THURSDAY'S SCRIPT TIP:

IS IT REALLY OVER?


Whether your story is about superheroes or amnesiac spies or asteroids headed towards earth or video games come to life or whatever other high concept idea you can come up with, at the core it’s always going to be about a person with a problem. Not just that asteroid or supervillain or alien or whatever else you dreamed up, but an emotional problem as well. Often a character flaw that must be overcome. But all of the asteroids in the world are dull if we don’t care about the character and if that character isn’t struggling with a human problem. An emotional problem. A people problem. We may buy our tickets for the explosions, but it’s the people that matter. So if by the end of the movie the asteroid has been exploded real good and Earth has been saved, but the lead character is still emotionally messed up, you have resolved the small problem without resolving the most important problem. It’s always about the *person* with the problem that is most important... and resolving their core flaw. You can call this a “character arc” or a “character flaw” or an “emotional conflict”, but it’s all the same thing: the emotional problem that the character is forced to struggle with in the story.

There's no satisfaction for the audience if the plot problem has been resolved but the protagonist is still a broken man. If John McClane kills the terrorists and rescues his wife, but is still a jerk who can’t accept his wife’s career and happiness, we don't really have a happy ending. He’s not going to spend Christmas with his family, and will end up flying back to New York alone except for the big stuffed bear. Though happy endings aren't required, the resolution of the conflicts that fuel your story are required. It ain’t over until it’s over.


EMOTIONAL PROBLEM IS STORY

I believe that Emotional Conflict is story. That everything grows from that. You might start with a high concept, but people buy the cinema tickets - so you have to trace backwards from concept to find the most interesting character to deal with that concept... and it’s not going to be the character who is best equipped to deal with that concept, but the character who must overcome their flaw or struggle with theor weakness in order to deal with that concept. If you start with character, figure out their emotional conflict or flaw and then find the amazing high concept conflict that forces them to deal with that flaw or problem. To struggle with the flaw. To face their flaw and admit to it and then fight it until they have vanquished the flaw and now have the ability to deal with the giant asteroid or dinosaurs or whatever the high concept conflict might be. The concept *pulls the flaw to the surface* of the character and forces them to deal with it, instead of ignore it. Their emotional problem is connected to the plot problem.

John McClane’s plan at the beginning of DIE HARD is to bring his wife and kids back to New York with him. To make her become what *he* thinks she should be. That is his core flaw, his emotional problem. It’s my way or the highway! But the concept & conflict at Nakatomi Tower makes him appreciate Holly for who she is, rather than who he wants her to be. That great soliloquy where he tells Powell to tell Holly that he is sorry is the big moment in the story - and it’s all about his acknowledging his flaw and realizing that he will need Holly’s intelligence and strengths in order to resolve the conflict problem. He needs to let her do her thing and work *with her*. Be her partner instead of her master. That’s the only way to deal with Hans and his gang. Solve John’s “emotional problem” so that he can solve the “plot problem”...

I look at this in the Story Blue Book in the comedy LIAR LIAR and in the Secrets Of Action Book using THE MATRIX and FACE/OFF. Character flaw or Emotional problem is the key in every single genre, from comedy to thriller to action to science fiction to western to horror to... well, it’s the most important thing in a story because it deals with the *character*. The people part of the story. And as I like to say, explosions don’t buy movie tickets, people do. So the emotional struggles are what makes a movie connect with the audience.

One of the major mistakes that new writers often make is creating a character without any flaw or emotional issue, who is perfect in every way... and that kills the drama.

The story ends up just being things happening, without the human problems.

Maybe after Skynet takes over and movies are make for robots, stories without human problems will be popular. Oh, wait... “Now I know why humans cry.”


DON’T BE OBVIOUS

Because the character flaw or emotional problem is *connected* to the concept’s conflict, you don’t have to be obvious about it - the story itself will take the character on the journey that forces them to deal with their flaw. The problem comes when people try to paste a flaw on from the outside that has nothing to do with the story. The cliche here is making your character an alcoholic because someone said they needed a flaw. 99% of the time, making them an alcoholic has nothing to do with the character and the story and just doesn’t make any sense. It’s garbage writing. No thought went into it... and no thought has gone into the character... and stories are character. Pasting something in from the outside doesn’t give you a character, it gives you a cliche. You need to know and understand your characters.In another Script Tip about character creation I use one of the characters from the first few seasons of CSI (Las Vegas) who was struggling with gambling addiction... and always seemed to be investigating deaths in a casino, surrounded by gambling. That character was connected to the story, rather than just having some flaw forced onto them. Who is the most dramatic person to have investigating a murder in a casino? Someone who avoids casinos. Why would someone avoid a casino? Because that is where their character flaw *lives*. They are a gambling addict, and trying to focus on the crime scene in a casino is a challenge... with all of that temptation surrounding him. You don’t have to make a big deal out of him being a gambling addict, you just put the story/plot/conflict at that location and that does all of the work for you. On a TV series like CSI you don’t want the flaw to ever be resolved - there is another episode next week. In a feature film screenplay, you need the flaw to be resolved...

Because if the flaw isn’t dealt with, the plot conflicts are probably just going to keep happening.


RESOLUTIONS

Screenwriter Scott Frank has said that nobody in real life ever changes... and he’s probably right. But in “reel life” one of the fantasies that movies offer us is that change. One of the reasons why millions of people buy cinema tickets is to watch people resolve their problems... and then those audience members go home to their lives where nothing ever seems to be fully resolved. The fantasy that movies give us is resolution... which we know doesn’t really exist in reality.

BOURNE SUPREMACY has one of the best stories in the series, and I look at it in depth in the “Bourne: Story In Action” book along with all of the other films. Jason Bourne and Marie are living in India, where Bourne is trying to forget his past, which keeps trying to break through in his dreams... nightmares of his first assassination. But Bourne just wants to live a peaceful life with Marie and avoid his violent past. He isn’t that person anymore. But after an assassin named Kirill (Karl Urban) tries to kill Bourne and gets Marie by mistake, everything changes. Bourne “reactivates” his own assassin mode and tracks down Kirill...

That is the main story in the film, and when he tracks down Kirill to get revenge he uncovers the connections between Kirill and Bourne’s first assassination many years ago. Kirill has framed Bourne for a murder connected to that first assassination as part of a much larger plot involving a rogue section of the CIA - our action plot concept. So while Bourne battles the action plot (car chases and fight scene stuff), he is plagued by memories of his first assassination and must decide if he is the peaceful man who loved Marie or the brutal assassin from his nightmares... our emotional conflict.

Bourne’s Character Flaw is that he has been programmed to be an assassin - and violence is his natural reaction. These films work because they are not just spy action chase movies, they are about a guy trying to face his responsibilities... and deal with his guilt. There's something there, and I think that's what connects with the audience and critics. The people part of the story.

After an action packed story, we get to the end and the greatest car chase that you didn’t see - due to the extreme shaking cam. There’s a shot in the car chase that appears to be the back of someone’s neck - but I have no idea whether it was Bourne’s neck or Kirill’s neck or one of the policeman’s necks. The camera is shaking so much during the car chase that all of the great driving and stunts from the first film may have also been here - but you can really see it.

After that massive shaky cam car chase where Bourne finally catches up with the Kirill who murdered Marie...

There’s a big car crash (at least I think that’s what I saw) and Kirill is injured in his crashed car. Bourne gets out of his car and slowly approaches Kirill - who is unable to move. Bourne pulls his gun and aims at Kirill... and we get the big moment in the story. The moment where Bourne either kills the man who murdered Marie... and confirms that he is an assassin - a killer by nature. Or fights his nature, fights his flaw, and becomes the man that Marie would want him to be.

So, he knows he's got the guy who killed the woman he loved.

And that's when the great thing happens in this film - he *doesn't* kill the guy. He has the chance - a clear shot at Kirill, who is trapped in his car - and Bourne decides not to kill him. He isn't a killer. He has changed.

And that's why I love these movies - the shaky cam stuff drives me crazy, but the stories and character really work. There's a point at the end of ULTIMATUM where he finally finds the guy who turned him into a killing machine, and it's a big emotional moment in ways that you never expected. These films are about the character - the person with the problem. Not just the problem. Not just the car chases. Not just the savage fist fights. They are about a man struggling with the violence inside of him.


WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!

In my cable movie HARD EVIDENCE Gregory Harrison's casual affair leads him into a dangerous world of blackmail and murder. Though he faces and vanquishes the blackmailers by the end of the film; if he is still the kind of guy who cheats on his wife, the whole thing might happen again. So Harrison's character must change from a cheater to a loving husband before the conclusion of the story. This is not a minor change, this is a big character arc that requires Harrison to realize that *he* is the reason for his problems. His character flaw is at the heart of his problems. This is more than removing the girlfriend, this is removing the part of Harrison that made him cheat (no surgery required). If you only change the situation without changing the character, there is still an unresolved problem.

Make sure the emotional conflict in your script is resolved so that it will never happen to this character again... That takes character growth... and creates a character arc. You want the story to REALLY be over before they roll tail credits.




NEWEST AND BLUEST!

Want To Look Like An Expert?

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Using movie examples like TOP GUN, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, BLUE CRUSH, ADVENTURE LAND, several of my produced films, JOHN WICK, the novels of Donald E. Westlake and Thomas B. Dewey, SPY KIDS, the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, SOYLENT GREEN (which takes place in the far off future of 2022), and many others we will look at researching stories and creating worlds. The 8 Types Of Research, the 10 Types Of Information To Look For, 12 Important Elements Of World Building. Plus chapters on How To Rob A Bank and Commit Murder And Get Away With It for those of you interested in crime fiction, and Researching The Future for those writing science fiction, and Levels Of Reality if you are writing about a version of the real world.

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Can You Make It bigger?

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Rewriting In Waves?

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STORY IN ACTION SERIES!

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

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MOVIES ARE CHARACTERS!

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*** CREATING STRONG PROTAGONISTS *** - For Nook!

Expanded version with more ways to create interesting protagonists! A step-by-step guide to creating "take charge" protagonists. Screenplays are about characters in conflict... characters in emotional turmoil... Strong three dimensional protagonists who can find solutions to their problems in 110 pages. But how do you create characters like this? How do you turn words into flesh and blood? Character issues, Knowing Who Is The Boss, Tapping into YOUR fears, The Naked Character, Pulp Friction, Man With A Plan, Character Arcs, Avoiding Cliche People, Deep Characterization, Problem Protagonists, 12 Ways To Create Likable Protagonists (even if they are criminals), Active vs. Reactive, The Third Dimension In Character, Relationships, Ensemble Scripts, and much, much more. Print version is 48 pages, Kindle version is once again around 205 pages!

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I WRITE PICTURES!

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DESCRIPTION & VOICE Blue Book!

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DESCRIPTION & VOICE Blue Book.

IS HALF OF YOUR STORY IN TROUBLE?

Most screenplays are about a 50/50 split between dialogue and description - which means your description is just as important as your dialogue. It just gets less press because the audience never sees it, the same reason why screenwriters get less press than movie stars. But your story will never get to the audience until readers and development executives read your script... so it is a very important factor. Until the movie is made the screenplay is the movie and must be just as exciting as the movie. So how do you make your screenplay exciting to read? Description is important in a novel as well, and the “audience” does read it... how do we write riveting description?

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*** DIALOGUE SECRETS *** - For Kindle!

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Expanded version with more ways to create interesting dialogue! How to remove bad dialogue (and what *is* bad dialogue), First Hand Dialogue, Awful Exposition, Realism, 50 Professional Dialogue Techniques you can use *today*, Subtext, Subtitles, Humor, Sizzling Banter, *Anti-Dialogue*, Speeches, and more. Tools you can use to make your dialogue sizzle! Special sections that use dialogue examples from movies as diverse as "Bringing Up Baby", "Psycho", "Double Indemnity", "Notorious", the Oscar nominated "You Can Count On Me", "His Girl Friday", and many more! Print version is 48 pages, Kindle version is over 175 pages!

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WHAT IS A SCENE?

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What is a scene and how many you will need? The difference between scenes and sluglines. Put your scenes on trial for their lives! Using "Jaws" we'll look at beats within a scene. Scene DNA. Creating set pieces and high concept scenes. A famous director talks about creating memorable scenes. 12 ways to create new scenes. Creating unexpected scenes. Use dramatic tension to supercharge your scenes. Plants and payoffs in scenes. Plus transitions and buttons and the all important "flow"... and more! Over 65,000 words! Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is around 210 pages!

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SUBPLOTS?

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ACT TWO SOLUTIONS!

*** ACT TWO SECRETS *** - For Kindle!


Expanded version with more techniques to help you through the desert of Act Two! Subjects Include: What Is Act Two? Inside Moves, The 2 Ps: Purpose & Pacing, The 4Ds: Dilemma, Denial, Drama and Decision, Momentum, the Two Act Twos, Subplot Prisms, Deadlines, Drive, Levels Of Conflict, Escalation, When Act Two Begins and When Act Two Ends, Scene Order, Bite Sized Pieces, Common Act Two Issues, Plot Devices For Act Two, and dozens of others. Over 67,000 words (that’s well over 200 pages) of tools and techniques to get you through the desert of Act Two alive! Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is well over 200 pages!

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All About Endings!

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GRAND FINALES Blue Book!

The Perfect Ending For Your Story!

The First Ten Pages Of Your Screenplay Are Critical,
But What About The Last 10 Pages?

Creating the perfect ending to your story! This 100,000 word book shows you how to end your story with a bang, rather than a whimper. Everything from Resolution Order to Act Three Tools to Happy or Sad Endings? to How The Beginning Of Your Story Has Clues To The Ending (in case you were having trouble figuring out how the story should end) to Falling Action to How To Avoid Bad Endings to Writing The Perfect Twist Ending to Setting Up Sequels & Series to Emotional Resolutions to How To Write Post Credit Sequences to Avoiding Deus Ex Machinas, to 20 Different Types Of Ends (and how to write them) and much more! Everything about endings for your screenplay or novel!

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All About LOGLINES, TREATMENTS, and PITCHING!

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LOGLINES, TREATMENTS, and PITCHING! Blue Book!

Distilling Your Screenplay!

Loglines, Treatments, Pitching, Look Books, Pitch Decks, One Pagers, Rip-O-Matics?

You have written a brilliant 110 page screenplay, but how do you get anyone to read it? You need to distill it down into some form of verbal moonshine or story rocket fuel that will ignite that bored development executive or manager or agent and get them to request your screenplay. But how do you shrink those 110 pages into a 25 word logline or a 2 minute elevator pitch or a one page synopsis or a short paragraph? This 100,000 word book shows you how! Everything you need to know! From common logline mistakes (and how to solve them) to how your pitch can reveal story problems to the 4 types of pitches!

272 Pages - ONLY $4.99!


READY TO BREAK IN? bluebook

THE BUISINESS SIDE

*** BREAKING IN BLUE BOOK *** - For Kindle!


Should really be called the BUSINESS BLUE BOOK because it covers almost everything you will need to know for your screenwriting career: from thinking like a producer and learning to speak their language, to query letters and finding a manager or agent, to making connections (at home and in Hollywood) and networking, to the different kinds of meetings you are will have at Studios, to the difference between a producer and a studio, to landing an assignment at that meeting and what is required of you when you are working under contract, to contracts and options and lawyers and... when to run from a deal! Information you can use *now* to move your career forward! It's all here in the Biggest Blue Book yet!

Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is over 400 pages!

$4.99 - and no postage!




hcd

FINAL DRAFT SOFTWARE

Use your creative energy to focus on the content; let Final Draft take care of the style. Final Draft is the number-one selling application specifically designed for writing movie scripts, television episodics and stage plays. Its ease-of-use and time-saving features have attracted writers for almost two decades positioning Final Draft as the Professional Screenwriters Choice. Final Draft power users include Academy, Emmy and BAFTA award winning writers like Oliver Stone, Tom Hanks, Alan Ball, J.J. Abrams, James Cameron and more. * * * Buy It!

copyright 2023 by William C. Martell


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SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING

bluebook IT'S BACK! SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING
Over 460 pages packed with tips and techniques. How to write a plot twist, the four kinds of suspense (and how to create it), reversals, ten ways to invent new action scenes, secrets and lies, creating the ultimate villain, five kinds of love interests, MORE! CLICK HERE!

CLASSES ON MP3

Class MP3s CLASSES ON MP3! Take a class on MP3! GUERRILLA MARKETING - NO AGENT? NO PROBLEM! and WRITING THRILLERS (2 MP3s). Full length classes on MP3. Now Available: IDEAS & CREATIVITY, WRITING HORROR, WRITING INDIE FILMS, more!
Take classes on MP3!

MY OTHER SITES

B MOVIE WORLD
Cult Films, Exploitation, Bikers & Women In Prison, Monster Movies.

FIRST STRIKE PRODUCTIONS
Producing my own scripts, investment possibilities, pipe dreams.

NAKED SCREENWRITING MP3s

Naked Class The NAKED SCREENWRITING CLASS ON MP3! The 2001 London Class on 8 MP3s! Recorded *live* the morning after the Raindance Film Festival wrapped. The two day class on 8CD worth, plus a workbook, plus a bonus CD.
The 2 Day Class on MP3!

ONLINE CLASSES
Furious Action Class
BILL'S CORNER

My nineteen produced films, interviews with me in magazines, several sample scripts, my available scripts list... And MORE!
...............................BILL'S CORNER


Available Scripts

E BOOKS PAGE

bluebook E BOOKS: New Blue Books and Novelettes!
I am expanding all of the Blue Books from around 44 pages of text to around 200 pages! Some are over 250 pages! See what is availabale and what is coming soon!Also, I've been writing Novelletes and there will soon be novels.
E BOOKS: BLUE BOOKS & NOVELLETES

BOOKLETS & PRODUCTS

bluebook FIRST STRIKE BLUE BOOKS
Each Blue Book is 48 pages and focuses on a different aspect of screenwriting. Dialogue. Visual Storytelling. Your First Ten Pages. Act 2 Booster. Protagonists. Great Endings.
Seventeen Blue Books now available!

THE SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING OUT OF PRINT!