I'm trying to organize my ideas regarding writing a screenplay which talks about and tries to delve into the problems of couples, I have accumulated a lot of material on the subject taken from stories of friends and others, I began to describe the characters.
Outside the framework of a screenplay, at a certain point I found myself writing
a few scenes and character dialogues, but I realized that's pretty much it useless and certainly boring, telling only through dialogues, perhaps without first having identified an antagonist or obstacle.
7 people like this
Great question Valerio Buccino. Most likely yes a script with people just talking without conflict or obstacles and just being couples living their day to day lives might feel a bit turgid. There needs to be an engine or a framing device, some sort of creative decision/addition that drives the plot and provides that conflict. One answer I would posit would be to possibly try and frame the story through the lens of a genre film. I ran into this issue when trying to write something as a reaction to the topics of grief and divorce, both of which I was experiencing at that time. I didn't just want to write a short film script about people talking and being sad, so i wrote it as a horror script instead and cathartically processed these emotions and covered these important topics through that prism, which felt more urgent and entertaining, and the short film itself turned out well! Stephen King was struggling with addiction and being a new father and wrote The Shining instead of a straightforward story about a guy struggling with addiction and being a new father.
3 people like this
Hi Nick I am perfectly wih You, thank You for the reply
3 people like this
Matt Damon did an interview about Good Will Hunting. He thought the thing that got it made, when everything was said and done, was that the script was "just people talking." You have to make sure you catch the drama from the characters that can come from that to get the audiences attention. That will make it stand out.
3 people like this
Look at a film like Couples Retreat. All about relationships and the learning/fun that comes from it is putting a couple into a situation in which their true colors emerge.
3 people like this
Is your screenplay a comedy or drama about couples? Makes a big difference.
1 person likes this
That is a great question Valerio Buccino and can also bleed over into other genres as well, if ya not educated in the story or characters involved it will be B O R I N G and why so many get a pass.
What if the couple were elves? That would make it very interesting and are on a fairyland marriage counselling retreat to save their centuries old marriage.
Title:
Elven Vows
Logline:
Two elves on the brink of divorce/separation attend a fairyland marriage counseling retreat to rekindle their centuries-old bond, only to discover ancient secrets and unexpected dangers that test their love like never before.
1 person likes this
Lori Jones the difficult should be that script could be a Drama and Comedy too
2 people like this
@Mark Deuce thank you for your suggestions: you fantasy is very cool
3 people like this
What's the conflict defining the couple?
3 people like this
Preston nailed it! What's the central conflict that you can hang all the other conflicts/issues from? The key to a good story is drama, the key to drama is conflict.
2 people like this
Hi Valerio. May I ask, why do you want to tell this particular story? Why is it important to you? Is there something that excites you about the material that you have? Maybe your answers will guide you in your writing process.
2 people like this
I think, in this case, the antagonist is the conflict between your protagonists, period. A couple is never perfect. There will always be hiccups. You just need to find a way to make this subtle at first and eventually, reward your audience with their respective flaws, giving them more depth and nuances.