:13:00
...I could sure use a drink, my friend.
:13:05
"...but a little fantastic
and fleeting and out of reach."
:13:09
Then what happens?
:13:12
Well, that's the end of the book.
:13:15
I wanted to present it simply...
:13:16
...without big character arcs
or sensationalizing the story.
:13:19
I wanted to show flowers
as God's miracles.
:13:21
I wanted to show that Orlean
never saw the blooming ghost orchid.
:13:25
It was about disappointment.
:13:29
I see.
:13:32
That's not a movie.
:13:34
You gotta go back, put in the drama.
:13:38
I can't go back. I've got pages of
false starts and wrong approaches.
:13:43
- I'm way past my deadline.
- I'll tell you a secret.
:13:49
A last act makes a film.
:13:52
Wow them in the end,
and you got a hit.
:13:55
You can have flaws, problems,
but wow them in the end...
:13:59
...and you've got a hit.
:14:01
Find an ending.
But don't cheat.
:14:05
And don't you dare bring in
a deus ex machina.
:14:10
Your characters must change...
:14:14
...and the change must come from them.
:14:19
Do that and you'll be fine.
:14:24
You promise?
:14:28
Mr. McKee.
:14:33
- Have you taken my course before?
- My brother did.
:14:35
My twin brother, Donald.
He's the one who got me to come.
:14:39
- Twin screenwriters?
- Yeah.
:14:41
Well, Julius and Philip Epstein...
:14:45
...who wrote Casablanca...
:14:48
...they were twins
- You mentioned that in class.
:14:52
Finest screenplay ever written.
:14:54
Great writers' residence.
:14:56
- Donald.
- Hey, how's your trip going?
:14:58
You getting it on with that
lady journalist, you dog you?