Learn how to write a screenplay through detailed analysis of feature films.
Have you ever wondered why so many horror movies are commercially successful?
From what I can see, there are some common threads across the genre that allow horror films to consistently profit — low budgets, the absence of a big A-list actor (and his/her accompanying salary demand), and the genre’s built-in audience.
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Getting your script into the hands of producers, managers, and agents is a huge stepping-stone for any writer. Shore Scripts is a UK based screenwriting competition that was set up to do just that. Shore Scripts goal is to discover new writing talent from around the world, and with their roster of talent and industry contacts, they have positioned themselves in an expert position to help kick-start your writing career.
Shore Scripts has 33 OSCAR, BAFTA, GOLDEN GLOBE, EMMY & CANNES award winning Judges on-board to read this year’s winning screenplays. These include writers of such films and shows as The Walking Dead, The Constant Gardener, The Sopranos, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, House, Sherlock, Doctor Who and countless others.
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If you’re really, really smart, you don’t go into it. This is not for really, really smart people. You gotta be dumber than that if you wanna succeed in creative expression. You gotta be a little crazy.
Richard Walter
UCLA
Associate Dean, Student Affairs; Area Head, MFA Screenwriting Program
[pullquote align=”right” color=”#e65652″ class=”” cite=”” link=””]The Force Awakens extends beyond homage. Plot-wise, Awakens and A New Hope are cloudy reflections of each other.[/pullquote]
The Force Awakens did a fantastic job paying homage to the original trilogy. I loved trying to catch all the call backs as they flew by: Luke’s saber in the snow, the Jedi mind tricks, force chokes, Death Stars, Mos Eisley’s cantina and creatures, Hoth’s icy terrain, the Millennium Falcon, X-Wings, Tie Fighters, stormtroopers, Admiral Ackbar, Solo’s costumes, even Luke’s vision/nightmare of battling Vader on Dagobah — all of these were real treats for the OT diehards. It extends beyond homage, though; Plot-wise, Awakens and A New Hope are cloudy reflections of each other. I walked out of the theater having enjoyed myself, even with all the scenarios I knew had fallen short. Only in hindsight, after my Star Wars high faded, did I realize how weak the story really was. The filmmakers expertly packaged all the nostalgia fit for generations of fans into a new car with shiny paint job, but ultimately sold us a lemon…that we will all undoubtedly pay to see again and again.
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Whether you like Max Landis or not, he’s a guy that has essentially been immersed in the industry since conception. He’s outspoken. He’s opinionated. He hurls so many damn darts that he’s guaranteed to cluster a bullseye every now and then. But please don’t mistake any of this blabber for enmity — I really like him. I love watching his enthusiasm hold pace with his ADHD. He’s a blowhard one second, the next, so humble and self-effacing that you just can’t help but hope that he writes a self-help column for failed writers; A column where he pens each and every question long after his hypomania plunges into the deepest recesses of his soul. If you aspire to write for the screen, taking note of a working screenwriter scrutinizing the current state of the industry, and his place in it, isn’t a bad idea. Seriously, Max — we need more of you. Like yesterday.
Some people say that a script is a sketch for other artists to color in, that most of the work of rendering a story ought to be left to directors, actors, art departments, or others. I disagree.
To me, a script is its own thing, a document that exists to provide proof of concept that you know what you’re doing and deserve a meeting, a job, a sale. To this end, it needs to do a few things that a movie doesn’t have to.
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Screenwriting is about two things, imagining and communicating. The trouble is, people have a tendency to gloss over that latter part, and act like the reader is psychic. By and large, we’re not. We can’t envision anything unless it’s clearly stated.
A redditor, /u/zombdi, asked me to analyze a premise test for free. I agreed, on the condition that I could use it as a public example.
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[pullquote align=”right” color=”#e65652″ class=”” cite=”” link=””]In Hollywood, the story is king, and the story is driven by the main character.[/pullquote]
Let’s admit it. Superhero stories are our modern versions of the Greek myths. We have larger than life characters coupled with amazing feats of heroism and strength. However, they’re more than that. Present day superhero films need a strong character journey. In order for a story to be successful, the audience needs to relate to the protagonists. With goals and conflicts, fictional characters can be brought to life as real as any object in our reality.
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GUY: Here’s my pitch: A guy must bond with his gambler father to get closure on his childhood.
ME: Great. What’s the second act?
GUY: Well, it’s whatever happens between page 25 and page 90.
ME: Right, but how is this explored? So he needs to bond with his father. Do they bond by surfing? Kidnapping a girl? Planning a casino heist.
GUY: No!
ME: But they could, right? You see how each avenue of exploration changes the genre, tone and visuals of the movie. How is yours explored?
GUY: I don’t know.
ME: Then you only have half an idea.
The second act is the exploration of the idea. It’s the money part.
The three act structure tends to trip people up. People are either way too into it, or they’re way too dismissive of it. While it’s true that many professional writers don’t set out to neatly color within the lines as they’re writing their work, it’s also true that the three act structure is a useful teaching tool for people who are looking for something, anything to hang an understanding off of as they’re starting out.
I’ve heard of college classes where they read each other’s screenplays, but only the second act. That’s apocryphal, but I love that idea, because the second act is the movie.[1] [Read more…]
File this one under closing image masterclass. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the Breakfast … [Read More...]
People email questions from time-to-time. I've always answered these questions. I've also always … [Read More...]
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CofZ7xjGyI8 If there’s one thing to learn from this video, and … [Read More...]
Director Curtis Hanson and his co-writer, Brian Helgeland, have taken a massively complex novel by … [Read More...]
At the very beginning of the movie, we see Scottie vaulting across rooftops, struggling to keep up … [Read More...]
Frank Darabont has often compared The Shawshank Redemption to a Rorschach test. Written and executed … [Read More...]
