Esta primera semana de clases ya hemos ido viendo diferentes conceptos cinematográficos en función de las asignatura de que se trate.

En concreto, respecto a guión ya pudimos hablar sobre el estilo de cada guionista. Esa forma propia de escribir que cada profesional tiene y que cada aspirante a profesional del guión debe buscar día a día.

A propósito de este tema hemos encontrado este artículo de Scott Myers en su recomendable blog Go into the Story. Hemos traducido exclusivamente sus comentarios, pues el guión, que puedes descargarte aquí, conviene leerlo en su versión original para poder captar mejor el estilo del guionista, en este caso, Walter Hill aunque como ocurre en muchas películas en los créditos aparezcan Dan O’Bannon y Ronald Shusett. Tema por cierto que también comentamos en clase.

Hay escenas que sorprenden totalmente a un espectador, son aquellas que consideramos grandes escenas. Memorables. Todavía recuerdo cuando fui a ver Alien al cine, saltando en mi asiento la primera vez que vi esta escena. Sirva esta introducción como preparación para lo que viene:

        INT. MESS

        The entire crew is seated.
        Hungrily swallowing huge portions of artificial food.
        The cat eats from a dish on the table.

                                 KANE
                  First thing I'm going to do when
                  we get back is eat some decent
                  food.

                                 PARKER
                  I've had worse than this, but
                  I've had better too, if you know
                  what I mean.

                                 LAMBERT

                  Christ, you're pounding down this
                  stuff like there's no tomorrow.

        Pause.

                                 PARKER
                  I mean I like it.

                                 KANE
                  No kidding.

                                 PARKER
                  Yeah.  It grows on you.

                                 KANE
                  It should.  You know what they
                  make this stuff out of...

                                 PARKER
                  I know what they make it out of.
                  So what.  It's food now.  You're
                  eating it.

        Suddenly Kane grimaces.

                                 RIPLEY
                  What's wrong.

        Kane's voice strains.

                                 LAMBERT
                  What's the matter.

                                 KANE
                  I don't know... I'm getting cramps.

        The others stare at him in alarm.
        Suddenly he makes a loud groaning noise.
        Clutches the edge of the table with his hands.
        Knuckles whitening.

                                 ASH
                  Breathe deeply.

        Kane screams.

                                 KANE
                  Oh God, it hurts so bad.
                  It hurts.  It hurts.
                         (stands up)
                  Ooooooh.

                                 BRETT
                  What is it.  What hurts.

        Kane's face screws into a mask of agony.
        He falls back into his chair.

                                 KANE
                  Ohmygooaaaahh.

        A red stain.
        Then a smear of blood blossoms on his chest.
        The fabric of his shirt is ripped apart.
        A small head the size of a man's fist pushes out.
        The crew shouts in panic.
        Leap back from the table.
        The cat spits, bolts away.
        The tiny head lunges forward.
        Comes spurting out of Kane's chest trailing a thick body.
        Splatters fluids and blood in its wake.
        Lands in the middle of the dishes and food.
        Wriggles away while the crew scatters.
        Then the Alien being disappears from sight.
        Kane lies slumped in his chair.
        Very dead.
        A huge hole in his chest.
        The dishes are scattered.
        Food covered with blood.

                                 LAMBERT
                  No, no, no, no, no.

                                 BRETT
                  What was that.  What the Christ
                  was that.

                                 PARKER
                  It was growing in him the whole
                  time and he didn't even know it.

                                 ASH
                  It used him for an incubator.

                                 RIPLEY
                  That means we've got another
                  one.

                                 DALLAS
                  Yeah.  And it's loose on the
                  ship.

        Slowly they gather around Kane's gutted corpse.
        Then they all look at one another.
        Then at Kane.
        Dead on the table.

Ya hemos comentado acerca del estilo de escritura de Walter Hill otras veces, aquí, aquí, y aquí. Aunque los créditos oficiales del guión los tiene Dan O’Bannon y de la historia el propio Dan O’Bannon junto a Ron Shusett, también David Giller y Walter Hill contribuyeron al guión y ambos recibieron créditos como productores. Pero el estilo de escritura de Walter Hill es inconfundible y aquí es evidente.

Para ser más claros, mientras que en la versión superior de la escena el estilo (la descripción de la escena) puede reflejar algo de la influencia de Walter Hill, el concepto e idea son originales de Dan O’Bannon. Esto se hace evidente si lo comparamos con esta primera versión del guión del propio O’Bannon

INTERIOR - MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM

The entire crew is seated around the table, eating huge portions
greedily. The cat eats from a dish on the table.

HUNTER
Boy do I feel a lot better. It's a
straight shot back to the Colonies,
and then we can start taking bids on
the paydirt. Any bets on the top
bid?

FAUST
(chewing)
Well, we should at least be able to
each buy our own planet.

They all CHUCKLE.

MELKONIS
I'm going to write a book about this
expedition. I'm going to call it
"The Snark Log."

STANDARD
(stiffly)
The commander normally has first
publication rights.

MELKONIS
Maybe we could write it together.

ROBY
First thing I'm going to do when we
get back is eat some biological
food.

MELKONIS
What's the matter, you don't like
this stuff?

ROBY
Tastes like something you'd feed a
chicken to make it lay more eggs.

STANDARD
Oh it's okay. I've had better cag
than this, but I've had worse too,
if you know what I mean.

FAUST
I kind of like it.

ROBY
You like this shit?

FAUST
It grows on you.

ROBY
You know what they make this stuff
out of?

FAUST
(annoyed)
Yes, I know what they make it out
of, so what? It's food now. You're
eating it.

ROBY
I didn't say it was bad for you,
it's just kind of sickening, that's
all.

HUNTER
Do we have to talk about this kind
of crap at the dinner table?

Suddenly, unexpectedly, BROUSSARD GRIMACES AND GROANS.

STANDARD
What's wrong?

BROUSSARD
(his voice straining)
I don't know... I'm getting these
CRAMPS!

The others stare at him in alarm. Another GROAN is torn from his lips.
He clutches the edge of the table with his hands, his knuckles
whitening.

STANDARD
Breathe deeply.

BROUSSARD
(screaming)
OH GOD IT HURTS SO BAD!

ROBY
What Dell -- what?

Broussard's face is screwed up into a mask of agony, and he is
trembling violently from head to foot.

BROUSSARD
(incoherent shriek)
OhmygooaaAAAHHHHH!!!

A RED SMEAR OF BLOOD BLOSSOMS ON THE CHEST OF BROUSSARD'S TUNIC.

THEIR EYES ARE ALL RIVETTED TO BROUSSARD'S CHEST AS THE FABRIC OF HIS
TUNIC IS RIPPED OPEN, AND A HORRIBLE NASTY LITTLE HEAD THE SIZE OF A
MAN'S FIST PUSHES OUT.

Everybody SCREAMS and leaps back from the table. The cat spits and
bolts.

The disgusting little head lunges, comes spurting out of Broussard's
chest trailing a thick, wormlike tail -- splattering fluids and blood
-- lands in the middle of the dishes and food on the table -- and
scurries away while the men are stampeding for safe ground.

When they finally regain control of themselves, it has escaped.
Broussard lies slumped in his chair, a huge hole in his chest,
spouting blood. The dishes are scattered and the food is covered with
blood and slime.

HUNTER
Oh, no. Oh, no.

FAUST
What was that? What the Christ was
that?

MELKONIS
It was growing in him the whole time
and he didn't even know it!

Slowly, they gather around Broussard's gutted corpse.

ROBY
That thing used him for an
incubator!

Puedes comprobar en este vídeo el resultado de la escena grabada:

Si quieres aquí puedes leer entero el guión de Alien

El estilo es propio de cada escritor, de cada guionista. Esperamos que este artículo, así como los enlaces que contiene para ampliar información te sean de utilidad a la hora de buscar tu propio estilo.