One of the things you will always want to be clear about is WHO you let influence your writing. EVERYONE has an opinion… but not all opinions should be given equal weight. Once you finish your script; have worked through all the tweaks and fixes you found for yourself you’ll want to get opinions from others on it’s merits (and weaknesses).
The most important thing you should remember about feedback from others is you often get what you ask for. Most new writers start with the question ‘ WHAT do you think?” We’re afraid to ask for more. And so, you’ll often get answers like, ‘This is good. PERIOD!” That kind of feedback is nice… But not that helpful in fleshing out your script. Your uncle Arthur may be a great mechanic, but what does he know about movies and how they work?
So you’re best approach is to ask people who’s opinion on FILM and WRITING you know and respect; but don’t stop there. In addition to a hard copy of your script - give them a list of questions to answer that will provide PERTINENT INFORMATION for your next draft. The amount of effort you put into your questions will be directly related to the quality of the feedback you get. So think, What do you REALLY want to know about this draft of your screenplay?
For instance, is the OPENING SCENE gripping, engaging or off-putting? Is the MAIN CHARACTER and her/his dilemma compelling, charismatic or completely lame? Are the COMPLICATIONS the hero/heroine encounters real to the world they inhabit or pasted on for show? And finally, is the ENDING convincing and satisfying?
See what I mean, when I say that you get the kind of feedback you ask for? Simply getting solid feedback on these four questions should give you a good shot at starting your rewrite. For a more detailed critique questionnaire, write me at www.Wordsmythe.ca and I’ll send you my own script critique template for FREE. I want your script to be the best that you can make it and I’ll help as often as I can. But when you win that first important screenplay contest… mention my name!
I hope all this helps. And I wish you luck with your screenplay. Let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
How can I CREATE characters that are radically different than ME?
Your question strikes at the very heart of the writing experience....
do we only ever write ourselves into our creations or do we
consciously choose an alternative route and try to write something
other than ourselves and our own experience?
Now, many people will argue that no matter how hard you try to write outside yourself.... YOU are in every single piece you write. And I sincerely hope so... it is your creative energy that makes a piece/or character 'live' and breathe on it's own.
BUT to answer (or attempt to) your question. Whether you actively choose to write characters (& I think we're referring to main characters here) whose emotional 'toolbox' or psychological makeup is radically different than yours is really immaterial. You may write incredibly intense but self- contained characters that really challenge actors to dig deep to express ALL these characters ARE with just a few small gestures - because that's who you are. OR you may study minutely the mannerisms of people you meet that are LIKE the character you want to create.... and bring life to a character on the page that mirrors those mannerisms - even though they are not your own.
You don't have to be a wildly emotional person to create that kind of character on the page. But your characters' emotions need to come from a REAL place inside of you that allows you to project all of the nuances of that person. So you make a study of people you meet that are like your character...and build on that - starting first and foremost with actual emotions - love, hate, anger, jealousy. But I want to reiterate - wildly emotional or intensely withheld doesn't matter.... write what suits the character and the STORY you're creating.
And if you choose to focus on a particular 'type' of character.... and you create a series of films about people who are bright, articulate and very considered with their emotional displays.... actors & audiences will still love them IF they are well drawn and bring us stories that illuminate for us something of our own lives.
I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay . I’d love to read your work at Wordsmythe.ca
Now, many people will argue that no matter how hard you try to write outside yourself.... YOU are in every single piece you write. And I sincerely hope so... it is your creative energy that makes a piece/or character 'live' and breathe on it's own.
BUT to answer (or attempt to) your question. Whether you actively choose to write characters (& I think we're referring to main characters here) whose emotional 'toolbox' or psychological makeup is radically different than yours is really immaterial. You may write incredibly intense but self- contained characters that really challenge actors to dig deep to express ALL these characters ARE with just a few small gestures - because that's who you are. OR you may study minutely the mannerisms of people you meet that are LIKE the character you want to create.... and bring life to a character on the page that mirrors those mannerisms - even though they are not your own.
You don't have to be a wildly emotional person to create that kind of character on the page. But your characters' emotions need to come from a REAL place inside of you that allows you to project all of the nuances of that person. So you make a study of people you meet that are like your character...and build on that - starting first and foremost with actual emotions - love, hate, anger, jealousy. But I want to reiterate - wildly emotional or intensely withheld doesn't matter.... write what suits the character and the STORY you're creating.
And if you choose to focus on a particular 'type' of character.... and you create a series of films about people who are bright, articulate and very considered with their emotional displays.... actors & audiences will still love them IF they are well drawn and bring us stories that illuminate for us something of our own lives.
I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay . I’d love to read your work at Wordsmythe.ca
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Your movie story starts with the very FIRST IMAGE on the screen.
The power of image is demonstrated over and over again in film as we use our minds to scroll back over movies that have affected us deeply. Whether it is the famous dying words of Citizen Kane - ‘Rosebud’ that sets the story in motion. Or the loop-de-loops of the flying bug at the beginning of ‘Men in Black’ or the shelf of toys at the opening of Monsters Inc. Each image starts us on our journey.
In the case of Monsters Inc, the shelf loaded with toys is a red herring. It’s put there to lull you into believing you’re inhabiting a human world. A safe world, a world where nothing scary can happen; AND then, POW. In minutes you’ve been up-ended into a world that isn’t human at all - a MONSTER world that actually preys on our most vulnerable element - our children.
So, if you’re engaged in the act of creating a screenplay, I ask you; what IS the first image that flashes onto the screen at fade up? Will it land us exactly in the middle of the world in which the story takes place? Or, will it simply be used to lure us in and have the rug pulled out from under our feet moments later.
The act of writing is all about making choices and that first image is only one in a long series of story choices that will shape your audiences reaction to the film you’re crafting. So give it some serious thought as to how you will use that first image. Is it bait? Or is it a straight forward spring board into your story. Does it set the tone, the mood or the era for us? What does that first image accomplish?
The same is true of how we (as the audience) encounter your hero/heroine for the first time. In Monsters Inc, the first time we see James P. Sullivan (Sully) he’s sleeping. Nothing could be more innocent than that. The writer’s are telling us that Sully is as innocent and likable as the little children he spends every night scaring into tears.
Those first moments are important. Use them knowingly and with care; from them springs your story!
I hope this helps. And good luck with your writing. I can’t wait to read the result!
FOLLOW ScriptTips on TWITTER!
In the case of Monsters Inc, the shelf loaded with toys is a red herring. It’s put there to lull you into believing you’re inhabiting a human world. A safe world, a world where nothing scary can happen; AND then, POW. In minutes you’ve been up-ended into a world that isn’t human at all - a MONSTER world that actually preys on our most vulnerable element - our children.
So, if you’re engaged in the act of creating a screenplay, I ask you; what IS the first image that flashes onto the screen at fade up? Will it land us exactly in the middle of the world in which the story takes place? Or, will it simply be used to lure us in and have the rug pulled out from under our feet moments later.
The act of writing is all about making choices and that first image is only one in a long series of story choices that will shape your audiences reaction to the film you’re crafting. So give it some serious thought as to how you will use that first image. Is it bait? Or is it a straight forward spring board into your story. Does it set the tone, the mood or the era for us? What does that first image accomplish?
The same is true of how we (as the audience) encounter your hero/heroine for the first time. In Monsters Inc, the first time we see James P. Sullivan (Sully) he’s sleeping. Nothing could be more innocent than that. The writer’s are telling us that Sully is as innocent and likable as the little children he spends every night scaring into tears.
Those first moments are important. Use them knowingly and with care; from them springs your story!
I hope this helps. And good luck with your writing. I can’t wait to read the result!
FOLLOW ScriptTips on TWITTER!
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