How Lucas, Spielberg, and Kasdan Invented Indiana Jones
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
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In 1978, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Larry Kasdan met to discuss a movie idea. That conversation was recorded and transcribed. Here’s what they said.
View Original transcript here: / 51415863
Bonus Scene on Nebula: nebula.app/now-you-see-it
Twitter: / jacknugent27
Patreon: / nowyouseeit
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator
This needs to be a new youtube genre, finding production transcripts from movies/tv/plays from way back and narrating them. My point is I LOVE THIS.
I want this for Devil Wears Prada weirdly enough.
and now a version with rich evans as george lucas.
Patrick H. Willems as Steven Spielberg
@@NowYouSeeIt that needs to happen
Rich Evans laugh when talking about anything funny
@@simond7225 ^^^
The start of Larry Kasdan's career is truly insane. He had barely gotten an agent when Spielberg read one his screenplays and then bam, Kasdan's working with the two top directors in Hollywood. And he does such a good job that Lucas is like "Great, can you help us write The Empire Strikes Back?"
We could use a few new Kasdans now to help with today’s biggest blockbusters.
Now that's the dream.
@@filmcraft7890 Considering he shit the bed with Force Awakens and Solo, I'd say let's let him enjoy his retirement.
@@LaurenceQuint He means new people with that amount of talent.
@@TheMagicRat I know.
It's kind of funny how relatable this conversation is. I've had dozens of talks like this with friends, just tossing stuff against the wall about something we like or something we'd like to see.
I found it interesting that Lucas was the most talkative one and Spielberg was the one responding to him most often, with Kasdan elaborating on Lucas' ideas the most often too.
It's a fun dynamic. George has the most thoughts since it's his original idea. Spielberg has that cokehead energy of just throwing out crazy ideas. Kasdan has to actually write the thing so he needs to bring these ideas down to earth and have them actually make sense. Kasdan's also the newbie so he's a little more restrained
G - "Take a look at our battle droid. This is the new storm trooper."
S - "Oh he's cool. Oh man."
G - "Jedi cut them down like they're butter. They're pretty useless."
G - "It's gonna be huge, like War and Peace, like tens of thousands of them coming together."
S - "That's great."
G - "It's gonna be great."
S - "That's gonna be great."
G - "It's gonna be great."
S - "That's gonna be great."
"What we're doing here really is designing a ride at Disneyland."
Damn. The clarity of their collective vision is so impressive. These men could SEE what they were doing, and so far ahead of time.
Martin Scorsese has entered the chat
Cut to the 21st century’s self proclaimed “critics” of Disney/Lucasfilm . ‘They don’t make proper movies with proper storytelling like Lucas or Spielberg. They just design filmed amusement parks rides!’
@@martoto77 Yeah that's not exactly the right criticism
I have the impression that George and Steven had been talking about this for a long time together, and are being Larry in to take the outline they had and turn it into a script. This is still early, but not as early as these were ideas just first time through.
I love that ride so much. It’s easily a top 5 ride in the resort for me
I love how they are pulling from their movie references to write the story.
What's so interesting is just how often they quote other movies characters or scenes to build theier own film. Really shows how everything is a remix and film knowledge is very important when it comes to writing and ideation.
This is actually not a new concept. It is a lot like life, we are the total of all of our experiences and things we have witnessed.
Quentin Tarantino Absolutely fills his movies with Homage scenes From older films as well as exactly camera angles and Sight content. It's rather prevalent
This...was interesting. I didn't expect how you'd be like "Hey you know what? Why don't I gather some friends and make them re-enact the brainstorming session of making Indiana Jones?" and make it a 30-minute video. Amazing!
It’s crazy how much George Lucas controlled the entire story. He made Indiana Jones.
This sounds like a great idea for a film, and these two sound really keen when they talk about it. It's like I can fully picture the scenes in my head when they describe them. They should definitely start a kickstarter or something to try and get it made. Maybe it could even perhaps be a trilogy of films? (only a trilogy though; certainly not a quadrilogy)
Yoooo I had thought about doing this. Great execution! Added a lot to the transcript too.
Thanks! Love your vids by the way :)
“Except, James Bond tends to get a little outrageous at time.”
>shows scene that was done for real, with live gators and the owner of said gator farm donning khakis to do the stunt work. Fun fact: the villain in Live or Let Die was named “Kananga” after the owner of the gator farm who performed the stunt.
Still a bit outrageous as a practical way of crossing a river or having gators lined up, perhaps. Great anecdote, though.
I need more of this. This is GOLD. Brilliantly narrated and illustrated
Thank you!
It's hard to believe this is actually how the conversation goes. They somehow spitballed a large part of the film in one conversation.
"The bureaucracy is the big winner in the film"
That's how Episode one was born
Its pretty incredible that one of the most popular movies ever made was written over the course of a few spitball sessions. I never would have imagined it was written this way
This reenactment makes Spielberg and Lucas sound like a couple of stoned college kids.
Yeah, kinda hard to take it seriously xD
Well, they were in their 20s at the time... and probably stoned too.
@@karlkarlos3545 Nah man. George Lucas never touched any drugs and Steven Spielberg was kind of a nerd. A lovable nerd but a nerd. Any highness came from excitement about an idea really
@@afonsolucas2219I know the stories. But to be honest, I don't believe them 100 percent. Nerd or not nerd, Steven was still a young man and it was in the 70s. I doubt Spielberg drank nothing but tea, while hanging out with his buddies Brian de Palma and John Milius.
@@karlkarlos3545 Oh for sure. I have no trouble believing Spielberg for example had no more than a few drinks from time to time or even Lucas. Maybe Steven even tried some weed or something I don't know. I just think they were pretty tame in comparisson with the youth of the time or even their peers. Coppolla was on weed and Scorsese was going hard on coke.
I never had the patience to read the transcript when it was first released so this video is an absolute delight!
"I HAVE NOT!"
"it's in rolling stone." 😂 😂 😂
I love how it’s three nerds concocting a caricature of male strength based on other caricatures of male strength.
The fact that these guys came up with this movie so quickly and so cohesively shows how GENIUS they are.
it took me so many minutes for me to remember and realise the voice was the dude by Now You See It and not George Lucas's voice himself
I read the transcript years ago but this really brings it life. Good job
the monkey part is when i realized how completely bonkers this movie is
Yeah when I watch it it just feels so natural because they set up so well what kind of movie this is, but hearing the thought process that led to them coming up with it is hilarious like oh this is a crazy idea
This is incredible. Coming up with one of the greatest action/adventure films of all time practically on the spot - obviously a lot of it has been considered before but major decisions are being made in the moment which have often become practically iconic now.
This was so interesting. I loved the peek behind the curtain of how this movie was made. It seems so surreal that super iconic cinema moments came from some friends just shootin the shit.
Oh please do this again, it was so much fun
I'd encourage everyone who enjoyed this to read that transcript. This is only half the story. It's a fantastic read and tells you a lot about how to tell a story for screen.
Ah yes Indiana SMITH
That was fun, thanks! Kasdan, mostly quiet, must have been taking notes furiously, only speaking up when he says, "Uh, sorry... I can't picture that; talk me through that a little more." And I love how they do that, referencing all the OTHER films, to give the essence of what they're trying to explain in words what their visual senses are imagining. Cool stuff. I might go back and see how many other films were referenced here (or someone else can do it!) Ha!
Love your voice as George, but imagine if it was rich Evans Lmfao
I haven't even watched any Indiana Jones, but I love these kinds of glimpse into the inception of something popular! It's cool to see the process of finding ideas the audience takes for granted.
You should.
That was remarkable. Enjoyed that immensely
This was so cool, please do more!
This deserved more views
I absolutely love this guys. I had just about forgotten how good Lost Ark is, it has that perfect blend of camp and genuine emotional acting
One of the best videos on this channel. Beautiful story telling. Really rivals the QT poetry between the lines video.
This is basically a jazz improv jam, but for action-adventure storytelling :D
Would love more of these, if there's more from other iconic movies.
I would love to see more versions of this. I adore this, I just doubt that there are more transcripts like this out there
It's INSANE how much George Lucas sounds like you.
“What were really doing here is designing a ride for Disneyland”...
Well, they were spot on.
What a video Jack!
Nice way to tell your story, bruv. Well done!!!
I love coming back to this
This is fantastic
Holy shit! A nearly 30 minutes video!
Your longest video yet.
Am excited.
awesome video dude.
Great job again.
Your work has been great and I've watched almost all of it now.
But I just wanna ask out of curiosity.
How are you, how have you been?
Can't complain. The day of posting a video is always stressful because you're paranoid that you screwed something up. Now that it's up I feel so relieved and ready for the next one. My actual 9-5 job as a programmer has been great, I LOVE working from home so much.
But enough about me. How are you, Alan MR?
@@NowYouSeeIt Don't worry, your videos are great.
I'm happy to hear that you're doing great!
I'm also doing fine, I guess...?
All this work from home thing is taking its toll on my property because the tenants are going back to their hometowns.
I started taking freelance illustration job again, too.
It's doing well, thankfully.
I know this is a rather weird request, but please keep your health in check, don't push yourself too hard.
And be happy!
Best wishes from me.
This is such a great premise for a video, I'd love a whole channel dedicated to this idea tbh..
You skipped the part where George Lucas suggested Marion was eleven when Indy, being 25, had an affair with her.. In the end they seem to have settled on her having been 15 :-)
Really enjoyed this format!
The age disparity was originally suggested to be 42 and 11, even. 🤮
People in 1978 talking about a movie set in the 1930's.
Of course they skipped it, it's way too controversial and UA-camrs are terrified of controversy and potential demonetization...
@@lptomtom What are you talking about. All of the biggest channels are literally just controversy factories. It's like the most profitable content model on the entire website.
@@lptomtom He literaly says what page that part is at the end
loved this!
raiders of the lost ark has been my favorite movie for a long time and hearing this transcript and all the thought they put into the movie makes it even better
Great Community Profile Pic man!
Wow. That was fascinating!
Please do more of these
And still no acknowledgement of Carl Barks' brilliant Scrooge McDuck comics as direct inspiration for Indy's character and adventures. See "The Prize of Pizarro" and "The Seven Cities of Cibola" to relive the opening of Raiders.
Awesome! Thank you
Absolutely fantastic.
I’ll watch anything posted on this channel, obviously. But I just wanna mention how much I particularly love the videos with broad topic titles and picture-only thumbnails. That’s how I first got hooked. I always think.. how the heck is he gonna explore that huge question in 10 minutes?! And then boom.
Wow he REALLY loved Indy’s whip lol
I just want more of this.
This is fantastic!
Fascinating to hear/see George Lucas' in action here -- way more insightful this early in the project compared to any on-set exchange, of course, but also because we can start to get a feel of how his mind kinda works. The word is totally overused, but Lucas sure has a certain kind of genius in putting together these kinda child-like worlds that was going to go oh-so memorably awry with the prequel triolgy -- in fact, knowing what was to come makes this yet more fascinating, we have a kind of epistemic anxiety. We can also see some of the downside of nativity though; eg in the orientalism he clearly expresses around the 'arabs' as well as the very anglocentric perspectives of South America and South Africa (the tiger...) and even his view on the Nazis & evil.
This is so good. Listening to the thought process of two of the greatest story tellers of all time invent one of the greatest characters of all time.
I have such deep respect and admiration for these guys. Lucas especially. He's so good at bringing together these disparate ideas and making something really cool.
Dude this is so cool to watch
I love this video so much ive watched it like 8 times
:)
Very cool!! You should’ve done the voices though 😂🤣 they all have such distinct speech patterns and voices
You should make this a series
this was fun
As genius as this movie is - and I mean it, it's a work of genius - this video has exactly shown me how the few flaws I see in it came about.
The most important one being: They had no idea what to do with the girl. Marion began as a token. Sure, they knew she should be tough, she should be a real free spirit, but they didn't plan anything for her plotwise. The Bechdel test might have helped at the script stage. I would have loved it, if Marion wasn't just along for the ride and did some clever things here and there, but instead if she was a prime mover of the plot, much like Indy or Belloq.
The other issue I've always had with the Indy films, is that Indy apparently has no regard for architecture. That might seem laughable, but think about it: Real life archeologists hope to find buried cities and temples. That would be the life goal for many of them! The golden token? Sure. I get why the ark of the covenant would be majorly important. But it has always struck me as weird, that Indy wouldn't be in awe of the temples. They'd be a massive discovery! Especially the one in South America and the one in Egypt! The rooms alone would be worth so much! The golden idol is just a gimmick. I'm sure that could've been resolved.
They somehow have antique technology that can shoot spikes based on the detection of light, but that's just an obstacle in the way of getting the idol.
Amazing video NYSI, fuckin' incredible work
Niiice idea I'm loving this!
Totally love this
This is incredible
This deserves way more attention
:/
This is a great video.
Thank you!
that was great!!!
Dang. This was so cool and so much fun.
At times my brain insisted this... felt, well _fake_. Just in that it was too good to be true.
A fly on the wall transcript for the writer's room of this iconic movie? Patently unbelievable.
Which is not to say I doubt the veracity of this, just a "too good to be true" kind of skepticism.
Thanks for this. Well conceived and realized! Put a big grin on my face
"we're gonna take the unrealistic side of it off"
**cuts to the melting Nazis**
All in good fun though, I love these movies.
I think it shows even more how well they knew what they were doing. They kept all the 'realism' where they wanted to create tension, where the character was facing physical danger, but they also knew how to crate a sense of wonder and amaze the audience at the right moments, creating a sense of a grandiose culmination.
The general tone of realism throughout the film actually makes the Ark's supernatural qualities even more otherworldly.
something they forgot in the sequels
I have to admit, the whole Nazi part of the film made it pretty laughable watching it for the first time as an adult.
It isn't the only film with arbitrary Nazi villains, though. Bedknobs and Broomsticks did a similar thing near the end, though at least it made slightly more sense as a defending the home front in WW2 kind of thing.
@@NeoLithiumCat I don't think the choice of the Nazis as the bad guys is arbitrary. The main McGuffin in the film is the Ark of the Covenant, which is one of the most important icons in the entire Jewish religion. The Nazis misunderstanding its nature in my view at least is a fundamental part of the film.
How is George the logical one and Spielberg is just insane?
This is great!
I need a podcast like this just dissecting other scripts, please!!!
Unless it is very heavily edited, this is why they are the geniuses that they are: in just half an hour they brainstormed and basically decided what the entire film and its most iconic scenes will be about. Unbelievable.
Well idk if the transcript has time stamps, but I'm sure this video is quicker than the actual conversation. No one talks this fast unless they are reading.
Edit: at the end Spielberg says it took about 3 days.
They apparently cut about half the transcript for this.
Yeah you should really read the transcript and the stuff that was cut. Alongside the genius of creating something marketable and popular is some really despicable views on foreign cultures and women that you can already catch a glimpse of in this video.
I think this movie has potential, could be a hit
16:29 Although they don't mention Hitchcock (or maybe they do, and you edited it out for time), this reminds me a lot of Hitchcock's "bomb under the table" speech about suspense.
I'm glad you mentioned the 11-year old affair section. That's a pretty gross and shocking part of movie history! :/
I really liked this video
This conversations is just that one Robot Chicken sketch where the guys are designing the temple Indy plunders
Love it!!!
Hey I absolutely love your videos 😍 as a kind of tribute I painted your logo on my wall along with all my favorite UA-camrs and recently posted a video of it too 😊🥰
Just watched your video, it looks great!
@@NowYouSeeIt thank you so much 😊 it really means a lot 😊
"...respect of virgin tombs..." Quick shot of Marion Ravenwood...
This Looks Like Bunch Of Friends Describing An Idea.
Why did you edit it though? Couldn’t you have said everything? It’s not waaaay longer, and it’s interesting.
I love this.
Not sure what this is but it's pretty entertaining
This is fantastic because it shows what you gotta do to become a director to tell a story.. you gotta have an actual idea of the beat by beat story. Somewhat at least. They basically started with describing Indiana Jones by his basic vibe then went STRAIGHT to how he’d be introduced in the first scene and what happens in the first scene.
Having ideas for concepts is great and all, but this is the story. I’m bad at that, have plenty of concepts and the knowledge that “it’s the execution that counts” but this is the first time I’ve really seen how the concept of the actual STORY came together. The thing you really need to focus on the most. Merge your love of concepts with storytelling itself.
Also think about the “this, therefore, but” rule South Park creators did. Good luck
How’d you get Jesse Eisenberg to voice George?
Philip Kaufman got a shared Story By credit because he gave Lucas the idea of making the Maguffin the Ark of the Covenant, before Kaufman gave that key story point George had no idea what the Nazis and Indy would be racing to find first.