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There's a little known and subtle mistake that a lot of writers (even some who should know better) make. Probably its subtlety is what makes it little-known. But more likely, the problem is overlooked by people who should know better because they think they DO know better and are not committing this screenwriting crime. For the more inexperienced scribe, however, the mistake stems in part from their very inexperience, plus a lot of commercial hype from the Amateur Screeenwriting Industry (or ASI for short, those makers of software, printers of books, givers of seminars, etc. )
At this point, you might be asking yourself "What in the ring-tailed, rambling hell is this goofball going on about?" Well, just this: A lot of writers (new ones, in particular) make the mistake of writing feature screenplays WITHOUT EVER EXPECTING THAT THEIR WORK WILL REACH THE SCREEN.
Let me catalog your responses as I'm sure they'll come up:
1)" No s**t. I'm just starting out. I'm not conncected. I'll be lucky if anyone even READS the damn thing."
Or...
2)"This isn't really meant to be a movie-- it's a creative exercise that I'm just trying to see if I can accomplish."
Or...
3)"Maybe it will, or maybe it won't (make it to the screen.) But either way, screenplays are an end in themselves, like a play or novel... it's literature.
Or even...
4)"You're nuts. Of COURSE I expect it to make it to the screen. Why else would I be writing a SCREENPLAY?"
Before I address these, let me make a distinction. When I say it's a mistake not to expect your work to make it to the screen, does this mean I think that all of those scripts being written out there actually have a CHANCE of making it to the screen? Please...
So then where does the mistake come in? Well, just that if you have anything less than this expectation in mind, your writing will suffer, EVEN IF YOUR SCRIPT DOESN'T MAKE IT TO PRODUCTION (which it probably won't.)
You're more confused than ever now, so let me elaborate by citing the above responses.
1) You're just starting out. No difference. The dialogue and scene construction and structure MUST BE THE SAME as if this was a shooting draft of a script. It must be visual, filmable, and of commercial value, or it will never get past your first reader.
2) A creative exercise. Well, good for you. But the only thing you'll get better at doing is creating scripts that never get made. Until you develop the EXPECTATION, all you're creating is a 110-page doorstop.
3) Ah, the old "It's a piece of literature, an end in itself." This thought has gained more and more credence over the last few years. And I say, BULLS**T. Double, triple, infinite BULLS**T. Because if this were the case, screenplays would not contain elements such as INT. or EXT. or V.O. or stage directions. The screenplay is an instruction book on HOW TO MAKE A PARTICULAR MOVIE. And if you think anything else, you're a chump, and primed to be exploited by the ASI.
And finally 4) You think you DO expect your script to make it (this is for all the 'should-know-betters.') You think you have the expectation? Then WHY ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT A TOTALLY UNCOMMERCIAL SUBJECT MATTER THAT STILL HAS A HUGE BUDGET, AND HENCE COULDN'T BE MADE INDEPENDENTLY? WHY ARE YOU WRITING IN A TOTALLY NON-VISUAL STYLE? WHY CAN'T I SEE A MOVIE IN MY HEAD WHEN I READ YOUR SCRIPT? IN SHORT, WHY DOESN'T IT READ LIKE A MOVIE?
I know that this is a strange subject matter, and that even after all of this explication, some of you might not get what I'm talking about. But writers, let me assure you, this is a point of SUBLIME importance if you really want a career. So read this column again, think on it some more, talk about it with your writer friends. Because if you're able to see this distinction, and then write with it in mind...you'll be far, far ahead of the rest of the pack. |
