Aaron Sorkin - How To Develop Characters

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[@omidfilms]

I after finding out he was a coke head, his dialogue pacing make so much more sense.

[@aneeshayahelimadhok7235]

lol

[@bill2953]

@@aneeshayahelimadhok7235 Ever hear him in an interview, the man has difficulty verbalizing a coherent thought. How ironic...

[@RomanZolanski123]

Bill normally that’s because there’s too many thoughts rushing through to focus on articulating one so I think it makes sense someone good at writing dialogue isn’t the most articulate, especially considering the kind of dialogue he likes writing is very “people talking over each other”.

[@paulinaenck5797]

When he equated teaching his daughter the lyrics to Pirates of the Penzance to winning an Oscar and writing a series of incredible and successful shows and films illustrates the point you made brilliantly. Moving and intelligent analysis of one of my favorite writers

[@sk8iny0]

His masterclass is very good, i recommend it to anybody who wants to learn about writing stories.

[@_MUSTSEEFILMS_]

Loved this video! Hadn't realised how many of his films shared these themes, I especially love Moneyball, I could watch ti on repeat, The romance in Baseball thing hits me every time.

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Much appreciated Darren and I totally agree, that's one of the best scenes at drawing emotion and the story acts as a pretty great metaphor for the message behind the story. They weren't trying to change the way the sport was played, but that's exactly what happened.

[@CoinOpTV]

turns out he's a pretty good director now also

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Definitely. His directorial style kind of felt suited to his writing. I’m glad to see he can do both!

[@girl4eversweet]

Pretty good, but not yet great. Chicago 7 was a lot better than Molly's Game. But I feel like regardless of whether he's directing the movie or not, all of his movies suffer from the fact that all of his characters talk the same.

[@rossprohaska6263]

Remember though you do have to have a good editor who is in sync with what you want to show up on screen so it's not just the writer and director...Editor has to be on the same page...

[@rossprohaska6263]

@@girl4eversweet So remind me who are your favorite bands/musicians and tell me how often they decided to "change" their style?

[@girl4eversweet]

@@rossprohaska6263 I'm not talking about style, and even if I was comparing screenwriters and musicians is just... I'm talking about the inability to adapt writing style to different characters with different temperaments and talking habits. Chicago 7 was the only film where not everyone sounded like their line of thought is identical, and even that was mostly due to the actors' interpretation.

[@shannon6428]

I'm such a massive Sorkin fan. American President, Money Ball and Sloane. The Newsroom speech is iconic.

[@okaywow3486]

This is incredible. Thank you SO much for this. This is a perfect video for anyone struggling to write a screenplay.

[@blackbird8837]

It's like what Quentin Tarrantino said (not his exact words, but): "Make it personal. You should almost feel a bit ashamed to a certain audience or individuals." Because movies are unreal and at the same time so f*cking real...

[@Kishan_Baijnath]

This was a gorgeous video. Thank you.

[@MrCraiging]

Jack, thanks so much for this! You made a great video, brotha!

[@subtextualarchives]

Great video, man. One of the best film review channels out here.

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Very much appreciated!

[@aneeshayahelimadhok7235]

You're amazing!!! This was one of the best review videos I have seen! - A very critical girl from USC film school.

[@judichristopher4604]

Excellent video Thank you for sharing this.

[@truefilm1556]

Awesome as always! It is obvious that Aaron Sorkin dialogue is always snappy, fast, original, surprising, perfectly timed and structured. But you go to a deeper level and thoroughly explain what the dialogue is about and what purpose does it serve in the story being told. Typical Sorkin (EDIT: both story and dialogue) is definitely different from "the hero's journey". It's hyper real and almost too clever (in parts) for its own sake, but Sorkin finds a way to make it work perfectly. Thanks, as always, for sharing your deep insight!

[@JacksMovieReviews]

It works remarkably well, he is really good at effectively using the most fundamental aspects of storytelling in both unique and conventional ways.

[@anthony4616]

Finally a video about Sorkin one of my all time favourite writers out there! Awesome video! But why no "Newsroom" :(? Fantastic TV Show!

[@JacksMovieReviews]

For this video, I just wanted to focus on his most recent cinematic works.

[@flora8135]

Agreed, The Newsroom deserved some highlight

[@TigranKarapetyan97]

This was very helpful. Thank you so much!

[@yusufalsanad]

Upon 1st viewing of "The Social Network", I wasn't into the film as many were, most likely due to the mood I was in and the theater I was unfortunate to find myself in. Years later, however, I've gained a new found appreciation for the film, and of course Aaron Sorkin's writing. My favorite of his work is definitely "Steve Jobs", though I LOVE "The Newsroom". :D

[@Nophotofound]

Feel like you missed pointing out that all these story’s are real story’s based on books. Meaning - Sorkin is attracted and chooses narratives that inhabit certain themes and character types, and then knows where to structure those story’s. That process, and why, is the part you are describing. Very well I might add.

[@KorbyLenker]

Enjoyed this man thank you

[@David-mg1yj]

Tried it. Numerous times. Never been addicted!!

[@MovieRealCristiana]

Very good video. Thanks for making this.

[@JohnDoe-bm5lp]

your channel is too underrated

[@JacksMovieReviews]

I appreciate it!

[@ClintLoweTube]

Good work.

[@miguelfg98]

The social network is a top 10 movies ever made, and a top 3 scripts ever written for me

[@didrikjohanstonghaugen8586]

Miguel Fernández for me too

[@IAteFire]

For sure. I almost wanna say it's better than Network's screenplay, which is no easy feat.

[@AndromedaImagination77]

Yeah! I've read each scene while watching (and pausing) the movie. I've done this with the social network and michael clayton. Brilliant scripts.

[@camcabbas]

You need to watch more movies

[@alejoparedes2388]

I agree with the second part.

[@robertdunn1015]

You deserve more subscribers!

[@kevinlindgren95]

There’s something about Sorkin’s films and TV shows that seem kind of magical. It’s hard to describe, but I think it’s how he creates hope and pulls you into the show.

[@Bacbi]

No offense to people who are baseball fans It's great that there are people who love it I'm just not able to care, and yet I've seen Moneyball maybe three or four times from start to finish, and then once in a while if it shows up in a netflix feed I start watching the movie and watch maybe 60-70% of the movie skipping certain things. He just really knows how to write characters that once you get to know the story you want to hang out with these characters. And you really do discover things upon rewatching that you couldn't see the first time because. The only recent movie that I liked but wasn't really a fan of in the same way, was the Steve Jobs movie. It has spesific scenes that I will probably watch once a year for the rest of my life. And I understand that the movie is almost meant to be structured like a play which is cool since I don't really get to watch any of the great plays that I would love to get the tapings off. But I felt after watching it that I would have preferred if it had been a limited series where if it was 9 episodes, every third episode was working up to the project launches. And it's not because it didn't have the structure which was outlined in this video, Chicago 7 didn't have that structure and I loved it. I think my problem was I didn't really understand what drove this man until his final scene with Sculley. But even upon rewatch knowing that, it didn't hit me the same way and that is when I felt that it should have been a 9-10 episode limited series to really flesh out not just Jobs but his relationships with the other key characters in the movie.

[@MrCyberboobs]

Very good video, but having Lenka's "The Show" playing in the background at the same time as the narration and the clips of Sorking speaking just makes the video harder to follow

[@kurimsonkitsune4408]

The music is very distracting, I agree. I couldn't finish the video because of it.

[@Lamidemonami7891]

Lenka’s “The Show” is not playing in the background. It’s the version sung by the daughter of Brad Pitt’s character in Moneyball

[@AMERICANNERD76]

There was once a guy at my church who helped out with plays put on by the youth group. He told us that he used to be a talent agent in New York for people trying to make on Broadway, and one of he's many clients was in fact Aaron Sorkin before he became one of the greatest screenwriters in history.

[@flora8135]

That was a great video but I'm dissapointed that you didn't mention The Newsroom at all. I think The Newsroom was one of Sorkin's best works.

[@blink7777777]

Nice jack!

[@elpoyolook-ho5180]

Muchas gracias por este vídeo amigo.

[@JacksMovieReviews]

de nada

[@donc9049]

Among the best, if not the best, dialogue writer, ever. IMO.

[@nateds7326]

I’ve seen social network,a few good men and Steve Jobs and I adore sorkins craft. Can’t wait to see Molly’s game and money ball

[@aadityabhattacharya]

I love your music choice

[@kamoyutani69]

what was the music used here?

[@aadityabhattacharya]

@@kamoyutani69 In motion from social network

[@kamoyutani69]

@@aadityabhattacharya awesome thank you

[@kamoyutani69]

@@aadityabhattacharya wait, im sorry i mean the one that starts at about 2:30 and cont til about 6:40

[@omarelalfy5]

The newsroom

[@bijibadness]

HE was the guy who wrote "you can't handle the truth" ??? that's one of the most famous lines in movie history. wow. did he co-write that? his best work seems to be the ones where he's _co-working_ with someone else. _Social Network, Moneyball_ (which i think is by some measure the best sports movie of all time and one of my favorites from ANY genre).

[@vladimirhorowitz]

Yeah, he wrote that. I think it was in his play too. If you like classic sports movies, you may want to check out Rocky, Pride of the Yankees, and Hoosiers.

[@romansoto9644]

Can you do a video on Ingmar Bergman?

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Possibly, no immediate plans, but it could happen in the future!

[@romansoto9644]

@@JacksMovieReviews I am just suprised that there is little content on him and his work.

[@travisspazz1624]

Steve Jobs was severely underseen, one of the best of 2015!!

[@JacksMovieReviews]

I totally agree

[@vladimirhorowitz]

Awesome video breaking down Sorkin's process but the background music was way too loud and/or completely unnecessary in some parts.

[@truthin24frames73]

You think you could make a video on something by Bernardo Bertolucci, perhaps last tango in paris or the last emperor

[@jasonzhang1333]

Molly's Game is underrated asf

[@JacksMovieReviews]

I wouldn't say it's perfect, it has a few substantial flaws, but it's definitely worth watching!

[@kevinlindgren95]

Jack's Movie Reviews Despite the flaws in his films, you can’t help but rewatch them over and over again.

[@emilymatthews5058]

I wouldn't say any film is without flaws, but Molly's game has a fantastic script and some incredible acting - more than just worth watching!

[@riverpinkston8884]

Shrieking Beggar damn you’re an idiot lol

[@RevJ7]

Yeah, no one agrees with you, dude lol

[@rickycarrillo7821]

Bro what happened to the music towards he end?

[@gummybear2700]

The song was distracting but the analysis is on point!

[@HaiLeQuang]

Great analysis. But why the music at the end?

[@SaskatchewanICE]

This probably isn’t a super-popular suggestion, but I think it’d be cool to see an analysis of Jeff, Who Lives at Home

[@donmaslanoz14]

Maybe something about Fargo (TV Series)?

[@mrmovieguy1000]

Wow I literally paused this video for 20 minutes to read more about Tobey Maguire being player x lol I didn't even bother to look up who player x was when I first saw the film as I assumed it would be a lesser known star for some reason

[@timjongunproductions]

Aaron Sorkin is a god when it comes to writing. Like Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, you immediately recognize that Sorkin wrote it the moment you hear the first line from one of his movies, and I applaud him for being so talented. My favorite Sorkin film has to be The Social Network, though Moneyball is a close second.

[@ryansulak]

there was some audio of a girl singing on the back half of this video that made me think i was losing my mind. i think you have a rogue track in there. otherwise great video

[@kitkatcoz]

Yes, I thought it was just me. I kept looking at what could be open on my computer that was doing it. This is an exceptional break down of my favorite screenwriter though so I'm not judging, just glad to know I'm not going crazy

[@HollowRoadProduction]

It's the song used at the end of Moneyball, sung by the little girl in the movie. If you're familiar with that scene it makes more sense and didn't think twice about it. Same with the music throughout the whole first half, it's from the Steve Jobs soundtrack.

[@RossouwNel]

The music at the start is 'In Motion' by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, from 'The Social Network' soundtrack.

[@HollowRoadProduction]

@@RossouwNel Sorry you're right, the one I was talking about doesn't start until the 2:30 mark

[@AllThingsFilm1]

I purchased Aaron Sorkin's Masterclass on Screenwriting. After watching this video, I realize I should go through his class, again. After all, you can never learn too much.

[@IAteFire]

I never finished it, so im with you man

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

Sorkin's a cool writer.

[@JacksMovieReviews]

One of my favorites!

[@iambatman2638]

Can u do one for barry lyndon?

[@ASmith-]

👏 👏 👏

[@blasteroftheuniverse5514]

Jack, for the love of God, please fix the audio in the final two minutes. It ruins an otherwise terrific video.

[@johnwesson2759]

can you reference the name of the films and shows you used in this video?

[@JacksMovieReviews]

The focus was on: Molly's Game Steve Jobs Moneyball The Social Network Charlie Wilson's War I also had 1 clip from The West Wing (at the end of the timeline segment)

[@gabrielpizzetti]

Whats's the song playing towards the end, with the girl singing?

[@JacksMovieReviews]

The Show

[@HelloHello-tm7uc]

SO IT WAS TOBEY MAGUIRE!?!?! I was wondering who the unnamed actor was lol nice

[@kamoyutani69]

what is the music used @ 2:30 til about 6:40

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Soundtrack from Steve Jobs

[@kamoyutani69]

@@JacksMovieReviews thanks!

[@lorism860]

One Name: Lester Burnham

[@murderhill1947]

It's a secondary thing to the topic here but there's a number of folks in the comments that reflect on their own coke using experiences...thought I'd throw my own in: My one and only coke using experience occurred sometime in the spring of '72. Coke was offered, I snorted and nothing happened. It couldn't have been very good but...I turned to Karen (my future wife) and said "let's get married". She said yes, 48 years ago...still married and I am one hell of a handful to be married to. Another topic is how a number of commenters think that the Social Contract was the best of his work. As a Sorkin fan (isn't that what we all are?) I don't get it, "the best". It's good, typical Sorkin stuff. Reading and reacting to the praise for the Social Contract I end up rewatching the movie. After the third watching, the time shifting aspect of the film smooths out. That seemed more awkward the first time around. Watching the third time, the film remains interesting. What is it that makes the film seem to be his best work? Anybody? And Jack, you do good work. Keep it up.

[@jqyhlmnp]

The Newsroom?

[@StuC5]

How would Sorkin react to hearing his dialogue described as 'very unique'?

[@ericstormoen8515]

Per the "Galileo" episode of The West Wing, he would disapprove.

[@jaiminbhatporia8769]

Sorkin excels at writing characters who have father issues.

[@job3rg]

You can't say spoilers will follow and not list the movies.

[@dimitryanyanwu7681]

The music at tge end is kinda distracting

[@sirlordhenrymortimer6620]

Hey, do more reviews on German expressionism , soviet movies Also, I would really like to see reviews of movies like 81/2,blow up, the conformist.

[@orangewarm1]

i tried cocaine and i didn't become addicted.

[@TSNAnnotator]

He didn't rrrrreally write Moneyball. Steve Zailian wrote it and he did a minor polish and instead that Zailian get credit because Zailian wrote a great script

[@TheSparrow002]

:D

[@JacksMovieReviews]

:D

[@desichokkraa]

Mr. X is Tobey Maguire...biggest spoiler alert.

[@MrRhubarbs]

His movies are amazing but this just makes me feel like his process is a little bit paint-by-numbers which isn't to say bad, but creatively a little stale

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

What about it is paint-by-numbers, just so I can understand?

[@maximumoccupancy]

I'm so early, let me think of a joke. **Thinks of joke** **Laughs**

[@samwallaceart288]

AAAA HAA HAA HAA

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@Ivan-xy9vg]

Did you just say Tobey Maguire instead of Michael Cera?

[@romansoto9644]

The character Player X, played by Michael Cera, is supposedly Tobey Maguire.

[@Nash9r]

I would rank them as follows: 1. Social Network 10/10 (one of my favorites of all time. Magic happens when a genius director like Fincher is doing a brilliant script. They should collaborate again) 2. Money Ball 9/10 (so rewatchable, great performances to back his writing up really well) 3. Molly's Game 8/10 (props for him directing it himself. I am a big Poker fan so my expectations weren't met with the focus of the story. 4. Steve Jobs 6/10 (tried way too hard. Was like writing masturbation) X. Charlie Wilson's War. Did not see it. Is it right wing pro American propaganda or is it a balanced movie worth a watch?

[@thomastv914]

Something Can not be very unique ... ;-)

[@SteveHolmesDrums]

Man what is happening with the music around 7:20? It's distracting :(

[@bijibadness]

i TOO lost ten years to drug addiction. i TOO love to write. i, however, am not the greatest screenwriter of my generation. oh well. maybe next time?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

There was no guarantee.

[@MrZabersuv]

people sleep on moneyball way too much

[@romansoto9644]

Am I actually first?

[@romansoto9644]

I'm sorry

[@Soutpiel78]

Well? Were you ultimately let down with just how awful the new Predator film was?? I thought it was an absolute disgrace

[@vehementlyflat8503]

so weird how sorkin kind of advertising cocaine -- just do it for a decade , quit -- and you can become me, weird.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

unintentionally.

[@kirkmccosker2430]

I tried cocaine. Somehow my life didn't spiral out of control into addiction.

[@jordanamer1]

Please lose the creepy singing girl behind it. Please.

[@valentinvanruiz]

too much overrated. there are by far better screenwriters like the Spanish Pedro Almodóvar. We not talking here about true character development. You all just like his movies, period.

[@meris8486]

The most overrated screenwriter

[@JacksMovieReviews]

Obviously it's fine to have that opinion, but if you want to start a conversation, you should back it up, don't just make a statement, explain why.

[@jqyhlmnp]

Jack's Movie Reviews I don’t think they want to start a conversation 😂

[@meris8486]

@Jack's Movie Reviews Alright then xd His scripts are trying so hard to be clever that they alienate me. In The Social Network, there are lots of moments where it cuts to the future in the legal scenes which are tonally jarring especially as it snaps back and forth between the two throughout. The scene where Edwardo got fired really frustrated me because despite how cathartic it is, it happens at the _end_ of the film. I got pumped as hell for him to sue the hell out of the friend who betrayed him but the film finished almost immediately afterward. All those prior legal scenes (that we didn't care about at the time cause we were missing context) are wasted. The same is true in Steve Jobs when he is being confronted by Sculley the film cuts in scenes of Jobs being fired but we aren't allowed to absorb that scene because we cut back to Jobs giving a victorious rant at Sculley. It's seemingly impossible for his characters to have normal conversations because they are always at each other's throats, either they are bitching over pointless stuff or having a yelling match. That often means that the main characters are dis-likable which makes it harder to care what happens to them later in the film. This was especially true for me with Miss Sloane which is his only film that I stopped watching cause I couldn't give a damn whether the main character succeeded or not. I don't think he's a bad scriptwriter but I do think people like him so much only because his films have a lot of conflict in them.

[@IAteFire]

@@meris8486 Well you can't make drama without conflict. Plus it's no easy feat to make a great film about unlikeable characters.

[@jqyhlmnp]

headbite alien holy shit, you actually owned up and made valid criticism. Good on you 👍