GOOD SETUP: It’s cool, I can’t see where it’s going, I’ve never seen it before, it’s doing something fun while establishing something important for later. BAD SETUP: I’ve seen it before, I know how it works, nothing happens. A yawn. Setup is the reader’s introduction to your ability to innovate and surprise. Spend some time…
Read moreREVERSE ENGINEER YOUR REWRITE
Aliens is such a fantastic example of this, you should just watch it five times in a row so you can catch all the little setups and how they are accomplished. Nothing is wasted. Everything does double duty. The power loader is the ultimate in reverse engineered awesomeness, of course, it pays off in well-established…
Read more5 STAR ESCALATION
Escalation keeps the story interesting. An individual escalation really works when it is set up as the thing we hope doesn’t ever happen. Then when it happens, we know the most shit has just hit the biggest fan. Rinse, then repeat until the end of act two.
Read moreIf you are looking for your second act, check the first act exposition. Annerocious
Read moreSTORY FALLACIES: PART ONE
Fallacy: Being difficult to attain makes a thing worth having. Fix: The action must prove why the unattainable thing is necessary for the protagonist’s well-being. Example: A protagonist’s goal is to be a size 0 for the reunion. The assumptions: A dress size of 0 will provoke the desired reaction from former classmates, which is…
Read moreMATRIX YOUR WAY THROUGH YOUR DRAFT
There are two kinds of scripts, Matrix scripts and Battery scripts (spoiler alert). Battery scripts convey information with words. Matrix scripts tell stories with images. The quickest way to make the jump is to start thinking about WITHHOLDING information. Using The Matrix as an example, because it’s a really good example, the story starts with…
Read moreBASIC PHYSICS AND YOUR SCREENPLAY: PART THREE
Average Speed=Distance/Time The farther you want to get, the faster you have to go, because you only have a given amount of time.
Read moreBASIC PHYSICS AND YOUR SCREENPLAY: PART TWO
INERTIA: a property of matter (YOUR PROTAGONIST) by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force. (YOUR INCITING INCIDENT)
Read moreWHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE STUPID FLAW?
Drama is driven by conflict, and conflict is driven by needs. Needs spring from the cavernous emptiness that echoes inside us all. Flaws force people into bad decisions, down the wrong path, into dead ends. Stories exist to show that that damage is undoable. Success is possible, happiness attainable. You take a pastry chef whose…
Read moreGAME OF THRONES IS DIFFERENT
Your script is about one person who wants one thing. There isn’t time to fully develop every possibility in your script, you have to be utterly bloodthirsty about what you cut out.
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