darcy

This is wrong the industry buys bad scripts and makes them into bad movies all the time so all you need to do is write one script and just be even slightly better than all the bad ones being bought and made and then you will win screenwriting and all your old teachers will agree they misjudged you

One thing leads to another has been replaced by cut to the chase.

That doesn’t mean you have to kill the first act of your screenplay. Far from it.

You just have to get good at delivering detail in shorthand. It’s all still there, just leaner (and maybe even a little bit meaner).

#scriptsky

A two panel comic style image of a man watching the same nature documentary of a lion catching an antelope, one titled lion documentary and the other titled antelope documentary, where he is cheering in one and shocked in the other.

POV is a powerful force that takes time for budding screenwriters to harness.

If you’ve ever gotten the note that it’s unclear who the protagonist or antagonist is, you’re not alone.

Muddy POV is common when starting out, but a must to clarify if you want to write a great screenplay.

#scriptsky

You can go overboard with outlining.

You barely know the characters, they're bound to shape the story in more interesting ways as you write them into the screenplay.

A rigid outline risks becoming a set of shackles, rather than a platform for diving into your story’s true potential.

#scriptsky

Indeed. I hear those things take… time.

If the plug is hard to reach you can just turn the cold dial all the way down rather than unplugging. And set reminders to turn it up again when your on break so your food doesn’t suffer from no cold all day.

I sometimes wonder how many danger-chasing inciting incidents could have be assuaged if the protagonist just took a beat and drank a glass of water to clear their mind.

See also, screenwriters suffering from writers block.

Dehydration: The silent killer.

Drink up!

#scriptsky

The takeaway for me is that accurately rating art is a tall task. With a 70% accuracy rate, you can get very close to certainty with just a few people rating your script. That’s an incredibly small (minuscule, really) sample size for that level of fidelity.

For what it’s worth, this level of accuracy is better than what Hollywood tends toward. Roughly 40-60% of tv series are cancelled after one season. 50-70% of movies don’t break even. Accurately assessing art is challenging. Being in alignment ~70% of the time is honestly impressive.

Best of luck with your screenwriting.

If I’ve misunderstood your message where you twice asked ~but are you as good as that writer~, I’m happy to be told what I missed. Not trying to start an argument at all. Telling others to stop doing something that you concede can work is just a tad on the confrontational side tho, don’t you think?

Sorry but if the reason to not do something that works on the screen is “but they’re better than me” then you might as well hang up your typing gloves. The whole point is to strive for that level of writing. I’m genuinely curious where you draw the line. What else do pros do that the aspiring can’t?

I hear you on that but would encourage any screenwriter serious about the craft to disavow this notion of it all being a lottery. The scripts that make it to the top of any comp worth their admission fee get there on merit and merit alone. Extraordinary writing, not random chance, is how you win.

If polish means you moved around some commas, then you’re basically buying another lottery ticket and hoping fortune favours you this time.

If you put meaningful work in and it’s a substantial improvement that you think has a honest to goodness chance, that’s what submitting again is there for.

Most screenwriters, most people, don’t want feedback. They want to be told they’re good and they’re bound for greatness.

For that reason alone, they never will be.

The best screenwriters crave constructive criticism. It’s what sets them apart, and gives them a real fighting chance.

#scriptsky

I hear you on that. Fortunately, all we have to do is focus on the work and everything else falls away.

Formatting and networking have a lot in common.

Necessary evils.
Norms and expectations.
Some find it easier than others.

But most of all, it’s that the work itself is a thousand times more important.

The work is what will get you there. Everything else is just formatting.

#scriptsky

You’re writing a script about a killer shark, reach Act 3 and need to figure out how to kill this unkillable monster. What if it chomps on an oxygen tank and blows itself up? That could work but must be set up earlier. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread is on PLANTS AND PAYOFFS.
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This is sort of the opposite of how they do it in the Harry Potter movies, where early in the second act Harry is gifted a very nifty thing, that he demos using then puts in his back pocket to be taken out in the third act as the exact solution to his climactic problem.

Standalone joke is great because it gives the impression the payoff has already come so there’s no more expectation from that element of the story. The audience isn’t left thinking, oh that random thing is probably important, because they now believe its importance has already been served.

FYI amazing opportunity alert!

If you have a feature written and want to see how your first page stacks up, follow the instructions below.

#scriptsky

This is like seeing a vending machine for the first time and declaring that commerce as we know it is over.

Vending machines have improved over the decades, but they’re still just vending machines.

You might even see one inside a thriving department store. It’s nothing to be afraid of.

#scriptsky

I seriously feel this. If the first act isn’t rock solid, I can’t proceed. Everything that follows is standing on it and falls apart if that act is unstable.

It’s not that you can’t break formatting rules as an outsider. Not at all. But an excellent story that is expertly written matters infinitely more than how it appears on the page.

No amount of formatting, be it rule breaking or abiding, can compensate for writing that is lacking.

#scriptsky

Thank you!!

This never ever, ever, ever gets old.

#scriptsky

Every great screenwriter is also a terrible screenwriter.

What makes a great screenwriter great is the amount of effort they put into make their bad writing better. And better again. And then better still.

Professional screenwriting is ten percent talent, ninety percent perseverance.

#scriptsky

A tip on receiving notes on your screenplay:

When someone tells you something doesn’t make sense, your obligation is not to explain it to them.

Your obligation is to explain it in the story.

If you catch yourself responding with “ok but”, you are doing your story a disservice.

#scriptsky

Exactly. The screenwriting equivalent of busywork.

A common mistake in novice screenwriting is jumping to the solution.

An obstacle is established or dramatic question raised, with the solution arrived at almost immediately, robbing the story of any tension.

No tension means no release means no engagement. It’s just stuff happening.

#scriptsky