Scene Description Spotlight: “The Sixth Sense”

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Scott Myers of Go Into The Story

After all these years, I can still remember reading this script the first time and how fantastic I thought it was. The Sixth Sense sold as a spec script in a bidding war for a reported $3M, so evidently I wasn’t alone in my appraisal of the story [written by M. Night Shyamalan].

The compelling nature of the narrative starts straight from the opening sequence and Shyamalan’s use of scene description goes a long way in setting the tone.

Here is an excerpt from that opening:

               INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

               TWO GIGGLING SHADOWS APPEAR IN THE BEDROOM DOORWAY. They try
               to turn on the light. It doesn't come on.

                                     MALCOLM
                         Bulb's out.

               Anna giggles some more as Malcolm's shadow stumbles across
               the bedroom.

               MALCOLM TURNS ON THE BATHROOM LIGHT.

               A SHAFT OF LIGHT falls on Anna as she stands in the corner
               of the room.

               Anna smiles playfully and pulls off her sweater. She sways
               to a pretend striptease song.

               Malcolm can't hold back his grin. He joins in -- slowly
               peeling off the sweat-shirt. He looks back to Anna. She's
               stopped her playful dance. She's facing away from him.

               He walks towards her. HIS GRIN QUIETLY DISAPPEARS. Malcolm's
               face turns to rock as his attention is drawn to the SHATTERED
               WINDOW in their bedroom. The wind moves through the room.

               A lamp lays broken on the ground by the window.

               Malcolm kneels down. Beat. Anna's eyes fill with a quiet
               awareness.

                                     ANNA
                         He's still in the house.

               A SHADOW FROM THE BATHROOM FLATS OVER BOTH OF THEM.

               ANNA SCREAMS.

               Malcolm spins around. His heart stops.

               Malcolm and Anna stare at the bathroom doorway. They know
               someone is inside. Beat.

               Malcolm slowly starts towards the door. The first thing that
               comes into view are the clothes on the bathroom floor.

               Then the figure of a man comes into view. A STRANGER stands
               bare chested in the back of the bathroom.

               NO ONE MAKES A SOUND.

               The STRANGER is about nineteen. Drugged out. Pitch black
               eyes bulging. His body is covered in scars and bruises.

               His hands are folded in front of him. He shakes ever so
               slightly. He has a patch of white in his hair.

               Malcolm speaks in a very calm voice. Never takes his eyes
               off the stranger.

                                     MALCOLM
                         Anna, don't move. Don't say a word.

               Anna barely nods her understanding.

                                     MALCOLM
                              (to the stranger)
                         This is forty-seven Locust Street.
                         You have broken a window and entered
                         a private residence. Do you understand
                         what I'm saying?

               The stranger slowly looks up for the first time. His eyes
               lock on Malcolm.

                                     STRANGER
                         You don't know so many things.

               Beat.

                                     MALCOLM
                         There are no needles or prescription
                         drugs of any kind in this house.

               The stranger suddenly comes forward into the doorway. Malcolm
               stumbles back onto the edge of the bed.

               Anna sees the stranger for the first time. Her face drains
               of color.

               The stranger looks at Malcolm. He half grins.

                                     STRANGER
                         Are you drunk?

               The stranger's stare slides to Anna.

                                     STRANGER
                         Did you get him drunk?

               The stranger gazes at Anna. Gazes directly into her eyes.

               A penetrating, unwavering stare.

                                     STRANGER
                         Do you know why you're scared when
                         you're alone?

               Anna's expression instanly changes.

                                     STRANGER
                         I know.

               BEAT. THE ROOM GOES SILENT.

                                     MALCOLM
                         What do you want? I don't understand
                         what you want.

               The stranger turns and glares at Malcolm.

                                     STRANGER
                         What you promised.

               Malcolm stops all movement.

                                     ANNA
                         --My God.

                                     MALCOLM
                         --Do I know you?

                                     STRANGER
                         Let's all celebrate, Dr. Malcolm
                         Crowe. Recipient of awards from the
                         Mayor on the news. Dr. Malcolm Crowe,
                         he's helped so many children... And
                         he doesn't even remember my name?

               Malcolm can't speak. Beat. The stranger's face starts to
               tremble.

                                     STRANGER
                         I was ten when you worked with me.

               Beat. Malcolm's intelligent eyes race for answers.

                                     STRANGER
                         Downtown clinic? Single parent family?
                              (beat)
                         I had a possible mood disorder...
                              (beat)
                         I had no friends... you said I was
                         socially isolated.
                              (beat)
                         I was afraid -- you called it acute
                         anxiety...
                              (beat)
                         You were wrong.
                              (beat)
                         Come on, clear your head... Male,
                         nine... Single parent... Mood
                         disorder... Acute anxiety.

               Malcolm looks like someone hit him with a sledgehammer.

                                     STRANGER
                         I'm nineteen. I have drugs in my
                         system twenty-four hours a day... I
                         still have no friends. I still have
                         no peace. I'm still afraid.

               Tears jump into the stranger's eyes.

                                     STRANGER
                         ...I'm still afraid.

               Malcolm stands.

                                     MALCOLM
                         Please give me a second to think.

               Malcolm's shaking hands touch his mouth as he stares at the
               stranger. Beat.

                                     MALCOLM
                         Ben Freidken?

                                     STRANGER
                         Some people call me freak.

                                     MALCOLM
                         ...Ronald... Ronald Sumner?

               Tears fall down the stranger's face.

                                     STRANGER
                         I am a freak.

               Malcolm looks up at the sound of those words. Something clicks
               in his head.

                                     MALCOLM
                         --Vincent?

               THE ROOM GOES SILENT AGAIN.

                                     MALCOLM
                         Vincent Gray?

               VINCENT GRAY stares with surprise through his tears.

               Malcolm lets out a deep breath like he just emerged from
               deep waters.

                                     MALCOLM
                         I do remember you, Vincent. You were
                         a good kid. Very smart... Quiet...
                         Compassionate... Unusually
                         compassionate...

               Vincent's eyes burn at Malcolm.

                                     VINCENT
                         You forgot cursed.

               VINCENT is fully crying now.

                                     VINCENT
                         You failed me.

                                     MALCOLM
                              (whispers)
                         Vincent... I'm sorry I didn't help
                         you... I can try to help you now.

               Vincent turns to the sink. His hand goes in. He turns around
               and raises a gun at Malcolm. He FIRES. A VIOLENT,
               EARSHATTERING ECHO. Malcolm clutches his stomach and folds
               like a rag doll onto the bed.

               Vincent instantly moves the gun to his own head. ANOTHER
               HORRIFIC BLAST SPIKES THE AIR. Vincent crumples onto the
               bathroom floor.

               ANNA'S CHILLING SCREAMS FILL THEIR HOME.

There are some slight differences, primarily cuts, between this draft and the film version of the scene, yet most of what ends up in the movie is here. What I’d like to focus on here is the imagematic writing, using strong verbs and vivid descriptors to convey what transpires:

* TWO GIGGLING SHADOWS: Sets a lighthearted tone, picking up on the previous scene.

* He joins in — slowly peeling off the sweat-shirt: Continuing the fun tone. Note: The use of “peeling” instead of the more generic “taking off.”

* Malcolm’s face turns to rock: A big switch in the mood of the moment and a foretaste of the seriousness of the situation.

* His heart stops: An unfilmable, going ‘inside’ the character to convey the emotional response to what is happening.

* Malcolm and Anna stare at the bathroom doorway. They know someone is inside: Building anticipation and tension. Note: The use of “stare” instead of generic “look”.

* NO ONE MAKES A SOUND: This is a scary, tense situation.

* Drugged out. Pitch black eyes bulging. His body is covered in scars and bruises: Increases the foreboding sense of danger.

* Malcolm stumbles back onto the edge of the bed… Her face drains of color: The reactions of Malcolm and Anna upon first seeing Vincent immediately puts them on the defensive.

* The stranger looks at Malcolm. He half grins. The stranger’s stare slides to Anna… The stranger gazes at Anna. Gazes directly into her eyes. A penetrating, unwavering stare: Conveys the intensity of Vincent’s character, intensifying the sense of danger.

* Malcolm’s intelligent eyes race for answers: A race between Malcolm’s brain vs. Vincent’s psychosis.

* Malcolm’s shaking hands touch his mouth as he stares at the stranger: Great visual moment.

* Malcolm lets out a deep breath like he just emerged from deep waters: A release of tension as we think Malcolm – in finally identifying Vincent – is back in control.

* Vincent’s eyes burn at Malcolm: Not so fast with the tension release. And then:

* hand… raises… gun… FIRES… VIOLENT EARTHSHATTERING ECHO… clutches… folds… rag doll… instantly… ANOTHER HORRIFIC BLAST SPIKES THE AIR… crumples… CHILLING SCREAMS.

Can’t you see this scene? Can’t you feel it? That’s because Shyamalan is expert in his approach to scene description.

Imagematic writing is my term for embracing the visual nature of movies in screenplays. We can do that by using strong verbs and vivid descriptors.

Final thoughts: “The Sixth Sense”

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Scott Myers of Go Into The Story

Last week, we read the script and analyzed The Sixth Sense, written by M. Night Shyamalan. Participants in the series did a fantastic job in breaking down the story. Here are links to the entire set of posts and comments:

One of our readers Mike Montgomery even did a shot-by-shot breakdown of the movie’s trailer.

I thought it would be a good idea to allow folks one last chance to post observations about the script and movie, perhaps some insights you gained in the process of analysis, either macro or micro.

I wanted to follow up on one area of discussion that arose last week: Which of the characters — Malcolm Crowe [Bruce Willis] or Cole Sear [Haley Joel Osment] — is the story’s Protagonist?

Caveat: Stories are organic and any categorization we do is simply a tool for analysis, there is no right or wrong because characters exist within their story universe as living, breathing beings.

After thinking about it, I came up with this take: Malcolm is the story’s Protagonist while Cole is the story’s Central Character. Most often the two characters are the same, but there are cases in which one character’s goals, wants, and needs create the spine of the story’s plot while not filling the function of a Protagonist. For example in Little Miss Sunshine, it is Olive’s goal — to compete in the LMS beauty pageant — that drives the entire story, but she is not a Protagonist. Her father Richard is the lead Protagonist followed by Frank and Dwayne, each of whom goes through a significant metamorphosis involving the theme of what it means to be a success or a failure.

In my view, The Sixth Sense has a similar dynamic. The focus of the story is on Cole, the revelation of his psychic powers and his journey to come to grips with them. Malcolm is intimately connected to that process as he projects his failure in counseling Vincent Grey onto Cole, thereby seeking to cure Cole and gain some sense of ‘redemption’ in the process. He also has to confront a failing relationship with his wife Anna and the big twist that he is, in fact, dead.

So my take on the five primary character archetypes with Malcolm as the Protagonist is this:

Protagonist: Malcolm

Nemesis: Vincent

Attractor: Anna

Mentor: Cole

Trickster: Death

You may hit the link for Character above to read my analysis in comments.

However Cole goes through his own metamorphosis, driven by his want to be normal and his need to resolve his issues surrounding his ability to see “dead people.” If as an exercise we switched Protagonists and looked at the story universe through Cole’s eyes, here is what we may find:

Protagonist: Cole

Nemesis: Psychic Ability

Attractor: Ghosts

Mentor: Malcolm

Trickster: Lynn [Mother]

What confounds Cole and creates his world of hurt is his psychic ability. His existence is one in which he is at odds with and conflict against that very same ability. Hence Nemesis.

One measure of his metamorphosis is going from fear of the ghosts he sees to an acceptance of what they are and why they appear to him. This accommodation is a key part of his emotional development and therefore an Attractor dynamic.

How he comes to understand what the ghosts want is through his relationship with Malcolm who is, after all, a ghost. What Malcolm does is provide a ghost with whom Cole can talk, get to know and realize the truth: Ghosts are souls with unfinished business and they come to Cole so he can help them find resolution. That is a Mentor relationship.

And his mother Lynn [Toni Collette] provides an ongoing test to Cole, someone who loves him, but gets exasperated by her son’s aberrant behavior, so that sometimes she is warm and welcoming to him, while other times harsh and judging of him. This creates added tension in Cole’s life because he would like to share his secret with his mother, but he is afraid to do so because he doubts she will be able to accept what he says as truth. Eventually he does, based on what he’s learned in his relationship with his Mentor [Malcolm]. Thus I think we can look at Lynn as a Trickster, switching from ally to enemy, enemy to ally, and testing the Protagonist.

Again I am not saying Cole is the story’s Protagonist, rather he is its Central Character. But as with all characters, we can switch Protagonists and see the story through their perspective. It’s one of the great values of working with character archetypes.

How about you? Any insights you gained about The Sixth Sense during our week-long analysis? How do you like this new approach: One script per month? What suggestions do you have for the next script to read and analyze?

Finally I want to thank all of you who participated in the series. Great work!

Trailer Studies: “The Sixth Sense”

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Scott Myers of Go Into The Story

Our week-long analysis of the script for The Sixth Sense flowed over into the current Screenwriting Master Class course I’m leading, and one of the participants Mike Montgomery did something really interesting: He did a shot by shot breakdown of the movie’s trailer:

Here is Mike’s breakdown:

The Sixth Sense Trailer

2:06 Total Time

00–Red flare, red taillights at traffic accident–Cole tells his mother that a lady was hurt in the accident and that he sees her standing next to his window. Mother reacts.

23–Studio Info

27–Red balloon rises in the staircase—Cole in red sweater climbs stairs—door of cubbyhole shut

33–Mother hugs Cole-“Cole what’s wrong?”

39—Malcolm and Cole walk down the street-“Do you ever talk your mother about how things are?”

40–Mother pushes Cole in shopping cart with pumpkin-“I don’t tell her things.”

42—Kids look at Cole in classroom-“Why not?”

43–Kid at board looks at Cole-“Cause she doesn’t look at me like everybody else …”

44—Cole covers eyes as Stanley looks at him-“ …and I don’t want her to know.”

45—Malcolm and Cole on street—“Know what?”

46—Cole running down hall

47—Cole in tent with flashlight

49—Cole in hospital bed—“I see dead people…”

51—Church door—“walking around…

52—Cole’s shadow on staircase—“like regular…”

53—Cole looks out car? window—“people”

54—Cemetery—“I don’t see anything”

???—Takes jacket off rack???

56—Anna and employee hug—window shatters-“Are you sure…”

56—Dead kid goes into Cole’s room

57—Malcolm and Cole in school—“they’re there?”

58—Door knob

58—Dead girl’s dolls

1:00—Malcolm dying on bed—“Like you’re feeling down real fast.”

1:01—Malcolm-Cole sleeps-Malcolm-empty kitchen–Cole by tent—“Do you ever feel the prickly things on the back of your neck?” “Yes” “That’s them.”

1:06—Anna‘s legs descend stairs—Malcolm looks—teacher pounds desk—Cole’s breath—Anna’s breath—“How often do you see them?”—Church statues of Jesus—Cole in bed—“All the time.”

1:14—Cole in dead girl’s room—Cole scared—“They’re everywhere.”—Ghost of dead girl under bed pushes box.

1:23—Cole—“They want me to do things for them.” Cole carries box to father of dead girl.

1:28—Malcolm and Cole in church—“I think that they know that you are one of those very rare people that can see them.”—cereal bowl—Cole comforts Mr. Marschal-“So you need to help them.”

1:37—Door opens-Malcolm and Cole—“What if they don’t want help?”—“I don’t think that’s the way it works.”—“How do you know for sure?”

1:43—Malcolm—someone almost gets hit by a car—door rattling from Cole banging on the other side—Malcolm and Anna in bedroom—Vincent fires

1:47—Woman drops paper-car accident—“Look out.”-Malcolm

1:52—Malcolm and Cole by staircase in school-“Please make them leave.” “I’m working on it.”

1:56—Title and credits

This provides an interesting additional area for analysis: How does what the studio’s marketing people chose to focus on in the trailer reflect back on the story itself? For example, even though it seems pretty clear that Malcolm Crowe [Bruce Willis] is the Protagonist of The Sixth Sense, the preponderance of images in the trailer feature Cole. This would seem to reinforce the idea that while Malcolm may be the Protagonist, Cole is the story’s Central Character whose unique psyche state [the ability to see and communicate with ghosts] is the key element of the narrative.

But in a more macro sense, Mike’s breakdown of the trailer got me to thinking: Would it be a beneficial exercise to break down trailers in order to see if we can get more of a sense of what studios refer to as “trailer moments”?

I was reminded of something screenwriter John Swetnam said in this GITS interview:

Story concept is like the foundation to a house. It has to be strong or everything else may come tumbling down. I’ve always been good with ideas and it just took me a long time to be able to execute them in professional way. If you want to write “Hollywood” movies then the biggest question you have to ask yourself when you come up with an idea is, can you really see this opening at your local theater next weekend? I mean, really? What does the trailer look like when it comes on TV?

If, indeed, we should be able to envision the trailer of our story, then doesn’t it make sense that we should understand what studios zero in on when their people [or outside firms] cut a trailer?

So two things. First, there is more to glean from the breakdown of the trailer for The Sixth Sense and I encourage you to hit comments to provide your thoughts.

Second, would you like for me to run a series — let’s say one movie trailer per week for a month — where we break down the trailer shot by shot, then analyze it? I’m thinking it could be a good learning experience, but we should only do it if there’s enough enthusiasm behind the idea.