da bears
As I felt like death warmed over this morning I ended up taking a sick day and fighting off a headache while trying to get some writing done, which I did most of Sunday. I’m actually depriving myself or beloved beer until I get the major new elements worked out, which is a pretty good motivator- but brings the question that my headache/warmed-over-deathness of Monday may in fact be the DTs! Yay, I’m a cliche!
Bears are really out of control in the NFC right now, which slightly makes up for the Cubs’ season. Also Dusty Baker is banished and President Andy MacPhail ain’t far behind him. As things can’t possibly be any worse, well see what’s shaping up in March. They still have a good roster and if we can get some brains behind it, maybe I can start wearing my ballcap everywhere once again.
The Mystery Man on Film has an interesting post about Character studies up, which I quite want to participate in, because to me character is everything. This could be because character and dialogue are the only things I handle well and the things my scripts tend to emphasize. But the question is, which character do I want to hold up to the light and give the eye? We’re supposed to focus on contradiction and depth through character design, which is a good way to look at any character to decide if they have dimension. You want a character to surpise you, but in a way that’s believably founded.
Take Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop– Axel’s pretty static, as heroes go, and starts out in trouble for playing things his own way, and he sorta ends the movie the same way. His main affect is on the people around him, which makes him an incredibly strong character, he’s the gravity of the script and his goal is pretty heavy itself, taking on the people that have killed his childhood best friend. But Axel’s pretty much light as a feather the whole picture, not breaking a sweat even as bullshits his way into Victor Maitland’s crosshairs. Cool as a cucumber- (Or banana even. Wait, this is starting to sound obscene,)- mostly. But what’s really established well is the contradiction that Axel’s a cop who acts like a con. It speaks about where he comes from and how he operates, especially when you take that the people Axel has the most heat with are other cops- Taggert and Bogomil. These guys are supposed to be his brothers in arms over here, but that gap of urban Detroit kid and white bread Cops, that’s what gets his blood up. And dudes who eff with his friends. Then you may need to go check yourself out with a physician before things start falling off.
But anyway, I’m sure MM will have a few folks a bit more insightful than me, so check it out, cause I don’t trust my memory of BHC very far. Axel’s pretty enjoyable without all the analysis, for whatever reasons.