Post by George Willson on Dec 8, 2005 3:41:02 GMT -5
I posted this on Simplyscripts, and it is generally acknowledged to be one of the best threads ever posted:
This is a series of Checkpoints from The Screenwriter's Bible. I have been working through these with a few of the scripts I've written and found them to be immensely useful and thought-provoking. As many people on here know, the Screenwriter's Bible is the one I swear by when it comes to screenwriting, and for those who don't have this invaluable piece of material, this is an excerpt from Book 2 called a Screenwriter's Workbook. I basically trimmed out all the valuable information given in the steps and left you with the questions. If you go through and answer every single question, you'll have a hell of a script. The last script I wrote using this was amazing (but only 60 pages long -- doh!), but it had a great character arc. I will admit to skipping a few steps last time too...shouldn't have done that.
The way I do this is I have all of these question in a Word document and I just go down the list answering as best I can. Remember that this whole thing is like a diary; it's just for you. No one else will probably ever see anything in here, but the fact that it exists will shine through like a blinding light once your screenplay is done. I've got stuff written about characters and situations in some scripts that never come out, but the fact that it's there somehow makes the character more real.
Anyway, I thought I'd make a worthwhile contribution on here again. However, if you Dave's full everything he puts into this workbook, you still need to fork over the $20 for the book. This is what I call my screenwriting palette. I'm currently running another script through it, and the coolest stuff is coming out as a result.
As a final note, some may argue that some of these points touch on marketing which isn't our jobs as writers. However, we have to write marketable material, and we have to market it to prospective agent and producers, so we can't figure out any way to present it, why is it good enough to pick up?
Step 1 -- Summon your muse
Step 2 -- Dream up your movie idea
1. Put your mind in a relaxed state.
2. Rely on the inspiration cycle: Input, Incubation, Ispiration, Evaluation.
3. Stimulate the senses.
4. Stir your creative desire by inventing writing rituals.
5. Reflect on it and dip into your past.
6. Carry around a tape recorder or notebook. (always a recommended tip)
7. See movies in your genre.
8. Steal. Shakespeare did, and are you a greater writer than he?
8a. Read fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and history.
9. Visit parks, airports, court rooms, crisis centers, or other places where people are likely to congregate or be in some kind of transition.
10. Read the news.
11. Understand dramatic structure.
12. Be open to radical change.
13. Write what you care about, have a passion for.
14. Try clustering.
15. Confront your blocks.
Checkpoint 1
Checkpoint 2
Checkpoint 3
Imagine how your movie will be advertised. Then on a sheet of paper, sketch out the one-sheet (movie poster) for your movie.
Step 3 -- Develop your core story
My overview of the 3 Act system based on info from the Screenwriter's Bible as I remember it (it isn't in front of me). The lengths I have laid out here are not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination and can be as long or as short as they need to be. Nor are these the ONLY plot points or turning points in every story. Some may have more, but these typiclaly make up the basic story.
Act One consists of the exposition part of the story and contains two major plot points. It should contain most, if not all, of the characters in the story and make it so the world is setup and you can concentrate of filling out the plot from here on. In a 90 page script, this portion takes about 20 pages. When you watch movies, pay attention. The act usually ends about 20 minutes in regardless of length of the finished picture.
When the story begins, life is in balance and everything is good..almost. Some part of the character is incomplete or flawed, but the main character doesn't usually know this. As they see their life, it is what it is and will stay that way.
Point 1 - Catalyst - this is something that occurs during the first act that sends the character to the next point. It is not life changing, and the main character can turn back to their normal life right now.
Point 2 - The Big Event - This is the end of act one. This event forever changes the main character and he cannot ever go back to what there was before. It launches the character into the heart of the story where all the good stuff happens. If you were to lay out your character and think, "what is the worst thing that can happen", the answer is usually a big event. Sometimes, the catalyst and the big event are the same thing.
Act Two - the story takes a turn and your maiun character has something to do. Some kind of goal to accomplish. It could be anything and is totally based on the type of story you have. At this point, though, the ultimate goal is rarely know. It might be, but it often isn't. In a 90 page script, this makes up about 50 pages with the pinch somewhere around the 25th page, or about page 45.
Point 3 - The Pinch - Something happens to turn the story closer to the climax, the ultimate goal. Often, the main character discovers something important that leads them further to where they need to go. In a two act play or musical, this is where the intermission goes. Sometimes, this is the lowest point of the stary where the character must start climbing out of the pit.
Point 4 - Crisis - It's decision time. The main character is forced to decide something critical to the success or failure of the story. Sometimes, there isn't a decision and this point flows on past dragging the character with it. Usually, there is. Do you go left or right? Left, the safe path will take you home and nothing happens and we have a boring story. Right is more dangerous, it's more exciting, and you will grow from it, but there might be consequences. This decision drives us into the third act and closes the second.
Act Three - this is where it all comes down to the end. The main character has changed or is changing to make the best of whatever he has been thrust into. This is the final 20 pages of that 90 page script.
Point 5 - Climax - This is where we've been aiming for. This is the goal. This is where the two powers meet and clash and duel until only one is left standing, hopefully our hero. The main character is forced to us everything he has learned on this journey to come out on top, but it won't and shouldn't be easy for him.
Point 6 - The Realization - After all is said and done, we are left with one burning question: what was the point? What did the character learn from this journey. What did we get out of all this. This is the big payoff. This is what the audience came for. Did the boy get his girl? Of course. Did the stable boy become a knight and vanquish the giant, proving his strength to become king? Of course he did. Whatever you were trying to say, this is where you say it. Wizard of Oz has the most blatent of Resolutions when they ask Dorothy, "What did you learn, Dorothy?" I always joke in Star Trek The Next Generation, it's the part where they said, "You see, Wesley..."
Checkpoint 4
Write the TV Guide logline for your story.
Checkpoint 5
Identify the parameters of your story.
Checkpoint 6
Checkpoint 7
Now write out your core story in three paragraphs, one for the beginning, one for the middle, and one for the end. Paragraph 1 will end with the Big Event; paragraph 2 with the Crisis. Obviously, you cannot include all of the characters in this brief synopsis. Once this is done, re-evaluate your story.
This is a series of Checkpoints from The Screenwriter's Bible. I have been working through these with a few of the scripts I've written and found them to be immensely useful and thought-provoking. As many people on here know, the Screenwriter's Bible is the one I swear by when it comes to screenwriting, and for those who don't have this invaluable piece of material, this is an excerpt from Book 2 called a Screenwriter's Workbook. I basically trimmed out all the valuable information given in the steps and left you with the questions. If you go through and answer every single question, you'll have a hell of a script. The last script I wrote using this was amazing (but only 60 pages long -- doh!), but it had a great character arc. I will admit to skipping a few steps last time too...shouldn't have done that.
The way I do this is I have all of these question in a Word document and I just go down the list answering as best I can. Remember that this whole thing is like a diary; it's just for you. No one else will probably ever see anything in here, but the fact that it exists will shine through like a blinding light once your screenplay is done. I've got stuff written about characters and situations in some scripts that never come out, but the fact that it's there somehow makes the character more real.
Anyway, I thought I'd make a worthwhile contribution on here again. However, if you Dave's full everything he puts into this workbook, you still need to fork over the $20 for the book. This is what I call my screenwriting palette. I'm currently running another script through it, and the coolest stuff is coming out as a result.
As a final note, some may argue that some of these points touch on marketing which isn't our jobs as writers. However, we have to write marketable material, and we have to market it to prospective agent and producers, so we can't figure out any way to present it, why is it good enough to pick up?
Post 1
Step 1 -- Summon your muse
Step 2 -- Dream up your movie idea
1. Put your mind in a relaxed state.
2. Rely on the inspiration cycle: Input, Incubation, Ispiration, Evaluation.
3. Stimulate the senses.
4. Stir your creative desire by inventing writing rituals.
5. Reflect on it and dip into your past.
6. Carry around a tape recorder or notebook. (always a recommended tip)
7. See movies in your genre.
8. Steal. Shakespeare did, and are you a greater writer than he?
8a. Read fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and history.
9. Visit parks, airports, court rooms, crisis centers, or other places where people are likely to congregate or be in some kind of transition.
10. Read the news.
11. Understand dramatic structure.
12. Be open to radical change.
13. Write what you care about, have a passion for.
14. Try clustering.
15. Confront your blocks.
Checkpoint 1
- How solid is your story idea, premise, or concept?
- Will it appeal to a mass audience?
- Is it fresh? original? provocative? commercial?
- Does hearing it make people say, “I want to see that!”?
- Is it large enough in scope to appear on the silver screen?
- Does it have “legs” -- stand on its own as a story without big stars?
Checkpoint 2
- Do you have a working title that inspires you?
- Will this title titillate the audience? Is it a “grabber”?
- Does it convey something of your story in concept or theme?
- Does it conjure up an image or an emotion?
- Is it short enough to appear on a marquee? (Not always necessary.)
Checkpoint 3
Imagine how your movie will be advertised. Then on a sheet of paper, sketch out the one-sheet (movie poster) for your movie.
- Is there a striking visual image that will stop passersby?
- Is there a headline that plays off the title or conveys a high concept?
- Will people want to see this movie?
Step 3 -- Develop your core story
My overview of the 3 Act system based on info from the Screenwriter's Bible as I remember it (it isn't in front of me). The lengths I have laid out here are not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination and can be as long or as short as they need to be. Nor are these the ONLY plot points or turning points in every story. Some may have more, but these typiclaly make up the basic story.
Act One consists of the exposition part of the story and contains two major plot points. It should contain most, if not all, of the characters in the story and make it so the world is setup and you can concentrate of filling out the plot from here on. In a 90 page script, this portion takes about 20 pages. When you watch movies, pay attention. The act usually ends about 20 minutes in regardless of length of the finished picture.
When the story begins, life is in balance and everything is good..almost. Some part of the character is incomplete or flawed, but the main character doesn't usually know this. As they see their life, it is what it is and will stay that way.
Point 1 - Catalyst - this is something that occurs during the first act that sends the character to the next point. It is not life changing, and the main character can turn back to their normal life right now.
Point 2 - The Big Event - This is the end of act one. This event forever changes the main character and he cannot ever go back to what there was before. It launches the character into the heart of the story where all the good stuff happens. If you were to lay out your character and think, "what is the worst thing that can happen", the answer is usually a big event. Sometimes, the catalyst and the big event are the same thing.
Act Two - the story takes a turn and your maiun character has something to do. Some kind of goal to accomplish. It could be anything and is totally based on the type of story you have. At this point, though, the ultimate goal is rarely know. It might be, but it often isn't. In a 90 page script, this makes up about 50 pages with the pinch somewhere around the 25th page, or about page 45.
Point 3 - The Pinch - Something happens to turn the story closer to the climax, the ultimate goal. Often, the main character discovers something important that leads them further to where they need to go. In a two act play or musical, this is where the intermission goes. Sometimes, this is the lowest point of the stary where the character must start climbing out of the pit.
Point 4 - Crisis - It's decision time. The main character is forced to decide something critical to the success or failure of the story. Sometimes, there isn't a decision and this point flows on past dragging the character with it. Usually, there is. Do you go left or right? Left, the safe path will take you home and nothing happens and we have a boring story. Right is more dangerous, it's more exciting, and you will grow from it, but there might be consequences. This decision drives us into the third act and closes the second.
Act Three - this is where it all comes down to the end. The main character has changed or is changing to make the best of whatever he has been thrust into. This is the final 20 pages of that 90 page script.
Point 5 - Climax - This is where we've been aiming for. This is the goal. This is where the two powers meet and clash and duel until only one is left standing, hopefully our hero. The main character is forced to us everything he has learned on this journey to come out on top, but it won't and shouldn't be easy for him.
Point 6 - The Realization - After all is said and done, we are left with one burning question: what was the point? What did the character learn from this journey. What did we get out of all this. This is the big payoff. This is what the audience came for. Did the boy get his girl? Of course. Did the stable boy become a knight and vanquish the giant, proving his strength to become king? Of course he did. Whatever you were trying to say, this is where you say it. Wizard of Oz has the most blatent of Resolutions when they ask Dorothy, "What did you learn, Dorothy?" I always joke in Star Trek The Next Generation, it's the part where they said, "You see, Wesley..."
Checkpoint 4
Write the TV Guide logline for your story.
- Who is your central character?
- What is his/her main goal? (This is the goal that drives the story.)
- Why is the goal important to him/her?
- Who is trying to stop your character from achieving the goal?
Checkpoint 5
Identify the parameters of your story.
- What is the genre? (Action/adventure, thriller, romantic comedy, etc.)
- What is the time and setting?
- What is the emotional atmosphere, and the mood?
- What, if any, story or character limits exist?
Checkpoint 6
- What is the Catalyst that gives your central character a direction?
- What Big Event really impacts your character’s life?
- Is there a strong, rising conflict throughout Act 2?
- Does the conflict build? or just become repetitive?
- Is there a Pinch, a twist in the middle, the divides Act 2 in half and more fully motivates your character?
- What terrible Crisis will your character face?
- Will the Crisis force a life/death decision, and/or make the audience fret about how things will turn out in the end?
- How does your story end? What is the Showdown?
- In the end, does your character learn something new?
o Or, is his/her growth (positive or negative) made apparent?
o Or, does he/she receive any recognition in the end?
Checkpoint 7
Now write out your core story in three paragraphs, one for the beginning, one for the middle, and one for the end. Paragraph 1 will end with the Big Event; paragraph 2 with the Crisis. Obviously, you cannot include all of the characters in this brief synopsis. Once this is done, re-evaluate your story.