Screenwriting

I have benefited greatly

Hmmm interesting... not something I had considered but now you mention it... thank you Maurice Vaughan that has set the cogs turning.

You're welcome, Rachel White.

Such a great blog. We also have a great webinar about this: https://www.stage32.com/education?p=8944882352435

Thanks, Amanda Toney!

Congratulations Patrick!

Congrats, Pat!

Patrick, here's to more and more success with "Gorby & Ronnie Do Reykjavik" and your future scripts! A hearty congratulations to you!

Congratulations Patrick! You have a unique script and voice. Well done!

Patrick - we couldn’t be more thrilled for you. Excited to see your career take off!

Just for a point of reference (and a good laugh) have a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTUeGflCM

"Attention spans are shorter" is a lie that keeps repeating as an excuse for bad films. "Anatomy of a Fall" was 2.5 hours long, with 70% subtitles. "Oppenheimer" and "Avatar" (1&2) were 3 hours. Great plots with fabulous characters that kept the audience engaged. Over-reliance on gratuitous sex, thin characters, f-bombs, and fancy tech will not save a poor plot with thin, empty characters.

Good write is just good writing. Popular forms and structures change.

Remember when in the late 90’s it was “get to the action” nearly no first act. Then in the 1940’s massive first acts.

We need to be deliberate with our choices. We need to be sure that our choices move the story forward.

There were bad movies from the beginning of Hollywood; it is critics pointing to a small sample size of movies and using them to prove whatever point they want to prove.

There was a dry spell for a few years, but good movies are returning to the forefront. As a novice scriptwriter, I watched Field of Dreams as a scriptwriter and was truly impressed with the writer, W. P. Kinsella's efforts.

Casting directors specialize in this specific area of film.

Search for films or actors. The search is pretty basic from what I remember.

If asked I say “someone like Norman Redus, he has a very expressive face and shows distrust better than any one”.

The default answer to all other questions is Sam Jackson. He is responsible for more cinema ticket sales than any other actor.

Start off forming an LLC company; if you really want to make movies, you will put in the work and make it a legitimate business, so show biz strangers will take you seriously. Pick up the phone and call casting agents, reps, crew. Lots of out of work talent in front & behind camera. Can you put money $ in their pockets by Summer?

Anyways the tough part of casting is finding actors who might be famous in 2-3 years from when you start. Distributors want names.

Filmmaker Tony Tost, first-time director, made a movie two years ago starring Sydney Sweeney who now is maybe top 3 actress in Hollywood under age 30.

We give FREE feedback on scripts every Tuesday on my YouTube channel if you want us to take a look at the first 10 pages.

https://www.stage32.com/media/3500252380887264882?ref=search&autoplay=1

Great attitude Justin. Its important to take the positive and get other perspectives on your work.

Travis, you're absolutely correct about the nine-act structure...today's Hallmark/Lifetime/etc. made-for-TV movies roll that way. (I've read where some TVers use a seven-act structure.)

When I first attempted to break in (1980), TV-movies used a six-act structure...at least, that's how Constance Nash and Virginia Oakey put it on Page 68 of their 1978 manual, "The Television Writer's Handbook."

I liked the structure and decided to stick with it...and after I joined Stage 32 in January 2019, I learned about Michael Hauge's plot system (and decided to adopt that, too).

It's tempting to skip character profiles...the only reason I do the profiles is I find it fun to see just how these characters would interact with (or against) each other.

On top of that, I admire writers who can come up with that first draft in one fell swoop (or more) and can go back and do multiple drafts. It's great to be able to fly by the seat of your pants that way.

I know...the perfectionist in me says: "Jim...make EFFING sure you've got all your ducks in a row before you shoot!"

Still...

Well, I've rambled on enough...thanks for the feedback (and the post itself)!

We have the same process Travis Seppala lol

Someone once said - I think Linda Seger or another expert on screenwriting - that rewriting is the ability to showcase your story even more.

Re-writes are tough. But sometimes if you give yourself some space from your project and re-visit it with fresh eyes, some things will stand out to you that you mat want to change or it may help make sense of some notes you've been given.

Ewan, exactly.

It doesn't make sense to work on something by forcing yourself onto it. Everything has to flow naturally. Also, being motivated helps. lol

Anthony, that's great news!

Thanks for the heads-up...and here's to more and more success!

Congratulations on the selections and win, Anthony McBride aka award-winning screenwriter!

I think that any anthology could be an example to follow.

Fellow Travelers traces a relationship from the 1950's to the 1980's jumping between timelines throughout the episodes of the miniseries. It's also brilliantly written. (warning: very explicit sexual content).

I've only seen one season of Yellowjackets and it's quite violent, but it was incredibly successful at telling the story of its characters across two (and sometimes more) timelines simultaneously.

In the 70’s TV generation drama was popular Eg The Forsythe Saga, Roots. Star Trek continuous since 60’s.

House of the Dragon S1 moved forward in the timeline after a few episodes. I thought it was good. It pushed the story along. I'm a casual fan of the genre, but it kept my interest.

Both are good (IMO) - I tend to favor Shore as my final check prior to rewriting for final (nearly?) draft. Screencraft? I have to admit some amateurish coverage has happened; though mostly decent.

Thanks Matthew Kelcourse. Any analyst numbers you have found to be good? You can select a specific analyst from the drop down menu on Coverfly.

Brad Cooper you might want to contact them and ask for a recommendation for the genre/audience you are targeting. For example: I'm exclusively action/sci-fi/adventure and I would prefer someone who favors comedy/rom-com to not be one offering me feedback. They are extremely helpful - a delight to work with. Cheers.

The possibilities for ideas are endless.

Haha Maurice. You remember my logline from the logline section. Sadly there was never a script. How I came up with it, I probably got from the title Analyze This to Analyze Fish, then the rest was easy. I must say it didn't come out of nowhere. I did a lot of "Analyze" "This" and "That".

Feading all the info of the old (2016) logline into ChattGPT it came up with:

"In 'Analyze Fish,' a greedy Dolphin Shrink initially agrees to manipulate a depressed Loan Shark into committing suicide for a million clams offered by the Great White Padrino, but has second thoughts when he develops an unexpected friendship with his patient, leading to a heartwarming journey of self-discovery and redemption amidst the perilous waters of their underwater world."

The Hunt:

After witnessing the brutal murder of his family during a camping trip, lonely teenage boy Malachi discovers a mysterious black stone that transports him to an imaginary world. There, he gains the ability to transform into an S-Ranking Hunter, determined to track down and confront the killers responsible for his family's demise, all while grappling with his newfound powers and the specter of his past.

What two movies is "The Hunt" a mix of, Derrick Vernon?

I'm happy to look at it for you!! Let me know where I can find it online, or feel free to e-mail it to me at my work e-mail address at sillysideproductions@gmail.com

Internals/non-filmables can help you paint a picture/write juicy action lines sometimes, Dustin Archibald, which could attract producers, directors, actors, etc. to your script. I suggest using them sparingly though.

Niki Galiano Thanks! It can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r9-C3Grq3chG5tZUKu-_mqfVU1bqFYOS/view?u...

Maurice Vaughan Thanks for the advice! I'll make sure to revise the script with that in mind.

You're welcome, Dustin Archibald. I used to avoid writing internals/non-filmables in my scripts, and my action lines were plain/boring. I kept getting notes that I needed to make my action lines more exciting/attractive, and using internals/non-filmables helped.