Blog

50 Signs of an Amateur Screenwriter

8/5/2012

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/50-Signs-of-an-Amateur-Screenwriter---New-Dallas-and-LA-Events-For-You-.html?soid=1103684771976&aid=Ah20AZQhR10#LETTER.BLOCK4

There are probably hundreds of signs that the writer of that script I'm screaming at is an amateur. But today, I'd like to give a mere 50. Most of these may seem like common sense, yet you'd be amazed at the sheer number of projects plagued with these issues. Some of them may make you worry about your own work. But hey, at least you'll know for next time and you'll be one step closer to making sure your work is at the highest of professional standards.

The following is in NO particular order and covers a broad range of script issues.

Writing CUT TOs, FADE TOs, FADE OUTs, or any other Transition between every scene.
Telling us instead of Showing us.
Description is in past tense instead of present tense and does not use the active form of the verb. For example, John drives - not John is driving. Danny stands - not is standing. No -ING verbs.
Not using pronouns or articles in your sentences. THE room, HIS dog, HER chair. You don't walk into room - you walk into THE room or A room.
Having wordy description paragraphs longer than 4 lines on a page without a line break.
Not CAPITALIZING your characters names the first time we meet them in your description. Or capitalizing characters names every time they're seen or mentioned.
Capitalizing every noun and/or verb in your description.
Not having a new scene heading for every new location or writing things in your scene heading other than the location, time of day and relation to the previous scene.
Your description tells us exactly what your characters are thinking or are about to discuss in dialogue, or tells us backstory the audience cannot see.
The script is written in Microsoft Word, Notepad or Celtx.
Not knowing the difference between a Montage and a Series of Shots. A Montage condenses numerous scenes, locations and the passage of time while progressing the plot and character arcs. A series of shots is a visual style to show many different actions or specific visuals all from one scene or a short time span.
Having Camera Direction in your description ("we see", "shot of", "camera pans" etc)
Writing parentheses before dialogue on every page explaining the emotion or how the line should be said.
You are not using "Intercut With" when going back and forth between two scenes instead of restating the scene heading each time.
Lengthy location descriptions or too much production design - we don't care what color the couch is.
Using Voice Over to express and tell things you could express though action and dialogue.
All conversations start with "hello" or "how are you" and scenes end with "goodbye, goodnight or talk to you later." Or if dialogue is full of conversational niceties - thank you, please, your welcome, etc.
The scenes lack dynamics - no conflict or tension.
Story is missing the meat - has planning and reflection scenes instead of execution scenes.
Subplots are not tracked or seen for more than 15 pages.
A kitchen sink script where everything is thrown in to make it seem more commercial and original.
Scenes have no emotional goal.
There is a lack of emotional/reflective reactions and moments for characters.
Introducing more than 3 characters in 1 paragraph - each should preferably have their own paragraph.
Using incorrect margins on the page - having too much or too little white space around the edges. Also, incorrect font, spacing, or type set.
You use dreams and flashbacks interchangeably. A flashback actually happened, a dream is a subconscious thought had while sleeping.
Not giving us your main character's last names and ages when introducing them.
Using music - specific songs and artists - in your scenes or writing a scene to a specific song. What do Beatles, Bowie, Beach Boys, Bon Jovi and Bon Iver all have in common? Their songs will add MILLIONS to your budget.
Your main character feels like they were born on page 1.
There's nothing on the line - no STAKES - in the first scene.
It isn't clear where and when your story takes place.
Your only antagonist is an emotion or a personal demon.
The most commercial moments are not exploited and the dialogue, SFX and VFX don't POP on the page.
There is no time clock of any kind in your story.
Your subplots and B stories are not resolved or connect to your main storyline.
You are lacking in Set Up, Execution, or Payoff.
Your scenes do not evoke any emotion from the reader.
You don't know how to use dialogue, actions, settings or set ups to create smooth transitions between scenes.
Your scene goes on 1-2 lines too long and doesn't end on the most powerful or interesting moment or dialogue.
You don't know the difference between VO, OS, and OC or when to use each one.
The dialogue is slight, Q&A, isn't genuine to the characters or lacks subtext and is all very on the nose.
You think a theme and a message is the same thing.
Your first scene and first 10 pages don't grab me.
Your protag is passive and/or isn't present in your climax.
You write a comedic scene just to hit one joke or one visual gag.
You think when you finish your 3rd draft, you're done and it's ready to be submitted to agents, producers, actors or contests. It's not.
Your story is not driven by conflict and doesn't contain an internal, external, mental, physical and emotional conflict.
You think the only difference between you and an A-list screenwriter is an agent.
The first words out of your mouth when you meet someone is "I've written this script..."
You think you can break all these aforementioned rules and mistakes and people will still want to read your script because and you'll still be able to break in because Tarantino did it.

0 Comments

Soylent Green Is People

6/17/2011

1 Comment

Soylent Green Is People

When Charlton Heston uttered these words in the classic 1973 science fiction film, Soylent Green, he was referring to the discovery that to survive the over population of a future Earth, its inhabitants were eating a product that was literally made from human beings. So the plot of this story, the big reveal, was that humans were eating humans to survive.

People eating people.

What I like about this film reference is that it is a literal depiction of what every story should be. No, not people eating people. People…just people. Human beings living their lives, on their own personal journeys, doing whatever they have to do to get what they want or get where they need to go.

Now, being a writer, I spend a lot of my time talking about plots and storylines. And of course, that’s the structure we hang our stories on. Honestly, though, plots are boring. It’s like talking about a fantastic summer vacation by showing you a map of the places you visited. What about the people you met, the food you tasted, the good times you had? The journey.

All the money for a writer is in that journey.

What I’m about to tell you seems to go against everything we are taught. It goes against our instincts. And it flies in the face of so many of the books we read about screenwriting.

Movies are about people, not plots or storylines.

The plot is just a device that is used to facilitate the personal journeys of your main characters. That is the most important thing I will ever tell you about screenwriting. Most of the writers I coach are obsessed with the plot and write from that bias. They spend an enormous amount of time trying to cram character work in the nooks and crannies of the plot. When they get notes from producers and script analysts, it’s always about their characters.

Compelling characters grab your attention. They make you care about the film and the story. They draw talent to your project. Most scripts sell because of producer relationships with top talent. Bankable stars are looking for great roles. Great roles are about great personal journeys, not great plots.

It is easy to fix a plot, it is harder to fix a weak character.

I’m not saying to ignore your plot, I’m just telling you that great characters are more important to a script than a great plot.

I’ll give you and example. Die Hard. A great action film starring Bruce Willis. Clearly a plot driven film, right? Well, maybe…but think about the story for a second. On the surface it’s about an off duty cop who saves a bunch of people from terrorists who take over a building on Christmas Eve.

What is it really about? Bruce Willis shows up uninvited at his wife’s company Christmas Party to take one last shot at saving their broken marriage. That’s why he’s there. That’s his personal journey. He has screwed up his relationship and wants to win her back. He loves her and believes she still loves him. When he gets there, everything goes haywire. He has to defeat the terrorists, save the building and the lives of the people inside to save his wife and have a shot at saving his marriage.

The plot is a metaphor for his personal journey and creates obstacles to Willis getting what he wants. The plot is utilized to help solve the personal journey of the characters. I won’t speak to the sequels because they fail in this and all regards.

Every film you really love is about people, not plots. Whether it’s action, horror, romance, science fiction or a western. Spend your time on who populates the worlds you create. Who are they? What do they want? Why is it a matter of life and death? The plot is about how they get there.

If you want to write great scripts, write great characters on great personal journeys.

1 Comment

WRITING IS THE KEY TO AN INDIGENOUS FILM INDUSTRY

6/17/2011

0 Comments

From Scene Magazine:

WRITING IS THE KEY TO AN INDIGENOUS FILM INDUSTRY

As everybody knows, the film business in Louisiana is booming. Tax credits have lured some huge projects like THE GREEN LANTERN, THE EXPENDABLES and the next installment of the Twilight series, to name a few. In fact, I heard recently that applications for new film tax credits hit the one hundred mark in August. Incredible. My friends are working all over the state, as actors, grips, coordinators, locations, craft services, casting, etc. Where are the writers?

For the most part, they’re in Hollywood. And that’s why this boom is driven by big projects from out of state. The only way to create a home grown film industry is to write our own stories. Let’s be realistic, we are one hurricane or one zealous law changing state senator or one aggressive state with better tax credits from this thing drying up.

Don’t get me wrong, things are happening on the local level. Several local companies have been making low budget movies and there are young filmmakers out there trying to make their films. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with anybody who gets a film made in this economic climate.

A couple of weeks ago, I was one of the judges of the New Orleans 48 Hour Film Festival. I left feeling inspired. It’s a tough endeavor, writing, producing and editing a film in that amount of time. If you were one of the filmmakers, you have my respect. Some of the films were really terrific and reminded me of why I wanted to be a filmmaker in the first place.

With all the momentum and activity in our state, where is the next SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE? Where is that film that defines our local film industry? We should be the next Austin, but we’re not. Not yet, anyway. I believe it’s all in the writing.

It’s time to up our game in that department. I teach, coach and fix scripts. I read dozens and dozens of them every month. We have the ideas, but we need more craft. I firmly believe to become an industry that can survive a hurricane, we have to write better screenplays. A great script doesn’t guarantee you a great film, but a bad script definitely guarantees a bad one.

This is not a knock on my screenwriting brethren, it’s a challenge.

Read more scripts, get more training, do your homework, find out what makes a great screenplay. We can build a sustainable hurricane proof, tax credit proof indigenous film industry. I promise you, I’m going to get better at this and I’m going to write one of the next great films to come out of Louisiana. Are you?

0 Comments

50 Signs of an Amateur Screenwriter

Soylent Green Is People

WRITING IS THE KEY TO AN INDIGENOUS FILM INDUSTRY

Author

Archives

Categories