What's your thing?

I have begun to really settle into my thing.

You know, the thing. The thing that all your scripts have so everybody knows it's you. People look at your films and nod and go, this has to be an Emily Blake picture. Well, hopefully they won't look at your films and think it's an Emily Blake picture. Unless you're films are really good. Then I'll gladly take the credit.

Like Shane Black. We all know his thing. You're not going to see Shane Black make a kid's movie. Okay, there was Monster Squad, but that film includes excellent quotes like "Wolfman's got nards!" (to which I still say, why wouldn't he?) and "I'm in the god damn club, aren't I?" which made watching an otherwise silly film watchable.

But that just proves my point. Shane Black isn't touchy feeley. Charlie Kauffman isn't linear. David Lynch will make me want to put lit cigarettes out on my eyeballs.

Actually, that would be kind of Lynchian if I did it slowly and in black and white while dressed in a pink tutu.

There should be more David Lynch parodies.

Anyway, I think part of what we do as newbie writers is try to form our writing identity. Mine's been slowly coming together but I think after six years of working on screenplays I've finally settled in.

I already knew I liked violence. But controlled violence. Violence with a bittersweet ending and even though everybody's got a gun nobody gets shot. I like to have people face each other and yell and point guns but then somebody backs down and we end in stalemate.

I think that's my thing.

I know because Bamboo Killers has it, my zombie movie kind of has it and now a short film script I just edited this morning has it. Even my TV scripts tend to have it.

I like standoffs. I don't really know why.

I want to have the reputation for being the one to call when you need a tension-filled conflict between people who don't trust each other but need each other. And fight scenes. I do fight scenes well. And I can write fast if necessary.

So producers will be like "Call up that Emily Blake. She's good with tensioney standoffs that lead to big fist fights!" and other producers will say, "Is that a girl?" and the first producer will say, "Yes! And she's cute! Let's give her candy!" And I'll walk in with my pigtails and be all adorable and write scenes where people kick each other across the room yelling out very foul language.

This is my thing.

Do you have a thing? Is there one consistent element that people can find in all your scripts so they know to call you when they need it?