I'm curious to know what outline structure others use to begin developing their scripts. I've found that the 8 Sequence Structure works best for me.
Screenwriting : 8 Sequence Structure by Lamar Faulk
Other topics in Screenwriting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
4 people like this
I'm a John Truby disciple - his 22 Steps are a lot of up-front work but the resulting roadmap is well worth it.
3 people like this
Bill is on it. I just got through the John Truby book. It is well worth the read and it has helped every aspect of my writing.
2 people like this
I like John Truby's 22 Steps a lot. It makes sure the writer is answering a lot of important questions that are necessary for the proper type of dramatic flow. I also like Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet; the paths in Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey; the plot points in Syd Fields' Screenplay; and the questions asked by Jackie Berke in 20 Questions for the Writer. I use all of those when preparing my outline, which is like a 6 foot by 2.5 foot matrix on my wall.
1 person likes this
Wow. I'll have to check out those 22 steps.
Just checked out Truby on YouTube and.....i don't know. Good stuff but didn't really provide an outline unless i missed it.
2 people like this
Lamar: I do a couple of different things. 1) Make sure I have a compelling idea for a story. 2) construct a logline and no more than two page story synopsis 3) Start writing a linear scene outline. I've started with as few as a dozen scene ideas and done as many as seventy-five. And when I say outline, it may be as basic as "J.D. Salinger lands on Omaha Beach." "J.D. dances and converses with Oona O'Neil at the Stork club before the war." 4) I begin the writing process and allow a lot of room for letting the characters take me where I think they want to go. I also find that many unplanned scenes spring up during the creative process.
1 person likes this
Phil, I love that! It's very similar to my process. Thanks for sharing.
Lamar, this is what I was talking about: http://www.amazon.com/The-Anatomy-Story-Becoming-Storyteller-ebook/dp/B0...
1 person likes this
I use the 8-Sequence outline that's free at www.scriptoutliner.com - they call it the "Frank Daniel" system because he is who taught it at AFI and USC. Daniel taught the structure to Lynch and Malick
1 person likes this
Hey all - I did a webinar on this for Stage 32. And it incorporated a lot of this in it: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/The-Secret-to-Cracking-the-Second-Act