Screenwriting : Non-Formulaic Scripts by Jerry Smith

Erik, thank you so very much; you remind me of my favorite teachers. You explain thoroughly and make it very easy to understand. I don't think I've ever really followed any formula. I know where I want to start and I have an ending,... then just fill in between. Again, thanks for taking the time to explain; much appreciated.

The catalyst on page 12 thing I would say is the one rule I'd adhere to no matter what. Feel free to bend and break the rest if you have to, but make the point of the film clear in the first 15 minutes or people may bail out.

ML; I try to make a point of hooking them in the first ten pages. I do appreciate the extra five. Thanks Kay, most of my stuff is somewhat off the wall.

Formula is like the hero’s journey, beat sheets, road maps etc.

We have all scene these movie. They feel like a formula. People are doing things just to hit a beat.

Everything seems to be going good and you think, “I beat the villain makes a come back”. Yep “the all is lost moment”.

These writers are serving the formula not the story. A story will tell you what needs to happen. Your characters when making real decisions will drive the story. If you ever get a note that says “I went to page eleven and couldn’t find the xxxx” ignore that note. This person isn’t reading your work. They are just comparing it to a formula. This speaks volumes to their own knowledge.

I suppose that's why so many movies seem like remakes,.... and not in a good way.

It's not formula, it's the writing between the pages. Ask 50 strangers to boil an egg against Gordon Ramsey and I'm sure Ramsey's egg would taste better than half the field. There's a whole bunch of free writing advice and webinars by Shonda Rhimes, Sorkin, Tarantino, Dee Rees - they are telling us their secrets. They're not afraid of the competition.

I've written 10 screenplays and my formatting is fine (as told by some pretty big people in the business) The original reason for my question was this; someone asked for a " Non-Formulaic High-Concept Thriller" and I wasn't sure what exactly what they wanted. With all the answers I've received, it's much clearer. ,

This link should provide a pretty good idea (See below). But here's my example. When Die Hard came out, several other successful films came out like Under Siege Die Hard on a ship, Speed, Die Hard on a bus and Passenger 57, Die Hard on a airplane. These all fit the action/adventure category.

http://showtimeshowdown.com/5-cliche-formulas-of-movie-genres/

R.D.

I love Under Siege because Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey are so good as the villains. Funny dialogue and likable while still remaining menacing. Thanks for your great post. I just gave a friend feedback on a script using this formula and suggested that he watch US and models his villains in the mold of William Strannix and Hans Gruber.

PS, five years ago, the producer of Passenger 57 said the MOW script my literary agent pitched him was a piece of shit. I was so honored.

Dan MaxXx you should hear Stephen Knight at BAFTA (Podcast). He says when he writes for a Hollywood studio they are formula driven. It makes them feel safe.

He uses the metaphor that some has realised that a great painting is 40% blue paint. So from now on all paintings must be 40% blue paint. It is one variable they don’t have to worry about.

Human nature I guess. Trying to control and predict something that is out of your control.

Craig D Griffiths Steven Knight doesn’t have a problem accepting studio money.

Everybody has theories/formulas but very few make movies for a living.

Dan MaxXx SK is not an idiot, of course he takes Studio cash. But with his experience on both sides of the pond I think he can talk with authority. Formula is okay. I don’t stick by them, but some people are happy to use them.

The objection I have is the “you must” crowd.

Everyone talks about Cinema dying, Hollywood is fighting against runaway productions and the alternative channel makes formula even more irrelevant.

I think of formulaic scripts as too predictable and/or too derivative. On the other hand, the vast majority of films I've enjoyed all have an inciting incident within no more than 15 minutes, an end of first act turn within 25-30 minutes when the protagonist undertakes a mission that will last through to the end of the story, usually a midpoint twist, and with 30 minutes to go, an all-seems-lost moment, or merely the final showdown begins between good and evil forces. So that's a kind of formula, one I tend to follow in my own work. (The main exceptions are non-linear stories.) Now within those plot points my favorite scripts could not be more different from one another.

Craig D Griffiths Dunno. Nobody here on this thread has written a studio movie. We are all guessing why.

Cinema is not dying, not from my part of the world. It's actually harder to be an "average" storyteller because the bar is higher now.

Love the attitude, Kay. Sounds like me when I was in the ring.

I don’t think we should avoid using formulas as much as we should avoid using formulas as a crutch. Because everything is formulaic, from your favorite cookies to your DNA. The difference is some people start with an idea they have developed and use screenwriting formulas to express that idea, whereas other people depend on formulas to develop and shape their ideas for them. The latter feels inauthentic should be avoided, and I think that's what people truly mean when they say the don't want a formulaic script.