How to Ruin a Good Screenplay

As filmmakers, we're always getting great advice about how to do things right. Having recently encountered some great new talent stalled by amateur mistakes, I thought I'd talk a little bit about how we do things wrong in the film world. Earlier, I shared some of the worst abused film conventions that need to go away. Now, let's look at things we can do to ensure we never sell our screenplays to a major studio. Here ya go!

• Non-standard formatting. Just because you buy Final Draft or some other over-priced software (Word and a decent template will do), doesn't mean your screenplay follows industry standards. Invest $25 in a decent, recent book like "The Complete Screenwriter's Manual." Glue it to the back of your PC if needed, but keep it nearby when you're writing. Always. Check it often if you haven't been writing, and selling, screenplays for decades.
• Use the phrase "is ----ing" throughout your scene descriptions. Do it regularly. Okay, really you should use it seldom if at all. Screenplays are written in PRESENT TENSE. They should instruct your actors just like you might a group of kids in a classroom. "John walks to the blackboard," is always preferable to "John is walking to the blackboard," which indicates this action was already happening when the scene started.
• Throw timelines into a blender. Directors are always eager to guess at what you meant by starting a scene in one time frame then suddenly switching it to another. Here's a great example:

INT. JOHN'S CAR - DAY

John is texting and driving. 

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

John's car crashes into the back of another vehicle in front of him.

A simple "CONTINOUS" would rescue this series of scenes from certain disaster. 

• Include tons of secondary characters and extras but never capitalize them upon introduction. Or just don't introduce them at all and give them a line or two. ANY new character, even extras, should be included in their first scene description and capitalized. For example:

EXT. SKATE PARK - DAY

JOHN, a lanky teen in slacker clothing, and a group of SKATEBOARDERS gather around the half pipe and watch as LOIS, much younger than the others, prepares to make her first run.

Notice how key characters get descriptions and extras are introduced as a non-descript group. Even though the skateboarders in the crowd are extras, they need to be called out so the director can plan for them in the shot and the CD can cast them. They're also going to possibly need costumes and would affect how the shot is staged. 

• Go nuts with the slug lines. Personally, I think if you're using more than two or three within a master scene, it's time to "INTERCUT AS NEEDED". It's way too easy to lose track of where your characters are or what the camera is focused on when you over-complicate a scene with intricate slug lines. I was recently polishing a festival-winning screenplay that couldn't be sold and noticed that frequently the writer gave dialogue to characters he'd forgotten were off-screen based on his last slug line. No bueno! 
• Abuse the Caps-Lock key. Only new characters and important sound effects should be in ALL CAPS. (This does not include incidental sounds like footsteps created by characters walking on screen.) Just remember, the point of ALL CAPS is to get the attention of your casting director or sound editor. (Okay, you can use it for special effects, too.)
• Give lots and lots of shooting directions. Most amateurs precede each scene with "CUT TO," "FADE IN" or "DISSOLVE TO". If you're planning on selling your script, don't do this. FADE IN at the very beginning then let the DP plan his or her shots based on the awesome scenes you describe. All that fluff will also cost you an extra 5-10 pages, too.
• And, by all means, write in real-time. Here's a great example of marketability-destroying writing:

INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING

John is asleep in bed when the alarm clock suddenly BUZZES. He sits up and rubs his eyes, then reaches over and hits the top of the clock, silencing it. He scratches his head, yawns, pulls the covers back and slides his legs over the side of the bed. He stands up, almost trips, then slips his feet into his slippers that are by the bed. He looks at the clock, reacts with panic, then runs to the bathroom, opens the door and goes inside... 

That scene description could be a lot simpler and more interesting:

John is in bed, sleeping peacefully. His ALARM goes off, sending him flying out of the bed. He nearly trips over his slippers, then stops to slide them on. He runs into the bathroom and slams the door.

• Use dialogue to explain everything that happens in your film. Be sure and have your characters talk about things that happened in earlier scenes to remind us what happened, just in case we've forgotten ten pages later. Also, tell us how your characters feel about everything through dialogue. In fact, have the characters explain their feelings to each other constantly. (You get where I'm headed here, right?)
• Over describe your characters with exact heights, weights, skin, hair and eye color. That will make a casting director ecstatic! (Just remember, character descriptions are to help the casting director find the best actor to play the part and the actor to understand who they're portraying. If the character's height isn't central to their behavior or motivation and has nothing to do with the story, leave it out. Same goes for all those other physical traits. And remember, not every character in your film needs to be attractive. That doesn't happen in the real world and shouldn't happen in your screenplay, unless you're writing "Zoolander 3.")
• Finally, make sure you completely ignore the three act standard when planning your film. Add lots of scenes that have nothing to do with the over-arching story simply because you want to use a specific prop, location or character. If you write an inciting incident, don't worry about the 10-page rule: just plug it in somewhere. It's all good. Yes, I'm being facetious. Your story should have an inciting incident - something that gets the ball rolling. It should have a discernible beginning, middle and end. Every scene should move the main plot or a key subplot forward. (Subplots should at some point have an impact on the main plot, too.)

Okay, that's quite a bit to digest in one sitting, so I'll shut up now. If you're a screenplay reader, polisher or writer and have a favorite rookie mistake or pet peeve to share, be sure and leave a comment. If you're new to writing or honing your craft, let me know what you think. Overall, remember that writing screenplays is more than the art of simply telling a story. Screenwriting is a professional skill that requires education and tons of practice to perfect.

 

5 Cool Film Collaboration Tools

Let's face it, with the advent of the digital age, the world of filmmaking has been dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, right along behind it. While the world seems to continue to shrink, this is a massive advantage for the aspiring screenwriters and would-be filmmakers out there. Ten years ago, situated in Houston, TX, my film habit would be sorely under-served. Today, however, I am able to somewhat easily connect with others in the independent film world and keep my acting bug at bay with active voice and on-camera work.
     The magic connection? Aside from persistence, constant personal/professional growth, and a modicum of talent, I chalk it up in large part to these five collaboration tools. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Meetup.com - Once a place where lonely singles and bored twenty-somethings created online forums to plan outings with similarly minded individuals, Meetup now features many thriving film communities. You may have to try a few out before you find the right one, but there at least four pretty decent groups in any major city. Not one near you? For a few dollars a month, you can start your own and pay for it by collecting small membership fees from those who join. (Fees recommended if you want to filter out those who aren't really serious about their film careers.)
2. behindthevoiceactors.com - Whether you're an aspiring or experienced actor or filmmaker, this is a great place to connect with talent. Actors - perfect your vocal performance and audition skills from your couch. (Even if a part isn't a fit, submitting an audition and getting feedback is a great way to hone your skills.) Filmmakers - find some outstanding unknown voice-over and musical talent to aid you with narrations or bring your animated/CGI characters to life. Sure, there's a lot of subpar projects and talent on the site, but you can easily filter through the noise with just a little bit of effort. Some of my favorite lines to perform have come from  original audio books/plays and cartoon projects I've encountered on this site. To get a taste, check out my member page here.
3. Skype - There is a misconception out there that you have to be an Apple fanatic to make films. Get over it. Today Android is taking over the small device market place and Windows remains present on over 80% of the world's desktops. If you want to communicate with your collaborators, FOR FREE, over video and IM, Skype is the only reliable tool today that works on all four of the major platforms (iOS, OS X/Mac OS, Android and Windows). I love this as a way to collaborate on everything from screenwriting projects to voicing cartoons. Filmmakers, got a screenplay you want to test/table read before you move forward? Skype it.
4. Create50 - Created and owned by the London Screenwriters' Festival team, this unique concept brings together writers and artists from around the globe to create collaborative short stories, screenplays and films. There is a good deal of structure around the projects, so you may have to check back if you first step in at the wrong phase of a project cycle for your particular talents.
5. OneDrive - I know, I know. Another Microsoft tool. Shoot me. But hey, this is the same storage technology James Cameron leveraged to house the mounds of 3D data it took to produce Avatar, so it should be good enough for the rest of us, right? Platform agnostic (as of late 2015), OneDrive is the ultimate of shared storage out there. Sign up for a Microsoft account (you can use your current email), and you automatically get 15 GB/month for free. If you have an Office365 subscription, 10 TB is included. The service features near-military-grade security and encryption and syncs to any Windows or Apple device to provide offline access to your files anywhere, anytime. I keep all my in-work writing, resumes, headshots and voice-over recordings on this service, in addition to hundreds of photos. If I'm recording lines for an active project, all I have to do is share my folder out to the filmmaker and s/he has immediate access to all my audio files. (I control who has read only or full access.) Working on a screenplay? Combine this with Microsoft Word's shared editing capabilities, and multiple writers can simultaneously edit the same document without tripping over each other's changes. (I love the comments and review features in Microsoft Word, which even sports a free screenplay template that conforms to industry standards,)

     I think that's enough geeking out for now. Happy filmmaking! If you have a favorite collaboration tool of your own (other than the standard Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo), leave a note in the comments. Like my grandmother used to say as she handed me a dustpan, "Everything is better when we work together."

Don't Tell Me, SHOW Me

In my July 2015 post "10 Tips for Film Fest Success," I mentioned one of my pet peeves is filmmakers using tired, over-used lines and phrases in the screenplay. My very, very favorite is the line that starts with "He is the best _____ I've ever seen." (Watch a dozen action movies and you'll hear it at least eight times.)
     Instead of telling me that Super Cop is the best police officer you've ever seen, SHOW me. Why? Well, for one, I don't know why the speaking character's opinion matters. Has he really seen that many cops? What does being the best actually mean? Does it have any bearing on the situation? Instead of dragging up another tired line or having a character I just met try to convince me (or another character), find a way to let me figure it out for myself. After all, if I wanted to have everything explained to me, I'd buy an audio book instead of going to a movie or watching TV.
     One easy technique to use is a quick montage, or series of shots. It might look like this:

(NOTE: All screenplay samples are the exclusive property of FracturedMom and require written permission prior to reprint or use.)
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SERIES OF SHOTS - SUPER COP'S HOME OFFICE

A. Several award certificates framed on a wall in a cluster.

B. A framed newspaper clipping with the headline "Super Cop Saves Metro City Again!" sits on a shelf next to a large glass trophy inscribed "Your City Thanks You."

C.  A picture of a politician shaking hands with Super Cop.

D. On the desk, a case full of medals and ribbons sits next to another case holding a large brass key inscribed "Metro City."
----------------

     Without saying a word, you've established that your character is an exceptional police officer. This bears far more credibility than having someone say it.

     Another common over-sharing mistake you see are characters talking about what happened to another character in the past. In this case, a flashback will usually be more effective in conveying how past events have affected your character. For example, instead of having someone say "Jane's afraid to fly because she was in a plane crash that killed her dad," try something like this:

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EXT. AIRPORT - DAY

Jane hesitates outside the airport door, letting Bob and Lily walk on ahead of her. Bob stops and turns back toward her.

BOB

          What's the matter, Jane? I thought you were excited to go to Paris.

INT.  SMALL PROP PLANE - DAY (FLASHBACK)

Jane and her DAD are sitting in the cockpit of a small twin engine prop plane. Her dad is piloting the plane. The propellers can be seen spinning outside the cockpit windows as they fly in and out of clouds.

JANE'S P.O.V. - ENGINE OUTSIDE WINDOW

The engine bursts into flame with a loud BANG.

DAD -

He struggles with the controls as the cockpit shakes. There is another loud BANG. His face twists in terror.

THE CONTROLS -

Alerts flash warnings as the altitude drops rapidly.

JANE'S P.O.V. - THE COCKPIT WINDOW

Trees crash against the window, cracking the glass. A huge tree looms into view. The window SHATTERS.

JANES P.O.V. - HER DAD

A tree branch crashes into the cockpit, impaling her dad in the chest. He collapses forward, draped over the branch like a rag doll. Jane SCREAMS.

JANE -

Jane's body is flung forward as the plane comes to a sudden stop. Her head hits the dash in front of her. Blood flows from her forehead.

END FLASHBACK
----------------

     Now, if Jane's character refuses to get on a plane, the audience understands the cause and severity of her fear far better than they would have from a few lines of dialogue.
     Instead of having characters describe an object or person, use an insert or cutaway. (See my January 2016 post on Cutaways.)
     The takeaway here is, before you have someone explain something in dialogue, try to figure out how you can tell the story visually instead. Unlike stage plays, movies and television shows give us the opportunity to tell a story with minimal dialogue. In the long tradition of abusing tired old phrases, when it comes to screenplays and dialogue, "less is more."

2015 Juggernauts: The Secret Sauce

2015 saw box office records shattered not once, but twice. First, "Jurassic World" broke the opening record in grand fashion with a $208M opening weekend take and pulled into third place with it's $652M theatrical gross. Then came "Star Wars, The Force Awakens" with it's stunning $238M opening weekend, unprecedented $1M in IMax pre-sales, and incredible $651M two-week run in 2015. The "Star Wars" reboot sits just $400K shy of "Jurassic World's" total gross as of New Year's Eve and is positioned to quickly overtake "Titanic" in total sales before it leaves theaters in 2016.
     So, what's the secret? Rising ticket prices? Amazing CGI? Rich 3D experiences?
     Nope.
     What Spielberg and Abrams have figured out is how to crack the code of true mass appeal without selling the soul of the story.
      Both films have two critical factors in common - They're both great, simple stories and they appeal to all ages. Where films like the much panned "Pan" (yeah, bad pun intended) and the excruciatingly gross "Pixels" failed is to take a story that appeals to children and slap on a layer of adult-only language, themes and violence. They alienated their adult audience with the kid-attractive story and hobbled sales to families with inappropriate sexual content and foul language or adult-level violence and themes. ("Pan" was far too violent for the elementary school set and "Pixels" was way too high school locker-room.)
     We don't want to ignore the importance of savvy marketing leading up to the releases of both films. Jurassic World teased us with a barrage of trailers and plenty of press well-ahead of the film. Star Chris Pratt was a natural draw because he was just rolling off the massive success of "Guardians of the Galaxy," making casting a critical part of the marketing effort. Disney has been building momentum toward the franchise reboot since purchasing the rights from Lucas in 2013. Not only did they build loyalty among the 8-12 year old set through their animated tie-ins and merchandising, but restored parents' loyalties with adult-targeted merchandising and Star Wars-themed attractions at their parks. By attaching their name to the project, parents could feel good that the latest film would appeal to their kids just like it did for them when first released in 1977.
      Juggernauts like 2015's big winners enjoy the wise choices made by screenwriters who are able to tell a great story without any of the sex, language and graphic violence that terrorizes those 10-12 year olds most likely to convince their parents to make multiple trips to the cinema. By the way, those kids buy tie-in merchandise like crazy, so the studio wins on every front.
     The almost unprecedented success of these two films just goes to prove that America has moved beyond the Tarantino generation. Sex is no longer a big box office draw. Foul language may be ubiquitous in Hollywood, but still repels most families. Bloody, graphic violence is no longer shocking to those old enough to watch it and is at risk of becoming blasé. Audiences are tired of reboots that are nothing more than a rehashing of an already well-told story with better effects.
     The predecessors to both of these franchise reboots were both major successes in their time, and were long-time favorites of my generation as well as my parents' generation. Now my generation has kids of our own and long for the chance to show our kids the kind of epic stories that we remember changed our whole perception of movies and filled our childhood fantasies. As George Lucas proved with the somewhat maligned prequels to "Star Wars," when you start dinking around with childhood favorites, you need to keep the magic intact but tell a new story.
     "Jurassic World" may be a transparent update to the original story told by "Jurassic Park," but layers on the excess and conceit of our modern, capitalistic society along with a healthy dose of fun and comedy relief, subtly poking fun at Hollywood's tendency to remake a story to death. Rather than being yet another lame remake, though,  it sets out to prove that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it without shoving that lesson down our throats. Thankfully, the filmmakers chose to keep it clean and 10+ friendly so that the group most likely to want to watch a movie about dinosaurs could do so without torturing mom or dad in the process. You never see a body spurt blood or gratuitous private parts throughout the entire film, despite the romantic side story and voracious dinos. Instead, Treverrow pulls a page from Hitchcock's play book and lets the audience imagine the carnage rather than throwing it in our faces.
     "The Force Awakens" will trample most box office records not because of it's amazing acting or novel concepts, but because it takes a familiar, favorite story, holds true to the world it constructed while advancing the fantasy. It pays homage to what we already loved by bringing back our favorite characters in a way that makes sense, gives us new believable characters to attach to and a new story line to invest in. Plus, it does an amazing job of expanding the "Star Wars" universe to appeal to girls without being obvious or cheesy about it. Rey isn't some video game heroine who's basically a guy with boobs - she's a believable, real girl with the innate soul of a hero. Oh, and she gets to live the fantasy of every little 70's era girl who dreamed of being Han Solo instead of the somewhat boring Princess Leia.
      What Hollywood is only just beginning to understand about modern audiences is that girls want to be a part of the action but don't want to be treated like boys. Parents want to take their kids to the movies but remain kids in the process. Audiences in general are bored with overused shock & awe formulas and dying just to be told a great story. In short, we just want to be entertained, and we'll spend more money if we can bring our kids and their grandparents with us.

Why Cutaways Matter

I recently spent a couple of hours filming a quick little silent cutaway for an acquaintance who was adding the finishing touches to his latest short film. (Laughably, he had asked this 40-something single mom to play a trophy wife. I should get an Oscar for that one, hee hee!) It took me longer to wriggle into the sparkly little black dress than it did to film my bit, but it got me thinking: cutaways are critical, but you don't hear much about them.
     If you're new to the industry, this might be a new term for you, so here's the short definition: a cutaway is a short deviation from or interruption to the main scene used to convey information not visually present in the main scene. Cutaways seldom have dialogue, though there are no hard and fast rules preventing it. They are seldom more than a few seconds long, maybe 15 seconds max, and should be carefully placed to avoid disrupting the point of the main scene. (Again, no hard and fast rules.) In general, a cutaway is used to provide insight into a character's thoughts, a break in a long sequence of action, to simplify special effects or just to make a scene more interesting.
     In the example of the bit I filmed last month, the two main characters are talking about the trophy wife and the cutaway is used to briefly visualize the topic of their conversation. Most of the short film takes place in the same location, so my friend used a few strategically-placed inserts and cutaways to add color to the film and break up the monotony of the confined location.
     Cutaways can be the difference in a boring film and a work of art. Take "American Beauty," for example. The cutaway to Lester's dream about Angela in a bath of rose petals became the iconic image of the movie.
     Since cutaways aren't really scenes themselves, they are generally represented by slug lines in your screenplay. Again, using my little bit as an example, it might have looked like this in the screenplay:

-----------------

CUTAWAY - JENNY PRIMPING IN MIRROR

She fixes her makeup and quickly adjusts her cleavage.

RETURN TO SCENE

-----------------

     A cutaway is continuous to the action of the main scene and brief enough to avoid busting the pace of the action. It should always supplement the action of the main scene and differs from an insert in that it shows something that is occurring outside the scope of the main scene. It can be the ticking clock of a bomb your main character is racing to locate, an eavesdropper on the other side of a door, enemies gathering outside the heroes' sanctuary, and so on.
     What's most important is that your cutaway is the same quality and feel as the rest of your film. Yes, there are times where the cutaway may be old stock footage or intentionally different, but such disruptions to the main scene should not jar your audience out of the world you have created.
     Your cutaway needs to make sense within the scene. If you're tracking the countdown on a bomb's timer, make sure the elapsed time makes sense with the pace of your scene, especially if you return to it. For example, if my character is running down the street and I cutaway to my bomb, cut back to see him cross the street, then cut back to the bomb and it's counted down 5 minutes, my audience is going to call foul. I remember watching a film about a year ago that blew it big time with the cutaways. The filmmaker showed his main character in his car heading to the site of an accident. In his cutaway from the car interior to the accident site, it was raining. When the character arrived at the site moments later, the car was dry and there was no sign it had ever rained. That little inconsistency was so disconcerting I lost the importance of the location. He would've been better off skipping the cutaway altogether since the weather hadn't cooperated between shooting times.
     Don't use bad actors in your cutaways, either. It may seem like a great time to give Cousin Bob a little moment in your film, but if Bob sucks, it can ruin the whole scene. The most common sin you see here are actors over-doing it in an effort to steal the scene or make the most of their little moment. As a filmmaker, your biggest challenge is to get them to act natural for 10-15 seconds. (Unless it's slapstick, then all bets are off.) Help your actors understand that their moment will have more weight if it's believable, not over-baked. Don't be afraid to spend time getting the shot just right and never make the mistake of assuming your actor won't need direction.
     With the exception of "American Beauty" your cutaway should never over-shadow the main scene. Think of it as an illustration in a chapter book. It supplements the action, provides insight that can't be conveyed in the context of the main scene, helps time elapse, even lets the watcher in on a secret. Take this scene as an example:

-----------------

INT. GARAGE - DAY TIME

A MYSTERIOUS MAN sits at a worktable built into an alcove in the over-sized garage, a myriad of bomb materials scattered around a shoe with a thick bottom, a small, almost flat completed device amongst the mess. He peels back the sole of the shoe and begins scraping out the inside of it.

CUTAWAY - CIRCUS SECURITY GATE

Security officers are inspecting bags on a table and using metal detection wands as families enter the grounds of the circus.

RETURN TO SCENE

The Mysterious Man inserts the small device into the hollow now in his shoe and carefully seals up the sole, leaving just a bit of fuse sticking out. He puts on the shoe, grabs a small camera bag and climbs into the car.

-----------------

     In this scene, the cutaway builds tension by revealing to us that the mysterious man is placing the bomb in his shoe with the intent of attacking a stadium full of children. Without the cutaway, the audience can only guess at where and how he intends to use the bomb and will likely assume it's an airport. As a screenwriter, I can choose to leave my audience guessing and surprise them with the target later, or I can warn them of the impending attack and up the importance of my hero finding the villain before he can carry out his evil plot.
     In short, don't forget to plan your cutaways when you start developing your screenplay. If you're working with a screenplay that has none or seems a bit dry, take advantage of this technique to spice it up.

    For a great list of cutaway scenarios, check out this 2008 article by Eric Ossohou: The Art of the Cutaway.

Deadlines Matter, Even for Indies

For me, one of the toughest things about independent film is the complete lack of studio-imposed deadlines. I know, you're thinking I'm completely nuts and you're just about to click that little "x" to close the window. Before you do, consider this:

1. Projects that take years to complete suffer issues of relevancy once they finally wrap. I had a friend who started a wonderful story about the Cold War in the 1980's. I heard from her recently: it was finally finished, could I read it? Sure! The writing was brilliant, for 1985. It now needs a complete rewrite because younger audiences won't connect and it's no longer relevant to those who lived through that era. While it could have a cool retro feel as a film today, the story has to include more exposition than it did when the writer started it because of the loss of relevancy.
2. Casting can become a major issue. A filmmaker friend obtained the film rights to a book and went to work writing his screenplay. He was able to find the perfect lead, a local unknown, to star in his project, and shot a few scenes to garner interest in funding the project. However, he kept putting the finished screenplay on the backburner as he worked on other projects. By the time he was ready to start filming, that perfect actor had been cast in a TV series and was no longer available. He's now having to start over with casting and still, more than a year later, doesn't have a completed screenplay ready to shoot.
3. Actors' appearances change over time. The headlining film at our local festival a couple of years ago took several years to complete. This might have been okay except that two of the main characters were young girls when the project started, teens when it finished. The story itself covered less than a year of elapsed time, so the change in the younger actors' appearances was jarring and left audiences confused.

     These are just a few real-world examples where the lack of a hard deadline undermined what might have been successful projects otherwise.
     As an independent filmmaker or screenwriter, it's important to set deadlines for yourself to ensure your project remains relevant, you keep funding you've secured and you don't lose resources attached to the project. Make sure the deadlines you set are reasonable - you don't want to rush the project and produce something crappy, but you also don't want to take so long to get it done that six other people beat you to the punch.
     If you're not sure what makes a reasonable deadline, I recommend choosing a film festival or contest to which you'd like to submit your work. (Don't pick one that closes entries next month.) Alternatively, figure out the pace at which you best work and approximately how long it would take to finish your project at that pace. (Tip: it shouldn't be more than a year out.) For example: if you're a writer, setting a goal of 10 to 20 pages per day would set the goal of first draft for you in approximately 1.5 to 2 weeks out. Factor in time for your detailed proof-read and three or four review passes, and 2 months may be a reasonable deadline for you to have a copy ready to pass around to others to read before your final copy is complete.
     All in all, a deadline should give you a reasonable goal to work toward and put just enough pressure on you to get the work done before completing the project becomes impossible or pointless. It will also show others you want to bring into the project that you are serious about getting it done and that you are a true professional, improving the odds that they will commit the time and effort you need from them to produce quality work.
     So, get to it! Whip out that smartphone and add an appointment, as well as a few reminders, to get that project done. As we all know, once it's in the smartphone calendar, it's real.

"Home" = The Perfect Screenplay

While many screenwriting gurus vary greatly in the advice they give, there is one thing they agree on consistently for a feature-length screenplay: plot structure. If you're a budding writer, hopefully you've seen this basic rule:

It's simple, tried and true...and often ignored by screenwriters and filmmakers, especially in the independent side of the industry. (Hey, sometimes this works, sometimes it leaves audiences scratching their heads.)

For a new screenwriter, sometimes it's difficult to see this structure in modern films. (Try watching action films - they usually throw it in your face.) Since I'm a mom, though, I was compelled to see "Home" with my daughter, who absolutely LOVED that movie. I will be the first to admit, I did, too. So we watched it again and to my everlasting surprise, I realized why: that writer was a genius when it came to adherence to classic plot structure. Okay, and the film was a lot of fun to watch in general.

Not only was the overall story an excellent blend of fun, silliness and heart-string tugging, but the plot was easy for both me and the 10-year-old I brought with me to follow. Our well-trained movie-loving brains subconsciously responded positively to the near perfect adherence to classic plot structure without the slightest thought the story might be formulaic in design.

Whether you're a new screenwriter or an experienced pro, try drawing up your chart (based on the above), pop "Home" into your DVD, and see if you can attach the scenes in this perfectly-designed kids' movie onto the right points in the chart. How does the timing align? (Tip #1: times in the chart are approximate but should divide your movie into thirds at each of the turning points.) Does the setup establish the rules of the world it creates? Does the story stay within those rules (to maintain believability)? Does the action build from each point to the next? Where does the action peak? (Tip #2: It happens twice, as formula demands.) Does the resolution actually resolve every open thread? Evaluate other screenwriting elements "Home" executes well: Does each character have a unique voice? Do we care about what happens to the primary characters? Can you identify the primary antagonist(s)? Does each primary character have a friend/advisor? If you don't find the answer to each question, I have a now 11-year-old who will be happy to help you. :)

If you're not a screenwriter but a burgeoning filmmaker, I encourage you to view this as a guide to identifying excellent screenplays. In the end, they should follow the formula without appearing formulaic. That, my friend, (along with a killer cast and toe-tapping soundtrack), is how you pull in a $54 million weekend box office with a kid-friendly film that doesn't feature a princess or well-known toy anywhere in the story.

4 Ways Social Media is Changing Independent Filmmaking

About two years ago there was a rush by independent filmmakers to jump on the social media bandwagon for low cost film promotion. (Just search "social media independent film" for a rash of blogs, how-to's, etc., generally circa 2013.) Today, it's almost impossible to get your film seen without "posting" incessantly about it across a range of social media outlets, and it works.


There are more ways to leverage the power of social media to improve your success as an independent filmmaker than simply promoting your finished product. Here are some of the coolest/most creative uses of our social world I've seen recently (in no particular order):

1. Group story-building: As modern creative geniuses like Joseph Gordon-Levitt have proven, your followers on social media are a great source of creative, collaborative story-building. Check out his #MonthlyScriptWorkshop on Twitter. From developing an idea to finalizing a screenplay, there are hundreds of talented writers out there willing to contribute their time and energy if you just ask.
2. Fund your project: Crowd-funding is definitely the word of the day not only for independent filmmakers, but for many industries. Sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are excellent sources of funds for those with a project that's ready to go but needs a little extra kick to get started. (Most crowd-funding sites have rules around setting and making goals, so plan your campaign carefully.)
3. Meet your cast & crew: Creative independent filmmakers are expanding their reach to find locals who are willing to help make their dream a reality. I'm personally part of two Meet-up groups specifically targeting the local film community - one a general film-making group, the other targeting actors to cast current and future projects. (Make your group successful by including an educational element for newbies and networking with agencies, studios, etc.) The usual "casting" methods can be pretty difficult to navigate, and even harder to leverage effectively, when the pay for your stars is publicity (maybe) and peanuts. The promise of residuals will draw un-carded, experienced help, but we all know that's more a hope than a guarantee with most indies.
4. Test screening safely: With the increased focus on privacy, security and data protection, filmmakers now have several options to share their projects without losing their rights to them in the process. (Beware of user-agreements that hand your film over to the host. The most popular video-sharing service, to remain unnamed, is of particular concern if not used properly.) I personally like services like SmugMug and OneDrive to set up private shares that prevent download and duplication while providing support for comments and that social media feel. Instead of waiting to test the whole finished project, take advantage of social media and your circle of trusted friends to test specific scenes, different endings, even costumes, make-up, effects...you get the idea.

The digital age is a great thing for independent filmmakers. Take advantage of it!

10 Tips for Film Fest Success

I help out with a local film festival and every year I'm sad to see new, brilliant film-makers hobbled by the same mistakes. Here are 10 things I wish every film-maker/screenwriter would consider BEFORE they submit their entries.

1. The first 30 seconds are critical. Your film may be brilliant, but with thousands of submissions, if the first 30 seconds are hard to see, suffer sound problems, are unoriginal or just plain dull, screeners won't go any further. Your masterpiece will more than likely end up in the reject pile. (Tip, most festivals use a panel of pre-screeners before your entry ever sees a judge.)
2. Win in the first 10. That's right, whether it's a film or screenplay or anything in between, the first ten pages/minutes matter most. Again, most screeners/readers will bail out if that first 10 doesn't win them. Hook us, then worry about explaining who your characters are. We won't care about exposition if we're already interested in finding out what happens next. If your short film is only ten minutes long, make sure that first minute is brilliant.
3. Plan for the big screen. One of my (current) all-time favorite film festival entries (Republic of Rick) could've been a box office success if only it had been shot in the right format. 24 frames per second is a bare minimum (48-60 preferred), as is making sure you've selected the correct widescreen format and are ready to package to DCP. Once upon a time, you needed a bevy of $100,000 cameras to get there. Today, I can get pretty close with my $850 Canon Rebel Digital SLR and a stack of top-notch SD cards. In other words, budget isn't an excuse. Between the low cost of storage, (check out services like Microsoft's Azure, which actually hosted the data for Avatar during production), and the ease of converting your film onto Blu-Ray from almost any PC, there's no reason your film fest entry shouldn't be ready to hit theaters should it catch the attention of distributors.
4. Pay attention to light and sound consistency. As an independent film maker, keeping conditions the same over a period of time can be pretty tough on a shoe-string budget. However, post-production software is fairly low cost and can be used to level out both audio and light differentiations. Consistency in general can also be a real killer in an otherwise good film. I remember one film last year that was pretty decent overall, but suffered terrible consistency issues that left audience members shaking their heads. (I.e. a car driving through the rain but being completely dry when shot from the exterior, female actor's hair colors changing drastically between scenes, you get the picture.)
5. Skip the effects. Unless your digital effects are outstanding quality, they can really detract from an otherwise excellent film. Of course, student film categories are far more forgiving than the other categories at most festivals. If you can't afford the time, effort and/or talent to produce at least mediocre quality effects, skip them. We may not really need to see that space ship to know it's there, and might actually even be more intrigued by a film that cleverly avoids showing it to us.
6. Follow submission guidelines. Enter your submission in the right category and make sure it's complete and ready to go. If the film festival requires "premier" or "first run" in a particular category - don't submit a film that's already been shown at other festivals. (Usually there are categories for both types of film.) Submit in the right format, too. This varies by film festival. Some require printed screenplays, others PDF, others Word. For films, most prefer DVDs or Blu-Rays these days. Some may require you upload directly to a streaming service they use. Make sure your entry doesn't violate any intellectual property laws, either. Plagiarism may only get you kicked out if you do it in school, but it can result in a law suit when it comes to your film festival submission.
7. Stock footage should be unfamiliar or used in new, creative ways. Everyone has seen MLK's "I have a dream" speech over and over, along with "One small step for man..." Find other ways to get your point across if at all possible.
8. Skip the corny, tired dialog. Every time I hear a character utter the words "He is the BEST <insert description> I've ever known," (or any variation thereof), I dismiss the film right away. (Yes, big budget films make the same dumb mistakes, but they have 7-figure ad budgets and 8-figure stars to help them overcome bad dialog.) The key to a great screenplay or film is a modicum of originality. I don't need you to tell me he's the best cop ever. I figured that out the minute Will Smith's "Jay" ran down the insane alien in the early minutes of "MIB." Not once did you hear Tommy Lee Jones' "Agent K" tell us he was the best ever, even if he does reference the successful chase. Watch a few popular films in your category. If you hear similar lines, avoid them like the plague.
9. Submit early. While you may make the deadline with a last-minute entry, there's a good chance judges will have already formed an attachment to early favorites.
10. If you get accepted, show up to the festival and "sell" your film. Festivals are not only attended by the other entrants, but other industry insiders. I've often attended viewings of films I hadn't intended to see simply because the film maker was at the opening party and sold me on his or her film. If you're an artist in the industry, whether it's an actor, writer, sound mixer, effects artist, producer, whatever - show up and do some hand shaking. You just might actually find your next great collaborator or even a paid gig on an upcoming project.

I hope you find this information useful. Best of luck with your next festival entry!

Indie Life: Spark Session

I recently decided to leap back into acting/filmmaking after a VERY long hiatus. Thanks to the magic of the internet, it's been pretty easy to connect to others in the industry locally, and that's a wonderful thing.

Just this week I got to spend a few hours with a group of filmmakers and actors, some experienced, some aspiring, to discuss a joint project. Nothing big, just a little music video, but what joy the whole creative process brings! Unlike a typical corporate sales planning session, we were all naturally marching in the direction of the same goal. No idea was ignored. Everyone was positive and supportive, and within 2 hours we had a solid, scriptable outline of our video on paper and next steps to keep the project moving. We were all there for the love of the art form. That's how great art is born.

Granted, no funding was involved. No one to demand we earn back our production costs within xx weeks of release. And that is exactly why working in the indie world is such a gift. Sometimes money can really get in the way of the creative process. But not today. Not in Houston, TX where most films are made by non-union-members and nameless independent "studios."

Now, to find a sound stage, 3d animator and some decent lights on a $0 budget...