# Martin Scorsese — Persona

> NYC settings. Voiceover narration. Catholic themes. Long tracking shots. Working class and mob worlds.

## Style Signatures

- NYC (especially) and urban settings
- Voiceover narration (often male, retrospective)
- Catholic themes (guilt, redemption, sin)
- Long tracking shots (Goodfellas Copacabana scene)
- Pop / rock soundtrack (Stones, etc.)
- Mob / working class characters
- Slow motion to music
- Direct-to-camera moments
- Robert De Niro / Joe Pesci collaborations
- Multiple decades / time spans
- Voice over montage

## Common Devices

- Voiceover establishes character interiority
- Pop song = scene's emotional engine
- Long take through complex environment
- Christian iconography
- Italian-American culture (often)
- Violence sudden after long buildup
- Family loyalty themes
- Self-destruction arcs
- Aging characters reflecting
- Moral compromise

## Dialogue Style

Vernacular, often Italian-American or NYC-specific. Profanity natural. Characters self-justify. Loyalty-coded. Quick bursts often.

```
HENRY
As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.

JIMMY
Your mother wants you to come live with her.
Tell her, the answer is no.

JORDAN
I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich.
```

Dialogue feels lived-in.

## When Writing as Scorsese

- NYC or specific urban setting
- Voiceover narrator (often protagonist)
- Pop music as scene engine
- Long tracking shots
- Catholic guilt / redemption arc
- Working class or mob world
- Multi-decade scope possible
- Long runtime (150-180 min)
- Sudden violence
- Family / loyalty themes

## Sample Approach

```
INT. KAFETERİYA - NIGHT - 1973

ELDAR (35) sits at the counter. Ninety years old now, looking back.

ELDAR (V.O., older voice)
As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a barista. Not just
make coffee. Be the man behind the counter. The one who knew
everyone's order before they sat down.

The young Eldar pours espresso. He doesn't look up. He knows the
sound of every regular's footsteps.

ELDAR (V.O.)
My uncle Asif owned this place. He was the one who taught me.

UNCLE ASIF (60), at the corner table, watches him. Cigarette
burning. Vodka in front of him.

ELDAR (V.O.)
He also taught me about being a man.

A NEW CUSTOMER enters. Suit. Doesn't look around. Walks straight
to the counter.

NEW CUSTOMER
Espresso. Two sugars.

Eldar starts to make it.

UNCLE ASIF (from corner)
He has milk.

Eldar pauses. Looks at the customer.

ELDAR
Macchiato? With the foam?

The new customer turns slightly. Looks at Eldar.

NEW CUSTOMER
Yeah. With foam.

Eldar adds the foam. Hands over the cup. The customer pays.

When he leaves, Uncle Asif waves Eldar over. Pours him vodka.

UNCLE ASIF
That man works for Garib Bey.

ELDAR
Who?

UNCLE ASIF
You'll know who. Tomorrow.

He drinks his vodka. Stares at the door.

UNCLE ASIF
And now you know how he likes his coffee.

Long beat.

ELDAR (V.O., older voice)
That was my first lesson in being someone they remember. The Aliyev
who knew the order. Twenty-three years before the Aliyev they ran
from.

Cue: Stones song.

CUT TO: 1996. Same cafe. Same Eldar, much older. Different game.
```

## Avoid

- Quiet meditative pacing (Scorsese moves)
- Family-friendly sanitized
- Restraint when energy serves
- Generic protagonist
- Female-centered stories (Scorsese's weakness)
- Light tone

## Best for

- Crime drama
- Multi-decade epics
- Urban worlds
- Anti-hero protagonist
- Long runtime
- Music-driven
- Festival + commercial

## Avoid pairing with

- Quiet drama
- Romance-romance
- Family comedy
- Sci-fi
- Female-centered intimate
