Recently, I decided to enter my latest screenplay into another screenwriting competition. Before I submitted my screenplay, I decided to do another rewrite to make it easier to read. I started out with the basic writing rule; storytelling is more about showing than it is telling— especially with screenplays. So there are a few things I wanted to accomplish with this version.
Tighten dialogue up
Removing unnecessary repetitions
Condensing scene descriptions
I hoped to create more white space to make it easier to read. Before screenplays ever make it to the big screen, they will be read by a reader who must read hundreds of screenplays each day.
Thus we must make our screenplays more readable so they stand out amongst the countless other aspiring screenwriter’s work. Screenplays need to be a fast read for Hollywood’s screenplay readers.
“Script readers know about the trend to write shorter paragraphs of scene description so they will likely bring that expectation to a reading assignment. If they see long blocks of scene description, that will probably suggest to them the writer is an amateur.”
If a screenplay is too bulky or wordy, it will never make it past a reader’s desk. So screenwriters need to be able to tell the most visually entertaining story without using a lot of unnecessary wordage that weighs a story down like too much baggage on a plane.
I have read a lot of produced screenplays in the last year and there is an obvious trend towards leaner screenplays. One of the biggest trends in screenwriting today is lean screenplays with lots of white space.
White Space
To be clear, white space is used in all forms of writing, from advertising to poetry and screenwriting, and it is simply the unprinted area of a piece of writing, a blank in a newspaper or advertisement.
White space can even be used in a sentence to structure and pace it. The never-ending sentence. In recent years white space has become a great tool in screenwriting.
It allows breathing room for the reader to intake and interpret information for any specific image that is necessary to visualize.
It emphasizes important elements, leading readers’ eyes to the focal areas of a script.
It showcases a shift from one visual to the next.
It gives a reader comfort.
It helps the reader better understand and interpret the visuals.[2]
Always Remember storytelling is more about showing than telling every minor detail. Leave room for the audience’s imagination and for the production team to put everything else where it goes.
Where Things Go
I am not talking about screenplay structure here, but more about movie production. Like any other piece of writing, screenplays are a combination of information for other people to consume and interpret.
Directors, producers, and production teams need to be able to clearly understand the story and the instructions you put into your screenplay. Huge chunks of information can hinder the ability of others to understand the information in your story.
Writers who don’t study the craft clutter up a page with lots of information and fail to learn the basics of screenwriting.
Font
Margins
Spacing
Amateurs try to manipulate a screenplay’s margins and font to try to fit more information into their screenplays. Spacing keeps the reader from getting overwhelmed and keeps the story flowing smoothly without abusing a page’s white space!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
I’m binging on the superhero series The Punisher. Not because I am a comic book junkie, but because I like this series’ emphasis on mental health and how trauma can affect our lives.
In the season one finale there is a powerful scene where The Punisher, Frank Castle, locks eyes with a former military buddy and best friend after he was tortured by their colonel turned bad guy.
After a brief, subtle stare, the Punisher breaks free from his shackles, quickly kills the Colonel while the friend watches. A lot happens on screen without a single word being spoken. Still, the audience understands everything that is happening.
The writers of the show masterfully use subtext via action and pauses to tell a powerful story of revenge and friendship. In screenwriting, there are a few ways to tell a story without explaining everything.
Action
Dialogue
Inaudibles
Subtext
Movies and TV are the ultimate examples of showing versus telling! On-screen the audience can see all of the action, settings, and emotions. We can also hear the dialogue and audible cues (crying, sighs, and screams.)
However, all of these can take up a lot of space in a screenplay. A common “rule” is to not have huge boxes of dialogue. Dialogue blocks are a form of information overload and they clutter up a screenplay.
They can also bore a reader and the audience by telling them everything they want or need to know. Generally, dialogue should be no more than a few sentences long, so this forces a writer to show more than tell and to use subtext.
Subtext
If you are a fiction writer, then you probably understand that subtext is important to the storytelling process. Because in screenwriting, subtext leaves more white space on the page and it adds layers to your narrative.
“The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text.”
In screenwriting, subtext is the unspoken words, emotions, or desires. Although screenwriting is a visual art form, there are emotional and soul elements that cannot always be expressed in words, which invites the audience into our stories.
“Text means the sensory surface of a work of art. Subtext is the life under that surface—thoughts and feelings both known and unknown, hidden by behavior.”
Robert McKee
Writers know to avoid “on-the-nose dialogue.” On-the-nose is when what is said states the obvious or tells the exact thoughts or feelings of the character without action or subtext.
Another use of subtext is the underlying meaning behind a scene in a movie. The adage is, “If the scene is really about what the scene is about, then you’re screwed.” Subtext gives every scene in your screenplay more depth.
Think of two star-crossed lovers who cannot put their feelings into words, their avoidance or lack of interaction can imply what words can’t.
On the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, a young doctor, Simone, struggled with her feelings for her roommate, but couldn’t tell him because she was getting married. Everyone could see in her eyes, whenever the two were around one another, her feelings for him were strong. It was no surprise when she left her groom at the altar for her roommate. By then, the audience wanted her to do this. The subtext in the previous scenes built the anticipation of this unlikely couple.
Sure, we see this dynamic play out in many movies and TV shows, because subtext is crucial to visual storytelling.
Seven tips on writing subtext into your screenplays from Masterclass.
Study subtext in film and novels.
Get into your character’s head.
Write the subtext in your notes.
Apply the iceberg theory.
Practice with hypothetical characters.
Think about a real-life event that could contain subtext.
Edit out unnecessary dialogue.
The best screenwriters have mastered the art of subtext, but all writers need to use this technique to tell the clearest and leanest story. It is a chance to practice “show don’t tell.”
And this dynamic goes beyond what the audience sees or perceives. Subtext keeps writers from telling actors what to do or how to act. It is the actor’s job to bring the character and their emotions out.
Subtext lets more action out than simply telling everything that is happening in a scene or character. Keep it on the stage, not on the page. Movies let the action out!
Act it Out
By now, I hope you know there is a lot more to the movie-making process, than just writing a screenplay. As I recently shared with a fellow writer, this is a business and everyone has a specific part in the business. You do your part and get out of the way.
Only a finished movie can bring our words alive, amateurs fill pages with lots of unnecessary words, imagery, and dialogue. Leave room for everybody in the movie-making process to do their job.
Writers write
Directors direct
Actors act
A few years ago, I had a writer friend, who also worked as an actor in Atlanta, tell me that actors hate being told how to act. So, limit parentheticals and acting cues, and let the actor bring the character to life; it is their job.
Subtext helps everyone do their job. Writing is a process that needs to be paced. Writers cannot dump a bunch of information, regardless of its function: dialogue, action, and descriptions can all be expressed through subtext.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
For some reason, most writers are curious about writing screenplays. And they come to me with many questions about the craft below are just a few questions I am routinely asked.
How long should my script be?
How do you write the dialogue?
What is the correct script format?
First things first, scripts and screenplays are different arts.
“A ‘script’ is the written document version of a visual art form and is used across multiple mediums, while a ‘screenplay’ refers to a script specifically for movies or television. When you read a script, it could be for a play, movie, television show, comic book, or video game, while a screenplay is specific to movies and tv shows. Each script has its own formatting rules to help you tell what type of script it is; whether it’s a screenplay, teleplay, stage play, or something else.”
Writers ask about format a lot because they’ve been taught and know the format and technicalities of both nonfiction and novel writing. Writers know, depending on the genre they write, there are specific formats publishers, editors and agents follow. And they correctly assume that screenplays have guidelines for formatting. So this month I will look at screenplay format and some of the differences between it and what most writers are used to.
Screenplay Format
All writing categories have specific formats and guidelines writers know to follow. Knowing the correct way to write and present their writing helps separate amateurs from professionals.
And this is why we all study the craft, no one wants to look like an amateur even though we are all at some point. Before I continue I want to emphasize there’s a difference between format and formula. The format is a guide for our narratives. Formulas are rigid, not fluid, and can hinder our writing.
Screenwriter and writing coach Scott Myers explains,
“Screenplays are stories, not formulas— if you go in with formula, you come out with formula.”
Knowing the correct format will help you guide the audience or reader through your story most clearly and quickly. Of course, there are plenty of screenwriting programs to help writers write screenplays, but still, writers need to know basic formatting for screenplays.
With that said below are the main components of a screenplay writers need to know from the Scriptlab.
Slug Lines: These are the scene headings in a screenplay, a key difference is slug lines also include both the time of day and whether a location is inside or outside.
Subheader: These headers indicate movement from locale to locale with and a specific location.
Action lines: These are the short description lines beneath the slug lines that describe what we are seeing. They should be in the present tense with an active voice.
Dialogue: In film, dialogue should be snappy and get to the point. Occasionally a monologue is warranted in film, but rarely. Keep in mind that the best dialogue contains subtext, or the unwritten meaning behind the words. sing (V.O.), (O.S.), or (O.C.) next to a character name is a way to tell the reader there is a provision or special circumstance to the following dialogue.
Wrylies (parentheticals): These are short emotional or delivery directions for the actor regarding that specific line.
Transitions: There is an implied transition from one scene to another as indicated whenever there’s a new slug line. Adding “Cut to:” isn’t necessary and only takes up much-needed space in your screenplay.
A few things I wanted to add are, most writers know the importance of white space in the writing. When giving a scene description under the slug line, limit the description to one or two lines. Also, keep dialogue short. Make scene transitions brief and use parentheticals scarcely.
Not only do actors not want to be told how to act, but brevity also helps keep a page from being cluttered with too much information that will more than likely only slow a reader down. Screenplay readers have a lot of screenplays to read and you don’t want to make their job any harder by filling a page with too much information that will only slow them down. White space allows our eyes to take a break.
Take a Break
The best writers understand the importance of leaving room for the audience’s imagination. We’ve all experienced information overload when reading. If not, please understand too much information can confuse a reader and will slow the story down. Imagine going on a road trip and hitting the brakes every time you see a landmark. The trip will both exhaust you and take forever, perhaps even ruin the trip altogether for you. White space gives the reader a break from all the action and visuals, it’s the old adage, “less is more.” Below are a few types of information overload a writer can unknowingly put into their screenplays.
Excessive exposition
Unnecessary actors instructions
Artsy camera angles
Unnecessary dialogue
Leaving subtext in your dialogue and not using acting instructions, allows the actors to act. Limiting camera angles allows the director to direct, and limiting exposition allows the set designer to create the perfect imaginary world, none of which are necessary in proper screenplay format.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
Over Valentine’s weekend, I decided to re-watch one of my all-time favorite movies. I decided to do a commentary video on the beautiful foreign movie, A Very Long Engagement.
Not only is the movie one of the most romantic and hopeful movies I’ve ever seen and have some of the most beautiful cinematography and subtext ever filmed. It has all the key elements of a great movie, just not typical screenwriting format.
Clear plot
Both internal and external conflict
A great inciting incident
The unique thing about this movie is it is a perfect example of nonlinear storytelling. These types of stories aren’t told in chronological order. This means the story can switch from different points of the characters’ lives, all the pieces of the story are there, just jumbled up in different order.
For instance, this movie begins with the inciting incident, but then halfway through the movie, we see the main character’s childhoods and how they met which goes back to the inciting incident at the beginning of the movie. In storytelling the inciting incident is where the conflict and story begin, it is where a movie begins.
Where It All Begins?
An inciting incident is an event that occurs and disrupts a protagonist’s life sending it out of control or in another direction. It puts the events of your story into motion.
“The stronger your inciting incident, the more dramatic, compelling, and engrossing your novel will be.”
Jerry B. Jenkins, author and writing coach
In a sense, the inciting incident creates the conflict of a narrative.
Five characteristics from The Write Practice, that qualify an event as an inciting incident.
Early: They occur early in the story, sometimes in the first scene, almost always within the first three to four scenes.
Interruption: They are an interruption in the main character’s normal life.
Out of the protagonist’s control: They are not caused by the character and are not a result of the character’s desires.
Life-changing: They must have higher-than-normal stakes and the potential to change the protagonist’s life.
Urgent: They necessitate an urgent response.
It is critical to a story’s success for the inciting incident to happen as soon as possible in your screenplay. It doesn’t have to be in chronological order as with A Very Long Engagement, however, the audience needs it to occur sooner rather than later in the story.
“The inciting incident is indispensable because the inciting incident is the hook.”
All stories follow a basic structure to some degree, they may not have the same events, but they follow a typical pattern. Think of it as a stream flowing from a lake, there can be multiple streams heading in the opposite direction of the lake, each one can follow their own paths.
But ultimately they are all flowing away from the lake towards a new destination. Using this analogy we can view the lake as the inciting incident if the lake boundary is breached. The CEO of Storybrand Donald Miller says, “The inciting incident is how you get (characters) to do something. It’s the doorway through which they can’t return, you know. The story takes care of the rest.”
The inciting incident is simply the starting point of any story, however, it complicates your story and sets the events in motion.
“The inciting incident is the primary cause that follows that puts in motion the other four elements.”
As you can see the inciting incident is a critical part of the plot of every story, regardless of what structure you use. Because the inciting incident is where it all begins!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
By now most of you know I am a big Marvel junkie and escape into the marvel cinematic universe whenever I can. For the past six months, I’ve been binge-watching the Daredevil series on Disney plus.
It honestly has some of the best storytelling on the small screen I have ever seen and I’m not saying that just because I’m a big fan of comics, in college I had a collection of over 3000 comic books. Yes, I am an action and superhero junkie.
While, books and novels both contain conflict in their storytelling, writing for the big and small screens focus on different aspects of conflict.
External conflict
Visual storytelling
Layered subtext
WARNING: The movie clip in the following paragraph is from a fight scene and be considered graphic.
Sure movies and television shows have inner conflict but they express them more visually. The writers of Daredevil masterfully combine both inner and external conflict beautifully, sometimes in a not so family-friendly way. These writers understand the importance and need for conflict in storytelling!
Conflict
First, we must understand what conflict is. The dictionary defines conflict as, “A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.” By definition conflict is continuous, it isn’t some brief break in harmonious living.
As long as the conflict continues in our stories, they will have the necessary momentum to keep our narrative going and hopefully keep our audiences interested. Many writing coaches describe conflict as the fuel of storytelling.
“Conflict generates drama. Conflict is entertaining. But perhaps most important is this: Conflict concerns struggle.”
Below are six types of struggle found in storytelling according to Masterclass.
Character versus self: This is an internal conflict. Meaning that the opposition character faces is coming from within.
Character versus character: This is a common type of conflict in which one character’s needs or wants are at odds with another’s.
Character versus nature: In a nature conflict, a character is set in opposition to nature.
Character versus supernatural: Pitting characters against phenomena like ghosts, Gods, or monsters raises the stakes of the conflict by creating an equal playing field.
Character versus technology: In this case, is in conflict with some kind of technology.
Character versus society: A character versus society conflict is an external conflict that occurs in literature when the protagonist is placed in opposition to society, the government, or a cultural tradition or societal norm of some kind.
The age-old teaching of show versus tell is more pertinent to screenwriting because these stories are visual. We never want to bore the audience by telling when it is much easier to show regardless of its internal or external conflict.
The audience must see conflict either through action, acting or inaction. The audience needs to know what is at stake and how it affects the character or the world in which they live. There is a struggle somewhere in their life. Ultimately, the struggle will bring change to the character or their world.
Change
Conflict always brings a change in a story, whether internal or external.
“A film isn’t just moments of conflict or activity, personality or emotionality, witty talk or symbols. What the writer seeks are events, for an event contains all the above and more… ‘Event’ means change. A story event creates a meaningful change in the life situation of a character that is expressed as an experience in terms of value. To make change meaningful you must express it in the audience must react to it, in terms of a value values are the soul of storytelling.”
If conflict occurs, the events change things, McKee notes story values are the universal qualities of human experience that may shift from positive to negative, or negative to positive, from Beaumont to the next.”. Below are a few types of conflict change can bring.
Alive/dead
Love/hate
Freedom/Slavery
Truth/lie
Courage/cowardice
Loyalty/betrayal
Wisdom/stupidity
Strength/weakness
Excitement/boredom
This change will be obvious as your story and characters progress from the beginning to the end of a screenplay. Conflict can build scene by scene, story value to story value. Along the way, our characters and their worlds will be changed when they face conflict.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
Tight writing has its place and purpose in all forms of writing, but more so in a screenplay. When writers leave more “white space” on a page, there is less clutter to distract our eyes, which means a clearer and faster read. Below are some examples of unnecessary clutter in writing.
Unnecessary or excessive exposition
Wordy dialogue
Unnecessary camera angles or transitions (in screenwriting)
Talented writers know how to maximize a page’s real estate: say more by writing less, respect the audience by letting them fill in the blanks, and let the actors act and directors direct the action.
Our job as screenwriters is just to lay a blueprint for the plot to follow, then get out of the way and let everyone else do their job. Therefore, we need to master the art of tight writing.
Tight Writing!
Most writers understand that tight writing means by using as few words as possible. While there are no rules in screenwriting, conventions and expectations need to be respected: page count, pace, and plot points for genres must tell a clear, well-flowing narrative.
A three or five-act structure is usually used to tell a complete story. The structures aren’t set in stone but act as a guideline to help direct a movie’s action.
These guidelines work as boundaries that allow us to color in the blanks like a coloring book. The lines can separate the picture from the white space. Writers can get more bang for the buck by tightening up their writing to fill in the blanks and not go outside the lines.
Just like with a coloring book, when we clutter up the white space, it makes it harder to see the picture.
Eight tips from Script Lab to help tighten your screenplay.
Cut handles-any piece of speech that doesn’t help reveal character or develop story.
Eliminate gerunds from action lines-words ending in “ing” often function as nouns. Essentially, gerunds denote ongoing processes, and they’re not useful in screenwriting because we want you to tell us the active situation, not a process.
Double check – do I need this?- If a word or phrase isn’t essential to the story, then you can cut it out without confusing the reader audience.
For action lines, find the focus of the image, not the specifics- If it feels like you must write several sentences to communicate an idea, take a step back and consider what emotion or revealing activity you’re explaining. Is there a more concise image that does the same thing?
If your line barely runs into the next, consider shorter synonyms for your words – If you can save an entire line of a page by using a shorter synonym, do it. It really adds up.
Combine sentences to cut down on punctuation– As above, this kind of editing can really help cut down on space. Best of all, if two sentences are communicating the same idea, completely eliminate one of them.
Remove unhelpful ornament- Adjectives are fun, varied, evocative, and overused. If an adjective isn’t absolutely necessary, delete it. This goes for every word, but adjectives tend to crop up in scripts.
Void via negativa- Say what something is instead of saying what it is not. Don’t describe what someone doesn’t do. Instead, write their action as clearly as possible.
Following these tips helps to create a tighter story in your screenplay. The benefits are endless, but the most obvious of a tighter script is a more enjoyable read, which creates a more focused story and focus is powerful in storytelling!
Stay Focused!
Filmmakers know a tighter script lends itself to a more powerful story that makes the story easier to follow and keeps the audience’s attention. This also gives a more focused message without a lot of exposition to digest, which allows the audience and reader to enjoy the journey.
When writers fail to use tight writing, it forces the studio to spend more time editing. Below are a few movies where studios utilized excellent editing to make the movie better.
A screenwriter’s goal is to tell a powerful story that causes change in both the characters and the audience watching them.
“A story is a series of acts that build to a last act climax or story climax which brings about absolute and irreversible change.”
Robert McKee
Great writers use tight writing to not only change the characters of their story, but also the audience.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
When the pandemic hit, Hollywood went through a tough time since movie productions had to be shut down to ensure the safety of the casts and crews. The pandemic is one example of possible setbacks in movie productions. By now most of us have seen the infamous footage of Tom Cruise’s reprimanding of the crew during filming Mission Impossible 7.
There is more to the production phase of filmmaking than screenwriters realize. This stage is more than just setting up a camera and filming.
There may be more crew members needed to be hired to fulfill specific production needs.
More than likely there will be a script supervisor needed to ensure the continuity of the film.
The supervisor also helps to minimize unnecessary errors in the filming process or filming unnecessary scenes. The production’s ultimate goal is to bring the fictional world of a screenplay to life, but productions have a lot going on offscreen that makes the production phase possible.
Production Phase!
Production is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. It’s time for the cameras start shooting action. The most important thing in this phase is to remain on schedule. Following the production schedule helps keep the film within its budget, and staying within budget increases the likelihood the film will make a profit.
Keep in mind that during production other things are going on, such as the cast and crew being housed and fed. To keep those expenses on budget, the schedule must be followed to a T.
It is also important for the film to follow the script so that there won’t be any excess shooting time or inconsistencies in the story. Think of a highway through the mountains that gets blocked by an avalanche. The detours cost money and take time to get around. It’s the script supervisor’s job to make sure the story is consistent with the screenplay. All of these factors work together to help avoid a nightmare production schedule and a movie with glaring inconsistencies.
Occasionally, (briefly) going off-script improves a movie, as in these examples:
2. Good Will Hunting – The brilliant Robin Williams improvised the story about his wife’s sweet imperfections.
3. The Shining – Jack Nicholson added the “Here’s Johnny” comment on the spot.
More often, going off-script costs money and produces a bad film like the others here:
4. Waterworld – The movie’s production went so far over budget it almost doubled its $100 million budget.
5. Titanic – Leonhard Carpio needed a stunt hand draw a sketch on film. Unfortunately, Leonardo is right-handed, but the hand doing the sketching in the movie was left-handed, so they had to do a mirror image during post-production to give the film continuity.
As you can see by these examples, movie studios have a high risk of their investments into screenplays. Editing can fix some issues, but editing is time-consuming and it doesn’t guarantee to fix every problem.
The obvious and most cost-effective course of action is to streamline and focus on the production phase before shooting comes to a wrap.
That’s a Wrap!
Production isn’t the end of the story for the film. After a movie has been filmed, studios want to be sure they are getting what they paid for. That is why there is more work to be done in the postproduction phase.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
While many have romanticized ideas about life as a screenwriter, the hard truth is writing a screenplay is just a small portion of the first step in moviemaking. Writers assume that once their script is sold, a studio immediately began to bring it to life. Nothing can be further from the truth. When studios buy your script, they are actually acquiring the concept of the story, with intentions of making it into what they want. Meaning one of two things.
The script is shelved for a time (possibly for years.)
The script is greenlighted for production.
Either way, your screenplay doesn’t go straight into production. Once the project is greenlit, there is still a lot of work to do before your story begins to come alive. Scripts that are bought aren’t necessarily what is made into a movie. Your script may be similar to a concept a studio wants, but the script will go through several rewrites as part of the pre-production process.
Pre-production?
Pre-production formally starts once a project is greenlit. It is meant to finalize the preparations before a film goes into production. Its purpose is to ensure a studio’s max return on their investment into your script.
All films go through pre-production. Studios know the type of film they want and use pre-production to get your script to meet their need. Purchased scripts aren’t necessarily what is produced. The nasty truth is that after you sell your script, it is no longer yours and studios can do whatever they want.
This means your script will be rewritten by either in-house writers, contracted writers, and possibly you. The purpose is to ensure the studio gets what it wants, they are investing their money and time into it after all. When a script is in pre-production, settings, characters, and timeline can all be tweaked to get the studio what it wants before production starts. Below is a breakdown of what happens in pre-production:
Ultimately pre-production helps to ensure the best possible production schedule, including cost. Remember, this is a business and studios want to minimize the losses in production bad wraps. Making a movie isn’t easy and many things can go wrong.
Off Script!
When studios carelessly produce a movie, it shows on the screen and in the bank. Hollywood is full of stories about nightmare productions. Movies that not only didn’t earn a return on their investment, but the production may also have cost them money. The following are a few examples:
Studios have learned to take their time and minimize the risk of losing their investment. Therefore, they utilize the necessary step of pre-production.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
One of the best and most common pieces of writing advice screenwriters get is to always use visual storytelling. One of the easiest ways for me to illustrate my narrative’s theme is to look at it and express it visually.
What does my character’s world look like?
What time of year is my story set?
What is the culture like in my character’s world?
How does my character’s personality clash or reflect their surroundings?
Movies are an art form that can appeal to human sensory receptors. Our emphasis should always be on showing an entertaining story rather than telling one.
Ideally, all writers need to show more than tell; nothing bores an audience more than endless words and unnecessary exposition. This is why we need visual storytelling in our narratives.
Visual storytelling!
What has always drawn me to screenwriting is my tendency to visualize stories in my head. Even when I go to the movies or watch a movie at home, in the back of my head I am breaking down each scene into its literal components.
I find myself wondering how the writer imagined it originally. Because often what we see on the screen isn’t what the screenwriter originally wrote. It can be kind of fun trying to re-create scenes in our own heads because at its core screenwriting is simply visual storytelling.
Screenwriting coach and mentor Scott Myers advises aspiring screenwriters to read scripts of produced movies and then compare what is written to what they see in the movie. Not only is this free training in screenwriting, but it also shows aspiring writers how to visualize what is actually written on the page. The best writers master the art of visual storytelling. Below are a few benefits of the practice:
Writers get more bang for the buck. Visuals make more impact with fewer words.
Too much dialogue or exposition can slow a story down and bore the audience.
Visuals are more entertaining than dialogue. They allow for subtext and a deeper story.
Visual storytelling is easier to remember. 90% of the information our brain takes in is visual.
Visual storytelling allows writers to entertain the mind’s eye. Movies are all about stirring our audiences’ imagination and allow us to engulf our audience into our make-believe world.
A majority of moviegoers attend movies to escape from reality, perhaps this is why many of us long for a movie night during this extended pandemic. The best writers allow the audience to feel through what they see, hear and sense on screen.
Show Versus Tell!
Regardless of what you write, most writers know the golden rule of show versus tell. Exposition (telling) can make or break a story. When writers lack the creativity to show, they bog the audience down in dialogue and exposition.
Visual storytelling always enhances an audiences’ movie-going experience. How many times have you seen a beautifully shot movie and been transported into the make-believe world? Below are a few movies that always help me escape through stunning visuals:
The best writers are artists who use visuals to tell stories. Recently my favorite artist used visual storytelling to add depth to his latest song. If you watch the video, what you see will help you connect the dots—that is visual storytelling!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
Last year I let a screenwriting and producer friend with 30 years of experience read the first draft of my latest screenplay. I was both excited and nervous to let him see this passion project. After a week I received his feedback on my latest narrative.
His main comment was to put more emphasis on my protagonist’s disability. My initial concern was I didn’t want to overdramatize or belittle persons that belong to this particular community. I had to walk a tight rope of respecting the disabled community and the audience.
But I understood my friend’s concerns and wanted to respect his time and energy he put in to give me an honest evaluation. So I decided to look back over my experiences with persons in this particular disability group. My ultimate goal is to write a better story that can convey the ideas, imagery, and message I wanted to present in this particular story.
It didn’t take long for me to remember little quirks or traits that are common to persons with unique personalities like my protagonist. Fortunately, these commonalities also allow for me to show more than tell.
One of the best pieces of screenwriting advice I received was, “Let the actors act, don’t make them tell through dialogue.” Keep in mind movies are a visual medium and allow us to engage our audiences’ senses. This has its benefits.
Increased storytelling capabilities.
More ways to communicate our message.
Less room for misunderstandings.
More opportunity for subtext.
Another rule most screenwriters know is that we need to hook our audience within the first 10 pages or 10 minutes of the movie. The first 10 pages of any story are prime real estate, this is your chance to get the audience to invest in your movie for the long haul.
Storytellers must use every tool and their toolboxes to hook their readers/audiences as soon as possible. With the character arc in this particular story, I was able to utilize the innate power of human emotions.
I wanted to create in my audience sympathy for my protagonist. One of the surest ways to get an audience to connect with your story is to tug on their heartstrings. To help them feel for your characters by stirring their emotions through your fictional world. This emotional storytelling.
Emotional Storytelling?
Emotional storytelling is a technique to draw our audience/readers into the world of our story via appealing to their emotions: feelings of love, fear, sadness, or happiness.
Emotional storytelling taps into the heart of life. Robert McKee notes, “To be entertained is to be immersed in the ceremony of story to an intellectually and emotionally satisfying end.”1
Due to the nature of my controlling idea of disabled persons as my protagonist, this approach to storytelling has become an earmark of my screenplays. As I have learned, this technique has benefits:
1. It helps my audience connect with my protagonist quicker.
2. Helps to build conflict.
3. Creates a need in my protagonist.
As we know conflict is king in storytelling and nothing builds conflict better than emotional unrest. Sometimes conflict is external (i.e. man versus nature or man versus society).
But most stories deal with internal conflict (fighting temptations, pride versus humility, or justice/revenge). Most people can relate more to the latter conflict and in the end our stories are more relatable, causing the audience to connect to the story quicker.
Screenwriting teacher and producer David Trotter points out, “Movies thrive on action and emotion. Thus, screenplays usually tell two main stories. Think of them as fraternal twins, dual plotlines, or the two key story tracks. The emotional story derives from a relationship and/or the character’s emotional life and is generally driven by the internal need… It’s the emotional story.”2
As writers, we each have something we want to say, the emotional story is often the best way to say what we want to.
What I Want!
We each go to the movies expecting one thing or another: entertainment, escape, or enlightenment. Emotional storytelling gives us more bang for the buck! Below are a few of my favorite movies that check off all three of the aforementioned incentives for me.
Forest Gump is a particular favorite of mine because it was filmed in Georgia while I was in college and inspired me to become a storyteller, not because it was entertaining, but because it’s premise is emotional storytelling.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
Recently, I finished the first draft of my latest screenplay. The crazy part is I didn’t think I had the training to write it. I wanted to use television techniques to bring this action film to the big screen.
However, due to the pandemic and my freed-up schedule, I had the time to do the research and prewriting prep work needed to write this narrative, including:
Set locations.
Character sketches.
Action script notes.
Gaming research.
Military command research.
I.T. research.
With these pieces of the puzzle, I was eager to put them together to reveal the big picture I wanted my audience to see. I had written a storyboard outline on my screenwriting software and was ready to connect the dots in a visual story.
With my story’s theme, I was cautiously ready to dive in. Then I remembered screenwriting teacher and legend Scott Myers’ advice for screenwriting, “It doesn’t have to be perfect in the first draft, just get the story out!”
With my outline as a blueprint, I began to plot the course of the narrative. But, I soon realized that my characters wanted to tell their own story and it wasn’t long before the plot changed.
By the time I got to the words “fade out,” the plot, genre, and subplots had changed. I still had the take-away I intended, just through an improvised plot.
Plot?
Most of the time when I ask people about movies they’ve seen, I ask them about the plot, but the response is always about the message or take-away. The average person doesn’t understand that a story’s plot isn’t what a movie is about—it’s how the writer gets the characters through the story.
Simply put the plot is how we get from point A (the beginning) to point B (the end.) Master storyteller and screenwriting genius Robert McKee explains, “Plot is an accurate term that names the internally consistent, interrelated pattern of events that move through time to shape and design a story.1”
Our jobs as screenwriters is to plot the events leading from point A to point B and hopefully craft an entertaining story along the way; these events are more than just information, like dominoes they have a cause and effect on each other to move our narrative forward. Take for example the plots of movies like The Sixth Sense or Split.
The plot is the road map for your story. In my limited experience in writing fiction, I’ve had to learn to listen to my characters as they share the parts of their stories that influence my narratives’ plot. Keep in mind the following seven elements of the plot as you write:
Inciting action – this is the first domino that gets the story moving.
Rising action – A sequence of events that causes the protagonist to struggle with some sort of conflict.
Climax – the highest point of conflict when change occurs for the protagonist.
Falling action – the bridge between the climax and the denouement.
Denouement – Where the loose ends of your story are wrapped up.
Resolution – this wraps up the story.
The more time I spend with my characters and in their world, the more I understand their journey; how each of the previous elements will fit together in my narrative puzzle.
In sticking with Scott Myers’ teaching on first drafts, it’s okay to have loose ends and unclear motives in the first draft, because at this point we’re just setting up the dominoes where they’ll connect with the others as the momentum moves the story forward.
Don’t expect to hit a home run with your first draft. The average screenplay goes through at least 30 rewrites before it’s sold or optioned. You’ll have plenty of time to tie up those loose ends, tighten the dialogue, and clarify the scene descriptions along the way. Stories tend to change with each rewrite and that’s okay.
Change It up!
In case you haven’t heard, editing is writing. Editing is about more than just catching typos, misspelled words, and bad punctuation. Editing is an opportunity to tell a better story.
The most successful screenwriters know they can’t love their script to the point that they won’t allow any changes, because with each change the story is improved. Studios, directors, and producers only make changes that will make a stronger story, so be prepared to let go of your favorite scene or welcome a few other common changes, such as:
Character names and personalities.
Scene locations may need to be moved for budget purposes.
Subplots can be built up or cut out completely, especially if they take away from the main plot.
The production team wants to be sure that all the pieces fit together perfectly so that the audience knows what’s the plot!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
1 McKee R. (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style, And The Principle of Screenwriting (Kindle edition) pg 43.
I’m excited to say that I am almost finished with the first draft of my new screenplay. Getting the story down, developing the characters, planning plot twists, doing the research has all been relatively easy because I developed my hook before starting.
If you’ve been in the writing profession for a time, you know the importance of a good hook. A hook isn’t exclusive to screenwriting, but its critical to getting your screenplay greenlighted for production. Be sure to keep a few things in mind as you work on your hook.
Be sure to get your audiences’ attention.
Be sure it will keep them invested in your story for the duration of the film.
Be sure it happens as soon as possible to set up the premise of your story.
It is safe to say that we don’t hook our audience as soon as possible, we can’t sell them on our story. What’s the point of writing or telling our story if it isn’t interesting—what’s the hook?
Hooked!
In literature the hook is a literary technique used in the opening of a piece that “hooks” the audiences’ attention. It’s been said that the hook is the most important part of any writing.
The hook has to be strong enough to not just interest the audience, but to convince them them to invest time and money into our stories. Below are a few types of hooks used in literature.
Story or example hooks (antecedents).
Facts/statistics.
Strong statements/declarations.
Metaphors/similes.
Description hooks (visual writing).
Famous quotes hooks.
Interesting question hooks.
In screenwriting there is an additional approach to pitching a screenplay called the “what if” technique. This technique presents an interesting question by using familiar films to give someone a familiar idea to get a studio or producer interested.
Interest?
The age-old adage is true: always make a great first impression. Just like in dating, the first impression is what gets us interested. This is even more so in screenwriting. How many times have you begun watching a movie but failed to get interested in the first few minutes? Did you want to go on the journey with the characters or give up?
Screenwriting legend David Trotter explains it this way:
“the first thing your script should be concerned with is engaging the reader and setting forth the rules or parameters of your story.”1
David Trotter
When I first started writing screenplays almost 20 years ago, the emphasis was placed on the first 10 pages or 10 minutes of screen time to hook an audience.
Nowadays, screenwriters don’t have that luxury. Technology has affected the audiences’ attention span. It is more realistic to plan your hook around 5 to 7 pages in, the sooner the better, but keep in mind the sooner it is, the more interesting it needs to be to keep your audience hooked for the remainder of the script.
Still unsure? Check out these movies below and see how the hook is interesting enough to keep you following along with your characters through the story’s plot.
Independence Day What if aliens invaded the earth and civilization fought for their freedom?
Jurassic Park What if scientists used the DNA of dinosaurs to bring them back and then placed them in a park?
Back to the Future What if a young teen used a time machine to go back to the past and then got stuck there?
Movies with great hooks take us on an adventure and make us want to follow the heroes’ journey from beginning to end. While working on my latest WIP, I’ve had to do a good bit of research, and the more I’ve researched, the more I wanted to write this inspiring story of adventure. For me, the writing process has gotten me hooked!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
1 Trotter, D, The Screenwriter’s Bible. Silman-James Press, Los Angeles. (2019) , p11.
Recently, I was motivated to start work on a new screenplay,
one that has been a passion project of mine for some time. It involved taking a
cult classic from my childhood and updating the storyline for the present day.
Before I could begin plotting out the story events, I wanted
to do some brainstorming to see what modern-day twists I could add to a dated
story. My first step was to go back to the writing basics:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
We’ve already
discussed the what (takeaway,) but this month I want to look at the “why.” Why does this story need to be told? Why is it relevant now? Why will people want
to invest time and money into watching it?
In the screenwriting business, this is called a concept and if the stakes are high enough, it becomes a high concept. I cannot emphasize the importance of screenplays being high concept. Producers, studios, and investors want projects that are high concept.
High Concept?
Let’s face it; Hollywood is a business town as much as New York City is. It doesn’t matter what kind of story you’re telling or what your takeaway is, if it isn’t going to make money, studios won’t produce it—high concept typically means a high return on the investment.
In my opinion, this
is why the Christian film industry sells itself short; they want to change or
save the world, but they only target Christian audiences. Even though their
messages about salvation, hope and love should be a very high concept.
If you’re still not sure how to tell if your screenplay is high concept, I found a few pointers in Script magazine:
High level of entertainment
value
High degree of originality
High level of uniqueness
(different than original)
Highly visual
Possesses a clear emotional
focus (root emotion)
Targets a broad, general
audience, or a large niche market
A way to test if your
screenplay is high concept is to ask, what if this or that doesn’t happen? The
answer to your what-if should be high risk. This doesn’t necessarily mean
complicated. Just that the possibilities are high.
Overly complicated narratives
can lose the entertainment factor by overwhelming the audience. A high concept
film should be easy to understand: light versus dark, good versus evil, pride
versus humility. Keep the stakes high, but keep the story easy enough to
follow.
Keep It Simple?
Screenwriting coach and
legend Scott Myers suggests “the six-word rule.” “So, if
you’ve got a story which has you confused, do this: Try your hand at a logline
or short summary. Then zero in on the six words in your description which do
the best job communicating the essence of your story.”[ii] I
don’t think the descriptions need to be that brief, but no more than two
sentences. Below are a few of my favorite high concept movies.
Home
Alone What if a young boy is left home alone while the family is on
vacation and burglars tried to break in?
Jurassic
Park What if scientists cloned dinosaurs and put them in a park for people
to visit?
Transformers
What if alien robots invaded earth and
hid in plain sight?
Groundhog
Day What if I a weatherman relived Groundhog Day over and over?
High concept movies have box office appeal,
but not necessarily blockbuster budgets. Stories don’t need to be showy or
flashy to appeal to a broad audience. Sometimes it’s as simple as touching the
heart of an audience or a universal curiosity that makes
a movie high concept.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
If you’ve been reading my column for any amount of time, you know it’s no secret that I am a hopeless romantic and enjoy reading and writing romantic plots. This genre of writing (romance), whether in books or films, can be rather difficult for writers.
Because everyone has a different definition of romance, this makes it particularly difficult for me as a guy. Whilst most guys view themselves as romantic, we can often reveal our selfish shallow desires.
I share this because I often hear my guy friends talking about their dreams of love—I mean lust—at first sight. For the women reading this, it’s true most men view love and romance from a physical viewpoint. I certainly did while in college. However, in my 20s I read a book that broadened my view and understanding of love. Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages helped me to see other ways love is expressed:
Words of affirmation
Acts of service
Quality time
Gifts
Physical touch
When I was younger, I only understood the expression of physical touch as love. Back then my favorite genre for a movie was action/adventure. But, as I grew up and started dating, I became more of a hopeless romantic. Who can’t relate to wanting unconditional love and acceptance?
Perhaps that’s why a good romance movie connects with us deeply and longer than the quick fix thrill of an action movie. If a writer can pluck the emotional strings of the audiences’ heart, they can fulfill an essential need for life—love.
ROMANCE?
Webster’s defines romance as “a love story especially in the form of a novel, or a class of such literature.” Personally, I take the subject of love seriously. I don’t find it as something to make fun of or take lightly.
I’m not trying to romanticize the idea of being loved or giving love, I just believe that many of us overuse the term, applying it to movies that are not truly romances. In Story, Robert McKee shares, “By cleverly delaying the lovers’ meeting to climax, these films avoid the prickly issues of modern love by replacing the difficulty of love with the difficulty of meeting. These aren’t love stories but stories of longing, as talk about and desire for love fills the scenes, leaving genuine acts of love and their often troubling consequences to happen in an off-screen future.”
Again, we all have different beliefs about love; my faith shapes most of my thoughts on the subject. It also influences the type of movies I spend my money to view. Some of my favorite romances are below.
With all the junk Hollywood puts out about love, I believe these four movies actually hold a lot of truth. They each show that love may not be easy, but it’s always worth fighting for.
Fight for it!
Last year during the process of rewriting a screenplay, I wrote a scene where my protagonist asks for relationship advice from his mentor. His answer even made my heart skip a beat. “Sometimes you have to fight for love and sometimes love is a fight. Either way, it’s worth it.”
If it’s true that life imitates art, there is always a moment when you know you’re in love—the same thought applies to romantic movies, they have a moment when we see the love between two characters and our hearts melt.
As you write out your romantic stories, keep in mind how you define love and work that concept into the structure of your story. It can manifest in many different ways:
Tender words.
The ultimate sacrifice.
A long pursuit or service.
A well-chosen gift
An intimate touch.
Think of your favorite movies and how they express romance or love. I believe the best romances are more than just funny friend hook up stories, no, they embody a noble cause—love—because that is what matters most.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
Recently a fellow aspiring screenwriter reached out to me on social media. She was having problems with figuring out the details of her story and asked for advice on how to develop her story ending.
Like me she is far removed from the security of Hollywood’s screenwriting community, in fact, she doesn’t even live in the United States. Our common bond inspired me to share an unusual plotting technique I learned myself from other screenwriters earlier this year.
Reverse Plotting
Reverse plotting may seem counterintuitive, but once you’ve tried it the benefits reap dividends. Even with my current revision of an older screenplay, it helped me.
Create new plot turns.
Create new characters.
Flush out existing characters.
Develop clear subplots.
Improving the flow of my narrative.
Enhance my take away.
If you’re struggling with any of these in your screenwriting, read this post carefully to give your story a more satisfying resolution in the end. I don’t understand how some movies ever got the green light with endings so bad. Here is a couple to give you an idea of bad resolutions.
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull-
Savages-
Resolution?
In the writing process, the resolution is the final element in storytelling. Its primary function is to tie together the previous elements into a proper conclusion.
Exposition- Setting, characters and timing.
Rising action- crisis or conflict
Climax- The height of her story that results in a change of character or protagonists biggest test.
Falling action- Tying up loose ends or subplots
Resolution-where the initial conflict is resolved and the protagonist achieves their ultimate goal.
In reverse plotting, we start with resolution and work backward. It’s a lot like drawing a B and leaving a blank space before A, now the writer must fill in the blanks with the proper steps to show where our protagonist has come from and their struggle to get where they want to be. Somewhere along the way clarify our protagonist’s purpose.
Obviously, a story’s resolution is important. Robert McKee explains, “All films need a resolution as a courtesy to the audience.”[i] As 2018 comes to an end many people already working on coming up with a New Year’s resolution for 2019. They will start the year knowing where they want to be at the end of the year and then spend the next 12 months trying to get there. They’re using a type of reverse plotting; starting next month they will decide what steps need to be taken to get them to where they want to be. Their resolution is more than just an answer it’s their next goal.
Next?
Movies with satisfying endings answer the questions we first develop at the beginning of the story. They also let us know if this is the end of our protagonist’s journey and possibly clues us into what’s next.
However, there are times when storytellers in films don’t want to let us know if there’s more to the story in a film’s resolution. These cliffhanger endings are common in sci-fi movies, superhero films, and other genres as well. A couple of good examples of this are.
The Star Wars saga
The Avengers Infinity War
In these types of films, stories are so complex the conflict continues through a series of films before the final resolution comes to the end.
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
While brainstorming for this post, I remembered the song that inspired the climax for my first screenplay over a decade ago. For a prodigal son just out of the club scene, the song “Rise Up” was a game changer for me.
But, in retrospect music has been a game changer in our society for centuries. Particularly in the film industry for nearly 100 years, the first 20 or 30 years of film were muted moving pictures.
The silent film era is almost unimaginable to most audiences today. Imagine sitting in a theater for up to 30 minutes watching pictures move across the screen and hearing no words. I doubt if many of us would stay awake all the way through.
Fortunately, filmmakers realized the importance of sound in film after a few decades. Many consider the first “talkie,” The Jazz Singer the film that killed the silent film era. Although many theaters acquired live musicians to play a musical score for a film, The Jazz Singer was the first film to have synchronized recorded sound in the movie.
The presence of sound in pictures gave the film industry another dimension, it literally gave film a voice; engaging another sense of the audience. They could hear the conversations of the characters on the screen and be pulled deeper into their reality. After all, talking is a basic form of communication.
Talking?
Sound has changed both film and communication in good and bad ways. In fact there were many who mourned the death of silent film. Perhaps it was distracting from the essence of moving pictures. Here’s a link to The Jazz Singer, the first film with synchronized sound.
Or maybe it was fear of what was really being said in a film. On second thought, considering some of the language and dialogue in today’s film, the mourners were on to something.
It’s possible we should have just continued with film scores. There is no denying the impact music has played in the success of film. I haven’t met at generation Xer who doesn’t get excited the moment they hear the first few notes of John William’s Star Wars theme.
I can remember growing up watching and listening to classics like White Christmas and Blue Hawaii over and over with my parents. These films may have not been the hits they are without the element of incredible music scores and soundtracks which set the beat of the films. It’s incredible.
Keeping the Beat!
For nearly a century Hollywood hasn’t missed a beat. They have learned how to cross market and promote films with incredible soundtracks. It must be noted that most songs in films are specifically written for the films, mainly for copyright reasons.
The cost for studios to continuously purchase copyrighted works from record labels would be astronomical. The upside of this though is the wealth of film-inspired music that has shaped the industry. Some of my favorite post-golden age musicals are listed below.
1970s
Grease
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Saturday Night Fever
1980s
Footloose (my personal favorite)
Flashdance
Dirty Dancing
1990s
Aladdin
The Lion King
Step up
Chances are there are a couple of movies which have motivated you. What films have songs that have inspired you? The impact of sound and music to moving pictures is so obvious most marketing firms have implemented the use of music—a catchy tune—in television commercials. Who can forget that Folgers commercial or the Kit-Kat or Coca-Cola anthems?
More recently the marketing firm for Asics shoes has taken sound in commercials to another level.
While the oft forgotten character of music has almost disappeared from the silver screen, if you’re writing a screenplay don’t leave the sound off!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
My most recent published novel is called The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. It is a teenage action adventure novel based on the Peter Pan story. Unlike most fantasy based Peter Pan stories, this one is dark and humanistic, dipped in realism and based on true historical locations, facts, and characters.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
Writing has always been an escape for me. I write to escape reality, explore new worlds, or revisit history. But I also write to encourage people. I want people to be inspired by my stories. Sometimes I teach a lesson or focus on a truth (usually historical). Sometimes I encourage people in their walk with God.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing before I could write. It was just something I always did—tell stories. At the age of three, I would dictate stories to my older sister and she would write them down for me in little booklets. Writing was a way I coped with the oddities of middle and high school life.
How long does it take you to write a book?
I don’t have a lot of free time, so it usually takes about two years. I usually work on several projects at a time. I’m too ADD to focus on just one. I switch up my time from novels to screenplays.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
I’m not a traditional writer. I work on film sets about 12 to 14 hours a day or more—so I make notes on my phone throughout the day. I’ll write during lunch. If I get off work in time, I’ll write after work at a coffee shop for an hour or two a night. If I had to pay writer’s rent, I would owe Starbucks thousands of dollars, I’m sure, as most of my writing is done on the road, visiting all the Starbucks in the southeast. When I’m not on a film, my creative juices start flowing around ten at night and I will write until sun up.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
It’s hard for me to write at home. I mostly write at coffee shops where I’m more inspired. I also wear headphones as I’m easily distracted. I usually listen to music that would be a good theme for my story. Right now I’m finishing a World War 2 novel and created a playlist on Youtube of classical songs that I wrote into the book. I’m also writing a screenplay on the life of Louie Armstrong, so naturally, I created a playlist of his songs, and how they will appear in the story. But even if I’m not listening to music, I cannot write unless I have earbuds blocking my ears, and a coffee at my side.
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
It is always cool to see your name in print. I think perhaps the greatest thing is to receive letters from people who tell me how my story inspired them to be a better person or drew them closer to God. I wrote a Christmas novel called Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story. It is historical fiction based on the true Santa Claus. It’s about giving and loving others. It’s about self-sacrifice. It’s about helping the poor and less fortunate. I received a number of letters telling me how the story inspired people to be more involved with giving and helping the poor. I’m also a songwriter. I wrote a song about being in the dumps of life and how a touch from God can change all that. I received a letter one night from a woman named Mary who planned to kill herself. She told me God directed her to my song on internet radio at 3 am right before she was going to pull the trigger. Mary said she could relate to the song and it literally saved her life. Instead of pulling the trigger, she cried out to God for help. That’s probably my greatest writer moment ever…to save a life.
[bctt tweet=”That’s probably my greatest writer moment ever…to save a life.- Matthew Eldridge” username=””]
What has been your darkest moment(s)?
When I was writing my recent World War 2 project (still in the works), I had to do a lot of research about the Holocaust. I saw pictures and videos of the most inhumane tortures and killings. The research put me in such a dark, depressive place. These people were flesh and blood with a soul just like you and me. Their lives were stripped from them in the most unimaginable ways. There were many nights after writing and researching I would break down and just sob and sob and sob, asking God how he could allow it to happen. There were times when I felt suicidal after months of looking at pictures and reading torture stories. I would call my prayer warrior friends and beg them to pray for me. It’s my most powerful novel to date, but I don’t think I could write something so heavy again. I often live inside of my stories. I’m very sensitive and feel as if I’m the actual characters I write about at the moment. Even my two editing friends couldn’t handle reading through it—they said it was too painful, although it is an uplifting story.
Which of your books is your favorite?
Of my novels, probably the special edition of The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. It’s not your typical Peter Pan story. It’s more of a mysterious, dark, action adventure with a lot of historical truth. There’s very little fantasy in it. And a lot of it was psychological healing for me to write, based on my own problems from my childhood. I also love the fact that the proceeds from this novel goes to help fund missions to impoverished Native American reservations.
Who is your favorite author to read?
Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti used to be my favorite authors. Dekker writes darker material than he used to, and Peretti is pretty much retired. As of now, I don’t have a current favorite. Both were influential in my early years of writing.
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened too?
[bctt tweet=”If you write to fit a particular genre of what’s popular, or what people want, or just to sell books, or even to be famous, it’s not going to be authentic” username=””]
Write what you are passionate about. Write what you know. Write what you love. If you write to fit a particular genre of what’s popular, or what people want, or just to sell books, or even to be famous, it’s not going to be authentic. You won’t enjoy it. You’ll be wasting your time. But if you write what you are passionate about, you’ll enjoy every moment of it. My last two screenplays and latest novel revolve around musicians. I’m passionate about music and play eight or nine instruments myself. It excites me to write about what I love and know—especially when it involves social injustice or poverty, mixed with history. I’m passionate about helping the poor and orphans, so I combine all these in my stories.
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
My first novel was rejected 25 times before I gave up. I decided to learn about self-publishing and it was wonderful for my first experience. Over 11,000 copies have been downloaded and it was awesome to see my book sit at number one on Amazon during the Christmas season in its category. The next two novels I didn’t even try for an agent, and started my own publishing co. However, I am seeking an agent for my newest novel and screenplay. I’m inspired by stories of authors who received 60 or more rejection letters but never gave up—then sold millions.
Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?
I seem to either fall in love with or hate most of my characters. I believe all my lead characters have strong personalities people seem to love or hate. Of course I love Peter Pan in The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. I also love Saint Nicholas in Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story. I love the character, Josh, a prodigy child violinist in my upcoming WW2 novel. I can’t tell you my favorite scene from The Pan, because it would give too much away, wouldn’t it? ;0)
Where do you get your ideas?
This is the funny thing—I have no clue. Something strikes me and I’ll get goose bumps and know I’m supposed to make a novel of it. Like I said, I prefer historical fiction, so it is often something in history that intrigues me. The strangest one was how I got the idea for Whiter Than Snow, my young adult, very true historical fiction version of the Snow White story. I’ve never been a fan of the Disney Snow White version, and it was the one princess story I never really read to my daughters. But one night I had a dream that Snow White was a real person and that the story was based on truth—that I needed to write the truth about her life. I woke up the next morning and furiously researched her life, devouring every little bit of history I could find on her. I was utterly shocked to find out the stories were all based on truth—about a beautiful young woman named Margarete Von Waldeck who was in love with Prince Philip II of Spain, and he was in love with her. However, there was a problem; for political reasons, Prince Philip was engaged to Queen Mary, or Bloody Mary, who martyred hundreds upon hundreds of protestant Christians. Not only is this a love story, but it’s a story about saving the lives of others through self sacrifice.
What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?
I used to teach high school Scriptwriting and Language Arts, and I’ve met a lot of indie writers. One common mistake I see is poor editing. They’ll have a great story with tons of mistakes that get in the way. Or they’ll have a good story that could be great. The problem I believe is that they get anxious after their first draft and want to publish it right away. Instead, my suggestion would be to sit on it for a few months after you wrote it—take a break and then go back and edit it. Your mind will be fresh and you’ll come up with new ideas. Also, have a fresh pair of eyes on it. Let your writer friends read it and give you advice or edits. Editing is more than just fixing punctuation or spelling.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
I started writing for newspapers and magazines. I have also done CD reviews, band interviews, etc. However, that was fifteen years ago. I honestly would say start by writing something incredible. Pour your soul into it. If it’s good, people will recommend it to their friends. We live in the digital age where word of mouth of a great book works wonders for indie writers.
Amazon
Matthew Eldridge’s debut novel, Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story, made it to the #1 Best Seller for religious fiction ebooks on Amazon. Penned the next Christmas Classic, this novel will be one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Matthew’s second novel, Whiter Than Snow, spent five days at #1 Best Seller for Fairy Tales fiction e-books, and his latest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, climbed to number one in action and adventures for teens upon release.
Matthew writes a variety of styles including young adult fiction, historical fiction with a modern flair, teen fiction, and screen plays.
Matthew’s newest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, is a teenage action adventure adaptation of the Peter Pan and Wendy story. Profits from the 2nd version of The Pan go to missions for impoverished Native American communities.
Outside of writing, Matthew is a professional musician, singer, composer, and songwriter. He also works in the film industry as an actor, musician, double, and stand-in for famous actors such as Adam Sandler, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Ed Helms, Theo James, Sam Claflin, Ethan Hawke, Carey Elwes, Adam Goldberg, Tim Guinee, Will Forte, Billy Burke and others.
We have explored four of the major responsibilities placed upon any director in the production of any stage or any production for the screen. The first three were: research, the script, reality level and the last is small but very important.
Moments
Moments are just that, moments that are placed within view of the audience that convey certain thoughts, doctrine, or emotion. When watching Blade Runner 2049 you can see the hundreds of placements of ads: Coke, Seiko, PanAm, Peugeot and many, many others. These are visual “Easter Eggs” for the audience to notice. Almost every sequel has some sort of moment that connects the film before it. We see Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates and later in the movie Blended. The two movies have nothing to do with each other, in fact each plays two completely different characters, but in one memorable scene at a convenient store we see Ten Second Tom make a quick appearance. Tom comes up to the counter and says, “Hi, I’m Tom.” Twice. At the end of the scene he comes back up to the same cashier and says, “Hi, I’m Tom.” For those who never saw 50 First Dates, this scene means nothing. But, to those who did see it, it is a moment of remembrance, a strong nod to another movie that Sandler and Barrymore both starred in. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the Collector has Howard the Duck, Cosmo the Dog, and even a Chitauri from the first Avengers movie in his collection.
Moments are often hidden but very satisfying when found. Disney is famous for putting in hidden messages or special appearances in their movies. High School Musical 2 has a quick appearance by Miley Cyrus. One of Disney’s newest movies, Moana, has a ton of these “Easter Eggs.” Flounder from The Little Mermaid shows up, Maui turns into Sven from Frozen, Wreck it Ralph shows up in the credits, Baymax from Big Hero Six makes an appearance in the boat filled with angry coconuts as well. These moments are great at beginning conversations, creating buzz, connecting films and shows, and continuing excitement for a franchise. But moments are not just hidden messages or advertisements. Moments are the things that enhance your particular universe, that propel your plot, that give the subtext behind things that are happening.
An example would be a movie with a character needing redemption built into the main plot. As the leads are in a coffee shop, we see a shot of the outside and a church steeple majestically rising in the background. Though subtle, this gives a sense that there might be some religious or even anti-religious themes in the production as that character begins to realize that they need redemption. Stage plays are a little more difficult because your options for set pieces are a little more limited. But moments are still extremely possible. Moments can be created from the action of the cast and not just well-placed items.
In the case of Jesus’ crucifixion, Golgotha was at a place where there was a lot of foot traffic. Instead of a static crucifixion scene, have groups walking past showing different levels of interest. Have one man and young son come by and the father forces the boy to stop and watch the crucifixion. While another, say mother and daughter walk by and the mother shields her daughter’s eyes from the spectacle. This creates movement and these moments can add to the depth of plot instead of being a distraction.
Moments cannot save a movie from a poor plot or bad acting, but it can enhance every aspect of any production. When adding moments make sure they are deliberate. Every set piece, prop, actions of cast members, angles of filming, everything has a reason. People watch all the Marvel movies and wait in anticipation for the moment Stan Lee shows up. You can see everyone in the audience reacting, pointing to the screen as he makes his one or two cameos in every movie. It is a moment that is now expected and a moment that people get to take home and discuss, tweet, and share.
Putting anything from screen to stage or screen is an awesome and great responsibility. If you have taken on this role then it is up to you to do the research, decide how the dialogue is viewed by others, create either a world based on reality or implied reality, and finally create moments that will reach out and make a memory in the hearts of those viewing.
Dr. Jim Tippins is currently President of On the Edge Productions, Inc., a resource for Christian scripts and minister aids. An award winning author, Dr. Tippins is proud to share the stories that God has laid on his heart. He has produced, written, and directed scripts, musicals, reviews, and plays all over the country. He has performed with the Kentucky Opera, Overture Opera Company, Theater of the Republic, Swamp Fox Players, Community Choral Society, Florence Symphony and Long Bay Symphony. To see resources and more information, please visit,
www.ontheedgeproductions.org. Or join his blog at drjimtippins.com
The directions in the script are simple: A man and woman in their early 20’s sitting across from each other sipping on two milkshakes. The dialogue begins after those directions. Wow, there is not much detail in this example. The director is often given a great amount of latitude in creating what is reflected on stage or screen.
For every director, church dramatist, worship leader, community theater and Broadway director, there are four questions and four basic responsibilities for any director to address. Before an author’s words are formed into something that is visual, powerful and relevant you must answer these four basic questions:
Who?
Why?
Where?
When?
These first four questions are generally answered in the first few pages of the script. Who? A couple? Brother, sister? Friends? The script then starts filling out these characters and the story they inhabit. Why are they there? Needed an out of the way place? A busy place? Ultimately, the script will reveal that as well. Where? Well it’s in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the summer. That nails it down. When? Is it the past, present, or future? We look to the script as well.
Costumes, props, set pieces, staging, lighting, everything is in need of a firm grasp of these four questions. The script is inspired by the author, but interpreted by the director and the who’s, why’s, when’s, and when’s are just the basic answers to these questions.
To go to the next level in preparation for putting script to stage or screen, the director is faced with four major responsibilities. From the simple reader’s theater to the largest play or musical, a director must prepare for rehearsals through Research, Script, Reality, and Moments. This first column will explore how research can impact everything put on stage or screen.
Research
Research goes beyond the written script. A script is not meant to be an encyclopedia or almanac of everything. It is up to the director to do a little research. The scene above is set in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the summer. What is the average temperature there during the summer? If it’s near the beach, are there people in bathing suits coming in? Is the lighting going to very bright or muted? For this one scene we have to answer a hundred questions. Sometimes actors cannot get an understanding of their character unless they get some sort of motivation from the director. And the director cannot get all of the answers of these questions from the script. That is where research is vital to any production. Since research takes place at the very beginning of any production here are some tips to help in your research.
The Internet is an incredible source of information. If you use the internet as your main source of research make sure you confirm and reconfirm all the information. There are as many opinions as there are noses….everyone has one. There is a reason most schools do not take Wikipedia as an official source. Wikipedia was created and van be edited by anyone with access to the internet. Try to find those that are authorities in the areas in which you need help. And don’t just take their word for it. Check with other authorities as well. A good researcher always checks their facts.
Don’t take for granted information commonly overlooked. A good biblical example is where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas comes up with a gang of Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus. The scripture says that there is a captain and officers involved but were they Romans or were they from the temple? Research shows that the temple had soldiers officially and a sort of hired mercenary as approved by the Romans. The Romans may have been involved, but what a feeling of empowerment if you were to make that decision based on true knowledge and not just tradition.
Have your research needs on your mind outside the production time. One of our creative arts teams was using stuffed characters for the Mark Lowry song, Cartoons. When we went into Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, we walked into the Warner Brother’s store and we were all very happy when we found about half of the stuffed characters that we needed in one place. Always be on the lookout for things that will help your production.
Find and utilize people who are experts. In another biblical production we wanted to create a realistic High Priest costume. The breastplate contained 12 gems representing the tribes of Israel. On top of those gems is written in gold, the names of each of the tribes. We were walking around the local mall and saw a goldsmith who would make and personalize your jewelry. After a few minutes we found out he was of the Jewish faith. It just happened that I had a copy of the Hebrew names in my pocket. He took one look at it and said he would be honored to attempt such a task. Two weeks later, we had twelve gold names as required for the High Priest.
Research keeps you safe from scrutiny and complaints. People are smart and glaring inconsistencies will distract people from receiving the message that God might have for them. Whether it is a biblical or secular production, we must strive to be as authentic as possible. Do your research.
Dr. Jim Tippins is currently President of On the Edge Productions, Inc., a resource for Christian scripts and minister aids. An award winning author, Dr. Tippins is proud to share the stories that God has laid on his heart. He has produced, written, and directed scripts, musicals, reviews, and plays all over the country. He has performed with the Kentucky Opera, Overture Opera Company, Theater of the Republic, Swamp Fox Players, Community Choral Society, Florence Symphony and Long Bay Symphony. To see resources and more information, please visit,
www.ontheedgeproductions.org. Or join his blog at drjimtippins.com
