A few years ago I saw the documentary THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS about how much STAR WARS fans love the prequels and Jar Jar Binks.
It's a fun film, and I know a bunch of the people interviewed. We could trash PHANTOM MENACE all day,
but let's talk about one of 2002's worst written films where a bodyguard and the beautiful princess he's
supposed to protect have a picnic together where they talk and talk and talk about how they are falling in
love with each other. That scene just doesn't work. The dialogue is painful, the staging is
dull, and you never believe these people care about each other. If you haven't figured it
out, yet, I'm talking about STAR WARS: SEND IN THE CLONES. The problem seemed
obvious to me - the dialogue was about love, the scene was about falling in love, and
the purpose of the scene was to show them falling in love. Too much love!
That SCENE is on the nose - obvious, plain, too straightforward.
If you're looking for a good example of how to write a scene like this check out some of
the Princess Leia and Han Solo scenes from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The
scenes that show them fall in love are chase scenes, action scenes, and fight scenes.
The first scene with the couple is all about Han leaving, but Leia wants him to stay
because he's a good pilot. When Han suggests maybe she has a crush on him, she
insists there isn't an ounce of attraction between them, and calls him "scruffy". At no
time does either say they are in love - but we can read between the lines. You want a
Han & Leia love scene? Here's a great example: They have taken the Millennium
Falcon inside an asteroid cave to avoid enemy ships... and the cave begins to move!
Leia is knocked against Han, who holds her steady as everything shakes. When the
shaking is over she demands that he let go of her and they go back to their bickering...
but for a moment, there, they were depending on each other. The first time they kiss?
The scene is about repairing the Millennium Falcon! Han and Leia are working on this
ship, she hurts her hand, he starts massaging it, she tells him to let go because her
hands are dirty, he says his hands are dirty, too... and they kiss. No mention of love or
attraction - all the dialogue is about dirty hands! There isn't a single scene in the film
that is ABOUT them being in love - the love story happens in action scenes. Not a
single On The Nose scene!
Do you have On The Nose Scenes in your script? Here are a couple of things that will
keep your scenes from being On The Nose:
Here's an example - in BREAKDOWN Kurt Russell's wife has vanished. A truck driver
was supposed to take her to this diner so that she could call a tow truck, but everyone
in the diner tells Russell they never saw his wife - and they make fun of him. Outside
the diner Russell spots this semi-mentally challenged guy washing a car and asks him if he's seen
Russell's wife. Now from Russell's POV (and the audience's) the purpose of this scene
is to see if this guy has seen his wife - and knows why everyone in the diner is covering
up her disappearance. That's what we think the scene is all about. But what the scene
is REALLY all about is the semi-mentally challenged guy (who is just pretending to be mentally challenged) is
pumping Russell for information about who he has talked to and what he has told
them... before he conks Russell on the head and kidnaps him. See, the guy is one of
the villains who snatched Russell's wife. The purpose of the scene is unknown to the
audience, unknown to Russell - but known to the guy. Once we get to the end of the
scene, we understand what it was all about.
There's a cool scene in Bruce Joel Rubin's GHOST where dead Patrick Swayze gives
the name and address of the man who killed him to his widow Demi Moore (through
medium Whoopi Goldberg). Demi talks to Swayze's best friend Tony Goldwyn about
the best way to deal with this information. Goldwyn says they really should try to find out
if the information is accurate before going to the police with it, and volunteers to check
out the address. Now we have this great suspense scene where Goldwyn goes to the
killer's address - Swayze's ghost tagging along behind him. Goldwyn sneaks into the
building, climbs the stairs, checks out the suspect's door... knocks. The killer answers
the door! Goldwyn starts a little small talk with him, trying to dig out information... NOT!
Because Goldwyn and the killer are friends! Goldwyn warns the killer that Whoopi
knows who he is, and they decide to kill her. We THOUGHT the purpose of the scene
was for Goldwyn to check out the killer before they called the police, the REAL purpose
of the scene was for Goldwyn to warn the killer that Whoopi is on to him.
The writer knew the real purpose of that scene. Goldwyn's character knew the real purpose of that scene.
But the Audience was living the protagonist's life, seeing the world through his eyes, and Swayze thought the
scene had a much different purpose. It was presented to us as if it had that different purpose. So when the true
purpose of the scene is revealed, it's unexpected... certainly not obvious, plain, or straightforward.
Just because YOU know the purpose of the scene doesn't mean your characters do.
They may have one goal in a scene when the SCENE has a different goal.
Take that cliche scene where a pair of mobsters are going to take a guy who ratted out the boss
"for a ride". We've seen this one a million times before, so how do we make it different?
How about changing the location? What if the scene takes place while the rat is with his
family at an amusement park and they grab him in front of his wife and kid... then take
him to the Tunnel Of Love ride? Now these 3 guys want to get into the same boat
together, but the rules say 2 per boat, and all of the other people taking the ride are
couples. Oh, and the rat doesn't want to go. That's a scene! Or maybe they go to the
roller coaster, or the Ferris wheel? Take the scene and put it in a location you've never
seen it played in before. Or make the CHARACTERS different - what if our two
mobsters are Gay? Or beautiful women, and the rat thinks it's his lucky day? Or what if
the killers are KIDS - remember the opening of ROMANCING THE STONE where the
little boy playing on the street is the assassin? What if the killers are an elderly couple,
like in CLOAK AND DAGGER? Use your imagination to find the way to do that scene
that we have never seen before!
Make sure your scene isn't obvious and On The Nose! Find a way to make it different, or make
sure the audience doesn't know the true purpose of the scene.
FIND A GREAT IDEA!
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FIGURE OUT YOUR STORY!
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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GOT STRUCTURE?!
*** STRUCTURING YOUR STORY *** - For Kindle!
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*** STORY: WELL TOLD *** - For Kindle!
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Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is over 85,000 words - 251 pages!
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*** HOOK 'EM IN TEN *** - For Kindle!
Your story doesn't get a second chance to make a great first impression, and this book shows you a
bunch of techniques on how to do that. From the 12 Basic Ways To Begin Your Story, to the 3 Stars Of
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Late, Teasers and Pre Title Sequences, Establishing Theme & Motifs (using GODFATHER PART 2), Five Critical
Elements, Setting Up The Rest Of The Story (with GODFATHER), and much more! With hundreds of examples
ranging from Oscar winners to classic films like CASABLANCA to some of my produced films (because
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Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is over 100,000 words - 312 pages!
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MOVIES ARE CHARACTERS!
*** CREATING STRONG PROTAGONISTS *** - For Kindle!
*** 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!
*** VISUAL STORYTELLING *** - For Kindle! (exclusive)
Show Don't Tell - but *how* do you do that? Here are techniques to tell stories visually! Using Oscar Winning Films and Oscar Nominated Films as our primary examples: from the first Best Picture Winner "Sunrise" (1927) to the Oscar Nominated "The Artist" (which takes place in 1927) with stops along the way Pixar's "Up" and Best Original Screenplay Winner "Breaking Away" (a small indie style drama - told visually) as well as "Witness" and other Oscar Winners as examples... plus RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Print version is 48 pages, Kindle version is over 200 pages!
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DESCRIPTION & VOICE Blue Book!
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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PRO DIALOGUE TECHNIQUES!
*** DIALOGUE SECRETS *** - For Kindle!
***
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?
*** SCENE SECRETS *** - For Kindle!
***
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?
*** SUPPORTING CHARACTER SECRETS *** - For Kindle! (Exclusive)
Expanded version with more techniques to flesh out your Supporting Characters and make them individuals. Using the hit movie BRIDESMAIDS as well as other comedies like THE HANGOVER and TED and HIGH FIDELITY and
40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and many other examples we look at ways to make your Supporting Characters come alive on the page.
Print version was 48 pages, Kindle version is around 170 pages!
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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!
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!
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?
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
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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!
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Making Your Own Movie?
WRITE IT: FILM IT BOOK!
Making Your Own Movie?
Writing An Indie Film?
Writing A Low Budget Genre Script To Sell?
Writing A Made For TV Holiday Movie?
You will be writing for BUDGET. On a standard spec screenplay, you don’t have to think about budget, but these types of screenplays writing with budget in mind is critical!
If you are making your own movie, budget, is even more important - and you need to think about budget *before* you write your screenplay... or you will end up with a script that you can’t afford to make (or is a struggle to make). Everyone is making their own films these days, and even if you have done it before there are lots of great techniques in this book to get more money on screen - for less money! You can make a film that looks like it cost millions for pocket change.
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THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL!
*** THE SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING *** - For Kindle!
*** THE SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING *** - For Nook!
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"SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITING is the
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