Danny Strong on How to Write Smart Scripts | Danny Strong | Big Think

TL;DR

The process of creating the movie "Recount" involved extensive research, turning books on the subject into a compelling script, and attracting top directors and actors in Hollywood.

Transcript

I'm not a junkie but I'm pretty well informed you know I mean I read a few articles every day you know I go to the Drudge Report and The Huffington Post I figure two different sides um and uh I like to go to the Washington Post just different you know but just a few articles every day you know I don't know what bills are about to be passed and wher... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 The speaker's research involved reading books and online articles to gain a deep understanding of the 2000 Presidential election recount.
• 👏 The script for "Recount" was highly praised in Hollywood for its combination of intelligent ideas and entertainment value.
• 🧑‍🏭 The movie attracted top directors and actors despite having a relatively small budget.
• 💁 In addition to books, online resources like Salon.com provided valuable information for the movie's research.
• 💯 The challenge was to condense a complex event involving various locations and hundreds of characters into a coherent two-hour movie.
• 🤩 The movie focused on key events such as Supreme Court decisions and the vote counting process.
• 💁 The speaker is currently conducting interviews with surviving lawyers involved in the recount to gather further information.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker decide which books to base the movie "Recount" on?

The speaker ordered and read books like "Too Close to Call" and "The Accidental President" to find the main characters and storylines for the movie.

Q: Why did the speaker believe Ron Clan and James Baker would be perfect characters for the movie?

Both Ron Clan and James Baker were involved in the 2000 Presidential election recount from the beginning till the end, making them ideal characters to represent the legal teams' perspective.

Q: How did the speaker narrow down the number of characters in the movie?

With so many people involved in the recount, the speaker had to focus on a few representative characters to fit the movie's time constraints and ensure storytelling coherence.

Q: Did the speaker feel a responsibility to accurately portray the events in the historical event?

The speaker believed that using real people and their actions in the movie was a responsible portrayal since the characters represented the significant contributions of hundreds of individuals.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker is well-informed about political events and reads articles from various sources daily.

• They enjoy political films and non-fiction books on political events, which influenced their desire to create a riveting political drama.

• The movie "Recount" was made based on books about the 2000 Presidential election recount, with a focus on the lawyers fighting the ground wars.