The 24 Hour Writing Experiment

How My Writer's Group spent our Carmaggedon.

With warnings of apocalyptic scenes on the Los Angeles Carmaggedon freeways this past weekend, my Writer's Group, the Deadliners, undertook a different nightmare scenario:

We decided to write for 24 hours.

I had participated in 24 Hour Plays at George Washington University, in which writers receive 12 hours 8pm-8am to write a series of one acts, and then the cast and crew receive 12 hours to produce them. I had also heard of 24 Hour Film Festivals. But what about 24 Hour Writing Sessions...

At noon on Saturday we arrived at the Chamberlain Hotel. There were six of us, each undertaking individual projects. Two plays, two features, and two TV spec pilots.

The rules were simple. It must be a new idea. You cannot have written more than a page on the idea. You cannot have started to write 'pages'.

The participants were the ever so talented Adam Aresty, David Case, Marissa Jo Cerar, Annie Hendy, Enio Rigolin, and myself. Six Heroes and Villains Writers on a mission.

We discussed our ideas at lunch when we started, and again at dinner time.

We wrote by the pool during the afternoon, laptop next to laptop.

But by 11pm, we were digging deep into the evening.

By 2am, a sense of exhaustion sets in. How long can I be this creative and on point?

By 4am, delirium sets in. We lose two participants. Four more continue...

By 6am, it's blind momentum. This is why we do it.

As writers, we become so used to planning everything out. Taking time with our decisions. Sometimes when you prepare to write, you've already lost that passionate kernel you had. You fail to consider theme and style until your rewrites. You are too busy plotting.

The Experiment prevented us from being able to plan. Every decision must be made in an instant, or you will not finish. Every page must be vomited out. The whole is more important than any individual part.

I emerged with a TV outline, and the Teaser and first 2 Acts of a TV one hour drama spec pilot.

Overall it was a huge success. There was a sense of camaraderie and unity. An atmosphere of fervor and excitement. And the chance to turn a single idea into a conceptualized project.

Sunday we slept.

How I Decipher 8 Studio Lingo Terms

"We're looking for something four quadrant. Universal. Franchise-able. But not necessarily high concept."

Tentpole. Four Quadrant. Universal. Commercial. Brand-based.

You might have an idea what these various words mean. I kind of thought I did too.

But on my latest couch tour (a series of studio meetings) with Graham Funke, I've learned there are big differences between these words.

And it takes an understanding of the lingo to communicate.

So I thought I'd take a brief glossary of terms I had run into and discuss my impressions of them. Because there is a big difference between them:

Four Quadrant - The four quadrants are men and women, old and young, and when a movie is four quadrant, it has broad appeal to all four demographics. But guess what? Your latest cop thriller or your sci-fi adventure. Those aren't four quadrant. That's geared towards teenage and 20-something guys. It may be a huge market but it's not four quadrant.

Universal - A theme is universal if it is something nearly everyone can relate to. Feeling persecuted. Wanting revenge. Feeling unrequited love. If like most people you've felt the impulse to do it, then it's probably a universal feeling. But a movie can be geared towards a certain quadrant and still be universal. It can be a certain niche or genre. Or it could be a big budget movie in which you root for the hero, but don't relate to the situation he faces or feelings he has.

Tentpole - These are specifically giant movies, usually summer or holiday, that the studios plan on propping up their revenue streams. And in today's market, these are pre-existing materials. Not original specs. This is Harry Potter. Transformers. Your movie may have a 100 million dollar budget and may be poised to make even more, but it's not really gonna be tentpole unless it's adapted. You write a tentpole-sized spec to show you can handle that scope, but it's not really a tentpole unless it's already a franchise.

High Concept - High Concept doesn't just mean someone can visualize the entire story from a concise logline, it means they get it from the hook. From the title even. Lost Sex Tape. Zombie Pet Shop. It might need a little more description, like Bait and Switch: Couple house-swaps with world's most wanted secret spies. Virgin Territory: Dad must stop his virgin daughter from losing virginity on Spring Break. You get it all. A lot of people think because their scripts are 'Commercial' that they are high concept. But unless you only need ten words to pitch the whole thing, and it's the kind of idea that could sell as a pitch, it's not that high concept.

Commercial - Commercial just means you write with an interest in being Studio-produced and making money. It doesn't mean you don't also have a great story or something to say, but it is, in a way, the lingo for "I'm willing to partially sell out," or "buy in" as I'd rather say. Yes, I would like to write a movie everyone pays to see and makes a lot of money. A movie that tries to walk a familiar line with slight differences to appeal to the marketplace is commercial. High concept is always commercial, but commercial is not always high concept.

Brand or Brand-based - It's based on pre-existing material or pre-existing property. The Magic 8-Ball. That's already got an identity, so it people know it. Board games, old TV shows, top selling books, all have brands. Nowadays, studios will take something pre-existing, like a more obscure book or comic, and turn it into a movie in hopes of branding the pre-existing material on the heat of the movie development.

Franchise(able) - Funny thing about this one. Something franchise-able may not be franchised yet. This is merely something that could become a franchise. A movie about a hero or group of heroes, a story about an imaginative world, or an antagonist that keeps coming back for more, all of those have franchise-able possibilities. This just means that the story is written in a way, that if successful, it could be parlayed into a sequel. Most commercial specs can easily be franchise-able, so this doesn't carry as much weight as being based on a pre-existing franchise or brand.

World Creation - This one could arguable be just any movie, but there is an inference from producers here that they really want to see worlds in the story that aren't only original, but immersive and expansive. Tron to Narnia, Inception to Cowboys vs Aliens, they don't just create new worlds, they immerse the audience in that world. It's almost indicative to adventure movies, but it also exists in action, thriller, or even comedy, as long as the world continues to expand as a character. Mission Impossible may take us into the world of MI:6, but after our initial foray, it does not expand in that world, but rather takes us to ordinary locales to the the extraordinary circumstances unfold there, so that's not exactly world creation.

How Long Does A Brand New Spec Take?

A Look @ A Schedule for a New Feature Spec

I can't tell how many times I've heard writers talk about finishing a brand new spec in a month or two. I can never get my head around it. Blows my mind. I'm not a slow writer, but I try to be realistic about the speed at which a spec progresses. I thought it would be helpful to finally sit down and chart out an average, perhaps fast, spec's journey, from start to finish.

So here it is. An ambitious writing schedule for a brand new spec:

First Draft

Idea & Brainstorming - Two Weeks

Treatment & Outlining - Two Weeks

I'm assuming that a month might elapse between the time inspiration hits and the time you begin writing pages.

First Draft - Four Weeks

Now you need to get notes. You may have one fast reading friend, but most people require two weeks to read a script and get back to you. And then it takes a week to go get lunch/coffee with everyone and collect their feedback.

Rewrite

Notes on Rough Draft - Three Weeks

Processing Notes and Re-Outlining - Two Weeks

Rewrite - Four Weeks

We have a rewrite! And we're going to assume you are right on track and only need one more rewrite here.

Second Rewrite

Notes on Draft Two - Three Weeks

Processing Notes and Re-Outlining - Two Weeks

Rewrite - Four Weeks

Okay. We're close. But now we need to polish dialogue and tweek a few more things.

Polish

Notes on Draft Three - Three Weeks

Processing Notes and Re-Outlining - One Week

Rewrite - Two Weeks

And we're done!

That's 32 Weeks. 8 Months.

That's assuming you can commit five days a week to writing. That's assuming you don't travel or have any vacation weekends like 4th of July. That's assuming you don't run into a snag and require a rewrite draft just to put you back on track.

So I guess I can see how a fast writer might pull out a drat in a month or two, but it seems naive to assume that draft will be "industry-ready". I guess if there are writers out there that can write "industry-ready" drafts in under three months, I'm just out gunned. But I think a fast spec can be done in 6-9 months. And standard time is 1 year.

How do writers finish more than one spec a year? They transition back and forth between several projects and they write full-time. But I haven't met many writers that can consistently pull that off.

Write with a Scalpel

The Advantage of Small Notes over Large Notes

The script is really great!

But what if you just re-invented the first act?

We think you should make it about her instead.

Could you just change the whole thing?

How many times have you heard that for your writing?

It's very common for your readers to respond to problems by looking for big changes. At my last writer's group meeting, I was reviewing my latest spec. It is near completion, after nearly eight drafts. I believe strongly in taking a step away from your material and thinking about big changes, but that strategy is usually better suited for early drafts. At this point, I needed "scene execution" notes. So when a few ideas came my way that suggested I revamp entire sections, I pushed those comments aside and dug deeper.

"What did you think about that scene there? Did you get his choice??" I asked.

I discovered several smaller notes that I could pull off rather quickly. If I show him making that decision at the beginning of the scene, it helps? What if I move that moment just a scene earlier? So I can cut that exchange and reveal it later? Suddenly everyone was saying, "Yeah, if you do those things, it will read a lot better!" Those three little scenes threw off the read for thirty pages, disrupting pacing and finesse.

Sometimes readers respond with big suggestions because they can't identify the issues. All they know is: something isn't working. Then they let their imagination run away to fix it. But as writers, we can recognize their instincts, while looking past their suggestions. I always say the note is different than the suggestion. By asking how can I execute more effectively what I intended, sometimes you can pass on a major rewrite and achieve with just a polish. It's an especially important strategy in later drafts.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Or to use another analogy, go in with the scalpel.

The Train Takes Off!

Welcome back everyone! I'm back this summer and I have some real exciting updates for you.

My latest spec, The Great Train Adventure, co-written with my good friend and master DJ Graham Funke, just dropped on the Hollywood Spec Market this June and has had quite an amazing trip. The script is based on a real life story about the most exciting train chase in American history. It’s the story of a charming mercenary who leads a mission to hijack a Union locomotive. But when he finds two kids stowed away on board, they must unite to turn the tide of the Civil War, all while the kids’ heroic father, the conductor of the train, pursues them.

Within 24 hours of its release, several Producers leapt aboard the project to take it into Studios. As itsonthegrid.com reported, the hot spec’s next stop was Studioville, where it quickly began picking up passionate passengers. With my next spec only a couple months away from completion, I’m heading off to the town to meet my fans and pitch some more ideas. It’s been a very exciting and fast-paced run, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

But where has Crack My Story been in the last six months? While splitting my time between writing and my side career as a SAT Test Prep Tutor, I learned that deeply analytical blogs take a lot of time. A colleague said to me “Your blog is great, so detailed and analytical, but how on Earth are you going to keep it up?” Well, I won’t lie. It was hard. But I’ve come to realize while I’ve had so much going on, that I should use Crack My Story more to share my odyssey into Hollywood. I forgot that my own pitfalls, experiences and journey offer even more fodder than my mere insights.

So Crack My Story is back with a new focus. Beyond the occasional analysis of a Hollywood trend or a recent movie, I’m looking forward to sharing the my discoveries as I proceed into the exciting second half of 2011. I see it as lessons from a “Baby Writer’s” next Hollywood Couch Tour. I’ll discuss experiences that I and my other colleagues tackle. Tips and techniques I find to overcome Writer’s Block and story problems. New websites and blogs worth checking out. The latest tools for Screenwriters.

I’m opening up to share a bit more about how I crack my stories and how I crack into Hollywood.

Your Perfect 2011 Golden Globe Scorecard

The Golden Globes unleash their award show fury tomorrow, January 15th at 5pm West Coast time, and while many will be talking about red carpet fashion, you are preparing for your perfect Golden Globe scorecard. Yes, you will be shouting out every single winner before its announced. And how is that? Well, because you've read Crack My Story's Golden Globe edition.

MOVIE GOLDEN GLOBES

Best Motion Picture Drama

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

This is one of the better GG races in years, but The Social Network should get the most likes, primarily due to its thematic resonance on our attention-seeking social media generation. Close secondary contenders are The King's Speech or Black Swan (for a surprise). But my vote is The Social Network, which already won The Critic's Choice.

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical

Alice in Wonderland

Burlesque

The Kids Are All Right

Red

The Tourist

A joke of a category, with two action thrillers and one action adventure, The Kids Are All Right should be in the drama category, but it will easily win this GG here.

Best Director of a Motion Picture

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

David Fincher - The Social Network

Tom Hooper - The King's Speech

Christopher Nolan - Inception

David O Russell - The Fighter

Another close race, but I believe they will favor Aronofsky, a consolation for the lack of a Best Pic award, leaving David Fincher just shy of a win.

Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture

Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy - 127 Hours

Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg - The Kids Are All Right

Christopher Nolan - Inception

David Seidler - The King's Speech

Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

There's no denying Sorkin's words leap off the screen, and I think that will earn him the GG.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama

Halle Berry - Frankie and Alice

Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

A heavy-hitting category, but it's a slam dunk for Natalie Portman.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama

Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network

Colin Firth - The King's Speech

James Franco - 127 Hours

Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine

Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter

It's like Ben Stiller said in Tropic Thunder. You win awards when you go half retard. The stammer portrayed by Colin Firth fits in that category. He'll take home the crown here.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical

Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right

Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs

Angelina Jolie - The Tourist

Julianna Moore - The Kids Are All Right

Emma Stone - Easy A

Annette Bening feels like an award winner, and her performance seems the most like a preformance, and she's the most obvious winner.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical

Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland

Johnny Depp - The Tourist

Paul Giamatti - Barney's Version

Jake Gyllenhaal - Love and Other Drugs

Kevin Spacey - Casino Jack

It's a crime that either Depp role is even nominated. This is a close one between the respected Giamatti and the recognizeale Depp, but I believe Depp for Alice in Wonderland will upset.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams - The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech

Mila Kunis - Black Swan

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

We'd love Mila flip out over a win, but it's going to Amy Adams for her flip out brawl in The Fighter.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Christian Bale - The Fighter

Michael Douglas - Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Andrew Garfield - The Social Network

Jeremy Renner - The Town

Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

Christian Bale pulls of an absolutely amazing performance and deserves this obvious win.

Best Animated Feature Film

Despicable Me

How To Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Tangled

Toy Story 3

Anyone who has seen Toy Story 3 knows it isn't just the best animated film of the year, it's potentially the best of the year.

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful

The Concert

The Edge

I Am Love

In a Better World

Not all voters view these films, which is why Javiar Bardem and Biutiful will win as the most recognizable film in the category.

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat - The King's Speech

Danny Elfman - Alice in Wonderland

AR Rahman - 127 Hours

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - The Social Network

Hans Zimmer - Inception

A lot of great composers, but the amazing Social Network score will win the NIN founder Trent Reznor his first GG.

Best Original Song in a Motion Picture

Bound to You - Burlesque

Coming Home - Country Song

I See The Light - Tangled

There is a Place for Us - Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

You Haven't Seen the Last of Me - Burlesque

Regardless of which song is best, I think Country Strong has a good chance of beating Christina's dual nominations, but the favorite is actually Cher's You Haven't Seen the Last of Me. I predict Country Strong.

TV GOLDEN GLOBES

Best TV Series Drama

Boardwalk Empire

Dexter

The Good Wife

Mad Men

The Walking Dead

A hard win for Mad Men to repeat, Boardwalk Empire is a fresh win for the category.

Best TV Series Comedy or Musical

30 Rock

The Big Bang Theory

The Big C

Glee

Modern Family

Nurse Jackie

A lot of tough contenders, but I think Hollywood favorite Modern Family will take it again. People are over Glee.

Best Actress in a TV Drama

Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife

Elizabeth Moss - Mad Men

Piper Perabo - Covert Affairs

Katey Sagal - Sons of Anarchy

Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Julianna Margulies is just too good on this network drama.

Best Actor in a TV Drama

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Michael C Hall - Dexter

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Hugh Laurie - House

One of the toughest GG categories, I think Cranston will edge out Hamm and Laurie, although Buscemi could be a surprise win.

Best Actress in a TV Comedy or Musical

Toni Collette - United States of Tara

Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Laura Linney - The Big C

Lea Michele - Glee

Cancer will win over the mixed bag here. I mean, Laura Linney.

Best Actor in a TV Comedy or Musical

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Steve Carell - The Office

Thomas Jane - Hung

Matthew Morrison - Glee

Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Steve Carell deserves some praise for his run on the Office, but Jim Parsons is too good as uber-geek Sheldon Cooper.

To close, I'm just not familiar enough with the Miniseries categories to guess those, but if I had to guess, I'd say Pacific for Miniseries, Al Pacino and Claire Danes for the acting nods. I feel strongly about my scorecard for these 20 categories. Care to disagree? Let me know.

How to ID Award-Deserving Storytelling?

Some of us might know why we think Black Swan or The Social Network is good story-telling. Often times we can feel it. But in Hollywood, story-tellers are busy looking at the architecture of the story. We’re analyzing the moving parts, using words like character arcs, climax, theme, and rising tension.

And knowing a little more about these terms and their causal relationship with each other, can not only help you decide what you think about the recent Award nominees, but you’ll sound pretty smart on the upcoming Award nights evaluating the array of candidates.

1) Theme

Wait, does every movie need a theme? Well, no, but every good movie should have something to say. Some point-of-view. And that’s the theme. The message. The moral. We’ve been graced before with poignant movies like The Godfather, where the theme is: Using power and might to protect a family only destroys the family. Even our pulpy flicks like Star Wars or Harry Potter thematically state how good can only triumph over evil with courage and teamwork. So when you think about a movie like Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, The King’s Speech, The Fighter, or 127 Hours, what are these movies saying? What's their message?

2) Climax

You know that big final moment at the end of the third act that brings all of the questions of the movie to a close. That's the climax and the way the character finally handles the story conflict dictates the theme. In the Godfather, Michael’s final choice to close the door on his wife shows how he has closed the door on his own family, killing the family man he once was, and becoming the Godfather. How do the choices that the protagonists face at the climax of the award pics affect their theme? What is Social Network saying when “Mark Zuckerberg” allows his best friend to be cut out of the company? What is Black Swan saying when Nina takes the stage for her final performance?

3) Character Arc

Not every movie has a character arc, Zack. Well, did you know that the lack of change is also an arc? Like when a character maintains his willpower in the face of adversity. He didn’t change, but he was tested, and he emerged without changing or caving. Or a character that reveals their true nature. That’s an arc too. A character arc is simply the relationship between who the protagonist is at the start of the movie and who they are at the end. And their final test that determines the nature of their arc: you guessed it, the climax! And the lesson they learn or that is demonstrated by their actions: right again, it’s the theme! How does Nina Sayers, Rooster Cogburn, Mark Zuckerberg, King George VI, Mickey and Dickie, or Aron Ralston change by the end of their stories? What does that say about the theme?

4) Rising Tension

What, that the movie gets more exciting as we get towards the end? Yes. But there is another side to this. A well-executed rising tension doesn’t just keep you wanting to know what will happen next. It presents you with two specific options. The good ending and the bad ending. And you suddenly find yourself hoping for the good ending and fearing for the bad one. And it’s that ping-pong game of expectations that causes you to wring your hands during a good movie. Ambiguity is not a movie’s friend, because it prevents the audience from imagining the horror of a bad conclusion and the joy of a good one. And guess what? This hope and fear directly ties in to the two possible ways a hero can handle the climax, which determines their arc and decides the theme. So connected! So what are our specific hopes and fears for the five previous mentioned award pic characters?

When you stop to think about how the craft of that story was put together, you might suddenly realize while you may love MOVIE A because of some specific element, MOVIE B is actually put together with a lot more finesse. You can certainly appreciate it. And again, you’ll sound great on Award’s nights.

I'll be evaluating these films more closely, but I'd love to know what you think about the Awards' candidates and which movies you think deserve notice and discussion. Leave me comments or write me an email.

Writing Tip #1: How To Generate Story Ideas

Writers should always be writing. But what do you when it's time to start a new project and you are out of ideas. You have nothing! All of your old ideas are crap. And you need gold in a bottle now.

1) Ask.

Remember six months ago when you didn't need an idea, but every party you went to, someone gave you their idea for a movie. "Leave us alone already, we don't want your idea." Until now. Of course, most of the ideas you hear are bad. But, you might hear something you can work with.

Does it matter if you didn't come up with the kernel of the idea? Do we know for sure that Christopher Nolan wasn't sitting around when his stoner friend said "Wouldn't it be awesome if you could travel into someone's dreams, or even better into a dream of their dream?" Most ideas are already represented in the Hollywood or NYC Lit Marketplaces. Your idea is not new. But your style and voice are. The way you will execute the story is. So once again, open yourself up and ask for help.

2) Steal.

Picasso said it best, "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." Find something you like and make it your own. I don't mean rip off a story verbatim. Let's say you love Tron, however the premise doesn't totally make sense. How can a computer program enter the real world?

What if you expanded on that? And now, switch genres. A thriller? What if a criminal mastermind brought a program into the real world that could rob banks. I give you the next heist movie. Or romantic comedy? What if a man made the ultimate computer program for a matchmaking site, only to find when his program came into the real world, he's in love.

Is this Tron? No. But did we steal part of the story? Yes. However, we've added our own twist and our own voice and now it's unrecognizable from Tron. You like Usual Suspects? Put it in high school. You like Harry Met Sally? Put it in a boxing ring. Steal and make it your own.

3) Input.

Find it wherever you can. Go see movies. Go to a theme park. Go see a show. Inspiration can't find you if you don't open yourself to it. Carry around a notebook. Write down anything that interests you. A musician trips on stage. Why? The beginnings of a nervous breakdown? Two costumed characters get into a fight at Disneyland. Could this be a Will Ferrel comedy? Anything that can inspire a character, a scene, a beginning.

Ultimately, idea generation takes time. If you find yourself needing an idea today, you're in trouble. The best thing to do is constantly be looking out for ideas. This should be an ongoing exercise. And the best advice: Carry a notebook or have a doc in your smartphone ready to go. Because you never know when inspiration will strike. You best be ready to record it.

Battle of the Directors: Aronofsky vs Boyle

This winter, several directors released their latest masterpieces to tremendous reviews, and two noteworthy contenders have proved they are real powerhouses. The exciting Danny Boyle, at 54 years of age, brings an uplifting character-centric, true-story 127 Hours, about an isolated mountain climber who becomes trapped in a canyon by a boulder for five days. And across the ring, is the unpredictable and controversial Darren Aronofsky, at 41 years of age, who delivers a disturbing and powerful story of a ballerina who slowly loses her mind as she struggles and competes for the role of The Black Swan.

Darren Aronofsky is at the height of his career, delivering technical knockouts in Pi and Requiem for a Dream, and showing he has some vulnerability as a director in The Wrestler. He took a real hit with the Fountain, but it's one of his few, if any, losses. Now his craft comes to a head, as he shows poise and focus with The Black Swan, a taut thriller in which his tricks of the trade in cinematography, sound design, and editing only serve to elevate this mental roller coaster.

Conversely, Danny Boyle has been a fighter for a while now, marveling the ring with his first miraculous knockout Trainspotting. Since then, he hasn’t always had total critical acclaim, but his quirky interest in the unexplored landscape has brought him hits like A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach. He even reinvented the zombie pic with 28 Days Later. But every fighter has his moment, and after some solid training with Millions and Sunshine, Danny Boyle is proving he can outlast other opponents with a recent string of successes.

So who’s the champion between these two? Both have shown they aren’t afraid to get psychologically down and dirty, both tackling some raw subject matter. This year alone, both magnificent Oscar nominated films, The Black Swan and 127 Hours, have award-winning performances and riveting stories. But Danny Boyle is one of seven directors to win a Golden Globe, Director’s guild, BAFTA and Oscar for the same movie, Slumdog Millionaire. Aronofsky is short in the awards department, but is about to go commercial with a RoboCop remake and X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2, both releasing in 2012. While that move might put him over the edge in box office revenue, currently that category also goes to Danny Boyle. Aranofsky is young, inventive and a true cinematic technician, but most of his films have explored purely the shocking and terrifying elements of human nature. He has yet to bring inspiration and uplifting heart to the screen. Danny Boyle, conversely has more range in his films, from the raw dark characters in Trainspotting, the Horror of 28 Days Later, and the uplifting feel good love story of Slumdog.

Craft alone, both directors are masters, but with his awards, box office, and breadth of genre, Danny Boyle lands a surprising knockout over Aronofsky in this bout.

Who's your pick? Let me know if you agree with the Judge's Ruling. And look for future Battles of the Directors on Crack My Story.