Hey everyone and welcome back.
My goals progress on Draft 1 of Temptation is I have just finished Act 1 and I'm heading into Act 2 going towards the midpoint of the story.
I have yet to read a script for review but I will be on Thursday and Friday.
Today's lesson is simply on working on more than one story.
The reason to do this is to help avoid writer's block. While I am currently working on the actual script of my Temptation story I am also working on the story development for another one. This one I am using the process as laid out in The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Save The Cat Strikes Back
For you screenwriters who have been living under a rock you have most definitely heard of the late great Blake Snyder's Save The Cat franchise from the earlier two books Save The Cat, the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need and Save The Cat Goes To The Movies, The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told.
Prior to his untimely death last year Blake finished the third book in his series Save The Cat Strikes Back, More Trouble for Screenwriters to get into . . . and Out of.
He teaches structure but in a thoroughly entertaining way which is why I loved the first book so much. As well as the second. I bought the third book with a little trepidation - I mean how can he better the first two?
Well he did. By following his own advice to "give us the same but different" he expanded on the concept.
Not just to make a good logline but how to do it and why as well. The why to make a killer logline is that it's pretty much the elevator pitch - where you have twenty seconds (if that) to sell your story.
Some other aspects include:
Before there's any comments about structure you must remember how important it is. In order for a house to be solid you need it to have a formula or sound structure.
Knowing story structure for writers is like knowing scales for musicians.
So get a good grasp on structure and proper screenplay format and keep attempting to come up with good stories.
Prior to his untimely death last year Blake finished the third book in his series Save The Cat Strikes Back, More Trouble for Screenwriters to get into . . . and Out of.
He teaches structure but in a thoroughly entertaining way which is why I loved the first book so much. As well as the second. I bought the third book with a little trepidation - I mean how can he better the first two?
Well he did. By following his own advice to "give us the same but different" he expanded on the concept.
Not just to make a good logline but how to do it and why as well. The why to make a killer logline is that it's pretty much the elevator pitch - where you have twenty seconds (if that) to sell your story.
Some other aspects include:
- He delves further into how to make the third act and finale so strong it'll blow your readers hair back.
- How to keep your story focused. While you can have multiple story arcs going on your main focus should be on one person's viewpoint.
- What to do when you get an agent and how to get one.
- So much more.
Before there's any comments about structure you must remember how important it is. In order for a house to be solid you need it to have a formula or sound structure.
Knowing story structure for writers is like knowing scales for musicians.
So get a good grasp on structure and proper screenplay format and keep attempting to come up with good stories.
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 2010 Goals
Hey all and welcome back to My Screenwriting Journey.
Last month I accomplished one of my goals and that was to enter into the Hollywood Insider Screenwriting Contest put on by The Writer's Store. I met the early bird deadline of October 31st which is why I was unable to complete the first draft/seventh draft of my current script or do five script reviews.
This month I will complete the draft as well as do five script reviews and one screenwriting book review as well.
Check back often.
Last month I accomplished one of my goals and that was to enter into the Hollywood Insider Screenwriting Contest put on by The Writer's Store. I met the early bird deadline of October 31st which is why I was unable to complete the first draft/seventh draft of my current script or do five script reviews.
This month I will complete the draft as well as do five script reviews and one screenwriting book review as well.
Check back often.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Frozen Script Review
Hello and welcome back.
The script review today is for Frozen. Billed as Open Water on a chair lift.
What happens is three friends, two guys Jason and Lynch and one of their girlfriends Parker beg to be let up on the chair lift for one last run at the end of the ski day. The lift is closing early due to bad weather approaching. The lift operator relents and allows them up the ski lift.
The problem comes when that lift operator is relieved to go see "the boss" in the office. He tells the one who relieved him that there are three more coming down. When the operator at the top of the hill announces over the radio that the last chair as arrived. The guy at the bottom of the hill sees three skiers come down and assuming that they're the three who were the last ones up shuts the lift down. The ski hill does not open again until the following Friday.
Now are the three friends are trapped with a storm front coming.
At first they believe they are going to be rescued. When it becomes apparent they have been forgotten the inevitable panic sets in.
They try things to escape their situation only to meet a grim fate.
The lesson to be learned from this script is that it is possible to have a movie take place in only one location and make it riveting. For further proof of this see Buried, Phone Booth and Rear Window.
What you need to show is the passage of time. You also need to have obvious obstacles to an escape, too far to jump off the chair lift. Too far to the next lift tower to climb down the ladder.
And also the obstacle of one of our greatest fears. Predators close by to eat us alive.
I enjoyed the script and will eventually buy the DVD or Blu Ray disc to watch the movie.
The challenge now is to come up with my - and your - own confined spaces script. Probably easier to sell than most as a one location script is very inexpensive to make.
The script review today is for Frozen. Billed as Open Water on a chair lift.
What happens is three friends, two guys Jason and Lynch and one of their girlfriends Parker beg to be let up on the chair lift for one last run at the end of the ski day. The lift is closing early due to bad weather approaching. The lift operator relents and allows them up the ski lift.
The problem comes when that lift operator is relieved to go see "the boss" in the office. He tells the one who relieved him that there are three more coming down. When the operator at the top of the hill announces over the radio that the last chair as arrived. The guy at the bottom of the hill sees three skiers come down and assuming that they're the three who were the last ones up shuts the lift down. The ski hill does not open again until the following Friday.
Now are the three friends are trapped with a storm front coming.
At first they believe they are going to be rescued. When it becomes apparent they have been forgotten the inevitable panic sets in.
They try things to escape their situation only to meet a grim fate.
The lesson to be learned from this script is that it is possible to have a movie take place in only one location and make it riveting. For further proof of this see Buried, Phone Booth and Rear Window.
What you need to show is the passage of time. You also need to have obvious obstacles to an escape, too far to jump off the chair lift. Too far to the next lift tower to climb down the ladder.
And also the obstacle of one of our greatest fears. Predators close by to eat us alive.
I enjoyed the script and will eventually buy the DVD or Blu Ray disc to watch the movie.
The challenge now is to come up with my - and your - own confined spaces script. Probably easier to sell than most as a one location script is very inexpensive to make.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Green Arrow Script Review
The Green Arrow script by Justin Marks is based on DC Comics characters.
The Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen starts off the story as a rich kid billionaire, an unfortunate event leads him to become a super hero dressed in a costume that goes around fighting crime. In other words he's another Batman.
He gets framed for murder committed by someone else and sent to Super Max Prison. Where he is befriended by another inmate.
The script, well written was basically Prison Break with comic book characters.
What I learned was you can have a premise or plot similar to stuff done before, just put a new twist or hook to the story.
For example Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour were the same plot - two detectives go after a crime syndicate. The story for Lethal Weapon is a retiring detective is forced to take on a suicidal partner.
For Rush Hour is was more or less an action comedy and the different approach to policing between the American detective and the Chinese detective.
So in creating a story start with What If? For example: What if a super hero gets sent to prison?
Do your what ifs and then see if something else has been done before and then try and put a different hook to the story.
The Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen starts off the story as a rich kid billionaire, an unfortunate event leads him to become a super hero dressed in a costume that goes around fighting crime. In other words he's another Batman.
He gets framed for murder committed by someone else and sent to Super Max Prison. Where he is befriended by another inmate.
The script, well written was basically Prison Break with comic book characters.
What I learned was you can have a premise or plot similar to stuff done before, just put a new twist or hook to the story.
For example Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour were the same plot - two detectives go after a crime syndicate. The story for Lethal Weapon is a retiring detective is forced to take on a suicidal partner.
For Rush Hour is was more or less an action comedy and the different approach to policing between the American detective and the Chinese detective.
So in creating a story start with What If? For example: What if a super hero gets sent to prison?
Do your what ifs and then see if something else has been done before and then try and put a different hook to the story.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Update to October's Goals
For those of you not on the Writer's Store mailing list they're putting on a screenwriting contest called "The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest" located at the following link:
http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-screenwriting-contest
The update to my October Goals is that I am going to be working on an application for this contest to see how I do.
All of you aspiring writers should do so as well. Simply because if you don't put your writing out there you'll never know what your strong points and weak points as a writer are.
So go for it. Enter. There will surely be a lot of competition, but you never know, you might get picked.
http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-screenwriting-contest
The update to my October Goals is that I am going to be working on an application for this contest to see how I do.
All of you aspiring writers should do so as well. Simply because if you don't put your writing out there you'll never know what your strong points and weak points as a writer are.
So go for it. Enter. There will surely be a lot of competition, but you never know, you might get picked.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
October 2010 Goals
Hello everyone.
This month's goals for October 2010 will be to finish the draft of my screenplay that I'm working on and to read/review five scripts. I haven't been able to accomplish the goal of fifteen scripts so what I'll do is make a more realistic goal as I am still working two jobs along with my screenwriting and blogging.
This month's goals for October 2010 will be to finish the draft of my screenplay that I'm working on and to read/review five scripts. I haven't been able to accomplish the goal of fifteen scripts so what I'll do is make a more realistic goal as I am still working two jobs along with my screenwriting and blogging.
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