INKTIP

Just checked out a site recently, inktip.com, where you can upload a bio, logline, query, treatment, and script for $60. They claim to background check the companies they give access to, in other words, it is not a free view for all out there.

They also claim over 53 production deals from the site, and a current record of approximately one deal a mo0nth. For the price, in comparison to the cost of sending queries, I think it is worth some strong consideration.

The other plus is being able to access a log which shows who has been reading your script. Post your thoughts.

SCREENWRITER'S UPDATE - EIGHTY SEVEN DAYS IN

Another week down and another update in. Breaking headline of the week:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVELY WIFE!

and

110 pages is the new 120!

What? Just when I honed the script to 120, omitting spaces and some lines in the process?? But we were told that whitespace in between action lines made it easier on the eyes, and an easy read. And I'm not bumping out the margins, or tightening the line spacing. But, I might have to if this keeps up.

Polishing continues, and I was able to spend an entire day on the topics of logline, query letter, and synopisis. A logline for a rom-com with several sub-plots is not an easy thing, in all of the above I don't want to give away the ending.

What do I really want to say in a query? Well, it's different from what I will send, but here's how I feel.

Bigass Productions
123 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
90210

Dear Director of Development,

I have busted my ass on a screenplay that I would like to submit for your consideration.

"TITLE HERE" is the story of "PROTAGONIST", a "BACKSTORY" and "OCCUPATION", who suffers from extreme "FIXATION" but ends up finding a way to use it to his advantage. It's never been done.<--(in edit, I wonder how many fools put that one on, OMG!)

I'm a full-time aspiring screenwriter and a published newspaper columnist. A devout follower of the teachings of Rossio and August, I follow strict protocol on screenwriting trends, which means there are no camera angles or parantheticals to bore you in the read. Action and description is cut to the minimum and spaced, and I actually follow a three-act structure. I'm sure you will enjoy it-- and make tons of money if you produce it.

Drop me a line and I'll fire this sucker to ya.

Peace out,
Brian Burke

WRITE A GOOD SCRIPT

Find something to write about, anything, just do it.

If it's humor, make it funny, with interesting characters that have quirky traits, a story that is going somewhere, give it a theme. A plot is good, essential, but give us a theme we're interested in, something we can relate to or admire.

Be the expert, in your area of expertise. You're probably more interesting than you think, but only in certain ways. If you're a stock clerk, I want to know what goes on between the aisles and behind that door that says "Staff Only". I really don't want to read your script or see your film about a guy who builds an incredible weapon we've never heard of before, because we probably heard of it before. And if you just have to write that thing, do your research, lots of it.

Keep the action and description short, I've got an imagination, you know? If I have to draw a diagram to figure out how the "x-machine" looks then you've lost the point of using that as a prop in the first place. Just make it look like an ordinary pen, and when you click it, you're transported in time, I can vision that, plus it's cost effective for production.

Give us some dialogue, meaningful stuff, don't just write it to fill pages, don't waste our time. If you're hurting for material just go somewhere and strike up conversation with a stranger, and annotate their traits, how they speak, what they talk about. People will usually try saying something important, or make an observation that is no new observation, and that alone is interesting or funny-- not in the way they think it is though. We like to poke fun at people in this manner, it's human nature.

Make it a good ending. Some people say that's the hardest thing to do but if you have a good outline you should know where it's going. If you don't know, then tell someone your logline and ask them how they think that would end, because people will usually tell you what they want to hear.

Enough? Good. It's not that hard, is it?

Now go write something, something good.

MOVING TO LA

Every screenwriter, at some point or another, faces one, perplexing, inevitable question:

"Should I move to LA?"

Check into any message board on the craft, google it, eavesdrop on a group of eccentric drama students at a coffee shop, and the topic will come up, more than a few times.

Successful screenwriters usually do live in LA, Terry Rossio lives up the hill from the studios because he often finds himself in pitches, in front of Spielberg and the like. He has a funny story of when he lived in Orange County and would have to drive over an hour to studio meetings. He, and writing partner Ted Elliot, came up with the whole treatment for "Godzilla" during these commutes. Eventually, he had to give in and make the move.

John August has a much different story, of how he arrived, unknown, with a dinged-up vehicle, feeling very unimportant and as if he didn't belong there. But, he felt he was a good writer, and as it turns out, he was.

Just the other day, on a message board, a lady was ranting along about how she is a screenwriter and lives in LA, and that the town isn't full of scribes, as she claimed people were being led to believe. In her words, she lived her whole life in LA and never met another screenwriter--

she should get out more.

So, apparently, living there, or in her case, being born and raised there, doesn't guarantee success, especially if you never get out, aren't invited for a pitch, don't send out tens of tons of query letters and scripts, like we all have to, in an attempt to get a foot in the studio door.

This lady might as well live in, well, anywhere else in the world, as most of us do.

So, for now, enjoy the mountains, if that is where you live. If your town has brick buildings and bookstores, according to Rossio, that's one up on LA. If there are seasons where you live, with trees that have actual leaves, changing color and falling to the ground, you're not in LA.

Enjoy it for now.

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 20

After printing your script, as I mentioned before, you will still finds things that you either need or want to change. Format, typos, grammar, and structure errors are a few obvious problems that will get attention.

I want to talk about repetition, specifically verbs. Many pro readers and screenwriters tell us we need to have the character moving, and to make that movement obvious, to take the reader along in the picture.

Naturally, in our present-tense sort of screenwriting style, a commonly used verb will be "goes".

He goes to the window.

And, it depends what is happening to and around our character, so we can use the proper verb to get him there.

If he heard a bomb go off, distant, outside, it might be:

He dashes to the window.
He darts to the window.
He speeds to the window.
He runs to the window.
He bolts to the window.

If he's depressed, on a gloomy day:

He trudges to the window.
He shuffles to the window.
He drags up to the window.
He wanders to the window.
He saunters to the window.

Try using different verbs for the same action, throughout your script, as one can only read "goes up" and "goes over to" so many times until it becomes boring.

At the same time, keep it easy, and sensible for the reader, it's not a novel, don't go into three line articulation for the simple process of a character going to the window.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 19

PRINTING YOUR SCRIPT
Mentor John August has THIS great post about the last steps he takes to proofread and prepare a script before sending it off. For some unknown reason, human eyes can see typos on paper that they failed to see on the computer, so it will be essential to print out your screenplay for a "fresh set of eyes" view. Speaking of which, get a friend or family member, or anyone else who is willing to read your script for errors. They might see a typo or something that doesn't add up.

Our teacher also has some good TIPS on how to avoid wasting too much paper.

The NICHOLL AWARDS site displays a list of formatting problems that might give a bad first impression to a reader, in other words, as quoted from the site, avoid:

1.Typo/misspelling on the title page.
2.Typo/misspelling in the first scene header.
3.Typos/misspellings in the first sentence or paragraph or page.
4.Triple/double spacing of every/many line(s) on first page.
5.Lack of spacing between scene header and description and/or between description and dialogue and/or between dialogue and dialogue.
6.Use of font other than Courier 12-point, ten-pitch, non-proportional.
7.Extensive use of bold print.
8.Dialogue that stretches from the left margin to the right margin.
9.Extra space between character name and dialogue.
10.Description and/or dialogue typed ALL CAPS.
11.Extremely narrow or extremely wide outside margins.
12.Long, long, long descriptive passages.
13.Handwritten or hand-printed script.
14.Other glaring, non-standard format usage.

If you're using a script-editing program, most of that should be taken care of, if you proofread, that is.

If you're using the free Cinergy Script Editor that I suggested and linked, there's one slight problem to work out concerning the TITLE of your script. Cinergy insists on printing your title on the upper left hand of every page, not just on the cover.

To avoid this, prior to printing, go to
file>project setup>project title
and leave it blank.

Print your full script, then create a new blank page, filling in the title and pertinent info at the same tab, then print out your title page and attach it to your script.

By the way, title pages are never numbered, just your title, your name, contact info, and revision date, which the program will take care of itself.

Happy printing, and have a good read!

FIRST SCRIPT READ

Yesterday was a monumental moment in my screenwriting career:

the completion of my first script, the printing thereof, and my first read, provided by my Lovely Wife.

The script took a few hours to outline and pitch, a couple of weeks to write, and several days, maybe also weeks, to set and polish, which was the toughest part of the whole process.

I've wrote, read, and have rewritten this story so many times I can quote the entire thing off the top of my head. And I'm still not sick of it, good sign.

Off to the printer, sixty pages in I was out of paper. Dashed to Office Max, where I almost got sucked in an aisle to look at brads, but I maintained focus and got a ream of paper.

The printer succeeded in pumping out the whole script, I couldn't believe how thick and heavy it was (that's what she said, right?). No, I've never had a script in my hands, let alone my own; hitting someone with the thing would surely cause a concussion.

Drilling it, at this point, was out of the question (that's what he said), so I just clipped it with whatever you call the giant black clip thing with silver arms, and sent it off to my reader, who was watching a movie on the couch.

I know, I know, you're supposed to have an unbiased reader, but at this point I was dying for anyone to read it and give feedback, and Lovely Wife is a good judge of things, I'd trust her opinion over most.

Quite confident, I handed over the "Piece de Resitance", or however the french say it, I'm tired of using the latin "Opus Magnum"-- in german it would be my "Lebensarbeit", my life's work, or "Meisterstueck", meaning masterpiece.

I heard a few laughs from the other room, which bolstered my trust that this was going to be a great review. Dinner interrupting, Lovely Wife asked if she should mark typos.

TYPOS???

There's freaking typos? My heart took a little dip as I handed her a yellow highlighter, requesting that she mark anything obvious or in question.

I sat on the screened porch with the laptop as she read, watching her move back and forth from a smile, look of concern, then using the pen, and back to laughter.

Damn. Did I work hard enough? Should I have changed that line? Suddenly my rating of the script was diving fast, maybe no matter how hard I polished this thing it wasn't gleaming like a pro's work. Am I cut out for it?

She read the last page, smiled, laughed, stacked it, and looked pleased-- I headed in for the review.

Lovely Wife was thrilled, she thought it was funny, moving, realistic, had pointed out some favorite moments. Then she had a few suggestions and ideas, which were great and very much appreciated. I regained confidence as we went over different scenes, yes, it's solid.

It was a rewarding experience, now it's back to work. Another polish, some tweaking, a McGuffin change.

Nobody ever said this would be easy.

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 18

SCRIPT FLOW AND PROPORTIONS
Recently, mentor JOHN AUGUST posted that the three stages of screenwriting should be referred to as a "draft, set, and polish". This is specifically in reference to contract deals. Your first draft, no matter how many times you rewrite and polish it, should always be referred to as the "first draft" if you are shopping it in the industry.

But that doesn't mean you should bang out a first draft and stop there. It will take several of your own rewrites in order to bring the script up to standards, and half of that just involves proportions.

Mentor TERRI ROSSIO points out that he will make an action line, when appropriate, end on the same line, not dropping the last word down to the next line. I would assume he does the same with dialogue, it only makes sense, creating a better flow to the script-- it's just plain easier and quicker to read.

If you are using "Final Draft", you can "bump out" the margins, as it is known in the industry, allowing more words on a line. But be aware, readers notice, and you can imagine they're not going to be happy with a bumped-out 120 pager with the line space setting on "very tight", that's an excruciatingly slow read.

My best advice is to play by the rules, don't cheat. Having standard proportions to your script will give you a certain level of unbiased respect among professionals and certainly won't work against you.

In a sentence of action or dialogue, the flow of words, as spoken, is as equally as important as the length of line. Mr. August, in his postings, mentions several times that he keeps rewriting a line several times until it flows well, even sounding it out. There are only a handful of words that are used in the industry, but several ways to rearrange them, and that takes time.

During all of this you will be adding or omitting words and lines. The result will usually shift your ACTs, maybe pushing the end of ACT I to the thirty-two page point when you wanted it to end at page thirty.

At that point, go back into ACT I and chop it down, there's no other choice. If a short scene, extra line, unneeded scene heading, or action line can be sliced off for the cause, do it, because your reader might be flipping to the ACT pages prior to the complete read, just to check your work (I do this when reading any script).

This process might be arduous, but it's going to take your script to the next level, making it an easier read...

and easy trumps complicated, any day!

SCREENWRITER'S UPDDATE - EIGHTY DAYS IN

Eighty days and posts in, time to give an update.

CONCEPT BEHIND THIS BLOG
If you're not familiar, the goal here was to write a finished script within sixty days. I have completed one screenplay and am almost finished with the second. I have also written a treatment for the third screenplay, which must be completed one-hundred days from now- no problem.

What's the big deal?

Eighty days ago I knew NOTHING about screenwriting, zilch, no training or experience, I didn't know "voiceover" from "offscreen". That's my--

GIMMICK
which is defined as:
"an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, esp. one designed to attract attention or increase appeal."

In a logline, "A middle-aged man in a down economy discovers screenwriting as a medium to escape a rural town, hoping to return to the exciting city life he once lived."

Of course, I'm not relying on my gimmick alone, I better be a damn good screenwriter, what use is the interesting main character when there's no story, right?

So it's been nose to the grindstone, and thanks to all the fantastic screenwriters that post valuable information on the internet I've made quite an arc. My special thanks goes out to pro screenwriters--

TERRY ROSSIO
and
JOHN AUGUST

in no particular order, who unknowingly mentored me through this entire process.

BLOGOSPHERE
I also want to thank the many screenwriters and characters that post their own blogs, sometimes with tips, other times with humorous articles or observations about everyday life. I've laughed, learned some things, posted to your blogs, drawn visitors from your sites, it's been fun.

Thanks to

JULIE - screenwriter / script-notes specialist in LA
EMILY - screenwriter in LA
JUST ME - writer and refugee from New York
BIG PISSY - shares my southern "hell"

Sorry guys, but yes, women do write the funniest blogs, hands down.

But then, of course, there's UNK, the Unknown Screenwriter. There's a wealth of information on his site, he's up on the latest, a pro-reader, writer, and producer.

Checking my site's robot one day, I saw all these visitors coming in from Twitter, and I don't even tweet. Tracing the path led me to UNK, who had tweeted an article I had written on "CHARACTER TRAITS AND ARC" to over three-thousand of his followers. Wow.

I don't even "know" the guy through emails or what, and here he was, someone who pulls no punches in this profession, tweeting a piece I had written. It was like getting an A+++ on a test.

I wrote the post in maybe fifteen or so minutes, did not use one piece of reference material, no, it's not a copy or condensed version of someone else's work. It's my angle on the topic, how I feel about it in my head, in fact, as if I were talking to myself, trying to remember what I need to be aware of when I'm writing scripts.

Thanks, UNK, I'll be in line to see your films.

Also, a thanks to Screenwriting Basics, who was unsolicited in posting several links to my "How to Write a Screenplay" articles on the following page:

SCREENWRITING BASICS

giving me another A+, in my book.

IN THE FUTURE
As you can see, I've started a series on "HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT)", so that others may enjoy the same process I'm going through, if they dare take the dive.

I continue writing screenplays, of course, and next week I will be working on queries, tweaking synopsis and logline, researching production companies- the whole shift into the marketing side of the profession.

The goal is three screenplays entered into competition by spring of next year, one of which will, dare I say it, be in post-production by then. It's a high bar, but worth a shot--

if you don't play, you can't win.

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 17

LEARN TO LOVE WRITING SCRIPTS
There is a saying out there in screenwriting that goes, "Nobody likes to write, but everyone loves having been written". In other words, we're happiest when the script is completed, finished, over with, dunzo. We rejoice when we have two brads stuck in the one-hundred-something page stack of papers and can finally pass it to a family member, friend, reader, producer, agent, manager, fill in the blank.

I totally disagree.

If you can't stand sitting in front of the black and white, tactfully placing spaces, capitals, and scratching your head over the use of parantheticals, get out.

If the thought of designing a scene for your audience, instead of yourself, makes you feel like a waiter at a five-star restaurant, where you think you should be the chef instead, maybe you should check into cooking school.

If your opinion is, "as long as it's a good story the reader will overlook errors", you might want to spend your time in a profession where faults are more easily overlooked (not naming an occupation here, but I'm sure you can think of a few where lack of service or attention to detail seems to be the trade standard for many).

Writing takes passion, you better learn to love it.

When you stick two brads (two, not three, we'll go over that later, when you've completed your script) in your "opus magnum", you're putting your soul out there, and it's vulnerable. As long as you keep that scripting program open, writing and tweaking as you may, you're safe. But hit the printer, upload that PDF, bend back those two brass wings, and you're like one of those downhill skiers at the gate, listening to the "beeping" countdown, moments before you go from zero to sixty or faster, hoping to stay on two feet in the icy slalom.

Make it a good run by being prepared.

People in the industry say that screenwriters can be sensitive, that they are easily hurt by bitter notes, that they are offended when their script doesn't make that round of coverage. What better way to defend yourself, to armor up for the ride, than to polish your script until you are totally confident and satisfied that you have written a meaningful piece?

Once you've been written...

not everyone is going to like your screenplay, that's human nature, no matter how good something or someone is, there will be critics. But some people will like what you do, and I'm not taking away from that, we need to look forward to it as a part of our motivation. But praise cannot be the sole purpose for writing, there are more rewards to writing a screenplay than someone deeming it to be "good".

Writing is a process of imagination, with limitless boundaries; as long as you stick to the basic rules and guidelines you can do whatever you want. It's your chance to show us what you are thinking, your script should be like a magic show, where the audience is quiet and watches your every move, and you distract them with slight of hand, sexy assistants, and then--

BAM!

You pull a pretty white rabbit out of a hat, and everyone applauds.

It's all planning and practice up to that point: we're behind the curtain, fidgeting, going over the routine in our head, hoping that we have a good audience that night.

I'm out to change the theory that "being written" is our best moment, it's like saying that artists can't stand the painting process, but love to show off their art. No, as a fine artist I can tell you that our best moment is when we make a breakthrough, figuring out the exact right composition and color to things, when we step back and see that it is on the path to success, no matter how much of the canvas is still blank. That's the real "natural high" of our profession.

You can feel the same with your writing. Be persistent, solve problems, enjoy the process, not just the results and rewards.

Learn to love writing, and give us a good show!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 16

YOUR SCRIPT TRAILER
One of the points to our readers guide, actually the first and maybe most important one, is whether the reader can vision the movie trailer. There are a lot of movie trailers posted online and it pays to take a look at what the studios like to pack into a minute or so of clips.

Take a look at the trailer for "DEVIL WEARS PRADA", which clocks in at two minutes, ten seconds.

As I mentioned before, I love the movie as well as the script, and the trailer is even more exciting than the movie itself.

The main conflict throughout the movie is between struggling journalist Andy, and her very hard to please boss, Miranda, who is a fashion industry icon.

The trailer opens an introduction of the antagonist, who plays a very central role throughout the film. She is a true villain in every sense, and the clip gives us a great feel for that.

Andy's transformation from frump to glam is shown at approximately midpoint in the trailer, and although it's not the actual ACT IIa to IIb transition that takes place in the film and script, it shows the biggest change in the shortest amount of time. It lets the audience know where the film is going.

Many of the iconic moments of the film, like when Andy chucks her cell phone in the trash, are left out, probably because this gives away part of the ending.

They have a targeted audience in the trailer, which in my guess would be primarily women from sixteen to seventy, gay guys, and men who will go to the movie with their wife. I fit into none of the above, my wife and I both really wanted to see this for its touch on fashion, and Anne Hathaway, of course. Meryl Streep is well respected too, this was a smash at the box office.

A few jokes are inserted into the clip, like when her boyfriend asks if she got the job through a phone interview (pointing out that she is in no way fashionable, at that phase).

All in all, it's fast moving, intriguing, and fun, and so is the film, so it's a very good representation of what the viewer can expect.

Does your script have moments that will make an intriguing trailer, without giving away the ending? Will the audience get the premise and plot within a two minute clip?

If not, you might have to go back to your outline and build these elements into the script, even if it has already been completed. Your screenplay would be like a puzzle, one of, let's say ten pieces, not five-hundred, and not just two.
The audience, or reader, has to have the desire to make the pieces fit, or at least watch that process. Your script has to contain interesting twists and sub-plots, unexpected to the viewer, but within the context of the film.

An interesting example from mentor TERRY ROSSIO is a scene where a main character is being chased by villains, looking to escape an island. In a cliché, the protagonist runs to the beach, and there, of course, is a boat. He speeds away.

(check out Terry speaking from an event at his house in LA from his name link. I like how he encourages people to do their thing).

But this has no reason, why are there always boats and cars available for the hero's escape, conveniently docked or parked where he needs them?

Instead, our mentor suggests giving a reason, to make the scene believable. Perhaps the enemy arrived on this boat, or in a prior scene we see a village fisherman pull up and dock the boat, having just arrived with his catch. Will that make the trailer? No, but the boat chase scene will definitely be part of the clip, so give it a reason for ever having the right to exist.

Think about your trailer and check your puzzle pieces, if a scene could have more interest or reason, edit it, and add to it where necessary.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 15

SCREENWRITING DISCIPLINE
As mentioned several times in this screenwriting primer, there are lots of theories as to how a screenplay is best written. There's no silver bullet for the industry but there are plenty of guidelines, standards, and trends to follow. If you abandon the basic rules, especially concerning format and typos, your work will not be taken seriously.

At this point in the game you have to make a decision as to which party of scribes you are going to join: those bent on theory, and the ones using it in practice. What that means is those who talk about writing and those who actually do it.

Successful screenwriters praise "attention to detail" and discipline when it comes to writing. Mentor TERRY ROSSIO is notorious for his almost obsessive practice of checking his own work. He and his writing partner, TED ELLIOT, sit and read each line of their script, out loud, before it makes the cut. It makes sense, as the words will eventually go to voice in the actor's hands.

Check yourself, and double check, then re-check. As nuts as it sounds, you can read over something ten times and still miss an error. For example, in an opening scene of one of my recent scripts, I had my frustrated main character get a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator and guzzle it, which was out of his character because he doesn't normally drink.

Now, his desire to drink at the moment showed his desperation, so what was wrong with the scene? The fact that he had an open bottle of white wine in his refrigerator, that's what. Why would someone who never drinks have that?

Still needing the drama of my square guy drinking, I had to change the scene, having him search the kitchen cabinets, finally to find an old, sealed bottle of wine in the back of one, with the gift card still attached. This underscored the fact that he never drinks: someone gave him the bottle as a gift and he shelved it.

I must have read that scene over a dozen times without catching my flaw. I even bragged to my wife about how funny the scene was, still not getting it. Only when I slowly read over the script, fact checking character traits, did I catch this. A pro reader would have snagged the mistake on first read.

Mentor Terri points out that the novice scribe has one thing that professionals don't: time. We have the time to polish our own work, to perfect every detail. Staff writers aren't given that kind of courtesy, many have to do rewrites on the set, there are deadlines. You, however, can take as long as you want.

Use the reader's guide that we linked in order to "test" your work. The guide is a good tool if you're getting lost in your writing process, not knowing where its leading. Also, use your outline, and go back and change it as needed.

To stay on trend, keep up with your mentors. A recent movement is to leave actions out of parantheticals. Also, the use of "we see" is hotly debated, as in

INT. SCREENED PORCH - DAY

We see the see the author, Brian, typing on his laptop.

Consider using

Brian, the author, types away on his laptop.

instead.

Again, there's not one set rule for these types of things, but making changes accordingly shows that you're "up on the latest", and that commands a certain level of respect.

The main goal, however, is to complete your script. If you are fifteen pages short there's no excuse, just bang it out and pull it all together in the analysis and polish.

And follow the unwritten screenwriting creed:

Don't give up, ever.

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 14

WRITING A SCENE FOR A SCRIPT
By now you're hopefully working on your screenplay, if not, find the time. Do whatever it takes to complete your goal, whether it takes getting up one hour earlier or staying up one hour later to write the script.

Work on ideas while driving down the road to work, but first and foremost, pay attention to the road! Listen how people actually speak to one another, it's quite different than in a novel. Use the character's traits to define their voice, and vice versa.

For example, say there is a scene involving a parking space. That alone is challenging enough, as anyone would know, but how that dialogue takes place will be dictated by the character traits. What and how things are said and done are important factors that you will be dealing with as a screenwriter. Convince your audience.

Take my main character from "Moving With Monique", in the outline I decided that she was

*irrational
*compulsive
*never satisfied

and that we needed to use one or more of those traits anytime she was acting out or facing a decision.

In a parking lot scene, it is unlikely that we will have her be irrational. If she smashes a car window or blocks someone in, that would be very unlike her personality, which we have deemed in the outline to be "overly nice".

Looking at the definition of compulsive, I like: "an irresistible impulse to act". It's likely that we can use this trait but it is important to put it in the proper context.

"Never satisfied" is a trait that we would probably associate with Monique in the meaning that she is never satisfied with herself or situation. It's a sort of frustration, and that will most likely be easy to apply to this scene.

THE SCENE
Every scene, as we know, has to move the story forward, it has to tell us something. Since the genre is "romantic-comedy", the "parking space" scene might be used simply because it is a humorous situation that most of the audience can relate to.

Monique is our protagonist, facing challenges. Now we must decide on the antagonist who will challenge her, providing the conflict in the situation.

The antagonist could be a stranger, a neighbor, someone she doesn't recognize at first but knows, and maybe that would be the funniest thing. Ever lay on your horn behind someone at a light only to find out that it's your father-in-law when you pass them? It's funny because we're more inclined to act out against strangers on the road than someone we know.

Since Helga is Monique's boss, and we want the audience to back Monique, no matter how reckless she is, I want Helga to appear unexpectedly as the antagonist in the scene. It's like when the villain shows up out of nowhere to spoil things.

We haven't covered Helga's traits but so far we can guess she is

*cold
*to the point
*relentless

and we can probably use all three traits in this scene.

As for the setting, we want to surprise the audience, so the parking lot at Monique's workplace is not a good choice. To help me in my decision, I want to figure out what kind of mood Monique is in. She could be exiting the drugstore, having picked up meds for a nasty head cold. More interesting to me, however, is that she is enjoying one of her very few fun activities, doing her favorite thing, and then Helga appears and spoils the moment.

As far as props, what would Monique drive? Maybe a cute little car, like a VW Bug, or, to underscore the fact that she doesn't make much money we could put her in a beat up station wagon, that would be really pathetic.

And Helga? Maybe a giant Cadillac, big Mercedes, something that represents her power as the boss.

I have to start the scene with Monique enjoying her moment so we know she is having a good day.

INT. STICKY SWEET CLOTHING STORE - DAY

Your average boutique-type place to shop, where the "petites" section makes up most of the store.

Monique swipes her credit card on the machine, glows about her find to the TEENY CASHIER.

MONIQUE
I can't believe you had these in a size ten--

TEENY CASHIER
(dryly)
We don't... normally.

MONIQUE
Do you expect to get any in red?

TEENY CASHIER
No, I'd check next door-- at Lane Bryant.

Monique is so thrilled with her purchase, doesn't notice the cynicism of the remark.

MONIQUE
Thank you so much!

TEENY CASHIER
–-?

EXT. STRIP MALL PARKING LOT - DAY

Monique skips to her car, humming a tune. She has to squeeze in sideways to get in between her vehicle and the closely parked "four wheelin" type truck.

MONIQUE
(straining)
Just-one-more-inch, erghh!

INT. STATION WAGON - DAY

Monique turns up the radio, SINGS to a pop song, shifts into reverse, backs out without looking.

SUDDENLY--

A THUD!

She looks in the rearview, shifts into park, opens her door right into the side of the four wheeler truck.

Peering out of the door on a vertical horizon, she sees a tall female figure in a trenchoat, standing at the end of the vehicles.

MONIQUE
Hey lady, you should watch where you're going!

HELGA
(angrily)
Monique?

MONIQUE
Helga??

HELGA
That figures!!

FADE OUT

Of course, we could cut it right there or continue, but if we do go on, the dailogue is going to have to be very funny. We got our point across: Monique was having a great day and ruined it by not paying attention and being compulsive, again, and Helga was there to see her screw up and to be one of her "victims". This will definitely raise the ongoing tension between the two at the workplace.

Work on your scenes and have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 13

WRITING BETTER SCENE DESCRIPTION
Our third, and, unfortunately, final "Scriptcast" with JOHN AUGUST has him teaching us how to write a better scene description. We can only hope to coax him into posting more of these in the future, they're an excellent learning tool.

The following scene could be complicated for an amateur screenwriter, especially if they have aspirations of writing the next James Bond or Mission Impossible film. John breaks it down and rebuilds it with a good flow and visualization so the reader doesn't have to "decipher" anything for the screen.

"WRITING BETTER SCENE DECRIPTION" by JOHN AUGUST

This is a great lesson in:

*Scene description
*Visualization
*Creating an environment
*Scene headers and placement
*Using "INTERCUT"
*Use of V.O.(voiceover)
*Moving the scene forward

Take a look at one of your scenes where your main character is "on a mission", doing things. If you read over it quickly, does it flow and give the viewer all of the information they need, but in a limited way? Are there two locations mentioned under the same scene heading (there shouldn't be)?

It's amazing how you can find a simple mistake even after the fifth read of a draft, but the experienced reader will notice it on their first. Try to find your own mistakes before someone else does.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 12

HOW TO WRITE BETTER ACTION
In our "sub-series" of taking advice from a mentor, we follow JOHN AUGUST as he writes and talks us through improving an action scene.

The produced screenwriter behind the movie "Charlie's Angels", John turns this nondescript few lines of action into realistic action and results that are descriptive, captivating, and easy to visualize.

"WRITING BETTER ACTION" by JOHN AUGUST

It's a good lesson on:

*Capitalization
*Sound effects
*Scene description
*Action and results
*Dividing action lines
*Conflict
*Moving the story forward
*Creating environment / visualization
*Parallel action

Even if you are not writing an action film, it's important to apply these techniques to your screenplay so the reader will feel as if they are watching on the big screen.

Analyze a scene where your character is moving around. Is there an environment, or does it feel as if he is onstage? Are you being too descriptive, bogging down the flow? Are you creating "parallel action" with present tense, representing simultaneous or consecutive movements?

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 11

HOW TO WRITE BETTER SCENE OPENINGS
To continue our theme of learning from online screenwriting mentors, we are going to attend a screenwriting lesson from Mr. John August himself. Yes, you'll see him work, hear him speak, we'll get first-hand, over the shoulder screenwriting tutelage from none other than our elected professor. And it's all free, most paying students don't even get that opportunity.

This will all take place thanks to John's "Scriptcasting" invention, in which we will watch him work on a script in "Final Draft", the screenwriting program. The kicker is, for all the posts you can read from a mentor, actually hearing them speak their thoughts and seeing them work takes the whole thing to another level. Click to open in a new window.

"WRITING BETTER SCENE OPENINGS" Scriptcast by JOHN AUGUST

He turns a generic, basically boring scene into one worth reading. Of special interest are the tips on:

*character traits
*challenge, or conflict
*dialogue flow
*actions
*avoiding over-directing
*moving the story forward

Take one of your scenes and dissect it. Does it have a purpose in the script, or is it filler? Can you refine it? Try implementing some of his rewriting methods to make your scene and characters shine.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 10

HOW TO FIND A SCREENWRITING MENTOR
Thanks to the World Wide Web, we have front seat access to many professional screenwriters, who, to our luck and gratefulness, are willing to share the tricks of the trade.

Before the internet, such tutelage was only available through the classes that you paid for and books that you could read. If you were lucky (and a bit crazy), you packed your bags and moved to L.A. hoping to meet meet other writers and find a way to get your first break.

Thank god times have changed!

The internet is greatly under-rated, yes, in my opinion, for all we awe over it, we do not use the resource properly. Part of this is due to a lack of discipline; readers are easily sidetracked into ads or youtube videos, ranting blogs, funny pictures, whatever keeps you from your work.

As a promising screenwriter, it should be your goal to attain as much free (good) information over the web as possible. Part of this process will be finding online mentors who will serve as your role models for the industry. Once you find them, learn everything you can about their work, read all you can from what they have posted online, ask them questions if they invite such, keep up with their blogs. Just don't pester them or be overbearing, don't smother your master.

FINDING A MENTOR
One simple way is to visit screenwriting blogs and to look at their links. There are currently two on this site, to the right. A lot of sites link JOHN AUGUST, a successfully produced screenwriter of many a movie who lives in LA and is usually up on the latest in the industry.

John first made an online presence through his IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) column, "ASK A SCREENWRITER", back in the year 2000. The articles are very much worth the read, his candor and humor shine through the information.

August always strives to be professional and encourages others to do so as well. He posted a transcript of a forty-five minute lecture that he gave on the topic at Trinity University in San Antonio. One of my favorite lines from the lecture is, "All you have is your work, so do your best work, at all times."

It's a moving read and a free front-row seat to a lecture, when was the last time you had that? It talks about keeping the bar raised, jumping over the low hurdles, and how you should be accountable for not only the way you write, but for the way that you act within this profession.

Have a good read, and enjoy your lesson from Mr. August!

CLICK HERE FOR "PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND THE RISE OF THE AMATEUR" by JOHN AUGUST

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 9

THE READER'S CHECKLIST
With a fancy script editor now in your hands, you're ready to write the next best screenplay, one that friends, family, and anyone else you can force this on will actually read, and you want a good reaction. Face it, the second best thing to completing the script will be if someone tells you it's great, and that they think this is your calling.

We've covered all of the major topics but there is still much we could elaborate on. My mentor, TERRI ROSSIO, has fifty-two columns posted on the craft and profession, and I don't even think he is done writing about the subject.

From all of his posted articles, which are all great and extremely funny, his take on readers and what they are looking for in a script might be the most important piece of information. A reader himself in between writing gigs, Rossio developed a sixty-point checklist in order to "grade" a script, if you will.

Today we will be touching on his article in order to help you create the right recipe. The guide is subdivided into three main categories:

A. Concept & Plot
B. Technical Execution
C. Characters

CONCEPT & PLOT
Just having this at the top of the list shows how important it is to a film. A quirky character is nothing without being set into a great concept and plot.

He asks us if we can imagine the trailer and if the concept is marketable. Everyone, when asked about your script, will be giving a snapshot of what they have read, and we hope it's an intriguing one. This boils down to our LOGLINE and SYNOPSIS, as well as our OUTLINE. It's much easier to tweak a script in those phases rather than later on, once written. Stick with the fundamentals and create a realistic, unique concept, something that you believe has never been done in its own, special way.

"Who is the target audience?" is another great question. A film with mass appeal is often referred to as "High Concept" in the trade. A recent example is "Gamer", which appeals to the gaming fans, many of which are teens and number in the millions. Although you may not be creating something so defined, you should be able to categorize its appeal to certain viewers. The romantic-comedy of "Moving With Monique" that I used as an example might be considered a "chick-flick", having mass appeal to women.

TECHNICAL EXECUTION
Deals with everything technical, of course. Readers will overlook typos if there is a good concept and plot, but it won't make them love you. If you really care about your piece of art you should go to extra lengths to make sure that is presented in a professional and accurate format.

In addition, this part of the list talks about STRUCTURE and MOVING THE STORY FORWARD. Again, one of the easiest ways to check or resolve problems in these matters is by creating a good OUTLINE.

CHARACTERS
It asks if the roles are "castable" and if they would be appealing to actors. Maybe that was the last thing in our head when we did the outline, but it's the bottom line if we're to ever see this on a screen. You don't have to vision a particular actor when creating a character, but it is important to give them interesting CHARACTER TRAITS as we discussed before, and to make them unique from other characters in the script. Each one should have their own special "voice", recognizable from the others.

He says to "run each character through as many emotions as possible", a great tip. But, do it within the context of the character, nobody want to listen to Darth Vader crying from under that mask, but they do want to hear his anger when he is defeated. They love it when he chuckles at someone's demise. They love the sound of his breath, even if there is no other discernible emotion taking place.

I encourage you to visit Mr. Rossio's site, WORDPLAYER.COM, and to run down his list while looking at your outline and thinking about your script. It's a large puzzle, and he is showing us where the pieces should go and how they fit.

Have a good read, and write!

CLICK HERE FOR "DEATH TO READERS", SCREENWRITING COLUMN #5 by TERRI ROSSIO

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 8

FREE SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE
I am currently using "CINERGY", a free script creation and editing program, to write my own scripts.

"FINAL DRAFT" is probably the most popular scriptwriting software among screenwriting professionals. It does, however, come at a cost, and I highly recommend that you first start working with Cinergy, and if you complete a script or two then you owe it to yourself to invest in Final Draft.

Cinergy freeware is a quick and easy download, available from the Mindstar Productions website.

Features include:
*proper tab and margin formatting
*automatic page numbering
*ability to accept "pasting" from other simple documents
*printing the script as a PDF file. Select "file>print>save".
*character insertion: once a character's name has been introduced, in dialogue, after pressing "ENTER" for the next line, press "TAB". This will bring up a menu of character names to select from.
*Scene heading capitalization: from the left margin, one you type INT. or EXT. the line will automatically be designated as such, and go to all caps.

And a page count "fudging tool", one of the coolest things about the program. What this does is automatically increase or decrease the space between lines, making your script shorter or longer. For example, I took a script that was set on "tight" and moved it to "normal", increasing a 101 page script into 117 pages, with virtually no noticeable change in look.

One would expect this in Final Draft, the fact that they have included it in this free program is downright gracious!

Go to "file>project setup>Cinergy>line spacing" for the tool.

Also in that box, deselect "automatic MORE's and CONTINUE's", which appear at the top and bottom of pages. As a script reader once said, if there's another page behind what they are reading, it is quite obvious that it continues, no need to say it.

If there's any learning curve to the program, it is keeping designations labeled correctly. Check this by highlighting a line and looking up at the box in the toolbar. If it is supposed to be an ACTION line it should read as such. If not, re-designate.

Also, blank lines should be labeled as "FORCED BLANK LINE".

And, leave out "SCENE NUMBERING", that is production's job, right?

That said, you're quickly on your way to looking like a professional scribe. Download and then paste some of your practice script in to get a feel for things.

Have a good write!

FREE SCREENWRITING PROGRAM DOWNLOAD HERE

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 7

HOW TO AVOID COMMON SCREENWRITING MISTAKES
You might be writing your script to complete a personal goal, or just feel it is a story that you need to tell and will be satisfied by just completing it. You may also have the intention or goal of actually selling your screenplay. Whatever the case, if you're going to write something that anyone will read, try to make it well worth the reader's time. Provide good quality and content.

If you're looking to see your name on the big screen, "Readers", in the industry, are the professionals that will (we hope) be the ones reading your script. They stand between you and production companies and executives. Readers are the important front line on the battlefield of screenplay success: they "pass" on the poor scripts, might give a "consider" to something with potential, or stamp it with the all too (very) uncommon "recommend".

Readers are quick wits, they've seen (or read) it all, you're not going to reinvent the wheel and surprise them. You will, however, get some form of their respect if you do not plague them with all of the novice scripting mistakes that they have to deal with on a daily basis.

Be kind to the readers, they want the read to go well just as much as you do, so help them by helping yourself: avoid common mistakes.

And even if you're not planning on going to Hollywood, but your friends and family will be subjected to reading your script, the best way you can thank them in advance is by making it a good read.

Many "pro readers" have blogs on the web, and they're not shy about posting what they can't stand reading anymore. Let's take a look at some of the most basic common complaints.

*Improper format: the program I link you to will handle all of that, and you have access to scripts online to double-check your work. There is no excuse for lack good form.

*Poor spelling, grammar and / or punctuation: if a reader has to read a line twice, you've done something wrong. They're not there to decipher your work, it shouldn't be written in code. If you have a great story to tell and do a good job of it with dialogue, but have a typo on every page, you are showing a lack of professionalism. It's like sticking your reader in the eye with a pen, you're interrupting the flow.

Use spell check, even your email program has it, there is no excuse nowadays. Don't put in seven exclamation points, they'll get the idea with just one or two at most. Ellipsis... and improper use... thereof... is a common... complaint. Hyphens too- look up the proper use online or "when it doubt, leave it out". Don't use "much to my chagrin" unless you know exactly what that means. Capitals are for the characters, first introduction thereof, scene descriptions, transitions and sounds. If you want to get fancy with them then read a few William "Bill" Goldman action scripts, if not, leave them out.

Storyline: sentences with improper flow, not moving forward, flashbacks, reiterating the same thing often, being "on the nose" which we talked about earlier in the series, scenes or dialogue with no rhyme or reason to even be in the script, wrong sequence, missing or unexplained resolutions, improper structure, not enough "backstory" on characters, improper arc or lack thereof, use of clichés, missing character traits, excessive reference to character traits, characters explaining things, narration, failure to understand the difference between the use of voiceover and offscreen dialogue, excessive lines of action, parantheticals with every line, overly predictable plots, lack of sub-plots... the list goes on.

Don't let this scare you off from writing your script. As you write, you will learn, and rewrite accordingly. You will also learn by reading scripts, following reader's suggestions or rants in their online posts, and by checking out a few books on the craft. But, I suggest you get down to the writing, and do it often, it's one of the best ways to learn.

Try to balance your writing with your research time; if you're spending all of your time online then you should be dedicating half of those hours to writing.

Stick to your outline, character traits, motivations, wants, needs, the plot, and three act structure and you will be okay, at least for now. And always remember to make the story move forward, give each scene and line a purpose or reason.

In the analogy of a man building a home, anyone would notice and be stymied by an unexplained, unfinished attachment which had no practical purpose, yet the builder dubbed it to be a work of art. Give your house (screenplay) a solid foundation, make the style (genre) apparent to every viewer from the curbside, create a practical floorplan (act structure) and design each room (scene) for a specific purpose, and decorate it accordingly. Create a unique home (script) that a vast majority would like, especially if you plan on selling it.

Here's a link to a professional reader's posts on the subject, have a good read!

The Unknown Screenwriter: is affectionately know as "UNK" in the screenwriting community. His series on common screenwriting mistakes are informative as well as humorous. Reading this will enlighten you as to what pro readers have to endure on a daily basis.

"UNK" is available on Twitter, where he recently posted a link to this site, so we thank him (of course!).

COMMON SCREENWRITING MISTAKES SERIES
http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/common-screenwriting-mistakes-part-1/screenwriting/mistakes/2006/07/06/

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 6

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY SCENE
Less than a week into it, and you know the format and vernacular of a screenplay, understand ACT structure, have an outline for your story and characters with traits. You understand that you're taking the audience for a ride, and it should be an interesting one or they'll get off at the next stop. That we have to keep everything moving forward in the story, and that every scene and word counts, there's only so much whitespace to work with. Our viewers want the protagonist that they love and the antagonist that they hate, and we're going to keep them on the edge of their seat until ACT III, right?

In one way, it's a lot to ask, in another way, it is so simple, don't overthink it.

Staring at a blank "Page One", even with an outline as your road map, can be daunting. Screenwriters often cite "writer's block" as the reason for not getting things done. I believe that if there's a road block, you should go around it, and that's the way I wrote my first screenplay: out of order.

I had certain scenes in my head and, even before I had a screenwriting program on my computer, I would jot down dialogue or notes in Wordpad. Writing out of order worked well for me, before I knew it, I had a lot of scenes to work with, and my screenplay was "talking" to me, meaning that my characters, traits, and storyline were becoming clearer.

Of course, this process involved a lot of rewriting and editing, pasting into the program once downloaded; it was tedious work. The key here is that it got the ball rolling; instead of staring at whitespace, fill it in with words. Many agree that half the success is just having the will to follow through and complete it. Use your inspiration and motivation to get somewhere.

In order to facilitate this, I want you to use a simple document such as Notepad or Wordpad to write a scene that you are hyped about writing. If it's not in your head, go to your outline and pick something out.

I'll use Monique, my main character who has moved fourteen times in a two year span. And I'll write the scene I mentioned yesterday, where she goes to work in her rubber boots, having forgotten her shoes. My example will have intentional errors that I will show you how to fix. Ready?

INT. COLLECTION AGENCY - MORNING

Monique is sitting in her cubicle at the agency, on the phone with a debtor who is going on about what she should get her grandson for a birthday present.

MONIQUE
Oh, you have a grandson?

DEBTOR
Yes, he'll be 16 in June.

MONIQUE
He'll be getting his license, what about buying him a car?

Monique's supervisor, HELGA, enters her cubicle.

HELGA
(angrily)
Miss Rosenzweig!!

Monique hangs up the phone and turns in her chair.

HELGA
Enough of these personal conversations! And don't we pay you enough to wear shoes instead of galoshes?

FADE OUT

Okay, it's not the worst, but not the best, by reading we can see what is going on here: Monique is sympathizing with another debtor while mean antagonist Helga is after her as usual. That fits our storyline and character traits. BUT, there are some technical errors, and the dialogue could be improved, a lot. My corrections are below, explanation in italics.

INT. COLLECTION AGENCY - MORNING
INT. COLLECTION AGENCY CUBICLE - DAY
This tells us exactly where in the agency, a cubicle, no need mentioning that in the action line, and when she gets pulled into Helga's office, we will state that in the scene as "OFFICE". As far as time, just use DAY or NIGHT, or SUNSET or SUNRISE if critical to the scene, like maybe a love scene.

Monique is sitting in her cubicle at the agency, on the phone with a debtor who is going on about what she should get her grandson for a birthday present.
Monique sits at her desk, on the phone, sympathizes with a GRANDMA in debt who is undecided on what to get her grandson for his birthday.
The present tense of "sits" and "sympathizes" is very present and implies simultaneous action, do this whenever possible. Instead of a DEBTOR, we now know it is a GRANDMA, and since this is her fist entry in our script, the character will be in ALL CAPS, even if we can't see her on the screen.

MONIQUE
Oh, you have a grandson?
Fine, with a paranthetical, it could be:

MONIQUE
(sympathetically)
Oh, you have a grandson?

DEBTOR
Yes, he'll be 16 in June.
GRANDMA
Yes, he'll be sixteen in June.
Most pro screenwriters suggest writing out words, it flows better in the read, and they say that actors can freak out over having to memorize written numbers.

MONIQUE
He'll be getting his license, what about buying him a car?
MONIQUE
Does he have his license? What about a car?
We know the discussion is about a purchase, no need for the word "buying". This flows better like real conversation between two people, and is shorter.

Monique's supervisor, HELGA, enters her cubicle.

HELGA
(angrily)
Miss Rosenzweig!!

Monique hangs up the phone and turns in her chair.
Monique THWACKS down the phone, spins around.
This action line implies urgency, she's busted! The sound effect, always capitalized, enhances this.

HELGA
Enough of these personal conversations! And don't we pay you enough to wear shoes instead of galoshes?
HELGA
What did I tell you?
Don't be "on the nose", the audience knows Monique has been warned before.

Helga looks down at the rubber boots.
The reader sees what Helga is doing in this action line.

HELGA
Is that the new uniform here?
Short, cynical, to the point, and not "on the nose".

FADE OUT

Your scene exercise doesn't have to be perfect, it will later be rewritten and "polished" as we have done here. One of my favorite lines about the craft is when a screenwriter said "it only took me one week to write the script, then a year to rewrite and polish it".

Write your scene, then pick it apart, you'll be amazed at how much you can improve it.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 5

HOW TO CREATE CHARACTER TRAITS AND ARC
Your main character, the protaganist, and their evil counterpart, the antagonist, as well as other cast members, must have certain personality traits. This can be reflected by the way they look, talk, walk, habits that they may have, their occupation, where they like to vacation; it's just like people in real life.

Creating this can be a judgmental process, we all know particular stereotypes for people. The point is to break out of that box, to surprise your audience with character traits, especially for your main character, that they do not expect.

For example, Clark Kent is described as a mild-mannered reporter, but he is really Superman.

From Clark's glasses, to his hairstyle, job in journalism, and his work attire, nobody could ever guess that he is a super-hero. It's his alter-ego, and it makes him special.

Using my LOGLINE and OUTLINE for the character Monique, I can create some character traits to make her more interesting to the audience. My idea started with a relative that I know, who moved fourteen times in two years. A person like that is probably:

*irrational
*compulsive
*never satisfied

I need to reflect these character traits in the script. Whenever my main character is making a decision, one of the above three factors will probably apply. By the time we get to ACT III, the RESOLUTION phase, I have decided that she will have learned some lessons from all of her ACT II CHALLENGES. She will be changed. This is called the ARC of the character, sort of like a learning curve, or how much they have evolved.

James Bond, for example, does not have a strong character arc, and he doesn't need to. We know who he is and what he does in most every one of his films, we don't want him to change.

Going over the outline again, I can develop some more character traits. It says she is a "routine 9 to 5er with a dull desk job in Boston". I have the right to change that, and I should. Let's make it a miserable job, that works with her motives of wanting her life to change.

"She works for a collection agency, calling debtors".

That would suck alright, but it doesn't describe any character traits. What if she is cold and brutal with the people that she calls, is that good? No, it's not a character trait that the audience will like. We want the audience to back Monique, to feel as sorry for her as she really is.

"She works for a collection agency, calling debtors, but rarely collects, sympathizing with them in long, drawn out personal conversations".

That's interesting, and it shows that our character is not mean-spirited, she is almost too much of a softie. That also needs to be reflected throughout the script and it doesn't need to change in the arc, we don't want her to evolve into a tough outer shell.

As far as look, someone who is irrational and compulsive might dress mismatched, or really "out there", being a poor planner and not in tune with what is considered the norm. We need to be careful with this character trait; overdone and it has lost its effect. The story doesn't revolve around the way she dresses, it should just be reflected.

For example, maybe one day it's raining and she wears her rubber boots to work, but forgets to bring her shoes, so she has to wear rubber boots at work all day. Of course, if jeans are the uniform, that's not so funny, so let's make her wearing a pantsuit or skirt. And her office has to be way out in the boonies, not that she can run off during lunch and get some shoes.

My mentors, and I, strongly advise against having your protaganist do something negatively out of character. In my first description of my relative, who the story is loosely based on, I said that she was a pill addict. This trait will not work well with the type of story and character that we are developing. We cannot make an illegal as well as harmful habit seem acceptable to the public. It would also be too "dark" for this type of genre, which seems to be developing into a "romantic comedy".

Work on your character traits, brainstorming in the process. If you have four women hanging out in a group as friends, dating, going out, in a "Sex and the City" sort of way, they each need to be uniquely different, and to an extent, opposites. Getting this down before writing your script will let you focus on the content of dialogue and actions while writing.

And don't forget the ARC, how much of it is necessary, and in what ways you want your character to evolve.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 4

HOW TO STRUCTURE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT)
What is the right way to structure a screenplay? There are several theories.

That's probably the last thing you wanted to hear, but it's true. Critics, let alone screenwriters, can't agree on everything, and that's okay. You shouldn't be out to satisfy everyone, that will never happen, but there are certain rules that should be followed, not broken.

Across the board, industry types agree that every act, each scene, and every line of a screenplay should:

MOVE THE STORY FORWARD
But, you say, if a character laughs or tells a joke it is not essentially taking the story anywhere. It does however reveal something about the character, which is their humor. The audience learns.

THREE ACT STRUCTURE
This goes back to Greek plays in which there were three main acts, described today as the:

1.SETUP - Your audience has a big learning curve, they have to know who your characters are, what they do, where this is and where it's going.

2.CONFRONTATION OR CONFLICT - Your main character's struggle. I prefer the word "challenge". The hero fights pesky villains to in an attempt achieve his goal of world peace, a sports figure tries to overcome injuries that keep him from setting a world record, the hardware store employee has hopes of exposing the corrupt city council but they keep intercepting things.

3.RESOLUTION - basically, what happens at the end, which contains the climax, the moment of truth, what the audience has been waiting for. Hero beats villain (maybe), sports figure sets the record (hopefully), employee gets the city council locked up for extortion (should happen more often!).

Be warned, this structure is one basic THEORY. You could spend the next year or so reading screenplay structure theories and not have one line of your script completed. My best advice is to keep things simple, don't overthink it, and don't spend the rest of your life debating it with others, because like politics and religion, you'll never get the "right" answer and you won't win the battle.

BEFORE, DURING, & AFTER THE ACTION
One theory worth a mention is that of a popular french writer who, in my interpretation, breaks the film into these three parts, and believes that because ACT II is during the action, it must contain a climax.

ACT I, ACT IIa-IIb, ACT III
This is what I use, as taught to me by one of my online mentors, TERRI ROSSIO, who is a successful screenwriter with an enormous amount of produced scripts, many for Disney. It is a combination of the two above described theories.

This method cuts ACT II into two parts, the transition between the two being some sort of climax or notable moment. For example, maybe the hero doesn't kill the villain then, but he discovers a method in which to do it. The hardware store employee finds an informant who can secure the case against the city council, but he still has to figure out a way to befriend him.

TECHNICAL SCRIPT
Scripts are very technical, much to the surprise of the new scribe, who, when watching a film had no idea that everything was so well planned. Proper timing is essential, the audience will have a hunger for something to happen halfway through the film and it's a good idea to feed them. Reward them with proper timing, be technical, but not predictable.

In our example, we will be writing a 120 page script, divided into four sections. 120 pages are pretty much the industry standard, although it is said that 110 pages are the "new 120".

Divided into four, because of our "2a to 2b transition", each act will be thirty pages.

Yesterday, I decided on a MAIN CHARACTER, a relative who moved often.

We have our LOGLINE from the example:

"A woman moves fourteen times in a two-year span on an endless search for love and happiness".

That's really all I need to start my:

OUTLINE: ACTS & STORY
I usually do the outline in Notepad or some other simple document. Use it to brainstorm and draw out a map of what will happen in your story. Dividing it into acts keeps you aware of what should be going on in those particular acts and scenes. Everything is subject to change, and should, it will help your story evolve. Keep the structure in mind and that everything must move forward.

I always start by typing in the acts:

ACT I
ACT IIa
TRANSITION
ACT IIb
ACT III

Then I fill in ACT I, the SETUP of who, what and where.

ACT I
*Monique is a routine 9 to 5er who gets divorced
*with a dull desk job in Boston
*and is inspired to change
*so she decides to move

Okay, it's not a Pulitzer Prize, but a start, onto the CHALLENGE

ACT IIa
*she endures a terrible move
*and meets Ted, nice new guy at work
*she moves again and again, Ted helps
*but every new move is worst than the last

TRANSITION time, something's gotta happen!

*Monique seems happy with one place, finally, and locks in love interest Ted.

Just when all was okay, more CHALLENGES

ACT IIa
*turns out Ted is a compulsive gambler
*and the landlord is a total freak
*absorbed helping Ted, she's fired from her own job
*and downsizes, moving to the smallest and worst place ever

Finally, the RESOLUTION, which is success or failure, you call it.

*she accepts the fact that moving will not change her life
*and that Ted has the same dream-chasing problem she has
*working at self improvement, she betters, scores a great job
*and meets Ted again, but sorry, he'll never change
*finally, we see her buying her dream home, the one she always wanted, alone, but secure and happy.
*and it just so happens that the next door neighbor guy is cute and single!

Work with your logline and main character in the three (really four) acts and the other characters will evolve. Make it move forward. Challenge your character, because the audience backs the underdog. Feed them at the proper moments.

We will go deeper into this but for now, work on your outline and you'll have already completed a sort of "mini-script".

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 3

HOW TO WRITE A LOGLINE - CONCEPT OF A SCRIPT
By now you've read one or two screenplays and are getting familiar with the format and vernacular. The script is going to be the medium in which you convey the story, and it has to have interesting content, entertaining the reader and audience.

Your script needs to be full of events, and they need to take place with proper timing. In an analogy, think of how a song starts with verse, goes to the chorus, back to verse, chorus, the bridge- which is an unexpected change of melody, chorus, often a third verse and then ends reiterating the chorus. This is the standard for many songs, and usually the intensity will build throughout, climaxing in the big chorus at the end. It wouldn't make sense to do everything in reverse.

Your story needs to have similar elements, and the structure is very important; we have to maintain the viewer's interest and keep them on the edge of their seat, hungry for the climax.

We will get to the breakdown of your script, but first we need to consider what you will be writing about, and if it's a unique and captivating story. In a nutshell, in one sentence, you will have to convey what the story is about. This is known as the "logline", which is a short synopsis of your screenplay. There are many different definitions, I like "a description of a screenplay in twenty-five words or less".

For now, your logline will keep you on track as to what the concept behind the story is. Later, it will be a quick way for any reader, producer, director, agent, or other industry type to get a snapshot of your "Opus Magnum".

Probably the best logline example I see repeated out there is:

"A giant shark terrorizes a small town."

Do you recognize the film? Jaws, right? Technically five words and we know the story because it is so simple yet so unique, and scary.

By now you have at least one idea of something to write about, that's why you're on this site. I'm guessing that at least half of you want to write a story about yourself? That's fine, nothing wrong with it, you just have to make sure that the audience considers the content to be as unique as you deem it. You might have to embellish parts of your story to make it more interesting, and that's what screenwriters do: create interesting content.

Using your own life as an example, let's create an interesting logline for your story. My tip here is to to focus on the single most moving event of your life and build a story around it. Something you consider to be unique, maybe the best or worst time of your life, a great achievement, an epic failure. We do this in a script, as well as in each scene of the screenplay, because the rule of thumb is to:

“Come in as late as possible, get out as early as you can".

What this means is that we're not going to start with your birth and losing your first tooth, unless it's an integral part of telling the story. If you were born with a thirst for blood, and a fang replaced your first lost tooth, we might have the making of a great vampire film, so that info would be pertinent. Just that alone might make a great logline.

"A suburban couple gives birth to a vampire and attempts to hide that fact from their status-quo type neighbors".

But chances are, you're not a vampire.

I'll use the example of one of my relatives. She's artistic, but there's no monumental story there. She was or still is addicted to pills, many types. Now that's an interesting trait of the character, we can build on that. The most unique thing she has ever done? Moved fourteen times in a two-year span. Now that's downright crazy in my book, probably something I can write a captivating story about. Here's just the beginning of the logline:

"A woman moves fourteen times in a two year span".

The first question is why? Is she just trying to be efficient at it, or is it the subject of her thesis or book? People want to know the motivations of your character, what the "protaganist", the main character, wants and needs. Without it the concept might be slightly interesting, but not enough.

"A woman moves fourteen times in a two year span on her endless search for love and happiness".

Now, that's a story, one that will peak interest, one that I can write about. The topic alone could be debated: can one find love and happiness simply by moving? As Americans, most of have moved, quite a lot, the average is fourteen times in our lifespan, so to see this in a two-year time period will be outright nuts. Good.
There will be skeptics, people that know that moving only changes the setting of your life, not your content. And there will be those that back our main character, knowing that a new setting can invite opportunity. Will she end up happy, or lost? They want to know, and we're not revealing that in the logline, we want to keep the reader's interest, suck them in.

Maybe, in a "worst case for writing scenario", you are convinced that you should write about yourself, but don't know where to start. You were born and raised in the same small town, you graduated high school, have always worked at the local hardware store, have a wife, two kids, and a picket fenced house. You couldn't name one unique event if your life depended on it.

That recognition alone is proof that you can be a good writer, because you're realizing that's not a great story. It shows your potential as a screenwriter. Work with that, embellish something, create a story in the setting that you're an expert on: a very average, slow moving, rural town. Hollywood execs don't know much about real life small towns, so the script could be intriguing to them.

"A corrupt city council puts a hit out on a hardware store employee who discovers their extortion attempts."

That was off the cuff, but pretty good, or? Try again, what about:

"A farmer plows open an unknown native american gravesite and is pursued by the evil spirit of an indian chief."

Kinda creepy, but cool, not so much my genre but I could work with it.

So, pin down your concept with a logline, and write several of them, it's going to be your story, and a unique one.

Have a good write!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT.2

HOW TO FORMAT A SCRIPT
Now that you have read a few of our linked scripts, it's time to discuss the format and vernacular of the screenwriting craft.

Improper formatting can kill even the best of spec scripts. Fortunately, there are many screenwriting programs available that will do all the work for you. Some are even free! We'll get to that later.

For now, let's touch on some of the things that you may have noticed about a script:

*tons of whitespace (thank god)
*use of capitals in seemingly strange places
*funny abbreviations like INT. and EXT.

Don't be overwhelmed by this, it's just the language of screenwriting, and much easier than learning French- way easier.

I've read a lot on the topic, as simple as it is, and screenwriters seem to weave this information throughout their websites (I guess to get you to read the whole thing). Maybe that's why so many scripts are submitted with very basic formatting issues: there's a lack of solid information about it.

Fortunately, I found the secret door and broke the code when I landed on the NICHOLL AWARD website. In a nutshell, the "Nicholl" is an annual screenwriting competition, possibly the most regarded in the industry. Fortunately for us, a great mind on their staff put together a fantastic guide, in the form of a script, on the general formatting rules and vernacular of scripts.

At thirteen pages, it a short script and an quick read, which is also very informative as well as funny.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE SCREENPLAY FORMAT SAMPLE GUIDE

There are only a few bits of information missing from their script, so I'll fill you in:

INT. or EXT. in the scene heading stands for interior, or exterior.

EXT. TAXI - DAY

means that we are outside of the taxi, looking in, or viewing it from afar, maybe from an aerial.

INT. TAXI - DAY

is when we are inside of the vehicle, with the driver and main character for example, we are sitting in the backseat, watching the two converse. Let the director figure out that angle, just tell us if it's outside or in.

(O.S.) after the character's name stands for "Off Screen".

This is related to the V.O. (voiceover, narration) that they explain. It's important to know the difference. In O.S., the character is not narrating, we can hear them but they are not visible on the screen, but still on the set.

INT. BANK VAULT - DAY

Vinny spins the dial, listens with the stethoscope, tumblers CLICK.

GUIDO (O.S.)
Hurry up!

VINNY
Be quiet!

Also notice that SOUNDS can be capitalized, as they briefly mentioned, just don't go overboard with this, speaking of which:

CAPITALIZATION
In dialogue, the speaking parts, the character names will always be capitalized. In action / description, the part that tells us what is going on, the character is only capitalized when we see them for the first time:

FADE IN

EXT. ITALIAN STREET - DAY

VINNY walks with his cane, GUIDO close behind.

And that's it, for the rest of the script we refer to Vinny and Guido as such, no exceptions.

And as above, the screenplay always starts with FADE IN and ends with FADE OUT; no credits, no fancy cursive font proclaiming "The End", production handles all of that, don't step on their feet.

One more thing:

PARANTHETICALS

They did a good job of explaining this in the guide / script. It was the:

APRIL
(following him)
Exactly.

Parantheticals are a hotly debated subject in this trade. Many screenwriters say that actors will cross out parantheticals in their script, so they can deliver the lines or do the action as they wish. Use, or over use, is or can be considered "directing" or "overdirecting".

A trend for the cautious screenwriter is to include what would be a paranthetical into an action line.

INT. BANK VAULT - DAY

Guido is frantic.

GUIDO (O.S.)
The cops are outside!

VS

GUIDO
(frantically)
The cops are outside!

What's the difference? The trend uses four lines, the practical answer uses three.

WHAT I'M GOING WITH: using parantheticals in screenwriting competitions, and not when submitting as a spec script to a production company.
WHY: in my opinion, use of gives more character and a quicker read for judges in a competition, lack of shows respect for directing and production in a spec script.

Finally, something that was not touched on at all in the guide / script, something I can't stand, it's my pet peeve, and it's a trend by certain writers: ages.

EXT. ITALIAN STREET - DAY
VINNY,(63), walks with his cane, GUIDO,(24), close behind.

Okay, so that tells us Vinny is the old time safe-cracker and his grandson, or who could be, is a newbie to the biz.

Talk about over-directing or casting!

A screenwriter's job is to create visions with words, but not to be "on the nose", which is obvious, there should be some room for play.

WHAT I'M DOING: the following, instead:

EXT. ITALIAN STREET - DAY

VINNY, the veteran safe-cracker, walks with his cane, GUIDO, his grandson, close behind.

WHY: because of casting. If Leonardo DiCaprio wants to play Vinnie, an experienced safe-cracker, I don't want to shut him out. Likewise, if Abigail Breslin wants to play the apprentice safe-cracking daughter, she's in too.

The irony is, the same people that tag ages onto character names are the same ones that go on about how taboo it is to use a paranthetical. Bizarre.

Okay, enjoy your read!

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 1

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY
First on the agenda is to help you get motivated about writing your own screenplay. No, I am not an expert, but plenty of other screenwriters are, and I have read much of their posted material and tips on what, and more importantly, what not to do when it comes to writing and selling a spec script.

As of this post, I've only been familiar with the screenwriting "craft" for just over sixty days, and I have two nearly completed scripts. You can do the same. It is said that "everyone has at least one story in them". That might be true, but it needs to be a story worth hearing. You don't need to spend four years and over $100K at a university to find out whether or not you can write a script that contains interesting content. In fact many have, and they still have not written a screenplay, and are drained with paying off their student loans. Test yourself now, see if you have the passion, then lay down some hard cash at UCLA or pay for some screenwriting workshops. But if you don't have the will or discipline it takes, no amount of money will secure a spec script sale in the trade.

I scour the web daily for bits of information that will further my goal of seeing my own name on the screen, and if you stick around, I will help you in the right direction. Promise. One of my talents as an art and business instructor is knowing how to condense material and focus on what is important. Theoretically, how long would you have really needed, given the right info and training, to complete high school? I mean the essential, important stuff. If you're thinking one year, you're right. One very disciplined and stressful year of being completely absorbed in four years of material, but nevertheless, one year.

Within sixty days, if you follow my advice, you will know whether or not you can be a contender for scripting. In fact, you'll know it within thirty days, so give it a shot, you might surprise yourself. With me? Good, now onto step one:

READ SCRIPTS
Before you dive into screenwriting, professionals across the board agree that it is a good idea to read a few scripts. Well, actually more than a few, so I'll link some resources to screenplays. Doing this will save you a lot of trouble in the long-run. By reading a script you will start to get a feel for the format, lingo, timing, and everything that is important about a screenplay. There's more to it than that, but don't worry about the details, just get a couple "reads" under your belt.

WHAT TO READ?
Something you like, of course! Start off with a film that you enjoyed, one that you can mostly remember. Different genres, or types of films, have different writing styles. Comedies are often fast moving and snappy, while a drama may want to slow you down, in deep thought.

How long a script should be can be a heated debate, but almost everyone agrees that 120 pages or less are best. Reading a script that length will only take you about two hours- one minute per page. Don't worry, script pages are really short and full of white spaces, it goes quickly.

WHICH DRAFT?
Also noteworthy: scripts posted on the web are not always the final draft. Typically in the industry there is a first draft, rewrite (2nd draft), and a polish... although this is changing in our current economic times. I often read a draft instead of the final just to see how the script was changed.

Yes, scripts get changed, all the time, sad but true. Once you write the script your job is fighting all the people who want to change it, should you be so lucky or talented as to get that far. It's a good problem to have.

To read scripts, most of the time you will need the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader. This is very convenient, as it allows you to save the script on your computer for your own reading and reference pleasure.

HERE is a link to the reader.

Now, onto some script resources. My first read was "Juno", an easy read, lots of fun. This seems to be the "final draft" and "production script" with scene numbers. DO NOT include scene numbers in your script, production handles that. Compliments of Scribd.com, you don't need the reader for this.

JUNO SCRIPT

My next read was "Devil Wears Prada". This is a draft and you will notice slight changes from the actual film. Compliments of Simplyscripts.com, PDF file.

DEVIL WEARS PRADA SCRIPT

And finally, "Sideways", a very funny film that everyone can relate to, courtesy of Awesomefilm.com

SIDEWAYS SCRIPT

Again, read the type of films that you enjoy. If you're into sci-fi or thrillers, look up "Star Wars" or "Body Heat" at my listed resources above.

STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE

I've started Monday with a good laugh, thanks to the blog called "STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE". When I saw the link I didn't know what to imagine, would this be a parody of great things that just white people like? Sort of. My take is that it's things that you're "supposed" to like if you're white, to be hip, because the things on the list are so unique. But if you're on the real inside loop, you'll know that liking the things in this list do not make you unique at all, especially if you're white.

For script writing, it's a great resource to create a character, an especially white one. Need a hip main character who goes to college, discovering himself along the way, doing cool things? Just pull up the trusty list and you'll soon find that your protagonist should:

#1 love coffee.
#14 have a black friend
#47 pursue an arts degree
#52 be "into" Sarah Silverman
and #82 have a hate for any given corporation, say "Wal-Mart", for example.

They should also be a fan of some sort of #2 religion they have no comprehension of, but can toss a few keywords around.

Instant character, and maybe that's what the list is about.

Oh sure, I'm a big fan of many things on the list, don't get me wrong. The good part is clicking on that link to find out how it is okay for me to like that particular subject without being pretentious about it. I don't have to wave it on a banner or throw it in anyone's face. I understand that saying I love #34 architecture will only make me a snob if I continually insert I.M. Pei into the conversation.

Lovely Wife and I are #32 vegetarians, but we're fairly secretive about it, we don't throw it in anyone's face. Your average white vegan friend will, however, give you a dissertation on how meat rots in your colon (a Canadian student, who was white, did this to me once). Hey, everything rots in your colon, even veggies, join the club!

We love #24 wine, but don't claim to know many types, let alone certain regions. But your white fake wine snob expects you to. When they ask you what your favorite wine is, the author advises to just make up the name of a wine, followed by a country, and tell them it's a very rare find. They'll be impressed.

My favorite, for the moment, has to be #89 Saint Patrick's Day. It's what I call a "hoosier holiday", and ties in a race with #113 Halloween. To enlighten, in the midwest, a hoosier is sort of like an uncultured type who rarely mows his lawn, but goes to great lengths to cover the house with spiderwebs and lights on Halloween. That's the one, all dressed in green, chugging down Budweiser at your local St. Patty's parade.

It seems everyone except the Irish celebrate this day in the fashion that we have come to know it here, kind of like Cinco de Mayo, which should be added to the list. All of the sudden everyone wants to be Irish, much like young white men #107 make self aware hip hop references, or are #20 an expert on YOUR own culture.

I hate St. Patrick's Day because I'm redheaded and half Scottish, but everyone assumes Brian the pale redhead must be Irish. They assume all redheads are Irish, when in fact the pict gene, the red DNA, comes from Scotland. They assume that it's cool to claim they come from the tribe that was once banned from employment under the NINA (no Irish need apply) laws. They probably think the potato famine refers to a shortage of french fries at McDonald's.

And they fake liking Guinness, c'mon, it tastes like cigarettes put out in stale Pabst Blue Ribbon.

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WRITING GERMAN

I was just reading script notes from an example that a reading service posted. The feedback was rather lengthy and detailed, good when you're paying for it. My favorite part was when they pointed out that the writer had failed to properly describe the setting, "LA doesn't have any brownstones", it read. They encouraged the scribe to do more research before writing about a particular area.

Germany, France, and Great Britain are offering big incentives for Hollywood to come and shoot some film there. Speed Racer, Inglorious Bastards, Valkyrie, and many other films took advantage of a large tax credit offered in Berlin.

That said, one might consider not only writing a budget-oriented screenplay, but one that is set in Europe, specifically Germany, who offers the highest benefit.

With eight years of experience living and working in the motherland, I'm here to offer tips on what to, but better yet, what not to write into your germanically set script.

STORY

Don't write a script about Nazis, a coup against them, or anything even somewhat related. Tarantino took the last cookie from the jar, he produced the last great idea on this era, it's been done a lot of ways, and it's all been done, don't try it.

SETTING

To keep it on a budget, set your script-allemagne in this century, it will save money on costumes, vehicles and the like. You'll rarely see a classic car; don't expect to set a GI in post war Berlin, driving around a giant 1940's Buick, they'll have to ship that in extra. Rely on the standards: BMW, Mercedes, Mini-Cooper, VW Bug, Golf, Polo, Scirocco... not familiar with Scirocco? See, this is more research than you think!

CHARACTERS

Germans do not speak to each other in English with German accents. Instead, consider Oxford English in the northern half, and a slight southern drawl in the south, such as Bavaria. I'd rather you just subtitle the whole thing but that will kill the script, god forbid that someone has to READ lines in a film while the dialogue is in the native language.

For people "in the know", we say that Germans are "americanized". This means that they wear deodorant, shave and shower, change their clothes regularly. Should you be compelled to set your story in Belgium, the above will not be as applicable.

CLICHE'S

You'll want to stay away, or maybe use, some of the usual stereotypical elements of people in the country, such as:

*an electrical engineer who is over forty and still lives with his parents.

*women who are thirty that marry guys over fifty.

*very left-oriented people that wear scarves, even in the hot summer, and eat "Musli" (granola).

*businessmen that do not normally speak English but love to throw in keywords like "UP-TO-DATE".

*Turkish street-sweepers and cleaning ladies.

*Polish workers that also do menial labor but consider themselves to be more German.

SCENES

However enticing, don't set the following scenes in the listed place, it's not realistic.

INT. MAIN TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Don't set a love scene here, it smells like pee.

INT. PUBLIC BATHROOM - DAY
Never set any scene here, except for a murder.

EXT. AUTOBAHN - DAY
No chase scenes here, it's usually bumper to bumper; keep it to under fifty miles per hour. Yep.

That's just touching the tip of the iceberg, you can see that you have your work cut out. Visit, if you can, if not, then buddy up to some Germans online, I'm sure they'd be willing to share.

Oh, and one more thing: if it's about the "Wall", everyone wanted it to come down, and then complained about all of the easterners and the costs of reconstruction later.

Achh! Oh, don't include that expression either, rarely heard. Unless it is a Nazi-era retiree, and then you have to question whether you should be writing about that.