[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.75,0:00:02.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This weekend,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.39,0:00:04.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tens of millions of people\Nin the United States
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.00,0:00:07.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and tens of millions more\Naround the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.30,0:00:10.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Columbus, Georgia, in Cardiff, Wales,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.26,0:00:13.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Chongqing, China, in Chennai, India
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.24,0:00:15.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will leave their homes,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.16,0:00:18.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they'll get in their cars\Nor they'll take public transportation
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.39,0:00:21.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they will carry themselves by foot,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.05,0:00:22.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they'll step into a room
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.82,0:00:25.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sit down next to someone\Nthey don't know
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.51,0:00:27.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or maybe someone they do,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.98,0:00:30.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the lights will go down\Nand they'll watch a movie.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.23,0:00:35.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They'll watch movies\Nabout aliens or robots,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.53,0:00:38.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or robot aliens or regular people.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.91,0:00:42.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But they will all be movies\Nabout what it means to be human.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.83,0:00:46.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Millions will feel awe or fear,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.98,0:00:49.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,millions will laugh and millions will cry.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.62,0:00:52.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then the lights will come back on,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.51,0:00:55.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they'll reemerge into the world\Nthey knew several hours prior.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.01,0:00:58.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And millions of people\Nwill look at the world
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.21,0:01:01.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a little bit differently\Nthan they did when they went in.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.53,0:01:06.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like going to temple\Nor a mosque or a church,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.28,0:01:08.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or any other religious institution,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.33,0:01:11.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,movie-going is, in many ways,\Na sacred ritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.95,0:01:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Repeated week after week after week.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.32,0:01:18.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll be there this weekend,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.10,0:01:22.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just like I was on most weekends\Nbetween the years of 1996 and 1990,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.56,0:01:24.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the multiplex, near the shopping mall
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.53,0:01:27.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about five miles from my childhood home\Nin Columbus, Georgia.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.04,0:01:31.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The funny thing is\Nthat somewhere between then and now,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.64,0:01:34.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I accidentally changed\Npart of the conversation
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.11,0:01:36.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about which of those movies get made.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.00,0:01:41.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, the story actually begins in 2005,\Nin an office high above Sunset Boulevard,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.36,0:01:42.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I was a junior executive
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.82,0:01:45.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at Leonardo DiCaprio's\Nproduction company Appian Way.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.78,0:01:49.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for those of you who aren't familiar\Nwith how the film industry works,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.29,0:01:52.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it basically means that I was\None of a few people behind the person
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.65,0:01:56.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who produces the movie for the people\Nbehind and in front of the camera,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.10,0:01:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whose names you will better\Nrecognize than mine.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.86,0:02:02.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Essentially, you're an assistant movie\Nproducer who does the unglamorous work
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.60,0:02:05.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that goes into the creative aspect\Nof producing a movie.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.76,0:02:08.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You make lists of writers\Nand directors and actors
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.17,0:02:11.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who might be right for movies\Nthat you want to will into existence;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.39,0:02:13.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you meet with many of them\Nand their representatives,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.93,0:02:15.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hoping to curry favor\Nfor some future date.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.47,0:02:18.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you read, a lot.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.11,0:02:21.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You read novels that might become movies,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.19,0:02:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you read comic books\Nthat might become movies,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.39,0:02:25.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you read articles\Nthat might become movies,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.46,0:02:27.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you read scripts that might become movies.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.52,0:02:30.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you read scripts from writers\Nthat might write the adaptations
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.68,0:02:33.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the novels, of the comic books,\Nof the articles,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.28,0:02:36.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and might rewrite the scripts\Nthat you're already working on.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.19,0:02:38.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All this in the hope of finding\Nthe next big thing
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.61,0:02:40.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the next big writer\Nwho can deliver something
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.88,0:02:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that can make you and your company\Nthe next big thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.56,0:02:49.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in 2005, I was a development executive\Nat Leonardo's production company.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.96,0:02:53.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got a phone call\Nfrom the representative of a screenwriter
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.16,0:02:57.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that began pretty much the way\Nall of those conversations did:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.27,0:02:59.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I've got Leo's next movie."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.76,0:03:02.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now in this movie,\Nthat his client had written,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.57,0:03:05.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Leo would play an oil industry lobbyist
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.15,0:03:08.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whose girlfriend, a local meteorologist,\Nthreatens to leave him
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.15,0:03:10.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because his work contributes\Nto global warming.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.78,0:03:13.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is a situation\Nthat's been brought to a head
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.32,0:03:16.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the fact that there's a hurricane\Nforming in the Atlantic
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.22,0:03:19.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's threatening to do Maria-like damage\Nfrom Maine to Myrtle Beach.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.61,0:03:21.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Leo, very sad about\Nthis impending break up,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.69,0:03:23.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,does a little more research\Nabout the hurricane
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.91,0:03:26.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and discovers that in its path\Nacross the Atlantic,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.38,0:03:29.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it will pass over a long-dormant,\Nthough now active volcano
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.66,0:03:31.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will spew toxic ash into its eye
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.87,0:03:34.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will presumably be whipped\Ninto some sort of chemical weapon
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.96,0:03:36.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will destroy the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.32,0:03:37.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.52,0:03:41.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was at that point that I asked him,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.69,0:03:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"So are you basically pitching me\N'Leo versus the toxic superstorm
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.87,0:03:46.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will destroy humanity?'"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.88,0:03:48.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he responded by saying,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.67,0:03:51.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Well, when you say it like that,\Nit sounds ridiculous."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.91,0:03:55.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm embarrassed to admit\Nthat I had the guy send me the script,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.10,0:03:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I read 30 pages before I was sure\Nthat it was as bad as I thought it was.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.98,0:04:01.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, "Superstorm"\Nis certainly an extreme example,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.98,0:04:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's also not an unusual one.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.15,0:04:07.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And unfortunately, most scripts\Naren't as easy to dismiss as that one.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.74,0:04:11.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, a comedy\Nabout a high school senior,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.21,0:04:13.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who, when faced\Nwith an unplanned pregnancy,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.37,0:04:16.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,makes an unusual decision\Nregarding her unborn child.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.53,0:04:18.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's obviously "Juno."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.08,0:04:20.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Two hundred and thirty million\Nat the worldwide box office,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.88,0:04:23.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,four Oscar nominations, one win.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.40,0:04:25.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How about a Mumbai teen\Nwho grew up in the slums
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.82,0:04:28.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wants to become a contestant\Non the Indian version
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.18,0:04:30.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.04,0:04:32.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's an easy one --\N"Slumdog Millionaire."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.55,0:04:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three hundred seventy-seven\Nmillion worldwide,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.72,0:04:36.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,10 Oscar nominations and eight wins.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.32,0:04:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A chimpanzee tells his story
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.03,0:04:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of living with the legendary pop star\NMichael Jackson.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.58,0:04:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyone?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.76,0:04:44.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.79,0:04:45.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a trick question.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.98,0:04:47.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it is a script called "Bubbles,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.84,0:04:50.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is going to be directed\Nby Taika Waititi,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.04,0:04:51.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the director of "Thor: Ragnarok."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.48,0:04:55.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, a large part of your job\Nas a development executive
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.09,0:04:58.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to separate the "Superstorms"\Nfrom the "Slumdog Millionaires,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.32,0:05:01.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and slightly more generally,\Nthe writers who write "Superstorm"
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.62,0:05:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the writers who can write\N"Slumdog Millionaire."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.89,0:05:08.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the easiest way to do this, obviously,\Nis to read all of the scripts,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.36,0:05:10.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that's, frankly, impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.80,0:05:13.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A good rule of thumb\Nis that the Writers Guild of America
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.55,0:05:16.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,registers about 50,000 new pieces\Nof material every year,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.37,0:05:18.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most of them are screenplays.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.44,0:05:21.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of those, a reasonable estimate\Nis about 5,000 of them
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.56,0:05:24.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make it through various filters,\Nagencies, management companies,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.72,0:05:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,screenplay compositions and the like,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.66,0:05:28.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are read by someone\Nat the production company
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.98,0:05:30.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or major studio level.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.66,0:05:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they're trying to decide\Nwhether they can become
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.15,0:05:36.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the 300-and-dropping movies\Nthat are released by the major studios
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.70,0:05:38.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or their sub-brands each year.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.41,0:05:39.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've described it before
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.61,0:05:43.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as being a little bit like walking\Ninto a members-only bookstore
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.13,0:05:46.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the entire inventory\Nis just organized haphazardly,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.12,0:05:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and every book has the same,\Nnondescript cover.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.80,0:05:51.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your job is to enter that bookstore
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.44,0:05:55.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not come back until you've found\Nthe best and most profitable books there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.38,0:05:57.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's anarchic and gleefully opaque.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.98,0:06:01.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And everyone has their method\Nto address these problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.92,0:06:03.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, most rely on the major agencies
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.90,0:06:06.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they just assume\Nthat if there's great talent in the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.93,0:06:09.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they've already found\Ntheir way to the agencies,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.20,0:06:11.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,regardless of the structural barriers\Nthat actually exist
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.90,0:06:13.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get into the agencies\Nin the first place.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.02,0:06:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Others also constantly compare\Nnotes among themselves
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.57,0:06:18.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what they've read and what's good,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.58,0:06:21.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they just hope that their cohort group\Nis the best, most wired
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.75,0:06:23.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and has the best taste in town.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.01,0:06:27.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And others try to read everything,\Nbut that's, again, impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.55,0:06:29.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're reading\N500 screenplays in a year,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.69,0:06:31.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you are reading a lot.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.44,0:06:34.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's still only a small percentage\Nof what's out there.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.60,0:06:36.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Fundamentally, it's triage.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.05,0:06:40.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you're in triage,\Nyou tend to default to conventional wisdom
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.36,0:06:42.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what works and what doesn't.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.43,0:06:47.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That a comedy about a young woman\Ndealing with reproductive reality
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.35,0:06:48.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can't sell.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.90,0:06:52.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That the story of an Indian teenager\Nisn't viable in the domestic marketplace
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.63,0:06:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or anywhere else in the world\Noutside of India.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.90,0:06:58.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That the only source of viable movies\Nis a very narrow groups of writers
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.82,0:07:02.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who have already found their way\Nto living and working in Hollywood,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.05,0:07:04.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who already have the best\Nrepresentation in the business,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.77,0:07:07.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are writing a very narrow\Nband of stories.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.63,0:07:11.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit,\Nthat that's where I found myself in 2005.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.63,0:07:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sitting in that office\Nabove Sunset Boulevard,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.89,0:07:17.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,staring down that metaphorical\Nanonymized bookstore,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.92,0:07:21.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and having read nothing\Nbut bad scripts for months.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.10,0:07:24.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I took this to mean one of two things:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.14,0:07:26.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,either A: I was not very good at my job,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.57,0:07:29.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was, ostensibly,\Nfinding good scripts,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.24,0:07:33.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or B: reading bad scripts was the job.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.20,0:07:35.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In which case, my mother's\Nweekly phone calls,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.40,0:07:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking me if my law school\Nentrance exam scores were still valid
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.48,0:07:41.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was something I should probably\Npay more attention to.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.04,0:07:42.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I also knew
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.25,0:07:44.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was that I was about to go\Non vacation for two weeks,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.76,0:07:47.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as bad as reading bad scripts is\Nwhen it is your job,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.52,0:07:49.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's even more painful on vacation.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.27,0:07:51.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I had to do something.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.05,0:07:53.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So late one night\Nat my office, I made a list
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.26,0:07:56.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of everyone that I had had breakfast,\Nlunch, dinner or drinks with
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.52,0:07:59.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that had jobs similar to mine,\Nand I sent them an anonymous email.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.91,0:08:02.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I made a very simple request.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.48,0:08:05.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Send me a list of up to 10\Nof your favorite screenplays
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.16,0:08:06.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that meet three criteria.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.53,0:08:08.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One: you love the screenplay,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.61,0:08:11.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two: the filmed version of that screenplay\Nwill not be in theaters
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.77,0:08:13.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the end of that calendar year,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.43,0:08:16.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and three: you found out\Nabout the screenplay this year.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.60,0:08:21.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was not an appeal for the scripts\Nthat would be the next great blockbuster,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.39,0:08:24.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not an appeal for the scripts\Nthat will win the Academy Award,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.35,0:08:26.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they didn't need to be scripts\Nthat their bosses loved
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.88,0:08:28.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or that their studio wanted to make.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.62,0:08:31.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was very simply an opportunity\Nfor people to speak their minds
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.71,0:08:33.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what they loved,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.18,0:08:36.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which, in this world,\Nis increasingly rare.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.20,0:08:40.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, almost all of the 75 people\NI emailed anonymously responded.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.06,0:08:43.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then two dozen other people\Nactually emailed to participate
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.17,0:08:44.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to this anonymous email address,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.76,0:08:48.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I confirmed that they did in fact\Nhave the jobs they claimed to have.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.33,0:08:50.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I then compiled the votes\Ninto a spreadsheet,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.68,0:08:52.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ran a pivot table,\Noutput it to PowerPoint,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.73,0:08:54.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the night before I left for vacation,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.71,0:08:56.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I slapped a quasi subversive name on it
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.64,0:08:59.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and emailed it back\Nfrom that anonymous email address
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.16,0:09:00.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to everyone who voted.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.50,0:09:01.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Black List.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.75,0:09:05.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A tribute to those who lost their careers\Nduring the anti-communist hysteria
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.40,0:09:06.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the 1940s and 50s,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.95,0:09:08.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a conscious inversion of the notion
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.86,0:09:11.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that black somehow\Nhad a negative connotation.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.55,0:09:15.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After arriving in Mexico,\NI pulled out a chair by the pool,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.36,0:09:18.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,started reading these scripts\Nand found, to my shock and joy,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.29,0:09:20.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that most of them\Nwere actually quite good.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.33,0:09:21.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mission accomplished.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.05,0:09:24.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I didn't and couldn't have expected
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.37,0:09:25.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was what happened next.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.83,0:09:28.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,About a week into my time on vacation,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.94,0:09:31.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stopped by the hotel's\Nbusiness center to check my email.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.77,0:09:33.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was a pre-iPhone world, after all.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.46,0:09:37.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And found that this list\Nthat I had created anonymously
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.66,0:09:40.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had been forwarded back to me\Nseveral dozen times,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.14,0:09:41.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at my personal email address.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.67,0:09:45.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyone was sharing this list of scripts\Nthat everyone had said that they loved,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.54,0:09:47.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reading them and then\Nloving them themselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.11,0:09:51.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my first reaction,\Nthat I can't actually say here,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.50,0:09:53.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but will describe it as fear,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.90,0:09:56.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the idea of surveying people\Nabout their scripts
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.18,0:09:58.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was certainly not a novel or a genius one.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.64,0:10:01.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Surely, there was some unwritten\NHollywood rule of omertà
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.01,0:10:04.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that had guided people\Naway from doing that before
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.44,0:10:08.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I was simply too naive to understand,\Nit being so early in my career.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.94,0:10:10.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was sure I was going to get fired,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.72,0:10:13.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I decided that day\Nthat A: I would never tell anybody
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.93,0:10:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I had done this,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.25,0:10:17.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and B: I would never do it again.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.92,0:10:21.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, six months later,\Nsomething even more bizarre happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.13,0:10:24.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was in my office, on Sunset,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.46,0:10:27.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and got a phone call\Nfrom another writer's agent.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.27,0:10:30.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The call began very similarly\Nto the call about "Superstorm":
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.82,0:10:32.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I've got Leo's next movie."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.88,0:10:34.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, that's not the interesting part.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.92,0:10:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The interesting part\Nwas the way the call ended.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.36,0:10:41.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because this agent\Nthen told me, and I quote,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.19,0:10:45.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't tell anybody, but I have it\Non really good authority
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.07,0:10:48.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is going to be the number one script\Non next year's Black List."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.67,0:10:51.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.08,0:10:52.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.81,0:10:54.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Suffice it to say, I was dumbfounded.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.28,0:10:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here was an agent, using the Black List,\Nthis thing that I had made anonymously
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.08,0:11:00.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and decided to never make again,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.95,0:11:02.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to sell his client to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.93,0:11:04.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To suggest that the script had merit,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.81,0:11:08.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,based solely on the possibility of being\Nincluded on a list of beloved screenplays.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.54,0:11:13.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After the call ended, I sat in my office,\Nsort of staring out the window,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.07,0:11:15.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,alternating between shock\Nand general giddiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.01,0:11:18.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then I realized that this thing\Nthat I had created
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.62,0:11:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had a lot more value
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.82,0:11:22.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than just me finding good screenplays\Nto read over the holidays.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.86,0:11:25.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I did it again the next year --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.09,0:11:28.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the "LA Times" had outed me\Nas the person who had created it --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.29,0:11:29.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the year after that,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.58,0:11:33.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the year after that --\NI've done it every year since 2005.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.08,0:11:34.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the results have been fascinating,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.100,0:11:38.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because, unapologetic lying aside,\Nthis agent was exactly right.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.41,0:11:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This list was evidence, to many people,\Nof a script's value,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.76,0:11:44.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that a great script had greater value
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.81,0:11:47.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that, I think, a lot of people\Nhad previously anticipated.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.66,0:11:50.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Very quickly, the writers\Nwhose scripts were on that list
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.37,0:11:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,started getting jobs,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.93,0:11:53.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those scripts started getting made,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.99,0:11:55.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the scripts that got made
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.43,0:11:57.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were often the ones\Nthat violated the assumptions
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.82,0:11:59.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what worked and what didn't.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.74,0:12:03.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were scripts like "Juno"\Nand "Little Miss Sunshine"
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.09,0:12:05.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "The Queen" and "The King's Speech"
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.66,0:12:06.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "Spotlight."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.21,0:12:09.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yes, "Slumdog Millionaire."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.06,0:12:12.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And even an upcoming movie\Nabout Michael Jackson's chimpanzee.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.52,0:12:16.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I think it's really important\Nthat I pause here for a second
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.65,0:12:20.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and say that I can't take credit\Nfor the success of any of those movies.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.12,0:12:24.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't write them, I didn't direct them,\NI didn't produce them, I didn't gaff them,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.14,0:12:26.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't make food and craft service --
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.45,0:12:28.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we all know how important that is.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.28,0:12:30.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The credit for those movies,\Nthe credit for that success,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.99,0:12:33.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,goes to the people who made the films.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.20,0:12:35.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I did was change\Nthe way people looked at them.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.89,0:12:39.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Accidentally, I asked\Nif the conventional wisdom was correct.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.66,0:12:44.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And certainly, there are movies\Non that list that would have gotten made
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.07,0:12:45.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without the Black List,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.26,0:12:47.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but there are many\Nthat definitely would not have.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.67,0:12:50.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at a minimum, we've catalyzed\Na lot of them into production,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.73,0:12:52.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think that's worth noting.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.36,0:12:55.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There have been about 1,000\Nscreenplays on the Black List
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.06,0:12:56.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since its inception in 2005.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.95,0:12:59.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,About 325 have been produced.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.95,0:13:02.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They've been nominated\Nfor 300 Academy Awards,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.98,0:13:04.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they've won 50.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.93,0:13:08.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Four of the last nine Best Pictures\Nhave gone to scripts from the Black List,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.71,0:13:12.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and 10 of the last 20 screenplay Oscars\Nhave gone to scripts from the Black List.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.84,0:13:15.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All told, they've made\Nabout 25 billion dollars
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.16,0:13:16.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in worldwide box office,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.77,0:13:19.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which means that hundreds\Nof millions of people
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.50,0:13:21.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have seen these films\Nwhen they leave their homes,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.95,0:13:25.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sit next to someone they don't know\Nand the lights go down.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:25.87,0:13:28.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's to say nothing\Nof post-theatrical environments
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.67,0:13:31.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like DVD, streaming and,\Nlet's be honest, illegal downloads.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.48,0:13:36.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Five years ago today, October 15,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.44,0:13:39.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my business partner and I\Ndoubled down on this notion
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.08,0:13:43.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that screenwriting talent\Nwas not where we expected to find it,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.51,0:13:46.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we launched a website\Nthat would allow anybody on earth
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.56,0:13:48.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had written\Nan English-language screenplay
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.77,0:13:50.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to upload their script, have it evaluated,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.81,0:13:54.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and make it available to thousands\Nof film-industry professionals.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.13,0:13:56.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm pleased to say,\Nin the five years since its launch,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.93,0:13:58.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've largely proved that thesis.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.55,0:14:01.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hundreds of writers from across the world\Nhave found representation,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.82,0:14:03.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have had their work optioned or sold.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.66,0:14:06.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Seven have even seen their films made\Nin the last three years,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.61,0:14:08.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including the film "Nightingale,"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.28,0:14:10.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the story of a war veteran's\Npsychological decline,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.71,0:14:13.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in which David Oyelowo's face\Nis the only one on screen
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.40,0:14:15.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the film's 90-minute duration.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.12,0:14:18.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was nominated for a Golden Globe\Nand two Emmy Awards.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.43,0:14:20.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's also kind of cool\Nthat more than a dozen writers
Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.95,0:14:22.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who were discovered on the website
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.68,0:14:24.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have ended up\Non this end-of-year annual list,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.89,0:14:27.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including two of the last three\Nnumber one writers.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:27.35,0:14:31.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Simply put, the conventional wisdom\Nabout screenwriting merit --
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.40,0:14:34.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where it was and where it could be found,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.98,0:14:36.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:36.37,0:14:39.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is notable,\Nbecause as I mentioned before,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:39.30,0:14:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the triage of finding\Nmovies to make and making them,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:42.60,0:14:45.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a lot of relying\Non conventional wisdom.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.22,0:14:48.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that conventional wisdom,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.16,0:14:50.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe, just maybe,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.37,0:14:52.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,might be wrong\Nto even greater consequence.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.69,0:14:56.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Films about black people\Ndon't sell overseas.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.12,0:14:59.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Female-driven action movies don't work,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:59.04,0:15:02.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because women will see themselves in men,\Nbut men won't see themselves in women.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.19,0:15:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That no one wants to see movies\Nabout women over 40.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.38,0:15:11.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That our onscreen heroes have to conform\Nto a very narrow idea about beauty
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.50,0:15:13.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we consider conventional.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.29,0:15:17.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What does that mean when those images\Nare projected 30 feet high
Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.33,0:15:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the lights go down,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.60,0:15:21.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a kid that looks like me\Nin Columbus, Georgia?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.33,0:15:23.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or a Muslim girl in Cardiff, Wales?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.12,0:15:25.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or a gay kid in Chennai?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.48,0:15:29.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What does it mean for how we see ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.20,0:15:32.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how we see the world\Nand for how the world sees us?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.31,0:15:37.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We live in very strange times.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.41,0:15:42.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think for the most part,\Nwe all live in a state of constant triage.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.22,0:15:44.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's just too much information,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:44.60,0:15:46.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,too much stuff to contend with.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:46.100,0:15:50.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so as a rule, we tend\Nto default to conventional wisdom.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.29,0:15:54.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think it's important\Nthat we ask ourselves, constantly,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.84,0:15:59.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how much of that conventional wisdom\Nis all convention and no wisdom?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:00.44,0:16:01.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at what cost?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.08,0:16:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:03.26,0:16:06.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)