How Carnage Can Help?
I wanted to talk quickly about how Roman Polanski's Carnage made me think about how short films
are written.
This film is a direct adaptation of a Yasmine Ores's play called The Gold of Carnage and
most of the credit for it can be attributed to her.
Now the plot is simple.
Two couples are meeting in an apartment to discuss the fact that their respective sons
got in a fight.
The reunion will start normally with an adult behaviour but as time goes by they will start
acting irrationally.
The whole message of the film is that their original behaviour when they used diplomacy
was not true to their real self.
And that basically we are nothing but animals waiting for a reason to unleash our true nature.
I want to set that aside for a moment because it is not what caught my attention and made
me think about short movies.
It's more about the mechanics used to keep the characters in this apartment and push
the story forward.
See a lot of our matches short movies for budget reasons take place in a flat or even
in a single room and if the script contains more than a one shot joke or a simple conversation
you'll eventually have to get the story going but you will also have to give a reason for
your characters to remain in said apartment.
I think Carnage makes a good job at keeping them here without explicitly giving us the
reason why.
They could leave at any time but they just don't.
It even plays with us by moving them closer and closer to the exit just to draw them back
again.
The same phenomenon can be observed with cellular phones in modern horror movies.
We're so connected nowadays that you have to give a ridiculous reason for the protagonist's
phone not to work.
No signal, no battery.
Why wouldn't you just find a reason for a phone call not to be helpful?
So instead of just saying the door is broken or it's the end of the world outside, Carnage
gives us this situation.
I think what keeps them here is also what makes the film work for me and I listed four
reasons.
A. The exacerbation of events and character traits.
These four characters are archetypes.
You have the I never get off my phone and wear a suit because I'm a lawyer.
The I manage stuff and I will manage E2.
The I am a regular Joe.
And the I am a neurotic writer.
Having such clear characterization from the get go helps justifying when a character
seems to be overreacting to something.
Though it makes the film look caricatural.
If the viewer accepted the suspension of disbelief, it pretty much works and keeps the story going.
B. The switching of allegiances.
Creating a dynamic that can carry on for an entire film with just four characters and
no flashback, ellipse or side story can be difficult.
But Carnage uses a simple theatrical tool, switching allegiances.
The film starts with two couples tolerating each other's presence.
The tone quickly switches to a figurative fight between the couples.
The premise of the film could encourage to believe that it will stay this way all along,
but no.
At some point, the quarrel will oppose men and women, three of them will then gang against
one, or one will take another one's defense.
This is what creates the scenes in this movie.
We basically never know who will get mad at who and for what reason.
C. The setup quickly paying off.
Carnage is filled with the method of setting something up for it to pay off later.
At some point, we come to the conclusion that nothing here happens without a reason.
The film is a perfect application of the Chekhov's gun.
Here are some examples.
Why does Michael mention that the cobbler is Remanings?
Because Nancy has a fragile stomach.
Why is Penelope focusing on her art books?
Because Nancy shares her fragile stomach with them.
Why is Alan on his phone all the time?
To create a reaction when he loses it.
Why is the secretive about his pharmaceutical case?
Because it concerns Michael's mother.
Tell her what you know about that poisonous shit of yours.
Tulips.
We bought tulips.
Tulips.
This is what I think of you, stupid tulips.
You got the idea.
And last but not least, D. The alcohol.
I'm not going to demonstrate the effect that alcohol has on the characters.
It has the same effects on every human being.
But it would be unfair to hide the fact that the conception of alcoholic beverages in the
film helps the story escalate pretty quickly.
Conclusion.
That wasn't a lesson on how to write a short movie, but a reminder that even if you have
a small budget, clever ideas in writing mechanics can make it work.
It's all in here.
Practically every method that is used here comes from theatre, this film being an adaptation.
Just be clever.
Think about how you can justify a situation without breaking the suspension of disbelief.
I am pretty sure nobody enjoys hearing a character saying I don't have any signal on my phone.
I realized that this analysis was a little bit confused, but I hope you got what I was
trying to say.
See ya.
