Screenwriting Advice: How Do You Want To Do This?

“The cobbler's children have no shoes.”

Have you ever been so caught up in helping other people that you've neglected your own needs?

If you have, then you know why I haven't posted anything in the last two months.

If you haven't, then let me tell you how it feels.

In recent months, I have been working with both a major film festival and a leading script service in evaluating screenplays.

For almost the last year, I've read nearly 50 scripts a month.

The educational experience of reading hundreds of scripts over the last year has served me well as a student of the craft.

However, it doesn't leave me much time to perfect my own work in that craft.

It also hasn't left me much time to focus on creating blog posts, building a client base, or helping other writers.

This dilemma brings me to the reason I come to you today, Dearest Reader.

One of main reasons I started this blog was to share my experiences as a screenwriter with other aspiring writers.

I don't claim to be a Hollywood-level writer. Like many of you, I don't have representation, I've never written for a major studio, and I'm not hanging out with movie stars or power players.

However, I've written a few good scripts, been paid for some of them, and I've received some recognition for my work.

I might not have an Oscar on my shelf, but I know enough where I believe that I can help aspiring writers turn their stories into screenplays.

Playing A Critical Role

During the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, I discovered a YouTube show called Critical Role.

The show recently wrapped up its second “season”, a storytelling campaign that lasted for over 140 episodes stretched over 3 years.

The host and “Dungeon Master”, Matthew Mercer, describes the show as “a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors (who) sit around and play 'Dungeons and Dragons'”.

When one of his players lands the killing blow on a fierce dragon or an evil sorcerer, he asks them a simple question:

“How do you want to do this?”

The player then improvises an account of how they envision their fatal strike landing on their formidable foes.

Mercer then acts out the scenario, much to the delight of the players and the thousands of viewers on the game's Twitch stream.

So what does a bunch of grown adults sitting around a table playing make-believe with crazy-looking dice have to do with screenwriting?

As I mentioned, my mission with this blog was to help writers turn their stories into screenplays.

Since I've read so many scripts and seen so many writers who need help, a burning question arises with the ferocity of a dragon:

“How do I want to do this?”

Here are some options:

• Blog Posts: Posting about screenwriting tips, dealing with writing issues, and breaking down current movies.
• Instructional Books: Compiling blog posts and my experiences as both a writer and a script evaluator into a concise and helpful book.
• Live or Online Workshops: Presenting the VOTE Method to a group of students in a classroom or workshop setting. 
• Video Courses: Filming, editing, and posting instructional videos. 
• One-On-One Consultations: Working with writers one-on-one to help them develop strong characters.
• Script Evaluations: Evaluating screenplays and providing advice on how to improve the writer's chances of getting noticed.

When it comes to slaying the monsters that keep you from writing your best screenplay, the question remains:

“How do you want to do this?”

Please send your answers to storyintoscreenplayblog(at)gmail(dot)com or in a direct message through the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Screenwriting Advice: The Value of Leftovers

 "Our older brother took all the cool toys, and then we got left with ... peg-warmers."

- Dave Filoni, Co-Executive Producer, The Mandalorian

In my "day jobs" as a script analyst and screenplay contest judge, one of the mistakes I see writers make most often with their characterization occurs when they put all their story "eggs" in the protagonist's "basket".

These writers invest all of their efforts into developing every aspect of the protagonist, from their motivations, to their ancestry, to their favorite pizza toppings.

However, when they spend all of that energy on the protagonist, they often don't have any left to develop the script's supporting characters.

This lack of focus leads to these supporting roles functioning solely as part of the protagonist's journey rather than as fully-developed characters.

In these scripts, the supporting characters often serve as simply the "best friend", the "love interest", the "evil boss", or the "nagging mother", and often fail to attract the audience's interest.

In some cases, enterprising writers have taken lesser-known characters from another story and turned them into compelling protagonists in their own stories.

One of the best-known examples of this approach to characterization appears in the Tom Stoppard play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. 

It only took about 300 years, but these supporting characters from Hamlet finally got their due as protagonists in their own story. 

Instead of getting trapped into their Prince's tragedy, these Danish dimwits get sucked into an absurdist world where "all the world's a stage" and they are merely players.

The same idea applies to the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

While much of the world lost their minds over "Baby Yoda", the producers had the idea to place lesser-known characters at the center of the action.

As Co-Executive Producer Dave Filoni said in an interview, “Our older brother took all the cool toys, and then we got left with Ugnaughts and Jawas and peg-warmers, but somehow we got a Boba Fett figure, and then we painted him silver and made him cooler, ‘cause sometimes you make it your own.” (emphasis mine)

The most prevalent example of the power of "leftovers", in terms of both box-office receipts and wider cultural impact, is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

By the early 2000s, Marvel Comics was emerging from near-bankruptcy. A major source of revenue that the company used to get back on its feet came from selling off the film rights to many of their iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four.

When they tried to launch their own movie studio, they didn't have the rights to their most famous names, so they had to start with a "leftover" character: an alcoholic, Cold-War-relic, Howard Hughes-style munitions manufacturer who was "not the hero type."

From there, they added more "leftovers" to the recipe:

• An idealistic World War II soldier wakes up after a 70-year nap.
• An over-muscled spoiled brat gets kicked out of his dad's house.
• A nerdy scientist develops severe anger management issues.
• A Russian spy must face the "red in her ledger".
• An assassin still uses a bow and arrow in the 21st Century.
• A three-foot-tall talking raccoon has a gun fetish.
• An eight-foot-tall walking tree says the same three words over and over again.
• A desperate thief steals a suit that can make him shrink to the size of an ant.
• A grief-stricken woman creates an entire town based on classic TV sitcoms.

You don't even need to dig through a Shakespeare collection or visit a comic book store to find another "leftover" character who took the world by storm. 

Just open your wallet and find a $10 bill.

How does a "bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman" become the source of the biggest sensation on Broadway in the last 20 years? 

Because a writer saw potential in a "leftover" character and made him a compelling protagonist. 

Writers should give their supporting characters a VOTE, just like their lead characters.

Because if you don't develop your supporting characters …

… someone else will.

Speaking of a $10 bill, Story Into Screenplay will evaluate the first ten pages of your feature screenplay or TV pilot script for just $10.

Story Into Screenplay will grade your pages based on criteria such as 

• Formatting
• Structure
• Concept
• Character Development
• Plot
• Dialogue
• Entertainment Value
• Logic
• Action/Pacing
• Spelling/Grammar
• Research

Most studio readers and contest judges evaluate a script based on the first three to five pages. 

If your first few pages can captivate a reader, then your chances of success go up astronomically.

Story Into Screenplay also offers a FREE one-on-one consultation for writers who take advantage of this special offer.

To find out more about the "10 Pages for $10" special, as well as the other services Story Into Screenplay offers, fill in the form on the side of this page, or send a direct email to storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com.

You can also send a direct message to the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page.

Good luck! 

Keep writing!

SAVE THE LANDMARK RIVER OAKS!

Whether you've written one screenplay or a hundred, whether you prefer watching movies in a theatre or streaming at home, whether you've focused your career on writing for features or writing for TV, every screenwriter should concern themselves with the potential closure of a classic movie theater.

In Houston, the Landmark River Oaks (LRO) Theater has hosted screenings ranging from "Casablanca" to "Yellow Submarine" to "The Blair Witch Project". The theater has also hosted hundreds of midnight screenings, including the infamous "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

The theater's landlords have not offered the site a new lease and are threatening to shut it down at the end of March. When protesters gathered outside the theater to support the venue, the landlord posted signs that protesters would face prosecution as trespassers ... on a public sidewalk.

For more details, check out the full story.

As many communities across the country face (or have faced) the closure of beloved "art house" theaters, I thought I'd share this letter I sent to the Houston Mayor, the Houston City Council member in whose district the LRO resides, and the two top of executives of the LRO's property management company.

This issue doesn't just affect a neighborhood in Houston, Texas. It affects anyone who wants to get their story told on a screen, including screenwriters, directors, producers, actors, and crew members. As these venues die off, so do your opportunities to have an audience see your work.

This isn't just my fight. It isn't just Houston's fight.

It's a fight for all of us.

=======

pmanchi@weingarten.com, mayor@houstontx.gov, james.koski@houstontx.gov, districtC@houstontx.gov, Julia.Retta@houstontx.gov, landmark.theatres.publicity@gmail.com

Subject: Protect the River Oaks Theatre!

Dear Mayor Turner, Council Member Kamin, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Manchi, and to whom else it may concern:

I am writing to you today to ask for your help in maintaining an essential component of Houston's artistic and cultural history: the Landmark River Oaks Theatre (LRO).

As a long-time patron who has attended both first-run and revival screenings of some of the most important films in recent years, from "The Blair Witch Project" to "Yellow Submarine", I can speak first-hand about the importance of the LRO to the cultural and social community in a city largely deprived of such outlets.

As a screenwriter and aspiring filmmaker, I have also attended screenings of films made in Houston, by Houstonians, and for a Houston audience at LRO, which provides a venue for a vital part of Houston's filmmaking and artistic community.

As I'm sure you've all seen in recent weeks and months, Houston and Texas have suffered several "black eyes" in the national media, from the power outages attributed to the historic winter storm, to the Governor's rescinding of the mask mandates and other protective measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, to the continuing exodus of the city's top professional athletes.

In the light of so many losses, powerful individuals such as yourselves must ask yourselves some uncomfortable questions:

• Can Houston really withstand the loss of one of its few remaining cultural icons?
• Will one more high-end retail outlet on a street full of them really make a long-lasting difference in a community starving for an outlet for cultural expression?
• Is the placement of another retail tenant in the same location worth all the bad press that tearing down the LRO would bring?

This crisis also forces public officials, such as Mayor Turner and Council Member Kamin, to answer some deep questions:

• Are you willing to stand with policies that seek to limit First Amendment rights, such as free speech, free access to public property, and the right to protest?
• Do you and the city value profits over people, as many critics suggest?
• If a valuable asset like LRO closes, how does that make Houston (and you) look to the rest of the nation?

If all of you feel that shutting down a cultural icon like LRO is best for both the city and the bottom line, there's nothing that we ordinary Houstonians (even one who's an award-winning screenwriter) can do to stop you.

If all of you place so little value, not only on the historical importance of such an asset, but also on the future value that won't appear in an investor's report, that such an asset can bring, we poor plebeians (who can't afford the lofty prices that the new tenant will bring) are powerless to stand in your way.

If all of you value dollars over diversity, commerce over community, and white-washed walls over multi-colored neon, then far be it from us mere mortals to stand in the way of such glorious "progress".

As we all know, the financial impacts from the Coronavirus have spread across numerous industries, and none quite as hard as the entertainment industry. This letter does not seek to deny these facts.

As we also know, if the impact of this year of isolation has taught us anything, some things are more important than money.

I know this.

You know this, Mayor Turner.

You know this, Council Member Kamin.

You know this, Mr. Alexander.

You know this, Mr. Manchi.

Now for another uncomfortable question:

What are we all going to do about it?

Numerous members of the Houston artistic community have written emails, launched protests, and raised awareness of the issue on both conventional and social media.

I've done some of what I can with this letter. If possible, I'll do what I can in person by joining the legal and public protests.

What are you going to do about it, Mayor Turner?

What are you going to do about it, Council Member Kamin?

What are you going to do about it, Mr. Alexander?

What are you going to do about it, Mr. Manchi?

Once this crisis has passed and the LRO reopens under a new lease, I hope to see all of you at a future screening. 

Popcorn's on me.

Thank you.

Gerald Hanks

Council District C

Screenwriting Advice: What's Your Dream?

One of the more beneficial aspects of reading the posts in various screenwriting groups occurs as I learn more about the expectations rookie writers have.

So many posts I see involve rookie writers asking about finding a producer, an agent, or a manager after that writer has completed one script.

One. Script.

They treat screenwriting as if it's a lottery, as if all they need is one script (or even one idea without a script) that will make them instantly rich and famous.

No. Just. No.

Your script is not a lottery ticket. Your script should be a starting place for a career. 

A "career" implies more than one script, in more than one genre, and more than one style.

If you think that you can write one script, sell it to a studio, make millions of dollars, and never write another word, here's some advice from a professional writer:

Quit.

Quit now.

You are not a writer. 

You are a wannabe. 

You make it that much more difficult for those who hone their craft, sweat bullets on their keyboards, and put in the actual work to be true professional writers.

If you can't put that much effort into your scripts, if you think that your idea is "too special" or that your writing is "too good", then you should throw your script into the dumpster fire that life started in March 2020 and shows no signs of burning itself out.

If your aim is to "make it big in Hollywood" with your single feature or TV pilot, then save all of us the time and quit now.

Save yourself the time and frustration in writing the script.

Save the professional readers, consultants, and contest judges (like ME) the time and frustration in evaluating your substandard efforts.

Save the planet by saving the electricity needed to power your device and the paper needed to print your script.

Turn off your desktop, close your laptop, shut down your tablet, and give up on your dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter.

…

…

…

…

Are they gone? 

Good.

Let's assume that those of you who are still here are more interested in telling great stories and building a career than in hitting the lottery with a subpar script.

If you've ever wanted advice from a professional writer on how to "make it", here's the answer.

Write more scripts. Write better scripts. 

Write features. Write shorts. Write pilots. 

Write dramas. Write comedies. Write adventure stories. Write period pieces. 

Write horror. Write sci-fi. Write intimate character studies. Write sweeping epics.

Write something amazing.

Then rewrite it. 

Then get coverage and notes. Then rewrite it again. 

Then get professional feedback. Then rewrite it again. 

Then go over it with a critical eye. Then rewrite it again. 

Then rewrite it again.

Then write another script and go through the same process. 

I have a feature script that reached the finals of a major comedy screenwriting competition.

Am I shopping it around to top Hollywood agents? 

Have I inked a million-dollar deal with a major studio to write their next blockbuster comedy?

Hell, no!

I'm rewriting it from scratch, not just because I know that it COULD be better, but because I know it NEEDS to be better.

If you've read this far, then your goal likely stems more from being a better writer than being a "Hollywood Big Shot" or a multi-millionaire.

If that's the case, then Story Into Screenplay can help. 

Story Into Screenplay offers consulting services and script breakdowns from a professional screenwriter and script analyst.

If you're a wannabe who sees their sole screenplay as a ticket to fame and fortune, go play the lottery.

If you're serious about developing your skills as a screenwriter…

If you have more than one story to tell…

If you need to write like you need to breathe…

Then you need Story Into Screenplay.

For a limited time, Story Into Screenplay is offering a professional script analysis on the first ten pages of your script for only $10, along with a FREE one-hour consultation on those ten pages.

Contact Story Into Screenplay through our Facebook page or by emailing storyintoscreenplayblog(at)gmail(dot)com.

Good luck and keep writing!

Screenwriting Advice: The One Word Your Logline MUST Have!

One of the topics I frequently see in screenwriting discussion groups revolves around rookie writers looking for feedback on their loglines.

The VOTE Method provides a clear formula that helps writers develop compelling loglines, but it doesn't quite go far enough.

In case you missed it, the original formula goes like this: 

[Protagonist] [uses Tactics] against [Obstacles] to [achieve Victory] so that they can [fulfill Emotional Need].

The "new and improved" formula contains a "special ingredient":

[Protagonist] must [achieve Victory] by [using Tactics] to [overcome Obstacles] so that they can [fulfill Emotional Need].

For instance, the revised logline for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse would look like this:

A teenager with spider-powers must save New York City by teaming up with heroes from alternate universes to defeat a squad of super-villains so that he can learn what it takes to be a hero.

This revised formula gives us a logline for Rocky that looks like this.

An underachieving boxer must last for fifteen rounds against the World Heavyweight Champion by using unconventional training methods so that he can win the love of a young woman.

For 1917, the logline would look like this:

Two young soldiers must deliver new orders to the front lines against enemy troops and air attacks by crossing miles of bombed-out territory so that they can save their fellow troops, including one soldier's brother.

So what's the difference between the "original recipe" and the "new flavor"?

The difference is a four-letter word:

MUST.

Your story doesn't move forward because your protagonist "chooses" to pursue a Victory. 

Your story moves forward because your protagonist MUST pursue that Victory.

In the traditional "Hero's Journey" story structure, the "threshold" represents the point at which the protagonist MUST pursue their Victory. When they cross that threshold, they MUST try to overcome their Obstacles, apply their Tactics, and fulfill their Emotional Need.

In Act I, your protagonist may waffle and waver over whether to go after what they want, but they MUST pursue that Victory for the story to start. 

This aspect shows why "MUST" makes for a vital component in the logline. 

• "MUST" shows the reader the Victory the protagonist has to pursue, as well as the Emotional Need that the protagonist MUST try to fulfill in that pursuit.
• "MUST" signifies the urgency and drive behind the pursuit of the Victory. 
• "MUST" tells the audience that the protagonist will do anything to achieve that Victory, no matter how dangerous, violent, illegal, unethical, or just plain stupid.

This logline formula can also help writers overcome "writer's block". Writer's block typically comes from the lack of a clear idea as to which direction the story should follow.

This logline formula gives the writer a clear direction for the character, so the issues that could block the writer's progress stem less from where the story is going, and more from how the protagonist will get to where they MUST go.

When you include MUST in your logline, you get your script one step closer to becoming a MUST read.

===

During this holiday season, Story Into Screenplay wants to give you a gift that will help your writing move forward in 2021 and beyond.

From now until until Christmas Eve, Story Into Screenplay will offer FREE logline reviews (limit one per response) for readers who use the formula described above.

You can submit your loglines through the form on this page. You can also send them in a direct message through the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page, or in an email with the subject "Logline Review" to storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com.

You can also take advantage of the "10 Pages for $10" script evaluation or schedule a one-on-one consulting session with a professional script reader by contacting Story Into Screenplay through any of the methods mentioned above. 

Keep writing! Good luck and have a great holiday season!

Toy Story: Screenwriting and Visualization

When I wrote about getting your best writing from your dumbest idea, I had to put my money where my mouth was. As I mentioned a few months ago, I bought some loose action figures from a local toy store and started working on a script.

I wrote a quick ten-page sample and sent it and the pitch deck to a friend who had produced some of my earlier short films. He encouraged me to expand the script to a full episode length (30 minutes) and update the pitch deck. 

One trick I've used as I've worked on the script involves having the "actors" (i.e. toys) on my desk. This trick helps me visualize each scene. Instead of trying to imagine how the scene should look, I can set it up on my desk and "play" through the scene as I write.

While playing with toys may sound ridiculous to those who imagine themselves as "serious" writers, just take a minute to think about the screenwriting process. 

(If you have a problem with playing with toys, take it up with this guy!) 

When you write a script, you're writing it with the end goal of having actors move how you want, say what you want, and deliver the performance that you want.

If you use toys to represent your actors and your desk to represent the setting, you can create the scene that you want right in front of your eyes.

This trick can also help you "write visually", as you can describe the characters, the costumes, the setting, and the action that you create with the toys, while keeping the dialogue to a minimum.

Whether you're writing an epic superhero action series, or a small, intimate drama about a troubled family, action figures and accessories can serve as useful visual tools to help you develop your writing skills.

With the holiday season coming up, you won't even get funny looks from the store clerks (or delivery drivers) when you're a grown adult buying a bunch of action figures. They'll just assume the toys are Christmas gifts. They don't need to know that these toys are your "cast".

The bad news: Don't expect great performances from your action figures. Their range of expressions are limited and can come across as "wooden" (or at least "molded plastic").

The good news: Your efforts with plastic people will serve as extensive preparation for working in Hollywood!

One place where you won't work with plastic people is at Story Into Screenplay.

Story Into Screenplay offers script coverage reports, one-on-one consultation, and rewriting services. 

No matter what stage of the writing process you're in, no matter your experience level as a writer, Story Into Screenplay can help.

If you have a script and want a professional review from an experienced coverage writer, Story Into Screenplay's "10 Pages for $10" offer is still available through the holiday season.

For more information, you can email storyintoscreenplayblog(at)gmail(dot)com, fill in the form on this page, or send a direct message through the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page.

Good luck! 

Stay well! 

Keep writing!

Screenwriting and Fine Dining: Make the First Bite the Best

Have you ever eaten at a fine dining restaurant?

Have you taken the first bite of a dish, only to find that it tasted like hot garbage?

How did it feel when you took that first bite and knew that the food was bad?

Did you keep eating? Did you hope it would get better?

Did you finish your plate, even when the thought of another bite made you want to throw up?

Or did you stop eating? Did you send it back? Did you complain to the manager? 

Did the chef ever tell you, "it gets better as you go"?

Did you ever go back to that restaurant again?

Let's say you're a forgiving person and you give that restaurant another shot.

You order the same dish, in hopes that it'll be better this time.

You take that first bite.

Now it feels like a choir of angels singing on your tongue.

The first bite was so good, you took another bite. And another. And another.

You finish the entire dish without even realizing it.

Now look at your screenplay. 

How good is your first page?

Do you expect a reader to go through your poorly-written first page?

Do you want to tell the reader, "It gets better as you go"?

If you were reading it as an outsider, would you want to finish the page?

Is there anything on Page 1 that would make someone want to turn to Page 2?

If you want to impress producers, agents, and contest judges, you have to make Page 1 so compelling that they NEED to turn to Page 2.

Make that first bite the best. 

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Now's your time to take advantage of the "House Special".

Most scripts succeed or fail on the strength of the first ten pages.

If you want a professional screenplay reader to evaluate your first ten pages, Story Into Screenplay can help.

Story Into Screenplay offers a "10 Pages for $10" special.

Get a professional evaluation on the first ten pages of your feature film screenplay or TV pilot script for only $10.

With every evaluation, you'll also receive a FREE sample chapter from the upcoming book, The VOTE Method: How To Create Strong Characters For Your Screenplay.

For more information, including a sample evaluation, email storyintoscreenplayblog[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line "10 Pages for $10 Special".

You can also fill in the form on this page or send a direct message through the Story Into Screenplay Facebook page.