The logline submissions make me curious about your blog's traffic in general. What was it before, and has it gone up so far during the Quest?

...It occurs to me that this might somehow be sensitive information (I don't run a website so I have no idea). If that's the case, don't feel at all compelled to answer with specifics.

Traffic is up, but site traffic has been strong this entire year. Honestly I don't pay much attention to that sort of thing. I suppose if I had advertising and what-not, I would do everything possible to drive people to the site, and connive them into multiple page views, but it's not that kind of site [I make no money off GITS]. So my interest in traffic is mostly curiosity. My email traffic, however, has blown through the roof!

I can imagine. Aargh, I just swore off a website, "Hollywood Elsewhere," where I believe the proprietor is posting spoilers to MAD MEN and such to get hits off of the controversy. What's more, the tone of the site overall has shifted from amusingly cranky to full-on bilious. That's what the chase after hits can do, not that I see you ever going that route. This guy hates life and you clearly don't.

> So one thing you can do when you develop your stories is consider the ethnic and national backgrounds of the characters in your stories. You know who excels at this? British TV writer Russel T. Davies, creator of (the original British TV series) Queer as Folk and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and former head writer and executive producer of Dr Who and Torchwood. His scripts aren't just ethnically or regionally diverse, there are also more roles for women and people of different sexual orientations. And it's not just tokenism: people of all stripes are presented in positions of power and authority and as everyday people. "Harriet Jones, British Prime Minister" (as fabulously played by Penelope Wilton) is one of my favourite characters. The scripts are also a joy to read as *scripts*, and you can download six (free and legal) here: http://www.thewriterstale.com/scr.html. Was it here on GITS that there was a discussion about how Davies goes through his scripts and replaces words like "quickly" with "fast"--because the word itself is faster on the page? He gets so many things right that other writers don't--most notably, Michael Shurtleff's idea of "fining the love in the scene". If you come across interviews with him on writing, he's genius.

Scott, apologies in advance for this minor rant, but you hit a nerve: First of all, Inception clearly follows tropes initiated by Blade Runner and cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson wrt the role multinational corporations play in the world of the future. Such a story wouldn't feel true to the genre without that aspect. Secondly, when you say one has to think internationally, imho what you're really saying is that you have to think that way through an American prism... ie you have to think about stories that will have mass appeal both here and abroad, as opposed to something that is truly international. I don't believe that in general it's possible anymore to make a movie with an international sensibility like Topsy Turvy, or Life is Beautiful in this country due to cultural differences, even though back in the early 80's and before, Hollywood studios used to make multinational productions like Amadeus, Name of the Rose or Love and Death, all the time. Even Star Wars, a movie from an almost unknown director (despite Graffiti), was filmed in locations around the world. Furthermore, with Hollywood's currently focus on comic book and similar properties and the 12->35 demographic, one couldn't take a *great* historical story like Galileo's trial or Newton & Leibnitz's argument and hope to turn that into a film, even though Hollywood used to make movies like that all the time (personally, I think both of those movies would do well in countries abroad where they treat Nobel prize winners like rock stars.). The sole exception seems to be period action movies such as Master and Commander or Gladiator with actors capable or close to capable of opening a movie by themselves. The reason, imho, is mostly due to profound changes during the 80s in financial management in studios and the focus on market research, which led to the extreme centralization of the movie business in LA. Combined with market research that led the studios to focus on American audiences with a young demographic, the drive to cut costs made it almost impossible to use exotic locales (and large sound-stage facilities in England, Canada & Australia don't count) without the incentive of international funding, when budgets came under greater control and more money made it's way to the talent at the expense of the supporting staff. I don't disagree with you on your fundamental point, but the catalyst for movies with international play seems to start and end with funding, which can be a very fickle thing and is something that's is clearly the producer's domain... If I have an observation it's that should you write scenes with foreign locales, then make sure they'll survive a rewrite or two when the money's origin shits from Russia to Bejing or Dubai.

Thanks again, Shaula, for those links. pliny's later comment brings up a point you make here: "His scripts aren’t just ethnically or regionally diverse, there are also more roles for women and people of different sexual orientations. And it’s not just tokenism: people of all stripes are presented in positions of power and authority and as everyday people." My point about thinking international at a story concept level could seem pretty manipulative. And certainly a writer could approach a story that way. But the path you describe here is the one writers ought to walk, digging into the story universe and characters, so they become more than just stereotypes.

Scott, Thank you for everything. Do you ever sleep? Best, Montana

There is precedent in Europe: not only are Queen Elizabeth and Queen Beatrice the heads of their respective countries, but Angela Merkel is currently Germany's chancellor. And lest we forget, Margaret Thatcher was not only Great Britain's Prime Minister but she held the job for three consecutive terms, longer than anyone since 1827.

Hi, Scott. Hi, Pliny. You're welcome on the links, Scott. And sorry for the typo: that should be "finding the love in the scene". Michael Shurtleff's book Audition doesn't seem widely known in writing circles, which is a great shame, because in explaining to actors how to make a great scene (no matter the failings of the script they're given), he provides important insights to writers and to directors on how to build a great scene from their respective roles as well. pliny writes: > There is precedent in Europe... Absolutely. And not just in Europe: in North America there's Kim Campbell, Canada's first female Prime Minister, going back to 1993. And looking at the BRIC countries Scott references above, India elected Indira Ghandi as the country's first female head of state in 1966 (making her second female head of government in the world after Sri Lanka's Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was first elected Prime Minister of Ceylon and Sri Lanka in 1960). I feel like some writers get trapped in writing about the world they inherited in the pop culture products shaped by previous generations, in a very backward looking (and feeling) way, while one of the things that sets Davies apart is he writes about the world around him right now, with his eyes open, and the direction that world is going. It's a very forward-looking and forward-thinking approach to writing. Scott writes: > ...digging into the story universe and characters, so they become more than just stereotypes That sounds to me like a good recipe for A) great storytelling and B) stories that transcend parochialism to speak to the widest possible (global) audience.

Ha! Sometimes it doesn't feel like it [getting much sleep that is]. I'm just super passionate about movies, stories, screenwriting, and creativity, so I tend to push the envelope in terms of what I do. I also tend to be pretty generous with my time. Fortunately I have Producer Scott kicking around now to remind me I don't have 36 hours in a day.

that should be *shifts* from Russia... oops

A Chinese, a Russian and a Brazilian walk into this bar ...in India. BOOM!