Just A Little To The Right

Technical Accuracy for the Writer

A while back at a gathering of screenwriters I was introduced by someone I respect as "This is John. He is not your typical liberal, left coast screenwriter; he is more to the right of John Milius." While I am sure that I do not fall politically to the right of John Milius, I do tend to the conservative side. Of course, this situation does put me into somewhat of a minority in Hollywood.

This does not mean that I am pro-Bush, or pro - McCain for that matter, pro-war, or pro-Republican. If I was to politically describe myself it would probably be libertarian with a small 'l'. Prior to this conflict, I worked with a team developing simulation invasion scenarios based on Future Combat Systems concepts and quickly determined that there were not enough troops and no follow through plans. Oh well, you can only tell people where the mine field is. You cannot stop them walking there. Of course, that is what Mr. Rumsfield did dragging the US Army behind him.

What has all this to do with movies and screenwriting, you ask? Good question.

This blog is intended to be a written companion piece to my podcast "The Military and The Media" which I do every Sunday at 1:00 pm Pacific as an internet call - in show on TalkShoe (http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/25134). Having retired from the military in 1991 and a military technical advisor for the movie and TV biz since 1996, I have a certain perspective on how the entertainment industry does things. While I recognize that the entertainment business has a solid politically liberal base, I also recognize that the biz is an industry and as such is as fiscally conservative; perhaps even more so, than any other industry. Besides, even the most liberal movie producer gets real conservative when it comes to spending his or her own money.

When I left the military in 1991, I started screenwriting and became involved in various writers' groups. What I noticed immediately was that while many folks wrote screenplays about military "stuff," they had no real knowledge of military "stuff." A good example of this (purposeful) lack of knowledge came from the venerable William Goldman. A number of years ago Goldman had a Q&A thing in which he answered screenwriting questions. I asked him why he had written the lines spoken by John Travolta as a CID officer as he interrogates James Woods in THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER, ". . . you're in the army. You have no rights to an attorney. You have no right to remain silent." because that statement is not true. His response to my question was, "So what?"

Now, before anyone starts with, "It's just a movie," believe me that as a screenwriter I have been known to push the truth, tear at the envelope, even prevaricate a slight bit. However, what you cannot do is completely ignore substantial reality. I respect Goldman's work, but a flippant "So what?" is not the answer. To me, it is sort of like putting M16s in a World War II story. Fine if you want a science fiction movie. Not okay if you are writing a historical drama. William Martel, who specializes in writing military oriented thrillers, has quite a bit to say how some of these mis - guided dramas have turned out (http://www.scriptsecrets.net/).

Movies with military "stuff" really cannot miss that substantial reality bit. Soldiers act in a particular way because they are trained to do so. Weapons work the way they do because that is the way they are designed. From a story perspective, there has to be enough "rightness" to make the story flow correctly and be believable. Unless it impacts the story in a significant way, the writer should not have detailed instructions of how to load/unload a weapon or what have you. You are writing a screenplay, not a technical manual. A good example of how story and military "stuff" came together is the Tom Hank's TV series BAND OF BROTHERS. While Dale Dye and his Warriors, Inc. folks get a lot of credit, if the words were not there on the page before filming started none of that production would have worked. While there will always be people quibbling about military esoterica, my point here is that you the writer should do your research and get enough "rightness" before proceeding.

We have all seen movies where the scenes with the soldiers, cops, firemen, etc. did not play right. It should go without saying that if you do not know something, ask someone who does. This is as true for military "stuff" as it is for police "stuff," firefighting "stuff," or just about anything with a specialized field. If you are writing a script about doctors, one would suppose you would consult with a doctor or, at least, a medical journal. Likewise, if you are writing a script about cops, then a "ride - along" would be a good idea. There is more than getting the technical stuff correct. The writer has to get the feeling of the words and actions correct as well.

Good luck and keep writing.

John is a practicing screenwriter living in Orange County, CA with two dogs, three cats, and a mortgage.

Sep 22, 2008 8:05 AM | Link | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Report Content