SOPRAN-O-RAMA

By examining the good qualities of THE SOPRANOS, I hope to draw some conclusions about the nature of good storytelling. The funny thing about most successful stories is that they share a lot of the same traits.

Some of you might look at this list and say, "DUH! That's what good stories are supposed to do! THE SOPRANOS didn't invent the wheel or anything." Well, to nay-sayers, I politely retort with, "DUH! I know that..." Anyway, here are 10 things to think about.


DUALITY WITHIN AN INDIVIDUAL
Jean Renoir, the French filmmaker and humanist, once said, "everybody has their reasons." THE SOPRANOS sets out to prove this statement with all its characters -- not just Tony. I believe there's something to be taken from that. Everybody's human -- including big bad mob bosses.

One lesson often described in "How to Write" books is that of "petting the dog." In a traditional good vs. evil story, the cowboy hero comes out of the saloon and pets the neighborhood dog while the villain comes out and kicks it. In interesting stories, it's the villain that comes out and pets the dog... And in very interesting stories, the villain (who also happens to be the protagonist) then has a panic attack because he can't please everybody.


JUDAS, RATS AND BETRAYAL
A lot of great stories look no further than the story of Jesus' last supper for inspiration. Here's Jesus, trying to save the world, trying to do good deeds, then one of his best friends, Judas, deceives him and betrays him. Even though they are closely knit disciples, Judas turns Jesus over to the people that will ultimately slay him.

"Rats" who commit acts of betrayal are among the most interesting characters of any story, not just those about the mob. Put a character in a bind where he/she has to make a decision that will adversely affect somebody that he/she loves -- aaaand you will learn the true nature of that character very quickly.


WHAT'S REALLY VALUABLE?
Living in America at present, most of us have our basic needs met -- food, water, shelter. Some of us even have our physical/sexual needs met... When you have all of these possessions, where is there left to go? This is where we get into spiritual/existential territory. As the royal crime family of North Jersey, Tony, Carmela, Meadow and A.J provide the perfect metaphor for American life. They have everything they could ever want, yet it still doesn't feel like enough. All of them struggle to find real meaning and purpose in their existences. To me, this is the kind of soul-searching that kisses all great works of art from IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE to THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.

Toward the end of FORREST GUMP, Forrest asks his dying mother, "what's my destiny, mama?" To which, she replies, "you're gonna have to figure that out for yourself."

How does one figure out his/her grand place in the universe if he/she is embroiled in and aware of the violence and corruption that surrounds him/her? That's why they're all in therapy and that's what makes this series brilliant.


MORAL DILEMMA
We determine whether a person is good or bad based on the decisions that he/she makes. Does he choose to sacrifice himself for the betterment of others? Or does he say, "screw 'em. I only care about me."? Almost always, the choices a character makes are fated to follow him around for a long time... The members of the Soprano crew are a great example of this. Even though the series moves at a slow and savory pace, a moral dilemma (however subtle) is at the center of each episode.

Sometimes we even ROOT for the mobsters to whack somebody -- because, through great writing, a good whacking seems to be the best decision -- a decision of justice and higher principle.


LOCATION
When you watch an episode of THE SOPRANOS, from the moment the opening credits begin and you see the car get on the turnpike, you know you're headed to New Jersey. To me, the show has an absolutely uncanny feel that could only be captured from shooting on location in New Jersey and New York using actors from the region. It's not L.A disguised to look like New Jersey, it is New Jersey. Most importantly, it feels like New Jersey. Movies have textures and you can feel them. One of the best ways to give a story a particular feeling is to utilize it's location -- to milk it for all its possibilities.


HUMOR AND THE POWER OF "PLAYING IT STRAIGHT"
SOPRANOS might be known for changing the face of TV drama forever, but it's hands-down one of the funniest shows I've ever seen -- and from it, there are lessons to be learned about humor.

First lesson: what's funny isn't often aware that it's funny. The minute one becomes conscious of trying to be funny, he/she is no longer funny. It's just a fact. Jokes play better when the actor who says them does not deliver them with a wink and a nod. A lot of jokes on THE SOPRANOS are delivered so matter-of-fact-ly that if you're not listening closely, they'll role right by you.

Second lesson: Humor can also stem from the belief that you are something that you're not -- think Ron Burgundy believing he's a ladies man in Anchorman. He's not. The characters in THE SOPRANOS often think they're pretty intelligent. With few exceptions, they're not.



WOUNDS AND VIOLENCE
Physical wounds are something I've always been intrigued by in storytelling. There's just something about how one's little bruises and scratches can hint at a deeper inner or inter-personal plight. Howard Suber, in his phenomenal book THE POWER OF FILM, puts it much better than I ever could... "heroes are inevitably wounded in body or soul -- often in both. Whatever the cause, the function of wounds is the same in all the world's stories, myths and religions: they are stigmata that prove the bearer is a hero." When watching this particular show, it's very interesting to think about what a character does to merit getting socked in the face, or worse, shot in the chest...

Also, storytelling seems to take on a whole new level of stakes when set in a blood-soaked world of violence and slaughter. In these settings, one wrong move can get you whacked. Want to know how to keep audience members on the edge of their seats?


MUSIC
There's a reason that I'm so into musicals. In musical storytelling, songs provide commentary on and breathe meaning into what happens to the characters in the tale. While THE SOPRANOS is not a musical, it certainly functions as one. The songs that emerge from the radios and TVs of the show's characters lyrically comment on the action, and melodically provide it a tone. Like in Peter Bogdanovich's LAST PICTURE SHOW and a lot of Scorsese's movies, there is tons of source music and very little musical score. While watching the show, I have been astounded at how sheer silence can add to the intensity of the scene. It just feels less manipulated and much more real. Also similar to feature films, each episode concludes with a different song that helps to state its theme. Radiohead's "Kid A" and Bobby Darin's "If I were a Carpenter" are among my favorite show-enders.


SIMPLICITY AND ACTING
If I were a director, I would like to direct lots of scenes that take place in one room with only two actors. There's nothing more interesting (to me, anyway) than watching two people come together or split apart within the span of a few minutes.

Forget that each SOPRANOS episode has the aesthetic of a feature film. Forget the guns, drugs and heists. At its core, THE SOPRANOS is a show about people. People in crisis, people in conflict -- with each other and within themselves. Yes, there are guns, yes there are fists, but it's oftentimes words that can deliver the deadliest blow and hurt somebody the most. It's been said that weapons don't hurt people, people hurt people... and that's why these little 2-actor scenes are the real meat of the show.


WHO WE REALLY ARE...
One of my heroes Mr. Mike Nichols says that an audience responds to what's going on underneath. In life as in stories, we work with great fervor to keep our walls up and our true feelings coiled deep inside... and often we don't let those feelings out until provoked. Sometimes we don't let them out at all.

But what's beneath the big bellies, the big hair, the big violence, and thick accents? What's behind all that protection?

THE SOPRANOS is a great work of fiction because it is first and foremost about feelings -- and how we often have trouble expressing them; how when we repress them for too long, the consequences can be absolutely horrific. It's about the ramifications, both positive and negative, about opening your mouth and being honest.

As Tony learns and states in the first episode, "talking helps."

That's why I love it.
That's why I highly recommend it.


I have 12 more episodes left in the final season. I'm savoring them.

FAVORITE EPISODES: College, D-Girl, Employee of the Month, The Strong Silent Type, Whitecaps, Long Term Parking and Join the Club.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE EPISODE: Irregular Around the Margins... Sometimes it just seems like an episode of TV is made for you. For me, this was one of those episodes.

If you've made it this far, you're a champ. I feel bad for how bored you must be... and I owe you a prize.

Ciao for now.

"JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT... THEY PULL ME BACK IN."

You never realize it before it happens -- those moments before you crack open a book or pop in a DVD. Almost always, it strikes you sometime during the middle, or after it's finished. I'm talking about that feeling -- the sensation of being lifted off the ground as if by helium, being overtaken by catharsis, then filled with self-awareness. You get this feeling when you witness an incredible story -- the kind of story that sticks with you for years. I'm talking about films, novels and plays and how we react to them; how through them, we define our lives.

NOT TO SOUND 100% CORNY OR ANYTHING...

I recall very vividly the first time I read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and (almost) all the books in the HARRY POTTER series. I remember how I tossed and turned in bed, unable to get to sleep on the school nights that I first watched AMERICAN BEAUTY and ALMOST FAMOUS. To this day, my sister still gets a good guffaw at the way my mouth was hanging open at the end of the musical WICKED... and sometimes I still get choked-up thinking about how all the ladies finally got what they needed at the conclusion of SEX AND THE CITY.

There are tons of stories out there, but only a select few that really get under our skin and stick with us for the rest of our lives... It's a special occasion worth celebrating... and worth blog blabbing about.

SO HERE IT GOES

Since I started telling people that I'd like to pursue filmmaking as a career, I've been given a fury of recommendations. For years, friends and family told me that David Chase's THE SOPRANOS was really something to see. They didn't know whether to call it the best TV series they'd ever seen or the best multi-part film... Regardless, I wasn't into it.

Because I had been poisoned by MTV and its brainless (but flashy) reality shows, I dismissed all television as garbage -- and frankly mobsters were not high on my list of compelling story topics. I thought I knew everything back then...

Boy, was I an IDIOT.

Anyway, there's a nice lesson to be gained from my rambling. I've come to understand and labor under the idea that you should visit a movie, book, play, song, etc. only when you are ready to visit it. If you see something before you're emotionally mature or hungry enough for it, it won't mean as much to you and you could end-up dissing something that you might have adored if you had waited to see it at another, later time.

This past Spring Break, my friend and I were staying with my Aunt in New Jersey. For something to do, we checked out the first season of THE SOPRANOS from the library.

I was finally ready for it.


Five episodes later, as I lay belly-up on the little fold-out mattress on the floor in New Jersey -- I was indelibly hooked. I couldn't stop thinking about Tony Soprano and his dilemma over being a good father/husband and a good mob boss. I loved the characters and how they were equally riddled with as much conflict as they were potential bullets. I knew it was going to be one of those grand love affairs that I sometimes have with certain TV programs.

Several months later, I'm in the middle of the prolonged 6th season. Since that night over Spring Break my fascination with the Soprano crew has expanded like the Grinch's heart on Christmas Day. After watching an episode a week or so ago, I was driving in the car with my sister and we were listening to Eminem's ode to abusive relationships "The Way You Lie". I started spacing out... completely enraptured, thinking about a nail-biting scene of domestic abuse I had just seen on the show. My sister had to turn to me and ask me if I was okay. I was that lost in thought. Every episode, I take in, I'm filled with horror, laughter and gut-wrenching empathy (or sometimes antipathy).


In my time living at home this show has become a really big thing for me... like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD or ALMOST FAMOUS or WICKED. That being said, I'd love to muse on WHY it's such a masterpiece of a story. I just have a colossal need to discuss it -- a need which far exceeds the puny number of people I have to discuss it with.

I want to tell you the lessons I've learned from it-- how those lessons are almost more impactful than a year of film school.

This'll be comin' at you in my next entry. Pretend to indulge me (but you don't have to).

Be back soon. For now...

CIAO.

CHARACTER.

About a month ago I went to a screening of GONE WITH THE WIND at the Alabama Theater in Birmingham. The entire place was totally packed and people cheered and booed throughout the entire film. It kind of blew my mind. During intermission, as I waited in an ungodly long line for the ladies room, I asked myself...

How does an almost 4-hour long film made over 70 years ago hold up today to the point that people are cheering at it? Sure, GONE WITH THE WIND is an iconic piece of cinema, but I certainly don't recall anyone screaming or applauding when I went to see SALT or DINNER FROM SCHMUCKS at the local multiplex. I thought about a screening of ON THE WATERFRONT I went to last summer. By the end of it, nearly the whole audience was on its feet with applause. Hmmm...



Why is it that some movies elicit such a profound response in people, then go on to be considered classics, while others are simply yawn-inducing and are lucky if somebody fishes them out of the $2 bin at Wal-Mart? What do some films have that others apparently don't?

The only reasonable conclusion that I could draw was... characters. Ok, not just any characters, but characters who undergo profound changes to become genuine heroes by the end of the film -- characters who at the story's start are grade A losers, but then over the course of the telling, through taking action, learn to put their selfishness and other issues aside for the benefit of the rest of the world, and ultimately themselves. They grow to save something or someone, and in doing so, give their lives value. That's the reason I watch movies in the first place. I watch to see somebody else mature.

While standing there in that bathroom line I couldn't help feeling just a tad envious of people like Scarlett O'Hara and Terry Malloy. In movie world, a naive, selfish hussy can grow to love somebody else. She can maintain her family's plantation. She can even go from being unable to tie her own bonnet to shooting a Union soldier smack in the face to protect her best friend. A bum who threw away his opportunity at a promising boxing career can stand-up after being beaten to a pulp, and through his action, ensure that justice is served to his fellow dock workers in Hoboken.


In fact, the more pitiful or vile the movie character starts out, the more we like him/her. We like pathetic people because they remind us of ourselves. I think we enjoy being able to (through our movie heroes and heroines) punch the guy who yelled at us for taking his parking spot, etc. We like the notion that we might be somebody. It is for the benefit of our emotional well-being that the movie industry stays in booming business. Through relating to film heroes and heroines, we can take our stresses and fears from our back pockets and temporarily let them breathe. We're relieved when we get to walk around in Atticus Finch's shoes for a while... even if Atticus Finch might be a jerk... because sometimes we need to release the jerk part of our personality.

(For the record, NO. I'm not saying that Atticus Finch is a jerk. On the contrary, he's very noble. However, if HE WAS a jerk, that could be okay because we need jerk heroes)

I suppose that when a girl is living at home with her parents and still searching for employment of any kind, she hopes that movie character syndrome will kick in... that an opportunity will present itself...

And even though the prospect of adventure might seem a bit terrifying, she will plunge right in and brave the waves... and, through her actions, give meaning to her existence. She'll save somebody else in order to save herself.

Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could all assimilate a bit of movie character into our personalities?

In a way, I guess all of us really do have a little hero within us. We're the heroes of our own lives anyway. It just takes a very special, detail-oriented eye to catch the small things - those tiny and seemingly insignificant gestures - that make a person a hero.

Think of all the times you've done a favor for someone when you didn't have to, when there was nothing in it for you. Think of a time you gave someone a hug when he/she was having a crappy day, or all the times you just listened to somebody else. It's those things -- those almost insignificant things -- that we oftentimes look over. Those things can make for-real movie heroes of all we average Joes and Janes who live in the real world.

Sometimes heroism isn't only in the movies. Sometimes its right in front of our faces... Lurking within that girl who's unemployed and living with her parents. ANY of us can be heroes.


At least that's the thought that gets me out of bed in the morning...

Ciao for now.