Chapter 588: The Best Way to Build a Character

While waiting in Los Angeles, Murphy received good news from Bill Rossis. He had secured the support of key figures like Walter Robinson and had begun negotiations with the Boston Globe newspaper. Overall, Bill Rossis's progress was smooth.

On another front, Murphy had also convinced Gal Gadot. Though she still had some reservations, she kept them to herself and would continue to serve as the producer and executive producer for this project. She had also begun discussions with 20th Century Fox.

In Murphy's vision, the film's investment and scale would not be large, and it would be operated as an independent film as much as possible. Currently, it was late July, and if everything went smoothly, the film could be screened in Los Angeles before the end of 2012 to secure a ticket for the awards season.

For such a biographical film, the awards season was the best destination, as it was unlikely to have a broad market appeal.

However, this left only about six months for the entire film's production, which was extremely tight.

Murphy had already informed his team that the film would not have particularly large scenes. Given the team's capabilities, if they worked diligently, completing the project within the timeframe was highly possible.

However, this required strong support from 20th Century Fox.

Fortunately, over the years, Murphy had established a solid working relationship with 20th Century Fox, and with influential figures like Carla Faith supporting him, getting 20th Century Fox to greenlight the project would not be difficult as long as the script and project plan were completed.

This film would not require a large investment and had inherent topicality. Coupled with Murphy's strong influence, the risk of investment failure was not significant.

For Murphy personally, the most critical task at this stage was completing the script.

In fact, since his conversation with Ross in prison, Murphy had been taking time to write about Ross's story, mostly based on Ross's own accounts and some observations. Later, he also visited the bald black man who grew up with Ross in the state prison. With Ross's prior instructions, the man objectively described Ross's growth and subsequent actions to Murphy.

These were the most basic materials. After organizing them, Murphy determined the main thread of the story to incorporate into the script.

Writing a biographical film about an individual, the primary task was to shape the character of Diego Ross.

A person's life involves many events, and Ross, now in his forties, had experienced a lot. If the script encompassed his entire life, it would be overly lengthy and tedious. Moreover, Murphy was not particularly familiar with Ross's post-prison life, so he focused specifically on Ross's period from youth to incarceration.

The theme of the film was not to depict Diego Ross as inherently evil but to explore why Ross transformed from an ordinary boy into a major drug lord.

Although Diego Ross was a real person, Murphy would base the film on the facts he knew. However, films are derived from life but are higher than life.

A character first needs to be a character within the story. The script itself tells a story, and the character must first conform to the story's logic to have significance. The character's actions must align with their settings and be logically consistent to be believable.

The story and characters should complement each other. The story brings forth the character, the character drives the plot, and the character's setting becomes a necessity for the plot's development. The plot development, in turn, enriches the character, ultimately helping establish the character's image.

Both the story and characters are crucial for an excellent script and are indispensable.

Faced with a character like Diego Ross and the series of stories related to him, Murphy's first principle was to maintain his standpoint firmly. This was the key to a successful biographical film.

The most crucial point was that Murphy had to understand that from writing the script to preparing for shooting and post-production, he was first and foremost a director before anything else.

No one could be entirely neutral, including directors, but at the very least, they needed to remain relatively neutral. Otherwise, wantonly praising or demeaning someone in a biographical film would make the entire film a laughing stock and would also turn the protagonist into a joke.

As he had seen in some biographical films or TV series, praising someone always depicted them as perfectly flawless, which seemed unrealistic and nauseating. Conversely, if demeaning someone, they would be cast into the abyss and heavily criticized, making them seem worthless, which would also appear false and slanderous.

These two approaches were the lowest methods of shooting biographical films. Murphy knew that committing either of these mistakes would essentially doom the film.

Therefore, the story would use appropriate cinematic techniques to present the transformation of Diego Ross from an ordinary person to a major drug lord. How to evaluate this character would be up to the audience.

However, this did not mean Murphy had to be ruthless toward the character. Instead, he had to be filled with emotion during the writing process.

Does the creator have genuine emotions? Has the creator put themselves into the character's mind? Does the creator love their character? Has the creator invested emotions in this process? If these questions are not well considered, the character will likely be written off course, making the two fatal mistakes of not treating the character as a human being.

In fact, the process of in-depth writing is akin to developing a different type of relationship with the character, gradually uncovering the character's life and revealing their psychological journey.

From nothing, Murphy gradually built the character's worldview and way of thinking, also depicting their inner obstacles: on one hand, feeling violated and unjustly treated, leading to self-destruction and even unbearable life; on the other hand, struggling to survive, but at a significant cost.

This gradual process of understanding should also be reflected in the script, allowing the audience to be curious, puzzled, and understanding about the character, ultimately resonating with them.

A successful screenwriter, after shaping the character to a certain extent, will feel as if the character is right before them, knowing how the character would act and speak. To the screenwriter, the character is genuinely real, regardless of whether there is a prototype or not; the creation is not of a fictional character but of a real-life individual.

Additionally, for characters like Ross, their experiences are far richer than one might imagine, so their stories need to be further processed based on their experiences. Such scripts, rich in details and emotionally compelling, are far superior to those purely imagined by the screenwriter.

This is not a commercial sci-fi film but a biographical film. If a screenwriter relies entirely on their talent, the risk is high. The best screenwriters for this genre are based on reality.

Because he had obtained a lot of firsthand information early on and had a clear stance and theme, by the end of July, Murphy had essentially completed the first draft of the script. He then submitted the finalized project plan, along with the first draft, to Carla Faith, who would submit it to 20th Century Fox for review.

For such a typical niche film, Murphy would certainly not demand commercial production fees. The total investment for the project was only $25 million, making it a typical small project for 20th Century Fox.

However, the film's goal was clear. Given that it was a biographical film exploring the protagonist's psychological transformation, the awards season was naturally its intended destination.

20th Century Fox would review the project with the fastest possible procedures. Murphy had also informed his team to be ready to assemble in Los Angeles at any time while he continued to refine the script.

For a biographical film, once the first draft of the script is complete, the most crucial refinement work is to further develop the main character.

For such films, the protagonist's personality and worldview need to be distinct and full of presence, allowing the audience to clearly perceive their standpoint. Ideally, the audience should be able to predict the character's choices in specific situations. If Murphy sets up a scenario like a substantial financial temptation or threat and the audience cannot anticipate how the character will choose, it indicates the character's worldview is not distinct enough.

One common and suitable method of character building is to present the character with choices.

Not only film characters but people in real life often face difficult choices. The final decision reflects their personality and mindset. Audiences often like film protagonists because the characters make understandable yet unattainable choices.

Therefore, putting characters in difficult decisions is one of the best ways to build them.

Additionally, details are crucial, including Ross's appearance, which Murphy specifically noted in the script. No matter who the actor is, they need to look formidable.

This fits Ross's real-life persona and is also what a major drug lord should look like.

Imagine if a delicate and fair-skinned protagonist appeared in such a film. Would the audience believe it?

After completing all these elements, Murphy revisited and refined Ross's childhood scenes. Psychologically, people's personalities and inner conflicts are often attributed to childhood; screenwriters similarly like to attribute characters' personalities and conflicts to "backstories."

This is a simple cause-and-effect logic. Past events shape the current worldview, leading to certain actions and choices.

Generally, script details are not accidental or improvised but carefully designed.

Once Murphy was satisfied with the script, 20th Century Fox brought good news. The project was officially approved, with 20th Century Fox handling the investment and distribution.

At the same time, Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of Stanton's supporters also approached Murphy.

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