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Lecture 6:Lecture 6:A Different VisionA Different Vision

Professor Daniel Cutrara

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)Michael Arndt (screenplay)

Previous LessonPrevious Lesson

• Industry Tools

• The Treatment

• Coverage

• Character Breakdown

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This Lesson

• Independents• Little Miss Sunshine

– Journey to Production

– What makes it work• Assignments

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The IndependentsThe Independents

Lesson 6: Part I 4

What do they have in common?

• Low Budget– Production Values

• Variations on the Hollywood Narrative– Genre B movies– Art house

• Stars– Their value

• Distribution– Probably not guaranteed

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Festivals• Sundance Film Festival Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez,

Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh, garnered resounding critical acclaim from Sundance along with unprecedented box office sales. In 2005, about 15% of the U.S. domestic box office revenue was from independent studios.

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Low BudgetLow Budget

• Fundraising– Investors– The marketability– The problem of stars– Distribution

• Production Values– Locations, sets, props, effects

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Financing

• Specialty Divisions– The decline in 2008

• Production– A question of control

• Distribution– Theatrical release

and beyond

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The Narrative

• Genre B movies– Roger Corman– Blair Witch Project

• Art House• “Character Driven”

– ensemble

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StarsStars

• Stars– Guild minimum– Stars as

producers and directors

– Essential to fundraising

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George Clooney in Syriana (2005)Also Executive Producer

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Distribution

• No Guarantee

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Little Miss SunshineLittle Miss Sunshine

Lesson 6: Part II

Michael Arndt, Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton and co.

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The Backstory

• Little Miss Sunshine– Screenplay by Michael Arndt

• Quit his job as Matthew Broderick’s asst.• Put his script in the hands of the “Election”

producers.• Recruited directors- Valerie Faris and

Jonathan Dayton. (docs, commercials)• Seed money for casting• Arndt fired- wouldn’t make Richard central

protagonist.

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From Script to Screen

• Producers unhappy with the new writer’s draft.

• Re-hire Arndt. Minor compromises made.

• Minor changes in production.• Sundance success• Fox Searchlight distribution deal- 10

million dollars.14

Academy Award Winner

• Best Original Screenplay.

• Beat out Pan’s Labyrinth, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Babel.

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What Makes it Work?What Makes it Work?

Lesson 6: Part III

Little Miss Sunshine

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Engaging Characters

• Multiple Storylines– Richard and his 9 step program– Sheryl holding the family together– Frank and his boyfriend– Grandpa and the nursing home– Dwayne and Flight School– Olive and Beauty Pageants

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Inherent Conflict

• Richard and his family

• Richard and Frank

• Grandpa and Frank

• Dwayne and the world

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Throughline

• Family sacrifices for Olive’s desire– To compete in the beauty pageant

• Sets up Second Act tension– To get there on time– Bus as a visual motif for family

• Creates Third Act climax– Claiming victory

• Leads to satisfying resolution

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The Crises• Structure the narrative

– Richard’s deal falls through

– Frank encounters his ex-boyfriend

– Grandpa dies– Dwayne discovers he’s

color blind– Olive’s dance

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Economical Set Up• Pause the lecture and review the first

five pages of the script.– Character introductions– Their problems– The theme– Conflict

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Format Note

• The asterisks• script development

– Page colors– White = 1st draft, then blue,

pink, green, yellow, goldenrod, and finally salmon.

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Character Introductions

• Olive– Juxtapose desire with

appearance• Richard

– Juxtapose message with reality

• Sheryl– Takes care of family,

perhaps better than herself.

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Character Introductions (cont’d)

• Frank– Reluctant survivor of suicide

• Grandpa– Juxtaposition of opposite expectations of

the elderly.• Dwayne

– Driven toward a goal

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A Scene Sample• Dinner, pp. 10-20.

– The family has chicken again.

• Dialogue– Reveals character– Delivers Exposition– Advances the plot– Subtext

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Character ArcCharacter Arc• Pause the lecture, and view the first clip

from Little Miss Sunshine.– How does this complete the arc for

Richard, Frank, and Dwayne?

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Growth in AdversityGrowth in Adversity• Multiple Arcs

– Richard– Frank– Dwayne

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Breaking the Rules

• Ensemble cast• The long dinner

scene

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Changes in Development• Addition of Richard’s confrontation of

Stan.– Beef up Richard’s role, i.e. traditional – Commercial implications, casting

• Sheryl’s ex-husband cut• Change from East Coast to Southwest

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Representation• Pause the lecture and watch the second

clip from Little Miss Sunshine.– How are these little girls represented?

American Beauty30

Theme• Success is not

about material wealth or vanity.

Little Miss Sunshine

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The Wrap Up

• Independents– Pursuing a vision– Pursuing profit– Pursuing an audience

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AssignmentsAssignments

Lesson 6: Part III

Little Miss Sunshine

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

• Approximately 200 words. Pick a scene from Little Miss Sunshine and answer the following questions.– How does it reveal character?– How does it give exposition?– How does it advance the plot?

• Comment on two of your peers.

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End of Lecture 6End of Lecture 6

Next Lecture:What’s Funny?

There’s Something About Mary (1998)Ed Decter and John J. Strauss (story)

Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Peter Farelly, and Bobby Farelly

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