My husband and I watched The Place Beyond the Pines on VOD yesterday after we came back from the US Open. When it broke into the third act for the third time, he said, “I think this movie is going into a fifth set.” That about covers it.
Read moreNEW MOST OVERUSED SPEC OPENING
EXT. THICK WOODS – NIGHT (or DAY, either one) PANTING. Feet RUNNING and STUMBLING. A GIRL (18-24) races for her life from an UNSEEN PURSUER. She DIES. With a SCREAM. And then we switch to somewhere else and meet the protagonist doing something mundane. If you have written this, you are NOT ALONE. Word to…
Read moreCONFLICT
Good conflict is when people want mutually exclusive, life-changing things. GOOD CONFLICT: Jenny’s father wants her to quit school so she can nurse her chronically ill grandmother and he can keep his job as a long-haul truck driver. Jenny wants him to sign a letter of consent for a prestigious military academy so she can…
Read moreTHE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG
To get you past the first wall of readers. Most spec scripts submitted to competitions and festivals look alike in ways that these gifs and articles encourage you to avoid. That’s about it.
Read more30 PAGES OF SETUP
Diversity Will Not Hurt Your Script
PACING
BAD PACING: There is an idea set up that something is going to happen, and then nothing dramatic happens. And that keeps looping. GOOD PACING: Something is about to happen. Something completely unexpected happens. Then, CAR! Then garbage cans are flying everywhere. New problem. And the lawn still isn’t mowed.
Read moreREALLY QUIPPY DIALOGUE
Will I Answer Questions About Your Spec?
Yes.
Read moreWHY FLASH FORWARD IS A PROBLEM
The most convincing argument I can make against starting your spec with the backstory and then jumping forward in time is this: Casablanca doesn’t open in Paris. Start in the now and set up your now problem. Use the backstory to escalate in your second act. It will elevate your game like crazy.
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