Who says Hollywood formula is a bad thing? Sue Clayton, a screenwriting prof at the University of London, has broken down the blockbusters and cracked their genetic code. The result: "a generic blueprint for the perfect movie." Underwritten by Diet Coke (US RDA: 2% sodium, 0% protein), her frame-by-frame analysis of multiplex success involved some interpretive hairsplitting. Is, for example, the Titanic-iceberg collision Action or Special Effects? Both, but ultimately neither. Because the iceberg is a central antagonist, she ranked it Good vs. Evil. While the blueprint cuts across genres from f/x fantasy to epic love story, Clayton has yet to dissect the American box office; the US recipe, she says, likely includes "a bit more action, a bit more hardware." In the future, the formula could even be used to defuse bombs; "Waterworld," Clayton says, "was terribly, terribly expensive but all action and effects, no romance, humor, or music." A filmmaker herself, she's now bringing a few new scripts to Tinseltown. Will she follow her own blueprint? "Yes. But I may exceed the dancing and sex quota by a few points."
The Perfect Blockbuster
30% - Action
17% - Comedy
13% - Good vs. Evil
12% - Love/Sex/Romance
10% - Special Effects
10% - Plot
8% - Music
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