Things movies always get wrong

[retdetsgt]

I agree. If the FBI came onto any scene I'm working said "I'm with the Feebs and I'm taking this over". My exact words would be "Ok skippy, it's yours have fun." and take a 10-8 and drive off laughing.

Unfortunately, they don't do that. They wait until you've done all the work, get copies of your reports and then tell you they've got it.

I've even pressed them at scenes by asking if they were going to take it and always got a vague answer that wouldn't allow me to drop it. Even when we both knew damn well they would take if over after we'd done most of the leg work.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Sarge, why are you so surprised? Hell, everybody knows there hasn't been an original idea in Hollywood in decades. All they do is "reimagine' other people's ideas.

I don't know why we give any of the slew of writers who've posted here so much as the time of day. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if every person who identified themselves as a 'writer' looking for ideas got banned on the spot. I see them as little more than wood ticks, borrowing in to suck knowledge and experience, instead of blood, so they can enrich themselves but give nothing back.

Early on, I suggested that he apply for the job and do what we do for a few years to develope his own ideas, but he never responded to it. Apparently, he lacks the stones to live what he plans to write about.

I guess I'm not surprised so much as annoyed, really. Nothing like being lazy and capitalizing off the sacrifice of others to show what a true leech some people can be.

Maybe we should just instantly lock any threads created by writers who try to glean info from us on the web.

This guy will never be spoken of in the same breath as Wambaugh, Clancy or W.E.B. Griffin. Even Clancy, who didn't actually do the jobs he writes about, knew enough to get out and get in the ****, living the life (even if for a little while) needed to get the info for his stories.

[screenwriter6]

Sarge, why are you so surprised? Hell, everybody knows there hasn't been an original idea in Hollywood in decades. All they do is "reimagine' other people's ideas.

There's no such thing as an original idea. Even if you come up with something completely on your own. Someone else out there has a similar idea.

The ideas do not matter the finished products do.

I don't know why we give any of the slew of writers who've posted here so much as the time of day. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if every person who identified themselves as a 'writer' looking for ideas got banned on the spot. I see them as little more than wood ticks, borrowing in to suck knowledge and experience, instead of blood, so they can enrich themselves but give nothing back.

Give something back like a film devoid of the cliches that make you face palm every three seconds?

Or do you just want money? because rookie writers don't make any.

Or maybe a thanks in the credits? Not in my power to command but I'll make a request to the producer if hypothetically I ever use any information.

Early on, I suggested that he apply for the job and do what we do for a few years to develope his own ideas, but he never responded to it. Apparently, he lacks the stones to live what he plans to write about.

Actually the problem is I don't have 5 free years. I already have 2 more years of college, from there I expect the spend 4 years in the navy, then I have god knows how long to traveling abroad for religious studies in the third world.

As I've explained, I don't want to write cop dramas exclusively. The information is useful because chances are this scenario will play out for me:

"Hey, sorry we can't really work in your psychological thriller to our schedule, but I like your style, do you know anything about cops, because we've got five buddy cop films in the works and one of them could use a rewrite"

I am terribly sorry, but that is not worth five years of my life. I don't care how accurate my rewrite ends up being.

Now I'd be a bit more interested in writing war films, hence my intention to join the military. You'll note that I am not asking any military forums for writing information.

I know all about writing from experience. The experiences I want to write from aren't yours, so I'm not going to go out of my way to experience what you experience. That doesn't mean I'm not going to fill my time with respectable exploits.

[screenwriter6]

I guess I'm not surprised so much as annoyed, really. Nothing like being lazy and capitalizing off the sacrifice of others to show what a true leech some people can be.

Everyone in some way benefits off the sacrifice of others. We're all benefiting off the sacrifice of the military right now are we not?

If someone wanted to immortalize that in film and put it out to the people so they could better appreciate that sacrifice isn't that a good thing? If it weren't for Black Hawk Down I would have no idea that the battle of Mogadishu ever took place. I would be completely ignorant of the 18 men who gave their lives in service to their country on that day.

Would you withhold information and prevent works like this from being created simply because someone might make money off it?

I've got news for you, that someone wouldn't be the writer. Any writer that's just in it for the money isn't a writer at all as far as I'm concerned. I don't care about the money, I care about telling stories.

Maybe we should just instantly lock any threads created by writers who try to glean info from us on the web.

You might want to check with the rest of the forum, because all the other people responding seemed eager to dissolve some hollywood myths that make civis think it takes half a second to get a finger print match, five minutes to do a DNA test and an hour to catch the criminal.

This guy will never be spoken of in the same breath as Wambaugh, Clancy or W.E.B. Griffin. Even Clancy, who didn't actually do the jobs he writes about, knew enough to get out and get in the ****, living the life (even if for a little while) needed to get the info for his stories.

Not exactly the names I want to be grouped with anyway.

I'm more interested in Bradbury, Asimov, Orwell, Steinbeck. Clancy may be a good one to be associated with, I'm a big Splinter Cell fan.

[screenwriter6]

Great. Thanks for kicking my buddy in the balls and stealing his idea.

You wanna throw a "nanny nanny boo-boo" in there too?

Friggin' tool.

I'm not stealing his idea. Its not even his idea. Its something he saw once that he gave up freely. Does he even care? Why are you being offended on his behalf?

If I took the approach to ideas that you're displaying I'd never give or receive feedback on anything.

If I make a suggestion to someone of a way to improve their story, I don't then turn around and demand they credit or pay me. That reminds me of those flower dispensing charlatan they used to have at airports.

The only thing I'd ask in return is feedback on my own stuff.

If you don't like that approach to ideas, then feel free to insist on any stipulations you want prior to divulging information.

[retdetsgt]

This guy will never be spoken of in the same breath as Wambaugh, Clancy or W.E.B. Griffin.

Wambaugh was the greatest ever, I thought. Well at least for his first 3 or 4 books. Then he became a "writer" and lost his edge.

The New Centurions, The Onion Field and The Choirboys were the three greatest police novels I think I've ever read. I could identify some cop I knew with every character in each book. However, I never finished his last one. Four chapters into it and he was still working on character development. One of his later books did have the best (and most true) line I've ever read in a police novel. One cop said to another, "Your d!ck takes you places I wouldn't go with a gun!" I could name 20 cops that fit that discription!

An ex partner of mine worked 5 years with my dept., then three years with Oakland PD. He wrote a book, "Night Dogs" that's pretty good. It's a sequel to his first book "Sympathy For The Devil" which was based loosely on his experiences on a Green Beret "A" Team in Vietnam. In both books, I could readily identify situations he described. In fact, he "borrowed" a couple of stories I told him of my experiences in both books.....

W.E.B. Griffin's police series books leave a lot to be desired for me. He always has to have a central character that's independently wealthy in any of his novels. I frankly don't see a lot of realism in his police stuff. I find his spy books much more entertaining, mostly because I don't know that much about spy work, I guess.

His military officer books (The Lieutenants, The Captains, etc.) weren't bad except for the rich guy. It started out that he got his commission by playing polo and it went downhill from there. The other characters and experiences were much more realistic. I have to give him credit in his Marine Corp series in that he plays the true personalities of FDR, et al quite well.

The vast majority of police books are like police movies, entertaining, but nothing like what's real life. Which is why I rarely read them anymore.

[Cat_Doc]

The Choirboys

By far, no doubt, no debate, the absolute best cop story I have ever read. I still have an old beat up paperback around here somewhere that I have read through several times.

What-Da-You-Mean Dean, No Balls Hadley, Rosco Rules, Spermwhale Whalen...I have actually WORKED with those characters before; just different names.

I am going to have to read it again, maybe on my next days off. Classic and right on regarding the way it is...great book.

"Did you make him do the chicken?" God I love that book!

[retdetsgt]

"Did you make him do the chicken?" God I love that book!

My partner used the hold on some dirtbag to the point he defecated in his pants. It was thereafter known as the "brown cluck".

I loved the part where Roscoe put peanut butter on the guy's DL and ate it. Then dared him to report that a cop would do something like that.....

The cool thing about the book too was that it didn't make cops heroes nor villains, just real people. You have to have been there to do write like that.

[screenwriter6]

Unfortunately, they don't do that. They wait until you've done all the work, get copies of your reports and then tell you they've got it.

I've even pressed them at scenes by asking if they were going to take it and always got a vague answer that wouldn't allow me to drop it. Even when we both knew damn well they would take if over after we'd done most of the leg work.

That exact scenario played out in the season finale of Dexter.

[BP348]

W.E.B. Griffin's police series books leave a lot to be desired for me. He always has to have a central character that's independently wealthy in any of his novels. I frankly don't see a lot of realism in his police stuff. I find his spy books much more entertaining, mostly because I don't know that much about spy work, I guess.

That's the one thing about Griffin's books that always bugs me. It's either the central character is wealthy or they marry someone who's wealthy.

I'll look in to your ex partner's books. I like reading about different aspects of Special Forces. Mostly today it's Navy SEALS or nothing. You almost never see anything about other branch's S.F. Maybe Green Beret's but hardly ever anything about USMC Force Recon or heaven forbid USAF Para rescue or Combat controllers. I've found that most people don't even know about USAF's S.F. people or if they do they think it's just the pilots.

[retdetsgt]

I'll look in to your ex partner's books. I like reading about different aspects of Special Forces.

He definitely gives a different slant. His books are a little darker than most.

Yeah, AF combat control are pretty much ignored by everyone. Those guys are tough hombres....

[screenwriter6]

I've found that most people don't even know about USAF's S.F. people or if they do they think it's just the pilots.

If I'm not mistaken they're the one's who go through the Stargate in Cheyenne mountain.

[Creeker]

If I'm not mistaken they're the one's who go through the Stargate in Cheyenne mountain.

LOL... yeah, but they don't do that anymore. It seems the IOC shut them down.