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Screenwriting--How To Write More Powerful Scenes
by Danek S. Kaus
The scene is the basic building block of a movie. In screenwriting, every scene must move the story forward in some way, that is, show the protagonist taking the next step toward the goal, the antagonist attempting to thwart the protagonist or reveal information. If you write a scene that doesn't do any of these things, cut it.
A scene usually takes place in one location and for a particular period of time, unless the scene dissolves to a later moment. Then it is usually considered to be another scene, even if it is still the same location.
According to who you ask, the definition of a scene may vary. Robert McKee, one of the gurus of screenwriting and author of the book "Story," says that a scene may take place in several locations if it is the continuation of a particular event. He gives the example of a couple arguing as they get ready for work in the bedroom, eat breakfast and drive to work. By his definition, that would all be one scene.
I believe it's best not to get too hung up on definitions, but focus on understanding the concept. A scene is a usually single event happening at one point in time that moves the story forward. But even this idea can get tricky.
Say you're writing a courtroom story. You come to the scene where the prosecutor, who is the protagonist, interrogates a defense witness. He forces her to reveal that she is the girlfriend of the bad guy and that she has been lying. That's one event.
She cries. That's a second event. The accused grabs the bailiff's pistol and shoots the judge, That's a third event. The detective who arrested the criminal shoots the bad guy in the arm. Fourth event. Reporters rush out of the courtroom. Fifth event. And so on.
Despite all these things that are happening, this is essentially a single event-the prosecutor questioning the defense witness. Information is revealed to us, and the prosecutor has moved closer to his goal of putting the bad guy behind bars.
Just like the entire screenplay, each scene must have a beginning, a middle and an end. It must be a complete unit of the story.
Begin each scene at what is called the last best possible moment. In the kitchen example above, don't waste time with a lot of preliminary action. Don't show the wife or husband, rooting in the fridge, cracking a couple eggs, putting bread in the toaster, dropping the eggs in the skillet if these actions don't move the story forward. Start the scene when the second person enters and continues the argument that started in the bedroom.
Another critical element of constructing a powerful scene is to consider, and reveal to us, what each character's attitude is at this moment. Are they happy or sad? Depressed or confident?
What does each person want? And what is their attitude about getting it?
Finally, who gets what they want and who doesn't? What is each character's attitude about that?
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Key Words: Screenwriting, screen writing, script, movie script, book into a movie, your book into a movie.
Screenwriting for Authors -- Why Turning a Book into a Movie is Harder than Turning a Movie into a Book
By Danek S. Kaus
One of my screenwriting followers on Twitter asked me the
question: Which is
harder—turning a book into a screenplay or turning a
screenplay into a book? Without any hesitation, I responded that it' s much
harder to turn a book into a movie.
For one thing, you have much less space to tell your story
when screenwriting. A novel can run 80,000 – 100,000 words and more, taking up
hundreds of pages. A screenplay
must, with very few exceptions, run 90 – 120 pages, with lots of white space on
the pages. Average word count is somewhere around 20,000 – 25,000 words.
The reason for the strict page count when screenwriting is
that the rule of thumb when making a movie is that one screenplay page equals
one minute of screen time. It
doesn't always work out that way but you still need to watch your page count.
So you can see the problem from the outset. Books have much
more room to develop their stories and themes. They can spend a lot of time
describing a scene or a character, and delve deeply into their backstory.
Although it is important to keep
an eye on page count because of production costs and marketing, novels have
less exacting word counts.
Novels are much more flexible. They allow the writer to
spend time on what interests them most. Novels also allow authors to have fun
with the language, to show off their poetic flair, if so inclined. For many
people, including me, part of the joy of reading a novel is the writing style of
some of my favorite authors.
Novels can reveal what a character is thinking. In a screenplay, you can only write
what can be seen and heard on the screen. Sure, there are voiceovers, but most
producers and directors prefer not to have them unless absolutely necessary.
Screenwriting is minimalist. Character descriptions are very
general, to allow for more casting options. Likewise, movie dialogue must be
much shorter. Every sentence and every word must move the story forward in some
way.
Novels can have several subplots. Most movies only have one
or two, if any. There's simply not
enough time for them to develop in about 90 minutes.
Another reason that screenwriting is so exacting is that the
audience only has a quick moment to get all they can form each scene. When
people read a book, they can go back a few pages if something is not clear.
Can't do that in a movie theater.
In books, words tell the story. In movies, images, along
with dialogue, tell the story, but images are preeminent.
On the other hand, for the reasons listed above, turning a
screenplay into a book is a much easier process. The writer can use all those
ideas, characters and subplots she or he had to discard because of space and
time constraints. They can have fun with the language and more easily reveal
the thoughts, emotions and motivations of their characters. If your novel is a
few thousand words more than your editor asked for, you can probably get away
with it. But if a screenplay is too short or long, it gets thrown away without
even being read.
One difficulty that a screenwriter may have when turning a
screenplay into a book is that they now have to be more specific with details
of locations and the visual appearance of their characters. So, although
writing a novel is not easy, it is easier that writing a screenplay.
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Book Into A Movie -- How To Speak Like A Hollywood Screenwriter
by Danek S. Kaus
If you want to work in the industry, you need to know how to talk the language. Here are some useful terms.
Biopic -- a biographical movie.
Target -- audience who the producers think will pay money to watch the movie.
Pitch or pitching - a pitch is an attempt to sell the story idea to the decision maker or investor. It can be lot like a sales pitch.
Green light -- means someone with the power to say "Yes" his given the OK to make the film.
Raising the stakes -- in a screenplay, the protagonist must want something and then take action to get it. To raise the stakes means to put even more pressure on the protagonist, which makes achieving the final objective that much more critical.
Backstory -- is everything that happened to a character before the story begins. It can include the characters' education, health, job history, relationships, major events, both happy and traumatic, that shaped your character and set up the situation.
Pace - how fast the screenplay moves. Some have leisurely pace with long scenes, othesr have shorter scenes, which conflict rises quickly and increases in speed.
Synopsis - a short overview of the story, hitting all the major plot points. Does not contain dialogue. Like the screenplay, it is written in the present tense. Usually just a few hundred words.
Treatment - is a longer version of the synopsis. It can be short or long, four or five pages up to about 20 pages.
Logline -- one or two sentence description used to sell the concept of the story. It contains the main selling point of the story.
Inciting incident -- gets the story moving. In the beginning of the film, we are first introduced to the protagonist and their life. The inciting incident thrusts a change upon them, forcing them to move their life into a completely different direction. It must occur within the first 20 pages, though many happen much sooner.
Dramatic Irony -- happens when the audience is aware of something that the character or characters are not.
Beat -- a short pause, either in dialogue or before someone commits an action.
INT. - stands for interior, meaning inside.
EXT. - Exterior, meaning outside.
Slugline -- begins each scene. It indicates whether the scene is inside or outside, where the scene takes place and the time of day.
Montage - a series of scenes used to denote the passage of time or a theme.
Tags: Screenwriting, Screen Writing, Book into a Movie, Turn Your Book into a Movie, Movie Script, Danek S. Kaus
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Screenwriting --- The Difference Between Movie Dialogue And Novel Dialogue
by Danek S. Kaus
When you adapt a book into a movie, it's critical that you understand the differences between movie dialogue and that of everyday life and novels.
Movie dialogue is supposed to APPEAR TO SOUND like real-life conversation without actually BEING like real-life conversation.
All of the dialogue in a film or TV show is supposed to move the story forward, so limit it to the meat of what you want to impart to the audience. Make it sound they way people talk in real life but without all the usual fluff, extraneous information and tangents.
Think of movie dialogue as Talk Light, only with much more meaning and drama. Or humor.
Each character should speak with their own voice, that is, a distinctive way of speaking that reflects who they are as a person. Each thing they say should be so distinctive, so individual, that only they could have said it in your story.
A mature, cynical college professor from New York city will speak differently than a naive freshman from the Midwest.
A down-on-his-luck carpenter's apprentice will speak differently than a real estate tycoon, even though they're in the same industry. They will have different attitudes and vocabularies. Someone who is positive, on top of the world will say things that reflect their world view. The same is true for the carpenter who is worried he won't make the mortgage.
One problem with many newbie scripts is that everyone sounds the same and just about anything they say could be said by any other character.
Make your characters SOUND different, distinctive and you're on your way to a more sell-able script.
Something else to consider when you adapt a book is that movie dialogue is generally much shorter than that of most novels. And the best movie dialogue has what is called subtext - the real meaning behind the words, not the words themselves.
This is not to be confused with verbal irony, where someone says something different from what they mean. One form of verbal irony is sarcasm. A character might say "That's great" upon receiving bad news, meaning, "That's really terrible."
Subtext reveals inner, deeper meanings that the character does not express outright. A comic and/or sexual version of subtext can happen when the conversation about something normal, say cooking, is loaded with sexual innuendo.
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Screenwriting - Why Good Enough Isn't Good Enough
By Danek S. Kaus
If you're trying to start a screenwriting career, don't think that writing to the level of a lot of the mediocre movies out there is good enough. Your material has to be better. Way better.
Why would a producer work with yet another mediocre screenwriter who is a stranger, instead of a mediocre writer that he already knows?
Think about it. Show business is like any other business in that regard. People like to work with someone they already know and trust. They don't know you, so why take a chance on you if you can't offer something better than they already have?
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Screenwriting -- How to Properly Format a Screenplay
by Danek S. Kaus
If you want to be successful at screenwriting, you must first learn proper screenplay format. Screenplays look very different on the page than novels do, and they have certain length requirements. If your script doesn't look right, it will get tossed without further consideration.
It must also be the proper length. People who are new to screenwriting often make their scripts too short or long. They need to be between 90 and 120 pages. If a script is too short or too long, it will get thrown away without further consideration.
The left hand margin should be 1.5 inches, which allows room to punch holes for brass brads that hold the script together. Right hand margin is one inch. One inch margins at the top and bottom.
Make sure to use only Courier or Courier New 12-point font. The reason for this is that movie makers use a rule-of-thumb that one page of a screenplay equals one page on screen time. Using different fonts would make that rule unreliable.
To begin your script write FADE IN: in the left-hand margin, one inch from the top of the page.
Movie screenplays are written in scenes, not chapters. Each scene begins with a slugline that states where and when the scene takes place. They begin with either INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior). You then indicate the specific location, followed by a dash and the time of day. Here is how the slugline looks:
INT. A CLASSROOM - DAY
Then drop down two lines and describe who is in the scene and what they are doing. The first time you introduce a character in your story, their name should be ALL CAPS. After that, use traditional capitalization. For example:
ALICE WALKER, in her early 20's, wearing an inexpensive dress, stands at the blackboard, writing out math problems in the empty classroom.
Begin dialogue at 2.5 inches and end at about 6 inches. Character names in dialogue are in ALL CAPS and set at 3.5 inches.
If the dialogue jumps to the next page, type (CONT'D) below it. Begin the next page with the name of the character followed by (CONT'D) on the same line.
There are some more rules for screenwriting format, but these will get you started on the right track.
If you're really serious about screenwriting, consider investing in screenwriting software. The two industry standards are Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter.
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Tags: Screenwriting, screen writing movie script, book into a movie
Screenwriting For Authors -- How To Avoid The Most Common Beginner Mistakes
by Danek S. Kaus
Screenwriting is vastly different from writing a true-story book or a novel. It is a different medium and needs to be treated as such. It is a difficult form that even few authors are able to master.
With this in mind, here are some common mistakes of new screenwriters. Hopefully, this article will help you to avoid them and make your script or book into a movie more enticing to Hollywood.
STARTING TOO LATE - Novels can and often do begin at a slow pace, with scene descriptions, character backgrounds and so on. Because screenplays generally run a maximum of 120 pages, much of it white space, a screenplay has to get moving sooner.
UNNECESSARY DESCRIPTION - Screenplay description is minimalist, just enough to tell the reader where we are and a general tone of the place. Leave the rest up to the director and/or art director.
STATING THE OBVIOUS - one tendency of new screenwriters is to have characters talk about what we just saw on the screen. For example, if we are watching a track meet and John crosses the finish line first, it is unnecessary and boring to have a character say "John won the race."
FORMAT - Screenplays follow a strict format. The first thing a producer or Hollywood Reader (whose job it is to read scripts for their bosses) does is check the format. If it's wrong, even a little, they throw away the script without further attention.
LENGTH - Feature Film scripts are usually 90 - 120 pages, though close to 100 is usually preferred. The reason is that one page of a screenplay is considered to translate into one minute of screen time. Industry execs will generally not read a script that is longer or shorter.
TOO MUCH DIALOGUE - One big beginner mistake is to write page after page of dialogue. Movies are primarily a visual medium. There should be a good balance of dialogue and physical action, favoring action. Action does not necessarily mean car chases and gun fights, it means the characters are doing something.
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Screenwriting -- Powerful Ways To Begin A Screenplay Part 2
by Danek S. Kaus
An interesting opening is essential for success in screenwriting.
My first article on how to start a screenplay (below) covered beginning with an action sequence, a day in the life of your main character and a "real beginning," such as the protagonist arriving at a new destination, starting a new aspect of their life or a new person coming into their life.
Here are some more great ways to open your screenplay:
MONTAGE - a montage is a series of brief scenes, usually without dialogue, that can indicate the passage of time or the state of affairs of something. For example, if the story is about a down and out baseball team, you could show a batter striking out, an outfielder dropping the ball, fans booing, a newspaper headline about the slump, and so on.
NARRATION - You might begin a screenplay with the hero or another character doing a voice over (V.O.) about the situation, how the protagonist arrived at this point in their life, etc. In the delightful "A Christmas Story," about a 10-year-old boy who campaigns to get a BB gun for Christmas, the adult version of the main character is the narrator, speaking in the past tense.
The narrator could also be simply a narrator, not a character in the story. The narrator opening should be used sparingly, but it can work very well for some movies.
FORESHADOW - In some movies the opening scene is used to lay the groundwork for what is to come. In "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, we learn of the creation of the Ring of Power and how it was used to seduce then subdue the great kings of the time, turning them into specters, forced to do the bidding of the dark lord. When humans capture the ring but then lose it, memory of the ring and its evil powers is lost for thousands of years. Until it reappears in the hands of an unlikely hero - a hobbit.
Add these openings to your screenwriting bag of tricks, and you're well on your way to writing successful screenplays.
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Screenwriting -- Some Great Ways To Begin Your Screenplay
by Danek S. Kaus
The first few pages of your screenplay are critical. Most execs, or Readers (people who want to become execs) will only give you about 10 pages to catch their interest. That is why you must have a great beginning.
Here are some of the best, time-tested screenwriting techniques to begin your script.
ACTION, ACTION, ACTION - All of the James Bond pictures start with action, which might or might not be related to the main plot.
A police officer tries to arrest a couple of drug dealers. A gun battle erupts. One bad guy is killed, the other drives off. The detective chases him in his own car, driving fast, dodging obstacles and shooting his gun. You get the picture.
A REAL BEGINNING - The hero or heroine arrives at the airport or train station in a new town. They begin their first day of work at a new company. A creepy person moves in next door. The protagonist meets someone who will be very influential - a love interest, mentor or nemesis.
A DAY IN THE LIFE - Show us the main character going about their daily routine. A single mother makes breakfast before sending the kids off to school and then going to work. An attorney might argue a case before a judge.
A doctor in an emergency room saves the life of a traffic accident victim. But the main plot may be about stopping a deadly epidemic. You might then choose to begin with that same doctor treating someone who has a strange, unknown disease that turns out to be related to the epidemic.
An inner-city teacher helps a disadvantaged child to learn how to read. Then we discover that she will fight an uncaring bureaucracy that wants to shut down a youth center to put in a shopping center. Or we may learn that her marriage might break up because she has given birth to a learning-disabled child.
The trick to making this opening work is to keep it from getting boring. Quickly give us a reason to care for the main character. Perhaps show them as an underdog in some way or introduce some conflict in their life. It can be related to the main story or not, but quickly give the reader a reason to care.
These are a few of the screenwriting techniques to get your movie off to a great start. Consider using them when you begin your next screenplay or perhaps do a rewrite on an existing one to give it a better beginning.
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Screenwriting -- Understanding The Importance Of The Inciting Incident
By Danek S. Kaus
The screenwriting term for the event that really gets a story going is the inciting incident. Up until this moment, we see the protagonist in their normal world. The inciting incident is something that shakes up that world and causes the protagonist to take action to achieve a specific goal.
It establishes the stakes of the film: Will the boy get the girl? Will the suburban couple that gets lost in gang territory make it out alive? Will the prom queen escape being murdered by the serial killer?
The inciting incident also establishes who or what, (usually who) stands in the way of the main character reaching her goal. It is the beginning of the real conflict of the story.
In addition, the inciting incident is the first plot point of the screenplay. A plot point is an event that spins the story in another direction. A good script has plot points that increase in intensity until the final plot point - the climax.
Here are some examples of plot points in classic movies: Scarlet O'Hara meets Rhett Butler. Gone with the Wind. Luke Skywalker's farm is destroyed. Star Wars. A lost love suddenly appears in the saloon of a cynical man in World War II. Casablanca. The respected head of a Mafia clan is the victim of an assassination attempt. The Godfather. Dorothy lands in Oz. The Wizard of Oz.
So how did the inciting incidents in the films above affect the story?
Spoiled, vivacious Scarlet O'Hara, who is used to having men faun over her meets her match. It is the beginning of a tempestuous cat and mouse relationship against the background of the Civil War.
Luke Skywalker dreamed of becoming a cadet and flying fighter jets but he always had a reason not to. Once his Uncle's farm was destroyed, he had no more excuses. He sets off on his adventure.
Rick in Casablanca sticks his neck out for nobody, until Ilsa rocks his world and causes him join the war effort to defeat the Nazis.
When Vito Corleone is gunned down, War Hero and Good Guy Michael chooses to protect his father by joining the "family business."
When discontented Dorothy lands in Oz, it is the beginning of a journey back home, both physically and emotionally to recognize "There's no place like home."
Do you see how the inciting incidents set each story in motion? One of the keys to better screenwriting is to have an effective inciting incident that will set your hero on a new path, giving both them and the audience a reason to get involved and stay involved - right up to the closing credits.
Tags: Screenwriting, screen writing, movie script, book into a movie
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Screenwriting -- How to Adapt Your Book into a Movie
By Danek S. Kaus
Whether they wrote a true story or a novel, most authors dream of having their book become a big Hollywood movie. In fact, a very high percentage of movies started out as books, comic books or graphic novels. According to Internet Movie Data Base, over 22,000 movies have been made from books.
If this is your dream, read on. One way to increase your chances of having your book turned into a movie is to write the screenplay version of the book. Producers prefer reading a script to reading books because they take less time to read. Most scripts are 90 - 120 pages, with a lot of white space.
If you're thinking about writing your own screenplay, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. You must write the proper length (see above). Scripts that are too long or too short are immediately thrown away.
2. You must learn screenplay format. There are books that teach this. If your script does not follow proper format, it will be tossed without further consideration.
3. You must get the Hollywood reader's attention in less than 10 pages. This may mean adapting the beginning of your story. If you don't get their attention and interest soon, they move on to the next script.
4. A screenplay can only contain what can be shown on the screen -- action and dialogue. Unlike a novel, you can't write about what the character is thinking. But you can reveal their emotions and thoughts through action and dialogue.
5. Every scene in the screenplay must move the story forward in some way.
6. Don't "direct" the script. Don't put in camera angles or suggest particular songs to play in the background. That is the director's prerogative.
7. Consider eliminating any subplots and combining two or more characters into one, that is, create composite characters, if there are numerous characters in your book.
8. Keep the dialogue short. Novels have more freedom in that regard.
9. Watch lots of movies with the intent of noticing what works and what doesn't. It will help you write a better script.
10. Realize that a book is not a movie and a movie is not a book. They have different needs and different rules. Keep this in mind and you will be more successful at adapting your book into a movie.
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