Essentials of Screenwriting by Paul Harrill A story is a tellable event, or series of events, of significance.

The best stories have the following components: Characters -- People have to make choices and those who dont have it all figured out make compelling characters. Conflict, Desire & Obstacles -- Conflict arises when characters want something (desire) and when something stands in the way of what they want (obstacles). Conflict can occur when two people want different things, or it can come from society or even from within oneself. Subtext -- People dont always say what they mean; neither should your characters. Leave some unspoken thoughts, gestures, and motives unsaid in the script. Rely on your audience to pick up on the subtle signals. Choices & Stakes -- In order to resolve conflict, characters have to make choices. Choices have meaning when there is something at stake, when the character stands to lose/gain something because of his/her choice. Change -- At the end of a story, we (the reader, the viewer) should feel that some kind of change has taken place. In the best stories, something, or someone, will never be the same because of choices that have been made and the result of those choices. In a short film/script, the story itself can be about something quite minor -- a walk home from a basketball game with a friend -- but what happens might end up being monumental to the main character. These are the elements of a story, plain and simple. Beyond the elements, there is also a structure to story. We often talk about stories having elements like inciting action, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a denouement. You probably learned these ideas in grade school. Theyre still useful to consider. Another way to discuss stories is simply by considering the beginning, middle, and end. In screenwriting, we often talk about these segments as Act I, Act II, and Act III. Each act usually is concerned with a separate unit of dramatic action, or a distinct set of conflicts. For example, in very broad terms, Luke Skywalkers conflicts in (the original) Star Wars, are as follows: Act I -- Get off Tattoine and join the rebellion against the wishes of his aunt and uncle Act II -- Save Princess Leia. Act III -- Blow up the Death Star.

Plot Points are scenes or sequences that spin us from one act into another. For example, the plot point that turns us from Act I to Act II is when Luke learns about Princess Leia. Shortly afterwards, Lukes aunt and uncle are killed off, effectively freeing him to search for Princess Leia. Think of plot points as the essential, connective tissue between major acts. One thing thats almost always the case is that plot points are moments when characters have to make decisions. The decision the character makes spins us into the next act. *** If what you write has the elements listed above arranged coherently, it will most likely be a story. Will it be any good? Thats a different question. There are several things that can make a story work more or less engaging. Many of these issues have to do with issues of structure, when you begin and end scenes, the believability of your dialogue, and so on. These are issues you tackle, over and over, in re-writes. But some of the bigger problems that come up are issues that happen in the early stages of development. Considering these problems early on is useful because it can help you make a solid start with your writing. So, let me address a few common problems that I have seen over and over in student work.

Cliched premises. A clich is an element of a story that is exhausted or that can no longer surprise us (e.g. overused genres, tired movie plots, stereotypical/"type" characters, etc.). The world does not need another premise about drug deals, zombies, serial killers, abducted women locked in the basement, first dates gone wrong, gangsters betraying each other... Solution: Tell a story about something you know about, which you think the movies get wrong. Or write about something you know nothing about -- but research it thoroughly so you can get the details right.

Nameless, faceless characters. Good stories are specific. If the main characters have names like "Guy" and "Girl" or are described as "your typical college student" or, just as bad, not described at all that's not a promising start to your story. Solution: Develop your characters. They're your number one way of combatting cliches.

2011

Using a "gun" to make things more interesting. This is one of the biggest cliches of all. Using a gun to enliven a plot is a cheap trick, probably the cheapest one in the book. (The Office brilliantly parodied the idea that guns are dramatically interesting in scenes of Michael Scotts improv class. Watch here: http://www.tbs.com/video/index.jsp? oid=156742) Solution: Tell the story without guns. You'll be amazed at how much more imagination is required.

Flashbacks, dream sequences, and voice over. These techniques are used to reveal someone's past or their internal state, but like the gun (see above) they're cheap ways of avoiding the hard work of dramatic storytelling. We don't see flashbacks, dream sequences and voiceovers of our friends in real life, so how do we know how they're feeling? We watch them closely and listen for the subtext in what they say. Do the same with your characters. Solution: Find creative ways of expressing internal states through external means. And, if you need flashbacks a lot, start your story earlier.

All talk, no action. Good screenplays are never just lists of dialogue; they always describe compelling action as well. Even the films of Eric Rohmer and Woody Allen -two makers of very "talky" movies -- have their quiet moments of compelling action (cf. the ending of Claire's Knee or Hannah and Her Sisters). Sadly, the things people talk about in actionless scripts are just chatter: guys talk about sports, movies, video games, or comic books (cf. Kevin Smiths movies); gals talk about gossipy stuff. It's interesting in life to talk about this stuff; it's usually boring to watch it in the movies. Solution: Look over your screenplay. If it looks like pages of uninterrupted dialogue, youll want to reconsider how youre dramatizing your scenes. Explore writing scenes in which the story is told wordlessly.

College students on a college campus with college problems. Turning in a paper on time, oversleeping and missing a test, bad roommates or neighbors, girlfriend/ boyfriend problems... Drama (and comedy) work best when the stakes are high. Though they may feel that way, college stories are rarely high stakes stories. Solution: Put down your cell phone, get off the computer, go into a neighboring town and look around. The world is full of interesting stories. 2011

Therapy. We all have our issues. All of us. But don't use a script to get back at your mother, or your dad, or your ex-girlfriend or whomever, at least not directly. Yes, you're angry and hurt, and maybe you have a right to be, but it's uncomfortable for us to feel like we're sitting in on your therapy session. Solution: Artists have used storytelling for centuries to process painful things -theres nothing wrong with this. It helps keep us sane, in fact. But get some distance by taking your personal issues and giving them to a character that is radically different from you.

Social issue and "message" stories. Stories about, say, bullying, racism, or the deterioration of human relationships because of computers are often a bundle of cliches. Why? Because there is so rarely the element of surprise. Bullying is wrong, racism is bad, and people use computers too much. We know. Likewise, don't try to tell a story beginning with the theme (e.g., "men have trouble communicating well with women"). You're not writing a paper; you're telling a story. A story is about specific characters in a specific situation, so stop with the generalizations. Solution: Don't address social issues head-on; do so from an oblique angle. And develop your story beginning with a specific character, not a bundle of generalizations about men, women, etc. A story with a theme is great, but let it emerge organically.

Gimmick and cop-out endings. Don't end your script with the main character: waking up and realizing the whole thing was a dream, or committing suicide, or shooting someone else, or being killed, or anything else that feels like a punchline, gimmick, or a way of cheating the audience. If you think the ending to your script is "a clever twist", you are probably wrong. Solution: Stop attempting to be clever and instead attempt to speak about the human condition. Tell a story, don't play a trick on your audience.

A bonus suggestion: Write a script for the cast you have available. (This does not let you off the hook regarding "college stories" above.) Nothing sinks a good script like inadequate casting. I can't tell you how many genre retreads I've seen with gangsters, sheriffs, detectives, and police officers played by twenty-somethings. I recently saw an impeccably lit still from a student film noir project. Unfortunately, the main character

2011

didn't look like he was shaving yet. Also, no one seemed to notice that he was wearing Converse high tops under his trench coat.

Finally.... Don't try to solve all of the problems of your script or premise before you write it. That's a recipe for writer's block! Instead, rewrite and revise your work over and over until it's as strong as it possibly can be. Then share it with trusted friends and solicit their honest opinion. Then rewrite some more. Writing is a process. It can be challenging, even painful. If it was easy, everyone would do it. But the sense of accomplishment you feel when you've crafted an original, welltold story is significant.

2011