Adam Levenberg

Accidental resort developer. Novelty Hunter. Author of THE STARTER SCREENPLAY.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

I cant share that specific info here but most of what an LLM needs to know about Hollywood cinema is covered in a few dozen books that are already in the model (plus thousands of critical articles and reviews). But in general, yes, those parameters are followed and were modified to create more effective results. Its possible some of the shortcomings were my own lack of familiarity with how the models operated...I'll take another look and see if some of the limitations I noticed can be bypassed.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@fluoridevictim That's not possible. Christopher Nolan writes films for audiences. Coppola hasn't done that since The Rainmaker. He has abandoned cause and effect and embraced theme as character (instead of human behavior).

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

This is why I loved USC. Professors fully accepted the value of Hollywood Cinema while demanding excellence. They didn't have existential theoretical battles with the system or medium. It's like "Ok, here's Independence Day...the black soldier is poor and his girlfriend's a stripper. He has physical power, can fly a plane and punch an alien. The Jewish guy is a math professor and beats aliens by using his smarts/mind to break their code. And the white male WASP President has both powers--he can use his mind for strategy but hop in a fighter jet when needed." Enjoy the movie! Next up, Basic Instinct....

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

Tarantino should be pressed a little more. He loves making bold pronouncements but his interviewers are too scared to push for elaboration. He's usually capable of pulling the details / references that back up his comments. But like when someone says "this was the shittiest movie of the year" it takes someone else to say "Ok, give specific reasons you disliked it."

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

No idea. Never saw breakdown of tokens. But the functional reason to interact with an LLM on a completed script is not to treat it like a digital dictionary or thesaurus where you ask it "who is Frodo". It's asking 'what is Frodo's goal, what are the elements of his character traits, what are his flaws, who is his mentor, what does he learn from his mentor, who are his friends, how do their personalities or behaviors counterpoint Frodo's traits...and 10 more questions just about Frodo that are about reaching into a sea of endless possibilities but with answers still governed by traditional Hollywood cinema to help identify strengths and weaknesses in current version that might be addressed in future versions of the screenplay. Does that make sense?

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

It is obscene that writers are put in this position of waiting while every one else delaying process is on salary. Writing contracts CAN be simplified. For edge cases, they can be closed through arbitration-like conferences. A writer shouldn't wait 8 months to get paid

[The Hollywood Reporter @THR]

Deal Lethargy Forces Hollywood Writers to Leave Money on the Table. That Needs to Change https://t.co/NRCmlSev2Y

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@caldodge @QuickChess2022 @THR When's the last time you landed a job after extensive interviews and they negotiated your salary for 8 months while paying you nothing? And that $150k (before agent/manager/lawyer) is split between stages over time...So you don't get it when contract closes. If it ever does.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@caldodge @QuickChess2022 @THR a writing team split is $50-60k each after agent/manager fees and before taxes. They've spent months working on the idea and doing meetings before it "sells". Now its "sold". But studio takes a year to close deal. Over a basic contract for a piece of writing?

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@UpdateTheGrids What movie are you people talking about? Sorry we're on X and they have either hidden the response or nobody on thread mentioned who Patrick is and what his movie is called

[Kris Tapley @kristapley]

Reminder that the optimum Nolan format will arguably be 70mm non-IMAX as always due to the proprietary IMAX audio system playing further havoc with his mixes. You lose some frame but gain the separation of Dolby. YMMV of course. But please don’t bog down in IMAX FOMO on this one.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@Srirachachau Watching YOU ME & TUSCANY I was reminded what it was like to duck into a theater to relax, occasionally laugh, and look at attractive people surrounded by gorgeous scenery and sets for 90-120 minutes. Need more of that.

[Joseph Kahn @JosephKahn]

As a younger man I thought Casino was a weaker dupe of Goodfellas, but it's not. It's the counterpoint, the coda. Goodfellas is a celebration of outlaw ethos with a spectacular Hand of God crash in the last act. Casino is the Catholic God passing judgement within the first minute as Rothstein's car explodes, sending him to Hell.

There are no carnal pleasures in Casino. Hands are hammered from the get go. Eyes explode. The mob's old and ugly. Don Rickles is the sex. Ace Rothstein's rise is morose and clouded in complications. Henry Hill had dates in spectacular oners through the back of fabulous clubs. Ace Rothstien is arguing over the number of blueberries in a muffin. It's the difference between watching a movie about a gangster versus one about an accountant.

The gangster gets the looksmatch wife in Karen. The accountant shoots above his rightful league and gets Sharon Fucking Stone in her prime. We watch the courtship like a trainwreck because God does not allow men like Ace Rothstein have women like that, and the movie takes God's side.

Goodfellas is a young man's movie about getting high and getting laid and getting caught before you know it. Casino doesn't give you any of the fun part because its message isn't crime doesn't pay, it's life doesn't pay. It's the final lesson the middle aged man knows but ignores as he puts on his pants everyday: the house always wins and the house hates you.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@Joie_Mb @Alt_Azn Give me your best pudding recipe

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@BrandonMH I was once having a meeting with a CAA agent who said they'd close the writing deal by end of day if a check came with the doc. It can be done. I've also seen $25k book options linger for a year because there's no incentive for anyone involved (other than writer) to close it.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@Johnny_photog @lxeagle17 You can if you consider the trajectory of Democrats from 2009-2024. Picking up white collar voters in suburbs but an ever deteriorating relationship / branding with blue collar, rural, and male voters. 2024 was when D's ran out of suburban college educated votes to offset them.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@CertDoc @JosephKahn The conversation though is about LLM's ability to work with screenplays and evaluate them.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@Johnny_photog @lxeagle17 CA residents who moved to NV, AZ, and NC tend to vote more R than D. That's what everyone was waiting to see in 2024. Even the former NC governor was like "we don't know how all these new people will vote." we found out.

[Eric Alper 🎧 @ThatEricAlper]

1989: The cast of "Ghostbusters II" went on Oprah to promote the film. In the audience was a young Chris Farley.

[Adam Levenberg @StarterScript]

@TheCinesthetic Love the strings at 1:00 and the introduction of horns at 1:14. Creates an epic, cinematic sound for a rock song.