Aaron Sorkin, a New York native, was born in a wealthy suburb of New York City. Raised by his mother and father, Sorkin grew up with one brother and one sister. Both siblings went on to practice law; however, Sorkin knew that wasn’t for him. Aaron ended up at the nearby Syracuse University, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. Initially, he believed that acting was the career he would work towards, so like many other amateur actors, he moved to New York City. In his pursuit of acting, he worked many minimum wage jobs and also went unemployed for quite some time, until he discovered his true talent was in writing. He began writing his first Broadway production, A Few Good Men, after a telephone conversation with his sister. This production was a huge success and was later made into a movie produced by Rob Reiner. From this point on, Sorkin’s name was developed in Hollywood. Aaron Sorkin has been nominated for three Golden Globes, six Emmys and he has also won six Emmys.
Aaron Sorkin’s most recent work is mainly showcased in three television series: West Wing; Sports Night; and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. However, Sorkin also wrote the big screen productions of, Charlie Wilson’s War, The American President, and Malice, along with the already mentioned, A Few Good Men. Within the writer’s work there are many signatures to note. For this reason, Aaron Sorkin can be categorized as an auteur. The word auteur is French for, “artist.” Within the context of film, an auteur is found to have signature distinguishing characteristics in their work. These consist of camera angles, lighting, and dialogical structures. Many of the characteristics are a result of personal experiences on behalf of the writer/ director. In Sorkin’s case, there are three distinguishing ‘trademarks,’ or thematic motifs that define his work.
To begin, Aaron often times uses rapid fire conversational exchanges. Many people are annoyed with this characteristic in shows such as Sex and the City, or Gilmore Girls, but Aaron Sorkin is able to use these exchanges in a constructive way that defines his work and enhances its likeability. Many times these rapid exchanges take place in “walk and talk” situations, where his characters are swiftly moving from one scene to another. For example, in the pilot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the network television director is trying to convince one of his guest stars, Felicity Huffman, that while her sketch isn’t funny, she can pull it off. He gives this advice as he walks from her dressing room to the control center of the onscreen television series. Once entering the control room he begins to give more orders to the control team until he leaves that stage to move to another. The quick dialogue and rapid movement is one of Sorkin’s fortes but also a result of Sorkin’s fast paced lifestyle due to his recreational use of cocaine. However, Sorkin’s main appeal to dialogue comes with his lack of interest in creating plot. Aaron once candidly commented, in an interview with an online Hollywood journal, " It's a terrible struggle for me devising an intention and an obstacle that I feel holds water and that's interesting. I would much rather blather on [with dialogue]." (McCurrey)
Secondarily, Sorkin uses similar acting characters and scenes in all of his work. We specifically see Felicity Huffman and Joshua Malina appearing the most in Sorkin’s work. For example, Huffman appears in a few episodes of Sports Night, as well as the highly anticipated pilot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Joshua Malina in this sense doesn’t even begin to compare with Huffman’s appearances. Malina is not only seen in Sports Night and West Wing, but he was also used in The American President and A Few Good Men. Coincidence? I think not! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up in Sorkin’s next project. As mentioned above, he also uses similar scenes. For example, in the television series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, many of the scenes occur behind the scenes of a television series consequently named, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. His other series, Sports Night, also shows a behind the scenes look at the production of a television series. During the period where Sorkin was writing for television and the big screen, it was said he became overwhelmed, which caused him to overlap some of his material, resulting in similar scenes and dialogue once again. An example of overlap came to Sorkin upon drafting the 385 page rough draft screenplay for The American President. Upon completing this draft, he decided to use deleted material from the script to add to his television drama West Wing.
Finally, it seems as if Sorkin is continuously yelling at his audience, “My political views are to the left!” All of the characters on his shows and within his movies seem to have left winged partisanship- even the Republican characters. For example, in The West Wing, Sorkin had a few conservative representatives working within the program. However, even those representatives tended to lean left. There were certainly no extreme right conservatives. Even the republican presidential candidate portrayed by Alan Alda in season two was not very conservative. In the series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the audience can also witness rather liberal jargon. An example of this comes from the first episode of the first season where the network executive gets on the stage in front of a live audience and spouts out how the capitalist media station is garbage, in fewer words. In this episode he portrays someone who hates big businesses, adding liberal sentiment to the episode.
Sorkin’s work, in a nut shell, is characteristically strong and mainly believable. He created his characters, scenes, and ideologies in a way that seems true to the writer. For that reason, it is easy to find Sorkin behind all of his work. His signatures are strong and his experiences real; Sorkin is a true auteur, signifying culture, wit, and politics into all of his work.
References:
"Aaron Sorkin - Biography." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 20 Oct. 2009. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815070/bio.
"Aaron Sorkin Biography." TV Guide, TV Listings, Online Videos, Entertainment News and Celebrity News | TVGuide.com. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
"AARON SORKIN GIVES A FEW GOOD TIPS ON WRITING." Sell Your Literary Material To Hollywood - HollywoodLitSales.com. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
"The Five: Aaron Sorkin show trademarks -." TV Squad. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
"Null." Entertainment news, movie reviews, awards, festivals, celebrity photos, industry events - Variety. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
"What I really think of Aaron Sorkin." By Ken Levine. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
Kelly-I had no clue who Aaron Sorkin was either till I watched Entourage...wow I like how you connected his rapid conversations to his cocaine addiction, very interesting point! I also found that my auteur, Ryan Murphy, used many of the same actors throughout his television work.
ReplyDeletethanks Paige! I appreciate your comment. So far this class has been one big learning experience for me- the longer the class runs the more connections I make with different aspects of television as well!
ReplyDeleteI, too, had no idea who Aaron Sorkin was until his appearance on Entourage. I usually know most of the cameo appearances of people on Entourage so I was immediately intrigued to find out who he was! I really enjoyed reading your blog; you make several relevant notations of similarities within Sorkin's work. As Paige already commented, the reference to his "recreational" use of cocaine is a very interesting explanation for his use of rapid conversations and dialogue. I am not really familiar with The West Wing, Sports Night, or any of the other shows he has written for, but do any of the actors actually deal with drug use in the show? In many of the other blogs I've read, including my own, it is apparent that auteurs use past experiences or in Sorkin's case addictions, and use it in the story lines of the show. In addition, Sorkin obviously has a prominent interest in politics and uses it in his writing. I had no idea he was the brains behind the creation of A Few Good Men or Charlie Wilson's War, I love those movies! It is unique to see a writer that has the ability to write for both television and film, which implies to viewers Sorkin's talent!
ReplyDeleteAlong with Courtney and Paige, I too, had no idea who Sorkin was until he appeared on Entourage. I enjoyed reading your blog, it was very easy to follow and understand. I like how you gave elaborate examples when making a point about Sorkin's work like your point about "rapid fire conversational exchanges". Referring to Sex and the City helped me picture what you were talking about.I also enjoyed how you said Sorkin always seems to be yelling at his audience. I, too, enjoy being exposed to people who are passionate about what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteWell unlike everyone else, I knew who Aaron Sorkin was before appearing on Entorage. I wrote my second blog on Aaron as well and I never thought about adding that many actors appear in this television series. This is a true testament to Aaron and his work.
ReplyDeleteI am oddly not familiar with Sorkin or any of his shows. However, the way you incorporate more common shows really helped me connect and get a better feel of his work. Although I am usually not too good at picking up political and other subtle references, I would be interested in checking out his work after reading this. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteLike Anna, I am not familiar with Aaron Sorkin and any of his shows. The way you connected each of his shows to relevant scenarios. I am not a gal that is to familiar with politcal views, your blog has struck my interest in Entourage! As Paige mentioned, I found your point about the cocaine addiction and rapid conversations very interesting. I will definitely look into viewing a few episodes! Well done!
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