In 2009, I created this blog to document an amateur's foray into writing screenplays. I started at zero, no prior screenwriting knowledge, just some creative writing experience with the number of websites I built throughout the years for businesses, including my own, in the arts.
I laid out the format for the blog to be as "script-like" as possible, and though simple, it has received many compliments, for both its look as well as content. I did not plagiarize a thing, I learned from others, then put that into my own words.
Below is the storyline that ran continuously on the right sidebar--
"STORYLINE
Brian, a middle-aged decorative artist and instructor by trade, ends up in rural South Carolina after a chain of events spurred by a dying economy. Bent on finding a new profession and returning to urban life, he discovers the craft of screenwriting, after his wife's enthusiasm over a published "op-ed" political column that he has written. His goal is to write a spec script in sixty days, in hopes of eventually selling it, generating enough cash to get back to the city life.
Can he write it? Will it be a sell? Will the economy ever rebound? Can South Carolina legislators do any more to embarrass him during his stay in this state? Is it a pipe dream to want to live within ten minutes of a "Barnes & Noble" and "Target" again?
Stay tuned, we'll see!!"
It was a creative, humbling, and enlightening experience, which continued until we got notice of a transfer to Houston in 2010. In no particular order, I learned that--
*most forms of writing are underrated, misunderstood, and taken for granted.
*writing is also not as easy as anyone assumes.
*most people have no idea what a screenplay is for, why it is necessary, or how it works, and the agonizing details that make one succeed or fail.
*since the economic / housing bubble burst, Hollywood is on a budget too. They don't buy ten spec scripts in one WHACK to "just to do it" anymore. They tend to buy screenplays written by actors, because that extra attached element gets them double BANG for the buck, from someone who actually reads scripts and has been on sets, and has a track record of performance under a director and producer.
*you can learn a lot from professional writers as well as producers, readers, etc., who graciously share their info online, if you are willing to do the work.
*you can easily be misguided by the more than 95% who post online, claiming they know how the system works, but have mysteriously never been produced.
*plenty of people are willing to "teach" you this craft for money, although most do not have produced scripts or strong credentials.
*a majority of amateur (meaning non-produced) screenwriters tend to be snarky, defensive, often extreme, as well self-righteous.
*professional (produced) screenwriters have a laid-back, friendly, approachable demeanor, are open-minded, and very often willing to help those they come into contact with. Omit this thought if they're actors...just kidding!
If you go through my posts in chronological order, by date, you will see how I start off with common mistakes, learn as I go, and work my way all the way up to writing screenplays. "CLUNKER" is my biggest claim to fame and I still believe in it, questionable if it will be ever made but I'm very proud of that piece of work.
After a long hiatus from writing, in a new town, with a changed career, I realized the other day that my next venture relies in part on my screenwriting skills. It is a joy to realize that. The lesson here is that learning something new is never bad, and you just might need it again one day.
Please stay tuned for the next chapter in my life, career, and something strongly related to screenwriting that seems to have much better odds in success than the spec script market, at least for the moment!
FADED OUT, NOW I'M FADING BACK IN!
Showing posts with label How to Write a Screenplay (Script). Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to Write a Screenplay (Script). Show all posts
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
VIRTUAL REALITY OF SCREENWRITING
I've been on a long, yet short, eight-month journey in the world of screenwriting. I spent long hours in training and achieved goals in a short amount of time. It's been a lesson that you really do set your own pace in this life.
Screenwriting as a craft is invigorating -- a challenging environment where you have to put a virtual world into the least but most descriptive words. It's a mind game that worked my brain like never before, and it makes me look at black fonts over white pages as an incredible gift.
Screenwriting as a profession is subjective -- screenwriters walk a fine line on the edge of an abyss. When people don't understand your words or practices and the meaning behind them it can be the ultimate frustration. People, in general, do not enjoy being told that they are not communicating correctly.
The future of screenwriting is bleak -- less spec scripts are selling, there are battles over writing credits. It's as if Hollywood cares more about a known name being tagged than what the content of the script is, or who actually wrote it.
I know a lot of people who love to write and if it's your passion then you should keep on with it, regardless of the market conditions. There will always be a need for screenwriters, especially in television and for smaller prodcos. And, if you hit the writing Lotto, your spec might make it in big Hollywood, it's always something to shoot for.
For now, I'm stepping out of the virtual world of screenwriting and back into my reality of renovating and prepping for the move to Houston. It feels good being productive, with my hands on a brush, and being able to look at the results. The black fonts have been replaced by colorful swashes on the wall and ceiling.
I'm not giving up on screenwriting -- I have three good spec scripts which will get more polished, and I'm looking forward to contacting the local prodco when I get to Houston. But for now, efforts have to stay focused on actually getting there.
I would never regret making the time investment I have in order to learn how to write a script, and it didn't cost me one penny, that was also a goal. I'm certified and qualified in a myriad of things, all of which I'm proud of, and screenwriting has added perspective to my life.
But -- I'm an artist and instructor, students always said that was my true calling. In that realm I've had my most exciting moments and successes, and I supported myself for over twenty years with it. Decorative painting is "sexy", all about moves and motions, processes that lead to a visual end result that everyone can enjoy, if done properly. It's fast-moving, especially in my classes -- given just a few days to convey a lifetime of painting experience to students so they can go out and do business. It's exciting and very rewarding, so I'm looking forward to teaching again.
Good luck in your writing, or whatever you do.
Goodbye virtual, hello reality!
FADE OUT, BUT NOT AWAY!
Screenwriting as a craft is invigorating -- a challenging environment where you have to put a virtual world into the least but most descriptive words. It's a mind game that worked my brain like never before, and it makes me look at black fonts over white pages as an incredible gift.
Screenwriting as a profession is subjective -- screenwriters walk a fine line on the edge of an abyss. When people don't understand your words or practices and the meaning behind them it can be the ultimate frustration. People, in general, do not enjoy being told that they are not communicating correctly.
The future of screenwriting is bleak -- less spec scripts are selling, there are battles over writing credits. It's as if Hollywood cares more about a known name being tagged than what the content of the script is, or who actually wrote it.
I know a lot of people who love to write and if it's your passion then you should keep on with it, regardless of the market conditions. There will always be a need for screenwriters, especially in television and for smaller prodcos. And, if you hit the writing Lotto, your spec might make it in big Hollywood, it's always something to shoot for.
For now, I'm stepping out of the virtual world of screenwriting and back into my reality of renovating and prepping for the move to Houston. It feels good being productive, with my hands on a brush, and being able to look at the results. The black fonts have been replaced by colorful swashes on the wall and ceiling.
I'm not giving up on screenwriting -- I have three good spec scripts which will get more polished, and I'm looking forward to contacting the local prodco when I get to Houston. But for now, efforts have to stay focused on actually getting there.
I would never regret making the time investment I have in order to learn how to write a script, and it didn't cost me one penny, that was also a goal. I'm certified and qualified in a myriad of things, all of which I'm proud of, and screenwriting has added perspective to my life.
But -- I'm an artist and instructor, students always said that was my true calling. In that realm I've had my most exciting moments and successes, and I supported myself for over twenty years with it. Decorative painting is "sexy", all about moves and motions, processes that lead to a visual end result that everyone can enjoy, if done properly. It's fast-moving, especially in my classes -- given just a few days to convey a lifetime of painting experience to students so they can go out and do business. It's exciting and very rewarding, so I'm looking forward to teaching again.
Good luck in your writing, or whatever you do.
Goodbye virtual, hello reality!
FADE OUT, BUT NOT AWAY!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
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!
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!
Monday, October 26, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, October 19, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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
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
Monday, October 12, 2009
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/
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/
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, October 9, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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!
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!
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