hi I'm Michael this is lessons from the
screenplay people been requesting I do a
Charlie Kaufman script since my first
two video I've always loved his 2002
film adaptation as a cleverly pokes fun
at the writing process while at the same
time exemplifying the struggle it's
exploring how to start I'm hungry I
should get coffee hope you would help me
think I should write something first
then reward myself with coffee coffee
and a muffin
as the film proceeds the audience slowly
realizes that adaptation is a movie
about the actual screenwriter writing
the very movie they're watching so today
today what an cutscene is a really funny
it's so accurate I am kind of hungry but
I should write the intro first mmm
chocolate croissant sounds good though
Michael you're almost in a million
subscribers what why don't you seem more
excited because now the next video I
release has to be special
oh yeah like a like a thank you message
to your fans Zac that a little red
subscribe button has been clicked on by
a million people this literally has to
be the best video I've ever made the
second that number hits a million I have
to be ready to could publish on a video
that's gonna blow people's socks off
with how amazing it is hey should we
start a channel together Oh Tucker
Brothers movie reviews oh this would be
great oh shoot I can't cuz I have to
start on the video if I wanted up by a
million oh yeah I guess that makes sense
hey maybe I'll do my own channel hey are
you gonna start writing your video you
don't just sit down and start writing
Zack first you research
like check out my video essay it's
blowing up Oh weird weird stuff happens
nobody knows what oh nine dollars a sex
really nine something bad happened that
room I bet you anything some bad having
that room it's not a video essay that
you reacting to things hey that is a
good idea for a channeling Zack I'm kind
of busy okay just real quick um I want
to run some ideas by you for my big 1000
subscriber video you already have a
thousand subscribe I know right I'm
becoming an influencer just like you
exactly don't say influencer sorry I
forgot house here is your rain coming
I'm researching
I thought you researched yesterday it's
a multi-day process can't start and tell
you everything figured out okay so I was
thinking I could also do a video on
adaptation discussing how it breaks all
the rules screenwriting it doesn't break
all the rules of screenwriting but don't
you remember how Kaufman like rails
against all of like the principles and
conventions of screenwriting annotation
has all the conventional beats of a
story it begins with the inciting
incident as Charlie has to adapt an
unadaptable book this creates his desire
to adapt it in a way that does the book
justice in the first half of act 2
conflict builds as his ignorant brother
starts to gain success at the midpoint
Charlie admits that his method isn't
working and tries a different approach
throughout the second half of act 2 he
thinks this is working until at the
crisis he realizes that he's just
written a bunch of nonsense and finally
an act 3 during the climax Charlie
admits that he's operating from a place
of beer self actualizes and figures out
how to write his screenplay the inciting
incident is when he is asked to adapt a
book and in what was the next part just
do some research
read a book
I'm not much for reader you can listen
to them on audible
you can literally download a free
audiobook today and start doing some
research of your own what's your link
audible.com oh wait here it is I found
it
once again that's audible.com slash
l.f.t.s or text to l.f.t.s - 500 500
what book should i download you know
what I think you love save the cat cool
dude you're like nine hundred subs away
from a million about much time left
wow you always figure it out okay
here we go going to start writing now
okay what was that awesome quote about
how to get motivated to write someone's
sent it to me on Twitter okay
somewhere here in my mentions I wonder
if any verified people liked any of my
tweets I'll just check really quick oh
my god
Lindsey Ellis liked my retweet her
videos are so good
Independence Day is a 1996 film directed
by Roland Emmerich it is dumb as a bag
of rocks and it is one of my favorite
movies I love it that is how adapt
tation unconventionally conveys the
convention of let's see what Michael
thinks what are you doing I'm working I
was struck by inspiration so I just
started filming I think my adaptation
video essay is gonna be a freestyle vlog
if it's freestyle it's not a video essay
the word essay is in the name I am
loving save the cat by the way do you
think that the brother character and
adaptation was written so that the
protagonist could save the cat I think
the brother character allows the
screenwriter to externalize the internal
struggle of the protagonist that way
each character represents a different
take on the theme and exposition can be
conveyed through dialogue and conflict
that's great the brother character
represents the theme of internal
struggle alright no distractions writing
begins right No
[Music]
Michael Michael what 1 million
I hit a million subscribers adaptation
video just a million views yoyoyo
this is Zack reacts and today I'm gonna
talk about adaptation with his new video
on the 2002 film adaptation Zack reacts
has managed to evolve the form of the
modern video essay and the way Zack
reacts features yellow in each framing
is nothing short of masterful shifting
how we as a culture will perceive this
color and at the end of the video his
drinking of milk symbolizes his quest
into cinematic adult but perhaps the
biggest triumph of this new entry into
the film video essay scene is how it
never over thinks itself because all the
characters really represent some kind of
force or internal struggle of the
protagonist it's clear that Zack reacts
knows how to just write Michael this is
so exciting this is just like when your
Dark Knight video blew up yeah good work
I'm proud of you thanks man
that means a lot and hey look you'll hit
a million subscribers by tomorrow not
much time left stinking exciting this is
literally the best day
why
Michael this is not possible I don't
understand how is this video any good he
didn't do any research he just went for
it and happened to say some things that
sound cool oh god it's this adaptation
video better than mine is going to be
this is it
this is the end of the channel I should
pull in every frame a painting and just
quit while I'm ahead
what a disaster no no I can't let Zach
win I have to prove that I can make a
video better
besides how hard is it to do what he did
oh I just started writing and then never
you know what Zach I can just start
writing to watch this hi I'm Michael and
this is a special episode of lessons
from the screenplay
I'm sure many of you have seen my
brother's adaptation video by now I'm
here to tell you that it is overrated
not only is his thesis flood his
conclusion is entirely contradictory oh
yeah this is going to be good adaptation
is not as my brother claims an
exemplification of unconventional
narrative storytelling it's greater
success is that it authentically
captures the neurotic and laborious and
dizzying process of writing something
this is enhanced by the meta aspect of
it being a film about writing the film
the audience is watching yet some video
essayists oh wait Zach reacts can't even
be called a video essay it's simply the
mindless ramblings of someone who seems
to have no problem speaking without
giving a thought to what is being said
in short it's an embarrassment to the
entire youtube film criticism community
if zach reacts possessed any class he
would delete the video this is it my
magnum opus I'll make a couple tweaks in
the morning and post it
this will show him what a real video
essay looks like
no no I swear to god I've never done
this before
like I don't want to exaggerate but I
honestly think this is a new era of film
criticism on YouTube oh come on
who are you talking to oh hey Michael
I'm just chatting with Matt jack and
sage from nan dovey movies now you see
it and just right yeah hey hey Michael
hello hi we were just talking about how
your brother is a genius oh no guys
Michael is the real genius and the
family
I mean lessons from a screenplay is fine
but there's something so fresh about
your take Zac oh hey how's your
adaptation video coming along I finished
it last night wait really
ooh can we watch it we can screen share
actually yeah no this will be good guys
is gonna be great in short it's an
embarrassment to the entire YouTube film
criticism community if Zachary acts
possessed any class he would delete the
video that was yeah I mean it's a first
draft is it intentional that it's
effectively a react video complaining
about a react video right was it
supposed to be clever or something video
well this is why I say you shouldn't
just dive in and start writing but I
think it could be saved
actually you guys I was thinking it
could be fun to do a collaboration since
this is the 1 million subscriber video
would you guys be down to make a cameo
in my adaptation video no but hey Zach I
got a run but we'll catch up later all
right yeah take it easy guys really nice
talking you see you later bye bye hey
you hit 1 million subscribers
congratulations
am i interrupting Zack Zack oh sorry I'm
listening you to save the cat on audible
you know this book is really helpful you
should use it sometime on your channel
listen I just want to say I'm sorry that
video was really mean yeah it's pretty
rough felt a little off-brand
I think after being so afraid to write
something it just felt good to be
writing anything even if it was going in
completely the wrong direction and
ultimately useless it's okay I was just
happy to see that you were actually
making progress and it wasn't totally
useless there was um there's this one
part let me put up this it's greater
success is that authentically captures
the neurotic and laborious and dizzying
process of writing something
this is enhanced by the meta aspect of
it being a film about writing the film
the audience is watching that that's
interesting why don't you just make a
video about that but I don't know how to
make a video about that I don't have a
clear picture in my head of the finished
product or how it will be good well
maybe just start see what happens
okay so I'm free writing just typing
away without any kind of filter just
starting to write about how cool it is
that adaptation is a movie about a guy
writing the movie you're watching and
how that manages to capture the writing
process so well but how could that ever
be in l.f.t.s video to truly capture the
essence of the movie you'd have to okay
so we make a lessons from the screenplay
video about adaptation that's actually a
short film about me trying to make a
lesson film scramble a video about
adaptation it opens just like a normal
video hi I'm Michael this is Lester film
screenplay adaptation does XYZ yadda
yadda yadda and then we go in to movie
mode and then there's an acai it's it
you're about to hit a million
subscribers and you need to make the
best l.f.t.s video yes yes okay I love
it and and it follows my journey where
I'm too afraid of failing to begin and
then ultimately have to learn that
sometimes the most important thing is to
just start writing you should write me
into it
you can use the brother to represent a
different take on the theme and convey
exposition through dialogue brilliant
yes great so how does it end okay so it
ends with Michaelmas brother beginning
to write the script for the video people
just watched and then it dissolves back
into l.f.t.s land as I say adaptation is
a great example of how you can use the
medium of your story to enhance the
theme it demonstrates how you can do
something innovative while still
adhering to storytelling fundamentals
and it shows just how fun and stressful
it can be to tackle adaptation hey guys
I hope you enjoyed our 1 million
subscriber video I have a couple thank
yous that OH am I gonna get a mention
just be patient first I want to say
thank you to audible for sponsoring this
video
audible has the largest selection of
audiobooks on the planet and each month
audible members get one credit toward
any audio book of their choice and two
audible originals that you can't get
anywhere oh okay I know this one okay go
to audible.com slash LFT
yes or you can text l.f.t.s to 500 500
start your 30-day trial get your first
audiobook all free thank you to my good
friend Zac Brown for playing my brother
thank you to my good friend Alex que
ellos for directing this short and our
director of photography Terrance Stewart
thank you to the l.f.t.s team Tricia I R
and Brian fit nur and Vince major for
helping develop the story for the video
and thank you to Matt from Nando the
movies Jack from now you see it and sage
from just right for their awesome cameos
head to their channels check out their
videos they're all great and finally
from all of us thank you for watching
and supporting lessons from the
screenplay
you've given us an incredible gift and
we are very very grateful so thank you
for watching and we'll see you next time
bye