Tag: screenplay differs from novel

White Space

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.”
Scott Myers (Screen Writer)

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.

Here are a few purposes of white space.

It unclutters pages of information.
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.

Tags basic elements of screenwriting, screenplay, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting, white space

Screenwriting

Subtext

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.

Tags screenplay, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting, Show don't Tell, subtext

Screenwriting

Screenplay Format

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.”
Film Draft

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.

Tags basic elements of screenwriting, screenplay, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting, script to screen-stage

Screenwriting

Where It Begins

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.”
Scott Myers, screenwriting coach

The hook is the lift-off moment of your story!

Story?

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.”
Robert McKee

Progressive complications
Crisis
Climax
Resolution

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!

Tags basic elements of screenwriting, screen writing, screenplay, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting, script to screen-stage

Screenwriting

Final Draft

For the last six months, I’ve known what I wanted to write about my final post of the year. If you go back and read my posts, you will see hints of the direction I was going. However, I didn’t want to make it to this post until the end of the year, so I tried slowing down the points I was trying to make by discussing how writers tackle this in storytelling.

Pacing
Subtext

These two aspects of storytelling give writers the means to control the information the audience receives and helps build momentum and anticipation toward the final act of the story. This post is where the column has been heading since I discussed first drafts earlier this year, the final draft.

Final Draft

This is not to be confused with the screenwriting software most of us use to write, Final Draft, the industry standard. A final draft is the final phase in the screenwriting process.

“The first draft is just the writer telling themselves the story.”
Scott Myers, Screenwriting Professor

Storytelling is a hard process, even if the writer already knows what they want to say because storytelling is the vehicle writers convey the message and at first, most writers don’t know how to get from plot point to plot point.

Along the way, a story can get rough or pick up extra baggage from the journey, each of which can help slow the narrative down and not in a good way. Like in the game of chess, each character and event needs to fulfill its specific purpose if the writer is going to win the game.

Furthermore, the writer needs to know when to move each character or let a particular event occur. One domino out of sync can ruin the flow. Each draft of a screenplay is a refining process to make sure the pieces (characters, exposition, action) come into play at the right time.

Rewrites and drafts are a necessary part of screenwriting; the average screenplay goes through at least 30 drafts before reaching the final draft. Along the way is not uncommon for the story to change drastically.

4 steps from Script Lab on how to write a final draft in 10 days.

Day one-You already have your beginning in your head. Remember that you have to open your script in a compelling form. There has to be a physical or emotional hook that will take hold of the reader and force them to need to read on. Your task is to write ten pages. We’re shooting for a 100-page screenplay, which is right at the sweet spot of where you want your spec script to be. So you’ll be writing ten pages for each writing session/day.
Now, you can choose to write over the span of ten consecutive days if you want. Maybe you’ve taken vacation time to write this script in a week and a half. Perhaps you’ve dedicated X hours of each day or night after you come home from work or school. Or maybe you can’t commit to ten consecutive days of writing. That’s perfectly fine. A break in between writing sessions allows you the opportunity to visualize what you’re going to write for the next.
Many scripts from novice screenwriters fail to offer a consistent tone, atmosphere, and pace. This is primarily because most novice screenwriters take upwards of six months to a year to finish a single script. Their writing sessions are sporadic. They get bored with the story. They get frustrated with the process. And they become complacent to the point of just wanting to get it done. When you reread and rewrite pages as you go, immediately before you continue on writing from the point you’ve left off, you are in constant connection with the tone, atmosphere, pacing, characterization, and beats of your story. You also want to use this reread and rewrite process as a way to maintain a consistent format as well. There’s nothing more frustrating for a reader than inconsistent format, which includes scene headings, character names, scene description, etc.
Before you continue, you need to ask yourself some additional questions before you rewrite the first 30 pages of your script. Is there enough conflict in those 30 pages? Is the protagonist well on their journey (physical or emotional)? Has the major conflict caused many additional conflicts that the characters must face? You want to have some conflict injected into the story every few pages. That’s what creates a true page-turner. Now it’s time to write pages 31-40!

To save space, I only shared half of the list, so I highly recommend you going the original article on Script Lab and read the full list. The Takeaway is, the final draft isn’t just a leaner script, it has a clear message, and a focused story.

The golden rule of screenwriting is to cut whatever doesn’t move the narrative forward. A chunky description isn’t necessary to describe a scene, endless exposition isn’t the best way to develop your characters. And finally, always remember to enter the story at the latest possible point and get out as quickly as you can without confusing the audience. Every piece of your screenplay needs to count towards the bigger picture.

Make It Work

Remember, a screenplay is like a puzzle. If a piece is missing, then you cannot complete it; likewise, if you have too many pieces that aren’t necessary, they only get in the way. If you don’t make the cuts, the studio which purchases your script will likely cut them along with a lot more. Studios are notorious for changing screenplays drastically before the movie is made. Below are a few notable movies that changed drastically before being made.

As long as a screenwriter knows the key components of a screenplay, they can just fill in the blanks with their ideas and write a clear final draft!

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.

Tags Final draft, Page to stage, plot point, plotting, screen writing, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting

Screenwriting

Slow Your Roll

Labor Day weekend, I finally decided to go see the action movie Top Gun: Maverick. It seemed like a great way to escape from reality for a few hours; Robert McKee notes, “Action movies are the most popular genre currently.”

Even Disney is banking on the trend with its Star Wars and Marvel franchises. It’s no wonder this was the perfect time to finally make the long-awaited sequel to the original Top Gun. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be swept away by a more than a typical action movie. Below are some unexpected qualities of the movie.

A superb character arc
An in-depth romantic subplot

One of my favorite parts of the movie was how the writers expanded on a romantic relationship that was only briefly mentioned in the original movie 30 years ago. In fact, later I had to go back and re-watch the original movie to see where the romantic lead came from.

The writer masterfully intertwined the romantic subplot with both the action and Maverick’s character arc, which in the process, slowed the pace of this full-throttle action movie!

Slow Your Roll

Whether a novelist, screenwriter, or storyteller, you need to understand the concept of pacing.

“Pace begins in the screenplay. We control rhythm and tempo. Progressions must be shaped, for if we don’t, the film editor will.”
Robert McKee

Pacing a story is critical to maintaining the audience’s attention and the focus of our story. As writers, we cannot unpack too much information at one time, because this will overwhelm the audience.

Good writers understand how to pace their stories to help build expectations and momentum. According to Masterclass, narrative pacing refers to . . .

“How fast or slow the story is moving for the reader. This is determined by the length of a scene and the speed at which you, the writer, distribute the information. Generally speaking, descriptive passages tend to slow things down, while dialogue and action scenes speed things up — but slowing the pace of action down at choice moments can also build suspense.”

Seven Tips to Master Pacing

Utilize breathers.
Change the order of events.
Vary your sentence length.
Keep characters physically moving during dialogue.
Reveal information selectively.
Vary your narration.
Read the work out loud.

“A screenplay is different than a novel in this respect: Whereas most novels are written in the past tense, a screenplay is in the present tense.”
Screenwriting coach Scott Myers

Pacing controls the ebb and flow of a story by controlling the story’s present action. Below are a couple of movies whose pacing helps the audience hold on despite continuous fast-paced action scenes. The goal is to tell a story and pace it to balance the action.

Whiplash

The dark Knight

Kung Fu Hustle

Hold On

Good writers know a story’s pace builds both momentum and anticipation of what the audience wants or expects. We must grab their attention as soon as possible and make sure we keep it all the way to the end of our story. Pacing helps us to keep from exposition or emotional dumps that can cause viewers to tune out. Two tools that screenwriters can use to help pace a story are:

Pause
Beats

Remember, you don’t want to stop momentum of the narrative by either slowing down or speeding up. This is the purpose of writers learning to control a story’s pace.

Tags character arc, pacing, present tense, screenplay differs from novel, screenwriting, story thythm and tempo, tips to master pacing