Lecture 6:
A Different Vision
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Michael Arndt (screenplay)
Professor Daniel Cutrara
1
Previous Lesson
•
Industry Tools
•
The Treatment
•
Coverage
•
Character
Breakdown
2
This Lesson
• Independents
• Little Miss Sunshine
– Journey to
Production
– What makes it work
• Assignments
3
The Independents
Lesson 6: Part I
4
What do they have in
common?
• Low Budget
– Production Values
• Variations on the Hollywood Narrative
– Genre B movies
– Art house
• Stars
– Their value
• Distribution
– Probably not guaranteed
5
Festivals
• Sundance Film Festival
Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez,
Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas
Anderson, and Steven
Soderbergh, garnered
resounding critical acclaim from
Sundance along with
unprecedented box office sales.
In 2005, about 15% of the U.S.
domestic box office revenue was
from independent studios.
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Low Budget
• Fundraising
– Investors
– The marketability
– The problem of stars
– Distribution
• Production Values
– Locations, sets, props, effects
7
Financing
• Specialty Divisions
– The decline in 2008
• Production
– A question of control
• Distribution
– Theatrical release
and beyond
8
The Narrative
• Genre B movies
– Roger Corman
– Blair Witch Project
• Art House
• “Character Driven”
– ensemble
9
Stars
• Stars
George Clooney in Syriana (2005)
Also Executive Producer
– Guild minimum
– Stars as
producers and
directors
– Essential to
fundraising
10
Distribution
• No Guarantee
11
Little Miss Sunshine
Michael Arndt, Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton and co.
Lesson 6: Part II
12
The Backstory
• Little Miss Sunshine
– Screenplay by Michael Arndt
• Quit his job as Matthew Broderick’s asst.
• Put his script in the hands of the “Election”
producers.
• Recruited directors- Valerie Faris and
Jonathan Dayton. (docs, commercials)
• Seed money for casting
• Arndt fired- wouldn’t make Richard central
protagonist.
13
From Script to Screen
• Producers unhappy with the new
writer’s draft.
• Re-hire Arndt. Minor compromises
made.
• Minor changes in production.
• Sundance success
• Fox Searchlight distribution deal- 10
million dollars.
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Academy Award Winner
• Best Original
Screenplay.
• Beat out Pan’s
Labyrinth, Letters
from Iwo Jima,
and Babel.
15
What Makes it Work?
Little Miss Sunshine
Lesson 6: Part III
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Engaging Characters
• Multiple Storylines
– Richard and his 9 step program
– Sheryl holding the family together
– Frank and his boyfriend
– Grandpa and the nursing home
– Dwayne and Flight School
– Olive and Beauty Pageants
17
Inherent Conflict
• Richard and
his family
• Richard and
Frank
• Grandpa and
Frank
• Dwayne and
the world
18
Throughline
• Family sacrifices for Olive’s desire
– To compete in the beauty pageant
• Sets up Second Act tension
– To get there on time
– Bus as a visual motif for family
• Creates Third Act climax
– Claiming victory
• Leads to satisfying resolution
19
The Crises
• Structure the narrative
– Richard’s deal falls
through
– Frank encounters his
ex-boyfriend
– Grandpa dies
– Dwayne discovers he’s
color blind
– Olive’s dance
20
Economical Set Up
• Pause the lecture and review the first
five pages of the script.
–
–
–
–
Character introductions
Their problems
The theme
Conflict
21
Format Note
• The asterisks
• script development
– Page colors
– White = 1st draft, then blue,
pink, green, yellow, goldenrod,
and finally salmon.
22
Character Introductions
• Olive
– Juxtapose desire with
appearance
• Richard
– Juxtapose message
with reality
• Sheryl
– Takes care of family,
perhaps better than
herself.
23
Character Introductions
(cont’d)
• Frank
– Reluctant survivor of suicide
• Grandpa
– Juxtaposition of opposite expectations of
the elderly.
• Dwayne
– Driven toward a goal
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A Scene Sample
• Dinner, pp. 10-20.
– The family has
chicken again.
• Dialogue
–
–
–
–
Reveals character
Delivers Exposition
Advances the plot
Subtext
25
Character Arc
• Pause the lecture, and view the first clip
from Little Miss Sunshine.
– How does this complete the arc for
Richard, Frank, and Dwayne?
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Growth in Adversity
• Multiple Arcs
– Richard
– Frank
– Dwayne
27
Breaking the Rules
• Ensemble cast
• The long dinner
scene
28
Changes in Development
• Addition of Richard’s confrontation of
Stan.
– Beef up Richard’s role, i.e. traditional
– Commercial implications, casting
• Sheryl’s ex-husband cut
• Change from East Coast to Southwest
29
Representation
• Pause the lecture and watch the second
clip from Little Miss Sunshine.
– How are these little girls represented?
American Beauty
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Theme
• Success is not
about material
wealth or vanity.
Little Miss Sunshine
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The Wrap Up
• Independents
– Pursuing a vision
– Pursuing profit
– Pursuing an audience
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Assignments
Little Miss Sunshine
Lesson 6: Part III
33
E-Board Post #1
• Approximately 200 words. Pick a scene
from Little Miss Sunshine and answer
the following questions.
– How does it reveal character?
– How does it give exposition?
– How does it advance the plot?
• Comment on two of your peers.
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End of Lecture 6
There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Ed Decter and John J. Strauss (story)
Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Peter Farelly, and Bobby Farelly
Next Lecture:
What’s Funny?
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