STEM content in children's animated movies

(from "Meet the Robinsons")

The table below represents some data I compiled form imdb and Wikipedia. The entry for STEM is subjective and just based on my guess in most cases. In other words, the STEM column is not scientific. The ROI column represents the quotient (gross-budget)/budget. I'm using the worldwide box office as the gross, excluding DVD sales.

There are about 200 moves in this list but only about 170 with available budget data. About 70 of the 200 are STEM, about 60 of them have available budget data. The average ROI of the movies with available budget data is 5.8. The average ROI of the STEM movies with available budget data is 7.6. The average ROI of the non-STEM movies with available budget data is 4.0. The two most profitable movies (based on ROI) are Bambi and The Jungle Book. Both are non-STEM. The biggest box office flop in Disney history is Mars Needs Moms, which is STEM.

Movie	Release Date	Genre	MPAA Rating	Production Budget	Worldwise B.O.    (not DVD sales)	Length	STEM (1=yes, 0=no)	ROI
A Bug's Life	11/20/98	Adventure	G	$45,000,000.00	$363,398,565.00	95	0	7.075
A Cat in Paris	02/24/12	Adventure	PG	n/a	$309,973.00	70	0	n/a
A Goofy Movie	04/07/95	Comedy	G	n/a	n/a	78	0	n/a
Aladdin	11/11/92	Comedy	G	$28,000,000.00	$504,000,000.00	90	0	17
Alice in Wonderland	07/26/51	Comedy	G	n/a	n/a	75	0	n/a
All Dogs Go To Heaven 2	03/29/96	Adventure	G	n/a	n/a	82	0	n/a
Alpha and Omega	09/17/10	Adventure	PG	$20,000,000.00	$48,958,353.00	88	0	1.447
An American Tail	11/21/86	Adventure	G	n/a	$84,542,002.00	80	0	n/a
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West	11/22/91	Adventure	G	n/a	$40,766,041.00	75	0	n/a
Anastasia	11/14/97	Musical	G	$53,000,000.00	$139,801,410.00	94	0	1.637
Antz	10/02/98	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$171,757,863.00	84	1	1.862
Arthur Christmas	11/23/11	Adventure	PG	$85,000,000.00	$149,655,855.00	97	1	0.76
Astro Boy	10/23/09	Adventure	PG	$65,000,000.00	$44,093,014.00	94	1	-0.321
Atlantis: The Lost Empire	06/08/01	Adventure	PG	$90,000,000.00	$186,049,020.00	85	0	1.067
Balto	12/22/95	Adventure	G	n/a	$11,348,324.00	78	1	n/a
Bambi	08/09/42	Adventure	G	$858,000.00	$267,447,150.00	70	1	310.709965035
Barnyard: The Original Party Animals	08/04/06	Comedy	PG	$51,000,000.00	$116,476,887.00	90	0	1.283
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm	12/25/93	Action	PG	$6,000,000.00	$5,617,391.00	76	1	-0.0637681667
Battle for Terra	05/01/09	Adventure	PG	n/a	$6,387,498.00	85	1	n/a
Beauty and the Beast	11/13/91	Musical	G	$25,000,000.00	$424,967,620.00	84	0	15.998
Bee Movie	11/02/07	Comedy	PG	$150,000,000.00	$287,594,577.00	91	1	0.917
Bolt	11/21/08	Comedy	PG	$150,000,000.00	$313,953,759.00	96	1	1.093
Brave	06/22/12	Adventure	PG	$185,000,000.00	$554,606,532.00	93	0	1.997
Brother Bear	10/24/03	Adventure	G	n/a	$250,397,798.00	85	0	n/a
Cars	06/09/06	Comedy	G	$70,000,000.00	$461,983,149.00	117	1	5.599
Cars 2	06/24/11	Adventure	G	$200,000,000.00	$560,155,383.00	106	1	1.80
Cats Don't Dance	03/26/97	Musical	G	$32,000,000.00	$3,588,602.00	75	0	-0.887
Chicken Little	11/04/05	Adventure	G	$60,000,000.00	$314,432,837.00	81	1	4.240
Chicken Run	06/21/00	Adventure	G	$42,000,000.00	$227,793,915.00	84	1	4.423
Clifford's Really Big Movie	04/23/04	Adventure	G	$70,000.00	$3,255,426.00	73	0	45.506
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	09/18/09	Comedy	PG	$100,000,000.00	$236,827,677.00	90	1	1.368
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	09/27/13	Adventure	PG	$78,000,000.00	$274,392,649.00	95	1	2.517
Coraline	02/06/09	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$126,037,057.00	100	0	1.10
Curious George	02/10/06	Comedy	G	$50,000,000.00	$70,114,174.00	86	1	0.402
Delgo	12/12/08	Adventure	PG	$40,000,000.00	n/a	94	0	n/a
Despicable Me	07/09/10	Comedy	PG	$69,000,000.00	$543,495,033.00	95	1	6.876
Despicable Me 2	07/02/13	Comedy	PG	$76,000,000.00	$970,377,487.00	98	1	11.768
Digimon: The Movie	10/06/00	Adventure	PG	$5,000,000.00	$16,643,191.00	82	1	2.3286382
Dino Time	12/07/12	Adventure	PG	n/a	n/a	88	1	n/a
Dinosaur	05/19/00	Adventure	PG	$127,500,000.00	$349,822,765.00	82	1	1.7437079608
Disney Planes	08/09/13	Comedy	PG	$50,000,000.00	$219,782,580.00	91	1	3.3956516
Disney's A Christmas Carol	11/06/09	Drama	PG	$190,000,000.00	$323,743,744.00	96	0	0.7039144421
Doctor Seuss' The Lorax	03/02/12	Adventure	PG	$67,500,000.00	$350,783,479.00	86	0	4.1967922815
Doogal	02/24/06	Adventure	G	$20,000,000.00	$26,691,243.00	78	0	0.33456215
Doug's 1st Movie	03/26/99	Adventure	G	$5,000,000.00	$19,440,089.00	77	0	2.8880178
Dumbo	10/31/41	Adventure	G	$950,000.00	$1,600,000.00	64	0	0.6842105263
Epic	05/24/13	Adventure	PG	$100,000,000.00	$268,418,682.00	102	0	1.68418682
Escape From Planet Earth	02/15/13	Adventure	PG	$40,000,000.00	$74,477,179.00	89	1	0.861929475
Everyone's Hero	09/15/06	Adventure	G	n/a	$16,627,188.00	88	0	n/a
Fantasia 2000	06/16/00	Musical	G	$80,000,000.00	$90,874,570.00	75	0	0.135932125
Finding Nemo	05/30/03	Adventure	G	$94,000,000.00	$936,743,261.00	100	1	8.9653538404
Flushed Away	11/03/06	Comedy	PG	$149,000,000.00	$178,120,010.00	85	0	0.1954363087
Fly Me To the Moon	08/15/08	Adventure	G	$25,000,000.00	$57,546,746.00	84	1	1.30186984
Frankenweenie	10/05/12	Comedy	PG	$39,000,000.00	$81,150,788.00	87	1	1.0807894359
Free Birds	11/01/13	Comedy	PG	$55,000,000.00	$74,179,980.00	91	1	0.3487269091
From Up on Poppy Hill	03/15/13	Drama	PG	$22,000,000.00	$61,459,425.00	91	1	1.7936102273
Frozen	11/22/13	Adventure	PG	$150,000,000.00	$1,267,837,000.00	102	0	7.4522466667
Gnomeo and Juliet	02/11/11	Comedy	G	$36,000,000.00	$193,737,977.00	84	0	4.3816104722
Happily N'Ever After	01/05/07	Comedy	PG	$47,000,000.00	$38,085,778.00	87	0	-0.1896642979
Happy Feet	11/17/06	Adventure	PG	$85,000,000.00	$384,335,608.00	108	0	3.5215953882
Happy Feet Two	11/18/11	Adventure	PG	$135,000,000.00	$157,956,466.00	100	0	0.1700478963
Hercules	06/13/97	Adventure	G	$70,000,000.00	$250,700,000.00	93	0	2.5814285714
Hey Arnold! The Movie	06/28/02	Adventure	PG	$10,000,000.00	$13,684,949.00	76	0	0.3684949
Home on the Range	04/02/04	Comedy	PG	$110,000,000.00	$76,482,461.00	76	0	-0.3047049
Hoodwinked	12/16/05	Comedy	PG	$8,000,000.00	$110,013,167.00	80	0	12.751645875
Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil	04/29/11	Adventure	PG	$30,000,000.00	$23,353,111.00	86	0	-0.2215629667
Horton Hears a Who	03/14/08	Adventure	G	$85,000,000.00	$297,138,014.00	86	0	2.4957413412
Hotel Transylvania	09/28/12	Comedy	PG	$85,000,000.00	$359,222,014.00	91	0	3.2261413412
How to Train Your Dragon	03/26/10	Adventure	PG	$165,000,000.00	$494,870,991.00	98	0	1.9992181273
How to Train Your Dragon 2	06/13/14	Adventure	PG	$145,000,000.00	$428,969,057.00	102	0	1.9584072897
Howl's Moving Castle	06/10/05	Adventure	PG	$24,000,000.00	$235,184,110.00	119	0	n/a
Ice Age	03/15/02	Adventure	PG	$65,000,000.00	$386,116,343.00	81	0	4.9402514308
Ice Age: Continental Drift	07/13/12	Adventure	PG	$95,000,000.00	$879,765,137.00	88	0	8.2606856526
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	07/01/09	Adventure	PG	$90,000,000.00	$886,968,695.00	94	0	8.8552077222
Ice Age: The Meltdown	03/31/06	Adventure	PG	$75,000,000.00	$651,899,282.00	91	0	7.6919904267
Igor	09/19/08	Comedy	PG	$30,000,000.00	$31,013,349.00	87	1	0.0337783
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart	09/24/14	Adventure	PG	$33,746,302.00	n/a	94	0	n/a
James and the Giant Peach	04/12/96	Adventure	PG	n/a	$28,921,264.00	97	0	n/a
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	12/21/01	Adventure	G	$25,000,000.00	$102,992,536.00	82	1	3.11970144
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie	10/04/02	Adventure	G	$14,000,000.00	$25,615,231.00	82	0	0.8296593571
Kung Fu Panda	06/06/08	Adventure	PG	$130,000,000.00	$631,910,531.00	92	0	3.8608502385
Kung Fu Panda 2	05/26/11	Adventure	PG	$150,000,000.00	$664,837,547.00	91	0	3.4322503133
Last Flight of the Champion	08/30/13	Comedy	PG	n/a	n/a	88	1	n/a
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole 3D	09/24/10	Adventure	PG	$100,000,000.00	$139,906,561.00	97	0	0.39906561
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return	05/09/14	Adventure	PG	$70,000,000.00	$8,460,990.00	88	0	-0.8791287143
Lilo & Stitch	06/21/02	Adventure	PG	$80,000,000.00	$245,800,000.00	85	1	2.0725
Madagascar	05/27/05	Adventure	PG	$75,000,000.00	$532,680,671.00	86	0	6.1024089467
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	06/08/12	Adventure	PG	$145,000,000.00	$746,921,271.00	93	0	4.1511811793
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	11/07/08	Comedy	PG	$150,000,000.00	$602,308,178.00	89	0	3.0153878533
Mars Needs Moms	03/11/11	Adventure	PG	$150,000,000.00	$39,549,758.00	88	1	-0.7363349467
Meet the Robinsons	03/30/07	Adventure	G	n/a	$170,552,719.00	95	1	n/a
Megamind	11/05/10	Adventure	PG	$130,000,000.00	$321,887,208.00	95	1	1.4760554462
Mia and the Migoo	03/25/11	Adventure	PG	$11,218,368.00	$16,975.00	92	0	-0.9984868566
Monster House	07/21/06	Adventure	PG	$75,000,000.00	$141,267,370.00	91	0	0.8835649333
Monsters University	06/21/13	Adventure	G	$200,000,000.00	$743,588,329.00	104	1	2.717941645
Monsters vs. Aliens	03/27/09	Adventure	PG	$175,000,000.00	$381,687,380.00	94	1	1.1810707429
Monsters, Inc.	11/02/01	Adventure	G	$115,000,000.00	$559,757,719.00	92	0	3.8674584261
Mr. Peabody & Sherman	03/07/14	Adventure	PG	$145,000,000.00	$269,667,176.00	92	1	0.8597736276
Mulan	06/19/98	Adventure	G	$90,000,000.00	$303,500,000.00	88	0	2.3722222222
Oliver & Company	11/18/88	Adventure	G	n/a	$74,151,346.00	74	0	n/a
Once Upon a Forest	06/18/93	Adventure	G	$13,000,000.00	$6,582,052.00	71	0	-0.4936883077
Open Season	09/29/06	Adventure	PG	$85,000,000.00	$197,309,027.00	83	0	1.3212826706
Over the Hedge	05/19/06	Comedy	PG	$80,000,000.00	$336,002,996.00	83	0	3.20003745
ParaNorman	08/17/12	Comedy	PG	$60,000,000.00	$108,161,867.00	92	0	0.8026977833
Peter Pan	02/05/53	Adventure	PG	$4,000,000.00	$87,404,651.00	77	0	#VALUE!
Peter Pan: Return to Neverland	02/15/02	Adventure	G	$20,000,000.00	$109,862,682.00	72	0	4.4931341
Piglet's Big Movie	03/21/03	Comedy	G	n/a	$62,870,546.00	75	0	n/a
Pinocchio	02/07/40	Adventure	G	$2,200,000.00	$84,254,167.00	88	0	37.2973486364
Pippi Longstocking	08/22/97	Musical	G	$11,500,000.00	$505,335.00	75	0	-0.9560578261
Planes: Fire and Rescue	07/18/14	Adventure	PG	$50,000,000.00	$63,922,206.00	83	1	0.27844412
Planet 51	11/20/09	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$108,996,113.00	91	1	0.8166018833
Pocahontas	06/10/95	Adventure	G	$55,000,000.00	$347,100,000.00	81	0	5.3109090909
Pokemon 2000	07/21/00	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$133,946,923.00	99	0	3.4648974333
Pokemon 3: The Movie	04/06/01	Adventure	G	$16,000,000.00	$68,411,275.00	93	0	3.2757046875
Pokemon 4Ever	10/11/02	Adventure	G	n/a	$28,032,301.00	75	0	n/a
Pokemon Heroes	05/16/03	Adventure	G	n/a	$744,928.00	71	1	n/a
Pokemon: The First Movie	11/10/99	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$163,644,662.00	96	1	4.4548220667
Pooh's Heffalump Movie	02/11/05	Adventure	G	$20,000,000.00	$52,858,433.00	68	0	1.64292165
Puss in Boots	10/28/11	Adventure	PG	$130,000,000.00	$554,987,477.00	90	0	3.2691344385
Quest for Camelot	05/15/98	Adventure	G	$40,000,000.00	$38,172,500.00	86	0	-0.0456875
Rango	03/04/11	Adventure	PG	$135,000,000.00	$245,504,574.00	107	1	0.8185524
Ratatouille	06/29/07	Comedy	G	$150,000,000.00	$623,722,818.00	111	0	3.15815212
Rio	04/15/11	Adventure	G	$90,000,000.00	$487,519,809.00	96	0	4.4168867667
Rio 2	04/11/14	Adventure	G	$130,000,000.00	$493,049,316.00	101	0	2.7926870462
Rise of the Guardians	11/21/12	Adventure	PG	$145,000,000.00	$306,900,902.00	97	0	1.1165579448
Robots	03/11/05	Adventure	PG	$80,000,000.00	$260,700,012.00	91	1	2.25875015
Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss	10/27/06	Adventure	G	n/a	$463,002.00	76	0	n/a
Rugrats Go Wild	06/13/03	Adventure	PG	$25,000,000.00	$55,443,032.00	80	1	1.21772128
Rugrats in Paris	11/17/00	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$103,284,813.00	78	0	2.4428271
Shark Tale	10/01/04	Adventure	PG	$75,000,000.00	$367,275,019.00	90	1	3.8970002533
Shrek	05/18/01	Adventure	PG	$50,000,000.00	$484,409,218.00	90	0	8.68818436
Shrek 2	05/19/04	Adventure	PG	$70,000,000.00	$937,008,132.00	93	0	12.3858304571
Shrek Forever After	05/21/10	Adventure	PG	$165,000,000.00	$756,244,673.00	93	0	3.5833010485
Shrek the Third	05/17/07	Adventure	PG	$160,000,000.00	$798,958,162.00	93	0	3.9934885125
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas	07/02/03	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$80,767,884.00	83	0	0.3461314
Space Chimps	07/18/08	Adventure	G	$37,000,000.00	$67,029,956.00	81	1	0.8116204324
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron	05/24/02	Adventure	G	$80,000,000.00	$106,515,310.00	83	0	0.331441375
Spirited Away	09/20/02	Adventure	PG	$19,000,000.00	$274,949,886.00	125	0	13.4710466316
SpongeBob SquarePants	11/19/04	Adventure	PG	$30,000,000.00	$140,416,609.00	87	0	3.6805536333
Star Wars: The Clone Wars	08/15/08	Adventure	PG	$8,500,000.00	$68,161,554.00	98	1	7.0190063529
Surf's Up	06/08/07	Adventure	PG	$100,000,000.00	$149,044,513.00	85	0	0.49044513
Tangled	11/24/10	Adventure	PG	$260,000,000.00	$586,581,936.00	100	0	1.2560843692
Tarzan	06/16/99	Adventure	G	$145,000,000.00	$448,191,819.00	88	0	2.0909780621
Teacher's Pet: The Movie	01/16/04	Comedy	PG	$10,000,000.00	$6,491,969.00	74	1	-0.3508031
The Adventures of Tintin	12/21/11	Adventure	PG	$130,000,000.00	$373,993,951.00	107	1	1.8768765462
The Ant Bully	07/28/06	Adventure	PG	$45,000,000.00	$49,610,898.00	88	0	0.1024644
The Corpse Bride	09/16/05	Adventure	PG	$30,000,000.00	$114,770,654.00	77	0	2.8256884667
The Croods	03/22/13	Adventure	PG	$135,000,000.00	$573,068,425.00	98	0	3.2449512963
The Emperor's New Groove	12/15/00	Adventure	G	$100,000,000.00	$169,296,573.00	78	0	0.69296573
The Fantastic Mr. Fox	11/13/09	Adventure	PG	$40,000,000.00	$46,498,922.00	87	0	0.16247305
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	06/21/96	Adventure	G	$100,000,000.00	$325,500,000.00	91	0	2.255
The Illusionist	12/25/10	Adventure	PG	$17,000,000.00	$5,631,474.00	80	0	-0.6687368235
The Incredibles	11/05/04	Adventure	PG	$92,000,000.00	$631,442,092.00	115	1	5.863501
The Iron Giant	08/04/99	Adventure	PG	$50,000,000.00	$31,000,000.00	86	1	#VALUE!
The Jungle Book	10/18/67	Adventure	G	$4,000,000.00	$205,800,000.00	78	0	50.45
The Jungle Book 2	02/14/03	Adventure	G	$20,000,000.00	$135,703,599.00	72	0	5.78517995
The Land Before Time	11/18/88	Adventure	G	$12,500,000.00	$84,460,846.00	69	1	5.75686768
The Lego Movie	02/07/14	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$457,709,556.00	100	1	6.6284926
The Lion King	06/15/94	Adventure	G	$45,000,000.00	$987,483,777.00	89	0	20.9440839333
The Lion of Judah	06/03/11	Adventure	PG	$15,000,000.00	n/a	87	0	n/a
The Little Mermaid	11/15/89	Adventure	G	$40,000,000.00	$211,343,479.00	82	0	4.283586975
The Nightmare Before Christmas	10/13/93	Musical	PG	$18,000,000.00	$76,128,123.00	76	0	3.2293401667
The Nut Job	01/17/14	Adventure	PG	$30,000,000.00	$66,251,538.00	85	0	1.2083846
The Pebble and the Penguin	04/12/95	Adventure	G	$28,000,000.00	$3,983,912.00	74	0	-0.8577174286
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie	01/11/08	Comedy	G	$15,000,000.00	$13,146,773.00	85	0	-0.1235484667
The Pirates! Band of Misfits	04/27/12	Adventure	PG	$55,000,000.00	$124,080,105.00	88	0	1.2560019091
The Polar Express	11/10/04	Adventure	G	$170,000,000.00	$307,514,317.00	100	1	0.8089077471
The Powerpuff Girls	07/03/02	Adventure	PG	$25,000,000.00	$16,425,701.00	73	1	-0.34297196
The Prince of Egypt	12/18/98	Adventure	PG	$60,000,000.00	$218,600,000.00	99	0	2.6433333333
The Princess and the Cobbler	08/25/95	Adventure	G	$28,000,000.00	$669,276.00	72	0	-0.9760972857
The Princess and the Frog	11/25/09	Adventure	G	$105,000,000.00	$270,997,378.00	97	0	1.5809274095
The Princess and the Goblin	06/03/94	Adventure	G	$10,000,000.00	$2,105,078.00	82	0	-0.7894922
The Road to El Dorado	03/31/00	Adventure	PG	$95,000,000.00	$65,700,000.00	89	0	-0.3084210526
The Rugrats Movie	11/20/98	Adventure	G	$28,000,000.00	$140,894,685.00	79	0	4.0319530357
The Secret World of Arietty	02/17/12	Adventure	G	$23,000,000.00	$145,570,827.00	94	1	5.3291663913
The Swan Princess	11/18/94	Romantic Comedy	G	$35,000,000.00	$9,771,658.00	90	0	-0.7208097714
The Tale of Despereaux	12/19/08	Adventure	G	$60,000,000.00	$90,482,317.00	93	0	0.5080386167
The Ten Commandments	10/19/07	Adventure	PG	$10,000,000.00	$1,051,907.00	88	0	-0.8948093
The Tigger Movie	02/11/00	Adventure	G	$20,000,000.00	$96,147,688.00	77	0	3.8073844
The Wild	04/14/06	Adventure	G	$80,000,000.00	$139,722,445.00	94	1	0.7465305625
The Wild Thornberrys	12/20/02	Adventure	PG	$25,000,000.00	$60,694,737.00	85	0	1.42778948
Thumbelina	03/30/94	Musical	G	$28,000,000.00	$11,373,501.00	86	0	-0.5938035357
Titan A.E.	06/16/00	Adventure	PG	$75,000,000.00	$36,754,634.00	94	1	-0.5099382133
TMNT	03/23/07	Action	PG	$35,000,000.00	$95,608,995.00	87	0	1.7316855714
Top Cat	08/02/13	Comedy	PG	n/a	$14,714,672.00	90	0	n/a
Toy Story	11/22/95	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$364,530,148.00	81	1	11.1510049333
Toy Story 2	11/19/99	Adventure	G	$90,000,000.00	$485,015,179.00	92	1	4.3890575444
Toy Story 3	06/18/10	Adventure	G	$200,000,000.00	$1,063,759,456.00	103	0	4.31879728
Treasure Planet	11/27/02	Adventure	PG	$100,000,000.00	$91,800,000.00	95	1	-0.082
Turbo	07/17/13	Adventure	PG	$135,000,000.00	$283,828,130.00	96	1	1.1024305926
Up	05/29/09	Adventure	PG	$175,000,000.00	$731,542,621.00	96	1	3.1802435486
Valiant	08/19/05	Adventure	G	$35,000,000.00	$61,746,888.00	76	1	0.7641968
WALL-E	06/27/08	Adventure	G	$180,000,000.00	$532,590,994.00	98	1	1.9588388556
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit	10/05/05	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$197,593,152.00	85	1	5.5864384
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story	11/24/93	Adventure	G	n/a	n/a	72	1	n/a
Winnie the Pooh	07/15/11	Adventure	G	$30,000,000.00	$44,692,846.00	63	0	0.4897615333
Wreck-It Ralph	11/02/12	Adventure	PG	$165,000,000.00	$473,412,677.00	101	1	1.8691677394
Yu-Gi-Oh	08/13/04	Adventure	PG	n/a	$29,170,410.00	89	0	n/a

The GMU Studio A series of videos

Maryland screenwriter Jamie Nash being interviewed at Studio A.

George Mason University has a excellent series of 30 minute videos called Studio A hosted by GMU professor Rick Davis. Here is a listing and short description. Most subjects are people in the film or TV business who live in the VA-DC-MD area, but some are from NY or CA.

Rick Davis and Ann Hornaday on the Studio A set

1. Studio A: Kathryn O'Sullivan and Paul Awad
   
   Husband and wife team of director and screenwriter for the western web series, Thurston.
   Good discussion of webseries development.
   
   
2. Studio A: Shanti Thakur
   
   Shanti teaches at Film Hunter College in NYC. Writes and directs high-concept shorts. Good general discussion of filmmaking in general.
   
   
   
3. Studio A: Jean-Paul Chreky
   
   Excellent discussion of a script supervisor's role
   
   
4. Studio A: Melissa Bisagni
   
   Melissa Bisagni is the Smithsonian Film & Video Center Program Manager. Good discussion of the Native American Indian in film.
   
   
5. Studio A: Lance Kramer
   
   Lance Kramer co-founded Meridian Hill Pictures, a production company, with his brother. They specialize in documentaries and education. Good discussion of production issues and documentary filmmaking.
   
   
6. Studio A: Erin Essenmacher
   
   Erin Essenmacher is an award-winning writer, director and producer of docuemhtary films. She serves on the board of directors of Gandhi Brigade and is President of the board of Women in Film and Video, Washington, DC. Excellent discussion of documentary filmmmaking, women in film, indie film.
   
   
7. Studio A: Jamie Nash
   
   Scriptwriter for "Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer", "Altered", and others. Good discussion of nuts and bolts of being a fulltime screenplaywriter. Jamie has partnered a number of projects with Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project) and other co-writers. He talks about the co-writing process, the production process form the writers' perspective and about Amazon Studios' model.
   
   
8. Studio A: Tai Burkholder
   
   Excellent discussion of an executive producers' role, a producers' role, line producer's (also a production supervisor's) role, and a production manager's role.
   
   
9. Studio A: Mark Ruppert
   
   Ruppert created the 48 Hour Film Project. He got the idea from the already popular 24 hour playwright project. Excellent discussion of creating short films in a short amount of time.
   
   
10. Studio A: Otessa Ghadar
    
    Otessa Ghadar is the founder and president of new media production company 20/20 Productions. Otessa is most known for her long-running webisode "Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden", which is all about teens growing up/getting down/coming out in the 90s. Great discussion of the production side of making a web-series and connection with social media.
    
    
11. Studio A: Thomas Kaufman
    
    Tom Kaufman is a award-winning DP, with a lot of documentary and TV experience. (He is also a mystery novel writer.) Excellent discussion of the work of a director of photography.
    
    
12. Studio A: Marc Lieberman
    
    Marc is a producer and partner with Cavalier Film, and produces for the Onion News Network. Cavelier Films is one of the few production companies with an open submission process. Excellent discussion of indie film business.
    (The audio is way out of sync in this video.)
    
    
13. Studio A: Megan Holley
    
    Megan is a screenwriter and film editor. Excellent discussion of being an indie screenwriter.
    She has also directed films and discussed aspects of the production pipeline.
    (The audio is out of sync in this video as well.)
    
    
14. Studio A: Estel Dillon
    
    Videographer, editor, photographer for NBC News for 25+ years. Discusses his experiences as a TV news cameraman.
    (The audio is out of sync in this video as well.)
    
    
15. Studio A: Eric Weissmann
    
    Eric is an entertainment lawyer in southern California, a so-called "super lawyer." Discusses his experiences as an entertainment lawyer. Lots of funny anecdotes.
    
    
    
16. Studio A: Peggy Pridemore
    
    Location manager for many productions, such as Argo, and many of the major films which have a portion of the film shot in DC. Excellent discussion
    of the duties of a location manager in the DC area.
    
    
17. Studio A: Marshall Herskowitz
    
    Herskovitz was a creator and executive producer of the television shows Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again, and also wrote and directed several episodes of all three series. He frequently collaborates with Zwick, with whom he runs the film and television production company The Bedford Falls Company. Excellent discussion of TV series writing and production.
    
    
18. Studio A: Angel Sepulveda
    
    He is a filmmaker who has a lot of experience with music videos. Good discussion of low-budget filmmaking.
    
    
19. Studio A: Michael Gabel
    
    Michael Gabel is a DC actor with lots of experience in theater, TV and feature film. He describes his experiences as a character actor who works mostly in the DC area.
    
    
20. Studio A: Craig Maniglia
    
    Craig owns a post-production company. Good discussion of his experiences in running the day-to-day operations.
    
    
21. Studio A: Rob Newcomb
    
    Rob is a producer, actor, cameraman, filmmaker and GMU alum. He discusses his life and experiences, as well as details of the production side of the business.
    
    
22. Studio A: Dionne Audain
    
    Dionne is an African-American actor in the DC area, active in theater, TV, and film. Great discussion of her experiences as a DC area actor.
    
    
23. Studio A: Roshini Thinakaran
    
    Roshini is a journalist and filmmaker, and a GMU graduate. Her documentaries focus on women in war zones.
    
    
    
24. Studio A: Jon Gann
    
    Jon is a film festival coordinator, the founder of the DC Film Alliance, and DC Shorts Film Festival, Gann created theGannAgency (marketing and design services) and GannFilms (video and film production) - continuously run commercial enterprises since 1989. Excellent discussion of filmmaking and the film festival in DC.
    
    
25. Studio A: Eric Espejo & Tanner Cooley
    
    Eric is a film writer/director who is also VP of 19th & Wilson, Inc. a production company in northern Virginia.
    
    
    
26. Studio A: Jeffrey Cooper
    
    Jeffrey Cooper is the founder and president of Cut Entertainment Group, an international media sales and film distribution agency. Excellent discussion of the film distribution (sales) agency business (who connect film producers to theatrical distribution company).
    
    
    
27. Studio A: Eduardo Sanchez
    
    The co-writer, co-director, producer of The Blair Witch Project talks about his career and ground breaking films. Made for $20K, Blair Witch eventually made $240M. After Blair Witch, Eduardo Sanchez frequently partnered with Jamie Nash (also interviewed by GMU). Excellent discussion of the film business by a Maryland filmmaker.
    
    
28. Studio A: Mark Peterson
    
    Co-writer of At the Top of the Pyramid (2011)
    
    
    
    
29. Studio A: Aaron Peters
    
    Aaron is a TV writer. Excellent discussion of TV comedy. He has the opinion that breaking into comedy now is easier than before. He suggests if you can make a funny low-budget webseries, which enables you to build a large audience, you will get noticed. Nothing like that was possible years ago.
    
    
    
30. Studio A: Mimi Machado-Luces
    
    Mimi is Producer, Writer, Director and president of TVA productions. Excellent discussion of TV production, director and writer, primarily of non-fiction and documentaries programs.
    
    
    
31. Studio A: Tim Gordon
    
    Tim Gordon is a DC area film critic and WAFCA chairman. Excellent discussion of films and film criticism.
    
    
    
32. Studio A: Catherine Wyler
    
    Film producer (and daughter of William Wyler). Fascinating discussion of life as daughter of a Hollywood legend and as a film producer.
    
    
    
33. Studio A: Joseph G. Hall
    
    John is a local area director and producer of short films.
    
    
34. Studio A: Diane Raver
    
    Diane Raver was the first woman in New York City to own a film production company. Raver is a well-known film producer and the festival director for The Garden State Film Festival. She recently won the 2011 Alice Guy Blache Award. Excellent discussion of the life of a producer, even of commercials.
    
    
35. Studio A: Dennis Boni
    
    Dennis Boni is an award winning cinematographer working on such projects as the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth. A Steadicam operator for more than 20 years, Boni was one of the few cinematographers handpicked to be trained by Garret Brown, inventor of the Steadicam. Excellent discussion of the life of a DP focusing in the documentary/non-fiction world.
    
    
36. Studio A: Michael Pack
    
    Michael Pack is a Writer, Producer, and Director for such documentary films as Rediscovering George Washington and Rediscovering Alexander
    Hamilton. Pack is President of Manifold Productions, Inc., an independent film and television production company, founded in 1977. From 2003-2006, he served as Senior Vice President for Television Programming at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
    
    
    
37. Studio A: Kevin McCarthy
    
    Kevin "BDK" McCarthy is a film critic in the Washington D.C. metro area. He began his movie reviewing career on "The Junkies Morning Show", heard on 106.7 WJFK-FM. He also hosts his own movie show on WJFK. In the summer of 2007, Kevin was hired as the movie reviewer for the Fox affiliate in Washington D.C.
    
    
    
38. Studio A: Kathleen Jones
    
    Kathleen Jones has served as Unit Coordinator for Special Units, Field Producer and Associate producer for various programs at National Geographic TV. She is also writer and co-founder of Doc&aDrink, a blog for those hooked on documentaries.
    
    
    
39. Studio A: Christian D'Andrea
    
    Christian D’Andrea is credited with co-developing a widely used energy bar for soldiers and civilians alike called SoldierFuel, an idea he came up with while working on HALO: Freefall Warriors, a documentary he created and executive produced for Discovery Communication, LLC networks. D’Andrea is currently producing Searching for God in Iraq, a six-part documentary series examining the presence of religion and the role of chaplains in the U.S. war in Iraq. Please visit storyfoundry.org for more information on upcoming projects.
    
    
    
40. Studio A: Ron Maxwell
    
    As an actor, writer, producer, and director, Ron F. Maxwell has a wealth of filmmaking experience. His titles include Little Darlings, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, and Emmy award- winning Verna: USO Girl. For more information, visit: ronmaxwell.com.
    
    
    
41. Studio A: Aviva Kempner
    
    Aviva Kempner is a long time filmmaker whose works have covered a broad range of issues, both domestic and international. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is one of her most noted works. She served as the documentary’s writer, director, and producer. Kempner is also the founder of the Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Ciesla Foundation that is dedicated to producing and distributing films to educate the public on social issues of the past and present.
    
    
42. Studio A: Ted Leonsis
    
    
    Ted is a very successful and wealthy businessman who has funded some films,
    in particular the documentary film Nanking.
    
    
43. Studio A: Robert Henninger
    
    Robert L. Henninger is President & CEO of the Arlington, Virginia based Henninger Media Services, Inc. Following a stint as a freelance editor, he founded what was then known as Henninger Video in 1983. In the last twenty-five years, Henninger Media Services, Inc. has grown to become one of the foremost full-service production facilities in the Washington Metropolitan area, having won multiple awards. Please visit henninger.com for more information.
    
    
44. Studio A: Craig MacGowan
    
    Craig MacGowan is a producer and director with over 35 years of experience in film, television, digital video and audio technology. MacGowan’s most recent documentary, The Face: Jesus in Art, won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Photography. He has also lent his talents to the PBS special The Body of Christ in the Art of Europe and New Spain 1150-1800. Please visit: voyagerproductions.com for information.
    
    
45. Studio A: Barry Sisson
    
    Barry R. Sisson is a businessman turned filmmaker and President of Virginia based independent Cavalier Films. His aim is to merge his business principles with independent film production. His first film project, The Station Agent, went on to win the coveted Audience award at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Miramax Films. Sisson’s second film is Familiar Strangers.
    
    
    
46. Studio A: Richard Squires
    
    Richard Squires is an up and coming filmmaker whose recent credits include writer/director of Crazy Like a Fox, a story of a Virginia farmer’s struggles with betrayal and how he chooses to deal with it. The film's stars include Emmy award-winning actor Roger Rees and Academy award nominee Mary McDonnell.
    
    
    
47. Studio A: Caren Cross
    
    Caren Cross is a writer/director of documentary films. She wrote and directed the documentary Lost and Found in Mexico.
    
    
    
48. Studio A: Holly and Paul Fine
    
    Holly and Paul Fine are a husband and wife team of documentary producer/directors. With over 38 years of experience in the industry, their works have garnered ten National Emmy and 75 Local Emmy awards, as well as three Peabody awards. The couple has had a long association with the CBS news program 60 Minutes and has also produced a number of other television specials including In the Killing Fields of America. After leaving CBS, the Fines signed on with ABC to produce specials for hit series: 20/20, Turning Point, and Primetime Live.
    
    
49. Studio A: Rita McClenny
    
    Rita D. McClenny is a steadfast advocate of the entertainment industry operating in Virginia. She is the Vice President of Industry Relations
    and Film for the Virginia Film office.
    
    
50. Studio A: Sarah Stein
    
    Sarah Stein has established her career as an editor and director of documentary films and television. She lent her talents to both Academy
    and Emmy award-winning projects such as The Bolero, Princeton: A Search for Answers, and Chimps: So Like Us, among other critically acclaimed projects.
    
    
51. Studio A: Cuong LeNguyen
    
    Cuong LeNguyen was a Producer/Director for Arlington Public School in Virginia for which he co-produced and edited the series, Claro! English for Parents, a program geared toward parents for whom English is a second language. He was also the Senior Motion Graphics Designer at Home Front Communications in Washington, DC where he created commercials, PSAs and high-end videos for a wide range of commercial, non-profit, and government organizations. Cuong currently is an independent producer and motion graphics designer developing video content for clients that include Animal Planet, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    
    
    
52. Studio A: Mark Stoeckinger
    
    Mark Stoeckinger is the sound editor for such films as The Italian Job, Last Samurai, Mission Impossible, and Star Trek.
    
    
53. Studio A: Michael Kang
    
    Michael Kang is a NY-based writer and director, best known for his films, The Motel and Knots aka Four Wedding Planners.
    
    
    
54. Studio A: Michael Walter
    
    Michael Walter is a broadcast journalist turned filmmaker. His documentary film, "Breaking News, Breaking Down" reveals for the first time, how traumatic news events affects those who report them. "Breaking News, Breaking Down" won the 2010 Cannes Best Short Documentary Award.
    
    
55. Studio A: Patricia Hess
    
    Patricia Doherty Hess has film crew credits for a number of films with her most recent being production manager for Philomena, Night at the Museum:
    Battle of the Smithsonian, Eagle Eye, Get Smart; as well as award winning TV mini-series Angels in America.
    
    
56. Studio A: Ann Hornaday
    
    Ann Hornaday is a Washington Post film critic.
    
    
57. Studio A: John Kelly
    
    John Kelly has worked as a freelance Production and Office Assistant for such shows as Law and Order, Gossip Girl, and A Legal Mind. Having
    only been in the field of film and television since graduation from New York University in 2007, John’s views on the industry and how to
    break into the field, offers students a glimpse of what they will face upon their own graduation.
    
    
58. Studio A: Andrew Simpson
    
    A look into the career of music composer and silent film accompanist, Andrew Simpson.
    
    
    

Rafael Alvarez on Chaim Potok

In his keynote address to the 2014 Maryland Writers Association Conference, Rafael Alvarez spoke about the "Wisdom of Chaim Potok." Mr Alvarez (and the MWA) kindly allowed his talk to be videoed:


Some brief notes (what I note below is as much the wisdom of Rafael Alvarez and Chaim Potok):
Potok taught writing at JHU in 1996 and allowed Rafael Alvarez, a Baltimore Sun reporter who had not yet published his first book, to sit in. Knowing Potok commuted in my train from Philadelphia, Rafael volunteered to pick him up at the station and drive him to JHU. In this way, he collected the wisdom of Chaim Potok on writing, with the intention of writing an essay on Potok for the Sun. While the essay was never written, this talk is the essay he would have written.

Potok wrote The Chosen, which is a work of literary fiction that sold 3.5 million copies. It was also made into a movie starring Rod Steiger. He wrote about a dozen other books, both fiction and non-fiction, and is highly regarded as a writer of Jewish culture, history and philosophy.

As a teacher at JHU, Potok looks for a students "voice". He also stressed the carpentry, the hard work and the the craft, of writing. Writing is not "won" by the smartest, the most talented, the swiftest. It requires courage and hard work and diligence. Voice can be learned. Keep having new experiences. Don't repeat yourself. Always strive to improve and do better. For a short story, say 10 pages, Potok would write at least a dozen drafts of the overall content and 20 drafts of individual portions. For Potok, the writer is not that different from the sculptor. Both create their works from their imagination - the writer is using the English language and the sculptor a block of marble. However, the writer, Potok says, must first create his marble before he or she can start on crafting the story. It is through the heart and human imagination that we document our stories. We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

For more details of this great lecture, see the video above.

Parsing fountain files

Fountain is a markup language for screenplays and stageplays, developed by John August, Nima Yousefi, Stu Maschwitz, and others.

How can you get information from a fountain file, such as a character list? One way is to convert it to another format and use a commercial product (such as Final Draft) or import it into Trelby (which is free) and use the character report feature.

This post just gives some simple Python functions on how to do this. All code mentioned here is copyright of myself and licensed under the modified BSD license. (Actually, the code for the character graph requires Sage, a free mathematical software system which is based on Python.)

First, let's take an example of a fountain document, such as John August's Big Fish (2003) script. (It is directed by Tim Burton, and I highly recommend it, if you haven't seen it already.)

The screenplay, in fountain and as a pdf, can be downloaded (free) from fountain.io.

The first function simply returns the list of scenes (optionally, with line numbers).

def scene_list(input_ftn_file, line_numbers = False):
    """
    
    INPUT:
       input_ftn_file could be "/path/my-script.fountain"

    OUTPUT:
       list of scenes occurring in script

    """
    f = open(input_ftn_file)
    lines = f.readlines()
    scene_lst = []
    for j in range(len(lines)):
        x = lines[j]
        if x[:3].upper() == "INT" or x[:3].upper() == "EXT":
            if line_numbers == True:
                scene_lst.append([j,x[:-1]])
            else:
                scene_lst.append(x[:-1])
    f.close()
    return scene_lst

For example, Big Fish has 194 scenes and we can see a partial list (with the line numbers in the script) as follows:

>>> scene_list(input_ftn_file, line_numbers = True)
[[30, "INT.  WILL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (1973)"],
 [39, 'EXT.  CAMPFIRE - NIGHT (1977)'],
 [62, 'INT.  BLOOM FRONT HALL - NIGHT (1987)'],
 [snip]
 [4623, 'EXT.  RIVER / UNDERWATER - DAY']]
>>> len(scene_list(input_ftn_file, line_numbers = True))
194

The next function simply (tries) to return a complete character list:

def character_list(input_ftn_file):
    """
    
    INPUT:
       input_ftn_file could be "/home/wdj/my-script.fountain"

    OUTPUT:
       list of characters with speaking parts occurring in script

    """
    f = open(input_ftn_file,'r')
    lines = f.readlines()
    char_list = []
    N = len(lines)
    for j in range(1,N-1):
        x = lines[j]
        if lines[j-1] == "\n" and lines[j+1] != "\n" and x.isupper():
            char = x[:-1]
            if "(" in char and ")" in char:
                i1 = char.index("(")
                i2 = char.index(")")
                char = char[:i1]
            if char[-1] == " ":
                char = char[:-1]
            if "\xc2\xa0" in char:
                char = char.replace("\xc2\xa0","")
            if "\xc2" in char:
                char = char.replace("\xc2","")
            if "\xa0" in char:
                char = char.replace("\xa0","")
            if not(char in char_list):
                char_list.append(char)
    f.close()
    return char_list

In the case of Big Fish, we get the following list:

>>> character_list(input_ftn_file)
['EDWARD',
 'LITTLE BRAVE',
 'WILL',
 "WILL'S DATE",
 'EDWARD AND WILL',
 'SANDRA',
 'YOUNG DR. BENNETT',
 'JOSEPHINE',
 'ZACKY',
 'DON PRICE',
 'WILBUR FREELY',
 'RUTHIE',
 'ADULT EDWARD',
 'DR. BENNETT',
 'YOUNG WILL',
 'YOUNG EDWARD',
 'GIRL',
 'SHARECROPPER',
 'LITTLE GIRL',
 'HOT-BLOODED SHOTGUN TOTER',
 'MAYOR',
 'SOME FARMER',
 'SHEPHARD',
 'A VOICE',
 'VOICE',
 'KARL',
 'VARIOUS TOWNFOLK',
 "MAN'S VOICE",
 'BEAMEN',
 'MILDRED',
 'NORTHER WINSLOW',
 "A GIRL'S VOICE",
 'JENNY',
 'A DEEP VOICE',
 'CASHIER',
 'AMOS',
 "A MAN'S VOICE",
 'JUMP LEADER',
 'PING',
 'JING',
 'THE MAN',
 'TELLER WOMAN',
 "WOMAN'S VOICE",
 'STUDENT',
 'NURSE',
 'THE CROWD',
 'SON',
 'KID']

There are 48 characters in this list.

What if you want to know what scenes a given character occurs in? You can use the following function.

def character_scene_list(input_ftn_file, name):
    """
    
    INPUT:
       input_ftn_file could be "/home/wdj/my-script.fountain"
       name could be "MARY" 

    OUTPUT:
       list of scenes that character has speaking parts in

    """
    f = open(input_ftn_file)
    lines = f.readlines()
    char_list = character_list(input_ftn_file)
    scene_lst = scene_list(input_ftn_file, line_numbers = True)
    scene_indices = [x[0] for x in scene_lst]
    char_scene_list = []
    number_of_scenes = len(scene_lst)
    for j in range(number_of_scenes-1):
        for k in range(scene_indices[j],scene_indices[j+1]):
             if name in lines[k]:
                 char_scene_list.append(lines[scene_indices[j]][:-1])
                 break
    f.close()
    return char_scene_list

In the case of Big Fish, we have the following example for one of the main characters, Edward:

>>> character_scene_list(input_ftn_file, "EDWARD")
["INT.  WILL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (1973)",
 'EXT.  CAMPFIRE - NIGHT (1977)',
 'INT.  BLOOM FRONT HALL - NIGHT (1987)',
 'INT.  TINY PARIS RESTAURANT (LA RUE 14\xc2\xb0) - NIGHT (1998)',
 'EXT.  OUTSIDE LA RUE 14\xc2\xb0 - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  RIVER - DAY',
 'INT.  747 / FLYING - NIGHT',
 'INT.  BLOOM HOUSE - NIGHT  ',
 'EXT.  FIELD AT THE SWAMP EDGE - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  A CREEPY OLD HOUSE - NIGHT  ',
 'EXT. APPROACHING THE HOUSE',
 'EXT. BACK AT THE GATE - NIGHT  ',
 "EXT.  AT THE OLD WOMAN'S DOOR - NIGHT",
 'INT.  GUEST ROOM - DAY',
 "INT.  WILL'S BEDROOM - DAY  [FLASHBACK]",
 'INT.  TINY CHURCH - DAY  ',
 "INT.  YOUNG EDWARD'S BEDROOM - DAY  ",
 'EXT.  BASEBALL FIELD - DAY  ',
 'EXT.  GRADUATION STAGE - DAY  ',
 'EXT.  COURT HOUSE - DAY',
 'EXT.  HILL OUTSIDE ASHTON - DAY',
 'EXT.  MAIN STREET OF ASHTON - DAY',
 'EXT.  ROAD - DAY',
 'EXT. FURTHER ALONG - ROUGH PATH',
 'EXT.  THE DARK FOREST - DAY [LATER]',
 'EXT.  THE TOWN OF SPECTRE   - DAY',
 "INT.   BEAMEN'S HOUSE - DAY",
 'EXT.  TOWN / MAIN STREET - DAY  ',
 'EXT.  UNDER A TREE - DUSK  ',
 'EXT.  BY THE RIVER - NIGHT',
 'EXT. BY THE RIVER - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS',
 'EXT.  PATH BACK TO TOWN - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  MAIN STREET - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  THE DARK FOREST - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  THE ROAD - DAY',
 'INT.  DINING ROOM - NIGHT ',
 'INT.  GUEST BEDROOM - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  OLYMPIA CIRCUS - NIGHT',
 'INT.  BIG-TOP - NIGHT / LATER',
 'INT. BIG TOP - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS',
 'INT.  BIG-TOP - NIGHT',
 'INT.  BIG TOP CENTER RING - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  THE HYDRA - DAY',
 'EXT.  BEHIND A TENT - DAY',
 'INT.  STABLES - DAY',
 'INT.  A DARK PLACE - NIGHT  ',
 'INT.  STABLES - NIGHT',
 "EXT.  AMOS CALLOWAY'S TRAILER - NIGHT",
 'INT.  WOODS - DAWN',
 'EXT.  BIG TOP - DAY  ',
 'EXT.  SORORITY HOUSE - DAY',
 'EXT/INT. SORORITY HOUSE - THE DOORWAY',
 'EXT.  SORORITY HOUSE - DAY',
 'INT.  FRATERNITY HOUSE BATHROOM - DAY [FLASHFORWARD]',
 'EXT.  THE SORORITY HOUSE - DAY',
 'INT.  GUEST ROOM - NIGHT [PRESENT]',
 'INT.  UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT [CONTINUOUS]',
 'INTERCUT HALLWAY / BEDROOM',
 'INT.  HOSPITAL - DAY',
 'INT.  ARMY AIRPLANE - NIGHT',
 'EXT. ON STAGE',
 'INT.  DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT',
 'EXT.  TEMPLETON FAMILY HOUSE - DAY',
 'EXT.  BEHIND THE TEMPLETON HOUSE - DAY',
 'INT.  GUEST ROOM - DAY',
 'INT.  BASEMENT STORAGE AREA - DAY [LATER]',
 'INT.  DOWNTOWN OFFICE - DAY [STORY]',
 'EXT.  COUNTY FAIR - DAY  [STORY] ',
 'EXT.  A COUNTRY ROAD - DAY',
 'EXT.  TRAILER PARK - DAY  ',
 'INT.  HORIZON SAVINGS & LOAN - DAY ',
 'INT.  AT THE VAULT - DAY ',
 'INT.  THE VAULT - DAY  ',
 "INT.  EDWARD'S CAR - DAY  ",
 'EXT.  TEXAS ROAD - DAY ',
 "EXT.  BLOOM HOUSE [MID/LATE '70'S] - DAY  ",
 'INT.  BLOOM HOUSE BATHROOM - DAY [PRESENT] ',
 "INT.  EDWARD'S CAR / DRIVING - NIGHT ",
 "INT. EDWARD'S CAR - NIGHT - [THE STORM]",
 "EXT.  EDWARD'S CAR - NIGHT ",
 'EXT.  SPECTRE - DAY',
 'INT.  SHACK - DAY',
 'INT.  SHACK - DAY  ',
 'EXT/INT.  SWAMP SHACK - DAY',
 "INT.  JENNY'S HOUSE - DAY",
 'INT.  HOSPITAL ROOM - PRE-DAWN  ',
 'INT.  HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY [STORY VERSION]',
 'INT.  HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY',
 'EXT.  PARKING LOT - DAY',
 'INT.  CHEVY - DAY',
 'EXT.  ASHTON RIVER - DAY',
 'INT.  THE CHEVROLET - DAY',
 'EXT.  RIVERSIDE - DAY',
 'INT.  HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY']

Next, I explain the code which will create a graph connecting characters with speaking parts in the same scene, so you can see graphically the relationships between the characters. The character graph of a script is the graph whose vertices are the characters with speaking parts and the edges consist of pairs of actors which have speaking lines in the same scene. (Optionally, one can weight or label that edge with the scene number.)

Here is the code I wrote to create a graph connecting characters with speaking parts in the same scene:

def character_graph_simple(input_ftn_file, min_max_scene = [0, 1000]):
    """
    Returns the graph whose vertices are the characters with speaking parts and 
    the edges consist of pairs of actors which have speaking lines in the same scene.
    (Assumes there are no more that 1000 scenes:-)

    """
    L = character_list(input_ftn_file)
    N = len(L)
    A = [[0 for i in range(N)] for j in range(N)]
    for i in range(N):
       for j in range(i,N):
           ans = is_character_in_same_scene(input_ftn_file, L[i], L[j])
           if ans[0] and ZZ(ans[1])>= min_max_scene[0] and ZZ(ans[1])<= min_max_scene[1]:
               A[i][j] = ZZ(1)
               A[j][i] = ZZ(1)
    for i in range(N):
               A[i][i] = ZZ(0)
    vertices = [[i,L[i]] for i in range(N)]
    return Graph(Matrix(A), format='adjacency_matrix'), Matrix(A), vertices

As you can see, this depends on the following utility function:

def is_character_in_same_scene(input_ftn_file, name1, name2):
     """
     Returns True if name1 and name2 are in the same scene and each have a speaking part.
     Otherwise, returns False.

     """
     L = characters_in_same_scene(input_ftn_file)
     LL = [x for x in L if len(x)>1]
     chars = char_list = character_list(input_ftn_file)
     if not(name1 in chars) or not(name2 in chars):
         return False
     i = chars.index(name1)
     j = chars.index(name2)
     #print i,j
     for x in LL:
        if i in x and j in x:
            return True,x[0][0]
     return False,0

Again, using John August's Big Fish as an example, we see that the character graph (whose vertices are the characters with speaking parts, and whose edges consist of pairs of actors which have speaking lines in the same scene) is:

In case that is hard to read, here is another version of the same egraph:

The table which lists the characters and their associated vertex numbers is:

[[0, 'EDWARD'],
 [1, 'LITTLE BRAVE'],
 [2, 'WILL'],
 [3, "WILL'S DATE"],
 [4, 'EDWARD AND WILL'],
 [5, 'SANDRA'],
 [6, 'YOUNG DR. BENNETT'],
 [7, 'JOSEPHINE'],
 [8, 'ZACKY'],
 [9, 'DON PRICE'],
 [10, 'WILBUR FREELY'],
 [11, 'RUTHIE'],
 [12, 'ADULT EDWARD'],
 [13, 'DR. BENNETT'],
 [14, 'YOUNG WILL'],
 [15, 'YOUNG EDWARD'],
 [16, 'GIRL'],
 [17, 'SHARECROPPER'],
 [18, 'LITTLE GIRL'],
 [19, 'HOT-BLOODED SHOTGUN TOTER'],
 [20, 'MAYOR'],
 [21, 'SOME FARMER'],
 [22, 'SHEPHARD'],
 [23, 'A VOICE'],
 [24, 'VOICE'],
 [25, 'KARL'],
 [26, 'VARIOUS TOWNFOLK'],
 [27, "MAN'S VOICE"],
 [28, 'BEAMEN'],
 [29, 'MILDRED'],
 [30, 'NORTHER WINSLOW'],
 [31, "A GIRL'S VOICE"],
 [32, 'JENNY'],
 [33, 'A DEEP VOICE'],
 [34, 'CASHIER'],
 [35, 'AMOS'],
 [36, "A MAN'S VOICE"],
 [37, 'JUMP LEADER'],
 [38, 'PING'],
 [39, 'JING'],
 [40, 'THE MAN'],
 [41, 'TELLER WOMAN'],
 [42, "WOMAN'S VOICE"],
 [43, 'STUDENT'],
 [44, 'NURSE'],
 [45, 'THE CROWD'],
 [46, 'SON'],
 [47, 'KID']]

We can also plot roughly how many lines each character has (I say "roughly" because the script also counts stage directions given within the dialogue). The Sage commands

sage: chars = character_list(input_ftn_file)
sage: A = [len(character_lines_list(input_ftn_file, name)) for name in chars]
sage: bar_chart(A)

'WILL'

returns the bar chart

From the bar chart, we see that the characters with the most lines are 0 and 2:

sage: chars[0]; chars[2]
'EDWARD'
'WILL'

They are Edward and Will.

---

Here is how to do this yourself, with little (or no) knowledge of Sage or Python.

1. Go to cloud.sagemath.com, and create an account.
   
2. Create a new project, called "foutain parsing" (or whatever).
   
3. Upload fountain-parsing.sage and save to your project.
   
4. Upload your script (e.g., august_Big-Fish_script-2003.fountain, from fountain.io) and save to your project.
   
5. Open a new worksheet, title it whatever you like, Fountain Parsing for example.
   
6. In a cell type
   

   load("fountain-parsing.sage")
   input_ftn_file = "august_Big-Fish_script-2003.fountain"
   G_bigfish = character_graph_simple(input_ftn_file)
   G_bigfish[0].show(dpi=300, frame=True,figsize=[10,15], layout="spring")
   

   and press shift-enter. This takes about 45 minutes to finish.
   
7. If you don't want the character graph, but just a list of characters, enter
   
   

   load("fountain-parsing.sage")
   input_ftn_file = "august_Big-Fish_script-2003.fountain"
   chars = character_list(input_ftn_file); chars
   

   in a cell and press shift-enter. It will (immediately) print on the screen the list of characters.
   
8. For a numbered list of characters, enter
   
   

   load("fountain-parsing.sage")
   input_ftn_file = "august_Big-Fish_script-2003.fountain"
   chars = character_list(input_ftn_file)
   [[i,chars[i]] for i in range(48)]
   

   in a cell and press shift-enter.
   
9. If you want the bar graph counting the lines each character has, enter
   
   

   load("fountain-parsing.sage")
   input_ftn_file = "august_Big-Fish_script-2003.fountain"
   A = [len(character_lines_list(input_ftn_file, name)) for name in chars]
   bar_chart(A)
   

   in a cell and press shift-enter.
   

"The monsters under a writer's bed" - notes of a talk by Randy Baker

These are notes I took (therefore it is I who is responsible for all the inaccuracies) of an hour-long talk Randy Baker gave to a group of writers in Annapolis Maryland on 2014-02-19 at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. The talk was sponsored by the Maryland Writers' Association. Randy is a playwright and teacher I wrote about in a previous post on the 10 minute play project.

Randy is a walking list of titles: he is co-Artistic Director of Rorschach Theatre, faculty member at American University (where is Director in residence), playwright in residence at the Arena Stage, faculty member at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and the list goes on.



Here is his wonderful talk, in a nutshell. I'll be posting the video later (added 2014-08-21: part 1, part 2, part 3).

Writers, playwrights and poets all have a common problem - the monsters lying under our bed, those things that keep us from writing.

Monster # 1: A kind monster - the monster of inspiration. What inspires you to write? We all want to make people believe in something fantastic - think of the ending in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" (the husband is asked to believe and then the statue of his dead wife comes alive and they are reunited).

A tangent (one of many): How did I become a playwright? The path to being a writer is never a clear one. I always wrote but never called myself a writer. I directed and produced plays and even have being commissioned to write plays. Yet, for years I didn't call myself a playwright. Why? This leads to the next ...

Monster # 2: This is the biggest and most terrible monster: the monster of self-doubt. Some things writers say to themselves:

• "I'm writing the wrong way."
  
• "My writing will never be good enough."
  

Never talk yourself out of writing. I still have self-doubt - we all do. It is a part of being human. The trick is not to listen to it. Don't let it diminish your writing.

Another tangent: Stop talking about your writing. Instead, write it and show it to your writer friends.

Getting back to the inspiration monster - watch out for it and don't let it get in the way. Don't wait for it. It is a romantic cliche that you need to have inspiration strike you. Forget that. What you should remember is that writing is work.

A person with a good idea, with great inspiration does not a writer make. A writer writes as if it were work - which it is! A writer is a person devoted to the work and craft of writing (indeed, this meaning is at the origin of the spelling of playwright).

Create characters that want things and the rest will come.

Here is an analogy to keep in mind. Suppose you are a director of a play or film and you are preparing frantically in anticipation of the first day of meeting your actors. You prepare pages and pages of notes of how this scene should go and that scene should be blocked. Then you meet you actors and you find your prepared ideas will not work. They are not useless or wasted (you should always prepare) but they must be changed.

Writing is no different. You still have to prepare - perhaps one character has a hobby and affects the story line, so you do research on that hobby. Does that mean all your research has to make its way into the story somehow? No. Putting all your prepared research into your story may not work but that doesn't mean it's wasted.

When in doubt, I mainly rely on two things:

1. Look at the structure - at this stage of the story, what does structure say should happen?
   
2. Look at reality - what in the world around you relates to the problems being faced at this point in the story and how does the real world react to that situation?
   

Edward Albee said: "Playwriting is poetry meets architecture."

Would you expect an architect to say "I'm not working on designing that building until inspiration strikes me"? No, of course not. Writers can't say that either.

Back to Monster #2: The self-doubt monster also says "no one will ever read what I write". This is a biggie. On the other hand, no one asked you to be a writer. You must make that choice.

Monster #3: Loneliness. The stereotypical writer can't socialize well, thinks abstract esoteric thoughts, etc. Wrong. Writers must build a community, creating collaborations, and not be lonely. You must find your own community.

Remember: these monsters on not real. Stop listening to them, and write.