Screenwriting : How would you briefly explain all screenwriting rules and formulas? by Victor Titimas

They're tools and you're the carpenter. Build something!

David Downes My thoughts exactly. See that big ol' tree log? What do you imagine it could be? Envision it and then use your tools and your craft to make it become reality. And like a carpenter, skill development and mastery will be the difference of starting with a log and ending with a 3 legged stool or an ornate rocking chair.

EDIT: I still consider myself in the "attempting to make something that doesn't collapse when you sit on it" phase. ;)

Here is paint by numbers guide to structure in just about every book:

First 3 pages: Who is the character before she changes? Establish two things - what the character Thinks she wants (stated); what the character really needs (implied).

First 10 pages: Set up situation: this is who the character will be forever if nothing changes.

Pages 10 to 15: A new element enters the character's life challenging the character and forcing her to begin a journey toward change.

Pages 15 to 30: the character starts the journey but only superficially. There are stakes, but the character has not embraced them. The character is still only after the stated "want" and denies the "need."

Page 30: The stakes are raised and the character now embraces the journey.

Pages 30 to 45: The character goes on the journey applying their old world-view, and for a while it seems to work.

Midpoint Pages 45 to 50: An event happens that now changes the vector of the journey from just being a situation where the character can apply her old world view to one where the character must begin learning and adapting to survive.

Pages 50 to 70: The character faces increasingly difficult challenges, learning new skills thinking that this will get her what she "wants", but not making the big internal changes required to gain what she actually "needs."

Page 70: a really earth shattering event happens that nearly breaks the character and forces her to look at her old world view. The risk is that at this moment the character could stagnate and go back to who she was in the first ten pages who will forever vainly struggle after the false illusion of the thing she thinks she wants or that character must metaphorically "die" so that she can become the person she needs to be to get the thing she needs.

Page 70 to 85: Against increasingly difficult challenges, the character using the skills gain through the journey and based on the change on page 70 moves forward to challenge both an external and an internal threat that challenges her final change.

Page 85 to the end: The character breaks free of her old world view, lets go of the false vision of what she thought she wanted and accepts the "need" she'd always resisted and achieves it.

Denouement: In a quick scene of sequence, the character is shown as grown and changed, applying the new world view to gain what was needed all along.

There's a summary of most screenwriting books on structure. Grok that first, then go and bend the rules all you want, but at least you'll have a firm understanding of what meets an audience's expectations when they sit down in a theatre seat.

Here. Follow her. She is a working tv writer. She ain't selling advice or theory. She's showing you what works for her and her paychecks mean she knows what she is doing.

lol a picture of a stool? that's gonna help you write? Jesus............

Dan MaxXx Well, I was attempting to attach 3 photos. One of a log. One of a stool and one of an ornate rocking chair. As you can see, it didn't turn out that way. It was my feeble attempt to expand upon what David Downes had said.

That said, I would be interested in an actual legible version of the screenshot you attached. Could you provide a link to the full infographic? TIA!

Go look her up on twitter. I can't do all the work for you.,

What's her name? I can barely read that photo and can't seem to figure out how to zoom it in. Is it like Monica Zelinsky? (Lewinsky? LOL!) Maybe others can see it more clearly but everything in that photo is illegible because it's so small. Only the twitter superimposition can I make out some letters. TIA.

Dan MaxXx NVM Dan. I right clicked and saved the picture and then opened it and I can read the names now.

It's Monica Beletsky and her twitter with the infographic is:

https://twitter.com/MonicaBeletsky/status/1003499069497438208

In the twitter feed there's a link to a Google Doc version of it to download.

Thanks Dan MaxXx for providing it!

David, thanks for this synopsis... That's what I had thought about with this thread... :) Dan, thank you for the link, I'll check it... And the rest of comments here(including future)... I wish I could give these answers more than one like, but it's not allowed:))

There are fundamental truths that people say are rules. Tell a story and another and another, you will get better at it. That is the only rule. Everything else are used to sell services to amateurs.

Sure Victor - when it comes to the rules and formulas appropriate to screenwriting - there ain't none.

For FORMAT - Pick up the book THE SCREENWRITER'S BIBLE by David Trottier. Keep it next to your computer.

Doug Nelson You and I both know that's not true. There are plenty of rules and formulas. A writer's job is to take those and make them work for them. And a new writers job is to learn them before they go off and do their own thing. You can't reinvent the wheel until you know how to work the wheel. I prefer the term GUIDELINES instead of "RULES" - but there are things you need to do.

What Danny said!

I would explain the rules briefly because there isn't that many.

Billy Wilder’s 3-act structure: cat climbs tree, throw rocks at cat, cat comes down.

What Dan "The Man" Maxx said. So true. Just stay with the basics.

Danny - sounds like you are agreeing with me. Screenwriting comes with lots of formulas and guidelines that have evolved over a long history of custumes, tradition and practicability. It is the wise screenwriter who understands them and goes with the flow. Rules like laws are proclamations that have been codified by some regulatory authority - baseball, football, golf... all have written rules. States have driving, marijuana, burglary...all codified into laws. It behoves the aspiring screenwriter to know, understand and stay within bounds in order to become successful. All this talk about rules tends to quash creativity.

I follow formatting rules because they are there for a reason. I use the 3-act structure because it is considered the industry standard. I never used formulas.

Yes, any professional in the film business can read the cover or first page of a script and know if the writer is a pro or aspirant - the dead giveaway is the format. I always warn writers when they look at the scripts nominated or that have won the Academy Award to be careful - most were written in a protected bubble called "development" or they were written by the director for the screen. That is much different than an unknown, un-produced writer with a spec trying to follow the same style or formatting. I've read the scripts and was surprised at just how different they stray from the conventionally accepted screenplay format. One was even written literally like a book (it was adapted) with thoughts in characters heads, and spelling out things you can't or shouldn't really write in a screenplay. So, tread lightly when reading those protected scripts. Or some were shooting scripts and that's an entirely different format than what your spec should look like.

You wanna sell it? Then your script needs to be formatted in the customary script format - that's just one of those olde timey customs and traditions. (None of us is gonna change Hollywood by ourselves.)

For a spec to have any chance at all it has to be written as well as humanly possible. That means it has to be formatted correctly and written like a screenplay and not a novel.

Compelling story with interesting multi-dimensional characters and filled with cathartic moments.

Laura - what you say is true but you would be dumbfounded by the number of 'screenwriters' who haven't a clue about the very basic formatting...lets not even get into story development/structure, character development or the other umteen other little skills needed.

a waste of time

Creativity sells. Rules were meant to be broken. Period.

Stick to formatting basics. Write from your heart. Tell your story.

In a screenplay, structure is the backbone of creativity. Is structure based upon rules?

I wrote backbone. An my question addressed rules, not the essence or fundamentals of drama.

It was rhetorical. Something for each writer to decide on her/his own. Sorry the subtext was not detectable. Or should I write nuance to avoid further parsing? Also rhetorical.

Victor, screenwriting rules? Ain't none - but there are a whole lot of generally industry recognized customs and traditions. The wise writer will generally adhere to these long standing customs and traditions- unless you want your script used as fish wrap. When it comes to formulas - forgitaboutit! Every tale has a beginning, middle and an end but that certainly doesn't mean it follows the same formula as every other story and if it does - your story is predictable and BORING! (Nobody needs or wants it.) I think of story more as a tapestry than a linier creation. Weave A, B ,C... story threads together to create a compelling story.

There used to be this bunch of images floating around the internet that explained all the theories. Google is your friend.

I would briefly explain all screenwriting rules and formulas as things I like to break.

Be a student of all storytelling techniques until it becomes muscle memory. Then, never stop being a student.