The Movie Corner

Posts Tagged ‘screenplay’

It’s common knowledge that most people feel they have great stories that would be great if only turned into a movie. The sad fact is that lots of people don’t realize that just like the music, or fashion industry, the movie business is a business, and looks for saleable, surefire hits, not misses. However, there are a three items that, if included into your screenplay, could yield great success with landing an agent, or even getting your story/screenplay turned into an actual movie.

Take Some Time, Before You Write

Take the time to ponder the three major items that you will need before even getting started on your screenplay. Try Brainstorming your ideas. Because mind mapping caters to both sides of the brain at the same time, it makes it a very good way of storing and recalling information, and brainstorming your ideas.

Keep in mind that the more you stick to the formula listed in this article, the better you chances will be of landing an agent, or getting a producer to at least consider your screenplay. So, here are the three great items to remember when crafting your blockbuster of a screenplay:

Plot

It’s a great idea to focus on your plot from the very beginning of the writing process. The plot is what will get the screenwriting agent or producer interested. Not only will a good plot command and hold a movie business professional’s attention, but your story will also capture the attention of the main people that you are writing the screenplay for in the first place: the audience.

Make it Realistic-

You want to make sure that to some degree your plot is realistic. Even when we consider books like The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings, and even Dean Koontz’s The Darkest Evening of the Year, we have to take notice that the plots are realistic, even through subjects of ghosts, witches, fairies and hobbits. Go over the plot in your head, and even on paper until you know that it is solid. One problem with writing a screenplay, or any story for that matter, is that every writer has his or her own method to producing a completed screenplay. In my opinion, the best way to draft up a screenplay is to go over all the plot ideas before even writing, so that you eliminate chances of writer’s block setting in.

Don’t Give Too Much-

You want to make sure that the plot is not oversaturated with information. If you give your audience, the agent, or producer too much information to digest within 120 minutes, you could run the risk of loosing their attention all together. You want to make sure that the plot is not just simple, but also effective. The best way to garner success with your screenplay writing is to make it short and sweet; pack a mighty punch within a barely two hours. That’s the most important item to concentrate on.

Dialog

You want to make sure that the dialog of your characters rings true and realistic. If you have a priest defending chain smoking and stripping, you might want to change his dialog so that it rings more true to life. The exception to this rule is if the priest in example has been fighting his addictions, and they (his addictions) are vital to the story’s plot of theme, which I’ll cover in more depth later.

Each character has a different personality-

You should always remember that each character in a story should have her/his own personality. If your characters are beginning to sound exactly the same, not sounding too different from one another, you must go back and revamp the dialog. Each character, not only through their actions, but their speech, shows the producer, potential director, set designer, costume designer, and even director of photography how these character should be dressed, light, and the environments in which they should reside. The more information that you give the department heads through dialog and actions, the better your characters will turn out on screen.

Make the Dialog Sound Smooth

You want your dialog to flow, like a gentle stream. Of course, if you really want to do your homework, characters who have speech impediments, or who might be nervous could speak in jumbles, mumble, or talk incoherently. This can also add to the realism of the plot. In real life, people don’t speak perfectly all of the time; especially not when they’re in a stressful, situation. Your screenplay should be filled with drama, suspense, thrills, and twists, so there’s no way every single one of your characters is going to talk fluently throughout the entire film. Keep this information in mind.

Theme

Contrary to what many people think, the theme and the plot are not one in the same, the plot is the story that’s being told, while the theme gives the eithical or moral concept. For instance, one major theme is the movie The Craft was teenage girl’s coming of age. The plot or story wasn’t about young women finding themselves, and meeting new friends, but about what misfits would do, witches at that, if they could tap into a power strong enough to give them what they desire. As you can see, there is a bit of a difference between the theme and the plot. Another example would be the movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The plot is about a vampire- actually, the king of all vampires, and how his reign of terror and horror all began from losing his beloved wife after fighting for the Catholic Church. The theme of the movie, however, is about how love conquers all, even in the world of the undead. Try to pay close attention what your theme will be, but remember that it might not come to you right away. Some writers, many successful ones, find their story’s theme after the first draft, and flush out the things that repeat more often.

There are many other tricks & tips, that can help your screenplay shine brightly amongst the others thrown on a producer’s desk, these are but a few.

Writing screenplays isn’t as tough as most people would think. Though the number of screenplays being turned into movies are not at the highest rate, the chances are still great if you have the basic tools need to draft up a dazzling Screenplay, with great dialog, smooth pacing, and a great plot.

Get Ready

To start off with, make sure that you are really ready to start the endeavor of writing a movie screenplay. There are lots of tips, and bits of information to remember, though they are all fairly easy to accomplish and master.

1. What’s your Story About?

Ask yourself, “What story am I about to write?Remember that there is no difference between the plot and the story. Both give the reader an insight as to what they are going to be reading. There are many plots, and some of them have turned into blockbusters. For example, there was a plot about killer sharks swimming in the water of a local beach. Another plot consisted of a an alien coming to Earth, and befriending a young boy, who was discovered in hiding. Yet another is of a man who has blackouts as a child, and realizes later on in life that he can go back in time… then change things. Whatever plot or story that you come up with, make sure it’s a really good one, as well.

2. You Must Have a Hero and a Villain

A story would not be a complete story without a hero and a villain. The beautiful thing about stories, and imagination, is that a hero could be a town, or a group of people, all fighting for something. Just as well, the villain could be an organization, animal, or someone not even human. It could be a ghost! The reason why both of these people are key ingredients for a great story is because the hero is someone that the moviegoer relates to. They have to have a reason to sit through almost two hours of a movie, and the hero must provide that, along with the plot. Also, the villain must be there to damper the progress of your hero. Just as your hero must have something that they want to achieve, the villain must be there to stop them in any way, shape, form, or fashion. This builds drama and suspense, both wonderful ingredients for an entertaining story.

3. You Must Have Conflict

Conflict, drama, or obstacles must constantly be in your hero’s way. For this, you must turn to your villain, and give them a reason to stop your hero from getting what he/she most desires. At the same time, you don’t want to outwit your hero so much that the audience feels absolutely no hope. People want to see ordinary people succeed, because they consider themselves ordinary, as well. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, The Lord of the Rings. Frodo, the hero, and small hobbit was a mere three feet tall, and managed to take the precious ring to Mount Doom, even after being stabbed by a sword, a giant spider, and having his finger bitten off. Lots of obstacles were present, but with a fair amount of successes to boot.

4. Focus on Pacing

The pacing of your screenplay must be smooth, not too slow, and not too fast.

Risk of being too slow-

Needless to say, if your screenplay’s pacing is slow, people will get bored to death. The one thing you don’t want your audience, of a slush pile reader for that matter, is walking out on your story. You want to constantly keep your audience entertained by giving new plot information with each scene, and a wonderful climax at the end.

Risk of being too fast-

Going too fast can, sometimes, confuse the audience, or the reader. Try to make sure the pacing is even, with a slow scene to follow behind a fast action packed one. The balance should be so smooth and graceful that the reader or audience crave for more, or feel blissfully satisfied when after the climax and resolution scenes.

5. No More Than 120 Pages, Please!

Your screenplay should be no more than 120 pages. Now, if you believe your movie can only be told in over 120 pages, then go right ahead. However, it’s not a good idea to push the page count over 150; at that point, your “masterpiece” mayl be directly rejected. Slush pile readers have many, sometimes, hundreds of other screenplays to read, and they want the shortest ones with the most potential.

Follow your instincts when it creating the story you wish to tell, but follow these tips, and make sure you put them into memory, because they are screenwriting law, especially if you wish to get work as a screenwriter. You can also view this mind map for graphics, notes, and more info on molding a sellable, and wonderful screenplay.