I enjoy a contemporary spy movie. They're so serious and so intense. But now and again, some writers
like to play with the tropes to make a spy movie not only intense but hilarious. Dylan: It's hot out there. It's hot in here, too. So, JC how will you write a new spy comedy
using inspiration from these movies? I will explore the tropes used
in contemporary spy movies and break down how they are subverted
in some of my favourite scenes. Mum: Carmen, Judi, close your eyes. We don't
want you to see this, okay. But first, what is a spy movie? It is about a trained operative who
goes on a mission to achieve something, usually against an opposing force. Already this premise is subverted
in Spy and The Spy Who Dumped Me. A desk bound CIA analysis volunteers
to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer and
prevent diabolical global disaster. Susan Cooper is a desk bound agent. She goes on a mission and ends up working
undercover alongside Rayna, the villain, and must compete against the agents
of the CIA to get things done. Remember, a contemporary spy movie
is about a trained operative who goes on a mission to achieve something,
usually against an opposing force. Well, that's not Susan. Susan: Oh, you're a killer, Susan. Best friends, Audrey and Morgan, unwittingly
become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of them discovers that the
boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy. Audrey and Morgan are just everyday
people swept up in the spy world. Audrey: Get this. Two guys show up at my work
from the CIA. They said he's a spy. Morgan: What do you mean a spy? Audrey: Morgan, I'm serious. In the beginning, they don't
know what the mission is. And they also don't know who
the opposing force is either. Morgan: You trust me though, right? Audrey: Yes, of course, I trust you. You don't count. Morgan: Okay, good. Because this is not some fake spy friendship that the Russians put together. Audrey: Dude, shut up. I know. The subversions in both of these
movies are so clever and so much fun and is where most of the comedy comes from. So what are the tropes in a spy movie? There's the classic Protagonist with a Past. Spy audiences want to invest in a character
with a troubled or unusual backstory. Why? It adds to the mystery and
intrigue of the genre, duh. Just think of Bond, James Bond.
He's an orphan. He's a workaholic. Could that explain his
difficulty with relationships? Funnily enough the Jason Bourne
franchise subverts this trope. Dude: Who are you? What's your name? Jason: I don't know. He cannot remember his past, but the
gunshot wounds suggests he has one. And, therefore, the movies are
about finding out who he is. Who is he? Now, let's look at how these comedy
movies subvert this trope, too: Susan Cooper's past is not
troubled. It seems pretty beige. Susan: I mean, when I gave up teaching to join the CIA I thought that everything was going to be different. I thought I was going to be this amazing spy.
I'm just the same boring person I was before. Not only is her past avoid of mystery, she
was encouraged not to pursue her dreams, removing any mystery from her future, too. Susan: Give up on your dreams, Susan.
She use to write that in my lunchbox. Even Audrey's past doesn't ignite intrigue. She's someone who's tried many things
but always gave up or got bored. Drew: So why don't you finish
things? What are you afraid of? Audrey: Being average. However, Morgan's past brims with colour. Morgan: I went to Performing Arts camp with Edward
Snowden. God, he was obsessed with me. But her interests come across as so niche and useless to a spy that we
doubt she'll ever use them. Ah-ha! But she does! Audrey: Can you see if you can get eyes and
Sebastian? He couldn't have gotten far. Morgan: Okay. Hot tip! Don't just subvert
a trope because you want to. Make it make sense for your
characters. Let me explain: Susan isn't confident in her abilities
so this becomes her character arc. First, she volunteers to go into the field. Director: We need someone invisible.
Susan: I'll do it. She advocates for herself to continue the mission. Susan: Ma'am I really think I can do this
and I'm not one to toot my own horn, but, you know what, I'm gonna toot. And finally, she refuses not to finish the job. Susan: You know what. I'm not going down
like this. I need you to untie me. All the while she must battle
against those who underestimate her. Like her mother did when she she was growing up. Susan: I just, I still, you know, hear my mom's
voice: "well-behaved women often make history." Miranda: Yes, you do know the phrases is "well
behaved women seldom make history." Susan: Yeah, that's never how she said it. Audrey has a habit of not finishing
things so this becomes her character arc. She agrees to honour Drew's
request to go to Vienna. She lies that she got rid of the
flash drive just to stay on course. And she asked Sebastian to let her
and Morgan help finish the mission. Audrey: You're injured so
I feel like you kind of need us. Morgan: I mean, we're naturals. We're operatives.
We're semi-professionals at this point. By the end, she becomes a spy. She's
found the things she's committed to. See? They've made the subversion make sense. Can you do that for your spy movie, too? So, taking inspiration from these
movies, I will have my protagonist, Becky, work in the CIA science department. She took a shine to this field because she's
severely shy and dislikes being around other. She's also interested in obscure hobbies, like hot air ballooning, mainly
because she can do it on her own. So what's another trope in spy movies? A Killer Opening! Why? It immediately drops
us into the genre and, well, if you want to learn about the importance of
your story's opening, check out this video! Spy begins with a bond-like opening with Agent
Fine sneaking around, doing spy things, until: Fine: I say you'd better start Fine: Oh, fu-- That's not meant to happen in a spy movie! But in Susan's world this is entirely possible. Susan: Why did you do that? Fine: I didn't do it on purposes! There's
like a ton of pollen in here. The way the writers play with
this trope of the Killer Opening makes the audience sit up and pay attention, because it has us thinking what other genre
expectations have they just thrown out the window? The Spy Who dumped me also starts
with the traditional Killer Opening, but this highly intense action
sequence is juxtaposed to the action-less birthday celebrations of Audrey. Doing this sets up the "Fish Out of Water"
journey that Audrey and Morgan will go on. Hot tip! Why not do what these movies did and build
onto the trope with something unexpected? Not just for this trope but for any
others I mentioned in this video. For my killer opening, Becky's car won't start. She must now brave the crowded
public transport to commute to work. Meanwhile, the most obnoxious and in-your-face
criminals prepare a hijack and robbery on a bus-- You guessed it! Becky's bus. It's our chance to see how Becky behaves in a
crisis involving humans. It doesn't go well. Another spy trope is Other Characters. I couldn't think of a fancy name for it. Oh well. Spies are usually lone characters, so others need to be around to support
them and coax them out of their shells. Think of when Marie helps Jason
Bourne by driving him to Paris. She not only saves him from
being discovered by the police, but allows us to learn
things about him through her. Marie: I mean, you were shot. People do all kinds of
weird and amazing stuff when they're scared. Jason: I can tell you the license plate
numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is
left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs 215 pounds
and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun
is the cab of the gray truck outside. How can I know that and I know who I am? Let's look at how this trope is twisted in Spy
and The Spy Who Dumped Me. For Susan, the character that challenges her the most and forces her out of her
comfort zone is not friend or ally. It's Rayna, the villain. Susan: Why are you being so nice to me? Rayna: You remind me of my mother. Susan: Oh. Rayna: This was her. Susan: Oh wow. Hey, how'd you get that
picture of me? I look amazing. The first big moment is when Susan decides
to save Rayna from the poisoned drink. Susan: Do you speak English? Because I think
somebody just put a roofie in your cocktail. Rayna: Can you point the man out? Susan: Uh, well. He just kind of
zipped out that, uh, door. The second is when Susan must come
up with a cover to get Rayna on side. Susan: I'm a private bodyguard and your
father hired me to protect you. Rayna: Bodyguard? You? Please. Her interactions with this villain are what
develop her character the most and it's hilarious. Susan: Your name should be
Mr. Bag of [ducks], not Anton. Rayna: Okay, Jesus. Let's just calm down. Susan: Does he not look like a bag of [ducks]? Rayna: Enough. I can see why
my father liked you now. Now Audrey and Morgan are in this
together. They are not lone spies. Already this is one way to give a
fresh perspective on this trope. These characters also don't need
coaxing out of their shells. Morgan: Woman, you are incredible
and I want you to own it. They simply remind each other
to own how amazing they are. Audrey: You're not a little much. Morgan: The only people who don't think
so are you and my parents. Audrey: That's 'cause everyone else is boring. Again another fresh perspective. Now, one of these characters
around the protagonist might bring with them an intimate relationship, as it can give the protagonist something extra
to invest in and raise the story's stakes, particularly if this other
character gets into danger or is used as a trap by the villain or whatever. Think of Bond and how his love
interests often end up dead. Side note. The representation of women
is slowly improving in the Bond movies, but can we speed it up, people! So how do the writers play with this trope? Susan's love interest, Fine, is
seemingly no more in Act One. It is what pushes her to become
an operative in the field. So what are the writers
going to do with this trope now? Aldo: Don't worry, I have you. They use it as commentary on the sexism
women face, even in the spy industry. Aldo: I don't have a gun. I am just
aroused from looking at you. And when Fine returns from the dead, Susan's
growth means that she decides to turn him down. Susan: You're a lot furrier than I thought you'd be. Fine: Yeah. It settles the audience into a false sense of
security before the writer's final comedic twist: Now, the truly intimate relationship
is between Audrey and Morgan. Their friendship is what makes
the audience invest in this story, but the writers still spin this trope by
giving us some love interests. Yes interests. Remember, Audrey's boyfriend Drew is seemingly no
more in Act One, but he comes back in Act Three. Then, there is also Sebastian. Oh no, who is Audrey going to choose? They conclude this love triangle
in the contemporary sense, but, remember, the actual cathartic
release is between Audrey and Morgan. For my Mash, Becky goes undercover to
get the villain, Vicky, on her side. Becky's aversion to others entertains
Vicky and Vicky deliberately forces Becky to interact with the scum of the
criminal world to see how she will react. This will naturally force some growth onto Becky. But when it comes to an intimate relationship,
this is between Becky and a German Shepherd, Arnold, who the CIA delegated
to Becky for this mission. Becky doesn't have to talk
to Arnold, which she prefers. Still, Arnold teaches her a thing
or two about advocating for herself, snapping at whoever he doesn't like. Another trope is Gadgets. Ooo! Aah! Eww! *gasps* Gadgets are one way to demonstrate a spy's skill, or for Susan, representative
of how others see her. Susan: Have I done something to you to upset you? Miranda: This is a peculiar theme. As Becky is a scientist, she will make
her own gadgets as she needs them. But as she's under time constraints they're
not always the most reliable, and poorly named. Another trope is a Car Chase! Spy audiences want spectacle, so if
you're not giving them explosions, you better give them a chase. Why? It is one way to build tension
and, more importantly, release tension. TENSION! Very important in a spy movie. Let's look at how these movies
have fun with this trope: Susan: Who puts a roof on a scooter?
What are you the pope? Hell yeah, Susan's on a scooter, and she's doing a pretty fine job of it, too, so
of course, we have to have a moment like this: Susan: I am so bad ass! Audrey and Morgan must rely on an
Uber driver to escape the baddies. Audrey: There's a bunch of men chasing us with
guns and I need you to lose them now. Uber Driver: [ __ ] yeah! However the driver is now no more and Audrey has
no choice but to step into the driver's seat. The world the best friends came from
is still present in things like Morgan trying to put on a seat belt and
Audrey signaling as she drives: Morgan: Why are you using the turn signal? You're
literally telling them where we're going. Audrey: Sorry, it's a force of habit. Morgan: It's a bad habit. Now, Becky is a skilled driver -- all
those mornings driving to and from work. However, this is the moment shy Becky lets loose. She's got a severe case of road rage. Posh: Sunday drivers. It's only Saturday. What's the next trope? Put it on a postcard, baby! Spy audiences expect foreign
locations, usually somewhere in Europe. It not only adds to the genre's
escapism but can provide story tension; dropping a protagonist into somewhere they are not familiar with immediately
puts them on the back foot. Anything can happen! Now, Spy and The Spy Who Dumped
Me do not subvert this trope. Each checks off a list for holiday destinations. Hot tip! Don't want to subvert a trope? Lean into it. Go over the
top. Draw attention to it. Do you get me? Morgan: Do you want to
die having never been to Europe or do you want to go to Europe
and die having been to Europe? Audrey: Why are those my only two options? For my Mash, Becky and Arnold gallivant
across Europe with the villain, Vicky, to end up in Turkey for the final showdown. What is Turkey well known for for tourists? Hot air ballooning! Of course the final showdown
must occur in a hot air balloon! Another trope that is not necessarily
subverted but still spun on its axis is: Zany Antagonists. Most spy villains are intelligent
and have a hatred of authority, but the best also have a personal vendetta against
the protagonist or someone the protagonist knows. Think of Silva in Bond. He's out to get M. Now, the big bad for Susan is DeLuca. He's the one she has the showdown
against in the movie's climax, but we all know who the
really interesting villain is: Rayna: I'm not texting, if you must know. I'm
playing Candy Crush and I just made level 95. Rayna comes across as an incompetent spoiled
brat who hates everyone and it's glorious. Rayna: Poor little pathetic Susan Coleman. Suan: Well that's not my last name so it's
really not much of a burn, is it? Rayna: Cooping? Croupon? Susan: No. Audrey has the showdown against
Drew, her ex and the true antagonist, but we all know who the
really interesting villain is: Nadya is so zany, so much so, she
matches the skill set of Morgan, which means we get this
hilarious but tense set piece: Morgan: Remember your training from
the New Jersey Circus Center. For my Mash, Vicky is my Zany Antagonist. I feel like she was a therapist once upon a time, but now she's one of the
most powerful drug cartels. She is arrogantly intelligent, wants
to be the authority, and loves dogs. Think Poppy Adams vibes. Poppy: Your old pal Charles has messed up. That's all I'm gonna tell you 'cause that's all you need to know. so put him in the mincer, okay? Until the next mash, bye! Already this premise is... It's gonna be a long day. I'm all hot and bothered. I need to take off my socks. I knocked the light. Oops. it is about a trained opera-- *noises* The represent-- *noises* I lost the first script that I wrote
to this so I had to write it again. Hopefully it gets out to you on time but maybe not. I'm gonna live my life and not
stress about it so you'll get it when you get it. Peace out.
