Took the Memorial Day weekend off and the family went out of town for a couple of visits. It was good to get the time off, three whole days without having to leave the family behind was relieving.
I've been nursing along I.O.U. in my usual 'just write it' method instead of breaking the story like I'd hoped to. We fall back on old habits and I've never laid out the story before tackling the actual writing, although I have specifics in my head that I'll be using from thinking them out over the ten-plus years I've had this story brewing, including a chase scene (sorry, Scott) and the finale. My first drafts, more so now in the age of software, come out pretty close to what I'd consider ready to shop, but I'd like to have a reference to get an idea where I'm digressing from plan.
I'm reluctant to try and break my manner of working too much, but if anyone has suggestions about what has worked for them regarding prep work, let me know. What would be especially helpful is if anyone has written on assignment and has been expected to show progress somehow, what would a producer expect to see between assignment and finished draft, if anything?
5 comments:
I remember fighting the advice to work from an outline. Then one day I started a project which required that I use an outline in order to most effectively hit all the requisite beats (a based on historical fact true story where I felt honor-bound to cleave close to the facts).
Guess what? All the prep time spent working out scenes and sequences in outline form paid huge dividends. I could pick a sequence -- any sequence -- and dive right in knowing that I understood both what the scene was supposed to do on its own *and* how it was supposed to connect to the rest of the story on both ends. Suddenly, the story became ridiculously easy to tell -- every sequence was clearly planned out and ready to inflate.
Yeah, it will feel odd at first, but believe me: breaking it down and working on it as a totally planned blueprinted triple-checked project will give you much quicker and happier results than the "start at the beginning and write through to the end and see what happens along the way" route which often feels more natural.
At least, it surely did for me.
.
.
.
B
Here's some prep tools & techniques that might speed the process along:
1. Of course, write a strong, well-worded LOGLINE. Re-write & get it as good as you can make it. Rehearse it. Know it by heart. If you get lost, refer back to the logline. Your hero's goal (Central Dramatic Question) should be right there.
2. WORKSHEETS. These are pre-written questions that save time & help organize your story. Make one for the concept/premise, & a char sheet (bios)for each of your main char's. Try "Screenplay Workbook" by Robinson & Mungovan for templates.
3. Make a detailed outline using sequences. Some people say 8, some say 12. I think each story is different. Use as many sequences as necassary. Give each sequences a title ("Defusing the Bomb", "Skwiggy Loses the Llama",etc) so you know what the goal or major action is in each sequences.
4. Make an OBSTACLES list. Think about your hero's external goal. Now brainstorm & come up with any person or thing that could prevent her from reaching that goal. Be very concrete & specific. These obstacles should be NOUNS. In movies, the hero's encounters with the obstacles is what makes up most of the plot.
5.Use scene cards & place them on the wall to help you SEE the movie.
6. Write out a prose treatment or synopsis. I've heard that treatments aren't that important & not every producer/company will ask for one, but it might be a good idea to learn how to write one. You never know. At the very least it will help you clarify your story.
Hi Tom,
I find that the script I'm working on will dictate how much prep work I'll need to do - my favourite script was written with minimal preparation and it went through about 4 drafts. Some other scripts I've tackled have needed more preparation because the story was a bit more complex. My advice would probably be to at least do some outlining first if you've got a high concept idea. I like to do some character work and then just write a one-page outline, maybe making note of specific scenes or lines of dialogue, but that's about it. You might want to have a look at http://www.14dayscreenplay.com/ Even if you don't intend to take the 2 week challenge the guidelines for preparation posted there are very useful.
You can have a chase. Just make it have a point, and kick ass :-)
There's some great advice here, thanks. I feel like I've bought too many screenwriting books to take any of them seriously at this point (I think one of them suggested getting some graph paper and a compass and that was the end of that read), but the thing is the real successful writers never (used to, before the Blog Age) tell you what worked for them, you only got to choose from names you'd never seen in the credits. I have to fight myself from rejecting 'how-to's just because I've spent too much at Barnes & Noble.
Post a Comment