Script Enabler

Great News!  1,001 Ways to Enjoy the Missionary Position just got selected for the Arizona Underground Film Festival.  This will be our World Premiere!  Congrats and thanks to everyone who worked on it!

Our esteemed co-producer and production attorney for our film “1,001 Ways to Enjoy the Missionary Position” is now available in paperback.  “My Immortal: The Vampires of Berlin” is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Another buddy, Joe Wang, is also available in paperback.  “Joe Wang’s Code to Unleashing Your Inner Coach” is available at Amazon.com.

The conventional wisdom is that reshoots are expensive.  Something’s not right about the scene that’s discovered later in the process (typically post production or during focus group testing).

The reasons why you need to reshoot are many: technical glitches, rewrites for clarity or intent, or recasting to name a few.

Now you have to get your actors back, make sure the costumes and make up are the same, recreate the set (if possible), and shoot the scene that fixes the original problem.

Most of the time, the audience will never know that this new scene was shot weeks or even months after the completion of principal photography.

Here is an example from a popular TV show of a scene that was reshot.  One is the scene as it was originally shot and the other is the reshoot.  I won’t say which is which.

What makes this interesting for me is that the dialogue remained the same (God bless actors who perform what’s written verbatim).  Both performances are strong so I can only imagine that the reshoot was necessary for other reasons.

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Some of my scripts are stubbornly Asian American.  Some people have argued that this stubbornness may have hindered my career (others simply claim that I’m a crappy writer).

Nevertheless, I write the stories and the characters I’d like to see.  And yes… many of those characters are Asian American.  It is an artistic and political stand that I feel strongly about.

After reading my most recent script, a friend commented, “If I were your agent, I would have told you not to waste your time writing this.”  The reasons were that there was a big studio remake of a 1980s cult classic in production that touches on many of the same themes of political paranoia and that my script was completely unmarketable because it had an Asian American lead cast as the hero.

My goal in writing the script was to create an Asian American lead role that a mainstream audience could empathize with.  It’s not as daunting a task as it may first appear since audiences flocked en masse to see that animated sci-fi movie about blue aliens.

What does that say about our society when we can relate to fantasy aliens more readily than to the minorities that we live and work with every day?

Several years back, I produced a play in San Francisco.  Our publicity photo showed an all Asian American cast.  One of my co-workers (white) at the time commented, “I’ll come see it even though the play has nothing to do with me.”

That came as a shock to me.  I go see Chekhov plays even though I’m not Russian.  I watch Eugene O’Neill plays even though I’m not Irish.  Why is it so difficult to watch Asian American plays if you’re not Asian American?

But first, a little background on my views of race and the arts which I’ve also written about here and here.

My epiphany came as an undergraduate drama student at New York University.  The opportunities for an actor of color were few but as I continued to audition for films, plays and commercials, I came to realize that the roles I was fighting for were, at best, stereotypes and, at worst, racist cartoons.

The prevailing attitude at the time was that ‘white’ actors were neutral and that casting an actor of color was inherently some kind of political statement.  It was inconceivable for an actor of color to play a doctor despite the fact that most hospital emergency rooms are staffed with doctors of many races.  Yet if an actor of color were to be cast as a doctor, the production felt compelled to explain why this person of color belongs here.  Often, the explanations were awkward or convoluted.

My political sensibilities were forged during a time when it was believed that using an actor of color interfered with the audience’s willingness to suspend disbelief.  It raised more questions that the production was willing to tackle artistically: What is an ethnically Chinese person doing in Verona?  In the Old West?  In Russia?  Belief that these artistic choices would alienate the audience made diversity an economic issue.

This inability to deal with diverse characters and diverse stories in an organic and professional way made its failure a self-fulfilling prophecy.  What we see instead of diversity is the creation of an artistic ghetto.  Asian American stories set in a world that includes only Asian American characters.  This doesn’t further the cause of diversity because these stories become cautionary tales for mainstream audiences and honestly, who really enjoys watching descendants of Very Special Episodes?

My goal as a writer has been to create characters and stories rooted and integrated in the world we live in.  Despite having many Asian American friends and colleagues, I must interact professionally with people of all races every day.  Creating artistic ghettos does not reflect this reality.  My goal has been to create characters so compelling that any actor of any color would recognize the character as a role worth playing.

Artistically, when minorities are integrated into a mainstream story, they tend to be portrayed as outsiders: the exception, the anomaly that requires an explanation for their existence.  Black characters end up representing all of Black society.  A strong female ends up being an über feminist.

The alternative is that the Asian American culture ends up being the background for another story.  Come See the Paradise is about Japanese internment during World War II starring Dennis Quaid.  Snow Falling on Cedars is about a Japanese American on trial for murder starring Ethan Hawke.

Diversity for diversity’s sake is little more than a hollow gesture.  It is not enough to populate a film with minorities merely have the audience feel sympathy for them (or worse, feel sorry for them).  How many characters of color undergo the Hero’s Journey where that journey is what carries the story emotionally; where we empathize and ultimately root for them?  The audience wants the thrill of walking in that character’s shoes, feeling what they feel, and doing what we can only dream about.  How many characters of color fulfill this promise?

In practical terms, lasting change results when there is real money at stake.  What needs to be explored are the elements needed to position a minority lead story as a mainstream film rather than as a niche film.  Our dependence on the global market for financial success will inevitably lead to our accommodation of that market.  Will we be prepared for that day?

I believe that the lack of diversity isn’t a factor of people in power who are hidden racists and want to perpetuate segregation.  Lack of diversity stems from the old saw that we should write what we know and if all we know is mainstream culture, we will go to that well often because it’s safe, comfortable and familiar.  Lack of diversity stems from the unwillingness to spend energy to explore outside our comfort zones: it stems from laziness.

As minority populations in the United States continue to grow, so too must the offerings of popular media otherwise it will cease to be relevant.  Antonin Artaud said, “If the age turns away from the theater, in which it is no longer interested, it is because the theater has ceased to represent it.”

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UPDATE: This post fostered an interesting exchange on my Facebook page. The sad reality is that there is no Asian American Denzel Washington, Will Smith or even an Asian American Paul Walker.  The Miss Saigon controversy (which was nearly 20 years ago) was fueled by the assertion that there were no Asian American actors capable of playing the role of the Engineer.

Efforts to widen the talent pool are welcome but often are mischaracterized by the mainstream as a policy of giving unqualified candidates an unfair advantage at the expense of Caucasians.

Through my entire life, from the first time I wanted to be on stage, I was told by many well meaning people (both white and Chinese), “There are no Asian Americans in movies.”  As I grew older the most common reason was, “We live in America… we want to see Americans.”

Therefore, the question is: what does it mean to be an American?

In my lifetime, I have seen the Asian stereotype evolve.  Once Connie Chung was on the national news, we saw a wealth of Asian American female reporters in popular entertainment.  Same with Lance Ito and Asian American judges sitting on the bench.  However, Asian Americans remain a subplot in the American narrative despite our contribution to its growth.

Every time we think we have a breakthrough, it ends up being a one-off.  For those of you who enjoyed The Joy Luck Club, where were its imitators?  As much progress as we have made in the last 20 years, more still needs to be done.  The fact that you can have an Asian American character on a TV show without making it a political comment is progress.  However, even though there are many Asian American faces in film and television, how many stories are told from our perspective?

Every time I’ve confronted failure, I’ve always tried to evaluate my weaknesses and the areas I need to strengthen.  However, even the Holy Grail of becoming too good to ignore may not be enough to overcome the subjective nature of show business.  This reality oftentimes is more than enough to discourage minority candidates from applying, hence the need for large scale institutional efforts to seek them out and break the cycle of exclusion.

How will we know when we’ve succeeded?  When we’ve finally garnered mainstream acceptance?  When our numbers represent a significant percentage of employment?   When an Asian American actor is enough to green light a film?  When we see Asian American actors playing roles completely independent of race?  When an Asian American presence has a positive impact on the box office or ratings?

We are still seeing the very beginnings of this happening today, twenty years after casting director Vincent Liff said:

I can say with the greatest assurance that if there were an Asian actor of 45-50 years, with classical stage background and an international stature and reputation, we would surely have sniffed him out by now. Furthermore, if we hadn’t found him, he certainly would have found us. (NY Times, July 25, 1990)

Is it enough?  Should we be satisfied?  Would our desire for more seem unrealistic or greedy?  As Asian Americans, we can do only the things we can do.  Play the roles we are offered (or not) and write the scripts we want to write (or don’t). As Asian Americans, we still have to do our part… dream that we can be a vital integral part of the entertainment business and prepare ourselves as best we can for the opportunities that present themselves and create our own if they don’t.

The industry will never change… until it does.

A while back I observed that in pilot episodes, consistently around the third act (roughly about 28-32 minutes in without commercials), a character will explicitly state the theme of the series.

With a few notable exceptions (Sarah Connor Chronicles breaks this rule successfully), this has been the rule more than the exception.

Here is the 2009 pilot season edition of TV pilots that seem to follow this rule.  Where the statement of theme happens outside this range, I’ve noted the time.  Your mileage may vary.

Also, these statement of themes seem to make pretty good trailer moments, eh?

The Deep End – It’s what we do in the worst of times that tells the world who we really are.

Life Unexpected – You can’t be parents.  You need parents.

Trauma – After every night for thirteen years, at the end of every shift I went home, but not that night.  I could not bring this home and I still can’t [...] Who do I take this to?  Who do I talk to?

Mercy – You’re there for people during the worst part of their lives, you find a way to make it better and then (and this is the most important part) you let it go.  That’s how you take care of yourself.

Eastwick – Everyone in this world has a talent and you’ve been hiding from yours your entire life [...] Find your power.  Use it.

Melrose Place – You and me, we’re good girls.  It’s just not as fun.

FlashForward – Just because you saw that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.  Even if this future stuff is real, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.  Maybe because you saw it, you can change it.

Vampire Diaries (40:00) – All you can do is be ready for the good so when it comes, you can invite it in because you need it.

The Good Wife (37:00) – Mr. Childs.  The day you leaked that sex tape to the press, and forced me to shield my kids from every cable news station playing it in 24-hour rotation– that was the day I became collateral damage.  You think you have to worry about my husband, Mr. Childs?  You’ve obviously never made a woman angry before.

What I’ve also noted is that sometimes there are different themes working simultaneously.  Especially in ensemble pieces where you present many different points of view, the statement of theme works like a mini ink blot test… you see the theme that most resonates with you.

As recently noted in the New York Times on January 10, 2010 about Avatar:

[Avatar] found itself under fire from a growing list of interest groups, schools of thought and entire nations that have protested its message (as they see it), its morals (as they interpret them) and its philosophy (assuming it has one).

The article goes on to quote one of the film’s producers Jon Landau,

Movies that work are movies that have themes that are bigger than their genre.  The theme is what you leave with and you leave the plot at the theater.

There is no right or wrong answer when you’re looking for a piece’s theme: we see the things we want to see and that’s our prerogative as an audience member.  For me, debating about them in the coffee shop after the movie’s done is something that I live for.

In his classes at UCLA, Howard Suber presents the notion that if you want a story to reach a large audience, the way to go about it isn’t to appeal to the lowest common denominator but to weave different ideas into a complex tapestry so that there is something for everyone.

Supporting his thesis, as reported in the New York Times on February 6, 2010 about the commercial success of the film, The Blind Side:

…the filmmakers had taken extraordinary steps to create a story that would appeal to disparate constituencies that were only in some ways connected to one another.

As a writer, reaching multiple constituencies will require you to embrace points of view that are completely different from your own beliefs.  Not only must you understand different points of view, but you have to be able to passionately fight for them with your character’s voice.  Otherwise, you trade credibility and integrity for a straw man.

Christmas movies don’t always have to be about Christmas (you know, kids, presents, relatives).  Here are ten movies set around Christmas but aren’t necessarily about Christmas.

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10. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – James Bond falls in love and gets married and though our intrepid agent saves the world with alarming regularity, he has his long term commitment issues cured by an evil mastermind who celebrates Christmas.

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9. Three Days of the Condor – How better to spend the holidays than on the run after finding all your co-workers shot dead by a renegade cabal within the U.S. intelligence community?

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8. The Jacket – A Gulf War veteran is subjected to a sadistic experimental treatment for mental illness only to discover he died fourteen years earlier.  Then he sleeps with Keira Knightly.  Merry Christmas.

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7. Frozen River – To raise money for a double wide a woman smuggles illegal immigrants into the United States across the Canadian border.  The double wide is her Christmas present to her sons.

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6. Enemy of the State – An old law school buddy slips a computer disk in your shopping bag as you buy lingerie for your wife’s Christmas present.  Now the government will destroy your life to get it back.

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5. Donnie Brasco – An undercover cop develops an unhealthy relationship with an aging gangster.  The cop’s wife disapproves when he misses Christmas with the family.

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4. Lethal Weapon – In an infinitely wise move, the LAPD pairs a retiring cop with a suicidal partner and sends them after international drug dealers.  In return, the drug dealers kidnap the retiring cop’s daughter from under the Christmas tree.

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3. McCabe and Mrs. Miller – A gambler moves west to start a brothel at the turn of the century.  Things go well until a potential buyout goes south.  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

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2. Eyes Wide Shut – Drugs, debauchery and orgies behind closed doors of the financially privileged.  No one likes to be alone during the holidays.

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1. Die Hard – A cop must save his ex-wife from robbers masquerading as terrorists by blowing up a building during the company holiday party.

I’m growing more and more convinced that modern technology is a hindrance to good writing.  Being accessible by cell phone, text message and email may have its advantages but it certainly has its drawbacks.

The luxury of having undisturbed, unstructured time is something we have to grab for ourselves.  Many people don’t understand that writing is a process.  The path from inspiration to execution is rarely as straightforward as it would appear to the layman.  There are only so many movies you can watch, so many scripts you can read before you have to let your imagination wander to where ever it wants to go.

How many of you have heard your wannabe writer friends ‘plain, “I could write if I had the time.”  I suspect that even if you gave them all the time in the world, they couldn’t write as much as a thank you card, let alone a full length screenplay of any quality.

I just returned from a three hour morning hike in the Santa Susanna Mountains.  Everything on my todo list is still on my desk waiting for me.  This is the view I now compare my problems to.

Simi Valley from halfway up the Chumash Trail

My cell phone indicates two voice messages already and I have a half a dozen emails.  This is my typical information load on a Sunday morning.  The world is going on perfectly fine without me and if you needed an immediate answer from me this morning well, seriously, you need a life.

Some people believe that giving 100% means being chained to your computer 24/7.  That in this bad economy, every last bit of productivity needs to be squeezed, every moment needs to be monetized.

Unless you consider yourself a disposable battery, you will need some down time.  Down time that you need to prioritize for yourself.  No one will give it to you.

In the meantime, I’m going get back to work while, in my mind, I’m still playing on these rocks.

Sandstone formation along the Chumash Trail