Screenwriting Isn't Writing

In his 24-minute viral video "Wrestling Isn't Wrestling", writer/director/comic book nerd/pro wrestling fan Max Landis offers a masterful rebuttal to those non-fans of “sports entertainment” who criticize the genre for its lack of “reality”.

The video, a combination of epic fanboy rant and satirical takedown of a billion-dollar industry, uses beautiful women in place of the muscular grapplers, with Landis' funny and foul-mouthed narration serving as dialogue. The video also contains a number of celebrity cameos, including Seth Green, Macaulay Culkin, Josh Peck, Haley Joel Osment and David Arquette.

Missing the Point

Landis observes that critics of pro wrestling who say, “You know it's all fake, right?” miss the point. The point of a pro wrestling show is not to depict an actual athletic competition, but to use the format of an athletic competition to tell compelling stories with a fascinating and diverse cast of characters. While the members of a pro wrestling troupe are often exceptional athletes, most of them have no more qualifications to compete in “legitimate” wrestling tournaments than Sylvester Stallone did to step into the ring against Muhammad Ali in their respective primes.

So what does all this have to do with screenwriting?  It means that writers, readers and other arbiters of what makes “good writing” must understand that the purpose of screenwriting is not to provide “good writing.” The people who view screenwriting as an avenue for brilliant prose, sparkling dialogue and intricate plots are missing the point of  screenwriting, just as much as those who want to view pro wrestling through the lens of an authentic athletic contest.

Punting the Purple Prose

Writers attempting the transition from novels and short stories to screenplays often have are more difficult time than those jumping straight into screenwriting. Novelists see the page as a canvas on which they can paint “word pictures” that capture the reader's imagination. Many famous novelists can go on for pages of description involving a flower in field, a woman's beautiful figure, or a rivet on the hull of a submarine.

Screenwriters must learn to use an economy of language that would make the ghosts of Mickey Spillane, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler jealous. Writers of feature scripts must learn to tell a riveting story, within a very specific format, in 90 to 120 pages. This format leaves almost no room for purple prose, lengthy speeches or colorful descriptions.

Time Is Money

The standards for “brilliant writing” and “brilliant screenwriting” are as different as UFC is from WWE. Novels are meant to be read at leisure. A novel can require several hours to several days for a reader to finish. Novel readers seldom feel the need to rush through a book, no matter how much some chapters or sections may drag down the action.

Screenplays are less about creating a wonderful reading experience and more about outlining the viewer's experience. Techniques that create memorable moments in a novel can kill a screenplay. Screenwriters must keep in mind that the only people who routinely read screenplays are those who do so as part of their job, such as agents, producers, directors and actors.

Novels tell a story. Screenplays give directors, actors, and crew members the blueprint for a story. To paraphrase from the end of the Landis video, screenwriting is drama, screenwriting is action, screenwriting is a template for the most powerful means of storytelling.

The only thing screenwriting isn't – is writing.

Contact Story Into Screenplay

If you want to learn more about what screenwriting is (or isn't), contact us at Story Into Screenplay. We can teach you how to develop your characters, build your story arc and write a salable script. Contact us today at storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com, or check us out on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

TV, or Not TV? Screenwriting For TV Vs. Feature Films

With the rising costs of producing a feature film, studios are relying more on sequels, prequels, remakes and adaptations from other media. This trend has led to a reduction in the number of opportunities for selling a spec feature screenplay, especially for a newcomer.

However, the advent of streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, plus the growth of both basic and premium cable channels, has created new growth opportunities for writers seeking to develop TV series.

If you're looking to translate your concepts from a feature film format to a TV series, here are some things to keep in mind.

More Control
A friend of mine who has written both novels and screenplays once told me, “Selling a novel is like seeing your child graduate from college. Selling a screenplay is like selling your child into slavery.” As a feature film writer, you're often subject to notes from producers, directors and even actors who can take your story into unexpected or unwelcome directions.

The lead writer in a TV series is known as a “showrunner,” which means that you run the show. Although you will still need to contend with notes from producers and networks, you largely control the show's creative direction.

Longer Story Arcs
Feature films typically have run times of two hours or less. The short run time limits the number of plot points, story twists and character-building opportunities you can put into your story.

A TV series gives you more room to develop longer story arcs and to create deeper character development. Audiences can either come back week after week to see how your characters grow, or “binge-watch” to see them develop over several episodes at once.

Planning Your Story
Despite the romantic notion of writers as “writing what they know” and “following their inspirations,” writing in any story form requires a plan. In feature film writing, the structures for outlines range from Syd Field's “three-act structure” to Blake Snyder's “15 Beats” to John Truby's “22 Steps”.

If planning a feature film script is important, creating a plan for a TV series is critical. As the showrunner, you must know the vital story elements for each episode. In most TV series, the showrunner depends on a staff of writers to create the individual episode scripts, so those writers rely on the showrunner's clarity of vision (in the form of the “story bible”) to script those episodes.

Room for Ensembles
Many beginning screenwriters envision creating “ensemble pieces” that tell epic stories. The concise nature of feature films rarely allow for stories that feature multiple characters, story arcs, and conflicts.

The longer seasons of a TV series allows you the chance to create story arcs for numerous characters. The development of more characters in your series gives you more opportunities to connect with your audience. For instance, the long-form storytelling in the HBO series “Game of Thrones” allows audiences to follow the storylines of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, or Tyrion Lannister.

Time Frame
One advantage that feature films offer is that they can be of nearly any length. Although most feature films run from 90 to 120 minutes, they can be slightly shorter or longer, as the story and the direction allow.

Episodic television, even through streaming services, places strict limits on the length of each script. A single-camera, half-hour comedy script must come in at 22 pages – not 20, not 25, and certainly not 30. You must keep this in mind as you script out each episode.

Feature Screenplay vs. Pilot Script
In a feature-length screenplay, you must introduce your characters, create your world, send your characters on their respective journeys, and bring them to their final destinations, all in 120 pages or less.

For your TV series, you start with a “pilot” script that establishes the characters, shows their relationships, and starts their story arcs, without the need for a definitive conclusion. Just as the old-time movie serials used “cliffhanger” endings to bring in an audience the next week, you can also use suspense at the end of the pilot script to attract a reader's interest in seeing more from your characters.

If you need help in developing your TV series concept, then you need Story Into Screenplay. We can teach you how to develop your characters, create your story bible and write a pilot script. Your script is your key to attracting agents who want to sell your idea, producers who want to buy it, and actors who want to be in it.

Contact us today at storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com, or check us out on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

What's In A Name? How Character Names Reveal Character Traits

Too many rookie screenwriters start out with “million-dollar” ideas and big-budget concepts, but with only vague notions on their characters. Unless you're writing a biopic or something “Based on a True Story”, you need to spend time getting to know your characters. A major part of that process is choosing names for your characters.

Expectant parents often research, debate and argue over their child's name for months before its birth. Shouldn't you spend as much time thinking about how to name your “babies” in your script?

Character Name Generator
A fun place to start is the “Character Name Generator”. This site gives you a form to select your character's gender, ethnicity and birth decade. The page generates a name, personality type and random psychological profile according to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). While the data here may not fit your initial ideas for your character, it does provide a useful starting point.

First Names
Keep in mind that your character's parents choose their child's name for specific reasons. Also remember that your character may choose to use a different form of his or her given name, while showing discomfort at other forms. The stuffy aristocrat named “Arthur” may flinch at being called “Art” or “Artie”. Each form of a given name can also reflect an aspect of your character's personality.  For instance,“Richard” is all business, but “Richie” is the life of the party, and “Rick” is a hit with the ladies.

Nicknames
Just as your character doesn't choose his given name, he also should not get to choose his nickname. Nicknames can come from a wide range of sources, some welcome and some less so. The character's reaction to their nickname can reveal aspects of that character to the audience. One famous example shows how Henry Jones, Jr., had a stronger childhood bond with the family dog than he did with his absentee father, so he took the dog's name as his own: Indiana.

Family Names
A character's family name can also reveal facets of his personality, as family names often contain aspects of that family's history. A working-class family may have a name that suggests hard work, such as Baker, Carter, or Miller. Names taken from British cities and counties can suggest an upper-class background, such as Essex, Somerset, or Warrington. A family name tied to an identifiable ethnic group or nationality can give your character a historical and traditional background that can serve as either a place of comfort or a source of conflict.

Names as Shorthand
As unfortunate as it sounds, readers, producers, and agents will make snap judgments about your characters based on their names. If you choose to name your ass-kicking action hero “Myron Kaufmann” and your cowardly accountant “Ace Hardcastle”, you'll have a harder time selling your script. Think about the first impression that your character's name gives to an audience, then you can choose either to go with that expectation or cut across the grain for more impact.

About Story Into Screenplay
Story Into Screenplay offers one-on-one consulting, either in person at our Houston location or through online sessions. We can work with you in developing your story structure and finding the unique facets that can turn your idea into a script that grabs the attention of agents, producers and directors.

Contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com for more information. You can also check out out us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch videos on our YouTube channel.

John Truby on the Importance of Screenplay Structure

When it comes to story structure, no one has a better grasp on the concept than legendary screenwriting teacher John Truby. His best-selling book, The Anatomy of Story, is one of the essential books in any aspiring screenwriter's library. Truby has worked as a script consultant on hundreds of projects and his screenwriting classes routinely sell out.

In a recent teleconference sponsored by the International Screenwriters' Association, Truby shared some of his ideas on story structure and how its uses can benefit writers without confining their creativity.

Premise vs. Story
Truby remarked that one of the habits of rookie writers is their tendency to go straight from dreaming up their premise to writing up script pages. After the initial surge of inspiration wears off, these writers find themselves stuck with a few pages, but no coherent story.

“They get 15 to 20 pages into their script, then they hit a brick wall,” Truby said. “This is largely because they didn't do their structure homework. In order to tell a story that can last for 90 to 100 minutes, you must have a strong structural foundation.”

Dancing to the Beats
While most newbie screenwriters have read about the classic “three-act structure”, this format often does not provide the writer with enough guidance to see the story through from beginning to end. Professional screenwriters are also acutely aware of story “beats”. A story beat defines the turning points that occur in most narratives.

Some screenplay structures, such as Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet and Jacob Kruger's Seven-Act Structure, offer one-size-fits-all approaches to developing story beats. Truby's lessons not only provide a useful structure for all types of stories, but he also delves into the story beats unique to specific genres.

Doing the Twist
At this point, you may ask, “If every story uses the same structure, how do I make my story stand out?” As with any creative endeavor, you must first learn the rules before you can understand the most effective way to break them. The difference lies in your ability to adapt the story beats to your own purposes.

“Professional writers,” Truby remarked, “find that good structure shows you which creative leaps work and which ones are outside the scope of the story.”

Know Your Outcome
How many times have you left the house, turned on your car, and started driving down the road, with absolutely no idea where you were going or how you would get there? For your sake (and mine and everyone else's on the road), the answer should be, “Never!”

How many times have you sat at your computer, opened your screenwriting software and started writing down words, with absolutely no idea where your story was going or how you would finish it? For many rookie writers, the answer is, “All the time!”

“You can't hit the target unless you see the bull's eye,” Truby said in his recent Q&A session. “You have to know your ending first. All events in that script must lead to that ending.”

For more information on John Truby's classes, visit the John Truby Master Class site. You can also pick up The Anatomy of Story at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and The Writers Store.

While Truby's classes are among the best in the industry, many writers benefit more from a more individualized approach. Story Into Screenplay offers one-on-one consulting, either in person at our Houston location or through online sessions.

We can work with you in developing your story structure and finding the unique facets that can turn your idea into a script that grabs the attention of agents, producers and directors. Contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com for more information. You can also check out out us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch videos on our YouTube channel.

Dear "Producers": Pay Your "Fare" Share

A cab driver picks up a man in a suit.
The man gives the driver the address of a large downtown office building.
The cab driver asks his passenger if he has business downtown.
The passenger tells him that he's going in for a big job interview.
When they arrive, the cab driver asks for his fare.
The passenger says that he doesn't have the money to pay the cab driver now, but he promises the driver a share of his salary if he lands the job.
If you're the cab driver, what do you do?

Would you hire a cab driver if you didn't have the money to pay the fare?
Then why would you ask a screenwriter to create your script on nothing but empty promises?
Think about it.

Straight A's: 5 Ways How Strong Characters Can Launch Your Screenwriting Career

If you've read through some of the previous entries here, you'll know that I'm a big believer in the idea that strong characters form the basis for a high-quality script. Regardless of your genre, plot, theme, or setting, the measure of your ability as a screenwriter comes from how well you can create memorable characters. When you create a script that has powerful characters who overcome tremendous obstacles while pursuing meaningful goals, you'll earn a lot more than straight “A”s in your next screenwriting class.

Awards
One important way for you to get attention for your script is to win awards from screenwriting contests. Industry professionals are always looking for the best available scripts, and screenplay contests are valuable resources for agents, producers and directors who are looking for top-notch writers. Your ability to develop multi-dimensional characters can mean the difference between a script the contest judges can't stop reading and one they can't stop reading fast enough.

Agents
Contrary to the popular belief among many new screenwriters, an agent's job is less about nurturing you as an artist and more about selling your talents as a product. A major reason that new screenwriters don't land an agent is that an agent needs a quality product to show off the writer's skills. When you create characters that compel readers to turn the page to see what happens to them next, you've made a product that agents will find irresistible and will give their utmost efforts to sell to producers.

Angel Investors
An “angel investor” provides the start-up capital for a new business in exchange for a portion of the equity. These investors often look for high-risk, high-reward opportunities. While the practice of angel investment started with Broadway plays nearly a century ago, independent films have also attracted their share of angel investors. A script with strong characters can attract angel investors, as many of these investors will often see the characters as reflections of their own adventurous personalities.

Actors
Actors are constantly seeking out that star-making role, whether they're new to Hollywood, on the comeback trail, or looking to break the chains of typecasting. Why did Matthew McConaughey, star of such rom-com bombs as Failure to Launch, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and The Wedding Planner, accept a “minuscule” paycheck of $200,000 for the lead role in Dallas Buyers Club? In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that he “got (his) self-satisfaction” from the role. If your characters can give A-list actors the “self-satisfaction” they're looking for in a role, your success is all but assured.

Audiences
If you ask an audience what a movie is about, you probably won't get answers like, “love conquers all” or “war is hell” or “conformity is a prison.” You're more likely to get answers like, “it's about a washed-up boxer who gets a shot at the title” or “it's about a girl who fights her oppressive government with a bow and arrow” or “it's about a woman who fights back against her abusive husband.” Audiences don't pay to see messages or themes or platitudes. They pay to see characters. Make them want to pay to see yours.

If you want to write a script that will earn you these “A”s, contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com. We can work with you in building your characters, developing your story ideas, and fleshing out your concepts through in-person and online consultations tailored to your needs. Check us out on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check out our YouTube channel.

Why Do We Write Screenplays?

If you're reading this, you must have an interest in screenwriting. You could be an aspiring writer who's never written a script, or an experienced writer with several films under your belt. You could be a director looking for a writer to develop your ideas, or you're a producer who's looking for a writer to create a product you can sell to investors. You might be an actor looking for insights into how scripts are created, or just a film fan who wants a deeper understanding of the screenwriting process.

In any case, you may have contemplated the question of “why do writers write screenplays?” Out of all the possible creative endeavors, why do writers choose to sit in front a screen, open up our word processing software, and bash our heads into the keyboards until our brains spill out? Why do screenwriters choose to isolate ourselves from friends, family and fun, only to write out words that very few people will ever read? The reasons for such self-inflicted torture can be as varied as the scripts sitting on the shelves of the hundreds of Hollywood production offices, but most of them boil down to a select few.

“I want to be rich and/or famous!”
If you chose to get into screenwriting to be seen on red carpets, trade jokes with Jimmy Fallon, and get the VIP treatment at the hottest clubs, you're barking up the wrong tree. Unlike the world of live theatre, in which the playwright is royalty, the film industry ranks screenwriters below directors, producers, actors, crew members, craft service workers and janitors. Also, for those of you who think your “million-dollar idea” for a script will be your ticket to a Beverly Hills address, go back to the first entry of this blog to quickly disabuse yourself of that notion.

“I want to tell the world that ...”
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the “fame-seeking” writer is the “message” writer. If the intentions behind your script are to deliver a message that will change the world, take the advice of the late, great producer Samuel L. Goldwyn: “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.” Save your deep philosophical musings on the nature of life, love and loss for your fanfic novel or, better yet, a bumper sticker. At least no one has to sit through reading a long, boring, self-indulgent bumper sticker.

“I want to tell a story no one has heard before.”
I got three words for you: No. Such. Thing. In his book The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker holds that there are as few as seven unique stories in all of literature. In Save The Cat, Blake Snyder narrows it down to ten, including “Monster In The House” and “Dude With A Problem”. Since you can't tell a unique story, you have to know how to tell an old story in a unique way. That's why you'll often need a script consultant to help you shape your concept into a story that has blends the familiar elements with your unique voice.

“I want to provoke an emotional response from the audience.”
If you're writing a comedy, you envision the audience howling with laughter. If your script is an action-packed shoot-em-up, you dream of the audience cheering the Hero when he vanquishes the Big Bad. If horror is your genre, you want to see the ticket-buyers scream, jump, and cover their eyes at the frightening images your writing has conjured before their eyes.

BINGO! Now you're getting somewhere! The reason we write for the screen is to sit in the back of the darkened theater, watch the audience, and know we're taking them on a ride through our sick and twisted imaginations. Novelists get more praise as “writers”, but they don't get the immediate feedback from the reader. Directors get awards for bringing the images to life, but those images had to come from our fevered minds. Actors get the red carpet treatment for their performances, but they'd still be waiting tables without our scripts.

So, dear fellow screenwriter, the next time you sit down at your favorite writing spot and ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”, remember that audience. They're waiting for your script to make them laugh, cry, cheer, boo, and take them on an emotional ride.

If you want to create a script that tug at the emotions of producers, directors, and agents, get in touch with us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com. We work with new and experienced screenwriters in developing their characters, story ideas, and concepts through in-person and online consultations tailored to your needs. Check out out us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check out our YouTube channel.