story

Leaving an indelible impression

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Not expecting it to last millions of years, but wouldn’t complain about it either

As an avid fan of summer movies, this year has been one big disappointment after another. Granted, I haven’t seen a few of the latest releases yet (STAR TREK BEYOND, SUICIDE SQUAD), but barely remember anything since CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, and that came out in early May.

Remember all the hoopla preceding the GHOSTBUSTERS reboot? Kind of died off quickly, didn’t it? We saw it opening weekend, mostly because V wanted to, and it was…okay. I don’t attribute it’s lack of success to angry fans of the original, but because it just wasn’t that great a movie.

Was anything from this summer truly memorable? So far, not really (although I’m still holding out hope for the exquisite-looking KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS).

It honestly seemed like everything simply wasn’t up to standard. Despite what the various marketing assaults might indicate, the end products felt too slapdash and that too many projects were focused on being ready for the release date rather than making sure the script was rock-solid.

Based on this and almost-daily reports of forthcoming reboots, remakes, and overall more of the same-ness, breaking in as a writer of original material suddenly seems significantly harder. Not only does your script have to really wow ’em, but it better pack a significant wallop on several levels.

A great, new story with phenomenal characters, all told in the most captivating way possible. Simple, no? I realize that a lot of films start with great scripts, but the process that leads up to the film being unleashed on the public can drastically affect it – too many times not for the better.

I’ve always seen my objective as to not only tell you a story that hasn’t been told before (or at least tell an old one in a totally new way), but to tell it in the most entertaining way possible. I want you to not be able to get those images out of your head (in a good way, as opposed to a dear-God-please-make-the-nightmares-stop kind of way).

I’ll be the first to admit that I’d love for one of my scripts to be one of the surprise hits of a summer season, but if recent releases are typical of what kind of material I’m up against, my work is more than cut out for me, if not potentially impossible.

It wouldn’t surprise me if somewhere down the line, my script got turned down because it was deemed “too original”.

A scary, sobering, and all-too-possible thought.

 

One scene, three points

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Careful not to get stuck on any of them

After some thorough self-imposed analysis, the revising of the comedy spec is underway. It’s getting easier to spot trouble spots.

There’s one scene in particular that’s giving me some trouble. It’s a pivotal scene involving the main character and offers a revealing glimpse into his backstory. The problem was in figuring out how to best do that.

After much drumming of fingers, rubbing of chin, and a whole lot of attempts, a potential solution may have presented itself. It’s still in the development phase, but for now, quite workable.

One of the first things I learned about screenwriting was what each scene needs to accomplish:  advance the plot, the character, and the theme.

Regarding plot, does the scene move things forward? Does it fall neatly into place in terms of how the overall sequence of events plays out? If you took it out, would it totally mess things up?

I’ve read a lot of scripts where something happens and I don’t know why. Maybe it’ll pay off later? Sometimes it does. Other times, well…

Another handy tip when it comes to advancing the plot in a scene: do it quickly. Get to the point of the scene as fast as you can, then get out. Don’t wait around. Just get out now. Too many times I’ve seen a scene drag on much, much longer than it needs to.

Regarding character, does each scene show them changing a little bit more from when they were first introduced? This doesn’t just apply to the main character. Every character needs to grow/develop. Wouldn’t it be kind of boring to read a story where nobody changes?

And tying it into the advancement of plot, every situation the character experiences should help move their own development along.

Which brings us to theme. The message of your story. This can be a little tricky.

Each scene should tie into the theme, or have it on display in some manner. I recently worked with a writer having trouble tying everything together. We discussed the story and the main character’s internal and external goals. What was the message they wanted to convey? Based on those discussions, we were able to come up with a theme that worked for both the story and as it applied to all of the characters.

One of my favorite examples of a theme in use is BACK TO THE FUTURE. Early on, Marty says “History’s going to change.” And boy, does it. We get a ton of set-up in the first act, and then everything does indeed change in the second act as all of those setups are paid off. Amazing.

Take a look at your latest draft. Does each scene advance the topics in question? If not, do you have a way to fix that so it does? The more you get in the habit of doing this, the easier it’ll get and the faster it’ll become second nature to do it all the time.

How ’bout that?

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This was supposed to go up yesterday, but didn’t. And I’m glad about that.

Because then I was working towards the end of Act One. Progress was slow, and I wasn’t happy. I needed more things to click. More to fall into place. I wanted to fill in that gap between page 17 and the end of the first act. And nothing was coming to mind.

So I stopped for the day to resume my role of dad, sans car. And in a great metropolitan city, that means public transit, which means more time getting from point A to point B. By the time we got home and had dinner, I was too wiped to write anything blog or outline-related.

Jump ahead to today. I take care of the running and laundry issues, then finally sit down with LUCY. The blank space where I left off yesterday stares back at me.

I know what I want to happen, but the words get jumbled up between my brain and fingers. I start to type. Okay. That works. Ooh, maybe not that. How about…this? Nice. And this. Hey, that’s cool. The scene/sequence that ends the first act takes up a lot of space, but it reads quickly, is chock-full of exciting adventure-type material and does a good job of showing what my hero is capable of and ends very neatly.

I might even go so far as to say I was practically giddy as I finished. Getting to the next point will definitely be a challenge, but as long as I stay focused and remember where this is supposed to go, it should work out fine.

I know it still needs a lot of work, and I wonder what the writing group will think of it this weekend, but I really think I’m off to a pretty good start.

And it was a lot of fun to write. I love that feeling.

No Movie of the Moment tonight because I’m at V’s hockey practice. But I did watch more of Season 1 of MODERN FAMILY during the laundry phase. Still hilarious.

-On a sad note, I learned today that my film teacher in high school passed away a few years ago. What a shame. He really was one of the first to open my eyes to the world of film beyond the malls and multiplexes.

Like just about every screenwriter, I dream of winning Best Original Screenplay. Part of that scenario would involve me thanking him for what an influence he was to me. Even though he’s apparently been gone for a few years, I’d still do it. He will be missed.