[FLAMENCO GUITAR] We always called each other goodfellas. "You're gonna like this guy, he's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us." Written by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, this film is ranked #41 on the WGA’s
list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays. It’s also the seventeenth highest-rated film of all time on IMDb. Here are six screenwriting secrets in Goodfellas. [MUSIC] If you want the characters in your story
to be complex and pop off the page, look to the screenwriting in
Goodfellas as a great example. Let’s take a look at all the different facets
of character development in this film. First, let’s see the way
characters are introduced. We meet Henry by seeing his biggest desire. Henry: As far back as I could remember,
I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than
being President of the United States. Even before I first wandered into the
cab stand for an after-school job, I knew I wanted to be a part of them. Although Tommy is introduced briefly early on, this is the first scene we spend any actual time with him. He said, "No, you're going to tell
me something today, tough guy." I said, "All right, I'll tell you something.
Go fuck your mother!" What do you mean I'm funny? It's a good story. It's funny.
You're a funny guy. I'm funny how? You mean funny
like I'm a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh?
I'm here to fucking amuse you? In Jimmy’s introduction, we see
what he loves more than anything. Henry: The bartender got $100
just for keeping the ice cubes cold. The Irishman is here to take all you Guineas' money! When it comes to Paulie, we immediately
know that he commands respect. Hello, Paulie. Hey, Paulie. Henry: Paulie might have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie
didn't have to move for anybody. Next, we have the characters’ fears. Henry reveals in his narration
what he’s most afraid of. Henry: To me, it meant being somebody in
a neighborhood that was full of nobodies. Henry: To us, those goody-good people
who work shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day,
worried about their bills, were dead. Henry: I mean everybody else in
the joint was doing real time, all mixed together, living like pigs. Henry: I'm an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook. Paulie reveals his biggest fear to Henry. Gribbs is 70 years old and the fucking guy's gonna die in prison. I don't need that. Ain't gonna happen to me. You understand? Next, let’s talk about the main character’s fatal flaw. In this case, it’s the lie that Henry tells himself. Nobody goes to jail unless they want to. I know what I'm doing. I got things
organized with these guys. I got a guy in here from Pittsburgh
who's gonna help me move it. Believe me, in a month we're gonna be fine.
We won't need anybody. We'll be all right. I got things lined up. Pittsburgh? You have to go see
your parole officer tomorrow. Karen, don't worry about it.
Everything's gonna be fine. And finally, let’s take a look
at character orchestration. The characters in Goodfellas are different
and easily distinguishable from each other. Henry is quiet and soft-spoken. Henry, what's the matter?
You don't talk too much. You don't eat much, you don't talk much. I'm just listening. Jimmy is disciplined and paranoid. Never rat on your friends and
always keep your mouth shut. Did you hear what I said? "Don't buy anything, don't get anything.
Nothing big." Did you hear what I said?
What's the matter with you? I've been telling you your whole life,
don't talk on the fucking phone, right? Now you understand. Tommy is the jokester. He flies off the handle. Come on. Don't be like that. What do you mean, don't be like that? And he's racist. I can't believe she's prejudiced against -- A Jew broad prejudiced against Italians. Frankie always mumbles in Italian. Henry: Frankie Carbone. (Mumbles in Italian) And he's always a bit clueless. Come on, make that coffee to go. Let's go! (Mumbles in Italian) What the fuck are you doing? It's a joke. Put the fucking pot down! And, finally, there's Morrie. Hey, guys. I've been looking all over for you. Jimmy, Henry, how are you?
Merry Christmas. Hey, listen. I need the money. Morrie, you're gonna get your money. You just gotta stop busting balls. Jimmy: I swear to God. I've never known
no ball-buster like you my whole life. Hey. Who loves you more than I do? So, the lesson here: Characters make the story. Put in the work in developing them. [MUSIC] The story world in Goodfellas is one that is outside
of the reality of most audience members. Yes, it’s based on a true story,
but it’s still a movie, and the audience needs to understand the rules of the game
when it comes to the world of the mafia. There’s a clear establishment of characters
valuing material possessions. Hi, Mom! What do you think? Look at my shoes. Aren't they great? My God. You look like a gangster. Karen: But I got my mom to watch the babies tomorrow night. I can't do it, Karen. I got something lined up. Yeah, but tomorrow night's
the only night she can do it. It's all Maurice Valencia. It looks like Roma. This is all silk. This is from Siam. And this, we just had to have made special. Go ahead, sit in it, Belle. The others, you couldn't even sit in them. Isn't she gorgeous? I bought it for my wife.
It's a coupe. I love that car. I mean, everybody's flashing their stuff here.
Evidently they got their money. I'm wearing the same shit.
They're wearing it. And we get the important rules of the game. Henry: Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie
and he got a piece of everything they made. It was tribute, just like in the old country,
except they were doing it here in America. Karen: They'd come in with their subpoenas
and warrants and make me sign, but mostly they were just looking for a handout. A few bucks to keep things quiet,
no matter what they found. Henry: Murder was the only way
that everybody stayed in line. You got out of line, you got whacked.
Everybody knew the rules. Jimmy and I could never be made
because we had Irish blood. You've got to be 100% Italian so they can trace
all your relatives back to the old country. It's the highest honor they can give you. It means you belong to a family and a crew. It also means you could fuck around with anybody,
just as long as they aren't also a member. So when you have a unique story world, be sure that you establish the
rules of the game for the audience. [MUSIC] I’ve talked about it many times before, but that’s simply because it occurs
a lot in professional screenwriting. A quick recap: Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows
something that certain characters do not. This can be used to create one of two effects. The first effect is the suspense that’s created when the audience wants to know what will
happen when characters find out the truth. For example, we know that Henry was
involved with killing Billy Batts. So we immediately feel suspense when this happens, He came into the joint that one night,
and then he just disappeared. That was it. All right. Keep your eyes open. Because they're busting my balls about this bastard. All right? Knowing that Paulie discovering the
truth would put Henry’s life at stake. Another example of using
dramatic irony for suspense: And you see anybody fucking around with
this shit, you're gonna tell me, right? Yeah. That means anybody. So when Henry gets involved with cocaine, we immediately anticipate the
confrontation of Paulie finding out. Here’s an example with Jimmy. First, we see the trouble that Johnny Roastbeef
and Frankie Carbone get into. Then we get this: Don't pull what Frankie and Johnny did.
Don't be a moron with the money. Do what's right. You understand? Yeah, of course. So, of course, comes the dramatic irony: Karen, Judy, Ruth! Come here!
I got the most expensive tree they had! Goodfellas also uses dramatic irony
for comedic purposes. For example: Although Karen doesn’t know it yet,
we know full well that Henry is a mobster. What do you do? What? What do you do?
- I'm in construction. The audience knows what happened to Billy Batts. Because of this, we get several doses
of dramatic irony for comedy. Anyway, that reminds me, Ma. I need this knife. I'm gonna take this. It's okay? Okay, yeah. Bring it back, though. You know. The hoof got caught in the grill.
I gotta hack it off. Tommy: The guy's got a nice head of white hair.
Look how beautiful with the dog. It looks the same. It looks like somebody we know. What happened to your car? I hit a skunk, Karen. All right? We also get dramatic irony when one character
says something that another doesn’t hear.
The comedic effect occurs when a character
says the same thing we just heard. Henry: I felt he used too many onions,
but it was still a very good sauce. Vinny, don't put too many onions in the sauce. Henry: Listen. Tell Michael not to
let the sauce stick. Keep stirring it. Henry says don't let the sauce stick. I'm stirring it. Dramatic Irony is a simple but effective tool. Put it in your writing toolbox
and watch your stories improve. [MUSIC] One of the biggest problems
with voiceover narration is that the narrator tells us exactly
what we can see on the screen for ourselves. In Goodfellas, Henry Hill provides deeper insights
that we can’t see on the screen, especially when it comes to other characters. Henry: If there was a Union problem,
or a beef in the numbers, then only the top guys could meet with
Paulie to discuss the problem. Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie,
and he got a piece of everything they made. It was tribute, just like in the old country,
except they were doing it here in America. If any of the truckers or airlines
gave us any trouble, Paulie had his union people scare them with a strike.
It was beautiful. See, Jimmy was one of the most feared guys in the city. He was first locked up at 11, and he was doing hits
for mob bosses when he was 16. Jimmy was the kind of guy who rooted
for the bad guys in the movies. He was one of the city's biggest hijackers
of booze, cigarettes, shrimp and lobsters. Shrimp and lobsters were best.
They went really fast. We also get a brilliant counterpoint from a second narrator. Karen provides further insight on how
she gets sucked into Henry’s world. Karen: I didn't think there was
anything strange in any of this. You know? A 21-year-old kid
with such connections. He was an exciting guy. Everybody wanted to be nice to him. And he knew how to handle it. I know there are women,
like my best friends, who would have gotten out of there the minute
their boyfriend gave them a gun to hide. But I didn't. I gotta admit the truth.
It turned me on. After a while, it got to be all normal. None of it seemed like crimes. It was more like Henry was enterprising and that
he and the guys were making a few bucks hustling. The truth was, that no matter how bad I felt, I was still very attracted to him. So when it comes to voiceover narration, make sure to provide insight that
the audience can’t see for themselves. [MUSIC] The characters in Goodfellas rob, commit arson,
cheat on their wives, and kill. So why are these mobsters so fascinating to watch? In the end, they’re still human beings. And there’s a lot about them
that is universally relatable. For example, don’t we all love food? This stuff is great, but it's like lead. So, tell me tell me where you've been anyway? Delicious.
- Thank you. Veal, beef, and pork. Ah, good. But you gotta have the pork. Oh, that's the flavor. Vinnie, I got your peppers and onions.
Salami, prosciutto, a lot of cheese. Come on, come on. What else? There's some red wine. Okay, now we could eat. I got some white, too.
- Give me the white, too. Beautiful. Okay, boys. Let's eat! You look good. Did we eat this good in the joint? Henry: I had to start braising the beef, pork butt,
and veal shanks for the tomato sauce. And I was making ziti with a meat gravy. And I'm planning to roast some peppers over the flames, and I had some beautiful cutlets
that were cut just right that I was going to fry up before dinner,
just as an appetizer. Perhaps the biggest aspect of humanity portrayed
in mafia films is their love for family. Henry: And my mother was happy after she found out that
the Ciceros came from the same part of Sicily as she did. That was the answer to all her prayers. Karen: And they named all their daughters Marie. This is Marie. And this is Pete -- no, I mean Paulie.
I get confused myself. Karen: We always did everything together,
and we always were in the same crowd. Anniversaries, christenings. You have to do the right thing. You have
to go home to the family. You understand? You got to go home. Okay? Please, there's no other way. You're not going to get a divorce. We're not animale. Who wants to go to Uncle Paulie's? Girls: Me! Let me look at you. What do you think? I look good? You look wonderful. Listen, just be careful. Congratulations, and I wish you lots of luck. I love you. So when it comes to the characters in your screenplay, don't forget about their humanity. [MUSIC] The plot of Goodfellas is constantly driven
by the consequences of the characters’ actions. Let’s see several examples
of how these consequences create their own sequences and mini-stories. Henry works at the cab stand full-time. This causes Henry’s father to beat him for skipping school. Which, in turn, causes Tuddy
to threaten the mailman. Another example: Henry sells stolen cigarettes. This causes him to get arrested. However, this makes the mobsters
take him in as one of their own. Tommy abuses Sonny and trashes his bar. This causes Sonny to ask for help from Paulie
by becoming his business partner. The final consequence: Paulie runs the Bamboo Lounge into the ground. Later, Henry fools around with Janice. This causes Karen to confront Janice herself. And then we get the confrontation
between Karen and Henry. And the final consequence with Paulie and Jimmy. Karen came to the house. This is no good. You gotta straighten this thing out. You gotta go home. Okay? Look at me. You gotta go home. Smarten up. Henry and Jimmy beat up a guy in Florida. Here are the consequences: Henry: Then I found out that the guy we roughed up turned out to have a sister
working as a typist for the FBI. She gave up everybody:
Jimmy, me, even her brother. The judge gave Jimmy and me ten years
like he was giving away candy. Ten years in a federal penitentiary. And finally, the group scores big
with the Lufthansa heist. In spite of Jimmy’s warnings to avoid attention, this causes several guys to buy extravagant items. Which ultimately leads to
the gravest consequence of all. So don’t forget: Don’t let the actions in your story occur within a bubble. Be mindful of the consequences that they create. So, what other films would you like
to see me cover for screenwriting? Let me know in the comments below. A sincere thank-you to my wonderful patrons
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