Wed, 16 May 2012 21:02:53 -0800WeeblyMon, 14 May 2012 22:46:35 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2012/05/screenwriting-tips-from-the-avengers.htmlBy Chelsea Mize

It’s not hard to understand why people are flocking to see The Avengers. The film is full of recognizable names and faces, and you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who doesn’t think it’s cool to see the Hulk fight Thor.

It would have been hard for such an epic superhero flick to fail, yet many of its ilk have. The past incarnations of the Hulk have been joyless flops, and the second Iron Man was a definite step backwards from the first iteration. Thor was watchable, but nothing to write home about, and Captain America was good but not spectacular.

So what makes The Avengers rise above all the past shortcomings of its heroes? Other than the sheer novelty value of having more than one mutated super being on screen at once, we’d have to attribute most of this film’s success to the writing.

That’s right. Although writing often seems like the least important part of a shiny action picture, Joss Whedon is an auteur. And just because he’s making a big, BIG, budget movie doesn’t mean his style has to be cramped. The Avengers may not be the mind-boggling, meta-fantastical Cabin in the Woods, but it still bends genre and pokes fun at itself. Exchanges like this one - 

Steve Rogers: Stark, we need a plan of attack! 
Tony Stark: I have a plan: attack!

- exemplify the kind of quippy simplicity that makes The Avengers move in spite of its considerable length and rather complicated set up.

If you’re a fan of Whedon, you might know him from such pieces as Firefly, Dollhouse, or Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog. If you’re not a fan, you might know him as that guy who wrote Buffy then had some failed TV shows. But whether you’re a fan or not, you’ll probably be surprised by the ease with which Whedon transitioned from a musical starring an evil, lovesick Neil Patrick Harris to the biggest grossing movie of all time. But what makes his writing shine in The Avengers can be credited to the same sort of light, funny moments that make Dr. Horrible so loveable in spite of his nefarious designs.

What are the screenwriting secrets that make The Avengers a success?

1.      Conflict. Important in any film, it’s especially key in a movie that needs to move at a breakneck pace for more than two hours. It might seem obvious than in an action movie, conflict is imperative, but Whedon doesn’t just write in conflict with Loki. No, the most interesting conflict in the film has nothing to do with bad guys. Each character introduction is rife with conflict, whether it’s the Black Widow’s violent interrogation or the light-hearted lover’s spat between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Every scene has a ton of conflict and tension, so the movie never feels slow.

2.      Character. Although character feels like a given, it’s easily overlooked in a lot of these blockbuster films. Fortunately for Whedon, he had a lot to work with, and he the advantage of writing characters with whom most of his audience would already be familiar. But little lines like Steve Rogers (Captain America) saying, “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that,” serve to remind the audience that Captain America is not just another generic superhero. He is, at heart, an enthusiastic American soldier, and that’s a trait that would be easy to lose in the course of this epic battle. Similarly, Bruce Banner is a tortured soul who’s struggling to keep a lid on his anger issues, and that comes across no better than in the line, “That’s my secret, Cap. I’m always angry.” With such a packed cast, it was certainly a challenge to write so many distinct characters that the audience wanted to watch.

3.      Stakes. Okay, this might seem like the easiest one of all. The stakes of a movie like this are the survival of the world, right? Right. But for the Avengers to really unite the stakes have to be personal. For the Black Widow, it’s Barton. For Thor, it’s the fact that Loki is his brother, and they have some pretty long-standing animosity. For the others, it’s really the death of Agent Coulson that really gives them something to avenge. This movie would have failed if the Avengers were all just righteously defending the Earth. Their vendettas had to be relatable, and in that way, Whedon succeeds where many other big budget films fail.

4.      Humor. This one’s pretty similar to character, but it’s worth mentioning. These days, big budget action movies only work if they’re funny or you’re Christopher Nolan. Something to keep in mind if you’re writing a tentpole flick.

Obviously, there’s a lot more to The Avengers than these four points. Joss Whedon could have written the best script ever and without more than a hundred million dollars in production value, The Avengers wouldn’t have been a film of the same caliber. Still, the overall moral of the story is, don’t be discouraged. If your writing is good, eventually it will be recognized. Maybe you won’t write the next Avengers, but you will have opportunities. 

]]>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:56:08 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2012/03/small-contest-big-upside.html In nature, there are two types of cats: Big and small. Big cats, like mountain lions, are majestic and alluring, but dangerous. Cross their path, and you might just get eaten alive. Small cats are tiny and adorable. They’ll sleep with you at night, and entertain themselves for hours with balls of string. Each cat has its place in the world, but you’ve got a much higher chance of survival taking in a stray tabby cat than adopting a mountain lion from the wilderness.

The common logic with screenplay contests is that bigger always means better. Experts eschew smaller contests, and suggest that writers only enter big ones, like the Nicholls or Nick Writing Fellowship. But, like mountain lions, these contests are fierce, intimidating and nearly impossible to tame. Smaller contests, on the other hand, are underrated. They offer maximum value for the practical screenwriter and deserve careful consideration. At the Script-a-thon, we think of ourselves as the kitten of screenwriting contests. Because we're a smaller contest, you've got a better chance of finding success with us, and we offer many of the same prizes and industry exposure as the bigger competitions.

Bigger contests get thousands and thousands and thousands of entries.  That leaves a lot of room for your script to fall through the cracks. And ultimately, winning a huge contest can be a lot like winning the screenplay lottery. Even if your script is great, there’s such a huge volume of work that the likelihood of it advancing is relatively small. Plus, because of the sheer size of these contests, they can sometimes feel impersonal. Emails are answered by interns or assistants, or sometimes not replied to at all, and the contests lack a personal touch.

But with the Script-a-thon, there’s less to compete against. That means, mathematically, you simply have a better chance of winning. In addition, we pride ourselves on our personal approach to the contest. We won’t toss your script to the side, because every script means a lot to us, and we give our participants every chance to succeed. Every email is answered by one of our contest directors, every tweet, comment and like comes from one of us, and our core team is intricately linked with every facet of day to day operations. We want to be there for you, so we are.

Obviously, the big contests offer lots of money, tens of thousands of dollars sometimes. But deep down, most writers aren’t entering contests for the grand prize. They’re entering contests to launch their career as a screenwriter, and that’s where we think the Script-a-thon does a good job of measuring up.

In our first two years, we offered consultations with agents from Gersh, APA, Paradigm, and more of the top agencies in Hollywood. Our finalist scripts were read by some of the most esteemed judges out there, including: Scott Rosenfelt (producer, Home Alone), Steve Mazur (writer, Liar Liar) and Renny Harlin (director, Die Hard 2). Our writers have made lasting connections, and even secured representation as a direct result of winning or placing in the contest. In addition to all that, each winner gets a copy of Final Draft, and our grand prize writer gets $1,000 cash.

At the end of the day, kittens have a lot of the same perks as mountain lions. Feline. Furry. Independent and strong. They’re just easier to win over, and easier to get to know. So if you’re thinking about entering a screenplay contest, try the little guy for a change. We’re guaranteed to cuddle up with your script and purr if we like it. Although we're a smaller contest, we offer big opportunities.  Our past winners are well on their way to big careers in Hollywood.

You could be next.

Early Entry ends Saturday, March 31. ENTER NOW for just $29.

]]>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:28:19 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2012/02/oscar-nominated-screenplays-what-makes-them-work.html Lights, camera, ACTION!!!  And the AWARD goes to…

by Anne Norda
www.writebrainworkshop.com

I examined two Oscar nominated scripts, THE DESCENDANTS and HUGO and discovered two distinctly different writing styles. Both reveal writing techniques and tricks that could be helpful to any writer. In the spirit of Oscar season, I have given awards to various achievements in the writing styles of each. Because they are both adaptations, the writers had rich resources to cull from. What sets these two scripts apart from most is the fact that the writers created a style that exquisitely captured the tone and subject matter of the original stories with flair, extreme artistry and heart.

I loved the action writing in THE DECENDANTS, written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. It was sparkling, fluid, emotionally rich, though very trim! Qualities I aspire to in my personal life! The script is brilliant, with some of the best dialog I have  read in a very long time.

The writer of HUGO, John Logan, found a way to translate the imagery of the graphic novel it was adapted from and express it beautifully in a non-traditional screenplay format. He used an almost ridiculous amount of space (most screenwriting teachers would be horrified!), short sentences and ellipses to generate the feel of images strewn together fluidly, creating “beats” between them.

In their action descriptions, both scripts cleverly leave space for the actor and the director to invent. They tell us the bare minimum and leave the rest up for interpretation. Like some of the best poetry.

Enjoy these awards! And may your own screenplays be up for awards in the very near future…

BEST SUCCINCT CHARACTER DESCRIPTION AWARD -- THE DESCENDANTS: 

Matt notices a BUFF GUY and some FRIENDS headed to a nearby table, and his mood sours.  Scottie follows his gaze. 

The guy notices the Kings and feels obliged to mosey over.  This is TROY COOK -- athletic and rich. 

MOST PUNCH IN A CHARACTER DESCRIPTION AWARD --  HUGO:

But it is not his father. 

It is his UNCLE CLAUDE. Unshaven. Greasy. Crude. Huge. 

BEST CHUNK OF VOICE OVER AWARD -- THE DESCENDANTS: 

INT. AIRPLANE – DAY
Matt and Scottie look out the window at THE BIG ISLAND coming into view. 

                     MATT (V.O.)
          Somehow it feels natural to find a
          daughter of mine on a different island.
          A family seems exactly like an
          archipelago -- all part of the same
          geographic expression but still islands
          -- separate and alone, always drifting
          slowly apart. 

MOST POETIC CHUNK OF DIALOG AWARD -- HUGO:

                     HUGO
          Right after my father died, I would
          come up here a lot ... I would
          imagine that the whole world was
          one big machine. Machines never
          have extra parts, you know.
          They always have the exact number
          they need. So I figured if the
          entire world was a big machine I
          couldn’t be an extra part, I had to
          be here for some reason ... And
          that means you have to be here for
          some reason, too. 

 FUNNIEST CHUNK OF DIALOG: THE DESCENDANTS

Alexandra (17) is advising her little sister, Scottie (8):

                     ALEXANDRA
          You’ve got to watch her with the
          internet.  And Reina’s dad.  Scottie,
          Reina is a fucked-up ho-bag, and you
          need to stay away from her.  Do you
          want to end up like me?

                     SCOTTIE
          Yes. 

                     ALEXANDRA
          I mean the earlier me, when I was mean
          to you and yelling at mom all the time. 

                     SCOTTIE
          No. 

                     ALEXANDRA
          Well, Reina’s going to be a meth-head,
          and she’s going to get used by stupid
          guys.  She’s a twat.  Say it. 

                     SCOTTIE
          She’s a twat.
               (running across the room)
          Twat, twat, twat, twat!

               

 MOST ELEGANT ACTION SEQUENCE AWARD -- THE DESCENDANTS: 

Alex looks at him, takes a couple quick, loud inhalations, then slips -- 

UNDERWATER --    

-- where she SWIMS, FACE CONTORTED, hoping to stay down there forever.  Finally she emerges --   

ABOVE THE POOL --   

-- and gets out, grabbing a towel, crying now. 

MOST ROMANTIC ACTION SEQUENCE AWARD -- HUGO:

He stops. 

Looks at her. 

Should he tell her?

Should he trust her?

Yes. 

He points. 

                     HUGO
          There. 

She looks...

Across the river...

The Train Station. 

MOST UNUSUAL ACTION WRITING STYLE -- HUGO:

INT. TRAIN SATION -- SECRET APARTMENT – NIGHT

Hugo is with the Automaton.  Looking at it sadly. 

Without the notebook, Hugo isn’t sure how to proceed. 

A beat. 

Hugo stares at the inner workings of the Automaton...

Then...

Something seems to shift in Hugo’s head ... Somethig makes sense ... he sees it now ... gears line up ... a beautiful clarity begins to emerge...

Hugo picks up a screwdriver, begins to tinker. 

Then to work in earnest. 

Without the notebook. 

The Automaton seems pleased. 

MOST POETIC ACTION DESCRIPTION AWARD -- THE DESCENDANTS:

INT. ALEXANDRA’S ROOM – CONTINUOUS
-- where Matt places Alex on her bed, takes off her shoes, covers her with a blanket, and watches this tsunami of a girl at rest.


]]>Wed, 18 May 2011 12:53:14 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2011/05/contest-advice-for-screenplay-writers-3-tips-on-getting-past-the-first-round.htmlThe Script-a-thon is a small contest. We're new. We're proud of it. With us, you've get a better chance to win, because we have fewer contestants. It's simple math. Our prizes are great, and your chances are even better.

Looking for tips on how to bolster your chances even more? Follow these 3 simple tips, and you'll be well on your way.

1) Be Organized: With the Script-a-thon, you've got just one month to get your script into judgeable shape. Obviously, our judges understand what it's like to write a script in one month. And they take this into account when judging. 

But still, a little bit of organization goes a long way. That means you need STORY! Make sure you hit your beats. 

If your script has a beginning, middle and end, you're way ahead of the crowd.

But organization also includes some simpler stuff: spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting. Give your script that extra polish at the midnight hour. 

The work will show, and that will please the judges.

2) Keep It Short

I don't mean you should cut out important information. But make sure your script is just as long as it needs to be, and not much longer. 

Yes, you only have a month to get this thing into shape. But here are some quick tips on making sure you're not over-writing your script:

- Eliminate needless action. Lots of writers spend way too much time writing action. Keep your action paragraphs quick and crisp. You can save 15 pages off of 120. Seriously.

- Get in and out of scenes quickly. Again, this is a shortening tip that won't require any huge rewrites. Just cut all the non-essentials from your scenes. Start as late as possible and get out as early as possible. 

it's been said before, but it definitely bears repeating.


3) First 10 Pages

You've heard this one before too. Your first ten pages are ESSENTIAL. Your judge will form an opinion on your writing very quickly, so make those first pages pop.

Make those pages memorable and unique. Let them move quickly. And always keep in mind - readers (and all audiences) remember moments. 

Craft memorable moments (at least one) in your first ten pages. Approach something in a new and exciting way. Include an amazing joke. A bad ass car chase. Something where your audience leaves the theater and goes... "What about that thing that happened in the beginning? That was amazing!"

Remember, the first round is just about separating the good scripts from the...not so good. If your script works on these basic levels, you've got a great chance of moving on.

Got thoughts? Comments? Your own ideas on getting past the first round in contests?

Let us know! ]]>Sun, 15 May 2011 11:37:55 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2011/05/why-the-free-option-isnt-a-bad-option-by-danny-manus.htmlI am sick and tired of hearing people advising first time writers NOT to do free options (or dollar options as they’re often called) when trying to break in. Here’s the deal – if you’re a first time writer with no credits, no contacts, and no representation - what the hell do you think you’re gonna get? A million dollars? It’s never EVER going to happen.

And if you notice, the people that advise against these free options are usually lawyers or agents. You know why? Because they can’t commission air. And if they could, an agent would find a way. And while they are working for you, they are also working for their commission. Producers, on the other hand, are working for your project – whether they pay you for it or not.
Some say not to do the free option because if the producer doesn’t have any money at stake (no skin in the game so to speak), they will have less motivation to work hard and get your movie made – what a bunch of bullshit! Anyone who says this -- is an idiot.

Indie producers don’t get paid unless the movie gets MADE – not set up – MADE – so they have EVERY motivation to push hard or else what’s the point? Why would a producer option your material for a year and pour in their sweat equity doing draft after draft for FREE if they are just going to sit on it and don’t think they can get it going? It’s not like they make any money doing that.

I’ve never paid for an option. I’ve paid for an extension on an option, but never on the original option. Chances are your first option is going to be to an independent production company. It’s rare that you get your FIRST option from a studio, and it’s even rarer if you don’t have an agent or good manager.

And I don’t know of any independent production companies (unless they have a studio deal) that pay a baby writer to option their first project. And IF they do, it’s not gonna be for more than $1000.  Even if a studio wants to option your project, they don’t really pay more than $5k unless you have a great agent. The exception is if you’re optioning a successful book, graphic novel, etc. –then you can make some nicer money.

Assuming the person or company offering this free option is an upstanding and worthwhile producer, it’s in your best interest to have him or her on your side, championing and developing your project with you. And believe me, a good producer works just as hard on your project as you do. We have to go through it line by line, draft after draft, and come up with extensive notes plus do the pitching, selling, submitting, etc. Any writer who says execs don’t have to be creative -- can go fuck themselves.

Now, there are some dangers to the free option and you need to do your due diligence and protect yourself!!  But the same can be said about the options you get $5-10k for. In fact, there’s a BETTER chance that if a studio is paying you real money for an option, it could fall by the waist side because they have 100 other projects they are working on and $5k doesn’t mean shit to them, whereas $500 means a whole lot to an independent producer.

Plus, if a studio offers you real money for an option, it could be because they are trying to bury the project to get it out of the way of a competing project they are already working on with a bigger writer.  This happens WAY more than you think it does.  
But when you are deciding whether or not to sign with (and work with) a producer, especially on a dollar option, there ARE some things you should research and look for:
1.    Does the producer have a track record of getting movies sold, made, etc?
2.    Do they have the necessary contacts to package a project and get it set up OR do they have access to financing (if they don’t have financing themselves)?
3.    Do they give clear and creatively smart notes that improve the project and do so in a somewhat timely manner (a few weeks IS timely)?
4.    Do they truly love and “get” the project and do you get along with them?
5.    Do they have a PLAN for the project – places they want to submit it to, actors or directors they think are right for it, etc.
If all of these can be answered affirmatively, then why WOULDN’T you want to work with them? Are that many other people knocking down your door?
Now, even assuming all of the above are true, you still need to look closely at your contracts and protect yourself.  You need to make sure what rights you are signing away and for how long. Most options last 6 months to 2 years. Anything more than that and I’d be wary because then they COULD just sit on your project for a while. I’d also suggest making sure that if the option lapses and rights revert back to you, that you ALSO get the rights to all the subsequent drafts, notes and improvements that have been made during the option period.  This is where some producers get sneaky, so you should always have a lawyer look at your contract.
Do you need a signed contract before you do notes? No. And you probably won’t get one.  I never send out contracts until after I get the second draft back because I don’t want to be contracted to a writer that can’t take or address notes or doesn’t know how to rewrite. That kind of writer is useless to an executive, especially at an independent production company where they are not going to hire another big-money writer to fix it. But I’d probably only do ONE draft of notes before asking for that contract.
Personally, I would suggest that instead of entering into an option, you go for the easier and more mutually-beneficial agreement - which is an Attachment Agreement.  An exclusive Attachment Agreement protects us all – producers are exclusively attached to develop and try to sell your script but you retain your story rights. And no money exchanges hands. I’d suggest pushing for these instead of the dollar option.
I hope this debunked some of the myths on options that seem to be out there. Just remember -- protect yourself, protect your story…but don’t be a diva.

Daniel Manus is an in-demand script consultant and founder of No BullScript Consulting, which can be found at www.nobullscript.net and is the author of “No B.S. for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective.” He was the Director of Development for Clifford Werber Productions (Cinderella Story, Sydney White) and is attached to produce several projects independently. Daniel was previously a Development Consultant for Eclectic Pictures and the DOD at Sandstorm Films, which had a first look deal at Screen Gems. He is also a columnist for The Business of Show Institute and teaches seminars to writers all across the country.


]]>Tue, 03 May 2011 11:26:01 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2011/05/log-line-help-by-script-quack-script-analysis.htmlScript Quack is a top script analysis  service. They offer professional screenplay consultations and script notes at affordable prices.

All Script Quack orders placed before May 10th receive free entry into the Script-a-thon! ($50 value).

They've written this article to help you get started on your screenplay. Log lines are an essential step in the screenwriting process. Enjoy!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There's a lot of mystery surrounding log lines. What are they? Do screenwriters really need them? Is there any correlation between log lines and actual logs in the forest? 

When prodded, Google coughed up these top two definitions: 

1) "A log line or logline is a brief summary of a television program or film, often providing both a synopsis of the program's plot, and an emotional 'hook' to stimulate interest." - Wikipedia

Okay. So according to Wikipedia, the log line for "The Bourne Identity" would look like the summary provided on Net Flix...

"Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. Bourne realizes, though, that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy, but who does he work for?"

2) "A log line is a one sentence summary of your script." - Scriptologist 

In accordance with this definition, something like this might make more sense: "A man with a damaged memory struggles to uncover his identity while fighting off an army of trained assassins, ultimately learning that he too was one of these assassins, and escaping to an island with a pretty girl." 

A little clunky. Not much of a "hook to stimulate interest" there either.

At Script Quack Script Analysis, our definition of log lines bridges the gap between the two excerpted above. We like to think of the log line as a one sentence description of your story, outlining the key elements of hero, antagonist, conflict and irony. 

Our ideas about log lines were largely sculpted by Blake Snyder's interpretation in "Save the Cat." Snyder's book focuses on crafting commercially viable screenplays. As such, he also suggests that your log line indicate audience and cost.  

But still, knowing all that doesn't shine a very bright light on the process of crafting a good log line. It's often an arduous, painstaking task, where the patient screenwriter must turn a pile of words over and over again, until they somehow resemble a smooth, seamless movie idea. 

And that's why log lines are so essential. They force you to sculpt, trim and prune your idea into one that's worth outlining, writing and re-writing a million times. 

Sometimes attempting to form a log line will teach you that your idea just doesn't work. But when you've got a good idea, your log line will be the first nugget of gold that will guide you throughout the entire process. 
So without further delay, let's mold a messy, nebulous idea into a strong log line that indicates hero, antagonist, conflict, irony, audience and cost. We'll continue to use "The Bourne Identity" for this exercise. 

In the beginning, all you'll really have is the bones of your idea, or story. The first step is to write all that down, as succinctly as you can. It'll be very loose, and much too long at first, but don't worry about that for now. 

For Bourne, maybe you'd write something like the Netflix blurb, something like this:

When a highly-trained super spy wakes up with amnesia, on a boat in the middle of the sea, he begins the process of discovering his true identity. But the process is complicated, when he's chased by stealthy assassins, and must risk his life. He runs from the assassins, darting across Europe with a beautiful female companion. In the end, he discovers that he is actually one of these assassins himself, but decides to run away, and give up killing forever.

Now that that's out of the way, you can start trimming. Read the clunky, awkward sentences above like an encrypted prison letter. There's valuable stuff in there, if you can just find it. Scan for hero, antagonist, conflict and irony and cut everything else.

That leaves "highly trained super spy," "stealthy assassins," "chased by..." and the irony is essentially Bourne's amnesia. 

Don't be afraid to leave out any details other than those specified above. All effective log lines omit story details. In the Bourne log line, for instance, we don't need to mention Europe, the female companion, or the end of the story. Log lines are about brevity and subtlety. The power comes from how quickly and effectively you can communicate your idea. 

Take a second pass at the log line now, trying to include only the elements you scanned for after the first pass. Maybe you'll come up with something like this:

When a highly trained super spy with amnesia is hunted by stealthy assassins, he has to stay alive long enough to figure out who he is.

Clearly, this isn't eloquent writing. Right now, you're just getting your ideas out. Block out your filter. Ignore that voice screaming that "THAT SENTENCE IS TERRIBLE AND CONFUSING!" Remain patient as you polish - the end result will be worth it. 

Time for another pass. This time, try to mold these elements with a little more grace. Cut unnecessary words, and make sure your details are accurate, informative and essential. 

The first thing I'd cut is "when." This is a mistake that lots of first time writers make. "When" is an unnecessary word. If you cut it, you'll throw your reader into the meat of your concept more quickly. The 'when' is implied. 

Next, look at how you've defined your hero. "Highly trained super spy." That's actually not too bad. But it's a little redundant. Cut 'super' and the log line will work better. 

Continue to scour the log line for small redundancies. Play around with the order of the words. Make sure that all of the essential elements are clearly defined and prominent in the log line. 

You'll end up with something like this...

A highly trained spy wakes up with amnesia and must determine his true identity before he's killed by government assassins.  

This log line is short and powerful. Notice the presence of all the necessary elements:

hero - a highly trained spy

antagonist - government assassins

conflict - evading the assassins, figuring out true identity

irony - a super spy with amnesia

Also take notice of the adjectives we've used. They were carefully selected to communicate as much as possible about the story in very few words. 

Finally, this log line clearly indicates audience and cost. Because it is a slim, trim story description, it's clear that this is a standard 'genre' piece. It's an action thriller. The demographic is clear. The cost can certainly vary, but could be ball-parked pretty accurately based on similar movies in the genre.

Although this process isn't the most glamorous part of screenwriting, it's immensely satisfying. Log lines are hugely important to screenwriters. Yes - of course it's possible to write without one, but we don't advise it. 

Why deny yourself the joy of a tight, compact concept? As you form your outline and write your draft, you'll find yourself referring back to the log line over and over again. It keeps you on track and will save you weeks - maybe months - of rewriting in the future. 
Remember - all Script Quack orders placed before May 10th receive free entry into the Script-a-thon! ($50 value).






]]>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:26:01 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2011/04/-what-the-hell-is-high-concept-by-daniel-manus.htmlI’ve had a number of writers email me, asking to discuss the term “high concept.”

I’ll confess…when I started working in this business as an assistant, and heard the term “high concept” over and over, at first I assumed it meant high budget. Then I thought it had something to do with drugs. But I quickly learned that a high concept project is a unique story that can be described clearly, succinctly and effectively in about one sentence – and you will understand and picture exactly what that movie is.

If your project is high concept, then that ONE sentence description should not only make us easily understand the story and make it clear what the demographic is and why it’s unique and original, but also make us picture the trailer, the poster, and the actor who would want to be cast.

If it’s a comedy, then your one line (and quite frankly even your title) should make it OBVIOUS that there are a ton of original, funny things that could happen. If you’re writing a thriller – it needs to be clear that the potential for great suspense and thrills is there. Horror, same thing.

Can your project do that? Don’t answer just yet.

High concept properties are more about the premise and idea than the characters and their personal struggles. More about visuals and hooks than deep narratives and emotions. But almost any movie can be described in one or two sentences – that’s not enough. The hook – what makes your concept original and different – also has to be really clear. And high concept properties should be appropriate for mass audiences (at LEAST 2 out of the 4 quadrants - male, female, young, old).

Technically, the film Kids can be described in one sentence - a group of inner city youths do drugs and have sex until they realize their actions can have horrific consequences. But what’s NEW about that? What’s high concept about it? What’s the mass appeal? Nada.

Ninety percent (90%) of writers fail because their concept just isn’t strong enough, original enough, or commercial enough. They are doomed from the start.

If your project is so intricate, so complex, so cerebral that no one will get it (and get it quickly) – then it’s not high concept. This doesn’t mean it’s not commercial – Inception was NOT high concept. But MOST studio films are. Why? Because they have to be able to be marketed well, and low concept material is much harder to market. There are very few studios who actually market low concept well. Fox Searchlight is probably the best in the business (Slumdog Millionaire, Black Swan, Little Miss Sunshine, etc). But most studios just don’t get it.

And neither do audiences. Audiences, by and large, are stupid and have no attention span. High concept material is pitch-driven. But if your pitch starts with “so the troubled protagonist had this horrible childhood and goes on this journey to find himself…blah blah blah” – it’s NOT high concept! High concept pitches do not start with character and back story - they start with premise and action. If it takes 10 minutes to explain your story…that’s 9 minutes and 45 seconds too long. But if you can describe your story by simply saying “big shiny thing here now BOOM” - people will get it.

Comedies (especially R-rated and romantic comedies), action films, some horror, disaster movies, etc – these are the projects that are most often high concept. It’s harder to make dramas, teen movies, fantasy, and more intricate thrillers into high concept projects.

The very first purposefully high concept movies are often considered to be Jaws and Star Wars. Though the ultimate example of high concept is actually movies like Snakes on a Plane – you get everything you need to know in 4 words. Other great examples of high concept projects include Jurassic Park, Liar Liar, Groundhog Day, Armageddon, Wedding Crasher, Transformers, Air Force One, Speed, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Titanic, Home Alone, War of the Worlds, etc.

Great examples of low concept fare – Pulp Fiction, Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, Fargo, Citizen Kane, Syriana, Garden State, almost anything by Robert Altman or Woody Allen, etc. You can see the difference in just the titles.

This doesn’t mean that your high concept project can’t tackle more in-depth issues or have an interesting story with lots of characters and plotlines. It just means that the hook to your script has to be so clear and original and understandable in one line that audiences will get what they are in for.

Studios largely work within the world of high concept. So if you want to be a studio writer, spend more time coming up with the best concept and premise with the most potential and commercial appeal instead of worrying if your character’s personal journey has a new plot point introduced on page 38. I hope that clears up what high concept material encompasses. Good luck and keep writing!

Daniel Manus is an in-demand script consultant and founder of No BullScript Consulting, which can be found at www.nobullscript.net and is the author of the E-Book “No B.S. for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective.” He was the Director of Development for Clifford Werber Productions (Cinderella Story, Sydney White) and is attached to produce several projects independently. Daniel was previously a Development Consultant for Eclectic Pictures and the DOD at Sandstorm Films, which had a first look deal at Screen Gems and a development deal with Top Cow Comics. He is also a columnist for The Business of Show Institute and teaches seminars to writers all across the country.

]]>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:43:21 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2011/03/free-screenwriting-software-from-movie-magic.htmlFree screenwriting software is hard to come by. Sure, there are a couple of sites online that have a decent screenwriting interface. But if you're really serious, you need to pay for real software, like Movie Magic Screenwriter.

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]]>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:19:20 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2010/06/in-defense-of-the-banal-platitude-by-steve-mazur.htmlA friend recently brought to my attention the commencement speech delivered by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005 (http://publicnoises.blogspot.com/2009/05/david-foster-wallace-kenyon.html).

I urge you all to read the speech.  Great insight.  Great wisdom.

I found one section to be particularly helpful to screenwriters.  In defense of his use of a “banal platitude,” Wallace said:  “the fact is that in the day-to-day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance.”

How does this apply to screenwriting?  In my experience, many screenwriters look down on stories that explore so-called “Universal Truths,” themes like “Love Conquers All,” “To Thine Own Self Be True,” “With Great Power Comes Responsibility,” etc.

These messages are dismissed as clichés.  Hackneyed and trite.  “Banal platitudes.” 

But they also happen to represent the fundamental issues that we struggle with most in the day-to-day trenches of our lives.  The core questions of human existence.  The stuff we care about above all else, as relevant today as in Shakespeare’s time.

To trot out yet another cliché, “clichés become clichés for a reason.”

Am I actually suggesting that aspiring screenwriters not try to thematically explore something new and original?

Yeah, I guess I kinda am.

Basically, I think that all the key questions of life, of what it really means to be human, have already been explored.  (And that the very same questions will continue to be explored for as long as humanity exists.)

So, rather than try to find completely new and unique questions/themes to explore, I suggest that aspiring screenwriters instead turn to these “Universal Truths,” these “Banal Platitudes,” and strive to explore them in completely new and unique ways.  Ways that speak to us, and our world, today.  Ways that maybe – just maybe – will provide us new answers and/or insights into these vital and ageless issues.

Like “Eternal Sunshine of the Eternal Mind” (“Better to Have Loved and Lost Than to Never Have Loved at All”)…

And “Sideways” (“More Important Than Worldly Success is Love”)…

And “Wall-E” (“What Matters Most are the Connections We Make”)…

I could go on and on, but you get the point:  Instead of trying to say something new, try to say something timeless… in a new way that speaks to us today.

Steve Mazur is a screenwriter and one of the judges for The Script-a-thon.


]]>Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:33:03 -0800http://www.thescriptathon.com/1/post/2010/06/sharks-by-anne-norda.htmlYes, the sharks are moving in and there’s nary a thing you can do about it.  Unless you happen to have a spare $800 million.  Do you?  If so, let’s talk Miramax.  I confess, I have a soft spot for the Weinstein’s creation. It brought us My Left Foot, The Crying Game, The Piano, Clerks, Pulp Fiction, Kids, Basquiat, Citizen Ruth, Shakespeare in Love, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Chocolat, The Others, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Cold Mountain, No Country for Old Men, There Will be Blood, and my favorite – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  Now, these may not be your favorite indie films of all time, but who else would have greenlit these scripts?  Who else would have had the TASTE to do it?  Taste.  Ahh… that old-fashioned word.  How often to we talk about taste in the movie business?  We’re so busy talkin’ BO (box office) that taste pretty much gets swooshed out the window.  

So what do we get?  Just look around. I hear SO MUCH complaining about the crappy movies being made.  Who makes these crappy movies?  Either A) people who don’t have taste and think they’re making good movies, B) people who don’t give a rat’s ass and make what they think will mesmerize the YOUNG public into spending billions, or C) corporations (yes, the big evil C) that are so convoluted by their own hierarchies that they wouldn’t know a good story from a hole in their… wall.

I just read a piece in the LA Times (I still get a hard copy, believe it or not) about the imminent takeover of Miramax from Disney by Ron Tutor, a real estate tycoon or “construction magnate” as the paper labeled him, and his semi-silent partner, David Bergstein who has left a trail of bankrupt companies in his wake. The article stated that, “Bergstein has said he is acting solely as an advisor to Tutor and an offshore investor, whom he declined to identify, in the Miramax transaction.”  CREEPY! I don’t know about you, but I get the heeby jeebies when considering the prospect of selling out our movie machines to “offshore investors.”  Will they have ulterior motives? Will they have an agenda that doesn’t fit my idea of a “universal voice?”

The problem is inherent to me, but perhaps it’s not a problem for others. I still believe that our movies bring messages. That they are a stealthy form of preaching to the masses whether we mean them to be or not. Even if you don’t consciously write a story with a hidden agenda, it will have a message based on your world view and personal philosophy. Unless you purposely manipulate it to say the opposite.  So even that would be a conscious message.  Life sucks.  Life is full of hope. You pick.  So why do I think it’s dangerous to give our stories into the hands of unseen foreign “creative dictators” (those who would dictate our creativity…)?

Because I believe that some of our voices would be squelched.  And nobody would really know it was happening. There are ALL sorts of inventible reasons to explain why one story was greenlit and another was not.  You may have a brilliant screenplay but if the “unidentified offshore investors” don’t approve the underlying message, “off with your head!”  If this was only happening in one company, I wouldn’t be concerned, but I sense a trend.
 
Ah, but what about the old studio days?  Weren’t the studios run by authoritarian dictators even in the hay day of Hollywood? Yes!  But they were like magnanimous, though strict, fathers to their little film families.  I know I romanticize it, but at least they were Americans and showed up to work every day and we saw their faces and they put their finger into everything and cared about every little aspect of their business.  There was PASSION for storytelling and TASTE back then. Yes, I romanticize it.  But lately, I’ve been renting a lot of old films and realizing what brilliant work was being made 70 years ago.  Honest, authentic, seamless acting, storytelling and production. Our studio films are on shaky ground these days.  They tend to be fly by night quilts barely stitched together by committees of 50 or more executives, fresh out of college trying to figure it out and answering to foreign bosses.

What’s the answer?  Make a billion and start buying up the conglomerates.  Break them into little pieces and break the distribution domination of the studios.  Let the little guys in.  Give the audience some choice.  Make great films and let them be equally marketed and available. Encourage our stars to support the small quality films so they can get into the world wide marketing/distribution machine.

And let Harvey and Bob Weinstein take back their baby.  I want them to keep making and distributing films.  They may not always be nice people (rumor) but at least they have TASTE!

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