theprocess http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/ RecentChanges for theprocess http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/feedlogo.gif PBwiki http://pbwiki.com/ PBwiki 3.7 support@pbwiki.com Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene (What else is going on: background stories – and secondary characters.)
(Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD for many examples of this).)
scene’s going going: brainstorm a starting point, and then brainstorm again – what’s the worst they could do, to trigger a response from the other person in the scene? I keep swapping through each character’s perspective, trying to continually increase the tension in the scene. point.
Build a Step Diagram of Bangs: Each character’s input into the scene must pr]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:23:57 +0000 mod Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene What’s the scene really about: Subtext.
How should the scene make us feel: Emotion
want: These Their motivations need to naturally come out of each character’s their previous scene. scenes.
What could happen in the scene?
B20 cool moments, motivations, dialogue - stuff to inspire me. Reorder it into rough chronological order
(Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD for many examples of this).)
If I’ve got a clear idea of where the scene’s going brainstorm a starting point, and then brainstorm again – what’s the worst they could do, to trigger a response from the other person in the scene? I keep swapping through each character’s perspective, trying to continually increase the tension in the scene.
reactions have to be big and personalised are big, p]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:20:38 +0000 mod Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene What's each character want: These motivations need to naturally come out of each character’s previous scene.
What could happen in the scene?
-- B20 things that could happen –B20 cool moments, motivations, lines of dialogue, things I want to see dialogue - stuff to inspire me. Reorder that stuff it into rough chronological order, or ...
-- if I’ve got a clear idea of where the scene’s going brainstorm a starting point, and then brainstorm again – what’s the worst they Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:04:16 +0000 mod Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:57:42 +0000 mod Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene This entry is about the process of writing scenes.
What’s the scene about: Define Stakes and Conflicts.
What’s the scene really about: Subtext.
How should the scene make us feel: Emotion
What's each character want: These motivations need to naturally come out of each character’s previous scene.
What could happen in the scene?
-- B20 things that could happen – cool moments, motivations, lines of dialogue, things I want to see - stuff to inspire me. Reorder that stuff into rough chronological order, or ...
-- if I’ve got a clear idea of where the scene’s going brainstorm a starting point, and then brainstorm again – what’s the worst they could do, to trigger a response from the other person in the scene? I keep swapping through each character’s perspective, trying to continually increase the tension in the scene.
(What else is going on: background stories – and secondary characters.)
(Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD ]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:57:10 +0000 mod Overview of my scene-writing process http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Overview+of+my+scene-writing+process email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Overview of my scene-writing process Maybe(Maybe this should be on the page up from this, and each bullet-point becomes another wiki page. page.)
A checklist:
about: Define Stakes and Conflicts.
* What’s the scene really about: Subtext.
* What else is going on: background stories – and secondary characters.
* Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD for many examples of this).
* How should the scene make us feel: Emotion
So at a scene level, what I’m doing is:
1. Defining stakes and conflicts.
2. Building up motivations at a beat by beat level.
3. Reaching a point where those feel artificial, where I’m bored with them.
4. Building a Step Diagram and keeping the idea of Bangs in mind.
What does each character want? These motivations need to naturally come out of each character’s previous scene.
dialogue,
things things I want to see, random oddball ideas – in n]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:31:27 +0000 mod Overview of my scene-writing process http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Overview+of+my+scene-writing+process email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Overview of my scene-writing process So now we’ve gotMaybe this should be on the starts of a page up from this, and each bullet-point becomes another wiki page.
A checklist:
* What’s the scene about: Stakes and Conflicts.
* What’s the scene really about: Subtext.
* Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD for many examples of this).
* How should the scene make us feel: Emotion
So at a scene level, what I’m doing is:
1. Defining stakes and conflicts.
2. Building up motivations at a beat by beat level.
3. Reaching a point where those feel artificial, where I’m bored with them.
4. Building a Step Diagram and keeping the idea of Bangs in mind.
What does each character want? These motivations need to naturally]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:58:21 +0000 mod FrontPage http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited FrontPage Based on my screen-writing diary over at multi-dimensional, I'm collating all the tips and tricks I've come up with over the last couple of years working in TV and film (imdb profile), and from my most recent project, a vigilante thriller called The Limit.
Oh yeah, and this wiki's a work in progress. I'll let you know when that changes.
Next Actions: redraft 'Overview of Writing a Scene' section, redraft 'Overview of Editing' section.
To Do: Disclaimer, What I hope to achieve
The Process
The Writing Headspace (2 of 6 sections to redraft)
Breaking the Story (2 of 7 sections to redraft)
Building Characters (to bold key insights, then cull)
Scene (to (work on 'Overview', bold key insights, then cull)
Redrafting (redraft 'Overview of Editing' section, create 'Problem Solving' and 'Post-Read Thinking' sections, categorise rest of material)
Career (to bold key insights, then cull)
Next Actions: redraft 'Overview of Editing]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:17:05 +0000 mod Overview of my scene-writing process http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Overview+of+my+scene-writing+process email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Overview of my scene-writing process So now we’ve got the starts of a checklist:
* What’s the scene about: Stakes and Conflicts.
* What’s the scene really about: Subtext.
* What else is going on: background stories – and secondary characters.
* Off-screen stories: (see the sound design commentary track on the Se7en DVD for many examples of this).
* How should the scene make Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:16:58 +0000 mod Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:30:51 +0000 mod Overview of my scene-writing process http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Overview+of+my+scene-writing+process email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh added Overview of my scene-writing process

 


]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:17:04 +0000 add Writing the Scene http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Writing+the+Scene email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Writing the Scene For the last two and a half years, I've kept notes about what I learned while writing the Limit. Now I'm creating posts that will cover each phase of my script-writing process. They'll be added to as I trawl through the blog, and copy material from previous entries into this one. I'm also putting links up on the sidebar.
This entry is about the process of writing scenes.
Sections:
-- Overview of my scene-writing process
-- Emotions
-- Tip and Tricks
-- -- --
I’m also getting a lot of experience treatingtreating drama scenes as action scenes – a little dodge I wanted to try out because action is easy for me to write and visualise, whereas drama and emotions, quieter stuff, is opaque.
***
The first 3 days of the rough redraft have gone]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:16:31 +0000 mod FrontPage http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited FrontPage Building Characters (to bold key insights, then cull)
Writing the Scene (to bold key insights, then cull)
Redrafting (organise (redraft 'Overview of Editing' section, create 'Problem Solving' and 'Post-Read Thinking' sections, categorise rest of material)
Career (to bold key insights, then cull)
Actions: Organise redraft 'Overview of Editing' section.
To Do: Disclaimer, What I hope to achieve
Use PBwiki to collaborate
]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:53:40 +0000 mod OVERVIEW OF EDITING PROCESS http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/OVERVIEW+OF+EDITING+PROCESS email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh added OVERVIEW OF EDITING PROCESS

 


]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:51:58 +0000 add Redrafting http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Redrafting email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Redrafting For the last two and a half years, I've kept notes about what I learned while writing the Limit. Now I'm creating posts that will cover each phase of my script-writing process. They'll be added to as I trawl through the blog (and linked to on the sidebar).
This one's about how I redraft scripts. What you're about to read are snippets I've cut-n-pasted from previous posts.
OVERVIEW OF EDITING PROCESS
PROBLEM SOLVING
POST-READ THINKING
The goal is to simplify. In doing that, you'll find a clear and powerful throughline.
***
Peter realises he has been betrayed. He scuttles backwards, escapes. Settling deep into the shadows of a dune, Peter again tries to process what he just saw. He's in tears.
***
Some new thoughts on how I could edit a script:
Read through the script.
Mark off how ‘engaged’ I am with it, on a scale of 1-10.
That’s in order to create a Whammo Chart. A graph of the script’s highs and lows.
Read through with a blue pen and circle any ]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:51:39 +0000 mod FrontPage http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited FrontPage The Process
The Writing Headspace (2 of 6 sections to redraft)
Story (3 (2 of 7 sections to redraft)
Building Characters (to bold key insights, then cull)
Writing the Scene (to bold key insights, then cull)
Redrafting (organise 'Overview of Editing' section, categorise rest of material)
Career (to bold key insights, then cull)
Actions: Write up 'The Pitch', organise Organise 'Overview of Editing' section.
To Do: Disclaimer, What I hope to achieve
Use PBwiki to collaborate
]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:59:28 +0000 mod Breaking the Story http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/Breaking+the+Story email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited Breaking the Story -- Tensions and Questions
-- Brainstorming 20 Questions (B20)
a Structure (organise) Structure(organise)
-- Essential Elements of a Story (organise)
The Pitch (organise next) Pitch
CURRENTLY UNASSIGNED QUOTES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:55:51 +0000 mod The Pitch http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/The+Pitch email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited The Pitch Describing the basic emotional beats of each sequence is tough for me - it involves abstracting out from the details that my head's been previously stuck in.
It's common for me to have insights into the structure of the story while practicing the pitch. The pitching process reveals how to present the story in the final film. In the case of The Limit, the pitch led to me massively re-editing the ending - a simplification that replace a fight with a single word.
pitch aloud. It'll aloud, it'll start very quiet and cautious. For a lot of the time, I won't even be able to finish sentences because I'll be too self-conscious about getting them 'right'. Then things should start to click together an hour, 2 hours in.
9.40
: 1st Reading: 12 m 55 s … so, that's good. Whispered
On the first]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:55:23 +0000 mod The Pitch http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/The+Pitch email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited The Pitch 2) Be succinct (10 minutes max); and
3) As much as possible, be visual.
I’d do: do (with more details, below):
1) Define the Title, Genre, and overall Effect.
2) Be succinct.
5) Start pitching to other people ASAP.
So, to expand on the above list:
1) ….. Define the Title, Genre, and Emotion or Effect you’re going for.* If it’s a comedy, what sort of stuff are we laughing at? What is the basic comic tension?
2) ….. Be succinct. A five minute pitch (or even two minutes) is preferable. The maximum duration you should be thinking for a presentation is 10 minutes; and entertaining someone for 10 minutes is hard work.
I’d start the pitch as short as possible and from there build up the moments that you think are weak and unconvincing.
You’re not really telling a ‘this happened and then this happened’ type of story in a pitch. It’s more about describing the broad sequences of you]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:53:58 +0000 mod The Pitch http://theprocess.pbwiki.com/The+Pitch email.hidden@example.com (sjh) sjh edited The Pitch But in scriptwriting terms, it’s telling someone your storyline. It’s a quick way to get feedback – to see what’s entertaining and what’s weak. But the important thing is to create an accurate (and short) impression of your story.
Pitching is acting: trying to find the story's character and convey its emotions.
fun. You I learn lots about your my movie quickly by telling it to someone else .
This
The pitch will can be my guide when I write the first draft. The For instance, the emotional story in these 8 pages is the 8-page pitch for The Limit was clearer than the 60 page treatment that I sent to Andrew and Ainsley.
All I really want is for the pitch to do the job:
1) Clearly communicate the emotions of each sequence;
]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:35:11 +0000 mod