The Basics

[Jim Brennan]

Since I don't know many of you, and I am not sure where everyone is at with their craft, I think it makes sense to take this opportunity to cover some of the basics.

Screenwriting is a very specific craft, and is unlike other forms of writing in many ways. Many of these conventions are covered in books like:

Story by Bob McKee
The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier
Screenplay by Syd Field

There are probably thousands of others as well. Writing a screenplay for a local short is a great opportunity to practice these conventions. I have worked with writers who format incorrectly, or otherwise defy these rules, citing the fact that the actors and crew "know what I mean". That's probably true and form should always follow function. But if you want to make a living at this, these are rules that you need to learn and stick to. In a spec script it actually does matter what font you use and how far you indent your dialogue. Readers are looking for excuses to round file your work, because there are 25 other scripts they need to get through that weekend.

There are story conventions as well as formatting ones, and naturally those equally (if not more) important. Understanding the 3 act structure, traditional character arc, conflict, tension and release, resolutions, pace, etc are all necessary. You can break the rules, but it is better if you do so because it serves the story, and not because you don't know any better.

There are a ridiculous amount of resources available for you to hone your craft. I know that Darren even teaches free workshops at the Denver Public Library a few times a year (or he used to). Patrick Sheridan teaches a class through the Bug theater's Emerging Filmmakers Project, and Lighthouse offers classes as well. Then there is this whole internet thingie, and lots and lots of books. Read screenplays, and write a lot. Feedback is great, but do your best to get qualified feedback. I don't necessarily mean someone you have to pay, but someone who knows what they are talking about.

The good stuff doesn't come easy, and the hardest work often begins after you get a great idea. You can start a sculpture with the finest marble, but you still have to swim in sweat before it becomes the David. To that end, the one personal lesson I have learned is that all great writing comes form re-writing, and that is a very liberating thing. Because to me it means I do not have to get it right the first (or second, or third...) time. That approach frees me to make mistakes, which allows me to write more expressively, exploring the possibilities with more of an open mind.

There is a dearth of quality films locally (although I imagine it is the same everywhere), and many of the problems can be traced back in some way to the script. Nearly every local film I have seen (including my own) suffered because of a lack of a good script. Most are rushed in to production long before they are ready. There's no rush. The one advantage most of us have, is that no one is beating down our door for a script. Use that and craft something extraordinary.

That's all I have at the moment, but I would like to leave this thread for other input regarding the basics of Screenwriting and leave other threads for more specific or advanced topics if that's okay with everyone.

[Paddy]

Jim is so right that I'm trying to figure out how to use my CASA powers to take credit for the post.

Paddy

[Kathryn Gould]

Might I also suggest a good grammar, spelling and punctuation book... or two? So often I see errors in screenplays that make the author look very unprofessional. Not just the occasional typo (for which you should double and triple check!), but basic errors like using "alot", which is not a word. It should be "a lot". Some good books: "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss and "Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English" by Patricia O'Connor. Maybe some people think these things aren't important, but I think it's just one more excuse to send a script to the round file.

[Dee Brown]

Okay, this is a basic questions, I guess. I'm looking for the answer elsewhere, but maybe someone here can provide the answer more quickly:

I'm writing a scene in which the actors are talking, but the dialogue can't be clearly heard (we hear them talking but can't discern what they're talking about. The laughter, however, can be heard. Are these sound effects? Do I write INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION and LAUGHTER? Or do I just make it an action line?

Thanks,

Dee

[Andrew Brodsky]

Dee, I'm new to all this, but I think unless it's a shooting script, you don't need to capitalize or otherwise single out your sound effects.  I'd make it an action line, informal and conversational, like:

 

Jim and Bob laugh and talk in the background, but Susie can't tell what they're saying.

 

I don't know, maybe that's still too wordy?

 

 

[Jim Brennan]

Sometimes readers skim scripts more than they would like to admit.  It can be helpful to capitalize certain sound effects if they really need to grab their attention, such as BOOM.  Or, in this case, if the laughter is a payoff of something or it is playing opposite of what the audience might expect, it might help to capitalize.

[Michael F.Ryan]

I agree with everything Jim says, especially the common fault of rushing a project into production

and then resulting in something which looks like a "student film" or "home movie"; too many of our

low-budget Colorado projects have those faults in common.  The late Alfred Hitchcock once said

that "...Preproduction is the most inexpensive stage of production", that is before the cameras start

to roll.  For the good of the cause I would like to add my recommendations of EXCELLENT resource

material (which I am using myself) for script development.  They are the classic by John Truby

entitled "The Anatomy Of Story", also; "20 Master Plots and how to build them", by Ronald Tobias;

also, "The Short Screenplay" by Dan Gurskis.  You couldn't go wrong with any of those.

[Coloradosploitation Films]

This is why I believe that the two greatest gifts a writer can have is patience and a good support group that will give honest feedback on a script.

Unless you're a film student on a deadline, there's no reason to rush a first or second draft into production. Chances are the people and resources you need will be around another couple of months, so why not put that script away and look at it with fresh eyes a few weeks down the road? Once your free of that initial enthusiasm and passion, you're able to look at your work objectively, and will see where you might have gone wrong.

Just as important...or maybe more so, is having people who will honestly rip your script to shreds if you deserve it. Nothing is more damaging than having a group of pals who tell you how great your script is, no matter what. A better person to have is an objective reader who has no problem reducing you to tears because your 'The Last Starfighter' fan script is a huge pile of failure. Does it hurt? Yes. But would you rather have a better screen play, or surround yourself with people who tell you every idea you have is brilliant? [We call this 'George Lucas Syndrome']

Sometimes a script is born into this world a screaming monster ready to take on all comers, but most need time and nurturing to get where they need to be.