SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP

NOTE: MC refers to the Main Character in your story. Your protagonist. Your Hero.

First off you must decide what kind of screenplay you want to write. I'll break these into three categories:

1) A screenplay you can sell to Hollywood.

I highly recommend you not go this route if you're a filmmaker. It is very hard to sell a screenplay to Hollywood without some kind of notoriety, regardless of how good your script is. However, if you do go this route, I suggest alternating between a script you'd try to sell and a script you'd try to make.

2) A screenplay you can make on a low budget.

This refers to a movie that would cost between $100,000 and $5,000,000 to produce. I recommend avoiding this range until you've written several shorts and at least one feature film as described in option #3.

3) A screenplay you can make on a micro budget.

This refers to a movie that would cost between $0 and $100,000 to produce. I highly recommend this option for everyone, whether you're a screenwriter, a filmmaker, or both. You have the best chance of getting this screenplay made and gain the notoriety you need to achieve option #1 and #2 above. With today's technology, there's no reason you, or another filmmaker can't go out and make a short or feature film on a micro budget.

Now that you've gotten the "Sell to Hollywood" ideas out of your head, let's move on...

READ SCREENPLAYS:
Seek out screenplays from movies that you admire. Consider ones that are high concept, with action, adventure and mystery that could be done on a micro or low budget. Visit the Required Reading portion of this website for screenplay recommendations.

READ BOOKS ON WRITING:
If you're really serious about screenwriting, you should read as many books on the subject as you can find. Knowledge is power. Visit the Required Reading portion of this website for book recommendations.

PLEASE NOTE:
If you do not read at least 3 or 4 of the books in the Required Reading, the following steps may help you finish your screenplay, but you'll have even more work to do during the rewrite process.

Now that you're ready to write your ideas down, download Celtx (Free Screenwriting Software similar to Final Draft). You'll can use this program for every step of the process, including the screenplay.

Now create a document in Celtx and call it "Simple Story Spine". Or use this Simple Story Spine for a movie idea that's swimming around in your head and consider the following:

1) No more than 50 words per field, and preferably much less. At first, fill out as much detail as you need, but then go back and revise until you are well under 50 words. This helps you get straight to the point and flushes out the essence of the story.

2) Be realistic. You can probably get a screenplay like "They Live" into production on a micro budget, but probably not a movie like "Braveheart".

3) Regardless of genre, does your idea have elements of action, adventure and mystery? If not, consider how you can add these elements. Why do I say this? I learned this from selling a micro budget film to the international and domestic markets firsthand. Action, adventure and mystery are exciting elements that keep audiences engaged and this is what the distributors want. You can still write a movie about any subject, but remember, this is a feature film, not daytime television. Raise the stakes. Take us somewhere strange, exciting and wonderful.

4) As an exercise in creativity, I suggest doing this Simple Story Spine at least once a month. Each time try to come up with a new story idea. This is a helpful exercise that is sometimes a welcome break from your main idea, especially if you're getting stuck, or feeling overwhelmed. And who knows, you may end up with an idea you like even better. I've seen it happen with people I've mentored.

Here are the different parts of the Simple Story Spine. Copy them into your Celtx document and fill them out with your story:

Setup (Pages 1-25):
Focus on your main character (MC). We should understand who they are, what they're like and what they do. Also, consider the people who directly affect their life, or will affect them over the course of the movie. These details can be seemingly mundane, but should play a part in the story at some point, perhaps helping or hindering them along the way or in the resolution.

Plot Point One (Page 18):
The event that sets your MC's course of action throughout the entire movie. Sometimes your MC is reluctant, other times they are overzealous, but will become reluctant when things become too difficult (somewhere in Act 2). Your PP1 should fit the following sentence: "My movie is about (enter PP1 here)"

Mid-Point (Page 50):
The MC journey's to a place of danger that they fear. This can be a confrontation between your MC and another important character: The antagonist, the love interest, a friend, a family member, someone who has or will betray them, etc. This may leave the MC emotionally and/or physically wounded, on the brink of death.

Plot Point Two (Page 68):
The event that either adds a new challenge, or adds to the challenges of PP1. Sometimes a twist in the story sparks PP2. Your PP2 should fit the following sentence: "My movie is about (enter PP1 here), then later, (enter PP2 here)"

Resolution (75-100):
The biggest scenes in the movie where the MC risks everything in an attempt to solve the problems of PP2 (and PP1 if that hasn't been resolved yet). They may succeed, or they may fail. Big twists in the story are often revealed here.

At this point you've read the tips on the Simple Story Spine and filled it out with an idea you have for a movie. Now, reread the Simple Story Spine's tips and carefully analyze what you wrote. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Does it correspond to the tips in each field? Especially Plot Point One, Mid-Point and Plot Point Two.

2) Can I take my Plot Point One and insert it into this sentence "My movie is about (enter PP1 here)"? If so, this is how you describe your entire screenplay to anyone who asks about it. If it takes more than 10 seconds for you to describe your story to anyone, anytime, anywhere, you need a better or stronger Plot Point One.

Now practice on a few people. Pitch them your idea in 10 seconds or less. If the idea piques their interest, you may be onto something. If they ask questions, prolonging your description beyond 10 seconds, the idea might not be strong enough. You don't always have to scrap your idea and start over, you may just need to raise the bar a bit.

Now, that you have your Simple Story Spine, expand on it with the Detailed Story Spine. I suggest using Celtx again, but the templates are available here also.

Consider the following:

1) Again, no more than 50 words per field, and preferably much less. At first, fill out as much detail as you need, but then go back and revise until you are well under 50 words. This helps you get straight to the point and flushes out the essence of the story.

2) In the fields that are the same as the Simple Story Spine, consider revising your ideas. Take them to the next level. Good writing is all about rewriting.

3) Be sure there's conflict in every field. Conflict is the basis of drama. Drama is the basis of all stories, regardless of genre. Even the best comedies are built on the backbone of good drama/conflict. See "Office Space" for an example.

Here are the different parts of the Detailed Story Spine:

Opening Scene (Pages 1-3):
This should be an important scene. Something to grab the audience with right away. Think: action, adventure, scary, thrilling, funny, mysterious, dark, etc. It can be from the past, a peek at what's to come or be the first event in your movie. Avoid dreams or illusions that tell the audience, "Just kidding, this isn't real." It's a huge let down.

Setup (Pages 1-25):
Focus on your main character (MC). We should understand who they are, what they're like and what they do. Also, consider the people who directly affect their life, or will affect them over the course of the movie. These details can be seemingly mundane, but should play a part in the story at some point, perhaps helping or hindering them along the way or in the resolution.

Plot Point One (Page 18):
The event that sets your MC's course of action throughout the entire movie. Sometimes your MC is reluctant, other times they are overzealous, but will become reluctant when things become too difficult (somewhere in Act 2). Your PP1 should fit the following sentence: "My movie is about (enter PP1 here)"

ACT 2A (Pages 26-50):
This is how your MC responds to the challenges of PP1. Along the way they may meet allies, enemies, shadows, tricksters, etc. The MC will be tested physically, mentally and emotionally.

Mid-Point (Page 50):
The MC journey's to a place of danger that they fear. This can be a confrontation between your MC and another important character: The antagonist, the love interest, a friend, a family member, someone who has or will betray them, etc. This may leave the MC emotionally and/or physically wounded, on the brink of death.

ACT 2B (Pages 51-75):
The MC deals with the aftermath of the confrontation. They may seek knowledge, tools, or allies to help them on their quest. They may reconcile with someone, lovers get back together, etc.

Plot Point Two (Page 68):
The event that either adds a new challenge, or adds to the challenges of PP1. Sometimes a twist in the story sparks PP2. Your PP2 should fit the following sentence: "My movie is about (enter PP1 here), then later, (enter PP2 here)"

Resolution (75-100):
The biggest scenes in the movie where the MC risks everything in an attempt to solve the problems of PP2 (and PP1 if that hasn't been resolved yet). They may succeed, or they may fail. Big twists in the story are often revealed here.

Closing Scene (97-100):
This is what the audience will remember when they leave the theater. Big twists in the story are often revealed here. Hints at what might come in the future or in a sequel. The scene could be: funny, sad, happy, hopeful, intellectually stimulating, etc.

At this point you're getting more excited about your story. You have the foundation laid that will support the structure of your screenplay later on. If you're not excited by your idea, or feel your spines need more revisions, consider going back to Step #3 and starting a new Simple Story Spine.

Now, onto character development. Before getting into more detail about your story, you need to develop interesting characters that the audience will care about. Too many times you'll read a screenplay or see a movie where the MC is very wooden and lacks personality. Often times it's the antagonist or supporting characters that are the most interesting. Your MC should be just as colorful as the most colorful character in your story. I'll give you some tips to help you make your MC someone the audience will be interested in:

1) Remember that conflict is the basis of drama. Make sure your MC is flawed in some way. This will help to create conflict throughout your story. Characters without flaws are boring and the audience will have a hard time empathizing and sympathizing with them.

2) Be careful not to develop too many characters. A good story will usually revolve around the MC (protagonist), the antagonist, and a few others.

3) If your MC is flat and boring, try combining the MC and one of your more colorful supporting characters into one. This is almost always the solution to creating a good MC.

4) If you have too many supporting characters, or have some that just seem really inactive or uninteresting, combine them with another more colorful character in the story. For example: If you have a love interest in your story (and I hope you do) who is just being dragged through the movie, combine them with one of your more colorful characters. I make this suggestion in every other script I read.

5) Consider the motivations of every character in your story, especially the MC and antagonist. Why are they so driven to do what they do?

6) Don't forget about your supporting characters and their motivations. Often times I see supporting characters being an unflinching support for the MC who will do anything for them. This is boring. Remember, everyone is selfish to some degree. Betrayal and/or acting for self-gain creates conflict and conflict is good in storytelling.

7) Often times the antagonist is bad or evil just to facilitate having an enemy in the story. This often causes a disconnect with the audience and makes them uncaring about the entire quest of the MC. When people struggle, we don't care. When people die, we don't care. I always suggest creating sympathy for the antagonist. Everyone does what they do for a reason. We may loathe what they do, but we should have some kind of an understanding as to why they do it. The MC should also gain this knowledge about the antagonist. When they do, they'll have a hard time killing the antagonist because they sympathize with them. This again creates another form of conflict.

Onto the exercise. There is no template for this one. Simply create a document in Celtx and name it after your character:

1) Write at least one page of back story about your MC.

2) Write at least one page of back story about your antagonist.

3) Write a little about each of your supporting characters all on one page. I caution you not too write too much about your supporting characters. If you do, you may be more interested in this character than your MC, in which case you should consider combining them with your MC or making them your MC instead.

Take your Detailed Story Spine and expand it into a Scene Summary. I suggest creating a new document in Celtx to keep everything in one easy to reference file, but a separate template is available. Consider the following:

1) This should be between 1-5 pages in length without reformatting the Scene Summary.

2) Describe every major scene in the movie in a few words (1-5 lines of text).

3) Avoid anything that lengthens the description of each scene unnecessarily. Avoid excessive use of adjectives and adverbs.

5) Write what's happening in the scene. Focus on the action.

6) Avoid dialogue if possible. Instead write, "They argue about..." or "He confronts her about...", etc.

7) Write what we see, not what's in someone's head.

The point of this exercise is to write down every major scene in the movie from opening scene to closing scene in an abbreviated form so that the structure and cohesiveness of the story can be analyzed quickly. It's easier to find and correct problems in a two or three page summary than it is a 20-30 page treatment.

Analyze your Scene Summary and rewrite it. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Is every scene necessary for the story?

2) Does every scene have: conflict, something interesting going on, or something seemingly mundane that will come to light in a later scene. Remember, every scene should have a reason for being. If you just use it to get from one scene to another, consider cutting it.

3) Do you have multiple scenes crammed into one? If so, split them into their own scenes, then analyze each one's value to the story.

4) Do you have any montage scenes in your story? If so, what's the purpose of the montage? If it doesn't actually help the MC accomplish something important, get rid of it. No boring montages just to show a passing of time.

5) How long does it take to get to your PP1? Does it happen within the first 15-20% of your story? If not, consider moving it up. Don't let your audience linger wondering what the central theme of your story is.

6) Does your Mid-Point happen about halfway through your story?

7) Do you have any dead spots where several scenes go by and very little action is taking place? Movies are most engaging when the characters are doing stuff, not talking about doing stuff.

Take your Scene Summary and turn it into your Treatment. Keep this in Celtx also:

1) Rewrite it. The writing comes from rewriting.

2) Expand the current scenes you have. Describe the action in a scene from beginning to end. However, remember to start scenes late and end them early. This means, you don't have to show the entire scene beginning to end: Man opens door. Man walks in. Man talks with woman. Blah, blah, blah. Woman hugs man. Man leaves. Man closes door. Instead, think about starting 20-30% into the scene, then ending at 70-80% (before the man walks out and closes the door). This will help the pacing of your story so it doesn't feel like it's dragging its feet.

3) Start thinking about locations and their descriptions. Create an atmosphere.

4) Add key bits of dialogue only if they are vital to the action in the scene. Avoid focusing on dialogue too much at this point. Focus on the action. Save dialogue for the screenplay.

5) Add scenes in between the ones you have. Make sure that they serve a purpose.

6) Keep in mind that this treatment is basically your screenplay without dialogue. When it's done, It should be between 20-40 pages long.

Analyze your Treatment and rewrite it. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Is every scene necessary for the story?

2) Does every scene have: conflict, something interesting going on, or something seemingly mundane that will come to light in a later scene? Remember, every scene should have a reason for being. If you just use it to get from one scene to another, consider cutting it.

3) Do you have multiple scenes crammed into one? If so, split them into their own scenes, then analyze each one's value to the story.

4) Do you have any montage scenes in your story? If so, what's the purpose of the montage? If it doesn't actually help the MC accomplish something important, get rid of it. No boring montages just to show a passing of time.

5) How long does it take to get to your PP1? Does it happen within the first 15-20% of your story? If not, consider moving it up. Don't let your audience linger wondering what the central theme of your story is.

6) Does your Mid-Point happen about halfway through your story?

7) Do you have any dead spots where several scenes go by and very little action is taking place? Movies are most engaging when the characters are doing stuff, not talking about doing stuff.

Now that you have a Treatment (your blueprint), you're ready to begin construction on your Screenplay. This is the really fun part because you've already got your action laid out. You know what's going to happen next. There's no guessing. No getting lost. No getting distracted and going down the wrong path. Just add the dialogue. This should extend your 20-40 pages out to 90-110 pages.

Of course, along the way you'll think of new things, but avoid anything that totally derails the treatment. Get this first draft completed. Don't second guess yourself. Just get it done. When you finally write FADE OUT at the end, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. You did it, and did it right. You won't have a "crappy first draft". You'll have a "decent first draft".

Here are some tips to consider when writing your screenplay:

1) No more than 4 or 5 lines of text per dialogue block or action block. Less is more.

2) Show don’t tell.

3) No pages void of action.

4) More white on the page the better. Balance dialogue and action.

5) Make sure each and every scene serves a purpose to the story.

6) Start scenes late and end them early. No feather dusting.

7) Don’t start too big, too early, or you’ll have no where to go. But also, don’t start too small.

8) Write action in the present tense.

9) Hook the audience soon, with your opening scene, the first 1-3 pages.

10) 120 pages maximum, but 90-100 is preferred.

11) Don’t use psychology. You must show what the characters are doing not tell what they are thinking.

12) Don’t give direction. Let the actors (and director) figure out what they need to do. Only tell the actors what to do when it’s important to the story.

13) Don’t let characters talk too much about things that happened in an earlier scene. The audience will get bored if they hear exposition about something they already know.

14) Screenplay dialogue should be perfect. Don’t ramble. Ramble at first if you must, but go back and edit it. Get to the meat of the conversation. Think of dialogue as that really witty comeback or comment you thought of days after you needed it. In a screenplay, you have the luxury of going back and fixing this. Too bad we can't do this in real life.

18) Don’t underestimate your audience’s intelligence. They don't need tons of explanation (exposition) if you've setup the action properly.

Now go open Celtx, have fun and write it!

Analyze your Screenplay and rewrite it. If you ended longer than 110 pages, consider cutting out scenes, shortening dialogue, or start scenes later and end them earlier.

If your screenplay is too short, I'll be amazed. The most common problem is people write too much. If too little is your problem, go back to your Scene Summary and Treatment and figure out where you can add some content, sub-plots, or add scenes that help to justify content you already have. Don't just add more dialogue or description to your current scenes. You'll slow your pacing down and the movie's content will be thin and boring.

Think about how to make your scenes bigger, more interesting, more dangerous, more mysterious, more action-packed, more adventurous, etc. Make it a grand experience.

1) Find filmmakers to make, or help you to make, your screenplay into a movie. Craigslist is a good place to start.

2) Keep seeing and analyzing the "Movies of the Week" on this website. They will be tailored to independent filmmakers and screenwriters.

3) Do the Simple Story Spine exercise at least once a month. Each time try to come up with a new story idea.

4) Start this workshop over and get your next screenplay written.

5) Life is short. Don't wait around. Do it!