Screenwriting For Dummies

What I found interesting and worth taking away from this book is a lot. This is by no means a plagiarism or an attempt to summarize the entire book. This is simply my notes during my reading of this book.
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BREAKING DOWN THE ELEMENTS OF A STORY

Think about how and why you discovered the idea of the story in the first place.

Ask yourself: Was the idea inspired by an event? A person? A conversation? An image or location? then, Look into that more. Why? What interest/ pulled me?

DOCUMENTING THE IDEA

Write it down. Record it. Take a picture. Acquire the source.
Knowing how the idea began & learning how to document that idea – you may start noticing a pattern in subjects that you are drawn into.
Writing is a form of communication. So, it’s important to determine who you’re talking to and why they might want to listen.
What do you like about your story? “Those 3 things” that keep you excited about the story.
Who shares your taste? Know the audience.

UNIVERSAL PATTERNS

LOVE (infatuation, lust, obsession)
HATE
JOY
HOPE
AWE
FEAR (confusion, distrust, panic)
BETRAYAL
REVENGE
TRIUMPH

Mystery occurs when you know generally what is going on but want to know details. It occurs when you’ve set the scene but left out reasoning behind and action or a conversation.

DEVELOPING A BACKSTORY

Convictions & Beliefs
Education
Family Background
Geographic Location
Key Past Events
Quirks
System of Values
Talents
Time Period
Phobias

GENRE

What a writer is depicting.

TONE

How is the writer depicting it. How does the film make you feel?

PACE: length of the scene; how fast the action moves; quick or slow provision of information
TEXTURE: colors & sounds; their sensory details
TENSION: mental; emotional; psychological thread between characters

TIMING

Begin the film on the verge of a grand shift, and that shift, propels the ensuing action.

ARISTOTLE’S POETICS

PLOT: events that cause something to occur
CHARACTER: performs or causes another to do so
THOUGHT: character’s thought; overall thought; theme
DICTION: reveals character’s background
MUSIC: music; words; soundscapes
SPECTACLE: what makes the story screen-worthy

SYNOPSIS

CHARACTER: Who? Where?
GOAL: Wants more than anything to find…
JOURNEY: Journey begins when (event) and he/she decides to (action)
CONFLICT: He/she runs into trouble when/with (conflicts) which he/she tackles be (action)
RESOLUTION: The story ends when (event) and he/she discovers that (conclusion)

My story is about a (insert character type here) in (insert location here). He/She wants more than anything to find (insert hope/dream/passion). His/Her journey begins when (initial event here) and he/she decides to (character action). He/She runs into trouble when/with (insert conflicts), which he/she tackles by (character action here). The story ends when (insert event here) and he/she discovers that (conclusion).
Always ask yourself: “What’s the story about?”

STRONG OPENING

Introduce main character
Establish routine; pattern of life
Suggest a conflict that might break the routine
Introduce your subplots; suggest their conflicts
Set the tone; style of the piece
Suggest a villain or opposing force in the story
Suggest something important at risk
Raise a compelling question

Opening Sequence

Platform: It provides a brief look at the story’s platform (safe; stable prior to a life-altering event) so, the audience can feel a sense of relief when the platform shifts.
Mid-conflict: It starts the story mid-conflict.

Note: Always try one with a platform and another mid-conflict.

Opening Choices

A long first scene
Fleeting moments
A narrator
A montage

Remember: Visualize a scene —> Write it down quickly —> Polish later

Avoid opening credits (unless celebrities are involved).

Use the first sequence to grab attention (mystery, key moment)

Cold Open: Jumping right into it.

SUB-PLOT

A smaller storyline that supports the film’s main plot. It comes equipped with its own set of characters, conflicts and actions. Characters may or may not be moving towards the same objective(s).

Think what you want the present first. The people? The location? (whether the physical or esoteric location) The time? (one concentrated time span or jumping between time periods) The atmosphere? The stakes?

Whatever technique you employ in the first 10 to 20 pages you can use again later because the audience will be prepared.

TASKS OF ACT II

Increasing tensions & threats
Revealing character secrets at opportune times
Willing the audience to root for each success
Keeping the audience guessing as the writer barrels toward a conclusion

APPROACHES TO STRUCTURING SCRIPTS

PIECE MEAL: Going with the character bit-buy-bit to see what happens, unveiling as you go.
DOT TO DOT: Preselecting 3-5 pivotal events and drawing out scenes to carry us from point-to-point.
FULL ROAD MAP: Preferred method. Spend more time planning and less time writing.

ACTION vs. ACTIVITY

Differentiate between Action and Activity.

Activity embellish the plot.

Action propel the plot forwards.

Action

Two casually linked events.

Event #1 —(action 1)—> Event #2 —(action 2)—> Event #3

Differentiate between Action and Activity.

ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS; when in doubt, rely on ACTION.

Activity

Reveals character info
Establishes location / profession
Offset / Counter the viewing of the action; where humans behave contradictory to their actions

DRAMATIC IRONY

When the audience knows more than the characters. This causes a kind of ‘tension’.

ANTAGONISTS

PERSON
COMMUNITY/NATION
ENVIRONMENT / FORCE OF NATURE
PROTAGONIST HIMSELF

The more important the goal is to the audience/ main character the more terrifying the antagonist’s power becomes.

INTERNAL OBSTACLES

Phobia
Addiction
Psychological illness
Physical ailment
Overbearing / embarrassing personality trait
A debilitating state of mind (eg. dementia, depression, jealousy, defeat, anger, indecision)

EXPOSITION

Information the audience needs in order to understand the present story,

Information all characters know.
Information few characters know.
Information none of the characters know, only audience knows (dramatic irony).

THINGS TO CLARIFY IN ACT II

Character’s past successes and failures.
Character’s secret feelings / opinions of others.
Character’s secret feelings / opinions of an event.
Character’s personal tenderness, fantasies, addictions, fears, hopes and regrets.
Past the haunts your character.
Basic information about new characters introduced.

DRAMATIC ARC

Trajectory of a character, community, environment monitored through changes in behavior, in points of view, in moral codes, which in turn alter story’s action.

External Transformation

Appearance
Status
Mode of Expression
Profession
Circle of Friends / Family
Habits
Hobbies
Personal Tendencies

Internal Transformation

Psyche Health
Confidence
Anxiety
Sexuality
Beliefs
Passions
Dreams
Awareness of others
Compassion (or lack of)
Religion
Faith

CLIMAX

Largest scene. Protagonist makes one last attempt at achieving his/her goal. Final Battlefield.

A strong climax should:

Grandest in weight, scope, action.
Toss your protagonist into a moment of choice.
Begin at moment the protagonist has biggest despair OR hope.
End when the protagonist resolves his/her problems, which doesn’t necessarily mean reaching the goal.

RESOLUTION

After the climax. Film’s ending. First walk of character as a changed person in this new world.

Final Grace Note. The time to linger with the characters just long enough to feel what’s shifted in the world.

Where is your villain now? (Good villains leave marks)
What has your protagonist lost/gained?
Was it worth the trip?
If the audience has gained something or left with an element of hope, you’ve done well.
What story might begin the way yours ends?
Should be quick. Pervading tension has been released and the epiphany has been reached.
What sort of world have I crafted?
Why have I led the audience into this world?

CHANGE IN THE CLIMATE

Physically, Politically, Socially, Spiritually, Ethically or Sexually.

My story ends in a world where…. is no longer possible/acceptable and where… can occur.

YOUR SCRIPT SHOULD ULTIMATELY:

Evolve out of the previous action.
Represent the changes that the protagonist has undergone along the way.
Allow/Prevent characters from achieving their goals and/or solving their problems.
Offer hope in some direction.

Epiphanies are at the heart of strong conclusions.

IMPROBABLITY HAPPENS WHEN:

Historical / Factual errors.
Genre shifts.
Key information comes easily.
Character actions contradict.
Disappearance of character with too much or no explanation.
Character bursting into action with little or no setup.
Problems solved without any kind of combat.

When the writer’s hand in the work becomes apparent, the audience’s belief in the action diminishes.

AVOID IMPLAUSIBILITY

Research, Research, Research.
Allow a character to express the audience’s disbelief.
Prepare audience for improbabilities.
Make characters work for information.
Let characters solve problems themselves using skills & knowledge that the audience has witnessed them acquiring.

AVOID CASCADING

Forgetting to reincorporate knowledge or experience from one action into situations that follow it.

AVOID BANTERING

Dialogue in a scene should affect the person, if the person leaves the scene different than when going in, you’ve done well.

ENDINGS (ACT III)

Rising Action —> Climax —> Resolution

CHARACTER BUILDING

Characters are built from the outside in and from the inside out.

Character’s Physical Being

Audience like surprises as well as continuity. Physical Appearance is the first piece of the character’s puzzle. You convey years of information in almost 2 hours, so choose wisely.

Name

Length, Sound, Meaning

What’s the story behind the name?
How does the character feel about the name?
Is he/she named after someone?
Does he/she live up to the name?

Appearance

Physique
Visible Scars
Physical Disabilities
Wardrobe: What you wear affects how you’re perceived and therefore who you are.

Physical Environment

Where does he/she spend time by choice? out of habit? out of necessity? How does the character feel about being there?

Character’s Work

Keep track of the skills that the job requires, and the benefits it provides. You’ll use both later on.

Home/Office?
How many jobs?
What’s the chain of command?
Duties?
Rewards/Consequences of success/failure?
Immediate/Ultimate professional goals

Character at Rest

Uniquely theirs. Houses their belongings.

Suburb? City?
Apartment? House? Shelter?
Stable? Unstable?
Why do they live there?
Is he/she proud of it?
How much maintenance effort?
Live alone? Partner? Roommate?

Define the character’s dreams & passions & wants, their talent and expertise and the internal obstacles.

Character must have an overriding passion.
Character must be compelling, not necessarily likeable.
Audiences love to see characters learning.

AUDIENCE GROW TO UNDERSTAND CHARACTER THROUGH:

What they say
What others say about them
What they do

Note: Characters don’t just share. What’s in it for them?

With reveal, always reveal pieces of the puzzle when you know the audience is after it. Make them work to acquire it.

Set a concrete goal (avoid general abstractions). Audience need to know when/if the character is winning/losing.

Equip your characters with some original talent, prepare them to acquire more, and then decide what opportunities might reveal and eventually test these skills.

Habits and Routine provide instant access to a character’s true nature.

Let your characters have choices and make decisions.

Craft options that test the character’s strength, ethics and spirit throughout your script.

THE MENTOR

He/She know something that the character wants and needs to know. The Mentor is wiser. A strong mentor considers the character’s weaknesses and strengths.

A way for the audience to know the character at his core.

AVOID NARRATION

if need be, then give reason to speak, a unique voice, and a vibrant perspective.

ON DYNAMIC DIALOGUE

Diction

Character’s distinct choice and use of words. It shows his/her education, profession, geographic location and overriding emotion.

What sort of intelligence? (academic, intuitive, acquired)
A character’s jargon suggests their line of work.
A character’s slang suggests region, locale and geography.
What’s the character’s overriding emotion? Their default state of mind, which affects how they communicate.
- Dominant emotional states: Anger, Fear, Hope, Wonder, Joy, Greed

Knowing what base diction he/she will return to when the facade deteriorates is helpful to you as a writer.

Allowing characters to speak against expectation is a quick way to grab an audience’s attention.

Notice: Punctuation, Repetition & Use of silence.

Interruptions (–)

Trail-offs (…)

SETTING THE SCENE

Which roles are your characters playing now?
What is the status or the perceived status between the characters?
What does each character want?
What will change during or as a result of the exchange?

DIALOGUE

Good Dialogue

Combining distinct voices.
Reveals characters and their relationships.
Propels the action forward.
Conveys pertinent information / exposition.
Prepares and audience for upcoming events.
Grows out of events in the past.

Avoid Bad Dialogue

Too “on the money” —> Telling rather rather suggesting.
Too “repetitious“
Too “similar” —> not distinct enough for the characters.
Too “long” and “wordy“
Too “contradictory“
Too “reflective“

The screenwriter’s objective is not to mirror reality but to design a recreation of life.

Ask Yourself:

What kind of world do I want to design?
Why design that world in place of others?

Because film is a social medium designed to elicit audience response, screenwriting is an inherently ethical craft.

A 3-fold responsibility:

Consider themselves
Consider the material
Consider the audience

Questions to Ask:

What is sacred in my script?
Depth of character
Thoughts and opinions expressed?
Why certain events transpire

MAPPING OUT SCREENPLAY

Producers often ask:

What’s the hook?
Does it have audience appeal?
Remind me again, it’s like what 2 films?
Where’s the big event?
Yeah, but what’s it about?

STRUCTURE

3-act structure paradigm

ACT I – 25%
ACT II – 50%
ACT III – 25%

ACT 1 : INTRODUCTIONS

“What does he/she want?”

Setup

The eye picks up details more quickly than the ear. Pictures are a lot stronger.

First 10 pages

Introduce main characters
Establish primary environment
Convey a distinct mood/atmosphere
Establish time period
Illustrate routine – way of life
Provide any relevant backstory
Introduce the Antagonist

The Inciting Incident

AKA Catalyst – Tilts the story from order to chaos.

What do your characters want?
What might prevent then from getting it?
Will the Protagonist succeed?

Usually occurs with:

Action plunging characters into conflict.
Piece of critical information arises.
Sequence of small events prepare audience for story.

Plot Point #1

First big turning point. End of Act I. It must:

Push action in a new direction.
Force Protagonist to make a choice / take a risk.
Raise central question for 1st or 2nd time.
Raise the stakes.

ACT II: SAILING THE WOUND

“What will he/she do to get it?”

Make the conflict personal.
Test his/her abilities.
Let Protagonist fail at least once.
Further explore subplot.
Allow the Antagonist to succeed several times.
Teach the Protagonist a new skill.

Create scenes that result in other scenes (causality).

Create strong impediments: Let the Protagonist change his/her plans NOT tactics.

Note: “Plants” are conflicts that you foreshadow in an early scene and to bring to fruition later with a “pay-off“.

ACT III: THE FINAL FRONTIER

“Will the Protagonist succeed?”

Protagonist abandons hope and must be inspired back into action.
Protagonist makes a breakthrough discovery.
Protagonist gains/acquires a final necessary skill.
Villain forces Hero into combat.
Protagonist overcomes an internal obstacle that enables him to fight a physical Antagonist.

Climax

Character should be an active participant.
Villain should be equally formidable.
Something personal is now at stake.
There should be little time to think.
Something unexpected should occur.
Character should use some acquired skill in his/her attempt to succeed.

Resolution

Suggest a future life for the Protagonist.
Illustrate the repercussions of the climax.
Establish any changes in Protagonist.
Suggest a just/unjust world.

WRITING TIPS

How to work when you’re NOT working?

Immerse yourself in the timeframe (books, clippings, music, exposure).
Return to other visual mediums.
Visit appropriate locations.
Observe human behavior.
See lots and lots of films.

When are you ready for a rewrite?

When you consider/begin another project.
When you stop worrying about your script everyday.
When you’ve forgotten character/plot details.

Action-Outline

Writing down action and their corresponding results. Use that as a revision roadmap. Cross checking actions and pay-offs.

Characters in Your Story

What’s their backstory?
Create conflict that requires a new skill or new plan.
Strengthen your Antagonist.

Great drama doesn’t preach – it persuades, seduces, explores and most importantly it asks. Nobody likes to be told what to think.

Thought / Theme

Which characters share your beliefs?
Which characters oppose your beliefs?
Have you given then opportunities to share their views?
Are their arguments clear?
Have you portrayed both sides of the argument?

Getting The Right Tone / Pace

Compare the length and look of character dialogue.
Reconsider location.
Consider character intent and emotion.

Criticism for your Draft from Readers

TO REMEMBER:

Criticism more than once.
Anything confusing / unclear.
Anything you already suspected.
Anything eliciting a surprising or unintentional response.
Anything supporting the original intention.

TO FORGET:

Anything deemed bad or good without explanation.
Differing comments.
Pretty much everything else.

How to Approach Original Work

Follow the form: Characters (who?) Plot (what?)
Work from key scenes then write what’s in-between.
Use the story as a launching point: That one scene.
1. Read the original piece at least 3 times.
2. Write an Outline of pivotal scenes and actions.
3. Make a list of ALL characters.
4. Reduce the story to a 3-4 line premise.
5. Determine the question, concept, or point-of-view.
6. Find the holes.
7. Choose several key moments, put them in order and begin.

What to do when Stuck in Adaptation

Imagine the story in a different time period or location.
Imagine the work from a different point-of-view.
Eliminate flashbacks or memories.
Condense and Expand.
Determine your main characters and their goals.

Questions to Ask Collaborators / Writing Partners

What interest you about the project? What does not?
Who do you believe the script is about?
What do characters want?
General premise?
Why does this piece have to be written?

Working with Partners

Decide on a schedule.
Kill the Ego.
Divide the work evenly.
Discuss problems as they arise.

Selling Your Script

Putting on a happy face (the art of attitude)

A Professional Air: poise, assurance, open to critique
Enthusiasm: communicate that enthusiasm, it is contagious.
Intelligence: knowledge is power.
Patience: Don’t let frustration affect your work quality.
Persistence: Rejection is a given. Disregard it and keep going.

Common Universal Elements

Coming of Age
Family Reunion
Story of Revenge / Betrayal
Quest for Redemption
Story of love in the face of hate
A triumph of human will and ingenuity
Fight to preserve integrity, reputation or personal freedom
A rags-to-riches adventure

An Agent Wants

Someone who’s work can sell.
Someone who understands the business.
Someone pursuing a career.
Someone who won’t make their job more difficult.

You Want

Someone who enjoys your work.
Someone influential.
Someone committed.
Someone professional.

Pitch / Letter Format

Send in a query (pitch in letter form) before sending your scripts to directors, agents or producers. Your query should be written in 3 paragraphs as follows:

1st:

Personal reference
Writing programs
Previous writing work
Contests or writing awards
Compliment (only if genuine)

2nd:

Screenplay title
Teaser pitch
Emphasize hook
Your protagonists
The conflict
The genre

3rd:

How he/she can contact you
Let him/her know how you want him/her to respond

STORY is what happens. A narrative of event in their time sequence.

PLOT is how it happens. A narration of events with an emphasis on causality (cause/effect)

NO Story = NO Emotional value

NO Plot = NOTHING HAPPENS

STORY gives meaning to PLOT.

PLOT gives action to STORY.

.the end.