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A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporting characters, those besides the protagonist or antagonist.

In William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II, the main plot concerns Henry's growth from "Hal" the prince to "Henry" the king and the reconquest of French territory. A subplot, however, concerns Falstaff's participation in the battles. Falstaff and Henry meet at several points, and Falstaff is a familiar of Henry's, but his plot and Henry's do not mix. Even though they may be thematically connected, they are not connected in action.

Subplots are distinguished from the main plot by taking up less of the action, having less significant events occur, with less impact on the 'world' of the work, and occurring to less important characters. When, as in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward, about a group of patients at that ward, no one character's story clearly predominates, the plots will not be distinguished into the main plot and subplots. Because of their brevity, short stories and to a large extent, novellas, usually contain no subplot.

In screenwriting, a subplot is referred to as a "B story" or a "C story," etc.

John Sayles
John Sayles, March 2008
Born	John Thomas Sayles (1950-09-28) September 28, 1950 (age 61) Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Director/Screenwriter
Years active	1978–present

John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter and author.

Early life[link]

Sayles was born in Schenectady, New York, the son of Mary (née Rausch), a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator.^[1] He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist".^{[citation needed]} Both of Sayles's parents were of half-Irish descent.^[2]

Career[link]

Like Martin Scorsese and James Cameron, among others, Sayles began his film career working with Roger Corman. Sayles went on to fund his first film, Return of the Secaucus 7, with $30,000 he had in the bank from writing scripts for Corman.^{[citation needed]} He set the film in a large house so that he did not have to travel to or get permits for different locations, set it over a three-day weekend to limit costume changes, and wrote about people his age so that he could have his friends act in it. In November 1997, the National Film Preservation Board announced that Return of the Secaucus 7 would be one of the 25 films selected that year for preservation in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

In 1983, after the films Baby It's You (starring Rosanna Arquette) and Lianna (a sympathetic story in which a married woman becomes discontented with her marriage and falls in love with another woman), Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship. He used the money to partially fund the fantasy The Brother from Another Planet,^[3] a film about a black, three-toed slave who escapes from another planet and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem.

Sayles at the Miami Book Fair International 2011

In 1989, he created and wrote the pilot episode for the short-lived television show Shannon's Deal about a down-and-out Philadelphia lawyer played by Jamey Sheridan. Sayles received a 1990 Edgar Award for his teleplay for the pilot. The show ran for only 16 episodes before being canceled in 1991.

Sayles has funded most of his films by writing genre scripts such as Piranha, Alligator, The Howling and The Challenge.^{[citation needed]} Having collaborated with Joe Dante on Piranha and The Howling, Sayles acted in Dante's movie Matinee. In deciding whether to take a job, Sayles reports that he mostly is interested in whether there is the germ of an idea for a movie which he would want to watch.^{[citation needed]} Sayles gets the rest of his funding by working as a script doctor; he did rewrites for Apollo 13, and Mimic.

One such genre script, called Night Skies, inspired what would eventually become the highly successful film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.^{[citation needed]} That film's director, Steven Spielberg, later commissioned Sayles to write the script for Jurassic Park IV.

He has written and directed his own films, including Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Matewan. He serves on the advisory board for the Austin Film Society.^{[citation needed]}

Sayles works with a regular repertory of actors, most notably Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, and Gordon Clapp, each of whom has appeared in at least four of his films.

In early 2003, Sayles signed the Not In Our Name "Statement of Conscience" (along with Noam Chomsky, Steve Earle, Brian Eno, Jesse Jackson, Viggo Mortensen, Bonnie Raitt, Oliver Stone, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon and others) which opposed the invasion of Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2009, Sayles was reported to be writing an upcoming HBO series based on the early life of Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The drama, tentatively titled Scar Tissue, centers on Kiedis's early years living in West Hollywood with his father. At that time, Kiedis's father, known as Spider, sold drugs (according to legend, his clients included The Who and Led Zeppelin) and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into showbiz.^[4]

In February 2010, Sayles began shooting his 17th feature film, the historical war drama Amigo, in the Philippines. The film is a fictional account of events during the Philippine–American War, with a cast that includes Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, and Garret Dillahunt.^[5]

His novel A Moment in the Sun, set during the same period as Amigo, in the Philippines, Cuba, and the US, was released in 2011 by McSweeney’s.^[6]

Filmography[link]

• Piranha (1978) (Writer)
• Return of the Secaucus 7 (1979) (Director/Writer)
• The Lady in Red (1979) (Writer)
• Alligator (1980) (Writer)
• Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) (Writer)
• A Perfect Match (with Mel Damski) (1980) (TV)
• The Howling (1981) (Writer)
• The Challenge (with Richard Maxwell) (1982) (Writer)
• Lianna (1983) (Director/Writer)
• Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (with Susan Rice) (1983)
• Baby It's You (1983) (Director/Writer)
• The Brother from Another Planet (1984) (Director/Writer)
• The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
• Unnatural Causes (1986) (TV)
• Wild Thing (1987) (Writer)
• Matewan (1987) (Director/Writer)
• Eight Men Out (1988) (Director/Writer/Actor portraying Ring Lardner)
• Shannon's Deal (1989) (TV) (Creator)
• Breaking In (1989) (Writer)
• City of Hope (1991) (Director/Writer)
• Passion Fish (1992) (Director/Writer)
• The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) (Director/Writer)
• Men of War (with Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris) (1994) (Writer)
• Apollo 13 (1995) (uncredited)
• Lone Star (1996) (Director/Writer)
• Men with Guns (1997) (Director/Writer)
• Limbo (1999) (Director/Writer)
• Sunshine State (2002) (Director/Writer)
• Casa de los Babys (2003) (Director/Writer)
• Silver City (2004) (Director/Writer)
• Honeydripper (2007) (Director/Writer)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (with David Berenbaum and Karey Kirkpatrick) (2008)
• Amigo (2010) (Director/Writer)

Bibliography[link]

Novels[link]

• Pride of the Bimbos (1975) (novel)
• Union Dues (1977) (novel)
• Los Gusanos (1991) (novel)
• A Moment in the Sun (2011) (novel)

Collections and Non-Fiction[link]

• The Anarchists Convention (1979) (short story collection)
• Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie "Matewan" (1987) (non-fiction)
• Dillinger in Hollywood (2004) (short story collection)

Music videos[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

• Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
• Bruce Springsteen - I'm on Fire
• Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days

Awards/nominations[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Films[link]

Awards for Honeydripper:

• Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film (Win) – 2008 NAACP Image Awards
• Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) (Nominated) – John Sayles – 2008 NAACP Image Awards
• Top 10 Independent Films of 2007 - National Board of Review
• Best Screenplay (Win) – John Sayles - 2007 San Sebastián International Film Festival (Tied with Gracia Querejeta and David Planell for Siete mesas de billar francés (2007)

Award for SILVER CITY:

• Golden Seashell Award for Best Film (Nominated) - John Sayles - 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival

Awards for SUNSHINE STATE:

• Golden Orange Award (Win) - John Sayles - 2003 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
• Special Mention For Excellence In Filmmaking (Win) - 2002 National Board of Review

Awards for LIMBO:

• Best Director Golden Space Needle Award (Win) - John Sayles -1999 Seattle International Film Festival
• Outstanding Indies (Win) - 1999 National Board of Review

Awards for MEN WITH GUNS/HOMBRES ARMADOS:

• Best Foreign Independent Film (Nominated) - 1998 British Independent Film Awards
• Best Foreign Film (Nominated) - 1999 Golden Globes
• Peace Award (Nominated) - 1999 Political Film Society
• FIPRESCI Prize (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
• OCIC Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
• Solidarity Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
• Golden Seashell Award for Best Film (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival

Awards for LONE STAR:

• Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Academy Awards
• Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 BAFTA Awards
• Best Screenplay, Motion Picture (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Golden Globes
• Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Writers Guild of America
• Best Picture (Nominated) - 1997 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
• Best Motion Picture Original Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 Golden Satellite Awards
• Best Motion Picture - Drama (Nominated) - Maggie Renzi & R. Paul Miller - 1997 Golden Satellite Awards
• Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Independent Spirit Awards
• Best Film (Win) - Lone Star - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
• Best Director (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
• Best Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
• Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Feature Film (Win) - 1996 NCLR Bravo Awards
• Best Director (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

Awards for THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH:

• Best Genre Video Release (Nominated) - 1996 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
• International Critics Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Gérardmer Film Festival
• Best Director (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1996 Independent Spirit Awards
• Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1996 Independent Spirit Awards

Awards for PASSION FISH:

• Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1993 Academy Awards
• Golden Spur Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1993 Flanders International Film Festival
• Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1993 Writers Guild of America

Awards for CITY OF HOPE:

• Critics Award (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1991 Deauville Film Festival
• Special Award, Democracy Award (Win) - 1992 Political Film Society
• Tokyo Grand Prix Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1991 Tokyo International Film Festival

Awards for MATEWAN:

• Critics Award (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1987 Deauville Film Festival
• Best Director (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1988 Independent Spirit Awards
• Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1988 Independent Spirit Award
• Human Rights Award (Win) - 1988 Political Film Society

Awards for THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET:

• Best Screenplay Caixa de Catalunya Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1984 Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
• Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1985 USA Film Festival (later became the Sundance Film Festival)

Awards for RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN:

• Best Independent Film (Win) - 1981 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
• Best Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1980 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
• National Film Registry - 1997 Library of Congress, National Film Preservation Board
• Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1981 Writers Guild of America
• Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1980 New York Film Critics Circle
• Second Place - 1981 US Film Festival (later became the Sundance Film Festival)

Other recognition[link]

Sayles' first published story, "I-80 Nebraska," won an O. Henry Award; his novel, Union Dues, was nominated for a National Book Award as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award.

In 1985, Sayles received the John D. MacArthur Award, given to 20 Americans in diverse fields each year for their innovative work. He has also been the recipient of the Eugene V. Debs Award, the John Steinbeck Award and the John Cassavetes Award. He was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer's Guild of America (1999).

See also[link]

• Night Skies - for a more complete history of the Close Encounters of the Third Kind sequel becomes E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial story

Further reading[link]

• Diane Carson and Heidi Kenaga, eds., Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles, Wayne State University Press, 2006
• John Sayles, Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan, Da Capo Press, 2003

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Sayles

• John Sayles' official website
• John Sayles at the Internet Movie Database
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
• Interview April 2007 by Cathy Pryor in the London Independent
• (audio) John Sayles interview at KCRW
• The Rumpus interview
• Return of the Independent: Sayles on Sayles (5-part interview) from siffblog.com
• An Extended Interview with John Sayles — video report by Democracy Now!