You would need to have your head down a sand hole 24/7 at the minute to miss the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, especially here in Belfast! It is everywhere and rightly so, it is one of the most tragic and enduring stories of the last one hundred years. The only surprising thing is that it took Belfast so long to exploit it! 

Love it or hate it, the film Titanic now re-released in 3d, is here to stay. I saw it fifteen years ago, way before I knew that i would go on to have a career in film and before I understood the mechanics of the screenwriting process. The film swept me away then and I for one will be going back to see if the 3d version can do it again.

What is it about the Titanic story that made it such a huge hit - bagging eleven Oscars back in 1997 (yes it really was that long ago!) First and foremost it is a love story - it's Romeo and Juliet set at sea. Jack and Rose are young, innocent, naive and most importantly in love! However in films the course of true love cannot run smooth and so tragedy strikes, jealous lovers act and the stakes become undearably high. Yes this is a huge Hollywood juggernaut of a film but essentially, at its heart, is the DNA of a story that Shakespeare wrote over four hundred years ago about two ill-fated lovers. 

It really is that simple! Writers do not need to reinvent the wheel but we do need to create convincing characters that are 'real' enough to take an audience on a journey. Titanic proves we can still buy into a story even when we know how it is going to end!

N.B. There was nothing wrong with it when it left Belfast! 

		Script Smart	info@scriptsmart.co.uk
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