I may be committing sacrilege here but is there ever a case for writing a synopsis before a script has been drafted?
The reason I ask is I have a really fun idea - I think anyway. The problem is, it's for a feature that would be written specifically for a particular actor. If they're not interested, the film I envisage (though it could be adapted, but that would be just another project in a list of projects) couldn't happen.
It's a fun-packed action, adventure, thriller, sci-fi with all the hallmarks of those great 90s blockbusters (surely the action heroes vibe is coming to end soon and we can return to some form of reality?), except its got a twist in that our hero is playing a version of himself.
I really don't want to go to the effort of writing a script for someone that is not particularly known for any of the aforementioned genres nowadays - he was, he's a bit more serious now - only to be turned down at the first hurdle.
I'm giddy with excitement at the prospect of writing the screenplay, it'll be fun and dare I say unique, but I haven't the time to do it, especially when it's so limited in focus, so I'm hoping someone will say, give the synopsis a bash and see what occurs.
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I've written a synopsis before writing the script, David Barrett. The synopsis can help guide you as you write the script.
I've thought about writing a script for Viola Davis. I wouldn't write it so only Viola could play the role. I'd write the script so another actress could play the role if Viola passed on it.
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David Barrett Sure. Of course, the danger of sharing a synopsis for an unwritten script is if the actor likes the idea and wants you to send over the script, then you would have to hustle and get the script written.
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I always write up synopsis and outlines before script AND you can register a synopsis treatment with the WGA to give yourself a modicum of protection.
besides, I'd be surprised at anyone willing to read anything without a wga number.
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David Barrett I've assumed this is done, in one way or another, in one format or another, all the time.
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It's always good to try and fully flesh out ideas before you write!
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Like Mathew, I also always write synopsis before script.
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Writing a synopsis before script is always a good idea to flush out the idea and know your ending. That being said, writing a good synopsis for a pitch can take as much time as a script and probably what you’re talking about is a treatment. Treatments can definitely get sold but my instinct here is that if you’re pitching a character to an actor they’re gonna want to see the scenes and dialog to make that decision. Even if this actor says no, you can have your materials ready for the next opportunity.
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Whatever your process is, it is your process. Write it as a novel, if it helps get the lumps and bumps out of the story.
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David, it's tempting to come up with a synopsis before writing a script for it...and hats off to those who can do that.
I've tried (and that's my tough luck)...but I feel more comfortable with creating an "outline/scene list" before actually starting on my script. With me, things change sometimes to the point where I've got to write something different than what I'd put in my outline/scene list.
And because of those changes, I do a synopsis after I've finished the script.
But that action-adventure-sci fi-thriller sounds exciting...and I wish you tremendous success with it!
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David Barrett Interesting post. It seems like you actually have two questions going: 1) should you write a synopsis before the script, and 2) should you bother writing something that's hyper-specific to a particular actor? I'll just mention that as far as question 2 goes, I recently read a script exactly like that. It had the actor's name in the title and it was built so thoroughly around the actor's filmography and personal history that it would be next to impossible to rewrite it for someone else. As a reader, my inclination was to flag that as a definitive no-no for the reasons you allude to, and I fully understand your hesitation (why go through the process of writing an entire script if the whole thing rests on the participation of a single person?). But, crazily, the script turned out so good and fun that I judged it to be worth it as a sample of fine writing, even if the chances for actual production were incredibly tiny. So, while I wouldn't necessarily recommend going ahead with it, I will say that there's at least one instance where such a bold move got a positive response from a reader.
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David Barrett as Maurice suggests, you should write the script so that another actress can play the role if your first choice passes on it. All your questions answered here on the Stage32 spaceship headed always to the stars!
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Jim Boston Yeah, I'm inclined to agree: synopsis after script. I feel like there's so much overlap between "synopsis," "summary," "outline," "scene list" and so on that pretty much everybody is going to have their own sense of what each term means and where they fit in the writing process. For me personally, I see a synopsis as "outward-facing": it's the story of the script condensed into readable prose that can be handed to someone to be read as prose. That's why it makes sense to leave it to after the script is written; otherwise it's all too easy to get bogged down in the best way to boil scenes down so they read properly when summarized. Whereas the summary or outline or scene list is more "inward-facing": it's for the writer to organize the story as it's being constructed, so it doesn't have to be written to be handed off to someone else and instantly appreciated as a piece of writing in itself.
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Christopher Phillips Yeah. In fact I'd say a synopsis for an unfinished script would be the kind of thing you'd only give to somebody you already had a relationship with. I don't get the impression that rolling up to the actor's agent saying "Hey, here's a synopsis of a script I haven't written yet about your client" is gonna be a grabber.
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Stephen Notley In general, actors are getting scripts to read and what parts they might potentially play. If they know the writer/producer/director, then they might get a synopsis to see if they are interested in the role/concept. However, that's usually when you have a relationship with them of some sort or your work is well known.
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It's definitely the 2nd question Stephen Notley. I couldn't ever imagine writing a synopsis for any other circumstance. This idea I have is so hyper specific, it relates to the particular actor's home, it's long history, I mean seriously long, as in thousands of years history and even the car he drives. All have a reason for being in this particular idea of mine.
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I"ve never written a synopsis before a script. My new horror screenplay, HORROR-FEST, had no outline or synopsis, yet quickly got scooped up as an Official Selection at the 2024 Block Island Film Festival, which I'll be attending in May. It also received glowing notes from a member of the reading committee (Dialogue - 9, Tone - 8, Originality - 7) at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards. Winners are announced in April. So looking forward to what 2024 has in store for the script without a synopsis or outline.
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What you might consider doing in this situation is coming up with a film pitch to approach the actor with. A synopsis would probably be part of that. That might at least allow you to gauge interest. But if you love the idea, you should write it! You never know if it could be adapted to another actor down the line...
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I don't understand an argument for not creating a synopsis before the actual draft.
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^^^ this. Forget spec process because nobody is paying you but when you're hired to write for someone else, employers want outlines, treatments, whatever before actual screenplay pages. My VFX friend worked on Avatar sequels for 3-4 years. The VFX team never saw any screenplay pages but they were instructed at what to do.