worst movie clichés?

[LusciousLoralie]

I'm hoping to collaboratively write some screenplays with my BFF. I need to know what you think is most unoriginal about movies today, or in general.

edit: here's a little slice of life scene for you

INT. ARIZONA - BEDROOM - NIGHT

HER
How many pages did you write?

INTERCUT WITH:

INT. CALIFORNIA - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

ME
I don't know, probably at least 10.

HER
Well, someone has no life.

ME V.O.
You are mixing booze and cough syrup. I am working on a screenplay. You are the one who needs a life.
​

 

[LusciousLoralie]

also, anything you have to say about stereotypes or plot holes.

 

[daintyfemme]

the way everybody got to has a lover in a movie

am I making any sense?

 

[kencannuck]

trying to be original...

Loralie, The problem most people who write for screen have is that they are basing their story on something they have seen, and putting a twist on it.

I had a professor who once said "nothing is original... only nature is original"

If you look at most stories, they are based on historical literature. Shakesphere and Homer as examples. All I can say is look for unique ways to present a story that lots of people will want to see.

In other words, what situations or relationships are people drawn to on television, then write to that.

If you are going to write screenplays to submit to a studio, you should find out the format that they use and use a similar format. If you are interested, look up a piece of free software called celtx (just google it) as it has industry formats built in. I use it for my professional life (as a trainer not a screenwriter)

 

[LusciousLoralie]

If you look at most stories, they are based on historical literature. Shakesphere and Homer as examples. All I can say is look for unique ways to present a story that lots of people will want to see.

If you are going to write screenplays to submit to a studio, you should find out the format that they use and use a similar format. If you are interested, look up a piece of free software called celtx (just google it) as it has industry formats built in. I use it for my professional life (as a trainer not a screenwriter)

Well, I know nothing is COMPLETELY original. I just don't want it to be clumped together with a bunch of crap. Like the other day I was watching the trailer for 2012 and said to myself "but I've already seen War Of The Worlds & The Day after Tomorrow." I don't want it to be like that.

One of our ideas is actually based on Oedipus. Even though it's an old concept, I have no doubt that what we're doing with it is unique.

I know about formats and whatnot but thanks for the tip. Right now we're just writing down whatever comes into our heads and worrying about spacing and capitalization later.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

I love the opening credits for Almost Famous and Napoleon Dynamite. I don't wanna just have names on the screen. That's boring.

 

[cent_fl_guy]

If any part of any movie is shot in France and someone has a bag of groceries it is almost universal that there will be a baguette sticking out of the bag.

Just say no to that

 

[soverysexxx]

I love the opening credits for Almost Famous and Napoleon Dynamite. I don't wanna just have names on the screen. That's boring.

yeah i love that!

 

[LusciousLoralie]

yeah i love that!

can you think of any other movies that do/have that?

 

[kencannuck]

Here's an idea... Don't know if they did it or not...

Thinking of movies like Fast Times at Ridgmont High... As the class attendance is being taken, the actor's name is on screen at the same time... so you get the idea of who the actor is and the character they are playing...

 

[LusciousLoralie]

Here's an idea... Don't know if they did it or not...

Thinking of movies like Fast Times at Ridgmont High... As the class attendance is being taken, the actor's name is on screen at the same time... so you get the idea of who the actor is and the character they are playing...

yeah, I was thinking of doing something like that

 

[Malerik]

I've been a film buff for years now and have tried my hand at the screenplay thing a few times now.

Here are my major complaints with Hollywood these days. They aren't so much cliche's as things to avoid in movies period:

Pointless Remakes, unnecessary and unwanted.

Over reliance on special effects. They may look good, but a good movie they may not make.

Action content over story content, too often most the crap put out these days are so action/FX heavy that the story is overlooked or non-existant.

Flat, cardboard cut out characters (ie any character in a Dan Brown book/movie). Movies these days are filled with characters that have no substance to them, no tangible background or visible drive. They exist only to fill up celluloid, but do little else.

MacGuffins - useless plot devices that the hero of the story most overcome. They are little more than something to push the plot along, but really do nothing to add to the story. This occur more often than not in action films and superhero movies.

Overblown gore. I haven't seen a horror movie in years that was actually scary as opposed to useless pointless gore filled crap. (I'm talking about you, Saw movies.)

Red Shirts. This term comes to us thanks to Star Trek, the guy wearing the red outfit who always gets killed. If you are going to have a character killed off, make the audience like the character or feel something for them, then kill them. It makes the experience more visceral then killing of a random character.

Clean cut endings/happy endings. Not everything should end happy or tied up. That's not how life is. You see more movies going this route, but not enough. I agree that movies should be escapism, but not to the point where it destroys credibility.

Dumbed down/watered down stories. Does Hollywood assume all Americans are idiots? It so rare to find a good cerebral movie anymore. Hollywood has to handfed everything to us like infants. I enjoy thinking during a movie. I shouldn't have to "turn my brain off" to enjoy a movie.

Ok, so that was a bit of a rant, but it needs to be said. There's more I could say, but I probably should eat up your thread with it.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

say more if you wanna say more. it's not this thread will ever really take off.

 

[kencannuck]

I completely agree on the red shirt syndrome... in fact did anyone not catch the reference in the new Star Trek movie???

and as a side note... it was also the reason that the colors were changed for ST:TNG Red for command and gold for engineering... that way it was the gold shirt not the red shirt that got iced.

movies and most books have become a matter of formula rather than a matter of creative thought... welcome to the valley of the sheeple

 

[sugaredwalls]

say more if you wanna say more. it's not this thread will ever really take off.

Here's something that's never been done, never. Adapt Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand into a workable screenplay. Rand's book has been optioned, re-optioned and has had many screenplays written but not one of them has ever made it to the big screen.

You'd be a fucking cinematic genius if you managed to pull it off.

And I disagree with the rant, there are lots of good movies out there...if you know where and what to look for! People go to movies for a lot of different reasons so what's good and not good is very subjective. Nobody goes to see Transformers II in order to be intellectually stimulated. They go to see a dumb plot with lots of shit blowing up. Nothing wrong with having fun with a 2 hr escape from reality.

We just watched Children of The Men the other day and God Damn can Alfonso Cuaron direct an action sequence. He's a fucking genius with them. The whole mood and setting he created for that movie was just really good film making.

 

[Malerik]

Here's something that's never been done, never. Adapt Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand into a workable screenplay. Rand's book has been optioned, re-optioned and has had many screenplays written but not one of them has ever made it to the big screen.

You'd be a fucking cinematic genius if you managed to pull it off.

And I disagree with the rant, there are lots of good movies out there...if you know where and what to look for! People go to movies for a lot of different reasons so what's good and not good is very subjective. Nobody goes to see Transformers II in order to be intellectually stimulated. They go to see a dumb plot with lots of shit blowing up. Nothing wrong with having fun with a 2 hr escape from reality.

We just watched Children of The Men the other day and God Damn can Alfonso Cuaron direct an action sequence. He's a fucking genius with them. The whole mood and setting he created for that movie was just really good film making.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's production company actually acquired the rights for it last year and are supposedly developing Atlas into a movie. Whether it actually happens is to be seen.

 

[Malerik]

Another thing Hollywood needs to get rid of: Unnecessary sequels. Sequels or prequels made simply to cash in off of the first movie in order to squeeze every dollar out of i them as they can.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

Another thing Hollywood needs to get rid of: Unnecessary sequels. Sequels or prequels made simply to cash in off of the first movie in order to squeeze every dollar out of i them as they can.

I can only half agree with that. Did we really need Shrek The Third? I think not. Do we really need a sequal to Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Not really but I'll be at the theather on opening day nonetheless. Although it's more of a spin-off rather than a sequal. It's not called Forgetting Sarah Marshall Again or anything like that.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

If you are going to have a character killed off, make the audience like the character or feel something for them, then kill them. It makes the experience more visceral then killing of a random character.

Hmmmm. I have 5 solid ideas (solid meaning ones that I think would actually be good) and death is relevant in all of them.

1. a main character dies almost immediately but is in the rest of the movie via flashbacks and spiritual possession
2. someone is killed almost immediately and the person who did it kind of processes the whole ordeal in their head through out
3. a girl's parents are involved in a fatal car crash within the first 10-15 minutes and she spends a good amount of time trying to "get over it"
4. one person is already dead to begin with and someone feels "connected to their soul"
5. one person is already dead to begin with but is in the movie as a ghost, it's a comedy and the least original of the 5

Oh and all but #5 end in another death

 

[sugaredwalls]

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's production company actually acquired the rights for it last year and are supposedly developing Atlas into a movie. Whether it actually happens is to be seen.

It's been permanently shelved.

Atlas Shrugged remains an elusive enigma to bring to the big screen.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

Attention!

If there are any relatively unknown bands that you really like, PM me. I'm looking for something new to listen to.

 

[Curiouscookie]

hello

I'm very new here and don't mean to intrude but I feel that evreything that could possibly be done with reference to scripts for movies has pretty much been done. If you want the movie to be a success worry more about the development and personality of you characters. So few stories now are character driven and most of the time I find myself dazing off because I'm not invested in the people I'm watching or the situations they are in whether it be romance horror or drama.....which reminds me don't watch Push unless you want to waste two hours of your life....so did not live up to my expectations.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

I'm very new here and don't mean to intrude but I feel that everything that could possibly be done with reference to scripts for movies has pretty much been done. If you want the movie to be a success worry more about the development and personality of you characters. So few stories now are character driven and most of the time I find myself dazing off because I'm not invested in the people I'm watching or the situations they are in whether it be romance horror or drama

issues of character development are being dealt with more in my random questions thread. most things have in fact been done but not everything.

which reminds me don't watch Push unless you want to waste two hours of your life....so did not live up to my expectations.

That one guy in it is super hot but I do NOT have any plans whatsoever to see it.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

plot hole: doesn't every band only tour in the summer?

edit: no, AAR is on tour till October or November.

 

[monique1971]

How about an Atlas Shrugged sequel? Has that been done yet?

Okay, to be serious, here are some of the cliches I hate the most:

--last minute mad dash to tell the love of your life why he/she should not marry the wrong person, or to stop them from taking the plane, or to stop them from getting deported

--montage o' shopping a la Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman

--hardened career woman softens when saddled with adorable children

--college professor is wacky and flaky but students love him/her anyway because he/she is so Alive

--they hate each other but they secretly love each other (also works with two cops partnered together, men in boot camp with Sarge)