Screenwriting

Jed Power Vertical screenwriting makes reading easier on the page. It's the process of breaking up large paragraphs of description and making short, snappy sentences with whitespace between the sentences.

Example:

Vertical screenwriting is easier on the page.

Sentences should be short and snappy, which will make the page flow better.

Include whitespace between the sentences.

How about that!

What Langley and Philips said. Less dense writing, shorter sentences, and keeping things moving down the page rather than across the page. Read a few Walter Hill screenplays to see an extreme version.

Yes, William Martell, read a Walter Hill script. Hill's STREETS OF FIRE is a fantastic read.

That's so interesting! I didn't realize that was even a thing. So I suppose it would the effect of making the actual product faster-paced with snappy dialogue?

You wanna know which monologue is my favorite, Geoff Hall? Well, "you can’t handle the truth!" Haha The "A Few Good Men" monologue is my favorite.

I don't think the monologue is dead. It's a powerful tool. I think the key is to keep it engaging.

It has to have a purpose. Can be Very useful in showing the villain’s point of view, give a counter argument to the theme of the film.

I don’t think that monologues are dead. It really depends on the script and the character as to whether it’s appropriate.

I guess no experts told a young Tarantino monologues are dead.

Seriously, ppl only remember good/great and this occupation has way too many average skills in front & behind camera. Either you can or can't.

My initial reaction is that it would really depend on the audience's investment in that character and what they have to say. Most movie monologues I've seen have had me invested, such as the one at the end of Barbie. I cared about the character and it was so relevant to her journey and the message of the movie. I can't recall a monologue that has left me bored, and I suspect that's because most screenwriters know to use them sparingly.

Storyboards can help you outline scripts, Ben Henning. I've outlined scripts with stick figure storyboards (something quick). I don't think you need official storyboards to complement your scripts unless you plan on directing.

Ben Henning Storyboards are a specialty item the director comes up with a storyboard artist. Not a screenwriter thing, unless you happen to be an artist/director of your own material. The other caveat is with animation. Some anime houses just work with the storyboards and not a script per se.

Christopher Phillips oh interesting! Could it be considered a negative thing then, like stepping on the toes of a potential other director?

Here we go again..."rule" territory :)))...yes, capitalize them...and anything you wanna leave readers impression on...

William to draw attention to something that's pertinent to the story. Why else? But who knows. What I've learned is we all write the way we want to and if the story is good then WGAF. Right?

For Example:

THE PRESTIGE

FADE IN:

TOP HATS. Clustered in a small glade. As we SUPER TITLES,

a BLACK CAT slinks its way through them. As TITLES END-

BORDEN (V.O.)

Are you watching closely?

A SECOND BLACK CAT races into frame, HISSING, SPITTING,

CHASING the first cat into the woods beyond and we-

I

NT. CLUTTERED WORKSHOP -- DAY

Moving along a row of CANARIES in CAGES.

CUTTER (V.O.)

Every magic trick consists of three

part, or acts...

Stop at a cage. Weathered HANDS envelope the canary. Hands

and voice belongs to a man in his 60's- CUTTER.

CUTTER (V.O.) (CONT'D) The first part is called the Pledge...

A LITTLE GIRL pershes on a chest in the workshop, watching.

CUTTER (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...the magician shows you something

ordinary-

Cutter moves to a small ORNATE CAGE resting on a prop table.

CUTTER (V.O.) (CONT'D) A deck of cards, ar a bird...

INT. SCALA THEATRE, LONDON -- NIGHT

A packed house. Many hands raised. Move in on a BEARDED MAN,

his gloved hand tentatively rising into the air.

CUTTER (V.O.)

...or a man.

The Prestige is a good example.

A bit of background -> Old school blocking and camera setups. Wide establishing shot first. Medium shot. Then closeups on the actors speaking.

So, If we say small glade filled with top hats - that might be a rather wide shot. Like saying a grassy field with a house in the distance - a wide shot with no particular focus.

However, TOP HATS. Tells us the shot is filled with top hats, a rather medium to close shot and they are important to the scene. Same with the birds in cages.

From the Prestige opening. A medium shot of a glade with top hats. Then next scene is a close shot of canaries in cages. First time adding a picture. Hopefully it will work.

Here's the following canary cage shot.

I bought Anna Henry's "20 Steps to Planning and Writing a Memorable Scene" webinar today, Sydney Summers. Can't wait to check it out!

Do you have a link to "20 Steps....Maurice?"

Yeah. Here you go, Jed Power: www.stage32.com/education/c/education-webinars?h=20-steps-to-planning-an...

Thanks, Maurice.

You're welcome, Jed Power.

Thanks, everyone. I've recovered some of my PDF"s from my old computer. One problem though is they have the old gmail's on the title page and will need to place a note when I place them on my loglines section. I do have my phone number. Do producers actually look there to find what they're looking for? Anyone have any luck that way? It's hard to be a screenwriter and have nothing for them to peruse my work.

You're welcome, Claude Gagne. Glad you recovered some of your PDF's.

Yeah, producers (directors, etc.) look for scripts in the logline sections of people's profiles. That's how I sold four short scripts to a producer.

As for the email, you could post a note in the synopsis part of the logline page.

Thanks, CJ Walley, Kiril, Alexander, and Christopher. It's nice to have you guys there helping and supporting me with my questions. Stage 32 is a great program if a fella is green on computers. From a tower to a laptop is quite an experience to work through, especially at my age. Have a great day.

Claude Gagne You could edit the pdfs and whiteout the old gmail and add a new one. There are several free sites to edit pdfs for people looking to make simple updates like add a signature or add some text.

I've been using FadeIn. It's technically not free, but the "demonstration" version is and doesn't have an expiration that I've found. It's the only reliable screenwriting software that I've been able to consistently use without paying anything.

Film & Television Acting !!!

Nice!. I run a script workshop on my YouTube channel every week. You're free to come read and give advice with us.

Preston Poulter could you send me the link to your channel? Would love to join from time to time as well

Travis Seppala that feature has been there as long as I can remember. 1-5 stars

Christopher Phillips OK, thanks. It's just weird that my stuff's never gotten voted on before... but the ones I put up a few days ago people are scoring.

Travis Seppala I've noticed sometimes that if a logline is recently posted, it will show up in my feed. Otherwise, I would have to look for them on the site.

Travis Seppala The latest stuff shows up in your network feed.

Character is defined by the choices people make.

Yep. You can’t say you’re a great guy while torturing people.

Multiple readers have commented that they enjoy having all the characters I present in my story, Palace of the Golden Princess, to be overtly evil.

I believe shows like Game of Thrones encourage the belief that everyone acts selfishly.

Welcome to the community, Carl Creighton. You could post your loglines, synopses, scripts, and posters/promo pictures on your Stage 32 profile. Some people post links to their pitch material in the synopsis area.

I agree with Maurice Vaughan Your Stage32 profile is a great free way to have your screenplays seen. You can also use a free website builder and have additional information on their as well.

What people to see? I've been a professional screenwriter for 34 years now and I don't think anyone comes to my website to look at scripts. If I want people to look at my scripts, I usually query them with a logline or meet people in person, and if they request a script I send them a PDF. Though I do have scripts hidden on my website, those are for my lawyer to grab if he ever meets someone looking for something (which almost never happens). Mostly my website ScriptSecrets.net is a Free Screenwriting article every day (since 1998) to help new screenwriters. Nobody comes to you in this business, you need to go to them.

Carl, you’re in the right place! Make sure you put it up on your Stage 32 profile under your profile section. This way our community of over 1 million people and the thousands of executives we work with can see it!

Got optioned via Script Revolution...also good place, especially for feedback is Simply Scripts...I was approached by a director for one of my shorts recently, I figured he saw it there...

If you know whom owns the IP/franchises, you contact them for permission. If they do not reply or say “no” then you cannot move forward with this.

You should never write a screenplay based on material you don't have the rights to. An Agent won't help you try and sell it.

Jonathan Millett Agents don't deal with optioning IP. Producers do. Sometimes writers if they can get it at a low cost. Usually, someone would dig up who owns the copyright and contact them to see what their option fees and licensing rates look like. If it's a book (or comic book), it's best to speak with the publisher's licensing department first. If the author is self published, you would have to figure out how to contact them about optioning the book(s). If a movie, it would likely be the producers or director or a licensing broker.

You would have to pay for the options first or convince a producer to do it. No one will read your script or pitch if you don't have the rights to the material. The option rates would depend on the popularity of the material and the author.

"You should never write a screenplay based on material you don't have the rights to." I agree, Dan Guardino. Unlike it's practice or for fun.

That's not how it works. Because studios own the intellectual property, you can't legally use it in your screenplay. So there's no going to be a lawyer who can help you with this. How it works: Let's say Warner Bros wants to make a DIRTY HARRY prequel to reboot the series. They don't look for people who have written spec Dirty Harry scripts - those scripts are illegal. They didn't have the rights to write those scripts. What they do is read a bunch of original screenplays by writers. plus look at established screenwriters who they think might be a good fit, and they set up meetings with all of these writers and "audition" them. "What would you do with a Dirty Harry prequel?" They pick the one they like, and hire them to write the script. Because they own the intellectual property, they are the only one who can commission a script. So Brian Helgelund or Scott Frank gets the job, writes the script, and the other one does the rewrites. The best way to get an audition meeting is to write a bunch of amazing original screenplays with amazing original characters.