Jennifer Blanchard's Lounge Discussions

I have a copy of the 'Alien' script - I can't seem to find anything better presented and written than that one - and I've read a lot of them. It's so visually descriptive you can actually see the film unfolding before your eyes.

All the best, Kaye

The script for Witness starring Harrison Ford used to be the textbook perfect 3 act structure. Of course Pulp Fiction totally blew the three act structure out of the water.

Jennifer- You read other screenplays to improve your craft. Why not find the top 10 greatest films of all time? I would start with 'CASABLANCA'. "Here's looking at you kid".

I would not read older scripts to pattern after. Read what's working now. Trends change. What was acceptable in the 30s or 40s doesn't always work for today. Read scripts that performed well, were critically applauded, and just well written for the genre you're writing in. If it's tv, get the pilot script for a show close to your genre. And remember, you're trying to catch the attention of the reader who will pass your script up the chain. If you're writing spec, write it for the reader. Don't write a shooting script. There's a huge difference. Write it to read. Make sure it's entertaining. Make sure it's as perfect as you can get it. And make sure it's not all passive tense. Make sure it works. I'm a student of Lew Hunter. Read Screenwriting 434. Lew taught me.. Learn from the best teachers out there. “Lew Hunter is the greatest screenwriting professor I’ve ever known.” -- Steven Spielberg.

I think the scripts of films you enjoy the most.

Thanks David Trotti for the clarification and explanation, good to learn :)

Depends on what you mean by drama. Everything I write could be called a drama. Things like action etc tend to be plot driven drama. Then on the flip side there are my character driven dramas.

I think you need to focus of character more when the world isn’t a character like it can be in ScFi.

Will this be like a romantic drama? If so I highly recommend the book Romancing the Beat which has a ton of great advice about structuring romance stories.

Look for the relationships that have the greatest change/impact to the narrative. It sounds like it's a story about someone who has died. I don't know if this is a biopic or just "slice of life" about that person like a "last year in the life" type story. For reference, think of like "Darkest Hour" or "The King's Speech" vs. a story like "American Made" or "Christopher Robin".

I have a biopic I have on a back burner that will someday make it to the forefront and what I have focused on is the relationships that come/go/evolve and the items that affected those or had the greatest impact (beats if you will). Also if there are unexpected "turn of events" type items, make sure you lay out the life direction prior to that. Meaning where was life going for those characters up until that life changing event (a diagnosis, a divorce, a death if not the end of narrative event) and then the aftermath. If that's the kind of story it is, think of it like a mirror and describing what you see in the mirror up until the point that it shatters then what do you see after it shatters.

Thanks everyone, yeah it's not a romance,it's based on a true story of an epic event in the life of someone who recently deceased. It has a law suit in it dealing with some pretty big production companies that are still around today. At the moment I'm struggling with the thought of leaving the names as they are, since it did happen and the court events are documented, or changing the names of the companies to be vague and avoid incident and controversy. A little controversy could be a good thing ...hmmm. Other than that it's pretty much done, appreciate all the comments though, thanks again!!

I'm happy when I am happy. I am very picky about my own work, so when I write something and later on reread to discover it's actually good, I am satisfied. As for action vs dialogs. I love dialogs, but since I'm Dutch, my dialogs might be different then the American ones :) So action is easier to write for me. But I think both are equal important.

Copyright has gone up to $55 this year.

Anthony- Phew! Glad I finished my (3) copyrighted scripts on time at the old rate of $35. Now that it has gone to $55 I better just give up screenwriting and go back to being a telemarketer at Carnegie Hall. Man, I can't afford $55. Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted. Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention. I am sure that there are other "HAPPY WRITERS" that won't be happy anymore too. Would not be surprised if a lot of writers give up because of this price increase.

I don't think it's one, you have to get all of them right to some degree IMO

For me having a multi -layered protagonist with flaws to over come. Followed very closely by all the other elements. If your story is brilliant but your Protagonist is flat and shallow then it will get tossed. The question I ask myself all the time is "Why should the reader care about my lead?"

Hi Rose! As you work in the UK, I’d like to know the differences between UK and US markets, if there are any, and how to find contacts in the UK to sell your script...thanks! :)

Agreed Matthew J. Kaplan! I use software such as Final Draft and Scrivener as they have templates and it makes formatting screenplays simple. If you don't have access to that kind of software I advise that you download as many screenplays as possible and look at the similarities between them. Aim for your screenplays to look as similar as some of the successful ones out there. Shooting scripts are slightly different but perhaps I can cover that in the blog as well? Hmm...

Matthew J. Kaplan Another great topic! I personally enjoy the journey and each of the twists and turning points along the way, but I suppose there are people out there that are obsessed with endings. This will be an interesting topic to cover.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Where is the best place to post a link to blog posts on Stage 32? I know that self promotion isn't allowed so wondered if I have to do this on my wall or whether it's OK to post them to the screenwriting lounge?

Rose, I'm looking forward to reading your blog - I'm not sure where to post it here, but I just followed you on social media and will look for blog updates there. All the best!

Hello Jennifer:

Traditional wisdom with screenwriters is that they need an agent or manager to further their careers. However, unless you have a top selling novel or a screenplay that has some buzz with industry folks, it's very difficult to secure an agent for the long haul. And, producers are often very project centered, meaning they're looking for a writer for one project. This doesn't mean you can build relationships with producers for a long-term relationship. I've been repped by an agent for a specific script and currently have a management agency repping a specific project concept. I've also secured a dozen options and right-to-shop agreements without representation. Recently, I managed to connect with a network television star on a current hit TV show via a trade advertisement. The net result is I'm currently working on a comedy feature script based on a concept he and his manager submitted to me several months back.

The main thrust of this post is to say that if you want be in the screenplay business, you may wish to consider pitching your own wares until such time as WME, CAA, ICM or UTA come calling.

Hope that helps.

There are a number of Literary Agents in the Hollywood market area that handle both book publishing AND screenwriters (my long term Agent does both.)

Interesting Q&A - thanks to you both

Wow—thanks everyone! This was a really good thread. Thanks for all the suggestions.

I tried IMDbpro, but it didn' work. You don't get much extra for the money, unless you like to make lists and count having your photos on the IMDb as a pro. I think here on stage32 you can find more.

I appreciate confident creatives who believe mastery is easy and anyone can play in the NBA and the NFL at the same time. I believe that's naive. Don't see anyone doin' it in the big leagues, but I'm always open to enlightenment. Have a great weekend. I'm DJing for three days!

Read "Jaws" the book and the screenplay and see how hey completely differ.

I just did this with one of my novels (the screenplay turned out way better) and for me doing this transition, the most important thing to keep in mind is: You now have to tell this story VISUALLY—this was the biggest challenge for me because in a novel you’re able to describe more and use more narrative. Writing the screenplay version was a good exercise in thinking about my story from a more visual angle. So when you’re writing it, I recommend asking yourself—how can I approach this scene more visually? And also watch movies to see how they show hints visually, rather than tell you (this has been a fun exercise for me too).

Approaching this from a different angle....

Congrats on your decision to start screenwriting! It's a very, very big decision.

I think what people are hinting at above is that many people make a decision "I can write a novel so writing a 90 to 120 page screenplay should be simple." but it's more along the lines of "I can run a marathon and have run 2 so far, so now I'm going to scale Everest."

If you can, that's great but a couple of serious questions to ask yourself is are you ready to spend the next year or two years writing the screenplay adaptation of your work? Are you ready to be told you're doing it wrong, multiple times over that same time frame?

If the answer is "Yes" then congrats! You're a beginner/novice screenwriter and with lots of training, learning, practice and ego crushing work, you have the chance to be successful at becoming a screenwriter.

People are responding above because there's an infinite field of the dead made up of self published novel authors who said those fateful words "I think I'll write a screenplay adaptation of one of my self published books." and were felled by the process.

Good luck!

I did the same. I write both, but they are both totally different. So I am constantly changing my books. Some tihings work in books, but not in a screenplay. So as long as you know both mediums are different, you are fine.

Welcome. I'm one of the few non-filmies in here. I'm a Music Producer in MIssouri.

Find me on Twitter @theBobavich if you wanna talk more about the singing music side of things. Otherwise welcome. This is a great community.

Great to have you here now, Jennifer! Appreciate those kind sentiments as well! Looking forward to seeing you around and to your contributions!