30 Days of Screenplays, Day 16: “Hanna”
Why read 30 screenplays in 30 days?
Why read 30 screenplays in 30 days?
Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts.
There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get from reading scripts, giving you an innate sense of pace, feel, tone, style, how to approach writing scenes, how create flow, and so forth.
We did 30 Days of Screenplays in 2013 and you can access each of those posts and discussions here. This time, we’re trying something different: I invited thirty Go Into The Story followers to read one script each and provide a guest post about it.
Today’s guest columnist: Stephan Burn.
Title: Hanna. You may read the screenplay here.
Year: 2011
Writing Credits: Seth Lochhead (story & screenplay) and David Farr (screenplay)
IMDB rating: 6.8
IMDB plot summary: A sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.
Tagline: Innocence can be deadly.
Analysis: The reason why I enjoy Hanna, and wanted to do this script read of it, is because of i’s unusual place in the action / spy thriller genre. It’s not only its young female protagonist that intrigues, but the fact that Hanna, above all else, is a fairy tale. From subtle references of the hut in the woods and the hunter, and antagonist Marissa as the evil stepmother; to more overt references in locations and props, more directly invoking Grimm’s fairy tales. While the fairy tale elements might be painted with a heavier brush in the final scenes, it’s necessary so it doesn’t become submerged beneath the rising action of the climax.
All characterization borrows then from fairy tale tropes, and less so from those of the action / spy thriller genre, and it is this that adds a fresh perspective to what and who we see.
Most Memorable Dialogue:
First Line of movie:
Hanna (to deer): I just missed your heart.
Almost last line of movie:
Hanna (to Marissa): I just missed your heart
I’ve always enjoyed the use of book-ending in scripts, a way to loop us back around to the beginning, though changed by the events. Hanna says both lines pragmatically, with regret at her failing; but without apology.
Most Memorable Moments: Hanna’s initial interrogation and escape is perhaps the film’s most memorable sequence. The voyeuristic Marissa, watches her double comfort the crying girl, a seemingly vulnerable child that explodes into controlled violence. Even the viewer and reader, forewarned of her specialness, is not prepared for the transition, much less the half thrilled, half terrified Marissa.
What Did I Learn About Screenwriting From Reading This Script: What I learned about screenwriting from reading Hanna was how to balance action scenes; making them snappy to read, visual and engaging, but without laying it on too thick. Often I read scripts where there is ‘too much black on the page’, every moment of action captured. Equally, the obverse, where ‘they fight’ is left for the director or choreographer to interpret. Hanna squares this circle well, showing the key elements, but without over-egging the pudding.
Thanks, Stephan! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
To see all of this year’s 30 Days of Screenplays: Vol. 2, go here.