#Screenwriting #Business Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part I by Geno Scala      Each week, I hope to introduce a different “myth” that many of us screenwriters have heard, and try to present the real facts behind these claims.      As an avid networker, I can tell you that there are many charlatans posing as script consultants or call themselves “former agents” or some other non-descript title, and many of them share their advice- for a price- on some of the more active social media networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Unfortunately, I find much of the advice to be common misconceptions, deceit, and even arrogant, self-serving mistruths.       One of the more common myths is the necessity of a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles in order to be successful. Many of these quacks make no bones about it; they flat out tell you that you HAVE to move there in order to have a screenwriting career.      The fact is this is pure nonsense.      Not only is it not necessary, but many producers are somewhat envious of the fact that you can produce great work and remain active within the filmmaking community and not have to deal with the traffic, State budget cuts, and the occasional earthquake.      With networking tools such as the Internet, Skype, emails and such, many companies are not only accepting pitches via these methods, but conduct pitches by these methods exclusively. There are countless of websites dedicated to the posting and promoting one of one’s screenplay (Ink Tip, Triggerstreet, Talentville, Amazon Studios, and many others), despite claims that “studio executives worthy of their title do not check these sites”; just another fallacious statement. The number of screenplays sold or optioned over the Internet, over Skype, and over the phone is countless; anyone who says otherwise is simply lying, and anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant of the world around them.     This is not to say there aren’t valid advantages to living in Los Angeles- or New York, or Japan, or Brazil, or Toronto, or anyone of the thousands of locations around the world where movies are bought, sold, pitched and made (funny, it always seem to be imperative to these frauds that you have to live ONLY in CA, as if movies aren’t made elsewhere). It would be just as advantageous to be seven feet tall if you are want to play in the NBA, but many others have made it standing considerable less than six feet tall.      It all depends on what YOU are looking for in YOUR career. Some write to sell spec scripts, others want writing assignments. Others still want to be hired as staff writers or work on a production staff. As a spec script writer, there is nothing prohibiting one from doing well and selling scripts whether you reside in Alaska, Maine or Florida or in any other country on any other continent.      Don’t be fooled by some of these “professional consultants”. They are not interested in helping you in YOUR career. They are only interested in taking your money to subsidize their own career. —————————— Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons. Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor  —————————— Read more TLL articles on the business of Screenwriting
View Separately

#Screenwriting #Business

Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part I

by Geno Scala

     Each week, I hope to introduce a different “myth” that many of us screenwriters have heard, and try to present the real facts behind these claims.

     As an avid networker, I can tell you that there are many charlatans posing as script consultants or call themselves “former agents” or some other non-descript title, and many of them share their advice- for a price- on some of the more active social media networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Unfortunately, I find much of the advice to be common misconceptions, deceit, and even arrogant, self-serving mistruths. 

     One of the more common myths is the necessity of a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles in order to be successful. Many of these quacks make no bones about it; they flat out tell you that you HAVE to move there in order to have a screenwriting career. 

     The fact is this is pure nonsense.

     Not only is it not necessary, but many producers are somewhat envious of the fact that you can produce great work and remain active within the filmmaking community and not have to deal with the traffic, State budget cuts, and the occasional earthquake.

     With networking tools such as the Internet, Skype, emails and such, many companies are not only accepting pitches via these methods, but conduct pitches by these methods exclusively. There are countless of websites dedicated to the posting and promoting one of one’s screenplay (Ink Tip, Triggerstreet, Talentville, Amazon Studios, and many others), despite claims that “studio executives worthy of their title do not check these sites”; just another fallacious statement. The number of screenplays sold or optioned over the Internet, over Skype, and over the phone is countless; anyone who says otherwise is simply lying, and anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant of the world around them.

     This is not to say there aren’t valid advantages to living in Los Angeles- or New York, or Japan, or Brazil, or Toronto, or anyone of the thousands of locations around the world where movies are bought, sold, pitched and made (funny, it always seem to be imperative to these frauds that you have to live ONLY in CA, as if movies aren’t made elsewhere). It would be just as advantageous to be seven feet tall if you are want to play in the NBA, but many others have made it standing considerable less than six feet tall. 

     It all depends on what YOU are looking for in YOUR career. Some write to sell spec scripts, others want writing assignments. Others still want to be hired as staff writers or work on a production staff. As a spec script writer, there is nothing prohibiting one from doing well and selling scripts whether you reside in Alaska, Maine or Florida or in any other country on any other continent. 

     Don’t be fooled by some of these “professional consultants”. They are not interested in helping you in YOUR career. They are only interested in taking your money to subsidize their own career.

——————————

Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons.

Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor 

——————————

Read more TLL articles on the business of Screenwriting

#Screenwriting #Craft Creating An Unforgettable Screenplay, Part 4: Formatting Basics by Christine Autrand Mitchell I’m running into a lot of basic formatting confusion by mostly beginning writers, so I’d like to address the obvious for a change. You’re not allowed to reinvent script formatting. Yes, it’s evolved from silent to sound, and television, single to multiple camera, but there are rules, people! Within them you can reveal your I’ll be talking about a basic, unrepresented spec script. Whether you use a script writing software or not, there are some basic things you need to know, like: Print on a single side of the page Use 2 brads even though you 3-hole punch Don’t use fancy covers The magic number of pages fall between 90 and 120 (though it can go over but that’s another article) Be succinct (see Action below) EDIT and PROOF your work - spelling and grammar matter! (A great number of scripts get rejected during the first 10 pages of a read because of spelling and grammar errors, as well as formatting mistakes - I kid you not!) There are two spaces after a period but only one after an ellipsis… and below there are more important bits. Font & Margins Courier 12 - whether it’s Courier, Courier New, Courier + Software Name, doesn’t matter. It is a fixed-pitch font. Margins vary depending upon which “authority” you are referencing. I could write this entire article on margins - but I won’t. Remember that there are right margins as well as left margins. I suggest you use the default of your software or use a reference like Christopher Riley’s “The Hollywood Standard” among others. Font and margins set your maximum number of lines per page at 57. Title Page Begin with your title in ALL CAPS about 4” down, 4 lines down put “written by” then skip a line for your name & the other guy’s name. Your contact information, as in address, phone and email, (and optional WGA/Copyright number) go bottom left. If you have representation, that person’s information would appear instead of the writer’s. First Page TITLE OF SCRIPT can go top center and then FADE IN: follows left margin, alone on a line. Scene Heading (or Shot Heading) It’s the when and where of each scene, always ALL CAPS. Try to stick to Master Shots and away from specific type of shots because you’re the screenwriter, not the director (unless there is a damn good reason). The order: INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior) - where the camera is set up LOCATION - where is this scene taking place? (SHOT - i.e. wide, tracking, POV) (SUBJECT OF SHOT - i.e. car, President) TIME OF DAY - i.e. Sunrise, Day, Continuous, or specific date Flashbacks and Dream Sequences can precede INT/EXT but can also be put in as a shot. Denote their end with END FLASHBACK/DREAM as a transition or with a (BACK TO PRESENT) on the next Scene Heading. Novelists beware: no articles are to be used here! Action (or Direction) After Scene Heading, tell us what’s happening. This narrative section allows you to play journalist, providing the what, who, where, when, maybe how, but probably not why. Give us mood and you’ll create lighting and filters,atmosphere and emotion. You don’t need to describe each piece of furniture, but let us get a true feel for the place and for the people being introduced. Be succinct and give just enough to provide a clear picture. The better you are at waxing poetic here, the more engaged your reader becomes. Write in present active tense, keep away from adverbs and make your adjectives count - i.e. the paint chipped door CREAKS open Keep the reader engaged by describing what we see on the screen - never what anyone is feeling or sensing! The first time a character is introduced, he/she is in ALL CAPS. If he doesn’t ever talk, don’t CAP - unless he is a major character. In our attention-deficit world, keep action paragraphs to five lines. Keep CAMERA DIRECTIONS (ALL CAPS) out (or to a minimum), as a rule for selling a spec script. You can allude to things - trust me, it can be done! SOUND EFFECTS and ON-SCREEN MESSAGES (like texts) are capitalized. Dialog Finally, the dialog! The CHARACTER (CAPS) is always first, so we know who’s talking. (If it’s BLOND GIRL and then she gets a name, her NAME is introduced in the Action paragraph and then always use the CHARACTER NAME.) Caution: Name is not in the center of the page - starts at roughly a 4.1” margin. If the character is a voice over put (V.O.) next to the name, same goes for off-screen (O.S.), meaning the character is in the scene but we don’t see them on camera, like through a door or from another room. If a page break occurs during the dialog, (MORE) should be at the bottom of the page and CHARACTER (CONT’D) on the top of the next page, followed by dialog. The (parenthetical) is brief and starts at roughly 3.4” margin, has parenthesis around it, doesn’t start with caps, follows the character name and cannot end the dialog, but can be sandwiched between. It is a description about that character’s line delivery or physical action only. Use it sparingly! It’s a short incomplete sentence; separating actions with semicolons. You can use passive verbs and adverbs - yeay! You cannot, however, describe another character’s actions or lines. Here are some examples: (beat), (sotto voce), (in German). The actual dialog, the lines the characters speak, start at roughly the 2.7” margin. Important: make this sound like a real person is actually talking - read it out loud, record it, have your actor friends read it for you. If more than one person is speaking simultaneously, you can put them in separate columns (check your margins). Underline emphasis in dialog, no italics, and be economical with it. If someone gets cut off or stops suddenly, denote it with— The End Your last words should be FADE OUT as a transition (about 6” margin), but many do like to put THE END centered 4 lines below the previous line. Make certain you are backing up your files regularly. As you edit, make sure you’re descriptions are succinct and your dialog is well structured. Happy writing and edit well! Remember, too, this is a visual medium. —————————— Christine Autrand Mitchell was raised across four countries and splits her time between writing and filmmaking. She writes screenplays, fiction, non-fiction and plays, and is an editor and script analyst. She has credits as a Producer, Director and Casting Director, and heads Entandem Productions.  Catch up with Christine || twitter || facebook || blogspot || imdb —————————— Read more TLL articles on the craft of Screenwriting
View Separately

#Screenwriting #Craft

Creating An Unforgettable Screenplay, Part 4: Formatting Basics

by Christine Autrand Mitchell

I’m running into a lot of basic formatting confusion by mostly beginning writers, so I’d like to address the obvious for a change. You’re not allowed to reinvent script formatting. Yes, it’s evolved from silent to sound, and television, single to multiple camera, but there are rules, people! Within them you can reveal your I’ll be talking about a basic, unrepresented spec script.

Whether you use a script writing software or not, there are some basic things you need to know, like:

  • Print on a single side of the page

  • Use 2 brads even though you 3-hole punch

  • Don’t use fancy covers

  • The magic number of pages fall between 90 and 120 (though it can go over but that’s another article)

  • Be succinct (see Action below)

  • EDIT and PROOF your work - spelling and grammar matter! (A great number of scripts get rejected during the first 10 pages of a read because of spelling and grammar errors, as well as formatting mistakes - I kid you not!)

  • There are two spaces after a period but only one after an ellipsis…

  • and below there are more important bits.

Font & Margins

Courier 12 - whether it’s Courier, Courier New, Courier + Software Name, doesn’t matter. It is a fixed-pitch font. Margins vary depending upon which “authority” you are referencing. I could write this entire article on margins - but I won’t. Remember that there are right margins as well as left margins. I suggest you use the default of your software or use a reference like Christopher Riley’s “The Hollywood Standard” among others. Font and margins set your maximum number of lines per page at 57.

Title Page

Begin with your title in ALL CAPS about 4” down, 4 lines down put “written by” then skip a line for your name & the other guy’s name. Your contact information, as in address, phone and email, (and optional WGA/Copyright number) go bottom left. If you have representation, that person’s information would appear instead of the writer’s.

First Page

TITLE OF SCRIPT can go top center and then FADE IN: follows left margin, alone on a line.

Scene Heading (or Shot Heading)

It’s the when and where of each scene, always ALL CAPS. Try to stick to Master Shots and away from specific type of shots because you’re the screenwriter, not the director (unless there is a damn good reason).

The order:

  • INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior) - where the camera is set up

  • LOCATION - where is this scene taking place?

  • (SHOT - i.e. wide, tracking, POV)

  • (SUBJECT OF SHOT - i.e. car, President)

  • TIME OF DAY - i.e. Sunrise, Day, Continuous, or specific date

Flashbacks and Dream Sequences can precede INT/EXT but can also be put in as a shot. Denote their end with END FLASHBACK/DREAM as a transition or with a (BACK TO PRESENT) on the next Scene Heading.

Novelists beware: no articles are to be used here!

Action (or Direction)

After Scene Heading, tell us what’s happening. This narrative section allows you to play journalist, providing the what, who, where, when, maybe how, but probably not why. Give us mood and you’ll create lighting and filters,atmosphere and emotion. You don’t need to describe each piece of furniture, but let us get a true feel for the place and for the people being introduced.

  • Be succinct and give just enough to provide a clear picture. The better you are at waxing poetic here, the more engaged your reader becomes.

  • Write in present active tense, keep away from adverbs and make your adjectives count - i.e. the paint chipped door CREAKS open

  • Keep the reader engaged by describing what we see on the screen - never what anyone is feeling or sensing!

  • The first time a character is introduced, he/she is in ALL CAPS. If he doesn’t ever talk, don’t CAP - unless he is a major character.

  • In our attention-deficit world, keep action paragraphs to five lines.

  • Keep CAMERA DIRECTIONS (ALL CAPS) out (or to a minimum), as a rule for selling a spec script. You can allude to things - trust me, it can be done!

  • SOUND EFFECTS and ON-SCREEN MESSAGES (like texts) are capitalized.

Dialog

Finally, the dialog! The CHARACTER (CAPS) is always first, so we know who’s talking. (If it’s BLOND GIRL and then she gets a name, her NAME is introduced in the Action paragraph and then always use the CHARACTER NAME.) Caution: Name is not in the center of the page - starts at roughly a 4.1” margin.

If the character is a voice over put (V.O.) next to the name, same goes for off-screen (O.S.), meaning the character is in the scene but we don’t see them on camera, like through a door or from another room. If a page break occurs during the dialog, (MORE) should be at the bottom of the page and CHARACTER (CONT’D) on the top of the next page, followed by dialog.

The (parenthetical) is brief and starts at roughly 3.4” margin, has parenthesis around it, doesn’t start with caps, follows the character name and cannot end the dialog, but can be sandwiched between. It is a description about that character’s line delivery or physical action only. Use it sparingly! It’s a short incomplete sentence; separating actions with semicolons. You can use passive verbs and adverbs - yeay! You cannot, however, describe another character’s actions or lines. Here are some examples: (beat), (sotto voce), (in German).

The actual dialog, the lines the characters speak, start at roughly the 2.7” margin. Important: make this sound like a real person is actually talking - read it out loud, record it, have your actor friends read it for you.

If more than one person is speaking simultaneously, you can put them in separate columns (check your margins). Underline emphasis in dialog, no italics, and be economical with it. If someone gets cut off or stops suddenly, denote it with—

The End

Your last words should be FADE OUT as a transition (about 6” margin), but many do like to put THE END centered 4 lines below the previous line.

Make certain you are backing up your files regularly. As you edit, make sure you’re descriptions are succinct and your dialog is well structured.

Happy writing and edit well! Remember, too, this is a visual medium.

——————————

Christine Autrand Mitchell was raised across four countries and splits her time between writing and filmmaking. She writes screenplays, fiction, non-fiction and plays, and is an editor and script analyst. She has credits as a Producer, Director and Casting Director, and heads Entandem Productions. 

Catch up with Christine || twitter || facebook || blogspot || imdb

——————————

Read more TLL articles on the craft of Screenwriting

#Screenwriting #Business Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part I by Geno Scala      Each week, I hope to introduce a different “myth” that many of us screenwriters have heard, and try to present the real facts behind these claims.      As an avid networker, I can tell you that there are many charlatans posing as script consultants or call themselves “former agents” or some other non-descript title, and many of them share their advice- for a price- on some of the more active social media networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Unfortunately, I find much of the advice to be common misconceptions, deceit, and even arrogant, self-serving mistruths.       One of the more common myths is the necessity of a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles in order to be successful. Many of these quacks make no bones about it; they flat out tell you that you HAVE to move there in order to have a screenwriting career.      The fact is this is pure nonsense.      Not only is it not necessary, but many producers are somewhat envious of the fact that you can produce great work and remain active within the filmmaking community and not have to deal with the traffic, State budget cuts, and the occasional earthquake.      With networking tools such as the Internet, Skype, emails and such, many companies are not only accepting pitches via these methods, but conduct pitches by these methods exclusively. There are countless of websites dedicated to the posting and promoting one of one’s screenplay (Ink Tip, Triggerstreet, Talentville, Amazon Studios, and many others), despite claims that “studio executives worthy of their title do not check these sites”; just another fallacious statement. The number of screenplays sold or optioned over the Internet, over Skype, and over the phone is countless; anyone who says otherwise is simply lying, and anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant of the world around them.     This is not to say there aren’t valid advantages to living in Los Angeles- or New York, or Japan, or Brazil, or Toronto, or anyone of the thousands of locations around the world where movies are bought, sold, pitched and made (funny, it always seem to be imperative to these frauds that you have to live ONLY in CA, as if movies aren’t made elsewhere). It would be just as advantageous to be seven feet tall if you are want to play in the NBA, but many others have made it standing considerable less than six feet tall.      It all depends on what YOU are looking for in YOUR career. Some write to sell spec scripts, others want writing assignments. Others still want to be hired as staff writers or work on a production staff. As a spec script writer, there is nothing prohibiting one from doing well and selling scripts whether you reside in Alaska, Maine or Florida or in any other country on any other continent.      Don’t be fooled by some of these “professional consultants”. They are not interested in helping you in YOUR career. They are only interested in taking your money to subsidize their own career. —————————— Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons. Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor  —————————— Read more TLL articles on the business of Screenwriting
View Separately

#Screenwriting #Business

Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part I

by Geno Scala

     Each week, I hope to introduce a different “myth” that many of us screenwriters have heard, and try to present the real facts behind these claims.

     As an avid networker, I can tell you that there are many charlatans posing as script consultants or call themselves “former agents” or some other non-descript title, and many of them share their advice- for a price- on some of the more active social media networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Unfortunately, I find much of the advice to be common misconceptions, deceit, and even arrogant, self-serving mistruths. 

     One of the more common myths is the necessity of a screenwriter to live in Los Angeles in order to be successful. Many of these quacks make no bones about it; they flat out tell you that you HAVE to move there in order to have a screenwriting career. 

     The fact is this is pure nonsense.

     Not only is it not necessary, but many producers are somewhat envious of the fact that you can produce great work and remain active within the filmmaking community and not have to deal with the traffic, State budget cuts, and the occasional earthquake.

     With networking tools such as the Internet, Skype, emails and such, many companies are not only accepting pitches via these methods, but conduct pitches by these methods exclusively. There are countless of websites dedicated to the posting and promoting one of one’s screenplay (Ink Tip, Triggerstreet, Talentville, Amazon Studios, and many others), despite claims that “studio executives worthy of their title do not check these sites”; just another fallacious statement. The number of screenplays sold or optioned over the Internet, over Skype, and over the phone is countless; anyone who says otherwise is simply lying, and anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant of the world around them.

     This is not to say there aren’t valid advantages to living in Los Angeles- or New York, or Japan, or Brazil, or Toronto, or anyone of the thousands of locations around the world where movies are bought, sold, pitched and made (funny, it always seem to be imperative to these frauds that you have to live ONLY in CA, as if movies aren’t made elsewhere). It would be just as advantageous to be seven feet tall if you are want to play in the NBA, but many others have made it standing considerable less than six feet tall. 

     It all depends on what YOU are looking for in YOUR career. Some write to sell spec scripts, others want writing assignments. Others still want to be hired as staff writers or work on a production staff. As a spec script writer, there is nothing prohibiting one from doing well and selling scripts whether you reside in Alaska, Maine or Florida or in any other country on any other continent. 

     Don’t be fooled by some of these “professional consultants”. They are not interested in helping you in YOUR career. They are only interested in taking your money to subsidize their own career.

——————————

Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons.

Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor 

——————————

Read more TLL articles on the business of Screenwriting

#Screenwriting #Craft Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part 4: Concepts by Geno Scala      We’ve all heard the expression, “Concept is King!” It’s short, catchy, and the alliteration of the hard “cah” sound makes it work. But what does it really mean?       A screenplay “concept” is your basic story idea- the sinking of the Titanic, a man-eating shark that stalks victims at a summer tourist spot. That is the basic premise of your story. When discussing screenplays and screenwriting, we’re often talking about “high concepts”; an idea that would attract a wide demographic and is unique, fresh and original, and can be easily understood.      People often mistake “high concept” with high production value and costs. This is not necessarily the case. It is also NOT great characters, NOT big action scenes, and NOT a story with twists and turns. A high concept idea is one that is easily understood by the most people in the fewest terms.  If I had to describe a screenplay that involves “a post-apocalyptic government on a planet that was about to run out of energy because the seas turned to desert, and because of a conspiracy to eradicate the beings, and because”…because…because…you get my drift.      This is extremely important when writing spec scripts. Too often I read spec scripts from new, fresh-faced, anxious and motivated (while also unknown and unproduced) screenwriters that make “Battlefield Earth” look like a half-hour situation comedy. Elaborate set-ups, vast settings, hundreds of characters, CGI, stunt-laden, FX galore, etc. The basic premise or theme of the story, if there IS a story beneath it all, is lost and crushed by the weight of the potential production.      Often times, screenwriters will spend days and weeks perfecting their loglines and synopses, and months or years completing and perfecting their screenplays. They’ll spend more time and money developing a comprehensive marketing plan and a thorough networking “strategery”. What they forget is that NO amount of networking, no business marketing plan and no logline or synopsis paid-for assistance is going to get their screenplay read, and/or purchased, if the concept is ill-conceived.      It is often said that there are only a few GOOD ideas; just a million new ways to present them.  Discover a new twist on an old idea, and you will have a winning concept. For example, we’ve all seen the old, tired, played out rom-com formula “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl”. I’m not a big rom-com guy, but even I have seen enough of these. So, along comes “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” who deals with the post-break-up heartache, from the male perspective, then has him run into his old flame, while she’s vacationing with her new boyfriend! Another current movie, “The Five Year Engagement”, deals with an oft-talked-about rom-com topic that is quite prevalent in society, but hasn’t been (successfully) translated onto screen: the ultra-long engagement period (the fact that the two movies star the same cast and have the same director is purely coincidental). The premise is still “boy meets girl”, but the twist in the concept gives it a fresh, unique and original appeal to the story.      When writing a spec script, and if your goal is to SELL the script, it’s best to write a story with a high concept, easily understood, with a minimum number of characters and in a limited setting. Let the CONCEPT get the producers interested in it enough to request a read, and then let your writing- the wonderful characters that A-listers want to play, the fantastic dialogue with memorable lines, and the intriguing and/or hilarious storyline- sell it.      Then, rinse and repeat…several times. Once you’ve established a name for yourself as a writer, you’ll get your “Abyss” made.      Before typing another word, review the concept on that script that you’re spending every waking moment on. Ask your family and friends, your fellow writers in your writing group, or your script mentor, if the concept is a good one. If it doesn’t fit the general criteria of having a wide enough audience appeal, being original, fresh and unique, and easily understandable, then consider switching gears to a more marketable script idea. —————————— Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons. Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor  —————————— Read more TLL articles on the craft of Screenwriting
View Separately

#Screenwriting #Craft

Debunking Screenwriting Myths, Part 4: Concepts

by Geno Scala

     We’ve all heard the expression, “Concept is King!” It’s short, catchy, and the alliteration of the hard “cah” sound makes it work. But what does it really mean? 

     A screenplay “concept” is your basic story idea- the sinking of the Titanic, a man-eating shark that stalks victims at a summer tourist spot. That is the basic premise of your story. When discussing screenplays and screenwriting, we’re often talking about “high concepts”; an idea that would attract a wide demographic and is unique, fresh and original, and can be easily understood.

     People often mistake “high concept” with high production value and costs. This is not necessarily the case. It is also NOT great characters, NOT big action scenes, and NOT a story with twists and turns. A high concept idea is one that is easily understood by the most people in the fewest terms.  If I had to describe a screenplay that involves “a post-apocalyptic government on a planet that was about to run out of energy because the seas turned to desert, and because of a conspiracy to eradicate the beings, and because”…because…because…you get my drift.

     This is extremely important when writing spec scripts. Too often I read spec scripts from new, fresh-faced, anxious and motivated (while also unknown and unproduced) screenwriters that make “Battlefield Earth” look like a half-hour situation comedy. Elaborate set-ups, vast settings, hundreds of characters, CGI, stunt-laden, FX galore, etc. The basic premise or theme of the story, if there IS a story beneath it all, is lost and crushed by the weight of the potential production.

     Often times, screenwriters will spend days and weeks perfecting their loglines and synopses, and months or years completing and perfecting their screenplays. They’ll spend more time and money developing a comprehensive marketing plan and a thorough networking “strategery”. What they forget is that NO amount of networking, no business marketing plan and no logline or synopsis paid-for assistance is going to get their screenplay read, and/or purchased, if the concept is ill-conceived.

     It is often said that there are only a few GOOD ideas; just a million new ways to present them.  Discover a new twist on an old idea, and you will have a winning concept. For example, we’ve all seen the old, tired, played out rom-com formula “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl”. I’m not a big rom-com guy, but even I have seen enough of these. So, along comes “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” who deals with the post-break-up heartache, from the male perspective, then has him run into his old flame, while she’s vacationing with her new boyfriend! Another current movie, “The Five Year Engagement”, deals with an oft-talked-about rom-com topic that is quite prevalent in society, but hasn’t been (successfully) translated onto screen: the ultra-long engagement period (the fact that the two movies star the same cast and have the same director is purely coincidental). The premise is still “boy meets girl”, but the twist in the concept gives it a fresh, unique and original appeal to the story.

     When writing a spec script, and if your goal is to SELL the script, it’s best to write a story with a high concept, easily understood, with a minimum number of characters and in a limited setting. Let the CONCEPT get the producers interested in it enough to request a read, and then let your writing- the wonderful characters that A-listers want to play, the fantastic dialogue with memorable lines, and the intriguing and/or hilarious storyline- sell it.

     Then, rinse and repeat…several times. Once you’ve established a name for yourself as a writer, you’ll get your “Abyss” made.

     Before typing another word, review the concept on that script that you’re spending every waking moment on. Ask your family and friends, your fellow writers in your writing group, or your script mentor, if the concept is a good one. If it doesn’t fit the general criteria of having a wide enough audience appeal, being original, fresh and unique, and easily understandable, then consider switching gears to a more marketable script idea.

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Geno Scala has been writing for over twenty years, and was one of the Executive Directors for the 1999-2000 Academy Awards presentation. He is an optioned screenwriter with nine screenplays to his credit, and is an alumnus of ScreenwritingU. He maintains a business in Hollywood, and resides in beautiful Huntsville, Alabama with his rocket-scientist wife, a daughter in grad school, another daughter in college in CA, and two teen-aged sons.

Catch up with Geno || twitter: @Sharkeatingman & @thescriptmentor || facebook: Shark-Eating Man Productions & The Script Mentor 

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Read more TLL articles on the craft of Screenwriting

The Unrepeatable Truth Source: @ozzywood @storydepth #screenwriting #film #story ““Should I try to write something personal, do you think, or should I go after a commercial, thing-that’s-gonna-sell kind of screenplay?” It’s a question I often hear from pre-pros of all kinds, and my immediate response comes in the form of a counter-query: When someone reads the first page of a screenplay, what is the last thing this reader wants to see? As a professional reader and a writer, nothing deadens my soul, puts my hope and imagination to sleep faster, than the sense that I’m being told One of Those Stories in the Same Old Way.  People think that studios are looking for “commercial” projects, i.e. stories deemed to be familiar, acessible, sellable.  But in truth, the studio ideal is a story that’s the same, only different. As a professional reader and a writer, nothing puts my hope and imagination to sleep faster than the sense that I’m being told One of Those Stories in the Same Old Way So what makes the difference? Here’s the thing about a conventional script that’s meant to be commercial (i.e. a workman-like version of what’s already been done and what’s done all the time to fill programmer slots on a studio slate).  There are tons of established pros doing exactly that, and chances are, they’re already better at it than you are. Sure, if you’re an aspiring screenwriter, you ought to know and understand how such standard genre fare is done.  But while writing a formulaic, by-the-books script might give you a grip on what works and what doesn’t, that one doesn’t have to be the spec script you go out with.  In fact, that’s not a script the industry needs. What makes a script stand out from the crowd is the difference. What makes the difference? You. You and only you can write the story that only you know how to write, and this is where “personal” becomes key, in terms of creating a career. What’s the difference between personal and who cares?  Personal doesn’t mean “autobiographical.” The nightmare version of “a personal project” is the script written by a struggling widget salesman from Akron that’s all about a struggling ……….”
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The Unrepeatable Truth

Source: @ozzywood @storydepth

#screenwriting #film #story

““Should I try to write something personal, do you think, or should I go after a commercial, thing-that’s-gonna-sell kind of screenplay?”

It’s a question I often hear from pre-pros of all kinds, and my immediate response comes in the form of a counter-query: When someone reads the first page of a screenplay, what is the last thing this reader wants to see?

As a professional reader and a writer, nothing deadens my soul, puts my hope and imagination to sleep faster, than the sense that I’m being told One of Those Stories in the Same Old Way.  People think that studios are looking for “commercial” projects, i.e. stories deemed to be familiar, acessible, sellable.  But in truth, the studio ideal is a story that’s the same, only different.

As a professional reader and a writer, nothing puts my hope and imagination to sleep faster than the sense that I’m being told One of Those Stories in the Same Old Way

So what makes the difference?

Here’s the thing about a conventional script that’s meant to be commercial (i.e. a workman-like version of what’s already been done and what’s done all the time to fill programmer slots on a studio slate).  There are tons of established pros doing exactly that, and chances are, they’re already better at it than you are.

Sure, if you’re an aspiring screenwriter, you ought to know and understand how such standard genre fare is done.  But while writing a formulaic, by-the-books script might give you a grip on what works and what doesn’t, that one doesn’t have to be the spec script you go out with.  In fact, that’s not a script the industry needs.

What makes a script stand out from the crowd is the difference.

What makes the difference? You.

You and only you can write the story that only you know how to write, and this is where “personal” becomes key, in terms of creating a career.

What’s the difference between personal and who cares?  Personal doesn’t mean “autobiographical.” The nightmare version of “a personal project” is the script written by a struggling widget salesman from Akron that’s all about a struggling ……….”