Screenwriter Research: John Logan

 Script to Screen: Screenwriter Research - John Logan

Fig.1 Portrait of John Logan 

 

John Logan is an Irish-American screenwriter and producer probably most well-known for writing Penny Dreadful, Sweeney Todd, Skyfall and Gladiator, as well as many more. 

After reading the Penny Dreadful TV Pilot screenplay, I wanted to read more of John Logan's screenplays and explore his work further. Therefore, I decided to conduct my screenwriter research on him. 

John Logan often researches and draws upon history, as well as his personal experiences when writing. For Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, he drew upon the history of "his city", Los Angeles, and the large Hispanic population that the city holds, 48.6% as of 2020 (United States Census Bureau, 2020). His interest with regards to the history of Los Angeles allowed him to reflect upon current issues for example, the treatment towards those of a different ethnicity. To avoid political incorrectness, Logan gathered insight through those belonging to the Latino community by surrounding himself with as much Hispanic talent as he could (Logan, 2020). Logan's use of history and his own experience when writing is admirable. It allows for content to become more relatable to the audience, often resulting in greater engagement. 

Fig.2 Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020)

There seems to be a common theme with regards to the genres of Logan's screenplays. Logan appears to primarily write screenplays that come under the genres of drama and/or action. This could be to do with his interest in ghosts and the supernatural that he has held since he was a young child. Macbeth and Hamlet played a particularly crucial role in Logan's love for storytelling. The action and drama that they hold is what primarily drew Logan towards writing and storytelling from a young age. 

Logan grew up on Poetry as a result of his Irish parents, and uses both poetry and books to influence his writing. Reading is an incredibly beneficial resource when it comes to writing as it allows for the writer to draw upon their imagination and strike inspiration for their work. Due to his love of Shakespeare, Logan also holds interest in theatre and musical theatre. He has written things such as Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Last Ship Musical, Red and many more. Logan famously wrote the screenplay for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which grossed $153,383,627 worldwide (Box Office Mojo IMDB Pro, 2008). The film focused on a 'demon barber', Benjamin Barker, who kills his customers and turns their remains into meat pies, with the help of his tenant, Mrs Lovett. Logan's screenplay for Sweeney Todd is rather gruesome and invokes a sense of curiosity amongst the reader/viewer, gaining their engagement.  

Fig. 3 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Whilst reading a selection of Logan's screenplays from over the years, I felt as though his writing has become clearer and more concise, whilst managing to maintain a significant amount of detail and still allowing the reader/viewer to clearly visualise the content. I have found that the format of his more recent screenplays are easier to read than those from earlier on in his career. For example, Logan's screenplay for Skyfall is put in a simpler format and is more concise than his screenplay for Star Trek: Nemesis. Logan's development shows that the more you persist with writing, the more refined your work can become. Reading Logan's work helped me to understand how to format my screenplay in a way that was easily understandable. I also had a better understanding of how to convey emotion through speech, description, and stage directions, which I used when writing my screenplay.  

Bibliography:

Ayuso, R. (2020) John Logan: "Writers need to dream and write all kinds of voices"  At: https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/john-logan-writers-need-dream-and-write-all-kinds-voices (Accessed 04/01/2021) 

Bafta (2011) Screenwriters' Lecture: John Logan [London: BFI Southbank 20/09/2011]

Box Office Mojo IMDB Pro (2008) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Worldwide Earnings At: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2966049285/ (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Cerasaro, P. (2011) 'InDepth Interview: John Logan Talks SWEENEY TODD, CORIOLANUS, LINCOLN &More' In: Broadway World 15/12/2011. At: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/InDepth-InterView-John-Logan-Talks-SWEENEY-TODD-CORIOLANUS-LINCOLN-More-20111215 (Accessed 14/01/2021)

Fig.1 Bronwen Sharp Portrait of John Logan. [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517589/mediaviewer/rm3004173568/ (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Fig.2 Showtime Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10361016/mediaviewer/rm3570383873/ (Accessed: 15/01/2021)

Fig.3 Warner Brothers Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/mediaviewer/rm3100085504/ (Accessed: 15/01/2021)

Haun, H. (2010) 'STAGE TO SCREENS: "Sweeney Todd" Screenwriter John Logan Paints Broadway Red' In: Playbill 27/03/2010. At: https://www.playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-sweeney-todd-screenwriter-john-logan-paints-broadway-red-com-167119 (Accessed 15/01/2021)

IMDB John Logan At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517589/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm#writer (Accessed 15/01/2021)

IMDB John Logan Filmography At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517589/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm#writer (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Logan, J. (2002) Star Trek: Nemesis At: https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/star-trek-nemesis-2002.pdf (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Logan, J. (2004) The Aviator At:  https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-aviator-2004.pdf (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Logan, J. (2007) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street At: https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street-2007.pdf (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Logan, J. (2012) Skyfall At: https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/skyfall-2012.pdf (Accessed 15/01/2021)

Logan, J. (2012) Penny Dreadful Pilot Script At: https://ucreative-my.sharepoint.com/personal/mrymer_ucreative_ac_uk/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?FolderCTID=0x012000A98322C95427654FA7209A4F8222728E&id=%2Fpersonal%2Fmrymer%5Fucreative%5Fac%5Fuk%2FDocuments%2FScript%20to%20Screen%2FTV%20Pilots%2FPenny%5FDreadful%5F1x01%5F%2D%5FPilot%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fmrymer%5Fucreative%5Fac%5Fuk%2FDocuments%2FScript%20to%20Screen%2FTV%20Pilots (Accessed 13/01/2021)

Thomas, J. (2014) 'The Thing That Made Me Monstrous to Some People Is Also the Thing That Empowered Me' In: Slate 09/2014 At: https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/05/penny-dreadfuls-john-logan-why-a-gay-writer-feels-a-kinship-with-frankensteins-creature.html Accessed (13/01/2021)

United States Census Bureau. (2020) U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Los Angeles County, California At: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/losangelescountycalifornia/RHI725219 (Accessed 10/01/2021)