Sometimes your protag gives up the fight to be the most interesting person in the script. We’ve all been there. That one supporting character who takes off, not coincidentally when the second act gets a little mushy. It’s not okay for this to happen. It’s unfaithful. Protags sometimes sag under the weight of their goodness…
Read moreMOTIVATION: GO ORGANIC
Trying to hit dramatic beats on certain pages leads to motivation drift. I read a script about a relationship, and on a given page it was time for them to break up, so they had a fight. Except the fight was completely unmotivated and required that the girlfriend end the relationship over an issue that…
Read moreENDINGS
It’s a good idea to start out with a concrete ending in mind so that you can write towards it, not just thematically, but with the confidence of knowing that no matter how many wrong turns your protag takes, the end will resolve it beautifully. Visualize your ending with a naked heart. It’s a catharsis,…
Read moreCUTTING THAT SCENE YOU LOVE
“WE WILL COME TO KNOW HIM AS…”
BACKSTORY
There is a lot of backstory that doesn’t belong in your script. It feels important to put on the page, to explain things and illuminate characters, but it’s more interesting to the reader NOT to know everything, to guess and speculate and draw our own conclusions. Bonus points if we get it wrong and that’s…
Read moreCAN I OPEN WITH A GUY WAKING UP IN HIS MESSY ROOM?
DON’T DIRECT ON THE PAGE, THERE ARE DIRECTORS FOR THAT
image of Kathryn Bigelow via GQ Even if you avoid commanding the camera (“Pan across Javert’s shattered visage”), you still might be directing in your writing in ways you don’t even notice. Which you shouldn’t do. Kathryn Bigelow has her own ideas. If you’re a filmmaker, scroll right on by. You write your script however you…
Read moreHOW TO LAUNCH ACT TWO
BETA TESTING YOUR LOGLINE
YOU’RE GOOD: TIGHTEN IT UP:
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