12 Tips To Help A Screenwriter Write A Better Screenplay
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- 12 Tips To Help A Screenwriter Write A Screenplay
1. 4 Skills Of A Screenwriter (00:05)
2. Passion & Core Wounds (03:17)
3. A Question Every Screenwriter Should Ask Before Writing The Screenplay (05:54)
4. The First 10 Pages (09:51)
5. Establish The Character Weaknesses (11:46)
6. Flawed Characters Are Greater Than Perfect Characters (13:14)
7. A Revelation About Story Structure (15:21)
8. It’s All About Story (16:17)
9. Conflict (18:59)
10. The Process (20:16)
11. Make A Scene Better (34:22)
12. The Ending (38:17)
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Whenever these videos show up in my recommended tab, I count my blessings.
I love these docs and how-to seminars. I can't get enough of them. But what always comes to mind when I see the long list of these and the corresponding books that are published in growing numbers is the following: How did all those great screenwriters to my favorite movies do it without all this-without the seminars, the how-to-books, the tutorials, the writers' groups, etc? How did Ben Hecht, Howard Hawks, The brothers Epstein and Mankiewicz, Hagar Wilde, Sturges, Graham Greene, et al, do it and do it with such beauty, skill and lasting excellence that has stood the test of time? And do it on typewriters or pen and paper without the benefit of word processing, computers and software, social media and the everlasting support of writers groups, blogs and RUclips?
They had none of that. They had bourbon, difficult life experiences and more bourbon. Some were fleeing the Nazis, others were running guns, conducting orchestras, flying airplanes, boxing in the ring and racing automobiles before they became screenwriters.
I remember hearing from older filmmakers who said the problem with films today is filmmakers go to older movies to get ideas and figure out how to show things on the screen. The classic era Hollywood filmmakers didn't do that. Many went to the museum to see how painters depicted life, light and shadow. Creating drama and mystery from images alone.
I think there's a lesson here.
For me, sometimes these how to seminars only serve as validation that I am on the right track. There is usually some epiphany nugget or new discovery and I feel grateful and lucky to live in a time where information can be compiled and shared so easily. But when I am on the 9th draft and I am pulling my hair out, it's both a relief and a gut punch to know that this is normal and I need to write 11 more... Yay, Yikes.
Q
What are you talking about??? These guys were learnt film making and story telling from novels, theatre plays, varieties, silent movies... etc, not watching paintings :DDDD omg. Also they were made a tons of mistake during their carrier as it was part of their learning process. Check out the movie of Aviator. Also you mention here only the success story examples who made it in Hollywood but back in times in film making industry there was a tons of failure production and a tons of garbage outcome, just you can't find most of these on Imdb. Today movie production is way more effective in numbers, in success rate and quality. Do you think with a typewriter drinking bourbon these old big names could make plot/screenplay like Breaking Bad??? No way. Only if they would start learn about new technologies, concepts, etc.
This is fantastic for all writers, not just screenwriters. Thanks for the great tips!
Is it weird i write my screenplays out of order? Like I'll think up a certain scene and then write it down. Usually it's the middle or the ending i do first.
cultlikejournalism not weird that’s how I usually write. I highly recommend writing the ending first and building the story up from there.
Hi! I guess we all have our own different ways on how we write. I too, write sometimes with the ending first, sometimes I first have the title then follows the story.
Plenty of witers, including writers on Courage write that way. Having an ending (or endings) in mind is usually helpful.
Not weird at all!!! Every piece of art is different:)
For me it's like a single solid entity. I move about it like a sculptor or painter, working on bits and pieces, whatever is on my mind. For me, every part relates to every other part, so for me it's a process of gradually developing a picture. In fact, for me, it's really about solving a lot of problems -- problem after problem, in order to have a watchable or readable story.
1:40, chills going down my spine. Such an implicit thing. A matter of originality (wanting to be fresh) versus authenticity (wanting to be genuine). I was so concerned with the fresh that I lost track of being genuine. Which is to say, whether you're trying to capture the spirit of something that has already been made or are actively trying to exorcise all spirits from popular works, both quests will lead to being pulled from your Self. Thanks for reminding me and others! Being genuine is a difficult and scary thing to do, especially if you don't trust the world. Which makes it all the more important to learn. "Film Courage" indeed. Oh, and you're absolutely stunning!
10:00 I disagree, the connection really has to form between the protag and the reader, but 'everyday life' and 'static' does not a good hook make. That's my amateur opinion.
This video was exciting, detailed, and eye opening enough that It helped me play my entire movie out in my mind scene by scene with such thrilling, sci-fi, action, hero love and despair moments all wrapped up; to where now I so eagerly can not wait to finish this script and be able to get in in a filmmakers hands to see it in the theater already!!
Great to see this video helping you with your process Dawn!
Stuff like this is gold! Seminars hire people like these to speak and to watch and listen to this on RUclips is a 💎.
WOW! Amazing! 12 AMAZING tips..should be the title of this video. I've watched, as I'm your biggest fan, all of these, yet this is remarkable what you all have done. Kudos to the editor/s, the questions (Karen) that's you. This is a documentary, dictionary of Tips for screenwriters, all chronologically alphabetized perfectly from beginning to end. What a wonderful gift to all of us screenwriters. Thank you, Film Courage and thanks to all your guest through out the years.
Haha, we like that title. We're happy to see that you are just as excited by this video as we are. Thank YOU for your support over the years! We hope this proves to be beneficial to others and hopefully we can put together more videos like this.
Well said!
1. Language
2. Character journey
3. Show not tell
4. Be authentic
5. Passion/core wounds
6. Character weaknesses
7. Story structure
8. It’s all about the story
9. Conflict
10.The Process
11.The Ending
I’m missing one...
absolutely LOVE this compilation. so many useful insights. Thank you!
You took the words out of my mouth, F.C. I was going to ask you to do more like this, but felt I would be intruding, but , there you go. You guys are amazing! If I lived in L.A. I would work for you guys, for nada, no pay, just to learn. Hey, maybe one day our paths will cross or meet. I truly believe it. As I believe I will soon land an option. HOPE never quits.
This is a great video. These are very realistic tips and I love the way they were each explained. HELL OF A JOB! AND THANK YOU!
Im writer n getting into screenwriting...it alot of work but I do it to create but if fame comes my way...ill be so bless.
Don't write to get fame
Wish you all the success
How many screenwriters are famous? Do it for love or find another job.
Good luck buddy
Fame can destroy your creativity freedom. Keep it simple and successful, but quiet.
This has popped up in my subscriptions box just as I'm starting a major rewrite of my feature. It's a perfect time for a video like this to help me step back and take stock of what I'm working with.
Wishing you the best on the rewrite!
This is so awesome. Film Courage has the very best content out there.
Brandon Sanderson lectures are also really helpful
Now we have no excuse to write a bad movie.
Yet countless are made every year.
that's because Hollywood screenwriters get paid regardless
yeah its really hard to get into the industry, so hollywood hires ppl they trust, cuz there is an audience even if the movie doesnt make money.
funny thing is, theyd rather hire a writer who makes money or director who does than hire good storyteller like charlie kaufman, cuz their less commercial. after synechdoche new york, charlie never directed a big budget picture, so he made anomalisa by crowdfund and independent film.
David Frigault oh I see. I kinda meant getting into the hollywood studio system. I understand making indie films is much easier, but can u actually make full lengths films for hollywood with out being part of the studio system? (working for warner brothers on batman films etc)
David Frigault gotcha. I meant big budget yeah. Not particularly asking about Warner Brothers but any of the major studios and companies. I do like the kinds of films they make and like big budget movies in general. I watch those more than I watch artistic films and films that are up to interpretation (although I do love films like 2001 and films by Hitchcock, rear window in particular). But I am open to working for anyone to be honest, but the long term goal is big budget films. So my question now since you mentioned it is what are the best out of the other companies that you mentioned? Are there any that are prone to accepting new talent or are they too like the bigger companies?
Let's say I make a low budget 2 hour film using equipment like say an a7s for example and its a small indie film. Let's say its 2 hours long and has nothing fancy, but well written like say the film "Tangerine". What companies would want to pick that up? And where do I start, in terms of distribution and getting the film out there? Do I go to film festivals?
Makes me feel really good about myself that in the story I'm writing I did a lot of this shit without even realising it hahaha
Profound.
@@tulipbaba Very.
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@@tulipbaba Chain
@@sarahmoreirautzig5525 Mary Jane
Frankly, "too deeply encoded into the dominant narrative mode" is a pretty valid criticism of A LOT of screenwriting courses. Thing X has to happen on page 5, thing Y has to happen on page 15, everything turns upside down on page 60 - the dominance of three act structure has served to make the bulk of Hollywood movies insanely predictable...
God, I heard those "edicts" when I started my first screenplay...it has to have the three main characters prominent in the first 10 pages, it has to be obviously a three act structure, page 66 has to be a break point for the second act, no more than 5 lines of dialog, minimal action and descriptive lines, less than 120 pages or no producer will read it, etc. etc. etc. My first screenplay, which was accepted almost immediately by the producer for finance pitching indeed had the 3 main characters in the first ten pages, but not to meet that requirement, it was ultimately 124 pages long, and a lot of dialog was over 5 lines and action lines were often the entire scene...they loved it. The characters were strong, well developed and indeed the story suspended any disbelief and dragged you straight into the middle of it. My second screenplay was also immediately accepted when I gave the Ex Producer the story line synopsis as he "screamed" at me, "I love this story!! Let's do it! Write the screenplay already!" I did and it is 119 pages, and all the classic stuff that Hollywood "loves," but NOT for those reasons...it just worked out that way...LOL! You never know...and the "formula" isn't always the way the write...write with your heart, write what excites you, write what makes YOU emotional.
Gregor Barclay - I completely agree with you, I thought that criticism made a lot of sense. I really want to go into screenwriting, and so a few years ago I started reading 'Save the Cat' which was recommended to me to learn more about writing.... I hated it. The author gave specific page numbers for particular events that should happen, and some advice I thought would lead to extremely boring films, such as 'on page 3-6 a character should clearly state the movies main theme for the audience.' Although I think there should be a strong focus on narrative, and that set structures help screenwriters (particularly beginners) create good scripts, I think the heavy emphasis on the dominant narrative mode is far too limiting and restrictive and, as you said, leads to predictable stories. I'm only 18 and haven't left school yet, so I have to learn about screenwriting through books, youtube, critical essays etc. and it is so disheartening to receive all of this contrasting information and to have supposed experts telling you 'ideas don't matter' and that 'X has to happen on page X'... I find the whole thing really confusing to be honest, there is so much disagreement between screenwriters for me to get a clear sense of what I'm doing.
The three act structure does little more than describe what we already do...Contrarianism for the sake of contrarianism = bad, pretentious, over-written screenplay.
Such a beneficial production, can't thank you enough for taking the time to create and post. THX!
You just did, thanks for watching!
Once again Film Courage delivers. Thank you , F.C.!
more than 12 amazing tips! ... really good selection
Diane Dell at 23:00 or so, has a really interesting speech pattern and apparently grew up in Japan, Australia and Germany according to wikipedia. Very fun to listen to. Very inconsistent use of the markers of queens english and very american resonant tones around vowels in some places and not others.
I really like the guy with the dreads. He's got some great advice and seems very passionate.
There are some very good points in this video. Thank you for sharing. I would say, write it your way. We are all individual and with different ideas for a script. It may not sell today but if the industry moves towards romantic films, true life, comedy or space films. Then your script may be picked up.
Watching this tonight as given me the trigger to write screen play better. thanks for sharing
Amazing video with great insights and inspiration x
Lovely! So true. I do write from the core. Even though I usually write dark fantasy and psychological thrillers, my protagonist still goes through similar situations.
Another winning compilation of interviews!
Thank you Scott!
WOW! Amazing revelations in this one.
Great video! Thanks for this!
Very Insightful, In Telling, Unique, Beautiful Wording Of This Art,
Super interesting videos on this channel
Thanks !
Yes. I believe that write what you know and what you like. Because no one can tell you what is your feelings except yourself. I'm just sharing my experienced in novels.
This was great I learned so much in this video
Priceless advice.
'If any of us wanted to do work we wouldn't be a writer.' True, we're lazy bastards really aren't we?
+Francis -- being a writer isn't easy; being a good writer is one of the most difficult things there is.
I always give credit to someone who has the self discipline to persist in the slog of shaping a story with the best words.
Writing well is really hard work
Perhaps he is interpreting the “Love what you do and you never have to work a day in your life.” And he implied he loves writing.
Invaluable Information here. Thank you!
Thanks Joe, glad you are finding value here.
OMG this is soooooo good!!! More!!!!
Number 11 is so useful!
first lady who spoke is awesome, really gave me good insight !
Amazing video!
Very useful👌🏼
thanks for this
thx so much for video
helpful content. much appreciated.
Thank you, Madison!
Then, some said if you want to see any story you want its time for you to write it down and this why I start my first novel.
mind blown! deserve more views :O
5. Never write to the market: write from your passion, what embarrasses you, your core wounds
6. How is the story relate to yourself: so you can write it honestly
7. Create empathy with the character: so we can identify with the character
8. Establish the character weakness: hero overcome the great weakness is what makes us fall in love with them.
Hi everyone been looking for how to get my written stories to come out to the world but dont know how to do it
any advice pls!!! tanks
Base on her lecture, I think I'm on the right track :) Btw, this is one of the reasons why I hate lapel mics
thanks a lot .
Nice one
hi, so my idea for a series im writing from a dream i had when i was like 7. in this dream i had been reborn as a fox. it keeps coming back every few weeks and it keeps inspiring me to write the screenplay.
What if you were reborn into a fox
And others were reborn into different things
And in a different world...
Guy around 32:28 sounds like Heath Ledger’s Joker to me lol.
1. The use of language: work on dictionary skill
2. Taking a character thro a journey: understanding the ppl and psychology, be a great observer.
3. Show not tell: use visual to give all the info, don’t “tell”
4. Speak ur authentic voice: don’t imitate movies, find what I know is valuable. Find your voice in your world.
Who was speaking in the first few minutes of the vide ? What's the lady's name ? Hope to see a reply, thanks.
Her name appears at the 13 second mark. Cecilia Najar
I'm no expert but I have to disagree with Michael Hauge on more than one
level that I'm not going to go into here. You do not, do not need to
create empathy for a character within the first ten minutes. I can name
multiple films where I feel no empathy at all, and what he is describing
is cheap sympathy anyhow, a hook, not empathy. Empathy comes later. Empathy is you, the character is you. Sympathy is just feeling sorry or liking the person. None
of my favorite films draw me in by feeling sympathy for the character(s), masterpieces don't try to suck you into that bullshit. They draw you in by being interesting, in a number of possible ways. Saying you "have to" is death.
You "have to" use blue paint here, Monet...
I agree, but also it depends on the level you're at. Oftentimes in screenwriting competitions or when you're trying to find an agent or producer they will read the first 10 pages before deciding whether to move you along too the next step in the process. It doesn't have to be conventional or dramatic empathy, but if whoever is evaluating your script doesn't care about your story within the first 10 pages, you may not make the cut.
Jackie Treehorn Interesting what you said made me think....
Empathy isn't just caring for the character, it's also hating that character. What was meant there is to make you understand who that persona is on their daily basis, so you can form your opinion on them. If it's not shown at the beginning, they'll show you clearly that the situation they're in is out of their confort zone. But it's necesary for the audience to be able to take a stand on the character.
The main character from District 9 is an asshole until about halfway through, which is when you start to care about him.
Can you name a few movies where you have felt the way you have described in your comment? Just curious.
I really enjoyed Tangerine
33:35 I am not really sure about this tip coz one may end up nowhere or just a messed up ending. It my ameture brain telling.
Great share
Thanks Howard
Do most writers over-talk points? Excessive analysis that happens when writing a story which then over-spills in regular conversation, as if the listener is a paragraph that needs editing.
“Writing a screenplay is like being an archeologist, it’s like your excavating something” bloody brilliant analogy
Ideas vs story is paradigm/world view an internalized narrative that has to be sublimated opposed addressed usurped supplanted eroded flipped challenged in your audience by incremental and total story/theme your telling.
Who is the second guy? That was great advice.
Do I need to writea story before I write script?
I'm writing a screenplay that I feel very passionately about and love writing but I can't really relate to it will it still work
Just let it breath, have conversations with people who may be like your characters and get into their heads.
32:48 the most hilarious and ironic thing ever
William C. Martell is in alot of these videos and has alot of good stuff to say. I looked him up tho he hasnt made anything sense 2006 and nothing he has made is good
14:41
The Badfather : you come to me, today, the day of my daughters birthday and who also happens to be my sister
lmao im such an unfiltered writer i dont know why but im sticking with posting this LOL
As a beginner screenwriter I know that I have to write a short story in order to improve my writing. Do I write a short story in novel style or in a screenplay style?
Write a short story first, then move on to short films, then to feature length screenplay. The trick is to keep writing and polish the mind to bring the ideas.
question: what is s bad movie?
I’d recommend a different format for these. Many of the same clips tend to show up again in other compilations.
My first run-in with authenticity was when I read Sartre in college. The year was 1985 and blah blah blah. Show don't tell? Take your character on a journey? Put yourself in your character's shoes? Those are all new on me and totally counter-intuitive. Plenty of writers sell junk they're embarrassed about creating and have to hold on to how much money they made for their redemption. Newsflash: Musicians write Taco Bell jingles for the money, not for high art. That was my angry Debbie Downer character.
Wow the second guy really got to me lol
Please with subtitles
English is not my first language, and I often fear that my script will face the failure due to simple wording, although I have been told that my story is very good, well structured and has very interesting characters. I just wonder, can a simple wording (every day kind of language) be a deal breaker? Can a perfectly executed script really fail because of that?
Look up the Novelist Irwin Shaw, he used simple sentences in his descriptions.
if Engwish is not your first language....documate it LOL... good idea to tap the microphone too
Carky Media im glad i wasnt the only one who caught that lol
IMHO, this is simply More Formula... Its been done. Fortunately, this formula is both ignored and specifically rejected by those few movies ... which is why I watch some BBC & French films.
Sometimes I am amazed at their tips.
It's like they want everyone to write Breaking Bad, but make up different characters.
Gotta have conflicts in every page.
Is the attention span of people now so bad that they can't sit through a long build-up ?
Follow or ignore as you choose. These are huge people in Hollywood. They are just talking about their experiences. Write what and how you want. Hopefully you'll sell your screenplay.
Terry Thomas ï
don't worry about poor word choice because that can improved upon . the screenplay ought to be saying something of some value.Write a movie about a subject you are interested in.Handy to show the protagonist living a normal life until the inciting incident kicks in and changes everything.
english is not my first language and am really scared but what I do is first I write the script in my mother language thn I translate it
cattleya z too much of a work, if you have to write an English story, there is no way, a translation works better than a fully created story in English even from your thoughts, dun load yourself off with one more work:translation
Learning English is a long journey.
@@joeygonzo , master the eight parts of speech, and that's it.
@@demetriusdion286 I see grammatical and spelling errors all the time. English is kinda dumb, actually. Specially when it comes to count and mass nouns. You and I use plural verbs . WHY? Ant, ants but not deer, deers . Huh, can you count ants ? You can't count deer ? A group of people is singular but two people are not. Hah!
Creative people change the world with their stories. When they turn into movies, millions of people have the chance to see their genius. Authors, play-wrights, screenplays all need a third party to review their work and the reason is simple. Often creators have a challenge seeing the forest for the trees and it is absolutely essential to have a “third party” review and adjudicate the process. Plus, when you have a group of professionals who have the experience, is a wise decision. Try the FILMMAKER’S ROUNDTABLE. We want to know your story! Connect for your quote today.
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Love her. I think she's Peter Russell's wife. Love him too.
I love what she shared but if she could have not keep hitting that lav..mic it would have been super kool. Lol lol It amazes me how so many production pros forget there’s a mic there. Like “Dude, Dont bang on your chest” lol lol lol.
Is it just me or is the sound slightly odd?
Besides that the video is fab though
what is a pilot?
A Pilot is the first Episode of a TV Show which has to introduce the conflict and appeal to the viewer
the first episode of a tv show
Oh, I thought it was someone who flies a plane.
I would be very thankfull If you could subtitle the videos for the non english speaker viewers.
Thank You.
Thank you for your comment and feedback Fouad. We are making an effort to add subtitles to our newest videos. (Many of the videos we have posted this year have subtitles). Gradually over time we are hoping to add subtitles to our older videos. For a video like this one which is longer, it may be more of a challenge for us. We are glad you have discovered our channel and we are doing our best.
Thank's to you!
I did discovered your channel a long time ago but sometimes I do miss subtitles to really understand what are they saying cause they are speaking too fast. :)
Thank's for all you effort!
Nobody asked about the beginning but everyone questioned the ending??
Why does that second guy have to stab at my soul like that?
Remember, these are 'tips', not rules - find your own voice and way of doing things that work too
There is a big difference between a real screen writer from an English teacher.
It's funny because it's true. Am I the only one who's noticed that a lot of people who give screenwriting advice haven't written anything? That doesn't mean their advice is faulty, but perhaps should be taken with a small grain of salt.
Seth Rogen, is that you?
The while thi is copied from aaron sorkin masterclass
Who are all these people?
Seems to me that there is no one way to do it. They all have different ideas.
No one ever considers the actors though when they write?!
A.N. A. Some have one in mind, but usually not.
I've wrote a brilliant screenplay. It's just brilliant. Dynamic. Interesting. Dialog-wise. No plotholes. No loopholes. Inspiring. It's based on real story. But, noone likes the idea. Because in hollywood or in anywhere there, they want to give you a shitty idea and you should make a screenplay out of that crap. But first, before you get to see/talk with someone there, you need to write dozens of crappy mediocre shit screenplays that noone would ever get to read or see. Only some bastard director who thinks he's a thing. FORGET about writing something based on your life or something really amazing. Forget about putting your soul in scripts. Forget about it. It doesn't matter. None of it. It's going to be scrapped in the best case.
Vince Gilligan writes chronologically and so do I. I'll take his advice, no offense. There is no one way.
"Your word choice.. is bad."
Half of these "writers" talk as though they're writing for 12 year olds lol. Absolutely no inspiration
Where did it say it was supposed to be inspirational? Some inspire, others simply inform. For those looking to be informed, this is the language they need. If you need to be inspired, find a different one.
I was inspired.
Michael, will you stick up a link to your helpful videos please? Thanks in advance. 👍
If you close your eyes you can hear Neil deGrasse Tyson🤔🤔🤔