What I Learned Writing My First Screenplay
I love writing. I love movies. And I love telling stories.
So I wrote a movie script.
I read books on screenwriting, I read movie scripts, and I listened to podcasts. I did the research, as I always do, and then started writing. (After reading the book I wanted to adapt and then going through months of planning, prepping, and outlining because clearly I don’t like jumping in the deep end)
I did it for fun. I did it to become a better writer, and to work towards my goal of becoming a professional. One who has movie credits, magazine articles, in-depth interviews, and books in their portfolio.
However, what I learned writing this first script goes beyond just screenwriting.
Planning and Prep
The amount of prep that goes into writing a script is more than you can imagine. There’s the idea creation that goes on for weeks, but more likely for months. Even though I adapted a book I still had the freedom to change characters and details. I could even change plot points in hopes of making the script better. Plus, there were things I had to change given I was condensing 300+ pages into 90 pages.
This is before sitting down to actually start the outline. The prep phase includes thinking of the story, plot, characters, setting, etc. It’s making sure the story is always top-of-mind and taking notes on your phone when at the grocery store. It’s looking through note after note looking for one or two things that will actually make the script.
The outline is when I pulled out notecards and started writing out scenes, jumping from the end, to the beginning, to the middle, and to the unknown that needs to be placed somewhere. This is when I found the structure of the story and made sure the flow of events made sense.
At this point I knew the story incredibly well, making everything else easier.
Thinking Visually
Probably the toughest, and most fun part, was the constant thought of, “how will this look.” Not in the sense of what is in the reader’s mind, butinstead, how will it look on the screen. What does the viewer need to see during this scene, even if it’s not acknowledged through dialogue. Which character is opening the door, and when they enter a room does something catch their (the camera’s) eye?
Really what this taught me is the importance of always thinking about the finished product. Yes, I was writing words on a page, but these words are designed to be seen and heard on a screen.
I was always thinking about the final form it would take.
Voice and Tone
In all my writing I take time to think about the voice and tone. Who am I talking to/writing for, and how do they want to be approached? Casually, emotionally, or analytically. For a script that was all the more important, and pronounced.
Each character had to have a very distinct voice. A very distinct way of talking. Yes, an accent is one way to show this, but that’s really a side thought. The central point is what language do they use and how do they structure their sentences. Are they brash or conservative? Do they speak like a professor or a mechanic?
This is when I got to visualize myself as each character and make them unique.
Patience Leads to Perseverance
Writing a script is a long process. For me, it was maybe shorter than most. I wrote a script based on a book, which means my guiding outline was already finished. But, it still took 4 months to get from the decision to write the script to finishing the first draft. I had to be patient in that before starting on the first scene, I needed to map out every scene on notecards.
I had to be ok with writing one or two pages each day, knowing the final script would be more than 90. I fully understood there was no quick way to finish the script. I accepted it would be a long process.
Some days it was easy getting two pages written, and then continuing on to finish at four. Other days it was writing half a page and then moving on to something else.
Knowing it would be a long process helped me be patient.
Don’t Start at the Beginning
Great endings make great movies. So really, great endings make great stories. I’m going to start at the point which makes it great, and then move backwards. It’s actually easier than starting at the beginning and having to make decision after decision hoping I get to a great ending.
What are the outcomes I want, and how do I get there?
Additionally, most movies actually start at the end of a previous story or life, and then we join the main character on a new journey.
- Harry Potter — Harry is ending his life as a muggle (regular person) and beginning his life as a wizard.
- Shawshank Redemption — Andy Dufresne has just been convicted of killing his wife and is beginning his journey in prison.
- Gladiator — Maximus ends his time as a prominent war general for the Roman empire and is now a slave and gladiator.
Conclusion
Stories are stories. That’s true whether they’re told on the screen, in writing, or though grandpa at the campfire. Learning about the screenwriting process opened my mind as to how I could become a better storyteller and better writer. It taught me skills for my current job and future ones. And it confirmed I’ll be writing another script, this one completely original.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
