Take Art Apart

[@jonfrey6893]

I am surprised you're not a tenured professor at some prestigious film university. Your teaching delivery is very natural and easy to grasp in my opinion.

[@writingforscreens]

I'm surprised at that, too. If you happen to know any prestigious film programs, tell them :)

[@1995yuda]

I agree, Jon.

[@blue_evolution_studio_official]

It is a helpful way to study and improve our writing, and the way we see movies and shows. Thank you

[@writingforscreens]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment!

[@Donna07]

Amazing again! Thanks Glenn - I'm really focusing on the layers of goodness in great shows/scripts and how to add mine in ways that really encompass the magic and beauty of what I really want it to be:) Your advice is so helpful.

[@mikehess4494]

Thank you.

[@AnyDayNow360]

Thank you Glen for really slicing the cake into bite sized squares. It advice that can be acted upon even when short on time or finding opportunities to study (I typically read screenplays at night).

[@writingforscreens]

I had similar experience often, working office jobs for over a decade while I tried to master the art - so I wanted to create a "how to" that fits what I needed back then. But also: I just think we learn best in small bits. Or maybe I'm just getting old, and/or have mild ADHD :)

[@AnyDayNow360]

@@writingforscreens 🤣So glad to relate...now where did I put that pen! 😁 Thanks, Glen!

[@tomgarden]

I came here after you responded to my question in your live stream. Thank you so much. You do have such a great stash of useful writing tips on your channel so I will have to rummage through it all. I think I will rewatch GOT Season 01 and pull it apart using this method. Thanks again

[@writingforscreens]

I am really glad it's helpful, Tom! I hope I wasn't discouraging on the livestream, I really think that what you want to learn CAN be learned, there is a LOT of material out there (beyond mine) and my main message is: keep seeking, because MOST of it will not really be helpful, and you need to just pull out the BITS that serve you and your reality and your vision. I will try to answer questions as you go for a while, if you have them: [e-mail]. I am planning to shut down my coaching business this fall but am open to answering some email questions if I can. And the main thing is: never WAIT to do your own creative work - at whatever level it is - don't wait for the "right way" or permission or approval: only by doing the work, often and over time, will you figure out what you need to learn and how to learn it. It's a process, on-going and hopefully kind of enjoyable in each small step.

[@TheGoodContent37]

Awesome video! As an artist I have always being so adamant of "stealing" or taking references or even feeding myself with art from other artists so my art doesn't get polluted with other people styles or works but recently I have seen lots of great artists or creators that have said copying is the best way to succeed. There's even a book about the art of "copying" or "stealing" from others creatively. I knew the quote about how to create great art you just copy and hide where you copied from but never let myself actually do this. Perhaps that's what I need for the ideas that I want to form as stories, I will look for similar stories and copy their format or structure and just place in my particulars that I want the story to have. It is actually similar to DALL-E which works by copying and replacing by modifying. After watching this video I feel finally empowered to let myself copy from great artists and give my own twist to their structures. Thank you very much! :D

[@writingforscreens]

"original" means taking a lot of different influences and elements from a lot of different places - and making YOUR choices on what is iportant within the work...we are all "polluted" - we all have influences and things we like, and we all come from cultures and traditions: the question is what are you going to DO with all that? The important thing to remember is "stealing" does not refer to actually taking or using other people's art. It refers to the idea that a thief MAKES THE TAKEN THING THEIR OWN. You can't just "change some details." You have to think and feel about what it is you cherish from the other artist's work - the essential qualities of that - and delve into THAT. And once you have stolen - rework, and rework again, (which you should always do anyway - that's art!) - making changes required by the themes, characters and story of YOUR work...until the original is blended, altered, made into YOUR thing. You don't do this in order to be legally clear - you do it to be creatively engaged. You do it because you should be reworking EVERY part of your creative work to make it work with the other parts. Art means collecting a LOT of DIFFERENT influences and ideas and elements - and then making something new and unique. (Please take a look at this: www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/books/jumi-bello-plagiarism.html) The book you're referring to is marvelous - one of my favorites: STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST, by Austin Kleon. Definitely get it! austinkleon.com/steal/ (there are several editions available - some cheaper than others)

[@entschnabler]

Just wanted to share that today for the first time after studying film since i think at least 10 years i really started to take a film apart because i realized it is almost the exact kind of movie i want to make. And at this point it feels like synchronicity. I realize how much the work i am looking at is reflecting my life since the time i first saw it up to today. And how much those vague images and character relationships i've gathered for my script align with the reference. And i feel how i will not exactly copy it but rather update it or tell it from my perspective - it feels like a next generation kind of approach to the same thing. The movie by the way is Garden State by Zach Braff. Cheers and much love

[@entschnabler]

One practical benefit i got from it already for example is that i realized the story plays in a very limited time frame of a couple of days and leads to some sort of decision for the main character at the very end. And from that i got the question: what is my time frame and where can i get that information from? So i looked at my characters and found one (not the one i think of as main character but the love interest) who already brought a time frame to the table that can limit the storyline. I know it can change but feels great to get a grip in something!

[@writingforscreens]

That sounds like an excellent approach - and it's a good movie to work from!

[@wolfpowers36]

Not only have I been taking art apart since I've been listening to your advice and insights, but it's getting to the point where when I watch a film, I'm able to visualize its construction. I can't turn the function off and it has really added a new dimension to my enjoyment of movies, especially the ones I think are really good. I just watched the horror thriller The 4th Floor the other night and I could almost hear you talking about the construction of the script in the background. Polanski's The Tenant (1976) seems to have been the inspiration for The 4th Floor. The earlier film was far better and when I watch it again I already know I'm going to see it differently.

[@writingforscreens]

Yeah - it's funny, in some ways you have to "ruin" the experience of being an audience in order to be an artist - but you get other joys, in exchange.

[@wolfpowers36]

@@writingforscreens "We murder to dissect." -- Longfellow. I lost the magic of rock/metal performances years ago after I was invited onto a tour bus and spent a lot of time backstage. I learned a lot about the music business at the time and it did steal some of the magic for me. Now I have to adjust my vision to get the magic back because I know the dingy, not-so-glamorous back end of things. The same thing is happening to me now when I watch movies--any movies. I don't regret it, though. It's extremely helpful to my own creativity. Thank you!

[@AnyDayNow360]

I watched Sicario last night--after getting myself into the script (one of those ones where I stopped cause I had to see the movie). This one was a great example of "taking art apart" where I immediately see how the movie is different from the script and can study that! I picked up the script again and am reading the rest now. Thanks again, Glen!

[@writingforscreens]

Thrilled that you tried this exercise and it was helpful!!

[@michaelgoncharov2075]

And when every movie is just a pile of tricks and trades, how to take the Art back?

[@writingforscreens]

Fair question! And perhaps rhetorical - but I'm going to answer a bit anyway :) First - you might find "tricks" that are useful even in something you despise. That's one good thing about taking it apart: once it's in parts, the parts are just things to use...tools for your toolbox. But more important: take apart the Art YOU want to understand or pursue! So yeah, I wouldn't spend much time taking apart Michael Bay movies if you love Terence Malick :) But DO take apart what YOU love. Because even if "they're not making them any more" or "they" never really did....it's out there, somewhere - it inspired you! Take THAT apart.

[@kaiwenlidirector]

Glenn I love your videos, I think they deserve more views. To give my two cents, I'm really not a fan of the opening music and intro, and think a mic would make a tremendous difference.

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you - I like hearing two-cents! I use a mic, but perhaps I should get a better one...or learn to mix sound better :)

[@yuniethethird1911]

can this work with books as well?

[@writingforscreens]

I think so! Try it out and see! Can't hurt :)