11 Lecture 14: Breaking the Envelope Professor Daniel Cutrara Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Charlie Kaufman (screenplay)

Previous Lesson Who they are and What do they want? –Marketing to the buyer How do you make it stronger? –Development Notes 2

3 This Lesson Merging Genres Breaking the Envelope in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Assignments

44 Merging Genres Lesson 14: Part I

5 Fluid Genres Action, Sci-Fi, Western, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Adventure, Romance. –Think Dark Knight Chase scenes Romance Abilities

6 Genres in Eternal Sunshine Drama, Sci-Fi Romantic Comedy –Love Story –Complex characters and relationships –Memory erasure

77 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Lesson 14: Part II

8 Backstory The Director –Michel Gondry, second feature film, previous work music videos. Brings his image manipulation techniques. The Writer –Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Human Nature– for Michel Gondry. 8

9 Breaking the Envelope Academy Award, 2004 –Best Original Screenplay –Story by Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth 9 Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth

10 The Concept A love story told through memory. Begins after the break up as opposed to the typical Romantic Comedy

11 Characters Atypical Characters- Both “Losers” Joel Barish –Overwhelming shyness, afraid to risk Clementine Kruczynski –Impulsive, addict

12 Wants and Needs Joel Barish –Wants security, needs a relationship, must accept the riskiness of being with Clementine. Clementine Kruczynski –Wants the thrills of life, needs a relationship, must accept the ordinary with Joel.

13 The Structure Labyrinthine- like our memories –Places us in the shoes of the characters Narrative begins at the end of Act Two –Joel and Clem meet as if for the first time Narrative rupture at the end of the first sequence. –Sudden jump to night as Joel weeps.

Meeting for the “First Time” Pause the Lecture and watch the first clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. –How is the tone established? –Are the genres clearly telegraphed? –What is the irony on the second viewing? 14

Breaking Rules Slow, serious beginning, unlike Romantic Comedy more like drama. Sci-Fi element not yet introduced. 155 The irony– they connect quickly. Because they normally would? Because they connected before? Because they are needy?

16 Act Two Act Two recounts relationship backwards as memories erased. –Joel chooses to save her –They work together as a team –“Clem” shares Joel’s most traumatic moments.

17 Breaking Time Pause the Lecture and watch the second clip from The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. –Who and when are the characters in this scene?

18 Breaking Time (Cont’d) Joel remembering in voiceover, and in the memory. Joel in the memory Joel’s construct of Clem. Clem in Joel’s memory.

19 Subplots “Subplots should be spawned by, intersect with, and resolved by the main storyline.” Garfinkel

20 Triangles Patrick and Clementine –His impersonation affects her Stan, Mary, and Dr. Mierzwiak –Her reaction leads to tapes distributed

21 Act Three Building toward a dramatic resolution. Subplots pay off. Joel and Clem must face the uncertainty and pain of a future relationship.

22 The Drama Pause the Lecture and watch the third clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. –What they record is what people think but generally don’t say in relationships.

23 The Resolution A dramatic commitment, not to happily ever after, but to a relationship that will demand work and forgiveness.

24 From Script to Screen Trimming Naomi –Scenes with Joel’s previous girlfriend cut. –She is cut prior to Joel meeting Clem and after he has Clem erased he briefly hooks up with her. –The effect: keeping the focus, telling what is essential in a given amount of time, and strengthening the destiny aspect.

25 The Theme Love is inevitable

26 Themes Destiny, Fate –A romantic interpretation Identity, Memory, Love –Exploring how memory functions in relationship to who we are. –The intersection of love and being.

27 Assignments Lesson 14: Part IV Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

28 E-Board Post #1 Approximately 200 words. Answer the critique posted for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Comment on two of your peers.

29 End of Lecture 14 End of Lecture 14 Next Lecture: Where to go from here Bowfinger (1999)