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| Screenwriting - Last Keys to Making Them Spotless. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 15 2008, 12:46:54 AM (218 Views) | |
| Doakes | Jun 15 2008, 12:46:54 AM Post #1 |
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You'll recall a topic I made around six or seven months ago...or three and five months ago...I can't quite recall...oh well. Well whatever long ago, it was about keys to writing a good screenplay. Taken and left however one would, I have completed the entire FTV60 series, a years of worth of screenwriting education, four months of FTV41 genre writing class, have sold roughly three PSA's, and four Short scripts, two of which, "Sunset" and "Nolan The Security Guard," are being produced by a film group from my film school, and one small time independent group of film makers during the summer. I've juggled back and forward with fucking Miramax about With Violent Intent, but now that I do know much more about this profession, I understand why I've been juggling with my first feature film, I do understand much more about this business now, and I want to give you guys one last bit of real advice, since I do know a few of you are interested in screenwriting, and just in case a few others of you are interested as well. The first being character vs event. Mind you, there are several character driven movies out there, Crash, Pulp Fiction, Casa De Blanca, and more, however, in the big scheme of things, if you must ask yourself which one of the two you must focus on more, the answer is event, not character. Don't think for a second this means you can blow off making deep and unique characters, because that's simply not true. No no no, all it means is that the events are what build and surround the characters. The events are what push the story forward, as well as what breed character development. Without the events surrounding the characters, you have precisely zilch. Even films like Crash and Pulp Fiction, when placed in order, are still about the events surrounding the characters. The reason we say event is more important is because people who focus too much on making their characters completely deep, profound and magnificent, and not enough on doing more so to the events surrounding that character, fail in creating a proper story telling experience. Because without said events, what do you have? Deep characters, but no events which the movie is based off of. Look at Radio, people who argue this movie was great because of it focusing on character don't realize the importance of the movie, the events surrounding Radio's life. His involvement in the football team, the team's loathing and hatred for him for a good while, is event related, it surrounds them and Radio, and entightens us deeper into the story. So remember, in terms of story, if you are going to make your characters each unique and deep and powerful, which you need to do, then you must in turn, make events even deeper, even more miraculous or horrific, however way your movie will go. That way you can wrap both into one and create your story. Next is length. I don't recall posting this or not, but I know I haven't posted all you should know about length, so I will do that now. Screenplays do on occasion run longer than the conventional screenplays would, Godfather, Titanic, Star Wars, The King and I, Pulp Fiction, etc, yes, yes. But with the unconventional, must come a good name behind it. If the writer is famous and good enough, then they can branch out of the conventional, and people will still eat out of their hands. Now, if you are an up and rising screenwriter, then this is not the case. You do not have a good enough name to where you are ALLOWED to do so. Why? Apart from extra production costs and time, is a more basic answer, exec's simply will not read long scripts from writers who don't have a famous name. The first thing all executives in creative writing agencies will do when they grab a submitted screenplay is flip through all the pages and go to the back to see the page length, if it is higher than 124, say 140, 150, TWO HUNDRED, most likely, you won't even get a read. Even then, 124 is pushing it for beginners. See, many of the most professional screenplays in today's market are the condensed, shortened ones. Remember, in this business, less is more. *Like Sharman Ultra Toilet Paper, hehe.* The average number that exec's will like to see is between 105 and 115 pages. A little less is fine, 80 pages, then you got a problem, again, unless you're good enough to condense. For exec's, the reason of less being more is simple, these people read countless screenplays a day, and MOST of which, are just utter garbage. *That's harsh to say, but any professional will tell you that it's true.* They will not read every page of their scripts, most of the time. And if it's too long, they won't even give it past the first act. So do yourself a huge service and condense condense condense. The next reason why less is more. Producers and sales exec's love the scripts that are boom boom boom - to the point. If you waste dialog, if you waste time describing every little thing, then you are taking up space on your page, and increasing the page number, and unless that page number isn't between 105 and 115, then you're doing yourself a big disservice. Remember, the less blocky a page looks, the MUCH MUCH more appealing it will look to the people reading it. Each line of dialog must have a MAXIMUM of 4 to 7 lines. And each line must must MUST advance character or push story forward. If you don't need dialog in a certain scene, leave it out, period. Action lines, *description* must have a maximum of 3 lines at most. Four is pushing it but somewhat acceptable, 5 lines is not. *These are dumb little rules, I agree, but unfortunately, these are the rules every good writer has to follow. Yes yes...us writers are the bitches of Hollywood, get used to it.* All you need in description of character, believe it or not, is name, age *parantheticals around age.* and very brief appearance. Field gear, casual clothes, NAKED... Don't go way into detail and say, wrinkly but youthful, brown hair, a full beard, scars, kneepads, shoulderpads. No no, not even ethnicity. You don't even need to say the ethnicity UNLESS it needs to be there. If you need one person to be black, then fine, but if it doesn't have to be, leave it out because casting will ultimately decide what your character will look like, you're just offering a basic direction. My basic description of my main character Jack Bishop: "JACK BISHOP, (28) wears Spec. Ops field gear, blood trickles down his forehead while he lays on the floor motionless along with several other BODIES. He slowly rises to his feet." This is the character description for the MAIN CHARACTER of my story. Note the capitalization in name and bodies. When you introduce a character for the first time, ALWAYS capitalize their name, after that, don't. Bodies. Any and all props, extra characters, sounds and intro names, these four things are the ONLY things you capitalize in description. Example: "RUBBLE and STEEL surround the barren waste land. A COYOTE lets out a ferocious HOWL and runs out of sight. DIMITRI VORKUTA, (31) Russian, gritty, clothes stained with dirt and sweat, stumbles to his knees and sobs." All four, props *Rubble and steel* extras, *Coyote,* sounds *Howl,* and intro character, *Dimitri Vorkuta.* Up next is sales pitch. Your pitch can make or break your sale. When you pitch a story, if you do it instead of your agent, *which most people recommend because you hopefully know your story better than your agent.* What a sales pitch basically ensues is you, sharing your screenplay's entire story, along with title and logline, in under 10 minutes. What exec's want to see is that you know your story, that you aren't boring in your presentation, and that you enchant them with your story. Do not go into every detail. Because 10 minutes to tell your story isn't your ACTUAL time to pitch. If you aim for ten minutes, you will go longer, and if you go longer, and waste the exec's time, then guess what? You can kiss your sale goodbye. What most writers say you should aim for is five minutes. It's doable, it takes a lot of practice and KNOWING your story. If you try and memorize your story, then you're sunk. Know your story well enough to where you are interesting and to the point. Because if you take less time, your exec will love you that much more, and believe it or not, that will effect if you get a sale. Have I pitched before? Yes, but I got kind of a different situation, and you'll occasionally get this type of douchebag as well. I was getting into the story and just as I get started, one of the exec's friends comes in and they start talking and talking and enjoying themselves. He tells me he'll get to me in a second, 8 minutes later, he's still going. Soooo...I do what I'm supposed to do, and I ask if now is a bad time, and kindly say I can go again if you'd prefer to do this another time. He agrees and thanks me, so I walk out and he's still going with his jagoff friend. Why did I react the way I did? Because what if I decide to pitch there again? *I won't, but still,* you never want to leave a bad impression to any exec, if you are rude and say, "hey, what about my story? Do you mind I was pitching!" Guess what? You just lost your pitch time. And if that exec dislikes you, then you'll never get to pitch there again. Many of the pitching exec's are in fact scum, and just uninterested or busy, remember, leave a good impression, and interest them. But if something like a friend or star comes in and starts going on and on, then request another time so you will have their undevided attention. Next is expectations. Expect many things in writing. A good feature film will take a long time to make, several months IF YOUR LUCKY. Your first draft will always need A LOT of work. Your agents will not ever spend as much time with you as you may like, because they juggle between writer after writer, and they only WANT to be backing the writer with the bigger name. You will never sell your first screenplay off the bat. No matter how good you think you are, producers can always find something better. You CAN sell your first, but only if you spend a long long time on it, making it just breath taking. Even then, your chances are slim. Expect that your script will ultimately not be the same thing you wrote when it's on the big screen. It may be a lot better depending on actors, or it may suck, due to edits the production team of writers made. DON'T expect a lot of money when you're starting out. If you have an agent, lawyer, and manager, including commissions and sales tax, then you immediately lose 65% of your sale. Agents take generally 10% of your sale. Lawyers and Managers take 5% each. Commissions take 5%, and sales off the bat takes roughly 40%. But if you're writing for the thrill and joy of writing, and not for the money, then generally, you will be just fine. *Plus you'll make more dough, the bigger your name gets.* Expect a LOT of competition. In LA, countless people are out there trying to sell screenplays. And many of them are actually quite good. If you don't put the effort in, you're screwed. KNOW that selling a screenplay depends quite a bit on luck. It's about being at the right place at the right time. Frankly, writing is not as easy people make it out to be. I used to think I'd make it and it'd be easy, today, I'm pulling my Goddamn hair out. But now I have a shot, now I know I have a chance at making a name. I'm judging at this Summers' screenplay contest at Ciniquest. So I will know what to look for, and I, along with 50 to 70 other people will be deciding what makes it to the semi finals or not. Judging will also give me a chance to network myself to other exec's at Ciniquest's film festival, since all judges have a free pass at the festival. See, it's all about knowing the business, knowing what to expect, and knowing how to write a screenplay. I have learned from a professor who currently writes for Lionsgate, *he hates them too, oddly enough...* who isn't a college teacher, but in fact a writer who just wants to pass down the knowledge he's gained from more famous writers, and from experience. I've gone to two of Richard Walters' 7 hour seminars on writing. I got down with a Michael Loceff *the writer and executive producer for Lefemme Nikita and 24.* lecture for two hours on story structure, and I know enough to get by in the business. Does that mean I will? Hell no it doesn't, which is why I'm still taking the FTV64 series after the summer contest, why I'll take more and more seminars, all while teaching PE and writing my own better and better screenplays. And by the time FTV64 is done, I will know if I can sell. It's all hard, it takes a long time, and even then it's never enough. But it's worth it in the end. Just remember, you need another job since you're not yet paid for your script, heh. I myself can only tell you guys so much about the business in my short time being involved in it. If you are serious about writing, take screenwriting courses in college or film schools. Read Hal Ackerman's book, "Writing Screenplays That Sell," take as many seminars as you can. Enter as many contests as you can. *And pitch as LITTLE as you can.* And ultimately, you'll gain a much better knowledge on how you get by in Screenwriting. And lastly, remember the most important line of Hal Ackerman's book, "Amateur Writers write for themselves, but professionals write for everyone else." *This applies to writing books and novels/journalist articles as well. It doesn't always apply to everything.* That being said, off I go. I'll be back when MGSF Plus Episode 17 is ready, til then, take note of what I am telling you, take it however you will, but know how important knowing the business is in order to get by as a writer. Take care y'all. EDIT - *What the hell happened to the smilies?* Edited by Doakes, Jun 15 2008, 12:47:16 AM.
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3:42 PM Jul 11