String theory
While in Venice, I had dinner with several journalists, buyers, and Gabriele Veneziano, who is the father of our international sales rep.
Veneziano, a physicist, is one of the pioneers of string theory — which is ironic, considering some of the related issues in The Nines. In fact, there used to be a scene about it in the movie, which got cut for time.
This is from Part Two, which is structured as an episode of the reality TV show “Behind the Screen.”
- INT. MODERN HOUSE IN THE HILLS - DAY
- Gavin talks with HOWARD RODMAN in the living room of Rodman’s mid-century modern Lautner house. They both have iced tea.
- HOWARD
- How’s the writing going?
- Howard Rodman
- Screenwriter/Mentor
- GAVIN
- Good. It’s really easy, actually. Effortless.
- HOWARD
- There’s poison in your drink.
- GAVIN
- What I mean is, I don’t feel like I’m doing anything. I’m just an observer, documenting what happens. I can tell you what every character is wearing, the color of the leaves. It feels more real than sitting here talking to you.
- HOWARD
- Maybe it is real. Multiple dimensions, string theory…
- GAVIN
- Explain string theory.
- HOWARD
- Ah! Well. In the end, it all gets tangled. And the more you try to untangle it…
- GAVIN
- The worse it gets?
- HOWARD
- …the more you appreciate why God made scissors.
- GAVIN
- You’re saying I should cut my losses?
- Howard’s not willing to say that.
- HOWARD
- In life’s great drama there are Actors, and there are Creators. In this reality, you are a Creator. You know that if your show doesn’t get picked up…
- GAVIN
- …that whole universe goes away. Boom.
- HOWARD
- Tough call. Who do you save, your friend, or the universe?
Articles
September 7th, 2007 at 8:20 am
What does the “Howard Rodman screenwriter / mentor” part in bold mean?
September 7th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Sounds like a classic Starbucks conversation. I hope we get to see it in the “deleted scenes”.
September 7th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Adam (#1):
The name/title thing is how I show that there’s an on-screen credit for Howard. This section is a documentary (think Project Greenlight), and does this whenever someone is introduced for the first time.
In the actual script, I set these credits in Verdana Bold, with no space between lines. I was too lazy to tweak the screenplay.css for this example.
September 7th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
How trippy that encounter must have felt. As for the titles, obviously ‘TITLE:’ or ‘SUPER’ before it would have turned a bit clunky. Besides, it’s still easy to divine this intent by the margin and bold but regular settings. And he’s shooting the movie, darn it. It could have been written in Desdemona for all he cares! Which brings me to the question. Never the whole script online? Quando?
September 7th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
John, I asked this earlier but assumed it got lost in the shuffle as you were on your way to the Venice film festival.
I was at the premier at the Nuart, but I didn’t get time to ask a question. It’s below:
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
Why were certain characters aware of who/what Ryan’s character was? Were they unique in some way or did every “person� on the planet know about him?
September 7th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Hello John,
I don´t know why but I can´t read the feeds. Am I the only one?
Thanks.
September 7th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Claude (#5):
Great question for the forums over at lookforthenines.com. I answered it there.
link
Emi (#6):
Feeds work for me. Anyone else having trouble?
September 7th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Martin (#4):
Once we’re at our widest release (whatever that ends up being), I’ll put the script online.
September 7th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
It will be a while, then. Hopefully.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
That is a remarkably well-observed representation of Prof. Rodman’s conversational style. And that’s no easy feat. He’s one of my favorite people, but I never have any idea what he might say next. (Now that I think of it, that might why he’s one of my favorite people.)
September 8th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Sir,
I have, in that surreal and circuitous manner so familiar to surfing the Internet for a COMPLETELY tangential issue, just discovered your site. You just became my hero as I have had a life-long pet interest in high-energy physics and Gabriele Veneziano would undoubtedly be in my top ten people that I would like to have dinner with.
Strangely enough, I am also a screenwriter with my first feature going into production next year. I hope that I also get to hang out with “the cool people� if I make it.
Will definitely be going to see The Nines.
Keep up the good work.
PS: Your site rocks
September 10th, 2007 at 3:08 am
Hey… Can’t comment on the feeds working but I can say that the numbers next to each comment only show 1 digit. So we get responses 1 to 9, then 0, then 1 to 9 again etc… Makes it fun trying to figure out who John is repsonding to…
Also - I am addicted to using ‘…’. Is there a support group I can join?