To Write a Great Script ...

“Go through your script and test each incident and character to see if it can be removed from the story without damaging the whole. The ‘rule’ here is that anything that can be cut should be, because when anything non-essential is eliminated, what remains is greatly strengthened.”

—	Alexander Mackendrick (director/screenwriter)

The Saga of profound_whatever's Reader Graphic

The story starts with this Reddit thread:

I've covered 300 spec scripts for 5 different companies and assembled my findings into a snazzy infographic (LINK)

It's a beautiful and informative graphic.  It's also over 7k px wide.  A few versions have been cut and reposted, here's one (also linked on the tab above).  Here's an example:

It's beautifully done and the thread at Reddit turned into a mini-AMA.  (Ask Me Anything.)

But this graphic was also noticed by John August at Scriptnotes (johnaugust.com)  in this Let's Talk about Coverage  episode of the series of podcasts he does with Craig Mazin. 

There is a transcript of it here.

The graphic is discussed at length.  Things start to get a bit shirty when they cover the sections on what's wrong with the scripts that are given a PASS.

I think the graphic creates a wonderful checklist for scripts.  If I am  failing at even one of these elements, why would I expect to be amongst the 2% of scripts that are recommended?

Good enough, really isn't.  

PIXAR’S 22 STORYTELLING TIPS

Director and Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats (@lawnrocket) tweeted 22 tips for storytelling.

---

You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.

Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

Once upon a time there was ___.  Every day, ___.  One day ___.  Because of that, ___.  Because of that, ___.  Until finally ___.

Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

What is your character good at, comfortable with?  Throw the polar opposite at them.  Challenge them.  How do they deal?

Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle.   Seriously.   Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect.   In an ideal world you have both, but move on.   Do better next time.

When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next.   Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

Pull apart the stories you like.   What you like in them is a part of you;  you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel?   Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

No work is ever wasted.  If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.

You have to know yourself:  the difference between doing your best & fussing.   Story is testing, not refining.

Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great;    coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

It's More Like Guidelines, Anyway

Screenplay Formatting

Brian Koppelman told us: 

All screenwriting books are bullshit. All. Read screenplays. Watch movies.

Let them be your guide.

I agree. What’s also true, is that the complete newbie needs to know a few things – like what a screenplay looks like and how to format it.

Dave Trottier in his The Screenwriter’s Bible gives a lot of great information for the newbie screenwriter. And his columns are full of good suggestions. SUGGESTIONS. 

When Koppelman tells us to read screenplays, one of the first things to notice is how often the best ones break the rules. You action paras should only be 4 lines long? Break up your actions pages with dialogue? No camera directions? Read The Usual Suspects. How many rules can you break on page 1?

But even Trottier will tell you that the point is to tell your story. That’s what McQuarrie did. I have no advice. I just want to keep the idea alive that we aren’t engineers, even though a story does have to be structured, at least a bit. We’re story tellers.

I have an absolute love for reference books. I think Trottier’s is an excellent one. But to understand screenwriting:

Read screenplays. Watch movies.

Thanks for Listening, 6 Seconds at a Time

Thanks for Listening 6 Seconds at a Time

Brian Koppelman IMDb:

Brian Koppelman is an American screenwriter, novelist, director, and producer. Best known as the co-writer of Ocean's Thirteen, and Rounders, Koppelman has also produced films such as The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones as well as directed films such as Solitary Man. His writing partner is David Levien. He was an A&R representative from 1988-1997 ... See full bio »         

If you want to listen to someone about screenwriting, listen to screenwriters.  Or anyone who has succeeded who is generously willing to speak.  Mr. Koppelman is: one 6-second soundbite at a time.

Go to BRIAN KOPPELMAN ON VINEBOX

Fading In:

This is my screenwriting blog. I’m new to screenwriting, but not to writing.

I keep trying to write this intro post, then I scrap it and try again because two sentences doesn’t seem like much of an intro.
.
.
.
Nope.

.

.

.
I got nuthin’.  Here:

“You can only write what you give a shit about.”

~~William Goldman

---

March 2014

It took a while, but I realized finally what this blog is for.  Me.  I learn by writing stuff down and at this stage I am trying simply to learn the art that is writing a screenplay.  I do that by writing, but more, I do it by writing down the lessons and ideas that make sense to me.  The million little "ah-ha" moments.  

It's a blog and not a journal because this is my journal now.  My creative life is lived through a computer. It's also public.  It's public because I think there must be a lot of people like me who can  have an ah-ha reading the same stuff I have.

So.  Now I know.