8.
FINDING THE
STORY
“There was a desire and
a need to really not rest
until I was able to
express these thoughts
and these stories on film.”
—Martin Scorsese
SU B C HAPTER S
• Life Is Cinematic
• The Story Has to Be Close
to You
• The Theme Should Be
Important to You
• The Desire, the Passion, and
the Need
CHAPTER RE VIE W
For Martin, all of life is cinematic—it just depends on how you
perceive it. Life circumstances put him in the role of observer, and
he grew up carefully watching the world around him in New York
City. He absorbed what he saw in his family’s apartment, on the
streets of Little Italy, and in church, interpreting and translating
these encounters into stories and images.
When Martin decides that he wants to tell a story on film, there
is a spark: a moment in history, as with The Age of Innocence (1993)
and Gangs of New York (2002); a character idea, as with The Aviator
(2004); a parallel with films he loved in the past, as with Shutter
Island (2010); a theological question, as with The Last Temptation
of Christ (1988); or simply a script filled with interesting themes,
as with Taxi Driver. Sometimes a book will spark his interest, as
was the case with Goodfellas. Both the structure of Nick Pileggi’s
book Wiseguy and Martin’s connection to its setting influenced his
decision to adapt the text for the screen. The themes that Martin
revisits film after film are sin and redemption, good and evil, and
weakness and strength.
LE ARN M ORE
• Martin talks about his interest in working with the visual
culture and cinema of the time in which Shutter Island took
place. While making the film, he revisited the wonderful
horror movies produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s, and films
noirs such as Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past (1947), Otto
Preminger’s Laura (1944), and Edward Dmytryk’s Crossfire
(1947). Watch these three films noirs and check out some of
our favorites movies produced by Lewton—Cat People (1942),
I Walked With a Zombie (1943), and The Leopard Man (1943).
Also, check out Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows, a 2007
documentary that Martin narrated.
MARTIN SCORSESE 21
8.
FINDING THE
STORY

A S SI G NMENT

• Martin says that a story must be close to you, so complete this

brainstorming exercise to develop a concrete understanding of
the kinds of tales you’re drawn to. This will help focus you on
the story you’d like to take on for your short film. Start by
answering these questions: What images or events can you
clearly remember from childhood? What are the themes you
find yourself attracted to in cinema? Perhaps you gravitate
toward stories about family relationships, love triangles,
underdog victories, or particular historical periods. Make a
map of themes (or use another note-taking/visual format that
you prefer) and reference it when you are ready to write the
script for your short, either on your own or with a collaborator.

MARTIN SCORSESE 22