Screenplay Research: Why Should I Care?

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt

I've participated in some local short film contests, but this one has me more excited than most. NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society are putting together a short film contest called CineSpace. The contest is free to enter, but filmmakers must use NASA-provided stills and/or video clips for at least 10% of the film's running time. (Max. 15 minutes)

The contest has led me to research about the recent discoveries of potentially habitable planets. I've read about how radio waves propagate through space. I've learned about how a “superterran” planet can form around a red dwarf star.

Cool stuff, right? Unfortunately, my assignment isn't to write a scientific research paper. It's to write a film script. So how can I create a film with all of this cool stuff and still make it something that non-science nerds will want to see?

Characters

Coming off of Comicpalooza, one of the things that I've learned is that the major attraction that draws fans into properties is their relationship with the characters. People don't enter cosplay contests dressed as “exploration” or “wonder” or “science.” They dress as Doctor Who, Batman or Cheetara (thanks Juniper) because they relate to the characters. If the CineSpace project is going to succeed, it needs to have characters that elicit emotional investments from the audience.

Catalyst

Once the audience invests in the character's well-being, your job as a writer is to knock that character off his comfortable perch and into a different world than he has ever known. Some of the terms for this story beat include “catalyst,” an “inciting incident” or a “call to adventure.” For instance, if my main character in my CineScape project is an alien, the catalyst can be that he has crash-landed on Earth in an attempt to escape his oppressive home planet.

Conflict

Another thing I learned from the Comicpalooza convention is that people enjoyed dressing up as villains at least as much (if not more) than they wanted to portray heroes. For every Wonder Woman or Batgirl, there were ten Poison Ivies and Harley Quinns. The antagonist has to be stronger, more powerful, and more charismatic than the protagonist. The antagonist has to create the obstacles that the protagonist must overcome to reach his goals.

Concept

A major mistake that many rookie writers make, especially those in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, is that they get caught up in their “cool stuff.” When it comes to developing an interesting idea, a compelling concept is a necessity. When it comes time to write the story, the need for strong characters, conflicts and story points push the concept to the back of the line. From the example above, I have to get the audience to care about my escaped alien before I can point at the “cool stuff” about exoplanets.

Contact (Me)

If you need help with your screenplay, story or concept, you can reach me at storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com. I offer face-to-face consulting for writers in the Houston area and Skype consultations for writers in other parts of the world. I also provide coverage reports which include breakdowns of your characters, story arcs and entertainment value of your existing scripts. You can also check out the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page and my Filmography, which includes links to my IMDB page and clips of the films I've written.

Thanks to all those who attended my Comicpalooza panels. I plan to attend similar panels at Space City Comic Con in July and Amazing Comic Con in September, as well as other Houston-area film industry events.

Adventures At Comicpalooza

While most of you outside of Houston may have been enjoying baseball games, barbecues and beautiful weather on Memorial Day Weekend, some of us put in some serious work before the sequel to Noah's Flood hit the (overflowing) Bayou City.

I attended the Comicpalooza sci-fi convention in Houston all weekend. No sunny skies or green lawns for me; just hard concrete and sub-zero air conditioning in Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, followed by torrential rains and insect infestations at home.

Friday

I spent my Friday walking the enormous convention floor. I visited dozens of tables talking with novelists, publishers, and comic book creators on how to adapt their works into screenplays. Many of these writers have concepts that can launch new film franchises. My job is to help them realize that potential by adapting their work to the screenplay format.

Saturday

Early Saturday morning, I delivered a talk titled “Turn Your Story Into A Screenplay.” For a talk that started at 10am on a Saturday, in a room situated at the far end of the convention center, with little advance publicity aside from Facebook group posts, I was pleasantly surprised by both the number and enthusiasm of the attendees. A few of them stopped me during the convention and commented on how they felt the presentation helped them differentiate between novel writing and screenwriting.

Saturday afternoon, I spoke on the panel, “How to Get an Audience for Your Movie or Web Series” with filmmakers Chuck Norfolk (Haunted Trailer), Joe Grisaffi (Dead of Knight), Judith B. Shields (Frankenstein's Monster) and Paul Bright (Long Term Parking), as well as best-selling author Rachel Caine (Morganville). I also attended panels with Houston-area filmmakers Michelle Mower (Preacher's Daughter), Carlos Tovar (More Than Human) and Mel House (Psychic Experiment).

Sunday

Sunday was mostly “Fanboy Day,” as I took photos of the cars, costumes and celebrities around the convention floor. I also had a chat with writer Peter David. Peter has written for comics (Incredible Hulk), film (Oblivion), TV (Babylon 5), and animation (Young Justice). He has also written a series of Star Trek tie-in novels and co-wrote the autobiography of the late James “Scotty” Doohan.

We discussed some of the differences between writing for animation and writing a live-action spec script. While camera directions are typically a no-no in live action scripts, an animation script reads like a blend of a spec and shooting script.

Sunday evening was the screening and award ceremony for “The ZONE,” a Houston-based sci-fi film contest. Contestants were required to write, shoot, edit and add VFX for a short film in seven days' time. Despite the short time frame, several films showed tremendous imagination and technical prowess.

The film I wrote, Breathe Easy, was nominated for two awards. Cara Cochran, our lead actress, won the contest's Best Actress Award. Cara has worked on two other films I wrote, Curveball (2013) and Dreamland Murders (2014). Her work on my scripts has served as both confirmation and challenge: it confirms that I can write strong scripts, but it also challenges me to provide her with memorable roles.

Monday

I spent Monday at a screening for Curveball and browsing the dealer's room. (Pro Tip #1: The final day at a convention is when you can get the best deals on merchandise.) I chatted with fantasy author Raymond E. Feist as he signed some of my books. He told me about how his stepfather, Felix Feist, was a writer/director in film and television for more than 30 years.

Although popular media portrays the major comic conventions as showcases for blockbuster movies, they can also be a useful networking tool for your screenwriting efforts. If you live near a major city and can attend a convention, I highly recommend it.

(Pro Tip #2: Don't try to slip a business card under Stan Lee's hotel room door before he leaves town. Hotel security really frowns that kind of behavior. I was just hoping he'd pass it on to Kevin Feige so I can get a taste of that sweet, sweet Marvel money!)

If you need help with your idea, concept, or script, please send your information to storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also check out our Facebook page and my filmography listing.

Adapting to Adaptations

If you want to call yourself a screenwriter, you owe it to yourself to see the film Adaptation. Yes, Nic Cage is his usual unhinged self as real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Synecdoche, New York) and his mythical twin brother, wannabe-writer Donald. Yes, Brian Cox delivers an affecting performance as screenwriting guru Robert McKee. However, the real genius to this film is that it shows the trouble that screenwriters can get into when adapting work from another medium into a feature screenplay.

Some media forms, such as comic books and TV shows, already have a visual component that makes the process much easier. Other forms, such as epic fantasy or sweeping space opera, force screenwriters to leave some of the best bits off the script. Non-fiction works, including memoirs and historical accounts, can force the writer to choose between factual accuracy and screenplay structure.

With the growing market for screenplay adaptations, rookie writers should pay attention to the pitfalls that can stop their progress before they start. If you're called on to do a screenplay adaptation of an existing work, here are some things to keep in mind.

Characters Come First

As with any story, whether it's your first spec script or a work-for-hire adaptation, the wants and needs of the characters must be first and foremost in your mind. If the source material gives you what you need to define those wants and needs, then the adaptation process becomes much easier. If the source gives you only names, dates, places and events, you will need to flesh out the characters from what you have available. Movies need actors. Actors want roles. Your script has to give them those roles.

Conflict Drives Story

When the source material for an adaptation gives you convincing, conflicting and convicted characters, your screenwriting efforts can feel like a walk in the park on a spring day. When the source's characters fail to establish a conflict, or when the source material has no apparent conflict, the writing process can feel like a walk through hell in gasoline underwear. The burden falls on you to give the characters goals to reach, obstacles to overcome and conflicts to drive their pursuit of those goals.

Condense As Needed

How many times have you heard fans of a piece of source material complain, “I really HATE that the movie left out XXX from the book/comic/video game/TV show!” The next time you hear this complaint, ask them to do some math: how else do you expect to condense all that source material down to a 110-page screenplay? Don't be afraid to drop characters, condense personalities, shorten time frames or rearrange events to make your adaptation work as a stand-alone screenplay.

Core Elements Attract Fans

On the other hand, you should be familiar with the elements that attracted fans to the original source material. If you have Bruce Wayne drive the Batmobile to visit his still-living parents, you've missed a major core element of that character. *cough-ManofSteel-cough*

You don't need to include every possible piece of “fan service” in your adaptation, but a few shout-outs will earn you both the good will of the hardcore fans and admiration from the producers and authors that you recognize what made the source material work.

If you do an adaptation of another writer's material, remember that an adaptation is just that. You are adapting the material for a different medium. The screenwriter, the original author and the fans of the source material must understand that an adaptation is not a translation.

The biological definition of “adaptation” is “a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.” Your job in writing a screenplay adaptation is to make the source material better suited for a different environment.

If you want to know more about how to write adaptations of other source material, get in touch with us at storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com or on the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page. Houston-area residents are eligible for in-person one-on-one screenplay consultations. Writers outside the Houston area can also receive coverage services, online critiques and telephone or Skype consultations.

If you are in the Houston area Memorial Day weekend, I will be giving a talk on Saturday, May 23, at 10am at the Comicpalooza convention. Learn how to “Turn Your Story Into a Screenplay” at this special presentation.

Also, my newest short film, Breathe Easy, will be screening at the convention. Screening times are Friday, May 22, at noon, Sunday, May 24, at noon, and Sunday, May 24, at 8pm. You can see posters, stills and news about the film on the Breathe Easy Facebook page

"Write What You Know"? What If You Don't Know Anything?

One of the first pieces of advice any aspiring writer gets is “write what you know.” Despite the best intentions of the givers of such advice, “write what you know” can also be one of the most useless admonitions any writer can receive.

If every writer followed this advice, entire genres would cease to exist. No more spaceships or aliens. No more elves or wizards. No more spy-fi or superhero origins or sensitive coming-of-age tales set in Depression-era Mississippi.

Here are some alternatives to writing “what you know”:

Write Who You Know

The best stories come from the most powerful characters. These “powerful” characters don't need Hulk-sized muscles, but they need to take strong actions. Friends, family members, and co-workers can provide the seeds for memorable characters. If they have interesting stories to tell, use them as inspiration. If not, use their character traits as jumping-off points for your own stories. Don't be afraid to embellish, exaggerate, and expand their personality quirks into characters that audiences will want to see.

Write What You Desire

A major reason why so many people want to be writers is that the act of creating stories serves as a means of wish fulfillment. As a writer, you can act as “god” of your story universe. You get to right the wrongs, reward those you feel deserve recognition, and punish those whose acts have spurred your unholy wrath. You create the ultimate conflict between good and evil, whether that battle occurs in a small mining town or in a galaxy far, far away.

Write What You Fear

All of us have fears that haunt us. The monster in the closet, the bully at school, the abusive relative, or the long arm of the law can instill fear in the strongest heart. When you write a script about your fears, you give yourself the means to control those anxieties and use them to your advantage. You'll also create a script that has a universal appeal. Producers, agents, actors and audiences will feel that fear along with your protagonist, and will take solace in seeing how he (and you) overcome that fear.

Write What You Want To Know

If you've ever had a skill that you wanted to acquire, you can write a script based on your experience as a student. The transition from student to master carries a built-in character arc. This arc also has a wide appeal, since nearly everyone has been a student. The next time you take a cooking class, attend a marketing seminar, or engage in a a screenwriting consultation session (HINT!), you'll have material for your story.

If you want to learn more about how to move beyond what you know about screenwriting, contact Story Into Screenplay for coverage services, screenplay critiques, and one-on-one consultations. Please email storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com for more details.

ATTENTION HOUSTON SCREENWRITERS: I will be giving a presentation at Comicpalooza, the Texas International Comic-Con, on Saturday, May 23. The topic is "Turn Your Story Into A Screenplay."

My latest sci-fi short film, “Breathe Easy,” will also be screening on Sunday, May 24, at 11:00am and 8:00pm.

I hope to see all of you there. Thanks.

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.