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Lecture 9:Lecture 9:Stranger than FictionStranger than Fiction

Professor Daniel Cutrara

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Previous Lesson

• Intro to TV• The Bible• Alias

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This Lesson

• True Stories• The Positively

True…• Assignments

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True StoriesTrue Stories

Lesson 9: Part I

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Popularity of True Stories

• Marketable • Television• Film

• Reality Television

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Narrative Challenge

• Story vs Vignette• Crafting a dramatic

structure• Story Type Examples

– Biopic– Event

• Hurricane Katrina

– Specific conflict• Crime or invention

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Character

• Human vs Fictional– Human

• complex motivations, may not appear sympathetic

– Fictional Character• Simple• Sympathetic or Intriguing• Clear motivation• Character Arc

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Dramatic Structure

• Dramatic License– 3 or 7 Act structure– Adding story where needed– Eliminating unnecessary characters– Adapting story so that it has the requisite

twists and turns– Inciting Incident, Reversals, Climax,

Resolution.– Bringing closure when there isn’t.

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How True is the Story?

• True Story– Highest level of

accuracy

• Based on• Inspired by• Suggested by

– Mainly fiction

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The Rights• Public Domain

– Free to use-- court transcripts, copyright expired, celebrity doings

– Not free to use-- Private diaries, journals,

• Seeking Rights– Contacting the correct people

• Where did you learn about story?

• Optioning– What can you offer?– Contingencies based on eventual sale.

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Point of View

• Multiple Points of View– The Amy Fisher Story

• Objective POV

– Casualties of Love• Buttafuoco’s POV, fatally

attracted teenager

– Lethal Lolita– Amy Fisher: My Story

• Amy’s POV, victim of incest, dragged into affair and prostitution

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Evaluating The Concept

• Where does it fit- Network, Cable, Feature?

• Casting- Who will it attract?• Has it been done before?• Is the story high profile?• Is the story external or internal?• What is the scope of the story?

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The Positively True…The Positively True…

Lesson 9: Part II

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Competing MoviesCompeting Movies

• The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom (1993)– HBO

• Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story (1992)– ABC

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Positively True

• Director:

Michael Ritchie– The Candidate,

Fletch, Golden Child

• Writer:

Jane Anderson– TV Writer, episodes

for Raising Miranda, The Facts of Life

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Award Winning

• Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Miniseries or a Special- Jane Anderson  

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special- Holly Hunter

• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special- Beau Bridges

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What’s the take?

• Pause the Lecture and watch the first clip from The Positively True….– What’s the tone of the piece?– How is this accomplished?

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Concept

• Placing a true story into a comedic world.

• “Documentary” as frame story

• Critiquing the “true story” genre

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Tone and Genre

• Black Comedy– Flawed characters

• Satire– Social critique

• Self-Reflexive– Critiques its own genre

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The Characters

• Mothers and Daughters– Wanda Holloway

• Driven

– Shanna• Typical teenager, gains

popularity from trial

– Verna Heath• Driven

– Amber• Typical teenager

Frankie Ingrassia

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Twinning

• Pause the lecture and watch the second clip from The Positively True...– How are the mothers and daughters

portrayed?– How does this effect the meaning of the

narrative?

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Twinning (Cont’d)

• Throughout the film the mothers and daughters are shown as twinning. Both mothers live through their daughters. They both have similar attitudes, about the other “couple”. This adds a layer of complexity to Wanda’s action.

Holly Hunter

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Characters (Cont’d)

• C.D. Holloway– The passive husband

• Tony Harper– The ex-husband

• Terry Harper– The “bad” brother-in-law

• Marla Harper– The crazy sister-in-law

Beau Bridges

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The Structure- Act One

• Act One– Opening Hook

• The Documentary- Frame Story

– Dilemma- Wanda wants Shanna to be a Cheerleader

– Terry and Marla’s Story Introduced• Terry trying to turn his life around

– Turning Point• Shanna Disqualified

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Act Two

• Act Two– Wanda’s Epiphany– Wanda asks Terry to take out Verna– POV shifts to Terry– Terry must decide whether or not to help– Terry sets up Wanda

• Interesting ethical question raised– would she have followed through without his support?

– Wanda arrested

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Act Three

• Overturning Expectations– Media Frenzy begins

• Expecting the trial

– The Trial• Expecting more

– The Resolution• Self-reflexive, open-

ended

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Self-Reflexive

• Pause the lecture and watch the third clip from The Positively True...– What deal is being made?– How does this comment on the narrative?

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The Writer as Herself

• The Media Frenzy• Competition for the

rights.• The writer playing

herself• The ending of the

movie hasn’t been written yet.

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The Brilliance of Positively

• Recognizing the absurdity of real life circumstances. In effect, truth stranger than fiction. – Adopting the tone– Critiquing itself

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The Wrap Up

• Stranger than Fiction• The appeal of True Stories• The challenge of telling them• The brilliance of Positively True

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AssignmentsAssignments

Lesson 9: Part III

Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal (2008)Tom Mcloughlin (dir.)

Teena Booth (written by)

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E-Board Post #1E-Board Post #1

• Final Project Proposals.• Post a short synopsis of the script you

will doing coverage on- and why you think it should be made.

• Post a 200 word proposal for a feature treatment or TV Bible.

• Comment on two of your peers

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End of Lecture 9End of Lecture 9

Next Lecture:

Cable: It’s not just TV

Deadwood (2004)David Milch (Creator)