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The Saddest Scene in Sitcom History

Don’t @ me

I recently saw the trailer for a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The show was made because Will Smith saw a fan made trailer for a dramatic version of the sitcom. Something that is fucking amazing. And plus, the show looks pretty solid.

Get out the tissues

But that’s not why I am here.

As soon I saw the trailer, flashes of the Fresh Prince came back to me. In particular, one scene. A scene that I truly consider the saddest moment in Sitcom history. Season 4 Episode 24 “Papa’s got a brand-new excuse” – Will’s Father Leaving. I know you might be sitting there punching your fist into the screen yelling “what about Michael leaving the office” or the many moments of How I met Your Mother and scrubs, or even Hawkeye’s story in M.A.S.H. Yes, worthy but let me give my justification:

Before I start I need to clarify the backstory behind this scene. A lot of people believe this was improvised and based on Will Smith’s own life. This is bullshit. The writer literally said, “every word was written by Bill and I.”

Anyway, back to the sad shit.

The first reason this scene hits so hard is that the whole show is strictly a sitcom. There is basically no dramatic moments throughout. It’s like that 70s show or friends where it completely focuses on comedy. Thereby, this scene hits you like a fucking stream train. It quite literally comes out of nowhere and catches the audience of guard. Unlike the rest of the shows light-hearted nature, it deals with such a serious and depressing part of Will Smith’s (the character) life. Something the show hides from you, waiting for just the right moment to punch you in the stomach.

A good example is the crowd reaction. Throughout this show, the crowd sounds like a circus. Raucous, over the top laughter. But in this scene, it is reported by the Washington Post that crowd was dead silent, like a church. Except for one person. In the background, you can even hear someone crying. If that doesn’t show how powerful this scene is, I don’t know what does.

Will Smith’s Performance

Will Smith’s performance in this is some of the best acting I have ever seen him do. Its so fascinating because Will was unable to hit this range yet. But from this moment on, the calibre of Will Smith changed. Director Shelly Jensen said, in a Washington Post article, that “it was that specific episode for me as a director [that] I saw him connect and make it work.” (2020). The light just went off.

In this scene Will’s range of emotions is mind blowing. In the space of roughly 3 minutes, he transforms between 3 deep and challenging emotions. Will starts off trying to act strong and tough, with slight hints of anger peeking through.  Following this, he gives a perfect line delivery – “you too, Lou.” The way he says his father’s name shows this resentment that has been boiling there for years. And anger he is trying to keep down in front of his father and Uncle.  

A 1990 Promotional Image of Will Smith as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Photo by Mario Casilli/NBC/MPTV Images)

After his father leaves, he goes back to the Will we know. How he thinks he has to act. Cocky, upbeat, funny. Exactly like a teenager would, trying to act like they don’t care. Then, once again, comes the rage.

Sidebar – anger in film and TV is something I believe, is constantly overdone. A good example is 12 Angry Men. Everyone just yelling and slamming their fists. But in real life anger slowly builds up. Rising, cracking through the surface until then, you explode. And holy fuck does Will Smith explode.

‘TO HELL WITH HIM!”

The crack in the voice. The turnaround. The fists by his sides. Its all so subtle but expertly shows a teenager finally letting out emotions he has bottled up for years.

After this, we see another change. Listing of what he has to do to be better then his father, it shows a sense of drive and hope. A deep ambition to be a better man this his father ever was. Just something in the way he says these lines is so convincing. Its like you just know he is going to do it.

Finally, the end.

“How come he don’t want me man?”

Everything about this delivery is spot on. He is beaten down and shows that in his performance. The sunken shoulders, lip quivering and downwards gaze. Will is tired. Tired of not having a father figure; someone there to love him and care for him. And after so many years of acting tough, he finally lets it all out and goes back to this childlike state. 

The Writing

I think what is so special about this scene is how it almost works on its own. Even if you never have seen this show, this scene could be a 4-minute short. This is all through the character writing. Subtly crafted into the dialogue, the writers give you Will and his fathers entire histories, ambitions and personalities. Without realising, you learn Will’s whole life story and then exactly what he wants from this world. And his motivations? Simply being a better man than his wife. All in the space of 2 minutes, we see an entire character arc. A teenager coming to terms with his history, discovering the man his father really is. It honestly feels like something Noah Baumbach would write. Just Perfect writing.

THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR — Season 4 —
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“Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying”

 The Shawshank Redemption Rant

I feel like it has become fairly common lately to shit on Shawshank Redemption. You say it is the best movie ever made and people scoff, laugh and proceed to throw stones at you. The worst is when you say it around other people who consider themselves “film lovers”. This is a death sentence.  People just don’t respect Shawshank Redemption as one of the greatest movies ever made and I have never understood why. If you say you love Citizen Kane or the Godfather, (one of which I have seen) someone will probably wet themselves. Especially if there a film student. But Shawshank Redemption deserves to be equally respected, and here’s why;

  1. It is the most rewatchable movie ever made

Oooo controversial I know. But hear me out.

When someone says rewatchable, a couple of movies come to mind. Back to the future, Jaws, Star Wars, Love Actually, and at the top, is Shawshank.  And I think there is a clear reason for this.

The ending.

The whole film builds up to the ending perfectly. Throughout the film, some of the worst possible shit happens to Andy Dufrene. He is falsely imprisoned, beaten, raped, locked away, lied to. But the audience knows what’s coming. They are sitting there, waiting for his moment of freedom and redemption. Waiting to see the look on the Warden’s face. Waiting for his reunion with Red. No other film has that same sense of satisfaction as Shawshank’s ending. It draws the viewers in, forcing them to wait to finish it and see his escape. Saying to their parents at 11:00 at night when its on Channel 7 “just one more bit.”

Just me? Fair enough.

2. The Writing

Every list I ever write will have a point about writing, mainly because it is very broad, makes you sound smart and to me, is the most important part of a film.

But Shawshank Redemption has some of the best one liners in movie history. Instead of ranting about how much I love them, I will simply drop my favourites below.

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really: Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

(I mean come on)

“Andy Furesne – Who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side”

“I’ve decided not to stay. I doubt they’ll kick up any fuss. Not for an old crook like me”

“They send you here for life and that’s exactly what they take.”

“I like to think the last thing that went through his head, other then that bullet…”

Its like every second line in this movie is quotable. Something I don’t think I have ever seen in another film.

3. The structure

I honestly can’t remember where I heard this but it has always been stuck in the back of my mind ever since. (I am also probably butchering this) Basically, Frank Darabont structured the film as 6 short stories.

  1. Andy’s trial
  2. Andy’s first few years in Shawshank
  3. Andy and the library
  4. Andy and Tommy
  5. Andy’s Escape
  6. Red’s Redemption

Having such a unique and bold structure has always felt like I was watching someone’s entire life, rather then just a few parts of it. It makes the audience engaged in such a long film because they are only waiting for the conclusion of this story, not the whole film.

It’s always reminded me of a parent, uncle or teacher telling interesting anecdotes from their lives. Stories that hook you in and show you what type of person they are. Stories that have multiple characters that you only understand if you know that person well.

Ultimately, this film comes down to just pure excellent storytelling.

4. The casting

I just don’t think I have ever seen two roles cast so perfectly.

It sounds like a cliché, but Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are born to play these roles. Ever since this movie, both actors got stuck playing a similar role – a shy man, and an old narrator. And that’s for one very specific reason.  They are so good at it.

Tim Robbins can play that quiet, awkward man so accurately. That soft whisper he does is so effective. It draws you in, waiting for every word he perfectly delivers. Even his walk is scarily accurate to people I have met. His hands hanging limply by his sides, almost uncomfortable in his own body. But throughout the film, he drops the moments of anger. (at the warden, at life, at the sisters.) Its not overbearing yelling like you would see in 12 Angry Men, but a more subtle, realistic anger. Showing a man whose rage is slowly rising throughout the film, until his boiling point, where he is forced to escape.

Morgan Freeman. For me, his performance is special for two reasons. His voice and his face. Both combine to show you this man that is aged and worn down. The deep wrinkles and voice display this wise man who has been beaten down by the world around him. Its almost this purposeful contrast to how he acts, so young and full of life.

5. The antagonists     

There is undoubtedly another 10 points I could make as to why Shawshank Redemption slaps.  But I will finish on this one.  

For me there are roughly two types of villains in films. One is outright evil, doesn’t hide it and         basically knows it. This is like your Darth Vader, Jason, Freddy Kruger. But there is also one much harder to perfect. A villain that truly believes they are doing good work. For me, Delores Umbridge from Harry Potter comes to mind. And for Shawshank Redemption, it has both. Two villains you love to hate and are desperately waiting for their comeuppance. Two antagonists that are so evil you would watch the entire film just to see them crumble at the end.

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How to be a Screenwriter w/ Stephen King

Stephen King’s 8 Rules for Screenwriting

I read this book in about 4 days. It is one of the most interesting and engaging pieces of nonfiction I have ever read. But that’s not why we are here. We are here to apply what Stephen King says about novel writing to screenwriting. And fuck me is there a lot.

The book to me, is split into two halves. An autobiographical section, about Stephen’s early life, and a second section diving into the nitty gritty of writing. In this article, I am simply going to make a list about my favourite pieces of advice he gives.

I still highly recommend reading Stephen’s book.

  1. How to edit

“When you write a story, you are telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” John Gould

Stephen King’s first editor told him this and he says it is one of the best pieces of editing information he has ever heard. It basically means that your first draft should simply be whatever is honest to you. It doesn’t matter if its boring, over the top or silly. As long as its truthful to the story you want to write. However, when you are rewriting you need to remove all the elements that don’t add layers to this story, no matter how much you love them.

“Write with the door closed, rewrite with door open. “

 When you are writing your first draft it has to be just you, the page and your thoughts. Otherwise, the story is tainted by other people’s opinions. But when you write the second draft, you should listen to your editor, wife, sister, dog, basically whoever you trust to read your shit.

2nd draft = the first draft minus 10%

Pretty self-explanatory no?

2. The Motherfucking Toolbox

Stephen’s toolbox analogy is something he learned from his Uncle’s toolbox. When you get stuck or things are hard, you use your toolbox. It prevents you from getting discouraged and helps you get straight to work. While the King is talking about novel writing, what he says still applies to screenwriting.

The First Level = Vocabulary. (It doesn’t matter how smart or fancy your vocab is, as long you use it correctly.)

The Second Level = Grammar. (I wont lecture you about grammar since Mine isss shocing)

The Third Level = Paragraphing (Using it correctly – its just instinct)

Dogs not necessary.

3. Writing Good dialogue.

For screenwriters, this is definitely one of the most important points. Writing good dialogue is essential for a good script. And what Stephen says is even more useful. To write good dialogue, it just has to be honest and authentic. Dialogue is a skill best learned by people who enjoy talking and listening to others.

King uses H.P Lovecraft’s as an example. While his tales of horrific monsters were genius, his dialogue was truly terrible. This is simply because he was a loner who didn’t interact with others. As a result, what he wrote well… it goes like this

“nothin… nothin… the colour…. It burns… cold an’ wet…. But it burns…. It lived in the well…” Etc Etc. You get the idea.

4. READ AND WRITE EVERDAY.

Every single day. No excuses

Find a place. Anywhere. Just read a script.

5. Fuck plot. Use your characters.

This is something Stephen consistently brings up throughout his book. He stresses that you should write these deep and multi layered characters and let them take the story. Wherever it goes is completely up to how these people would actually act in that situation. It sounds weird but he claims it is definitely the best way to right and engaging story.

Do not try and bend your characters actions to the plot!

6. “Use what you know to enrich the story, not lecture about it”

No one wants to read a 130 page script about your life, relationships, and goals. People don’t give a shit. However, what you can do is embed these stories from your own life into the characters. Give them life by blending them with your own relationships, family and friendships. It will make your characters so much more engaging because they will seem like real people.

In particular, King emphasises the importance of embedding your “work” into your stories. Quite literally, use the shitty jobs you have had to enrich the story. For example, John Grisham, he uses his past as a lawyer not to lecture but simply to add a sense of realism to the story.

7. Write about anything, as long as you tell the truth.

When you start writing, you may be sitting there thinking now what the fuck do I write about? The truth is, anything. Absolutely anything. As long as it is honest and genuine. An audience will quickly be able to spot someone trying to imitate another screenwriter or sell movie tickets. Audiences are attracted to a good story and relatability, not a plot twist, or the wanky techniques you use to seem indie or like you watch French new wave.

Sorry, rant over.

8. The ideal reader

I will finish on this final point.

When writing you need an ideal reader. For Stephen King, this is his wife. For you, it can be anyone. Mum, Dad, girlfriend, wife, dog, mirror. You just need to pick one person in your life and write for them. As you write the first draft, every emotional beat, scary moment or funny line, you should have them in the back of your head. What will make them react positively? What will make them laugh, cry or jump in fright. And when you finish your first draft, and only then, you show them first. You listen to what they have to say and make the changes you agree with. But this is very important. They have to be able to tell you the truth. No bias bullshit. Straight to the facts, what works and what doesn’t. And finally, you should respect their opinion. They have to know a decent amount about film and writing to make the cut.

“honesty’s the best policy” – Miguel de Cervantes

        “Liars prosper” – Anonymous