11 Lecture 14: Breaking the Envelope Professor Daniel Cutrara Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
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Transcript of 11 Lecture 14: Breaking the Envelope Professor Daniel Cutrara Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
11
Lecture 14:Lecture 14:Breaking the EnvelopeBreaking the Envelope
Professor Daniel Cutrara
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)Charlie Kaufman (screenplay)
Previous Lesson
• Who they are and What do they want?– Marketing to the
buyer
• How do you make it stronger?– Development Notes
2
3
This Lesson
• Merging Genres• Breaking the
Envelope in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Assignments
44
Merging GenresMerging Genres
Lesson 14: Part I
5
Fluid Genres
• Action, Sci-Fi, Western, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Adventure, Romance.– Think Dark Knight
• Chase scenes• Romance• Abilities
6
Genres in Eternal Sunshine
• Drama, Sci-Fi Romantic Comedy – Love Story– Complex
characters and relationships
– Memory erasure
77
Eternal Sunshine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindof the Spotless Mind
Lesson 14: Part II
8
BackstoryBackstory
• The Director– Michel Gondry, second feature film, previous
work music videos. Brings his image manipulation techniques.
• The Writer– Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich,
Adaptation, Human Nature– for Michel Gondry.
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Breaking the EnvelopeBreaking the Envelope
• Academy Award, 2004– Best Original
Screenplay– Story by Charlie
Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth
9
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth
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The Concept
• A love story told through memory.
• Begins after the break up as opposed to the typical Romantic Comedy
11
Characters
• Atypical Characters- Both “Losers”
• Joel Barish– Overwhelming
shyness, afraid to risk
• Clementine Kruczynski– Impulsive, addict
12
Wants and Needs
• Joel Barish– Wants security, needs a
relationship, must accept the riskiness of being with Clementine.
• Clementine Kruczynski– Wants the thrills of life,
needs a relationship, must accept the ordinary with Joel.
13
The Structure
• Labyrinthine- like our memories– Places us in the shoes of the characters
• Narrative begins at the end of Act Two– Joel and Clem meet as if for the first time
• Narrative rupture at the end of the first sequence.– Sudden jump to night as Joel weeps.
Meeting for the “First Time”
• Pause the Lecture and watch the first clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– How is the tone established?– Are the genres clearly telegraphed?– What is the irony on the second viewing?
14
Breaking Rules
• Slow, serious beginning, unlike Romantic Comedy more like drama.
• Sci-Fi element not yet introduced.
155
The irony– they connect quickly. Because they normally would? Because they connected before? Because they are needy?
16
Act Two
• Act Two recounts relationship backwards as memories erased.– Joel chooses to save her– They work together as a
team– “Clem” shares Joel’s
most traumatic moments.
17
Breaking Time
• Pause the Lecture and watch the second clip from The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– Who and when are the characters in this
scene?
18
Breaking Time (Cont’d)
• Joel remembering in voiceover, and in the memory.
• Joel in the memory• Joel’s construct of
Clem.• Clem in Joel’s
memory.
19
Subplots
• “Subplots should be spawned by, intersect with, and resolved by the main storyline.” Garfinkel
20
Triangles
• Patrick and Clementine– His impersonation
affects her
• Stan, Mary, and Dr. Mierzwiak– Her reaction leads to
tapes distributed
21
Act Three
• Building toward a dramatic resolution.
• Subplots pay off.• Joel and Clem must
face the uncertainty and pain of a future relationship.
22
The Drama
• Pause the Lecture and watch the third clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– What they record is what people think but
generally don’t say in relationships.
23
The Resolution
• A dramatic commitment, not to happily ever after, but to a relationship that will demand work and forgiveness.
24
From Script to Screen
• Trimming Naomi– Scenes with Joel’s previous girlfriend cut.– She is cut prior to Joel meeting Clem and
after he has Clem erased he briefly hooks up with her.
– The effect: keeping the focus, telling what is essential in a given amount of time, and strengthening the destiny aspect.
25
The Theme
• Love is inevitable
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Themes
• Destiny, Fate– A romantic interpretation
• Identity, Memory, Love– Exploring how memory functions in
relationship to who we are. – The intersection of love and being.
2727
AssignmentsAssignments
Lesson 14: Part IV
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
28
E-Board Post #1E-Board Post #1
• Approximately 200 words. Answer the critique posted for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Comment on two of your peers.
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End of Lecture 14End of Lecture 14
Next Lecture:
Where to go from here
Bowfinger (1999)