So you’ve got an idea, and you think it would make a great movie. You’re excited, and you sit down to start writing a screenplay. But soon you get overwhelmed by the realisation that you have a great intro, a few good scenes, kind of an idea for the end, and an awesome title. But nothing in between. As a result, the file gets forgotten in the dark abyss of your “document folder”.
Over the next few months, maybe years, while skimming through your folder, you stumble upon the same file with the same title. Nostalgically you open the file. Your passion re-ignited, you start correcting, adapting that once-great idea. But soon you hit the wall, and suddenly it’s time to take the dog out.
‘Clap!’ — you fold the screen of your laptop shut — until next time… Maybe tomorrow…
This short scenario happens to many of us, myself included. This is the scenario of the screenwriter that sometimes takes five years to write his script. And you don’t want to be that writer. Because in the screenwriting business, finishing a first readable draft is step 1 to making the film happen. If your idea is good, and you have enough to say, then there is a method that can ensure you finish that step 1.
Once step 1 is finished, the real work starts: trying to make that script morph into a movie. And that my friends, that is a lot harder. But no agent/distributor/producer is going to read a half-written script. So buckle up and take notes, because there is a foolproof method to, at least, get you to lay the words “The End”.
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
Screenwriting is done by completing a series of steps. Sure, some people just sit down, start typing away straight into the script, and lay down 120 pages on their first draft. Those guys (or gals) are either crazy or geniuses… For the rest of us, here is a process. It starts by describing the most general to the most accurate detail.
Table of Contents
The logline
In one sentence, sum up your 90 minutes/120 minutes movie. While it can be a laborious exercise, from this one-liner, you will end-up developing the whole script. Plus you will need a logline anyway to pitch your masterpiece once it is finished. That is the first thing your agent/distributor/producer will read before turning the first page of the actual script.
If it’s not right, that’s where the adventure stops. Besides, the logline can double as an elevator pitch. So might as well do it now. You want to trigger interest while not giving away the whole plot.
Keep in mind a logline is being rewritten up to pitching phase. So it will evolve for the better.
Example: A troubled-past vigilante takes on himself to save his city of rising criminality.
The short synopsis (also called plot outline)
The short synopsis is nothing more than an elongated logline. Instead of one line, it is one paragraph.
Example: Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives. By day he is an average computer programmer and by night a hacker known as Neo. Neo has always questioned his reality, but the truth is far beyond his imagination. Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government.
Morpheus awakens Neo to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most of humanity have been captured by a race of machines that live off of the humans’ body heat and electrochemical energy and who imprison their minds within an artificial reality known as the Matrix. As a rebel against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the agents: super-powerful computer programs devoted to snuffing out Neo and the entire human rebellion.” — IMDB
The screenplay beat sheet
The beat sheet is a tool that many screenwriters use. I use it all the time. For me, it is the best device to see your whole movie on two pages. It sums up all the turning point and plots of the movie based on the actual page count (=screen time).
This method has existed for a long time amongst writers but has been put to light by Blake Snyder in his book Save The Cat, which I would recommend any screenwriter to read. With the beat sheet, you are not thinking in terms of scenes but in sequences. You write one-liners per sequence. It is meant as a tool only for you the screenwriter.
This allows you to see if you have an intro too long if the first turning point should happen earlier if the mid-point is really the mid-point. This is all about, you’ve guessed it, the structure of your script. While this method won’t give you any ideas, (sorry buddy, you are on your own for this one), it will make sure that if you have something to say, it is stated at the right moment, following the golden formula of screenwriting. Everything has been written before, and in Blake Snyder’s own words, “you’re doing the same… but different”.
Blake Snyder’s beat sheet
As you can see, you can adequately time each part with the number of pages allowed to each section. In his book, Snyder lists all the different type of films that can be made. Because all has been made before… It is, therefore, very easy to build from there. If you finish the beat sheet, and you are satisfied, then most of the work has been done. Because that means you have a clear picture of every single part of your movie. You just need to fill the blanks creatively.
The long synopsis
This is the long form of the synopsis taking between 5–10 pages: this sums up all the scenes of the movies, just actions and the descriptions, no dialogues. While this will be used for packages, it is good to have too. Some prefer to write it before the beat sheet.
I prefer to do it after, for the simple reason that as you finish the beat sheet, you will realise if the film structure works or not and if you need to change the arch of the story. If you do, then you might have to change the long synopsis. Since potential partners and agencies will read the long synopsis, it needs to be written with a little style, in the tone of the movie to give a taste of what to expect.
Characters’ backstories
Create a short paragraph for each of your characters, where they come from, how they grew up, what motivates them in your story. Maybe they experienced a life-changing event that will define why they behave in your script. These backstories will not necessarily be part of your script, nor necessarily will your audience be aware of it. They are more mental notes for yourself in order to make your characters as realistic as possible.
The script
Finally! We are getting to the script. Take every beat and create a satisfying ensemble of sequences with dialogues. Watch your character grow and shape as you discover him/her.
While this might be the most time consuming, the trick to remaining consistent is to put a few pages each day. I cannot stress this enough. The first draft does not need to be perfect. In fact, a first draft is a first draft, and there are always rewrites. But you cannot do a rewrite if you don’t complete that first draft.
Therefore the most important is to put these pages down consistently, even if it is terrible writing. (though if you get to a point and you ask yourself “what the hell I am doing?”, then maybe the original idea needs to be revised). Remind yourself each page takes you closer to The End. So figure out how many pages you can put down on your good days, and try to get an average and hit it every day. One, three, seven it does not matter as long as you write.
Remind yourself each page takes you closer to The End.
I know I can put five scripted pages a day on my good days (with the said beat sheet completed). So I can realistically lay the first draft in a month. But I can only make this time if I commit to doing it consistently, a little bit each day. Otherwise, you lose your emotional connection to your story and your characters, and all the sudden you have to re-read everything you have written before to move forward to get you back in the zone. It is ok when you are at the beginning, but when you are at your 60th page, it gets time-consuming to re-read this much instead of writing.
The rewrites
Congrats, you finished your first draft. You are like that mom holding her newborn: this is your baby, you spent months building it, shaping it, and now it’s finally here: complete! Perfect! So you thought…
Time to put it aside for a week, then get back to it and start fixing. You will see some typos you had not seen before. Ask yourself if your script works. Does it really work? Is this part essential? Discard anything that is not moving the story forward because on the screen (and in the hands of your potential producers and investors) it will translate in the worst possible thing for a screenwriter: boredom!
Once done, pick a few close industry friends to test read to get their initial impressions. If no industry friends, it’s ok. A script is meant to be very easy to read anyway. Maybe you have someone in your entourage close to the theme you are dealing with. Have them read your script and give you feedback. If more than one person gives you the same note, then maybe something needs to change.
In the end, screenwriting (and writing in general) is a very personal experience, we all do it differently, and doing it is also part of figuring out what works for us.
Come on now! You go and tackle down that typewriter and write that masterpiece! In Courier font of course…
*Originally published in The Writing Cooperative.