Post by curtinparloe on May 13, 2005 11:37:56 GMT -5
You can look at a film and think, "I could do better." Here's the problem: The original script was more than likely fantastically well crafted, but destroyed in rewrites to create the horrible mess (starring Rik Mayall) you're now watching. What you have to do, therefore, is write a d**n good screenplay in the first place.
You can read books, read screenplays, write until it comes out of your ears, and then you might have a vague idea of what a great screenplay is, and whether you're capable of writing one. In the meantime, you plug away, learning the techniques and technicalities. This can be troublesome, so I shall put here some tips and tricks for getting your script knocked into shape, so you can tell whether it's Frankenstein's Monster or Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science...
1. Layout. This is the most important part of a script. If you have written the best script ever, funny, exciting, with endearing characters who everyone will wish they could be, and the layout is wrong, Spielberg or Jackson won't even ever see it. The reason is that the standard movie script equates almost exactly to this formula: One page of a script lasts for one minute on screen. For example, a 120 page script = a 2 hour movie. Because this is accepted by the industry, any other format is confusing as to how long it will last. Download Scriptsmart from www.bbc.co.uk and it will lay out your script correctly as you write. It needs MS Word, so if you don't have that, you'll need something free like scriptmaker, by Ian Pegler at www.freefilmsoftware.co.uk.
2. Keep it now. Always write a script in the present tense, e.g. Fred walks to the door and opens it. NEVER use past tense. It's too nostalgic...
3. Show, don't tell. You can only ever write what will be seen or heard in the cinema. Instead of "Max dies. Jim is really upset, he can't bear the thought of living without his beloved dog", write "Max dies. Jim falls to his knees, wailing and howling as he clutches the dead dog to his chest." In the first example, the actor will be saying, "well, you know, should I cry? Scream? Shrug in a manly way? Just how far do I take this idea?" In the second, without explaining the emotion, you can see it precidely from the character's actions. A script must be economical with words. By all means, sketch a beautiful picture in the script, but if you're too specific, be prepared for the director to cross lots of things out during the script meeting. Of course, he/she/it might do that anyway..
4. Avoid spurious dialogue. You should generally avoid dialogue unless it A) furthers the story, or B) changes the power relationship between characters in the scene. if you must explain some plot point, be careful to make it relevant and above all, short. In every conversation, each character must have an aim when he/she/it speaks, otherwise, whats the point in speaking?
5. "I am the boss of you" - don't second-guess the director. If you start telling him he needs a wide-angle shot for this, a quick zoom for that, and an extreme-close up for the other, you're directing the movie, not him. The last thing you want is a petulant director saying "Trombone shot, eh? Bloody know-it-all writer! Let's see how he likes it when I set it on Mars!"
Summary
I find it easiest to think of the screenplay as a preliminary sketch, or a blueprint (except that blueprints must normally be followed exactly). That way, you know that you're laying out the story, and roughly what it will be like, before the director starts enhancing it (or butchering it) into the final movie.
Well, there are some tips on making a script look and read right. The trick now is getting the story right, and that's where things get waay more complicated...
You can read books, read screenplays, write until it comes out of your ears, and then you might have a vague idea of what a great screenplay is, and whether you're capable of writing one. In the meantime, you plug away, learning the techniques and technicalities. This can be troublesome, so I shall put here some tips and tricks for getting your script knocked into shape, so you can tell whether it's Frankenstein's Monster or Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science...
1. Layout. This is the most important part of a script. If you have written the best script ever, funny, exciting, with endearing characters who everyone will wish they could be, and the layout is wrong, Spielberg or Jackson won't even ever see it. The reason is that the standard movie script equates almost exactly to this formula: One page of a script lasts for one minute on screen. For example, a 120 page script = a 2 hour movie. Because this is accepted by the industry, any other format is confusing as to how long it will last. Download Scriptsmart from www.bbc.co.uk and it will lay out your script correctly as you write. It needs MS Word, so if you don't have that, you'll need something free like scriptmaker, by Ian Pegler at www.freefilmsoftware.co.uk.
2. Keep it now. Always write a script in the present tense, e.g. Fred walks to the door and opens it. NEVER use past tense. It's too nostalgic...
3. Show, don't tell. You can only ever write what will be seen or heard in the cinema. Instead of "Max dies. Jim is really upset, he can't bear the thought of living without his beloved dog", write "Max dies. Jim falls to his knees, wailing and howling as he clutches the dead dog to his chest." In the first example, the actor will be saying, "well, you know, should I cry? Scream? Shrug in a manly way? Just how far do I take this idea?" In the second, without explaining the emotion, you can see it precidely from the character's actions. A script must be economical with words. By all means, sketch a beautiful picture in the script, but if you're too specific, be prepared for the director to cross lots of things out during the script meeting. Of course, he/she/it might do that anyway..
4. Avoid spurious dialogue. You should generally avoid dialogue unless it A) furthers the story, or B) changes the power relationship between characters in the scene. if you must explain some plot point, be careful to make it relevant and above all, short. In every conversation, each character must have an aim when he/she/it speaks, otherwise, whats the point in speaking?
5. "I am the boss of you" - don't second-guess the director. If you start telling him he needs a wide-angle shot for this, a quick zoom for that, and an extreme-close up for the other, you're directing the movie, not him. The last thing you want is a petulant director saying "Trombone shot, eh? Bloody know-it-all writer! Let's see how he likes it when I set it on Mars!"
Summary
I find it easiest to think of the screenplay as a preliminary sketch, or a blueprint (except that blueprints must normally be followed exactly). That way, you know that you're laying out the story, and roughly what it will be like, before the director starts enhancing it (or butchering it) into the final movie.
Well, there are some tips on making a script look and read right. The trick now is getting the story right, and that's where things get waay more complicated...