A Trip To The Movies
Hello, and welcome back to my blog. I am back again for another post. I am writing this blog on the Sunday it is due, yes, but not tonight at eleven o'clock. Progress.
When I saw the words 'TED talk' on the prompt for this week's post, I was inevitably excited that I would get to watch a cool video for homework. While browsing the different talks, I found it difficult to choose just one to watch. In the end, I settled on a talk by Franklin Leonard entitled "How I accidentally changed the way movies get made". I was initially drawn to this talk in particular because I love watching movies and television SO much.
During the talk, Franklin Leonard basically told the story of how he changed the way scripts are considered for movies. Back in 2005, he held a low-level position at Leonardo Dicaprio's production company and the basic premise of his job was to find scripts worth adapting into movies. The trouble with this was that reading all of those scripts was very time consuming and a lot of times it took a while to determine whether the script was worth selling or not. With a vacation that would be filled with script-reading looming, he decided to anonymously email some top people in the industry and ask them what their favorite screenplays that had not been adapted were. What came out of it was the Black List: an opportunity for lesser-known screenwriters that have really good scripts to be heard. People loved the Black List, and screenplays on that list have won countless awards.
The purpose of this TED talk is to communicate how the way movies are made has changed over time. It is also conveying how the digital age has expanded opportunities for many people. The speaker, Franklin Leonard, is a compelling storyteller. He first hooks the audience by talking about how people come together through the movies. Then, he tells his story of how one decision that he made so he could read better scripts changed the way screenplays are considered and adapted. At the end of his talk, he ties it all together with the notion that, because of the Black List, more diverse and unique stories are being told. And as a result, more diverse and unique people are represented and come together when the lights dim at the movies.
The main devices used to make this talk great were ethos and pathos. Leonard established his credibility by telling the audience that he worked at a production company and his whole job was essentially to read scripts. The audience is even more engaged when he tells about the list of screenplays he now creates EVERY YEAR and how they have won many awards. He now even has a platform where anyone can submit their screenplay for review. As I stated before, Leonard sets the tone of the talk by romanticizing the notion of the movies and how they bring everyone together (I'll admit, I loved it). This is a prime example of pathos because it allowed the audience to relate to something in the otherwise foreign realm of Hollywood. He calls the movies a "religious institution" and later talks of how the conventional way a movie has been challenged by the Black List to include more stories and people. I think this really struck a chord with the audience.
My love for the movies has been expanded by listening to this talk. It has even interested me in exploring past Black Lists to see if I recognize any titles. I still have a lot of time in my life, a lot of which I will spend at the movies.
The link to this bomb TED talk, for your enjoyment:
https://www.ted.com/talks/franklin_leonard_how_i_accidentally_changed_the_way_movies_get_made_nov_2018/transcript
When I saw the words 'TED talk' on the prompt for this week's post, I was inevitably excited that I would get to watch a cool video for homework. While browsing the different talks, I found it difficult to choose just one to watch. In the end, I settled on a talk by Franklin Leonard entitled "How I accidentally changed the way movies get made". I was initially drawn to this talk in particular because I love watching movies and television SO much.
During the talk, Franklin Leonard basically told the story of how he changed the way scripts are considered for movies. Back in 2005, he held a low-level position at Leonardo Dicaprio's production company and the basic premise of his job was to find scripts worth adapting into movies. The trouble with this was that reading all of those scripts was very time consuming and a lot of times it took a while to determine whether the script was worth selling or not. With a vacation that would be filled with script-reading looming, he decided to anonymously email some top people in the industry and ask them what their favorite screenplays that had not been adapted were. What came out of it was the Black List: an opportunity for lesser-known screenwriters that have really good scripts to be heard. People loved the Black List, and screenplays on that list have won countless awards.
The purpose of this TED talk is to communicate how the way movies are made has changed over time. It is also conveying how the digital age has expanded opportunities for many people. The speaker, Franklin Leonard, is a compelling storyteller. He first hooks the audience by talking about how people come together through the movies. Then, he tells his story of how one decision that he made so he could read better scripts changed the way screenplays are considered and adapted. At the end of his talk, he ties it all together with the notion that, because of the Black List, more diverse and unique stories are being told. And as a result, more diverse and unique people are represented and come together when the lights dim at the movies.
The main devices used to make this talk great were ethos and pathos. Leonard established his credibility by telling the audience that he worked at a production company and his whole job was essentially to read scripts. The audience is even more engaged when he tells about the list of screenplays he now creates EVERY YEAR and how they have won many awards. He now even has a platform where anyone can submit their screenplay for review. As I stated before, Leonard sets the tone of the talk by romanticizing the notion of the movies and how they bring everyone together (I'll admit, I loved it). This is a prime example of pathos because it allowed the audience to relate to something in the otherwise foreign realm of Hollywood. He calls the movies a "religious institution" and later talks of how the conventional way a movie has been challenged by the Black List to include more stories and people. I think this really struck a chord with the audience.
My love for the movies has been expanded by listening to this talk. It has even interested me in exploring past Black Lists to see if I recognize any titles. I still have a lot of time in my life, a lot of which I will spend at the movies.
The link to this bomb TED talk, for your enjoyment:
https://www.ted.com/talks/franklin_leonard_how_i_accidentally_changed_the_way_movies_get_made_nov_2018/transcript
Hey Bella, I liked how you went into detail about the Ted Talk and explained it for people that used their freebies on the post. Although this may be unrelated to the overall content of the post, I like how you kind of gave an icebreaker at the beginning. I thought it was unique and gave it more of a “blog” impression rather than a simple English assignment. Keep up the good work!
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