Story-Telling: Quentin Tarantino

Nobody writes a script like Quentin Tarantino, and that's a fact. So when it came to researching a screenwriter I knew I had to look at him. Every word he writes has meaning.

Who is Quentin Tarantino? (as if you don't know)

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is an American screenwriter, director, producer and occasionally actor (mostly as a cameo in his own movies). He is best known for producing films like Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill (2003/2004) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). His writing style is very individual, you know when you're reading a Tarantino screenplay. He is known for writing in a non-linear fashion and his stories tend to be of a violent and satirical matter. Tarantino has made a name for himself in Hollywood and his films have a specific and recognisable feel and look to them. He has gained both critical and commercial success over the years, winning many awards including two Oscars, two BAFTAs and two Golden Globes, as well as being named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. Overall he is a brilliant man.

Why did I choose Tarantino?

I chose to look at Quentin Tarantino because I have always been a fan of his writing style and films. I loved that he can make every single word count, if it doesn't need to be said, he won't write it. His films have a lot of dialogue but each word means something. 

One of my favourite characters of his is Colonel Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds. This character has some amazing and sinister dialogue, and Christoph's inspiring acting brings that dialogue to life. Some of his scenes go on for over 10-15 minutes and yet you are hooked the whole time because the dialogue is incredible. The man (Tarantino) has a way with words. The two scenes in the film that have some of Landa's best dialogue in them are the opening scene set in a French farmers kitchen and a scene in the second act set inside a French pub where a meeting takes place between Landa and Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt).

The script for the film had been in development for almost a decade before it finally went into production. Tarantino describes his process of writing: "I just come up with what I feel is a neat idea for something, and I'll put in mind. And I'll let it incubate for years. When I want to write, I figure out what genre and what style I want to work in. And then I just kind of flip through the old backlog to see which idea's time has come".

Whilst writing my own script I used the screenplay for Inglourious Basterds as a reference piece as to how a professional, and in this case a unique one, would write. I found it very useful to look at someone else's work. Tarantino is an amazing screenwriter and director and that's why I chose to look at him whilst working on my own script for this story-telling unit.