The Intermission - 004 - How We Write Movies (Page 2 of 2)

Don't let the door hit you, princess.

Anyway, actually on the topic, an addendum I wanted to make in the following ep but didn't get around to is that when I say it's a big no-no to give your script to someone if you know it has problems, I mean to say that if you're giving it to someone and you know it has problems that you could fix, and have just chosen not to before giving it to them, that's lazy and shitty and you ought to be caned in the street.

On the other hand, if you know the script has problems and you can't figure out how to fix them, and the point of giving it to that person is to get a new perspective and maybe some new ideas for solutions, then of course that's perfectly valid and a great reason to seek a second pair of eyes.

Damn.  Now we're nothing.

Maul, you need to calm down dude.  If you ask nicely during the live video feed in the chat, there's a chance you'll get your question answered right then and there.  I asked very nicely how would you write a spit screen scene into a script and not a minute later, both Michael and Trey were nice enough to offer their advice.

Thanks for that BTW guys.  It was very helpful!

No problem.

I would also imagine it's also reasonable to show it to someone to see if in fact there's a reason to bother fixing any problems. Knowing when to abandon an idea has to be an important skill to have.

I missed responding to this after that other...stuff...happened.

The thing is, you have to work that stuff out somewhere. Trying to do it in my head doesn't work for me. Or, it does, but it doesn't get me as far or as fast as hashing it out on the page. The characters don't start talking and making decisions when I'm brainstorming, it's only once I've got them talking to each other that things come to life. So I try to get things on the page as quick as I can. Sure, I could write notes, but if I'm going to write something it might as well be script pages.

If you write the first draft mostly off-the-cuff, I can practically guarantee there will be plenty that you can use. You'll discover your main character isn't interesting and a side character is; or that your drama is actually a dark comedy, your comedy a tragedy; or your theme isn't what you thought it was; and you'll have some great scenes or lines or even just characters amid the dreck, which you can airlift away into the rewrite. And if you truly can't use a single word or aspect of the first draft, it's no different than if you hadn't written anything at all in that time. At worst you break even, at best you've made progress. It's like a Pascal's Wager that makes sense.

I've got the same view of writing, somewhat, that Stephen King does (or did last I checked) -- it's like an excavation, the story is already there, I'm just discovering it and trying not to break it as I dig it out.

If a story excites and interests me, I don't ask why -- not to start with. Obviously there's a reason, it speaks to me on some level; but if I'm not conscious of it at the outset what's more important, to me, is to get out of my own way and start telling the story. Why it interests me will start to become evident as I go along, and as I discover that this avenue doesn't feel right, and that one does. First draft is largely intuitive for me, mostly id.

After that I let the ego back in and I do some introspection, trying to suss out why it interested me, why it felt right to do things a certain way, and once I sort that out I can develop it intellectually (and, ideally, intelligently). This is where the outlining and the notes and worldbuilding really take place -- or rather where I make sure everything makes consistent sense and go from there.

Sometimes it doesn't take the whole first draft. I've been writing a new script for a few weeks just because something about it was exciting to me, and tonight I wrote a bit that made me go "Oh, THAT'S what I'm doing here." But if I hadn't started writing as soon as I got the idea (which I'm far too guilty of not doing with most ideas) I still don't think I'd know.

DON'T STOP WRITING

^ refer to the above every time you stop writing