3 Rules Beginning Screenwriters Need To Know - Dr. Ken Atchity
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 апр 2019
- BUY THE BOOK - A WRITER’S TIME: Making The Time To Write
amzn.to/2GELyKW
BUY THE BOOK - SELL YOUR STORY TO HOLLYWOOD: Writer’s Pocket Guide To The Business Of Show Business - amzn.to/2JlWBaC
BUY THE BOOK - WRITING TREATMENTS THAT SELL: How To Create And Market Your Story Ideas To The Motion Picture and TV Industry - amzn.to/2Hakwcl
In this Film Courage video interview, producer/author Dr. Ken Atchity shares his 3 rules beginning screenwriters must know. He says one main rule is the most important and all great filmmakers exhibit it in every scene.
MORE VIDEOS WITH DR. KEN ATCHITY
goo.gl/dRBg3F
CONNECT WITH DR. KEN ATCHITY
www.storymerchant.com
www.imdb.com/name/nm0040338
/ kennja
/ thestorymerchant
BECOME A FILM COURAGE MEMBER
/ @filmcourage
CONNECT WITH FILM COURAGE
www.FilmCourage.com
#!/FilmCourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
BUSINESS INQUIRIES
bit.ly/22M0Va2
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE RUclips CHANNEL
bit.ly/18DPN37
LISTEN TO THE FILM COURAGE PODCAST
/ filmcourage-com
PROMOTE YOUR MOVIE, WEBSERIES, OR PRODUCT ON FILM COURAGE
bit.ly/1nnJkgm
SUPPORT FILM COURAGE
/ filmcourage
Stuff we use:
CAMERA - This is the camera we have used to film 90+% of our interviews (over 200 interviews and counting) It continues to be our workhorse - amzn.to/2u66V1J
LENS - Most people ask us what camera we use, no one ever asks about the lens which filmmakers always tell us is more important. This lens was a big investment for us and one we wish we could have made sooner. Started using this lens at the end of 2013 - amzn.to/2tbtmOq
AUDIO
Rode VideoMic Pro - The Rode mic helps us capture our backup audio. It also helps us sync up our audio in post amzn.to/2t1n2hx
Audio Recorder - If we had to do it all over again, this is probably the first item we would have bought - amzn.to/2tbFlM9
LIGHTS - Although we like to use as much natural light as we can, we often enhance the lighting with this small portable light. We have two of them and they have saved us a number of times - amzn.to/2u5UnHv
COMPUTER - Our favorite computer, we each have one and have used various models since 2010 - amzn.to/2t1M67Z
EDITING - We upgraded our editing suite this year and we’re glad we did! This has improved our workflow and the quality of our work. Having new software also helps when we have a problem, it’s easy to search and find a solution - goo.gl/56LnpM
*These are affiliate links, by using them you can help support this channel.
#screenwriting #screenplay #writing 
Кино
That person lurking in the background is a horror movie of its own
Ha ha I was thinking the same.......kept expecting to see light glint off of the blade of a Rambo knife as she walked towards the camera!
@@coloaten6682 Brian Wilson must be lending out The Machine
Cool camera trick how they kept walking closer but always appeared the same distance. Wait. What?
Hahaha! Pretty sure it was scripted - fits perfectly with the points the Dr. makes. The moment of entry, the walking stick, the change from red to black top, and finally, the rubbish bag.
Ha ha I know. It's like a Monty Python sketch. "For instance, you can have a man talking while right behind him in the shadows a mysterious man with a cane enters the room out of focus and slowly comes up behind to shoot the talker... BAM ARGHHH.."
1) Everything must be connected to everything else,
2) dramatic order is the only order that matters and
3) the audience is the most important character in the film when timing dramatic order. It's what they paid for.
"it's what they paid for" ahah so tacky
Sorry to be off topic but does anyone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot the account password. I would love any assistance you can give me
@Darius Tristen instablaster :)
@James Dustin i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now.
Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@James Dustin It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much you really help me out!
The public knows more about movie making than they realize. You,sir, knew how to state it.
right... thats why superheroes crap movies are at the top of the box office
I confess, I've never really thought of the audience as the most important character, or any character at all! Now that I've spent a couple of minutes thinking about it, it seems obvious that this is the correct approach. I'm going to try and see every scene through the eyes of an audience - what they would think/feel - and hopefully it will make a positive difference to my writing!
Sending you positive vibes. I'm hoping you're still writing and that you've accomplished some things along your journey.
Aaaand then remember to ignore them. They will follow where expertly guided. Listen to the script/characters/whispers---- they tell us how they think/react/speak.
I agree, the audience is the most important thing to consider when writing a screenplay. I remember watching the matrix and that scene where Morpheus is explaining What is reality to neo. The audience was dead silent. It’s like everybody was paying attention not just Neo.
"Do you think of the audience as the most important character?" Nope. My opinion is, the audience is a very important collaborator. They are above the most important character, they are creators as well, since they're experiencing and interpreting the story (how they read/watch/play show how the story is perceived by other people). Again, it's MY impression when I interact with them, not necessarily a "universal truth".
Here's the important question to ask though : why does your opinion hold weight? We can usually see what the person in the video has done and why their opinion has some kind of authority to it but when you just choose a comment at random that offers some thoughts, we can't exactly see a digital trail of your work or understand why your opinion matters. I think its a very insightful thing you've written here just remember that what i said is the only difference between you and the person being interviewed. Knowing where someone is coming from really helps you encapsulate why what your saying matters. Its helpful for those seeking insight or advice. That's just what i think.
My "authority" (lol) comes from wanting to learn and trying to sift through information that is shared through sometimes semi-anonymous sources. You start to have an almost information overload because you cant always assign value to the things being shared. It might resonate with you personally and that has a value all it own, but will it be useful for your tradecraft? Can you apply it to your work?
@@gothxm Chill out, man. I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm saying I had a different experience in the entertainment industry, been working there for over 15 years. My opinion is not the only reality around. I'm just exposing there's something different than his experience. I've built an IP based on the audience's opinion. Have your own experience and share it with us :) I don't want to prove anything, just giving hope there's more. And I think you're right. I should have written "my experience" instead of "my opinion".
@@Amelia_PC i didnt say you were wrong either and im not mad just sharing what might be helpful to those who want to learn. Its a suggestion not a demand or dogma.
That's true indeed, because they (the audience) gravitate to your characters. And the audience is just Judges and critics in whether or not its a good movie or not.
Thats a good point@@Amelia_PC
As an audience, I disagree...I absolutely HATE when something is coming out of the blue, completely illogical and makes no sense. I cringe and get frustrated because I feel exactly like somebody thought that I thought I paid MY FUCKING MONEY just to be scared and not enjoy the complexity of the movie like a person with a brain.
And I'm not trying to deny this man's knowledge I just give my personal opinion as an audience member.
Of course the "completely illogical" stuff is unpleasant, but well elaborated surprises are unexpected AND still make sense.
For example, the ulimate intemption to escape scene in Misery (Dir. Rob Reiner, 1990) uses resources from the very first photograms. The relevance about those champagne bottle and cigarrete is hidden among all the story for two reasons: 1) To surprise just before the ending and 2) To come out not from nowhere but from THAT beginning, becoming completely logical.
I love when I pay for somebody's plot who had already though what I was thinking and smashes my expectations into my brain :)
I tend to struggle mightily if I try to write for the amorphous blob that is "the audience" but I have tremendous success if I can narrow my focus to an individual to be my audience, like trying to write a short story my mom would enjoy reading and having her in mind throughout that writing process.
"If you find a story that's interesting to you, 5 other people will find it interesting"
Hey i do the same! Im working on a story that's the type of genre my dad would like so i try to think of him as my only viewer and what he would think of my scenes
I have an imaginary bunch of asshole "movie reviewers" in my head that I let talk crap and nitpick certain scenes once I write them. Helps me nix the stupid stuff most of the time. I also think of what my mom and what some friends might think.
All my attention went to the person walking in the door and moving around in the back ground.
And that just taught me another important thing about 'movies', or how the mind works.
When dude roaming around in the back ground, whatever Dr Ken was saying became gurgle...
When writing/ directing a character I need to be able to relate to their behavior and action as if it was me myself in that situation and a lot of directors and writers fail at presenting that to the audience...you get more fear and scare out of them trying logically make the best decision only to fail.
Everything has to connect. Except for time and space, we'll figure that out.
"The audience is the main character in the story, not the characters..."
Thank you!!!!
For me, I go by three rules when it comes to writing a script for a movie or just a movie in general:
1) it must be a good story, an interesting story and it moves forward. No one wants to be bored.
2) it must be perfectly casted
3) it must have entertainment value
Have you had anything go to production
2. 'It must be perfectly casted'...
I really agree with that.
Many movies today, with decent stories, totally flop, cause the casting director totally gets it wrong.
Don't cast people you like, cast people who are good at the role, I say.
This guy is very clear and transparent with making his points
Hands down best advice on your channel 👏
Great advice. The example from Hitchcock's "The Birds", was a great way to convey his suggestions.
Thank you. Great clip/advice.
The 'screenshot' for me is that screenplay "...is not about chronological, logical or psychological, but dramatic order."
And, "It's a wrap!"
Watch full videos interviews with Dr. Ken Atchity: ruclips.net/video/ZGVVXVdIMyo/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/Y6nshRTjSFw/видео.html
I like this guy..a lot..Sage wisdom and experience right there!
What a wonderful mantra to keep front-of-mind. “The audience is the main character”. Thats one of the only fixed rules there are I would imagine.
Yeah .The audience is the key ,just like the customer is the most important character in a business.
Third rule is amazing!
A director's job is to be the audience before the show opens, in live stage shows, and also in film productions. The director is the first audience.
Excellent!
I’m first so I make a wish, and that wish is to be a successful screenplay writer 🙌🏼
wishes don't accomplish anything.
work for it
Does it matter how hard you work if you don’t have talent? Nope, not in this value proposition it doesn’t.
My advice to every new writer is never any different: quit. The hierarchy is too steep to summit: unforgiving in all ways contending. Imagine being a new band and the chances of submitting a chart placing song to a radio station or record company. Now multiply that difficulty by a factor of two. The young grossly overestimate their abilities and have no concept of the spectacular talent they’ll come up against in [all forms of] writing.
Storytelling is a conceptual ability and writing a technical skill. The former was around long before the latter. Shouldn’t that tell you something about where it comes from? Hint: it’s a branch of biology.
These Film Courage uploads and University MFA/Screen classes have damaged more lives than they’ll ever help.
Anyone foolish enough to try their hand at screenwriting needs to dig ink into paper with literary short stories and find out where they place on the hierarchy after submitting them to literary journals, magazines and competitions. If you can’t beat out the amateur competition there-don’t bother with screen writing or novels.
As an editor I’ve seen less than a 1% success rate for screens and other fiction. Suicides, mental breakdowns, violence, addiction, commitments...too often amongst the writing crowd-and that’s the good ones.
Quit.
Malice Burgoyne wow, talk about a motivating speech 😭😭
Rodolfo Suarez
The Paris Review, Gemini, 3AM, TinHouse, Writer’s Digest, Southern Review, Ploughshares, Puritan Review etcetera etcetera.
Get your ass submitting to these mags Rodolfo.
Every good television and content writer I know started with short stories.
@@maliceburgoyne495 lol wtf?
"The audience is the main character." Genius 👍🏾
I don’t think him saying the audience is the main character means in any notion that as a writer you need to care about specifically what people are going to think and although that is important in its own way, I believe what he means is you want to make sure your audience feels a connection to the main character/characters. therefore there’s a projection onto the audience that creates an a understanding to the story. The main character and the audience should definitely feel like one. It’s like when we watch a movie, for example, “back the future”. we get to see everything through the visuals of of our main character’s ,Marty’s life. His daily morning, his relationships, his problem, how he gets through it. just to make you feel like “wow I can’t even imagine trying to just start off my day and getting blasted into 1955.” You want the audience to experience this adventure with him. You NEED the audience to become him. I thought this was excellent advice. Thoughts?
True gem of an advice!
Yes the audience is the most important think
I'll just say what I think. I played a lot of games and watched a lot of shows and from my perspective, striking a good balance between the dynamics(action, music, visuals, etc.) and dialogue keeps things interesting. Add a flavor of unpredictability and it's gonna be like striking gold every time the audience get surprised; That's if the content garnered the audience's trust in the first place. Teasing, pleasing, sharing, and caring is what I think will make a great story. In a way you're still speaking to your audience; It's just fancy words and complimentary factors.
Great tips!
What a great advice!
Thank you.
I'm not 100% convinced we should think of the audience as a 'character'. But I do think we need to give their views and expectations a great deal of credence. I mean, a show like Mr. Robot did treat its audience like a character and in my view, they did it successfully. But maybe I'm wrong, and this is now more important in the age of streaming and VOD.
I have no problem with the idea of treating the audience as a voyeur.
Mr. Robot made use of narrative, which is rare in film and which helped bond viewers to the character of Elliot. The audience is not a character. The audience is an observer, yet an observer who is there in the scene, if written properly, shoulder to shoulder with the actual characters. The writer's job is to place them there. Sam Esmail knew exactly how to do that.
3:09 horror movie stuff
Dramatic order ... brilliant
Thank you thank you
Thanks a lot for these tipps. I already followed these ruels without even knowing them but the rule 3 is a hard one wich I need to pay attantion while writting.
I think the audience is important because they always want to get value for every story they watch
Yes the audience is very much important in your screenwriteing
Good advice
We can change most of the characters’ looks in sequels but not the most important items as speaking of connections.
I agree about the audience wanting what they pay for but you can still build in those elements of her putting on a jumper, checking the flash light but then it still falls down at the last minute. I think newer directors are doing this more and more.
Yes - I find it unbelievably frustrating when I’m supposed to care about a character whose writer didn’t allow them basic common sense decision-making that might help them at least try to survive or succeed. It feels like lazy writing, having them walk into metaphorical trapdoors with their eyes closed, and I’m less likely to watch to the end. I find it more heartbreaking/scary/relatable when they did everything right, so to speak (or alternatively had a relatable reason for making a costly mistake) and the writer is still able to put them in believable jeopardy.
@@hypersynesthesia Agreed, much like the old Chainsaw Massacre movie - if I remember correctly, the MC tried desperately to get away. When a character is stupid you have the whole TSTL (too stupid to live) opinion of them and almost don't care if they die. You even might think the character deserves it...
If writers don't explore an MC's logic then we're just left with the same humdrum stupidity. New age audiences don't enjoy that kind of stuff anymore. I think we're all too exposed to different types of cinema from around the world to be ok with being belittled into accepting silly decisions just so we can get scared...
Because it's not that scary when you can see what's going up happen next.
Blair Witch (although I didn't like it) did well because it took a different route. Asian horrors do well because they're a little bit abstract.
Video games like Mass Effect brought in the whole cosmic horror of an unknown enemy that would have appealed to Lovecraft and newbies of the genre.
I would say video games has had the biggest impact of viewers not wanting to see stupid MC's as they were able to immerse us into a world where we are both the audience and the MC and we don't like doing "stupid" things.
I must have done a really GOOD job! 😅😁❤ Yaaay!
Taking out the garbage is a quality start to a good deed defense to shield you from your father's anger about you stumbling into to frame high on mushrooms while he films an interview. Bring in the paper on your way back from the curb.
"How to grab audience by the throat and never let go of it" I think that's the formula used by every successful director
that was interesting to listen, please more
Here is the full interview - ruclips.net/video/Y6nshRTjSFw/видео.html
@@filmcourage thank you
Great
I strongly disagree. If a character acts illogical for the sake of drama, many people are going to lose immersion and tune out. A good writer is able to have a character make sensible choices that are consistent with their internal desires and emotional state while still bring the story to a dramatic high. Put it this way, would you be more engrossed (tense, frightened, afraid etc) if a character uses all their cunning and logic and still struggles to reach their goal, or would you rather have you character go down the dark alleyway all alone for the sake of "drama." Ken seems to be under the impression that characterisation and drama aren't linked, but they are. It doesn't matter what is happening on screen, my emotional reaction is going to be in proportion to how much I care about the characters. If you characterise your protagonist as lacking the basic desire to take steps to preserve their own life then even If they are being chased through a haunted house by a knife wielding maniac I won't feel anything in relation to your movie, because I won't have any investment in the characters.
Ken's advice relies on the idea that the audience is stupid. It's hack advice for hack writers. If you truly want to create drama in your script you have to work out a way to incorporate it naturally. That's what good writers do. Ken's advice is hack advice for hack writers. Not all writers are equal so don't assume he knows his stuff just because he's appearing on a RUclips channel. He's a producer not a writer. If you look him up you'll see he has a single writing credit for a TV movie. AND PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LISTEN TO HIS ADVICE. IT'S THE TYPE OF THINKING BEHIND SO MANY AWFUL FILMS.
Dramatic order is the key
I’m starting a screenwriting program soon. Wish me luck! This was great. 🎬🍿🎥
Best of luck!
with the example he used I understood, but I didn't beforehand.
The man is right. However:
Chronological Order is part of the film, so it does need to be took into consideration, as it can give the audience different perception on events.
Phycological order needs to work to, as the fear the character faces is directly to do with the earlier instances heightening and leading to the climax.
For the example he gave of the girl not checking the flashlight, this may relate to what the man was talking about. If there are details of her being stupid and clumsy beforehand, you can expect the films logic plays a big role in making her do actions that best portray her character
If his 2nd rule were true as he states, then GoT S8 would've been awesome.
I disagree, write smart characters (if that’s what your going for) and find smart ways to trap them.
This
You challenge not only the character but in the process you challenge the audience.
Three things a screenwriter has to know: structure, structure, structure
Beginner movie writer here, 👍👍👍👍
I can't fathom why you didn't do another take without all the action in the background. Or why you shot towards the door.
Whenever I am in the audience - it is.
How to sell an English script I wrote. What is the usual value of a scrip. I know that depends on certain things.
I’m hooked by the background action. Who is that? What is he doing?
"This is not my house?"
Dude in the background just proved all three steps.
1 & 2 definitely but #3? how did 'star wars' or 'predator' used the audience? if not to shock them; for drama i would say yes but sci-fi and even action, that rule is out; now you have to be aggressive about ideas because most have already shown (unless you have great actors people will pay to watch regardless lol see Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep or Jim Carey for that matter!
3:07
Killer enters into the room
It’s amazing how many people there are out there who can shovel bullshit so confidently.
Check out his filmography. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Atchity Recognize anything noteworthy? I don’t.
1) match the plot with the backround
Are there free screenwriting programs you don’t have to sign up for or download
On Android, I use Dubscript. There is no spell check but, you can use word and paste into Dubscript and it will automatically format script into a screenplay. Very simple guidlines to use in word. No need for margins, just simply write. Please let me know what you think. Cheers
KIT Scenarist is free, but you have to download it. Nothing on the web anymore that I know of...
Yes I think that the audiences are the main characters at some point .....
3:15 did you guys see that guy behind
Huh? What guy?
Even being the most important character, its not good the audience to know they got targeted.
Who else spend the whole time trying to write a story based on the old man in the background of this video?
If I think the audience is the most important character? The answer is another question. Who's paying for having fun?
1:34 Dramatic Order: Quentin Tarantino.
I think modern audiences wouldnt buy a character walking into that room or not checking the flashlight. Character motivation would compell me to write a reason why she NEEDS to go in that room.
There is a zombi in the backgroung....Pigs are safe though hahahahahaha
Lmfao that person at 3:22 just arriving quietly and waddling around mysteriously to another door.
P L O T
D E V I C E S
and the stuff hes saying at that point in the video sounds like he's talking about that person. If that's not a lesson in visual storytelling and context i dont know what is hahaha
I was listening so to Ken that I hadn't noticed; I suppose I was paying attention.
I agree that as examples of what he's talking about go, the scene from "The Birds" might have been a poor choice. I just meant that, to me, the principle is sound. Your reaction to that particular scene kind of proves the point. It may have made sense to Hitch (the turmoil of his relationship to Tippi may have been a factor there) to send her character into the attic, but you (and many others) are lost to explain the action, and forcibly expelled from the story when they were supposed to be enthralled by it.
However you feel about Hitchcock, you will find many examples of this principle in his work. How *well* they work in his oeuvre (as with all art) is subject to personal taste.
When a zombie walks in during a talking session and disappearing in the background to scare him in the next room.
Sub titles please
The problem with films is that most of it is fan service and sensationalism none of it is believable, real, relatable. I say F*ck the audience as the main character. Im trying to make art and something original. If they don’t like it f*ck em. People don’t like oscar best picture movies. You can’t please everybody so there’s no point in trying to keep them in mind 24/7. If you’re pleased with what you wrote someone else will be pleased with story.
Great interview but I’d have to disagree with the example of the red & blue cap. It can be subtle or on the nose, but using that style of visual communication develops the breadth of emotions attached to the character and said characters reactions to the events on screen. Obviously this guy knows 100x more about writing than I do, but it’s food for thought.
Like what he says. But in my opinion, it is more about the writer, not director.
Literature is more important than 'screenwriting classes' There is a reason why so many novels are auto-successes in film.
yes, but screenwriting classes teach you how to make stories that work on the screen. I'd say that 95% of terrific book stories won't work on the screen unless you know how to adapt well.
these are 2 rules not 3 but thanks anyways, pretty good, not gold but solid good.
No. What's he going on about? He's saying that the audience will both question what characters are doing, and that they will keep watching because it's a movie. How many terrible movies follow that advice? How many people complain when characters do something unmotivated or plain dumb because it's a movie. Dumb characters are so hard to want to see succeed, because they come off as following the plot. you want something scary? The character does everything right, everything that the audience would do, and still loses. We cheer when dumb characters in movies die.
As a writer✍🏽, if looking at the audience as characters means making them feel like they are in a novel, movie, show, series, etc., then si, I agree; otherwise, I'm not with it.
I know he's just giving an off the cuff example.
But, no. I'm not scared. Because hollywood has used the same predictable trick too many times. Many times i'll make a joke about a movie or show. Like ya know "The good guy in all black named The Darkling is actually evil." And by the end i'm mad or bored. Because my "jokes" actually predicted the movie or show.
3:05 : Door opens...
There’s no rules. So do whatever you want
Creepy characters walk on and off screen in the background .
Has this guy ever read a novel?
I hate it when they do the things that are obvious in movies It’s like they pulled a can off the shelf in Hollywood ok feed them this! I hate to already know which way the story is already going! I like to be surprised I’d rather see her not go up the step cause I know thats stupid and there’s a million films that do that same thing and it’s boring! BORING, TRICK ME GO LEFT INSTEAD OF RIGHT! Have her do something logical and the birds out smart her and catch her a totally different way! So in your mind it made sense to not go up the steps thats stupid! Show her run to the basement and they come though a broken pipe we saw her trying to fix in the middle of the movie before the birds went crazy! When we were just being introduced to her! Working around the house! I like to be fooled!
Ironic that the man in the background at 3:10 wasn't relevant to the rest of the video.
Three rules for screen writing
1. Read a bunch of scripts of movies you like.
2. Nothing great was ever created following rules.
3.Steer clear of formula
I couldn’t agree me. If Charlie Kaufman was explaining one of his screenplays it would sound disastrous and full of confusing themes, but it’s his own and it works out perfect.
My rule in Screenwriting is to break all the rules. I am a non-conformist and that is why I am a wealthy Engineer and Land Developer. Maybe my screenplay will take off. I am spending thousands for professionals to help me. I never do anything mediocre. I got a 7/10 from PAGE Awards for commercial success. Not bad for 30 days of writing for a 1st script. It did not suck.
Logical order is not necessary? That's sounds a bit lazy, if you can give her a motive to go upstairs, that will intensifies the tension on the scene, and will not make the audience think she is stupid.
This is really poor advice. Really, the most important element is always the characters and the plot. Based on amazon reviews of this bald guys books "I am glad I did not spend a penny on it. Slow plot, shallow characterizarions, and a strong distaste for the direction taken by the author. Sorry I wasted my time reading it." and "If zero stars were possible that would be my rating." nobody should listen to what he says about making a movie.
There's a lot of movies that break these rules and makes u wonder how the hell they even managed to make that awful movie?