Filmmaker's Update Newsletter

So I had the good fortune of spending some time in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, and one of my favorite "being there" moments was immediately following the Canadian women's hockey team's Gold Medal victory. I was in a crowded brewpub not too far from the event, literally bumping elbows with numerous Canadians, and within moments of victory, the proud Canadians spontaneously erupted into a spirited-yet-lucid rendition of their national anthem, "O Canada."

Being there: Priceless.

In the March 2010 newsletter:

1. Screenwriting 101: When you think you've finished your script [insert maniacal laugh here]
2. Recommended screenwriting book: Your Screenplay Sucks!: 100 Ways to Make It Great
3. Script coverage and analysis: satisfaction guaranteed!
4. Screenwriting 102: Dexter and voiceover and characters
5. What about Giorgio?

1. Screenwriting 101: When you think you've finished your script

[insert maniacal laugh here]

There's no greater sense of accomplishment than, after months or perhaps even years of toiling over your script, you get to type those magical words: "FADE OUT." Your characters have said what they have to say. Your plot has reached its inevitable conclusion. Your story has reached its end.

Except for a number of many big problems you've yet to discover: your characters have said more than they need to say; their dialogue is more dull than interesting; and your characters all probably sound alike. But it's okay; it happens to all writers everywhere, and it can be fixed.

For a "finished script," the best thing to do is hear what you've written read aloud by actors. Final Draft, for example, has a feature that allows you to listen to male and female voices read through your script, but the software can't provide the valued feedback an actor can, such as, "I don't understand why my character would react this way."

In short: there's no substitute for the real thing.

Tips for a successful and insightful read-through:

• Tell your actor friend(s) you need actors to read through your script, and within hours your cast will be magically assembled because actors live to practice their craft. If you don't know any actors, search online for local theatre message boards and post what you need, for example: "One male, aged 50;" "two females, aged 20," etc.
  
  
• In addition to assembling the cast, be sure to assign one person to read the scene headings and action.
  
  
• Give the actors time to familiarize themselves with your script. You don't want them to focus on memorizing their parts; you want them to focus on bringing your characters to life based on the dialogue, character and action descriptions you've written.
  
  
• Hold the read-through somewhere quiet. You can rent a small theatre space for a few hours quite cheaply or perhaps even get it for free.
  
  
• Do not read anything yourself; you need to listen. Avoid the urge to take notes, because you may miss "hearing" something critical. Listen. You can take notes later when you listen to the recording (continue reading for details about recording).
  
  
• Do not let the actors improvise; the purpose of this exercise is to identify ways to improve upon what you have written, and to do that successfully you must be able to hear what you have written so you can precisely identify what needs to be improved. This is a critical learning process for you, the writer, so treat it as such.
  
  If you have time after the read-through, select one or two pivotal scenes and allow the actors to get on their feet and move within the imaginary world of your story. While this will unleash new opportunities for the actors and provide more insight into what has been overwritten, to do this for your entire script may not be practical for the first read-through; in fact, it may be too distracting. The read-through in itself will give you plenty to think about.
  
  
• No interruptions; the script must be experienced as if you were sitting in a theatre watching the story unfold.
  
  
• After the read-through, let the actors comment on character, dialogue, story. Ask open-ended questions as well as specific questions. The actors most likely will have more questions for you.
  
  
• Record the read-through with a tape recorder or your laptop or whatever, and make sure the microphone is close to the actors to minimize the ambient noise.
  
  
• Compensate the actors in some way for their time and professional insights. Provide food and drink, gift cards, etc.
  
  

A read-through typically is a private event—exclusive to the writers and actors—but a public reading can add the audience perspective, which can be unnerving, so prepare yourself. TheFilmSchool in Seattle holds public readings several times a year in a theatre, which is as entertaining as attending a play or watching a film.

The important thing to remember is writing is a process that requires a lot of rewriting, and the read-through will help you improve the way you communicate your story to the audience.

2. Recommended screenwriting book: Your Screenplay Sucks!: 100 Ways to Make It Great

Screenplay books come in different flavors and from different perspectives and offer varying degrees of instruction.

William M Akers's Your Screenplay Sucks!: 100 Ways to Make It Great stands apart from the crowd in a good way, and what I particularly like is the checklist he's compiled over the years, derived from recurring mistakes he's seen:

• If the camera can't see it, you can't write it.
• Putting backstory in the first act is a mistake nearly everyone makes.
• Good dialogue answers the question, but leapfrogs OVER the obvious answer and gives us new information—while still answering the question.
• What you're writing is actor bait.
• Make all characters, even in small roles, have specific, fascinating, memorable character.
• The slugline tells you where the camera crew is standing when shooting.

Remember, before your script can be made into a film, it first must be read, and "Your Screenplay Sucks!: 100 Ways to Make It Great" is designed to elevate your script to the professional level it needs to be so that an industry pro will be more inclined to read it, not less.

As Akers says, "all artistic pursuits are about discipline," and his book provides precise guidance to help you efficiently improve upon your work—"guidelines to make sure the reader keeps reading."

3. Script coverage and analysis: satisfaction guaranteed!

After serving as a judge for an international screenwriting competition and commenting on a variety of scripts for friends and colleagues, I decided I enjoy the art of criticism and have launched a script coverage and analysis service.

Whether you want to sell your script to Hollywood, seduce an A-list actor for your indie film, or get your sitcom on the fall TV schedule, the harsh reality is you are competing with a very limited number of professional screenwriters who have mastered the techniques and story elements I include in my thorough script analysis.

From the March/April 2010 issue of Creative Screenwriting magazine:

If you've ever peeked into the offices of development executives and story departments in the entertainment industry, you might have seen something depressing. There are towering stacks of scripts everywhere and more coming in the door every day. And these are the ones that have gotten a "recommend" rating from the executive's reader or friend.

Before you put your work out there—including entering it in a screenwriting competition—it is imperative you lend your script to a critical eye.

I will provide several pages of insightful notes modeled in part after industry script coverage, and include a customized ranking grid evaluating 19 key aspects of your story, including the strength of your characters, dialogue, premise and other key story elements that reflect how well your script meets industry expectations. In addition to identifying areas of strength, I will identify ways to further strengthen your script.

• Learn more about script coverage and analysis
• Get script coverage and analysis now

Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!

4. Screenwriting 102: Dexter and voiceover and characters

One of my favorite recent discoveries is Showtime's award-winning series, "Dexter."

Prepping for its fifth season, with previous seasons available on DVD, its very first episode succinctly establishes everything you need to know about what to expect from this program—and that, my friends, is why skilled writers deservedly get the big bucks.

All television programs have their identifying traits:

• "Mission: Impossible" had its infamous "this tape will self-destruct..." and slick masks that concealed a person's true identity.
• "24" has its "episodes in real time" approach.
• "Star Trek" had its "Captain's log" voice-over.
• And "Dexter" has, among other things, Dexter's voice-over.

Though frowned upon by some as an easy way out, voice-over does communicate what we need to know much faster, so the device does lend itself to quickly communicate the lay of the land, such as the opening of "Casablanca" or "Bull Durham," or perhaps critical info in the time-compressed format of television programs.

Of course, the first rule is to find a way to communicate information visually or through character interaction. But voice-over, when executed properly, tells us what we can't see. So, back to "Dexter," it's about quickly communicating the unseen—Dexter's thought process at times when we want to know what Dexter is thinking, which typically are thoughts Dexter must keep to himself. So, for "Dexter," voice-over is a useful tool that moves the story forward and reveals character depth in its time-compressed format.

Don't #*@! with Dexter's sister!

What also lends to the success of "Dexter" is the depth of the entire supporting cast. Each of these characters is unique, speaks with a unique voice—particularly Dexter's foul-mouthed sister, though that's not at the core of what makes her unique—has a unique perspective, and have their own issues to deal with, just as everyone in our lives have things to deal with from day to day. Not only is it realistic, but it's consistent on a thematic level, too, thus adding more depth to each episode.

Sadly, Dexter's star, Michael C. Hall, is fighting Hodgkin's Disease, but is scheduled to finish chemotherapy in March. The Season 5 premiere is scheduled for September 2010.

5. What about Giorgio?

In addition to launching my script coverage and analysis service and continuing to develop my own projects, I recently attended Steve Kaplan's Comedy Intensive, one of the top comedy writing workshops in the industry. Writers, producers and directors from ABC, Disney, Dreamworks, NBC, Paramount, Touchstone Television also have studied with Steve.

• The best screenwriting workshops I recommend.

I also redesigned my Web site, but have yet to implement the blog. Suffice it to say the blog will happen some time this year.

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