"That's good screenwriting!"
The Wow Factor
Want to know a surefire way to impress someone reading your script? Surprise them!
That doesn’t mean coming up with a twist ending. That means ensuring there are surprises in every scene. Yes, EVERY scene.
Surprises can take on many forms:
- Actions that contradict a character’s intent
- Dialogue that contradicts a character’s actions
- Humorous exploits
- Payoffs to things setup earlier in the script
- Snappy comebacks
- Shocking imagery
- Reveals that change what we thought we were looking at
- Beginning a scene in an unexpected way
- Ending a scene in an unexpected way
- New complications
- Thought provoking predicaments
- Character mishaps
- Clichés turned on their ear
… and the list goes on and on.
Sometimes we get wrapped up in the function of a scene (e.g. “I just need my characters to fight so one will leave”). The result? It falls flat.
In your spec script there should be no such thing as a “standard scene.” Throw in a surprise (or two or three) in every scene and you’ll dramatically improve both your story and your chances of receiving a “recommend” rating.
What the…?
For some surprising inspiration, here are two bizarre videos that take you in entirely unexpected directions.
An important (and hilarious) announcement from Ronald Reagan… In Spanish of course. Keep watching this one, it’s worth it.
“First these giant teddy bears started crossing the road… and then things got weird.”
In anticipation of the 82nd Academy Awards celebration tonight, I’ve collected a few cool Oscar themed links:
* Tavis Coburn, of The Dutch Uncle Agency, created vintage style movie posters for all the British Academy Film Awards nominees (which are also up for Oscars).
* All of the Oscar nominated Animated Shorts are online. In my opinion, Logorama gets top marks for a highly original, hilarious, and sometimes shocking, tale. This movie may result in a lifetime of trademark infringement lawsuits for the creator, but that’s a small price to pay for an Academy Award nomination right?
Listed according to my ranking:
1) “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin (Part 2 here)
2) “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park
3) “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
4) “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
5) “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* Sandra Bullock (nominated for a Best Actress Oscar) brings humor and perspective to the Razzies by showing up to accept her award for Worst Actress.
* There were two trilogies in which all three films were nominated for Best Picture. Can you name them? Here are 10 of the “Best Facts about the Best Pictures.”
Let’s all breathe a collective: “Phew!”
Dan Meth peeks behind the showbiz curtain to bring you the Hollywood that could have been. Some of cinema’s greatest film roles, as played by some of [the] actors initially considered for them.
Video Link via Neatorama
As screenwriters, we all dream of the day we get to watch an actor saying our words on the big screen…
That is, unless it’s this actor:
Other “Worst Ever” moments courtesy of Mental Floss here.
Who is that guy?
Ever seen an actor in a movie or TV show and ask yourself: “Who is that guy and where have I seen him before?”
Well now there’s a web page that lets you identify the veteran character actor from his photo. All photos have links to the respective actor’s Internet Movie Database page.
I don’t know who the guy is who put this page together, but I sure am glad he did. Now he just needs to come up with a companion site — That Gal!
Link
In the Photo: M. Emmet Walsh (That guy from my favorite The Outer Limits episode)
