For All Mankind creators Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert/ Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential)
Dec 19, 2023
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Creators and showrunners of For All Mankind, Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert, discuss season 4, addressing tone, and killing off characters. Then, writer/director Brian Helgeland talks about his new movie, LA Confidential's creation, and his start in horror.
Brian Helgeland's film 'Finest Kind' faced challenges in getting made due to the ensemble nature of the story and lack of big-name stars.
Maintaining the show's tone and realism is a priority for Helgeland and his co-creator in 'For All Mankind', blending idealism with acknowledgement of the dark side.
Helgeland and his team strive to balance accessibility and accuracy when presenting the science in 'For All Mankind', consulting with experts to enhance the overall realism.
Deep dives
The Journey of 'Finest Kind'
Brian Helgeland discusses the long journey of his film 'Finest Kind', which he wrote and directed. He reveals that he wrote the script when he was 28 years old and finally directed it at the age of 60. The film is set in the world of commercial fishing, inspired by Helgeland's own family background in fishing. Despite being a personal story, the film faced challenges in getting made due to the ensemble nature of the story and the lack of big-name stars attached. Helgeland discusses the changes he made to the script over the years and how actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal expressed interest in the project. He also reflects on his decision to finally direct the film and the challenges he faced in bringing it to fruition.
Maintaining Tone and Realism
Helgeland emphasizes the importance of maintaining the show's tone and realism. He explains that the show aims to balance idealism with an acknowledgement of the dark side of the world. The mixture of hope and realism is a constant clash throughout the series. Additionally, Helgeland and his co-creator prioritize keeping the show grounded, with a focus on character development and making the storylines feel real and lived-in. They believe that a sense of realism enhances audience engagement and creates a more immersive viewing experience.
Handling the Science in the Show
When it comes to the science in the show, Helgeland and his team aim to balance accessibility with accuracy. Despite not being engineers themselves, they strive to understand the science and present it in a way that makes sense to themselves and the audience. They also consult with advisors and experts to ensure that the science is as realistic and accurate as possible within the context of the show. Helgeland believes that presenting the science in a grounded manner adds to the overall realism of the series.
Creating Alternate History
Helgeland describes the process of creating the alternate history in the series. He explains that the team combines fun ideas with the original butterfly effect to determine what changes in history would occur due to the ongoing space race. Helgeland mentions the challenge of keeping track of the various alt history changes, especially as the show progresses and builds upon previous changes. The team aims to provide exposition through the montages at the beginning of each season, setting up the world and giving context without feeling like exposition.
The Importance of Collaboration in Filmmaking
Collaboration in filmmaking is crucial for creating the best possible end product. The speaker emphasizes the value of working with others who bring their own perspectives and ideas to enhance the project. He shares an example of how the movie 'Man on Fire' became better because the director, Tony Scott, brought his unique vision to it. The speaker discusses his own experience as a writer and director, mentioning that he is more open to collaboration when others direct his scripts. He highlights the importance of actors' input, recognizing that they often know their characters better and can contribute valuable ideas during the filming process.
The Writing Process and the Role of Outlining
The speaker describes his writing process and the significance of outlining. He mentions that he spends a significant amount of time on outlining, often about 60% of the total writing process. Outlining helps him structure the story and understand its progression. He explains that he likes to have a clear sense of the story before he starts writing. The speaker also discusses his preference for long descriptions and parentheticals in his scripts, which help guide the actors and convey the intended emotion. Despite some conventional advice against including such details, he believes they enhance the writing and help shape the desired visual and emotional impact of the film.
Two episodes for the price of one today! (The price is zero dollars).
First up, Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert (creators/ahowrunners, For All Mankind) discuss season 4 of their alternate history space-race series, trusting their decisions, addressing and adjusting tone, killing off characters, and more.
Then, Brian Helgeland (writer/director Finestkind; writer, LA Confidential, Mystic River, lots more) discusses his new movie--written 25 years ago--as well as some of his greatest hits, including the unlikely story of LA Confidential getting made and the sequel that he couldn't get made, the spark that led to A Knight's Tale, getting his start in horror, and more.
THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
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