The Art of Rejection in Creative Storytelling

Rejection fuels creativity, transforming pain into profound art and relatable characters.

### The Art of Rejection: Crafting Authentic Stories in Film and Television
* 🎨 "Rejection can be really rich to art," and it's essential for creating **compelling narratives that resonate with audiences**.
* 📝 The process of writing often begins with what the speaker calls a "**vomit draft**," where the focus is on **getting ideas down without self-censorship**, even if the dialogue is **cheesy or overly expository**.
* 📺 Transitioning from a feature film to a television pilot can be a strategic move when a story **expands beyond its original scope**, allowing for a **more developed narrative arc**.
* 💻 The character of Elliot in "Mr. Robot" was inspired by the **hacker culture** and significant events like the **2008 financial collapse** and the **Arab Spring**, which shaped his motivations and the overarching themes of **revolution and isolation**.
* 🔍 The use of voiceover in storytelling, often criticized as a crutch, can provide **deep insights into a character's inner life**, as seen with Elliot's imaginary friend, who embodies his **loneliness**.
* 🔄 Effective storytelling requires constant reflection and refinement, focusing not just on plot but on the **emotional truths and character choices** that resonate with viewers.
* 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of **excitement in the writing process**, suggesting that **genuine enthusiasm for a character or moment** is crucial for producing compelling work.
* 💔 Ultimately, embracing rejection and pain can enrich artistic expression, as these experiences **deepen the understanding of human emotions** and **enhance the authenticity of the stories being told**.

I think rejection is key. I actually
think it's really essential for art to be really good.
Voiceover gets a really bad rap. People say it's it's a crutch. I've always
resisted that and by the way anybody who

is thinking about going into TV, no I'd
never had television experience. I wasn't intending to go into television. Yes I
started just writing as my next feature film. The thing is I always do what's
called a vomit draft. You just don't care

like you're writing the worst cheesy
dialogue, on the nose as subtext. Everyone's telling you each other how
exactly how they feel and there's a terrible exposition, but you're just
because I, you know, that the scariest

thing is the blank page, so you're just
trying to get shit down there and then you can go back and you can be you could
rewrite it. So I like on page 90 and I was like oh this is not going well
because I was like nowhere near the end

of Act one. I'm on and I'm on, I basically
have written a feature already, so I was just doing that vomit draft of like it's
gonna be long. Every farm that draft is, you know, you just let yourself go, but I
guess I just didn't realize I was going

that long. So this was going to either be
a really long movie that would never get made, or I was like, you know, I could stop
writing here and just turn it into a pilot. Great, so I was like oh that's
easier, so I'll do that and I knew

exactly what the end of the first season
was because that was gonna be the end of my first act and I kind of worked out
like a little bit of an of a Bible again like I was so resistant to this being
like a long-running TV series it was

gonna be a very finite we're gonna get
to the ending the sort of the story I envisioned and
so I'm very specific about what I wanted and so that we we pitched it around and
I told them you know this was initially

featured now it's a very long feature
and that's the only way to look at it I mean and I think they appreciated that I
was very specific and and had it like a very specific direction to take the show
I've never found it hard to hack most

people if you listen to them watch them
their vulnerabilities are like a neon sign screwed into their heads I always
say there's three factors that kind of led to creating the sort of number one
you know growing up being really into programming and kind of being a little
fascinated with the hacker culture I

wanted to tell a movie or television
show I said some sort of story that authentically represented that world
because a lot of the a lot of movies that came out Hollywood especially at
and then you know late 90s and even then

in the 2000s were very corny and had
nothing to do with realistically what was what what hacker subculture was all
about I'd say the second and third things because it kind of happened very
close to one another was the financial

collapse in 2008 and then the Arab
Spring that happened a few years after that, those two things, the concept of a
revolution, which is so tied into, again, the hacker subculture, those two things sort
of kind of helped me develop the character of Elliot and why he wanted
to be a hacker, why he wanted to go into

the subculture, why he had this sort of
grandiose vision of starting a revolution and changing the world
because I was so moved, I was so horrified by the financial collapse and
how sort of the top 1% were kind of

doing these really criminal activities
on a large scale and getting away with it, and then, and then seeing how
technology helped people in the Arab countries rise up and have a voice and
start a revolution. And so all those things have come coalesced into
the character of Elliot, and that started

there, and then from there the story of Mr.
Robot kind of spun out. When I started piecing together who Elliot as a
character is, I wanted to really represent his, his loneliness in a very
authentic way, and because his isolationism is part of what drives him
to hack people. I mean, that was the sort

of irony or twist in his character is
that he's so alone, but yet he's able to access the sort of the most intimate
details of everyone around him. To stay true to that kind of person, that kind of
extreme that Elliot goes to, dissociative

identity disorder sort of fit what
Elliot was sort of experiencing because he wasn't able to essentially connect to
people, and sort of the contrast to that is that he just dissociates from them.
And in fact, there was this also this very profound fear that he has and even
just talking to them, and you kind of see

that in the pilot when he can't even
bring himself to go into his friend's birthday party so DiD was just
something that really fit I think what Elliot's journey was ultimately gonna be
about across the whole series which is about this young man who cannot through
this deep fear and this sort of deep

isolationism can't find a way to connect
with other people hello and I love a friend that's lame maybe I should give
you a name the thing about voiceover because growing up especially in film
school you know voiceover gets a really

bad rap I mean people really put it down
and and it's oftentimes you know in terms of screenwriting people say it's
it's a crutch because you can get exposition and information out that in
an in quote-unquote a lazy way rather

than trying to creatively put it into a
scene I've always resisted that because some of my favorite films Clockwork
Orange taxi driver used voiceover in this really brilliant way that actually
shows the inner life and a character that otherwise you could not do in in a
scene and yes there are there is that

voiceover where it's you know it's it's
not even present it's past tense it's let me tell you a
story and let me fill in all the details and sure that could get X positive and
feel like a crutch but the voiceover you

know and this is one of the things that
really motivated me to figure it out for Mr. Robot because I knew I wanted to be
in Elliot's head that's what this show was about Elliot's had being interior
and I thought thought came up with the

idea of us being that imaginary friend,
that person that he can confide in, that because if this shows about loneliness,
well how does our voiceover sort of complement that? And I thought oh,
that's interesting, he can't open up to anybody except this
person that he's created in his in his

mind. Hello again, a long time no
see. Whatever it is we do every time I write anything it would be foolish to just be
like okay, that's it, I'm not gonna show it to anyone cuz it's perfect and here
you go world, you'd better buy it and

make it.
That's silly, so you know what you normally figure if you're a good writer,
you finish the script and you send it to your best friends, not the ones that are
going to be like oh my god it's amazing, it's the next Citizen Kane, like ignore
those people, you go to the ones that are

gonna be like this fucking sucks, like
how could you write this? Here's how you fix it. A lot of the writers in my
writers room are a lot of my friends from film school that I would always do
this process with, you know, I usually

will say here that the major goal post
so we should hit this season, here's the next part of the story, so we put that up
on the board, I would say okay so this steel mountain hack that has to happen
and it has to fail, and that's sort of

the midpoint, the Darleen reveal that's
sort of the beginning of our of our downward spiral into the finale, and then
the finale beats the hack has to happen, you know what's, and then we kind of put
on the board, now I have more details

that I actually throw up there as well
but those are those were that's what I would say and probably when Elliot this
officer joins us inside, commit that you know that so it's like those kind of
goal posts or go up on the board first

and then we just started filling in well
then we kind of we only start with motivation, well how how does Elliot, why
does Elliot decide what would be most interesting, the motivation for Elliot
to that, who would take Elliot to actually join this group and then what
is the emotional, and then is it honest

and all those different layers, and Ken
who can't and the howl, and then we figure out and then we've had a reverse
engineer, how do we dramatize it to get to that point, so like we knew that on
you know that third episode by the end

of third, he's gonna join that society
and so the question becomes from one to three, would eat so what do you do when
you look at story, well again we kind of reverse engineer, and so we know that the
big motivation is going to be the

discovery that Evil Corp was aware of
his, you know, of the leak which causes his father's death and so it hits on an
emotional level, in its on a plot level because that's that's what the whole
plot you know the fsociety

hack is all about, so we kind of just
build it like a house, you build to sort of the foundation, you figure out those
big character choices, big character moments kind of reveals are happening
and and how they're intersecting with character reveals and how that's causing
even more conflict and that's the stuff

that actually then goes back and changes
supply and changes everything cuz you then you start to feel like oh my god
these are real people and maybe they don't get this right the first time you
know they mess up a couple of times before they get it right and how do they
mess up and how can that be interesting

and how can that be real and then we go
back and we do that we call a world pass well because because of what the f
Society hackers did in the first season right so now we have an economics
consultant who kind of goes through what

like right now and I think that's great
too because then you get to explore those details along with your characters
who are who are also kind of like growing and getting adjusted to the
world to give a man a gun then you can

rob a bank or give a man a bank and you
can rob the world ultimately every choice that we want to make when we're
making the show boils down to what are we trying to say I mean that's what I
always sort of live with my costume

designer my production designer my
cinematographer my actors what are we saying what are we doing we don't want
to just be going through the motions we want to say something otherwise what is
the point unfortunately the the conventional thinking sometimes is to
document the action you look at a scene

you're and you know this person's got to
say this and then leave the room and you're just trying to document that I
think there's so many more layers you could do to fill that out well what does
it mean what's the morality behind these

choices even if it's as simple as you know a couple breaking up on one leaves well what what are you trying to say other than just that because if you're just saying that then you're not really saying anything most of it is not me at

a keyboard typing the words down hours of it is me just sitting there thinking me at a restaurant with Emmy thinking me in a hotel room thinking me on a vacation thinking it's it's constantly about problem solving and refining what you're trying to say and finding the story of what you know because when I

have an inkling of what show or movie I want to make next it comes from somewhere and it's almost like I got to go through this analysis of where is that coming from deep down inside what am I really trying is I think it's

one thing and I by the end of it I mean it's almost ultimately something else something deeper that's the first sort of blush at what you should do before you do really do pen to paper it's now drilling down to why is that interesting

why is that something that you either will think would be entertaining but but on a deeper level why why is it relevant why is it necessary to bring up and talk about and spend millions of dollars and ask an entire crew of people to come

together and produce this thing I mean you're asking a lot for people to make this what is the thing that must be said about this story one thing that I think again conventionally we lean on plot a lot of times way too much implicit plot and inevitably has to make sense and you

have to kind of understand it the
audience has to kinda understand but you don't remember the plot you remember the
characters I really deeply believe that and you remember what they're about and
who they are and what choices they make bad or good and you and that will
ultimately resonate more than the

sequence of events that happen on the
screen you know the plot of like going and beating the bad guy that's that's
every fucking movie and every but it's how they do it and what choices they
make along the way that's interesting

right so with Elliott I knew from the
outset that it was gonna be dishonest if he was if he was going to essentially
shrug this robot thing off and jump back in it like he really needed to be
introspective and deep dive into himself

and really honestly if you know putting
yourself in his shoes he's gonna wanna get rid of this thing he's gonna want it
he wants to be normal I mean that's the thing he's been saying from the beginning
of the of the show so how do we

dramatize that in an entertaining way
and that will feel honest there's a saying the devil's that is strongest
well we're looking the other way like a program running in the background
silently while we're busy doing other

shit it's not about getting gotcha
moments I think those wind up feeling cheap and empty and honestly going into
episode 9 I I mean I assumed people kind of got it by that point and so it really
was about how did it feel to Elliott how

did it feel to that guy so in that
moment in the cemetery it was less about the shock of realizing what was going on
but more about realizing it through Elliott's eyes and keeping that
authentic and real and so that that to

me is what our twists are it's just
revelation character revelations if we're doing our job right it's our deep
character emotional revelations and it's less
about trying to trick you or pull one over on you the one thing that I try
and do before I actually start writing

is get excited about something about an
idea I had a character moment a plot moment whatever it is I don't want to
write something if I'm not excited to write it I'm pushing myself to do it
I get I know it's not gonna be great and

sometimes I have to and I know I'm just
let me just get through this scene let me write that slug line and write the
description but then eventually whether it's when I go back and do another pass
out or whatever I have to hit every

moment with some sort of excitement
otherwise the script is it finished to me and by the way anybody who is
thinking about going into TV know that if you do sell a pilot and you're going
to be making that pilot that they are watching you while you are making that pilot and
they are making a lot of decisions based

on how you act and behave during the
whole pilot process I think rejection is key I mean look I my middle name is
rejection I've been rejected numerous times and you just forget about
filmmakers people in general there are those people that just kind of coast
through life but the people that the art

and the and and the movies and the TV
shows and the books and the characters that I relate to the most are
the people that do get rejected, the people that have gone through struggle
that have conflict in their lives that have to overcome that. It's so rich.
Rejection can be really rich to art. I

actually think it's really essential for
art to be really good is to have that sort of pain that goes with rejection.
And so anytime you get rejected by somebody, the minute you do, the minute
you start feeling pain, use that, use that. Remember it, remember that feeling. Write
it down, take a picture, whatever it is

that you need to do. I think it's gonna
really help you really understand what that means.
Hey, thanks for watching. Next week's video is gonna be on True Detective, so
be sure to subscribe so you know when that video drops. I'll see you guys next
week

as we take another look behind the
curtain

How I Wrote Mr. Robot

Behind the Curtain

Rejection is essential for creating good art.

The author initially wrote the script as a feature film, using a 'vomit draft' method.

The lengthy draft was adapted into a pilot for a TV series.

The author had a specific vision for the series' ending.

The initial pitch emphasized the film's length and specific direction.

Inspiration and Influences Behind Mr. Robot

The author's interest in programming and hacker culture influenced the show's creation.

The author aimed to create an authentic representation of hacker subculture, unlike previous portrayals.

The 2008 financial collapse and the Arab Spring significantly impacted the development of the character Elliot.

These events shaped Elliot's motivations and his desire to start a revolution.

The author's observations of criminal activities and the role of technology in uprisings contributed to Elliot's character.

Developing Elliot's Character and Storyline

Elliot's loneliness and isolation are central to his character and actions.

Dissociative identity disorder was incorporated to reflect Elliot's inability to connect with others.

Elliot's fear and inability to connect are shown in his avoidance of social situations.

Elliot's journey focuses on his struggle to connect with others despite his deep fear and isolation.

Voiceover is often criticized in film and television.

The author challenges this criticism, citing examples of effective voiceover use in classic films.

The author uses voiceover to convey Elliot's inner life and thoughts.

The voiceover in Mr. Robot serves as Elliot's imaginary friend, reflecting his loneliness.

The voiceover complements the show's theme of loneliness.

The author emphasizes the importance of seeking constructive criticism from peers.

The author shares the script with friends who provide honest feedback.

The writing process involves establishing major plot points and then filling in the details.

The team focuses on character motivations and emotional honesty.

The process involves reverse engineering the story from key moments and character choices.

The Importance of Meaning and Storytelling

The author prioritizes conveying a message over simply documenting action.

The team explores the morality and deeper meaning behind the characters' choices.

The focus is on saying something meaningful, rather than just presenting events.

The writing process involves significant time spent thinking and refining the story's message.

The author analyzes the deeper meaning and relevance of the story before writing.

The author prioritizes character development and choices over plot.

Audiences remember characters and their choices more than plot details.

The focus is on how characters make choices and the consequences of those choices.

Elliot's internal struggle and journey of self-discovery are crucial to the story.

The story aims to dramatize Elliot's desire for normalcy in an honest and entertaining way.

The author emphasizes character revelations and emotional depth over plot twists.

Maintaining Excitement and Passion in Writing

The author emphasizes the importance of excitement and passion in the writing process.

The author strives to infuse every moment with excitement to ensure the script's quality.

The author advises aspiring TV writers to be mindful of their behavior during the pilot process.

The author views rejection as a key element in the creation of good art.

The author encourages using the pain of rejection to enrich artistic expression.

The author suggests remembering and processing the feeling of rejection to gain deeper understanding.