返回首页

FranklinLeonard_2017X-_我如何不小心改变了电影的制作方式_
This weekend, tens of millions of people in the United States and tens of millions more around the world, in Columbus, Georgia, in Cardiff, Wales, in Chongqing, China, in Chennai , India will leave their homes, 这个周末, 数千万名美国人 以及另外数千万名世界各地的人, 包括在乔治亚的哥伦布市、 威尔斯的加地夫、 中国的重庆、 印度的清奈等地的人, 都会离开他们的家,
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式) Chennai:n.金奈(印度的第四大城市);
they'll get in their cars or they'll take public transportation or they will carry themselves by foot, and they'll step into a room and sit down next to someone they don't know or maybe someone they do, and the lights will go down and they'll watch a movie. 坐上他们的车, 或是搭乘大众交通工具, 或是用步行, 他们会进入一间房间, 坐在他们不认识的人身旁, 或者是认识的人, 灯光会暗下来, 他们会观赏一部电影。
transportation:n.运输;运输系统;运输工具;流放;
They'll watch movies about aliens or robots, or robot aliens or regular people. 他们会看关于外星人 或机器人的电影, 或机器外星人,或一般人的电影。
But they will all be movies about what it means to be human. 但这些电影都会是关于 身为人类之真缔的电影。
Millions will feel awe or fear, millions will laugh and millions will cry. 数百万人会感到敬畏或恐惧, 数百万人会笑,数百万人会哭。
awe:vt.使敬畏;使畏怯;n.敬畏;
And then the lights will come back on, and they'll reemerge into the world they knew several hours prior . 接着,灯光又会亮起, 他们会重新融入他们 几小时前所知道的世界,
reemerge:vi.再度出现; prior:adj.先前的; n.(小隐修院)院长; v.居先;
And millions of people will look at the world a little bit differently than they did when they went in. 数百万人看这个世界的方式, 会和他们看电影之前 有一点点不同。
Like going to temple or a mosque or a church, or any other religious institution , movie-going is, in many ways, a sacred ritual . 就像是去寺庙、清真寺,或教堂, 或任何其他宗教机构, 在许多面向上, 看电影是一种神圣的仪式。
mosque:n.清真寺; religious:adj.宗教的;虔诚的;严谨的;修道的;n.修道士;尼姑; institution:n.制度;建立;(社会或宗教等)公共机构;习俗; ritual:n.仪式;惯例;礼制;adj.仪式的;例行的;礼节性的;
Repeated week after week after week. 每周每周不断重覆,
I'll be there this weekend, just like I was on most weekends between the years of 1996 and 1990, at the multiplex , near the shopping mall about five miles from my childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. 我这个周末就会去看电影, 我从 1990 年到 1996 年间, 几乎每个周末都去看电影, 去购物中心附近的影城, 位在乔治亚的哥伦布, 离我儿时的家五英哩。
multiplex:adj.多样的,多元的; vi.[通信]多路传输; vt.[通信]多路传输; n.[测]多倍仪; shopping mall:un.商业区林荫路; childhood:n.童年;幼年;孩童时期
The funny thing is that somewhere between then and now, 有趣的是,在那时 和现在之间的某个时点,
I accidentally changed part of the conversation about which of those movies get made. 我不小心改变了对话的一部分, 关于电影要如何被制作出来的对话。
accidentally:adv.意外地:偶然,偶然地;
So, the story actually begins in 2005, in an office high above Sunset Boulevard , where I was a junior executive at Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way. 所以,故事其实是始于 2005 年, 当时我担任李奥纳多狄卡皮欧的 Appian Way 制片公司的初阶主管。
Sunset:adj.霞红色的; n.日落(时分); v.(使)定期届满废止; Boulevard:n.[建]林荫大道; adj.娱乐性的; vt.给…提供林阴大街; junior:n.青少年;职位较低者;adj.青少年的;地位低下的; executive:n.管理人员; adj.经营管理的;
And for those of you who aren't familiar with how the film industry works, it basically means that I was one of a few people behind the person who produces the movie for the people behind and in front of the camera, whose names you will better recognize than mine. 如果你们不熟悉电影業的运作方式, 基本上,这就表示, 这个人会为摄影机前 及摄影机后的人制作电影, 且他的名字比我响亮许多。
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友; basically:adv.主要地,基本上; recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;
Essentially , you're an assistant movie producer who does the unglamorous work that goes into the creative aspect of producing a movie. 基本上是个电影制片助理, 要做乏味的工作, 和电影制作的创意面向有关。
Essentially:adv.本质上;本来; unglamorous:adj.单调的,乏味的;没有魅力的,不浪漫的; creative:adj.创造性的; aspect:n.方面;层面;外观;方位;
You make lists of writers and directors and actors who might be right for movies that you want to will into existence; you meet with many of them and their representatives , hoping to curry favor for some future date. 你要为你想要拍的电影, 列出一张清单, 上面是可能适合的 编剧、导演、演员; 你要去见清单上的 许多人及他们的代表, 希望能为了未来的约而讨好他们。
representatives:n.代表;众议院(representative的复数形式); curry favor:拍马屁;
And you read, a lot. 你也要读很多东西。
You read novels that might become movies, you read comic books that might become movies, you read articles that might become movies, you read scripts that might become movies. 你要读可能会拍成电影的小说, 你要读可能会拍成电影的漫画, 你要读可能会拍成电影的文章, 你要读可能会拍成电影的剧本。
novels:n.小说;(novel的复数) scripts:n.原稿,手稿(script的复数形式);
And you read scripts from writers that might write the adaptations of the novels, of the comic books, of the articles, and might rewrite the scripts that you're already working on. 你也要读编剧的剧本, 如果他们可能会负责 将小说、漫画、文章改编成电影, 且可能会重写你正在用的剧本。
adaptations:n.适应;改编(adaptation的复数);
All this in the hope of finding the next big thing or the next big writer who can deliver something that can make you and your company the next big thing. 做这些,就是希望 能找到下一部大作, 或是下一个大编剧, 他写出点什么来, 让你和你的公司 变成下一个大人物。
So in 2005, I was a development executive at Leonardo's production company. 2005 年,我在李奥纳多的 制片公司中担任开发监制。
I got a phone call from the representative of a screenwriter that began pretty much the way all of those conversations did: "I've got Leo's next movie." 我接到一个编剧的代表打来的电话, 开场白和大部分 这类对话没什么两样: 「我有李奥的下一部电影。」
screenwriter:n.编剧家;电影剧本作家;
Now in this movie, that his client had written, 在他的客户所写的这部电影中,
client:n.[经]客户;顾客;委托人;
Leo would play an oil industry lobbyist whose girlfriend, a local meteorologist , threatens to leave him because his work contributes to global warming . 李奥要饰演一名石油業的说客, 他的女友是一位当地的气象学者, 因为他的工作会造成全球暖化。
lobbyist:n.说客;活动议案通过者; meteorologist:n.气象学者; contributes:[图情]投稿;[经]捐助;[经]捐献(contribute的第三人称单数); global warming:n.全球(气候)变暖;地球大气层变暖;
And this is a situation that's been brought to a head by the fact that there's a hurricane forming in the Atlantic that's threatening to do Maria-like damage from Maine to Myrtle Beach. 这事态接着发展到了顶点, 因为在大西洋有一个颶风形成, 预计会对缅因到默特尔比奇之间 造成玛莉亚等级的破坏。
hurricane:n.飓风,暴风; Atlantic:adj.大西洋的;巨人阿特拉斯的;n.大西洋; Maine:n.缅因州(美国州名); Myrtle:n.桃金娘;桃金娘科植物;adj.桃金娘科的;
Leo, very sad about this impending break up, does a little more research about the hurricane and discovers that in its path across the Atlantic, it will pass over a long-dormant , though now active volcano that will spew toxic ash into its eye 李奥对于即将发生的 分手感到很沮丧, 他在对这个颶风做了点研究后发现, 它在大西洋的路径上, 会经过一座长期休眠 但现在却是活跃的火山, 它会把有毒灰烬噴入颶风眼,
impending:adj.迫在眉睫的; v.(事件,危险等)逼近; (impend的现在分词) long-dormant:adj.长期静止的; volcano:n.火山; spew:vt.喷出;呕吐;vi.喷涌;呕吐; toxic:adj.有毒的;中毒的;
that will presumably be whipped into some sort of chemical weapon that will destroy the world. 颶风很可能会瞬间变成 一种能够摧毁世界的化学武器, （笑声）
presumably:adv.大概;推测起来;可假定; whipped:v.鞭打;鞭策;除去,抽出(whip的过去分词和过去式) chemical weapon:n.化学武器;
(Laughter) （笑声）
It was at that point that I asked him, "So are you basically pitching me 'Leo versus the toxic superstorm that will destroy humanity ?'" 就在这个时点,我问他: 「所以,基本上,你对我推销的是
pitching:n.(船的)纵摇或前后簸动; v.用力扔; (pitch的现在分词) versus:prep.对;与...相对;对抗; humanity:n.人类;人道;仁慈;人文学科;
And he responded by saying, "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous ." 他的回应是: 「你这种说法让它听起来很可笑。」
responded:v.回答,回应;作出反应;响应;反应灵敏;(respond的过去式和过去分词) ridiculous:adj.可笑的;荒谬的;
And I'm embarrassed to admit that I had the guy send me the script, and I read 30 pages before I was sure that it was as bad as I thought it was. 我很不好意思承认, 我要那家伙把剧本寄给我, 我读了三十页,然后就很确定 它跟我预期的一样烂。
embarrassed:adj.尴尬的;窘迫的;v.使...局促不安;(embarrass的过去分词和过去式)
Now, "Superstorm" is certainly an extreme example, but it's also not an unusual one. 《超级暴风》的确是个很极端的例子, 但并不是个不寻常的例子。
extreme:adj.极端的;极度的;偏激的;尽头的;n.极端;末端;最大程度;极端的事物;
And unfortunately , most scripts aren't as easy to dismiss as that one. 不幸的是,大部分的剧本 并没有像它那么容易确定不要。
unfortunately:adv.不幸地; dismiss:v.不予考虑;摒弃;消除;解雇;
For example, a comedy about a high school senior , who, when faced with an unplanned pregnancy , makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child. 比如,有一部喜剧, 讲的是一位高三生 面临不在计画中的怀孕, 于是针对她未出世的孩子, 做了一个不寻常的决定。
comedy:n.喜剧;喜剧性;有趣的事情; senior:adj.大;级别(或地位)高的;成人的;高级水平的;n.上级;上司;较…年长的人; unplanned:adj.意外的;在计划外的;未经筹划的; pregnancy:n.怀孕;丰富,多产;意义深长; regarding:prep.关于;至于;v.将…认为;把…视为;看待;(regard的现在分词) unborn:adj.未来的;未诞生的;
That's obviously "Juno." 很显然,那是《鸿孕当头》。
Two hundred and thirty million at the worldwide box office , four Oscar nominations , one win. 全世界的票房是两亿三千万美金, 获得四项奥斯卡金项奖提名, 一项得奖。
worldwide:adj.全世界的;adv.在世界各地; box office:adj.票房的;受欢迎的; nominations:n.提名(nomination的复数);
How about a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums wants to become a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"? 或是孟买的青少年, 在贫民窟长大, 想要成为参赛者,这部印度版的 《百万智多星》呢？
slums:n.贫民,[经]贫民区(slum的复数); v.到贫民窟去; contestant:n.竞争者;争辩者;
That's an easy one -- "Slumdog Millionaire." 这题很简单—— 《贫民百万富翁》。
Three hundred seventy-seven million worldwide, 10 Oscar nominations and eight wins. 全世界票房三亿七千七百万美金, 十项奥斯卡金项奖提名,八项得奖。
A chimpanzee tells his story of living with the legendary pop star Michael Jackson. 一只黑猩猩诉说牠和知名流行歌手 麦可杰克森生活的故事？
chimpanzee:n.[脊椎]黑猩猩; legendary:adj.传说的,传奇的;n.传说集;圣徒传;
Anyone? 有人知道吗？
(Laughter) （笑声）
It's a trick question. 这个问题很刁钻。
But it is a script called " Bubbles ," 但这部剧本叫做《Bubbles》,
Bubbles:n.泡; v.起泡; (bubble的第三人称单数和复数)
that is going to be directed by Taika Waititi, the director of "Thor: Ragnarok." 会由塔伊加维迪提执导, 他是《雷神索尔 3: 诸神的黄昏》的导演。
So, a large part of your job as a development executive is to separate the "Superstorms" from the "Slumdog Millionaires," 所以,身为开发监制, 你的工作有很大一部分 是要分辨《超级暴风》 和《贫民百万富翁》,
and slightly more generally , the writers who write "Superstorm" 稍微更普遍的是要分辨 写《超级暴风》的编剧
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; generally:adv.通常;普遍地,一般地;
from the writers who can write "Slumdog Millionaire." 和写得出《贫民百万富翁》的编剧。
And the easiest way to do this, obviously, is to read all of the scripts, but that's, frankly, impossible. 很显然,要做到这一点, 最简单的方式就是读所有的剧本, 但,坦白说,那是不可能的。
A good rule of thumb is that the Writers Guild of America registers about 50,000 new pieces of material every year, and most of them are screenplays . 有一条很好的经验法则, 就是美国编剧工会 每年会登记大约五万件新素材, 大部分都是剧本。
rule of thumb:手工业方式;靠经验估计;经验法则;拇指规则;单凭经验来做的方法; Guild:n.协会,行会;同业公会; registers:n.登记; v.登记; screenplays:n.编剧,剧本;电影剧本;
Of those, a reasonable estimate is about 5,000 of them make it through various filters , agencies , management companies, screenplay compositions and the like, and are read by someone at the production company or major studio level. 当然,合理的估计是, 这些剧本当中有五千件 能够通过各种过滤器、 经纪公司、管理公司、 剧本写作等等, 且有被制片公司或大型电影 制片厂等级公司中的某个人读过,
reasonable:adj.合理的,公道的;通情达理的; estimate:v.估计;估算;估价;n.估价;(对大小、数量、成本等的)估计;估计的成本; filters:n.过滤器; v.过滤; (filter的第三人称单数和复数) agencies:n.代理;代理处(agency的复数); management:n.管理;管理人员;管理部门;操纵;经营手段; compositions:n.组成成分;作品辑;艺术作品(composition的复数形式); studio:n.工作室;[广播][电视]演播室;画室;电影制片厂;
And they're trying to decide whether they can become one of the 300-and-dropping movies that are released by the major studios or their sub-brands each year. 且他们试着要判断 这些剧本是否能成为 每年大型制片厂或其副牌 所推出的三百部电影之一。
released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式) studios:n.工作室(studio的复数);
I've described it before as being a little bit like walking into a members-only bookstore where the entire inventory is just organized haphazardly , and every book has the same, nondescript cover. 我之前这样描述它:有一点像 走进一家会员专属的书店, 里面所的有藏书都乱摆一通, 每本书的封面都一样,难以归类。
described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) inventory:n.存货,存货清单;详细目录;财产清册; organized:adj.有组织的; v.组织; (organize的过去分词和过去式) haphazardly:adv.偶然地,随意地;杂乱地; nondescript:adj.平凡的,没有特色的; n.不属任何类型的人;
Your job is to enter that bookstore and not come back until you've found the best and most profitable books there. 你的工作是要进入那间书店, 在里面找到最好、 最能获利的书之后才回来。
profitable:adj.有利可图的;赚钱的;有益的;
It's anarchic and gleefully opaque . 这真是让人不知道要如何着手。
anarchic:adj.无政府的;无政府主义的;无法无天的; gleefully:adv.欢欣地;极快乐地; opaque:adj.不透明的;不传热的;迟钝的;n.不透明物;vt.使不透明;使不反光;
And everyone has their method to address these problems. 每个人都有他们自己 处理这类问题的方法。
You know, most rely on the major agencies and they just assume that if there's great talent in the world, they've already found their way to the agencies, 你们知道的,大部分会 仰赖大型经纪公司, 这些公司就只是假设 如果世界上有才子, 他们就会自己找上门来,
rely:vi.依靠;信赖; assume:v.承担;假定;采取;呈现;
regardless of the structural barriers that actually exist to get into the agencies in the first place . 不管实际上光是一开始 要找上门的过程 就会遇到结构性的障碍。
regardless:adj.不管的; v.不顾后果地; structural:adj.结构的;建筑的; barriers:n.障碍;栅栏;篱笆墙(barrier的复数形式); in the first place:首先;起初;
Others also constantly compare notes among themselves about what they've read and what's good, and they just hope that their cohort group is the best, most wired and has the best taste in town. 其他人则是彼此之间 会比较他们的笔记, 看看对方读了哪些,哪些比较优, 他们只能希望自己这群伙伴 是最好的、最孜孜不倦的, 且有镇上最好的品味。
constantly:adv.不断地;时常地; compare:v.比较;对比;n.比较; cohort:n.一群人,一批人;同伙;支持者;
And others try to read everything, but that's, again, impossible. 还有些人是什么都读,但, 再说一次,这是不可能的。
If you're reading 500 screenplays in a year, you are reading a lot. 如果你一年能读五百本剧本, 就算是读很多的了。
And it's still only a small percentage of what's out there. 那仍然只占市面上 剧本的一小部分而已。
percentage:n.百分比;百分率;利润的分成;提成;
Fundamentally , it's triage . 基本上,那是分类。
Fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 triage:n.分类;伤员验伤分类;
And when you're in triage, you tend to default to conventional wisdom about what works and what doesn't. 当你采用分类时, 对于什么行得通、什么行不通, 你就会倾向将所知的 惯例套用为预设值。
default:n.违约;拖欠;缺席;缺陷;v.违约;拖欠;缺乏;不履行; conventional:adj.符合习俗的,传统的;常见的;惯例的; wisdom:n.智慧;明智;才智;学问;
That a comedy about a young woman dealing with reproductive reality can't sell. 一名年轻女子处理 现实生育问题的喜剧 不会卖座。
reproductive:adj.生殖的;再生的;复制的;
That the story of an Indian teenager isn't viable in the domestic marketplace or anywhere else in the world outside of India. 用印度青少年当主角的故事, 在国内市场是行不通的, 或是在印度以外的地方都行不通。
viable:adj.可行的;能养活的;能生育的; domestic:n.佣人;家佣;家庭纠纷;家庭矛盾;adj.本国的;国内的;家用的;家庭的; marketplace:n.市场;集市;
That the only source of viable movies is a very narrow groups of writers who have already found their way to living and working in Hollywood, who already have the best representation in the business, and are writing a very narrow band of stories. 卖座电影的唯一来源, 就是一小群已经知道 在好莱坞要如何生存和工作的编剧, 在这个行業已经有最好的代表机构, 且写出的故事很狭隘的编剧。
source:n.来源;水源;原始资料; narrow:adj.狭窄的; v.使窄小; n.峡谷; (场所,物品等的)狭窄部分; representation:n.表现;代表;描述;陈述 band:n.带;波段;频带;箍;v.加彩条(或嵌条等);(将价格、收入等)划分档次;
And I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit, that that's where I found myself in 2005. 我有点不好意思承认, 2005 年的时候我就是这样的。
somewhat:n.几分;某物;adv.有点;多少;几分;稍微;
Sitting in that office above Sunset Boulevard, staring down that metaphorical anonymized bookstore, and having read nothing but bad scripts for months. 坐在日落大道高楼的办公室里, 向下看着那比喻式的昵名书店, 数个月来读到的都是烂剧本。
staring:adj.凝视的,目不转睛的;显眼的;v.凝视;盯着看;显眼;(stare的现在分词) metaphorical:adj.比喻性的,隐喻性的; anonymized:隐去姓名资料;使匿名;
And I took this to mean one of two things: either A: I was not very good at my job, which was, ostensibly , finding good scripts, or B: reading bad scripts was the job. 我认为,这意味着两种可能: 可能是 A:我不擅长我的工作, 而这工作显然就是要找到好剧本, 或是 B:我的工作就是读烂剧本。
ostensibly:adv.表面上;外表;
In which case, my mother's weekly phone calls, asking me if my law school entrance exam scores were still valid was something I should probably pay more attention to. 不论是哪一种情况, 我妈妈每周打来的电话, 问我我的法学院入学考试 成绩是否仍然有效, 可能是我应该要多留意一下的。
valid:adj.有效的;有根据的;合法的;正当的;
What I also knew was that I was about to go on vacation for two weeks, and as bad as reading bad scripts is when it is your job, it's even more painful on vacation. 我也知道,我将要去度假两周, 当读烂剧本就是你工作时, 度假反而还更痛苦。
was about to:眼看就要;即将;正要;行将; painful:adj.痛苦的;疼痛的;令人不快的;
So I had to do something. 所以我得要做点什么才行。
So late one night at my office, I made a list of everyone that I had had breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks with that had jobs similar to mine, and I sent them an anonymous email. 有天,我在办公室到很晚, 我做了张清单, 列出我曾经一起吃早餐、 午餐、晚餐,或喝饮料, 且工作性质和我很像的人, 接着我发了一封昵名信给他们。
anonymous:adj.匿名的,无名的;无个性特征的;
And I made a very simple request. 我在信上的请求很简单。
Send me a list of up to 10 of your favorite screenplays that meet three criteria . 请列出你最喜欢的十部剧本, 且要符合三项标准。
criteria:n.标准,条件(criterion的复数);
One: you love the screenplay, two: the filmed version of that screenplay will not be in theaters by the end of that calendar year , and three: you found out about the screenplay this year. 一:你爱这部剧本; 二:在当年年底之前, 该剧本的电影版不会在剧院上映; 三:你是今年发现那部剧本的。
theaters:n.影剧院,剧院(theater复数); calendar year:n.历年(公历1月1日至12月31日);
This was not an appeal for the scripts that would be the next great blockbuster , not an appeal for the scripts that will win the Academy Award , they didn't need to be scripts that their bosses loved or that their studio wanted to make. 这并不是在寻求下一部巨片的剧本, 不是在寻求能得奥斯卡的剧本, 不用是他们的老板会喜欢的剧本, 也不用是他们的电影公司 会想要拍的剧本。
appeal:n.上诉;吸引力;申诉;魅力;v.上诉;呼吁;申诉;恳求; blockbuster:n.轰动;巨型炸弹;一鸣惊人者; Academy Award:n.奥斯卡金像奖(美国电影艺术科学院颁发的年度电影成就奖);
It was very simply an opportunity for people to speak their minds about what they loved, which, in this world, is increasingly rare. 它很单纯就是一个机会, 让大家说出心声, 说出他们喜欢什么, 这样的机会在这个世界 却越来越稀有了。
increasingly:adv.越来越多地;渐增地;
Now, almost all of the 75 people I emailed anonymously responded. 我寄了昵名信给 75 个人, 他们几乎通通都回覆了。
anonymously:adv.不具名地;化名地;
And then two dozen other people actually emailed to participate to this anonymous email address, but I confirmed that they did in fact have the jobs they claimed to have. 接着,还有二十几个人写信到 这个昵名电子邮件地址来参一脚, 但我确认了他们所声称的 工作并不是真的。
participate:v.参加;参与; claimed:v.宣称;声称;断言;索取;认领;索要(claim的过去分词和过去式)
And I then compiled the votes into a spreadsheet , ran a pivot table, output it to PowerPoint, and the night before I left for vacation, 然后我把这些投票 汇整成一张试算表, 跑出一张数据透视表, 输出到 PowerPoint 上, 在我出发去度假的前一天晚上,
compiled:adj.编译的;v.编辑(compile的过去分词); spreadsheet:n.电子制表软件;电子数据表;试算表; pivot:n.枢轴; vt.以…为中心旋转; vi.在枢轴上转动; adj.枢轴的; output:n.(人、机器、机构的)产量;输出;输出功率;输出量;v.输出;
I slapped a quasi subversive name on it and emailed it back from that anonymous email address to everyone who voted. 我随意给了它一个看似 很有顛覆性的名字, 就从那个昵名的电子邮件地址, 把它寄回给所有投票者。
slapped:v.(用手掌)打,拍,掴;随意扔放;(slap的过去分词和过去式) quasi:adj.准的;类似的;外表的;adv.似是;有如; subversive:adj.破坏性的;从事颠覆的;n.危险分子;颠覆分子;
The Black List. 那名字是:黑名单。
A tribute to those who lost their careers during the anti-communist hysteria of the 1940s and 50s, and a conscious inversion of the notion that black somehow had a negative connotation . 向那些在四十及五十年代歇斯底里反共产的期间 失去工作的人致敬, 也是有意识地刻意倒置 黑色的负面意涵。
careers:n.职业(career的复数);事业;职业生涯;v.全速前进(career的三单形式); anti-communist:n.反共;adj.反共的; hysteria:n.癔病,歇斯底里;不正常的兴奋; conscious:adj.意识到的;故意的;神志清醒的; inversion:n.倒置;反向;倒转; notion:n.观念;信念;理解; somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地; negative:adj.[数]负的;消极的;否定的;阴性的;n.否定;负数;[摄]底片;v.否定;拒绝; connotation:n.内涵;含蓄;暗示,隐含意义;储蓄的东西(词,语等);
After arriving in Mexico, I pulled out a chair by the pool, started reading these scripts and found, to my shock and joy, that most of them were actually quite good. 到了墨西哥之后, 我拉了一张椅子坐在池边, 开始阅读这些剧本, 让我又惊又喜的是, 我发现这些剧本大多相当不赖。
Mission accomplished . 任务完成。
Mission:n.使命,任务;代表团;布道;v.派遣;向…传教; accomplished:adj.完成的;有技巧的;有学问的;v.完成;(accomplish的过去分词和过去式)
What I didn't and couldn't have expected was what happened next. 我没有预期到,也无法预期到 接下来发生的事。
About a week into my time on vacation, 假期开始了大约一周后,
I stopped by the hotel's business center to check my email. 我顺路到饭店的商業中心, 去收一下电子邮件。
This was a pre-iPhone world, after all. 毕竟这是 iPhone 诞生前的世界。
And found that this list that I had created anonymously had been forwarded back to me several dozen times, at my personal email address. 我发现,我昵名做的这份清单 已经被转传回来到我个人的 电子邮件地址数十次。
personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
Everyone was sharing this list of scripts that everyone had said that they loved, reading them and then loving them themselves. 大家都在分享这份 人人号称喜爱的剧本清单, 他们读了这些剧本之后 也确实很喜欢。
And my first reaction , that I can't actually say here, but will describe it as fear, the idea of surveying people about their scripts was certainly not a novel or a genius one. 我的第一个反应, 我无法在这里说, 但就把它描述为恐惧吧, 对大家做剧本的意见调查 肯定不是个新点子或天才点子。
reaction:n.反应,感应;反动,复古;反作用; surveying:n.(土地)测量;考察; genius:n.天才;天资;才能,本领;
Surely, there was some unwritten Hollywood rule of omertà that had guided people away from doing that before that I was simply too naive to understand, it being so early in my career. 当然,好莱坞有不成文的缄默法则, 导致以前没有人在做这件事, 我当时才刚入行, 太天真了不懂这些规则。
unwritten:adj.不成文的;口头的;没有记录的; naive:adj.天真的,幼稚的;
I was sure I was going to get fired, and so I decided that day that A: I would never tell anybody that I had done this, and B: I would never do it again. 我很确定我会被炒鱿鱼, 所以,那天,我决定, A:我永远不会告诉任何人 我做过这件事; B:我不会再做这件事。
Then, six months later, something even more bizarre happened. 接着,六个月后, 发生了更怪异的事。
bizarre:adj.奇异的(指态度,容貌,款式等);
I was in my office, on Sunset, and got a phone call from another writer's agent . 我在日落大道的办公室里, 接到另一位编剧的 经纪人打来的电话。
agent:n.代理人,代理商;药剂;特工;v由…作中介;由…代理;adj.代理的;
The call began very similarly to the call about "Superstorm": "I've got Leo's next movie." 电话中的对话,一开始 和《超级风暴》很像: 「我有李奥的下一部电影。」
similarly:adv.同样地;类似于;
Now, that's not the interesting part. 那并不是有趣的部分。
The interesting part was the way the call ended. 有趣的部分是这通电话 结束的方式。
Because this agent then told me, and I quote , "Don't tell anybody, but I have it on really good authority this is going to be the number one script on next year's Black List." 因为这位经纪人接下来 告诉我,我引述他的话: 「不要告诉别人, 我有非常可靠的消息, 这将会是明年黑名单上 排名第一的剧本。」
quote:v.引用;报价;举例说明;开价;为(企业的股份)上市;n.引用; authority:n.权威;权力;当局;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Yeah. 是啊。
Suffice it to say, I was dumbfounded . 我目瞪口呆,说这样就够了。
Suffice:vt.使满足;足够…用;合格;vi.足够;有能力; dumbfounded:adj.目瞪口呆的,惊呆的;v.使…慌乱;使…慌乱(dumbfound的过去分词);
Here was an agent, using the Black List, this thing that I had made anonymously and decided to never make again, to sell his client to me. 这里有位经纪人, 利用黑名单,我昵名做出来 且决定永远不再做的黑名单, 来把他的客户推销给我。
To suggest that the script had merit , based solely on the possibility of being included on a list of beloved screenplays. 暗示这部剧本有优点的方式, 竟然只是说它有可能挤上 一份被喜爱的剧本的清单上。
merit:n.价值;优点;功绩;美德;v.值得;应得; solely:adv.单独地,唯一地; beloved:adj.心爱的;挚爱的;n.心爱的人;亲爱的教友;
After the call ended, I sat in my office, sort of staring out the window, alternating between shock and general giddiness . 那通电话结束之后, 我坐在我的办公室中,盯着窗外, 一下震惊,一下晕眩。
alternating:adj.交替的;交互的;v.使交替;依次(alternate的ing形式); giddiness:n.轻率;眼花;
And then I realized that this thing that I had created had a lot more value than just me finding good screenplays to read over the holidays. 接着,我了解到, 我创造的这份清单, 它的价值远超过 让我找到好剧本可以在假日时阅读。
And so I did it again the next year -- and the "LA Times" had outed me as the person who had created it -- and the year after that, and the year after that -- I've done it every year since 2005. 所以,隔年我又做了一次—— 而《洛杉矶时报》揭露出 我就是创造清单的人—— 隔年我又做了, 还有再隔年—— 从 2005 年起,我每年都会做。
And the results have been fascinating , because, unapologetic lying aside, this agent was exactly right. 而结果非常棒, 因为,若不考量毫无歉意的说谎, 这位经纪人完全是对的。
fascinating:adj.极有吸引力的;迷人的;v.深深吸引;迷住;(fascinate的现在分词) unapologetic:不愿道歉的;不认错的;
This list was evidence , to many people, of a script's value, and that a great script had greater value that, I think, a lot of people had previously anticipated . 对许多人而言,这份清单 就是剧本价值的证据, 证明一部好的剧本有许多人 先前所预期的更大价值。
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; previously:adv.先前;以前; anticipated:adj.预期的; v.预期; (anticipate的过去式和过去分词)
Very quickly, the writers whose scripts were on that list started getting jobs, those scripts started getting made, and the scripts that got made were often the ones that violated the assumptions about what worked and what didn't. 很快地,清单上那些剧本的编剧 开始有工作了, 那些剧本开始被拍成电影, 且被拍成电影的那些剧本 通常都不符合过去对于 什么行得通、什么行不通的假设。
violated:v.违反,违背(法律、协议等); (violate的过去分词和过去式) assumptions:n.假定;假设;承担;获得;(assumption的复数)
They were scripts like "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine " 这些剧本就像是《鸿孕当头》、 《小太阳的愿望》、
Sunshine:n.阳光;日光;欢乐;幸福
and "The Queen" and "The King's Speech" 《黛妃与女皇》、 《王者之声:宣战时刻》,
and " Spotlight ." 和《惊爆焦点》。
Spotlight:n.聚光灯;反光灯;公众注意的中心;v.聚光照明;使公众注意;
And yes, "Slumdog Millionaire." 是的,还有《贫民百万富翁》。
And even an upcoming movie about Michael Jackson's chimpanzee. 甚至还有一部关于 麦可杰克森的黑猩猩的新电影。
upcoming:adj.即将来临的;
Now, I think it's really important that I pause here for a second and say that I can't take credit for the success of any of those movies. 我想,我得在这里暂停, 先澄清一下, 那些电影的成功, 我都无法居功,这点很重要。
I didn't write them, I didn't direct them, I didn't produce them, I didn't gaff them, 它们不是我写的,不是我导的,
gaff:n.鱼叉;斜桁;低级娱乐场所;vt.用鱼叉捉;用鱼钩拖上来;欺骗;vi.赌博;
I didn't make food and craft service -- we all know how important that is. 片场的食物和点心服务 不是我做的—— 我们都知道这服务有多重要。
craft:n.工艺;船;手艺;飞行器;v.(尤指用手工)精心制作;
The credit for those movies, the credit for that success, goes to the people who made the films. 那些电影的功劳,成功的功劳, 应该属于制作电影的人。
What I did was change the way people looked at them. 我所做的是改变大家看它们的方式。
Accidentally, I asked if the conventional wisdom was correct. 我不小心问了 惯用的常识是否正确。
And certainly, there are movies on that list that would have gotten made without the Black List, but there are many that definitely would not have. 当然,在清单上有些剧本, 即使没有黑名单也会被拍成电影, 但也有许多是绝对不可能。 但也有许多是绝对不可能。
definitely:adv.清楚地,当然;明确地,肯定地;
And at a minimum , we've catalyzed a lot of them into production, and I think that's worth noting. 至少,我们促成了 许多剧本被制作成电影, 我认为这点是值得注意的。
minimum:n.最低限度;最小值;最少量;极小量;adj.最低的;最小的;最低限度的; catalyzed:催化;
There have been about 1,000 screenplays on the Black List since its inception in 2005. 从 2005 年黑名单开始之后, 已经有大约一千部剧本上了清单。
inception:n.起初;获得学位;n.《盗梦空间》(电影名);
About 325 have been produced. 约有 325 部被制作成电影。
They've been nominated for 300 Academy Awards, they've won 50. 它们被提名了三百项奥斯卡金项奖, 赢得了五十项。
nominated:v.提名;推荐;任命;指派;挑选;(nominate的过去式和过去分词)
Four of the last nine Best Pictures have gone to scripts from the Black List, and 10 of the last 20 screenplay Oscars have gone to scripts from the Black List. 最近的九部最佳影片当中, 有四部的剧本上了黑名单, 最近的二十部最佳剧本当中, 有十部在黑名单上。
All told, they've made about 25 billion dollars in worldwide box office, which means that hundreds of millions of people have seen these films when they leave their homes, and sit next to someone they don't know and the lights go down. 全部加起来,它们在全世界的 票房一共有 250 亿美金, 这就表示有数亿人 曾经离开他们的家, 去坐在陌生人的旁边, 当灯光暗下来之后, 欣赏了这些电影。
And that's to say nothing of post-theatrical environments like DVD, streaming and, let's be honest, illegal downloads. 更不用说还有剧院下片之后的环境, 比如 DVD、线上电影, 老实说,还有非法下载。
say nothing of:更不用说;更别提; illegal:adj.不合法的;非法的;n.非法移民;非法劳工;
Five years ago today, October 15, my business partner and I doubled down on this notion that screenwriting talent was not where we expected to find it, 五年前的今天,十月十五日, 我和我的事業伙伴 再加码在这个想法上: 有才华的编剧可能不在 我们预期能找到他们的地方,
screenwriting:n.电影剧本创作;adj.电影剧本创作的;
and we launched a website that would allow anybody on earth who had written an English-language screenplay to upload their script, have it evaluated , and make it available to thousands of film-industry professionals . 我们推出了一个网站, 让地球上的任何人, 只要写了英语的剧本, 就可以上传,且该剧本会被评估, 数以千计的电影界 专業人士都可以取得它。
launched:v.发射;发起;开展;开始;(launch的过去式和过去分词) upload:v.上传; evaluated:v.估计;评价;评估;(evaluate的过去分词和过去式) professionals:n.[管理]专业人员(professional的复数);
And I'm pleased to say, in the five years since its launch, we've largely proved that thesis . 我很高兴能够说,网站推出五年, 我们已经大致证明了这个论点。 全世界数百名编剧找到了代表,
largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; thesis:n.论文;论点;
Hundreds of writers from across the world have found representation, have had their work optioned or sold. 全世界数百名编剧找到了代表, 让他们的作品版权能被卖出。
Seven have even seen their films made in the last three years, including the film " Nightingale ," 过去三年间,甚至有 七位编剧的作品被拍成电影, 包括《夜莺》,
Nightingale:n.夜莺;
the story of a war veteran's psychological decline , in which David Oyelowo's face is the only one on screen for the film's 90-minute duration . 这部片子讲的是战争 退役军人的心理衰退, 在全片九十分钟的时间,唯一出现在萤幕上的面孔 就是大卫欧洛沃的面孔。
psychological:adj.心理的;心理学的;精神上的; decline:v.下降;衰退;减少;谢绝;n.下降; duration:n.持续时间;期间;
It was nominated for a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. 它获得一项金球奖提名 和两项艾美奖提名。
Emmy:n.艾美奖(美国电视最高荣誉奖);
It's also kind of cool that more than a dozen writers who were discovered on the website have ended up on this end-of-year annual list, including two of the last three number one writers. 还有一点也挺酷的,有十几位 在这个网站上被发掘的编剧, 最后上了今年年底的年度名单, 包括最近三位 第一名编剧当中的两位。
annual:n.年报;年鉴;年刊;adj.每年的;年度的;一年的;
Simply put, the conventional wisdom about screenwriting merit -- where it was and where it could be found, was wrong. 简言之,一般对于 编剧优点的惯用常识—— 它在哪里、在哪里可以找到它—— 是错的。
And this is notable , because as I mentioned before, in the triage of finding movies to make and making them, there's a lot of relying on conventional wisdom. 这点值得注意,因为我之前提过, 如果要用分类找电影来拍, 并把电影拍出来, 有很大一部分要仰赖惯用的常识。
notable:adj.值得注意的,显著的;著名的;n.名人,显要人物; relying:v.依赖;信任;指望(rely的现在分词);
And that conventional wisdom, maybe, just maybe, might be wrong to even greater consequence . 而那惯用的常识, 也许,只是也许, 也许是错的, 会造成更严重的后果。
consequence:n.结果;重要性;推论;
Films about black people don't sell overseas . 关于黑人的电影在海外不好卖。
overseas:adv.在海外,海外;adj.海外的,国外的;
Female-driven action movies don't work, because women will see themselves in men, but men won't see themselves in women. 女性导向的动作片行不通, 因为女性可以在男人中 看见她们自己,但反之不然。
That no one wants to see movies about women over 40. 没有人想要看女性 超过四十岁的电影。
That our onscreen heroes have to conform to a very narrow idea about beauty that we consider conventional. 萤幕上的英雄必须要符合 一种非常狭隘的美感观点, 一般大家认定的观点。
onscreen:adj.银幕上的;adv.银幕上; conform:v.遵守;相一致;顺从;相符合;
What does that mean when those images are projected 30 feet high and the lights go down, for a kid that looks like me in Columbus, Georgia? 当那些影像被投射到三十英呎 高的银幕,灯光暗下来之后, 对于像我这种乔治亚 哥伦布市的孩子,有什么意涵？ 对于像我这种乔治亚 哥伦布市的孩子,有什么意涵？
images:n.印象;声誉;形象;画像;雕像;(image的第三人称单数和复数)
Or a Muslim girl in Cardiff, Wales? 或是威尔斯卡地夫的穆斯林女孩？
Or a gay kid in Chennai? 或是清奈的同性恋孩子？
What does it mean for how we see ourselves and how we see the world and for how the world sees us? 对于我们如何看待自己、 我们如何看待世界, 及世界如何看待我们, 有什么意涵？
We live in very strange times. 我们生在一个非常奇怪的时代。
And I think for the most part , we all live in a state of constant triage. 我想,大多数的情况下, 我们都在做分类。
for the most part:adv.在极大程度上,多半;
There's just too much information, too much stuff to contend with. 有太多资讯了, 有太多东西要处理的。
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本: contend:v.主张,认为;竞争;争夺;
And so as a rule , we tend to default to conventional wisdom. 所以,我们倾向会将 惯用的常识拿来当作规则。
as a rule:通常,一般说来;
And I think it's important that we ask ourselves, constantly, how much of that conventional wisdom is all convention and no wisdom? 我认为,很重要的是, 我们要常常问自己, 那惯用的常识中,
And at what cost? 代价又是什么？
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）