the years to turn around, and write novels as a backup. There's gotta be a better way.

 Wait a minute, this is the internet! Entire worlds are created everyday via websites and blogs. So why not create my own network? A platform to promote, and distribute my own work as if they were actual movies.

Imagine for a second, if a screenplay wasn't a mere blueprint for a movie to be made in the future, but a final written representation of the movie itself. Complete with an ideal cast for the principal characters, a specific music soundtrack, and a planned release date for when the script would be posted on the site. It would be like fantasy football, but with filmmaking!

Hence the purpose for this blog. I believe the interpretation of screenwriting needs to be reevaluated. What is a screenplay anyway, but a strange hybrid of movies and books? The combination of those two mediums can turn an unproduced screenplay into a complete document that stands on its own. 
Screenwriting can be an industry that exists apart from its association with movies. A high minded ideal, for sure. After all, how can screenwriting exist without the screen?

Obviously, I have a lot to say on this subject. I've spent the last twelve years of my life studying the craft, learning the rules, and absorbing all the advice I could get my hands on. And honestly, I have various conflicting views on screenwriting that I'm trying to put into a clearer perspective. And one of my major goals with this blog is to attain that perspective.

It is my hope that I can keep up with this blog Monday through Friday. Because apart from posting my own work, I also plan to use this platform to analyze-- not criticize-- the work of others. And hell, maybe I'll chime in on other issues affecting the world too, and how they can motivate the writer within. 

Because if you open your mind to what's going on, you'll realize that inspiration is everywhere. Inspiration lives in sadness, happiness, tragedy, comedy. Every little thing, from the flavor of a cup of coffee, to the relief of urination can breed a detail that can make your story magical.

Even if no one reads this blog, I can take comfort in the fact that everyone could-- if they wanted to. And that's good enough... for now...

STAY TUNED TOMORROW where I chronicle the experience that inspired this forum.