TIMELINE EXAMPLES

I use a modified version of a beat sheet when I outline, called a "timeline". Because I believe that pacing is *critical* to a movie and screenplay - it is the heartbeat of your story - I build the pacing into the outline by making each line in my outline an estimated 5 minutes/5 pages. I use a normal lined piece of paper (often yellow legal pads) and number by 5s down the left side. I note where the act breaks are and where the "heartbeat" scenes should be. Oh, and an arrow for the midpoint. Then when I take my scenes from my brainstorm page and put them in order on the timeline, I can get a feel for pacing and make sure I don't have any slow spots or similar scenes too close together or characters who vanish for half an hour of screen time. I can play around with the outline until the story is "bullet proof" and completely works while it's a single page, before moving on to the 110 page version. This is where I look at each scene in the outline from every side and think a dozen moves ahead in every direction to make sure that there isn't a better way to do it. Or a better scene. Or a better path to travel down. I solve all of these problems at the outline stage and make sure that there IS NO BETTER WAY TO TELL THE STORY. Period. I've already thought of every single possibility., and this is the best. This is the basic STORY creative step. I make sure that the story works the very best that it can here, then I move on to the WRITING step (where all of the fun stuff happens - dialogue, actions, big character moments, twists, and reversals in scenes, etc).
Much easier to solve story problems on 1 page than rewrite 110 pages again and again! Everything is an estimate - I think all of the scripts that timelined at 95-100 pages came out at 105-110. But this method helps me make sure there are no long dull places in the script.
Paul Schrader uses *absolute* page numbers - if his outline says this scene ends on page 57, that's when it ends no matter what he comes up with when writing. His outline dictates his screenplay. I'm more flexible.

Here are some examples - actual timelines from my scripts (UNREASONABLE FORCE is probably the easiest to read because I carefully copied it so I could use it in my book). There are also some that I did for movies I watched - I frequently do time lines for movies to get a feel for their pacing. Somewhere on the site I have TERMINATIOR 2 and some other films typed up. Click on any of the timelines for a larger image!

Click on any of the timelines for a larger image! I may add some more to this page sometime in the future.

NEW: WRITE IT: FILM IT!

Making Your Own Movie?
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Over 240 pages!

*** THE TERMINATOR MOVIES *** - For Kindle!

He's back! The release of "Terminator: Dark Fate" is set to begin a new trilogy in the Terminator story... 35 years after the first film was released. What draws us to these films about a cybernetic organism from the future sent back in time? Why is there a new proposed trilogy every few years? This book looks at all five Terminator movies from a story standpoint - what makes them work (or not)? What are the techniques used to keep the characters and scenes exciting and involving? How about those secret story details you may not have noticed? Containing a detailed analysis of each of the five films so far, this book delves into the way these stories work... as well as a complete list of box office and critical statistics for each film. This book is great for writers, directors, and just fans of the series.

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NEW BOOKS!

BRAND NEW

OUTLINES & THE THEMATIC!

OUTLINES & THE THEMATIC Blue Book.

ARE YOUR SCENES IN THE RIGHT ORDER?
AND ARE THEY THE RIGHT SCENES?

Your story is like a road trip... but where are you going? What's the best route to get there? What are the best sights to see along the way? Just as you plan a vacation instead of just jump in the car and start driving, it's a good idea to plan your story. An artist does sketches before breaking out the oils, so why shouldn't a writer do the same? This Blue Book looks at various outlining methods used by professional screenwriters like Wesley Strick, Paul Schrader, John August, and others... as well as a guest chapter on novel outlines. Plus a whole section on the Thematic Method of generating scenes and characters and other elements that will be part of your outline. The three stages of writing are: Pre-writing, Writing, and Rewriting... this book looks at that first stage and how to use it to improve your screenplays and novels.

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DESCRIPTION & VOICE Blue Book.

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*** THE SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING *** - For Kindle!

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***

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I WRITE PICTURES!

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BEST SELLER!

*** YOUR IDEA MACHINE *** - For Kindle!

*** YOUR IDEA MACHINE *** - For Nook!

Expanded version with more ways to find great ideas! Your screenplay is going to begin with an idea. There are good ideas and bad ideas and commercial ideas and personal ideas. But where do you find ideas in the first place? This handbook explores different methods for finding or generating ideas, and combining those ideas into concepts that sell. The Idea Bank, Fifteen Places To Find Ideas, Good Ideas And Bad Ideas, Ideas From Locations And Elements, Keeping Track Of Your Ideas, Idea Theft - What Can You Do? Weird Ways To Connect Ideas, Combing Ideas To Create Concepts, High Concepts - What Are They? Creating The Killer Concept, Substitution - Lion Tamers & Hitmen, Creating Blockbuster Concepts, Magnification And The Matrix, Conflict Within Concept, Concepts With Visual Conflict, Avoiding Episodic Concepts, much more! Print version is 48 pages, Kindle version is over 175 pages!

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*** DIALOGUE SECRETS *** - For Nook!

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copyright 2020 by William C. Martell