[HN Gopher] Screenwriters' Lecture: Charlie Kaufman (2011)
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Screenwriters' Lecture: Charlie Kaufman (2011)
Author : s-video
Score : 75 points
Date : 2023-12-12 06:03 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.bafta.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.bafta.org)
| wanderingstan wrote:
| The video/audio of this talk is also quite good:
| https://youtu.be/eRfXcWT_oFs?si=clFM0bNLTO7ll7bK
| empath-nirvana wrote:
| > In many cases a major obstacle is your deeply seated belief
| that you are not interesting. And since convincing yourself that
| you are interesting is probably not going to happen, take it off
| the table. Think, 'Perhaps I'm not interesting but I am the only
| thing I have to offer, and I want to offer something. And by
| offering myself in a true way I am doing a great service to the
| world, because it is rare and it will help.'
| slap_shot wrote:
| I'm a huge fan of Kaufman's work but only recently saw
| Synecdoche, New York, which immediately became my favorite movie,
| ever. That led me down a rabbit hole of listening to basically
| every recorded interview he's ever given. He's absolutely
| brilliant, sincerely humble, probably depressed, and just an
| absolute joy to listen to. I have a simple quote from him on my
| computer that I look at from time to time:
|
| I try to do what I can to put something in the world that is not
| garbage.
| empath-nirvana wrote:
| Synecdoche, New York is an awe-inspiring work, but it's
| incredibly hard to watch and left me ruined, mentally, for days
| afterwards. It's obvious why it's not a popular movie -- he
| talks about wounds in this speech, and that movie is basically
| an open psychic sore. It takes a tremendous amount of courage
| to make a movie that's so relentlessly grim and honest.
| slap_shot wrote:
| I also found found it incredibly hard to watch, and was also
| ruined me for days if not weeks. In fact, I think a certain
| part of me has been permanently changed.
|
| And that is exactly why it is now my favorite movie. A lot of
| movies have moved me, but this thing did something I didn't
| even know movies could do.
| detourdog wrote:
| I was going to watch it based on the first review in this
| thread. I think I will have to wait to watch it based on
| the 2 ruined people.
|
| I don't currently have time for that. thank you for the
| warning.
| tutuca wrote:
| It leaves such a lasting impression. I find myself
| remembering some pieces on many ocassions. With my kids, my
| projects, some aspect of self absorbedness on my own goals.
| subdane wrote:
| I took a first date to Synecdoche, New York and we didn't have
| a second (good film though).
| reqo wrote:
| If you like that movie, then I highly recommend checking out
| The Rehearsal (2022). Basically a show version of the movie!
| slap_shot wrote:
| The Rehearsal (and Finding Frances) is with Synecdoche, New
| York in the bucket of "I didn't know art could do that". I
| was just in complete awe of what he did with with both of
| those.
| prhn wrote:
| Adaptation is one of the gems of Postmodern cinema. I really like
| what that film did to my brain the first time I watched it. It's
| hilarious.
|
| It's a keen insight into the process and emotional rollercoaster
| of creative work.
|
| The layered hilarity to it all is that it's based on the real
| experience of Kaufman trying to adapt The Orchid Thief.
| jmkd wrote:
| Adaptation is the film I didn't know I wanted to write. It's
| perfect.
| jmcphers wrote:
| If you have Netflix, check out one of Kaufman's more recent
| films, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things". It's an (increasingly
| loose) adaptation of Ian Reid's book of the same name. The book
| is deliberately disorienting and unsettling which makes Kaufman's
| style really shine.
|
| https://www.netflix.com/title/80211559
| munificent wrote:
| I loved "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" so much. Kaufman's work
| scratches a deep itch that nothing else can really reach.
| zoogeny wrote:
| I'm a huge fan of Kaufman, I think I've seen almost everything
| he's done. In my opinion, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is
| not his best work. But I have to admit, I think of the themes
| in this movie more than almost any other film of his.
|
| I read a few interpretations of the film _before_ I watched it
| and I would actually recommend people to do the same. I think
| it is worth spoiling the premise behind the movie to understand
| what is going on. The film is purposefully obtuse which is off-
| putting to some. In fact, the "twist" of it wouldn't be
| obvious to most people who watch it. But to appreciate the
| depth of the story you have to get passed the surreality of the
| presentation.
|
| Like "Synecdoche, New York", what remains once you strip away
| the fantasy is pretty bleak in an existential angst kind of
| way. But that is pretty much what you get with Kaufman: a bleak
| existential crisis.
| Finnucane wrote:
| Long ago I was the assistant to the movie tie-in editor at Tor
| Books. One day we're going through the mail and there's the
| script for Being John Malkovich. I read it, and I'm like, holy
| shit, we have to do this. But wait, how are we going to do this?
| So I show it to the editor, and he says, yeah, this is great, but
| how are we going to make this a book? I mean, I could think of
| ways, but no way that Tom would pay for. So I spend the better
| part of year just blabbing to people about this great script, but
| no one has any better idea of what do with it. Still
| disappointed.
| bparsons wrote:
| If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Kaufman's only novel,
| Antkind. It is easily the funniest thing I have ever read. The
| audiobook version is perfectly done. I have never laughed so hard
| in my life.
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