Writing a screenplay is a very complex process and will end up as a 100+ page document. So before you write it, it is very helpful to create a blueprint of what you are going to write, starting first with a treatment, and then writing the outline. You should first create a treatment of your story and work that out. (See related article.) Once you have the treatment worked out, then you could write the outline.
An outline should contain heading for every scene in your script. It doesn't have to have all the establishing shots yet, but it should outline and note every major scene that will happen. You would format the scene headings properly and essentially be creating the skeleton of your script, but doesn't yet include all the details.
The outline will contain the actual scene headings and it will also have lines of description that will be in the final script.
It can also have some dialogue in it, but only in places where it is easier to write the dialogue of a character than to describe what they do and say.
The outline will lay out where things will go, more for structure purpose. You also can put in "placeholders." So, for example, you might put in a scene heading and then beneath it, write: "This is where Veronica will listen to the phone messages and discover that Blake has been seeing someone else." That would be considered a placeholder for that scene that you will come back and flesh out later.
If you likened the outline to building a house, you could think of the outline as being the architect's blueprint and the contractor's foundation with the support beams. The treatment is more like a full-color sketch of the interior of the house, while the outline is the foundation and support beams and walls and so on.
With the outline, you are getting the pieces in place that are important to the story, but it doesn't have the feel of the "house" or the screenplay yet.
An outline is more of a work in progress developing into the screenplay just like a house being built, while the treatment is a story that is whole and complete in and of itself. You could think of the treatment as a miniature or scale model of the whole thing.
An outline can be anywhere from 7 to 30 pages. Single-spaced within the paragraphs with a double space between paragraphs. Use a 12-point font that is easy to read (Arial, Courier, Times New Roman).
Melody Jackson, Ph.D., is the founder of Smart Girls Productions, a Hollywood Marketing Company supporting Screenwriters in moving their careers forward. If you are ready to jump-start your career, increase your confidence, and have more fun pursuing Hollywood success, get "Plugged In" at http://www.QueryLetterMailings.com Also get your FREE REPORT on "The Top 20 Literary Agents In Hollywood," along with Hot Tips on Marketing Yourself To Hollywood. Melody has critiqued thousands of screenplays in depth and was rated a Top 5 Script Consultant in the country by Creative Screenwriting Magazine. Go to http://www.ScriptCritiques.com for more information on marketing to Hollywood.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Using Theme to Develop Screenplay Structure - A Thematic and Structural Analysis of Drag Me to Hell by Jacob Krueger
One of the most common questions that come up for screenwriting students is about how to use theme to help develop the structure of your movie. The film "Drag Me To Hell" provides a great example of masterful writers (Sam and Ivan Raimi) using theme to craft a profound journey for their protagonist, within a fun, entertaining and highly commercial aesthetic.
Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched this movie yet, this might be a good time to dash out and see it. Then come on back and read all about it...
The theme of "Drag Me To Hell" is pretty simple: selfish desire leads to the soul's destruction. The film begins with a woman who is genuinely good. And step by step, the structure of the film quite literally drags her to hell- not just through the terrible curse that she must contend with, but by causing her to make such immoral choices in her attempts to escape it that by the time it's all over, she just about deserves her fate.
When we first meet Christine Brown, she is pure heaven. She's sweet. She's kind. She loves animals, and she cares about others. The first time we see her, she's delivering good news to a nice young couple- she's made it work for them to get the mortgage they need. Everyone is so happy.
And it's just the beginning of the movie. So we know we're in trouble.
Unfortunately for Christine, there's something that she wants very badly- a promotion to be assistant manager at the bank. And her chauvinistic boss doesn't think she's tough enough to deserve it.
Uh oh.
Characters develop when we test their convictions, so the Raimis come up with a scene to do just that. "Oh, you're really so good? Let's see what happens when you have to choose between repossessing the home of a helpless old gypsy woman, and losing your only shot at that job you want so badly."
What choice do you think she makes?
Selfish desire.
So, even when the old woman prostrates herself before Christine, begging for mercy, Christine still doesn't budge. She wants that promotion. So bad she can taste it. And she's willing to do something she knows is wrong to get it.
Next thing you know, she's cursed. A demon is coming for her soul, and she's got three days to stop it.
In her attempt to escape, Christine will violate almost every ethical code she once held. She will repeatedly deny responsibility for her actions (even during the seance in which they attempt to cast out the demon), lie about her decision to repossess the old woman's home, and instead lay the blame on her boss.
She will slaughter her cute little kitten in an attempt to appease the demon's lust for her soul (so much for volunteering at animal shelters).
She will even come close to murder (or worse), as she attempts to pass the curse on to some other victim instead (by re-gifting the button which marks her as the demon's target).
Why? Because ultimately she wants to escape the curse more than she wants to uphold her values. Just like she wanted to get the promotion (and escape the "curse" of her unfair work environment) more than she wanted to show mercy to the old woman.
Of course, in a fair world, Christine wouldn't have to sin. That's what is so great about the structure of this screenplay. Her dominant trait is her KINDNESS. It's only the unfairness of the world- the unfair job, the unfair curse- the sheer horror of it all, that forces Christine to choose between her desire and her morality. That's how the writers test who she is, and force her to change.
Unfortunately, Christine repeatedly fails the test, slowly but surely letting go of what is good about her, and dragging herself to hell in the process.
And even when she decides not to re-gift the button to an innocent stranger, Christine does not fully recapture her morality. She doesn't sit at the grave of the old woman, admit her wrongdoing and beg forgiveness of her spirit. Instead, she tries to condemn the soul of the woman she wronged, by re-gifting the button to her dead corpse. In the process, she also desecrates the old woman's grave and commits the same sin her palm reader first assumed she might have committed- speaking ill of the dead in a cemetery).
Having come to this false victory by re-gifting the envelope she believes to contain the button to the old woman's corpse, Christine thinks she has solved her problem. But she hasn't. And not because of the mix up with the envelopes. Because she still cares more about herself than she does about those around her.
Selfish Desire.
So even though Christine (after she thinks she's gotten EVERYTHING she desires) ultimately confides to her boyfriend that she was the one who chose to repossess the woman's house, and that this was the wrong thing to do. When her selfish desire is tested one last time, she makes the same mistake all over again.
There is her boyfriend, standing with the button in his hand, and presumably damned to hell because of it. Does Christine try to snatch the button from him? Does she risk her life to save his?
No, she tries to escape, once again. Tumbles into the train tracks. And is carried off to hell.
Selfish desire.
It's not the curse that damns Christine, it's her decisions.
And it's not the button that determines her boyfriend's salvation. It's the choices he makes.
Time and again, his desires are tested as well. And time and again, he does what is right, even when it means not getting what he wants. He makes the selfless choice for the love of Christine- agreeing to the palm reading, refusing the demands of his parents, giving her 10,000 dollars to see a spiritual advisor he doesn't even believe in. He does all of this without even believing that Christine is haunted, and without thought of gain for himself. He does it because he loves her.
His morality remains intact, because his love is stronger than his selfish desire.
Hers does not, because her selfish desire is stronger than her love.
And the structure of the screenplay works because it tests them both, establishing their dominant traits, and then forcing both characters to grapple with the theme, by making active choices that drive the story and ultimately bring about their own salvation or their own destruction.
Have a question about screenwriting?
Ask award-winning screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and your question could be featured in an article like this one. You can email Jacob at jake@screenwritersmind.com.
For more information about screenwriting, or to find out more about Jacob's screenwriting classes in the New York City Area, please visit his website: http://www.screenwritersmind.com/
Copyright (C) Jacob Krueger 2009
Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched this movie yet, this might be a good time to dash out and see it. Then come on back and read all about it...
The theme of "Drag Me To Hell" is pretty simple: selfish desire leads to the soul's destruction. The film begins with a woman who is genuinely good. And step by step, the structure of the film quite literally drags her to hell- not just through the terrible curse that she must contend with, but by causing her to make such immoral choices in her attempts to escape it that by the time it's all over, she just about deserves her fate.
When we first meet Christine Brown, she is pure heaven. She's sweet. She's kind. She loves animals, and she cares about others. The first time we see her, she's delivering good news to a nice young couple- she's made it work for them to get the mortgage they need. Everyone is so happy.
And it's just the beginning of the movie. So we know we're in trouble.
Unfortunately for Christine, there's something that she wants very badly- a promotion to be assistant manager at the bank. And her chauvinistic boss doesn't think she's tough enough to deserve it.
Uh oh.
Characters develop when we test their convictions, so the Raimis come up with a scene to do just that. "Oh, you're really so good? Let's see what happens when you have to choose between repossessing the home of a helpless old gypsy woman, and losing your only shot at that job you want so badly."
What choice do you think she makes?
Selfish desire.
So, even when the old woman prostrates herself before Christine, begging for mercy, Christine still doesn't budge. She wants that promotion. So bad she can taste it. And she's willing to do something she knows is wrong to get it.
Next thing you know, she's cursed. A demon is coming for her soul, and she's got three days to stop it.
In her attempt to escape, Christine will violate almost every ethical code she once held. She will repeatedly deny responsibility for her actions (even during the seance in which they attempt to cast out the demon), lie about her decision to repossess the old woman's home, and instead lay the blame on her boss.
She will slaughter her cute little kitten in an attempt to appease the demon's lust for her soul (so much for volunteering at animal shelters).
She will even come close to murder (or worse), as she attempts to pass the curse on to some other victim instead (by re-gifting the button which marks her as the demon's target).
Why? Because ultimately she wants to escape the curse more than she wants to uphold her values. Just like she wanted to get the promotion (and escape the "curse" of her unfair work environment) more than she wanted to show mercy to the old woman.
Of course, in a fair world, Christine wouldn't have to sin. That's what is so great about the structure of this screenplay. Her dominant trait is her KINDNESS. It's only the unfairness of the world- the unfair job, the unfair curse- the sheer horror of it all, that forces Christine to choose between her desire and her morality. That's how the writers test who she is, and force her to change.
Unfortunately, Christine repeatedly fails the test, slowly but surely letting go of what is good about her, and dragging herself to hell in the process.
And even when she decides not to re-gift the button to an innocent stranger, Christine does not fully recapture her morality. She doesn't sit at the grave of the old woman, admit her wrongdoing and beg forgiveness of her spirit. Instead, she tries to condemn the soul of the woman she wronged, by re-gifting the button to her dead corpse. In the process, she also desecrates the old woman's grave and commits the same sin her palm reader first assumed she might have committed- speaking ill of the dead in a cemetery).
Having come to this false victory by re-gifting the envelope she believes to contain the button to the old woman's corpse, Christine thinks she has solved her problem. But she hasn't. And not because of the mix up with the envelopes. Because she still cares more about herself than she does about those around her.
Selfish Desire.
So even though Christine (after she thinks she's gotten EVERYTHING she desires) ultimately confides to her boyfriend that she was the one who chose to repossess the woman's house, and that this was the wrong thing to do. When her selfish desire is tested one last time, she makes the same mistake all over again.
There is her boyfriend, standing with the button in his hand, and presumably damned to hell because of it. Does Christine try to snatch the button from him? Does she risk her life to save his?
No, she tries to escape, once again. Tumbles into the train tracks. And is carried off to hell.
Selfish desire.
It's not the curse that damns Christine, it's her decisions.
And it's not the button that determines her boyfriend's salvation. It's the choices he makes.
Time and again, his desires are tested as well. And time and again, he does what is right, even when it means not getting what he wants. He makes the selfless choice for the love of Christine- agreeing to the palm reading, refusing the demands of his parents, giving her 10,000 dollars to see a spiritual advisor he doesn't even believe in. He does all of this without even believing that Christine is haunted, and without thought of gain for himself. He does it because he loves her.
His morality remains intact, because his love is stronger than his selfish desire.
Hers does not, because her selfish desire is stronger than her love.
And the structure of the screenplay works because it tests them both, establishing their dominant traits, and then forcing both characters to grapple with the theme, by making active choices that drive the story and ultimately bring about their own salvation or their own destruction.
Have a question about screenwriting?
Ask award-winning screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and your question could be featured in an article like this one. You can email Jacob at jake@screenwritersmind.com.
For more information about screenwriting, or to find out more about Jacob's screenwriting classes in the New York City Area, please visit his website: http://www.screenwritersmind.com/
Copyright (C) Jacob Krueger 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Palms for Life Fund Launches Young Filmmakers' Competition to Document Hunger in the United States
A new national film contest, Faces of Hunger in America, will award prizes to young filmmakers, 25 years of age and under, who document in their own communities the increasingly widespread problem of hunger in America. The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $5,000, $3,500 and $1,500; they will get exposure to a vast audience in a full-length compilation of the prize-winning works.
"Over 36 million Americans are living in food insecurity - 12.4 million being children - and we want to bring this alarming reality to the attention of the public and the nation's leaders," says Hannah Laufer-Rottman, Executive Director and founder of Palms for Life Fund (*), the main sponsor of the contest.
Laufer-Rottman, who retired from the United Nations' World Food Programme after 30 years, says the effects of domestic hunger are just as pressing as the epidemic of hunger and poverty on a global level. "Everyone knows what hunger looks like in third world countries, but the effects of hunger here are quite different. Obesity, malnutrition, physical/mental impairments...are all effects of hunger. When people are unable to access consistently sustainable amounts of food for a healthy life, society suffers as a whole."
Young filmmakers will be able to upload their entries online, where the public will partake in the first round of voting beginning October 16th, World Food Day. "By empowering the public to vote for their favorite films, we are ensuring that the films get viewed and the problem is exposed. Change begins with awareness," says Project Manager, Sandra Ciccone.
Finalists will be judged on the clear conveyance of the message, creativity, impact and overall quality of the work.
To find out more about the competition, please visit the official website: http://www.facesofhunger.org and register for the mailing list if you are interested in participating in the contest.
"Over 36 million Americans are living in food insecurity - 12.4 million being children - and we want to bring this alarming reality to the attention of the public and the nation's leaders," says Hannah Laufer-Rottman, Executive Director and founder of Palms for Life Fund (*), the main sponsor of the contest.
Laufer-Rottman, who retired from the United Nations' World Food Programme after 30 years, says the effects of domestic hunger are just as pressing as the epidemic of hunger and poverty on a global level. "Everyone knows what hunger looks like in third world countries, but the effects of hunger here are quite different. Obesity, malnutrition, physical/mental impairments...are all effects of hunger. When people are unable to access consistently sustainable amounts of food for a healthy life, society suffers as a whole."
Young filmmakers will be able to upload their entries online, where the public will partake in the first round of voting beginning October 16th, World Food Day. "By empowering the public to vote for their favorite films, we are ensuring that the films get viewed and the problem is exposed. Change begins with awareness," says Project Manager, Sandra Ciccone.
Finalists will be judged on the clear conveyance of the message, creativity, impact and overall quality of the work.
To find out more about the competition, please visit the official website: http://www.facesofhunger.org and register for the mailing list if you are interested in participating in the contest.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Myth of Three Act Screenplay Structure (Or, Why Am I Lost in My Second Act?) Jacob Krueger
For about as long as there have been screenwriting books, young writers have been taught that movies have a three act structure. Each act is viewed as 30 to 60 page chunk of the plot and when they're all assembled together, they provide a beginning, middle, and an end for your story.
Countless script doctors, critics, teachers, and producers have used this structure to break down great movies, and analyze how they are put together.
But while this may be a great way of looking at a finished script from a critical perspective, it's not particularly useful to screenwriters. When you're beginning a new project, it's not exactly groundbreaking news that your story is going to need a beginning, middle and an end. The real challenge is figuring out how to structure your story in a way that captures the essence of your character's journey.
Trying to use three act structure to create the story of your movie is like trying to sprint through a marathon. You may start off strong, but by the time you hit the middle of the story, you'll most likely be running out of steam. The plot starts to feel external, manufactured, predictable or diffuse. The ideas just aren't coming anymore. Or you find yourself spinning off in all kinds of directions that take you away from your main character and the story you were telling.
This is a common malady. It's called "getting lost in the second act." And it's killed more good screenplays than any Hollywood big shot.
That's why I came up with Seven Act Structure.
Seven Act Structure is not for producers. It's not for critics, or professors, or development executives.
Seven Act Structure is for writers.
To understand Seven Act Structure, you need to start by understanding the idea of an act.
An Act Is Not Just About Plot
That's because great movies are about much more than plot. They're about interesting characters going on profound journeys that change them forever.
Think about any movie you've loved and you'll know this is true. The details of the plot get fuzzy with time, but those powerful moments stay with you forever.
So rather than thinking of an act as something you "fill" with plot, I'd like to encourage you to think of it as a way of tracking the journey your character is undertaking, and the way that journey is forever changing your character.
Each Act Is Just A Step In Your Character's Change
People don't change easily, and your character shouldn't either. Take a moment to think about what it would take to make you completely change your own life, how many fears you'd have to overcome, and how many challenges you'd have to face, and you'll have a taste of the kind of resistance your character is fighting. Structure evolves as a way of pushing your character toward a profound change-- whether he or she wants it or not.
So as you develop your structure, you can think of each act as one small step in the radical change your character is undergoing.
When you begin to think of an act in this way, one thing will jump out at you pretty quickly.
Trying to use three act structure to create a film means you are trying to take a character through the most profound journey in his or her life in only THREE STEPS.
That's 30-60 pages per step.
And that's a lot of pages!
No wonder writers tend to get lost in the second act!
Seven Act Structure is a new way of looking at structure from a character's perspective, allowing you to break down the character's change into manageable chunks, and to give yourself a structure you can actually use.
Because of the unique "engine" built into the structure, it's impossible to run out of steam. It keeps your focus where it should be, on your main character.
And best of all, it lines up perfectly with a studio's "three act" expectations, so the Hollywood big shots will never know the difference.
copyright (c) Jacob Krueger 2009
Curious About Seven Act Structure?
Take a class or workshop with Award-Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and learn the ins and outs of the seven act screenplay among a supportive community of writers just like you.
All classes are held in the New York City Area.
More Information:
Web: http://www.jacobkrueger.com
Phone: 917-464-3594
Happy Writing!
Jacob Krueger
Countless script doctors, critics, teachers, and producers have used this structure to break down great movies, and analyze how they are put together.
But while this may be a great way of looking at a finished script from a critical perspective, it's not particularly useful to screenwriters. When you're beginning a new project, it's not exactly groundbreaking news that your story is going to need a beginning, middle and an end. The real challenge is figuring out how to structure your story in a way that captures the essence of your character's journey.
Trying to use three act structure to create the story of your movie is like trying to sprint through a marathon. You may start off strong, but by the time you hit the middle of the story, you'll most likely be running out of steam. The plot starts to feel external, manufactured, predictable or diffuse. The ideas just aren't coming anymore. Or you find yourself spinning off in all kinds of directions that take you away from your main character and the story you were telling.
This is a common malady. It's called "getting lost in the second act." And it's killed more good screenplays than any Hollywood big shot.
That's why I came up with Seven Act Structure.
Seven Act Structure is not for producers. It's not for critics, or professors, or development executives.
Seven Act Structure is for writers.
To understand Seven Act Structure, you need to start by understanding the idea of an act.
An Act Is Not Just About Plot
That's because great movies are about much more than plot. They're about interesting characters going on profound journeys that change them forever.
Think about any movie you've loved and you'll know this is true. The details of the plot get fuzzy with time, but those powerful moments stay with you forever.
So rather than thinking of an act as something you "fill" with plot, I'd like to encourage you to think of it as a way of tracking the journey your character is undertaking, and the way that journey is forever changing your character.
Each Act Is Just A Step In Your Character's Change
People don't change easily, and your character shouldn't either. Take a moment to think about what it would take to make you completely change your own life, how many fears you'd have to overcome, and how many challenges you'd have to face, and you'll have a taste of the kind of resistance your character is fighting. Structure evolves as a way of pushing your character toward a profound change-- whether he or she wants it or not.
So as you develop your structure, you can think of each act as one small step in the radical change your character is undergoing.
When you begin to think of an act in this way, one thing will jump out at you pretty quickly.
Trying to use three act structure to create a film means you are trying to take a character through the most profound journey in his or her life in only THREE STEPS.
That's 30-60 pages per step.
And that's a lot of pages!
No wonder writers tend to get lost in the second act!
Seven Act Structure is a new way of looking at structure from a character's perspective, allowing you to break down the character's change into manageable chunks, and to give yourself a structure you can actually use.
Because of the unique "engine" built into the structure, it's impossible to run out of steam. It keeps your focus where it should be, on your main character.
And best of all, it lines up perfectly with a studio's "three act" expectations, so the Hollywood big shots will never know the difference.
copyright (c) Jacob Krueger 2009
Curious About Seven Act Structure?
Take a class or workshop with Award-Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and learn the ins and outs of the seven act screenplay among a supportive community of writers just like you.
All classes are held in the New York City Area.
More Information:
Web: http://www.jacobkrueger.com
Phone: 917-464-3594
Happy Writing!
Jacob Krueger
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