 For Authors: April 25, 2007 Issue [#1673] |
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| Screenwriting is not a simple task. Dialogue and action are emphasized as means of communicating a story and emotions on the screen. These actions also apply after you have a polished script. You have to take action and engage in rigorous dialogues in order persuade someone to make your script a film reality. This newsletter will provide an overview of the journey a screenplay takes and offer some suggestions to make the obstacles a little easier to handle. |
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In a situation akin to how I handled a couple of my papers this semester, I changed my mind about the topic for this newsletter several times. I wanted to share some information I gleaned from a Reel Seminar lecture during the Miami Film Festival. On the other hand, finding items pertaining to screenplays on the site proved to be a challenge. That's when I realized that what I learned at the lecture is the last thing many aspiring screenwriters on the site have on their minds. So, I bring you a Screenwriting Primer. This will address some core screenplay issues and how to tackle them.
PREPLANNING
Just like any other form of writing, sceenplay writing requires some preplanning. From what I've seen, particularly detailed preplanning is part of the territory. In a previous issue of the drama newsletter, I mentioned a book I find particularly helpful in the sceenplay writing process.
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Those who have been following my drama newsletters the past year and a half might recognize that book. Anyway, one preplanning step Richard Blum suggests is the step treatment. A step treatment is basically a list of events that will happen in the course of the movie or TV episode. There is some detail sketched out in the step treatment, such as the basic origins of the character and some character personality quirks. The main purpose of the step treatment is to chart the events of the script. Developing the characters and setting is for the script itself. After that, well, that's for filming, and that's quite a ways down the road.  Don't get me wrong. You can write a script with an intended point of view and a certain mood. In the planning stages, your main concern is fleshing out the plotline and get an idea for the sequence of the events.
WRITING THE SCRIPT
After getting a step treatment written up (along with any other preplanning you wish to write out), sitting down to write causes many newbie screenwriters to sweat bullets. Why? Well, the format is very rigid. This is why I just about ran screaming into the night after taking a screenwriting class four years ago. However, after devoting some time to writing fiction, here's what I have deduced. Use the format of dialogue/instructions, but if centering scares you, wait until you've completed your first draft to center it. If you have a screenwriting program that will center it for you as you type, that's one less worry for you. If centering and writing at the same time scares you or messes with your ability to concentrate, then save it for later. In the first draft, your purpose is primarily to get your dialogue on paper or screen. Sure, you can also include action in the first draft. However, the dialogue will require most of your writing energy, so write it out no matter how awkward, nonsensical or cheesetastic it might seem. After all, that's why they call it a draft.  Trust me. The script will be rewritten many times, and that's just before it's purchased. Once it's purchased and being filmed, it will be rewritten again, perhaps even by someone else. Therefore, if you are eager to sell your script and are just getting your foot in the door, try not to become too attached to your script. If there is indeed a final product, it might not be what you imagined it to be (unless you also tak on the directing role).
For those of you who are chomping at the bit for format information, I actually covered that in a past drama newsletter. Here's the link. "Drama Newsletter (June 21, 2006)" That particular issue covers both formatting basics and technical tidbits. Likewise, if you are interested in scriptwriting software, I would recommend going here.
http://www.hollywoodscreenplay.com/
There are infinite varieties of software available, and this site offers the most specific and in demand titles. Plus, there is software for novelists as well.
PEDDLING YOUR WARES
There is no magic number for how many drafts you should write before you attempt to sell your script. Actually, there is a magic number: the number of drafts required to make your script good. A monkey banging on a keyboard will tell you that screenplay writing is a tough business. For that matter, just sitting through an hour-long lecture on acquiring representation for selling scripts made my head swim. So, let's break it down into the most basic steps possible.
 Get the copyright on that script. I suggest filing it through your nation's copyright office directly. The fees may seem a bit steep, but it does buy you piece of mind. I can understand some hesitance about paying the forty five dollar fee plus shipping, especially with a script. Still, if you are serious about selling your script, it's worth investing the money in making sure that your words are protected. The rights will be sold later, but registering your work makes it easier to claim the money made from the sale.
Get an agent. How? I would not suggest pestering all the agencies by sending your script. Instead, track down a screenplay competition or drop in at a film festival if you are able to attend one. These events give you the opportunity to speak directly with representatives from agencies who will do most of the selling grunt work for you. Another benefit of these events is you can see how the film industry works as a whole. If you watch director/crew commentaries on DVDs, you get an idea of the amount of work involved in getting a movie or TV show together. However, getting to the point of having a script filmed requires a couple gallons of elbow grease and perhaps a pair of kneepads. Finding an agent willing to sell your work is just the beginning of that journey.
Do your homework. The types of scripts agencies will represent changes from year to year, and you never know what new festivals will pop up. So, stay current, whether you opt for reading the papers or perusing their online counterparts. I've gone ahead and provided a few links for you to get started.
http://www.variety.com
http://www.latimes.com
http://www.screeninternational.com
http://www.imdbpro.com
(You will have to pay to access this site, but at $ 12.95, it's a reel deal. Yes, that pun was intended.)
I hope my little screenplay primer helps you understand how the process of scriptwriting works. Maybe you've even been inspired to try the form yourself. No matter what, just remember that while screenplays take slightly different paths from other literary works, all of them have one thing in common. All of them require a lot of work in order to succeed.
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I decided to combine advice with entertainment. Everything here pertains to TV and/or movie scripts, whether pointers on setting up a script to actual scripts I've found around the site. Enjoy!
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While I don't normally edit this newsletter, I decided to get some people's thoughts on the topic of screenwriting. So, I hit the virtual pavement with this poll.
[Linked Poll's access is restricted.]
Here are a couple comments I received on this poll.
From systemwolf8: I personally would love to try writing a screenplay, but I'm just not sure how. From what I've gleaned from other sites, it takes a great deal of formatting to make it acceptible to directors and such. Nonetheless, I think it would be a rewarding experience, and who knows? Maybe it'll become the basis for a great film!
Yeah, formatting tends to be a major source of anxiety for budding screenwriters. As I've said, worry about the directors after you've polished your drafts, not when you're sitting down to do the step treatment. With scripts, it's all about taking one step at a time.
From threadbare: that's a fantastic idea! i have never written a screenplay, but i've created ideas that i don't know how to create into a screenplay. i guess i've got to research how to write one... like a lot of writers, i vividly envision fictional events that would sometimes make really interesting screenplays.
--milhouse
Research never hurt anybody. The key is to not give yourself a migraine in the process. I find Blum's book very helpful, and it's easy to read. I'd supplement it with reading an actual screenplay (which sometimes are available in book format on Amazon.com and at links included in Blum's book) and one of the links I provided. This will give you a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the screenwriting scene. (Okay. That pun was not intended.) As far as fictional scenes go, I say montages tend to be easier to write yet serve the same purpose as some descriptive exposition. Perhaps that's why we sometimes gravitate to screenwriting as a means to fleshing out these scenes. |
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