screenwriters toolkit

Have you ever seen Ghost in the Shell? There’s a scene in the middle of the movie’s buildup that’s a contemplative movement where the main character watches the city go by. It’s the perfect example of place as action. The pensive main character is taken away by place in a moment that gives the viewer a chance to reflect on the action and philosophy in the movie. My question: Are there other examples of place as action? Can place move the plot forward? Your Task: Brainstorm 5 movie scenes where place is the defining factor in the scene.

When I’m writing a story, I like to get descriptive. If I’m writing a screenplay, I’m trying to narrow that descriptive drive into shorter sentences and less words. The point is to get more into less so the production crew doesn’t have to decode fancy descriptive paragraphs while turning the script into something filmable. Your Task: Practice your economy of words on place descriptors. Go somewhere you want to write about. Being there, come up with 10 words that describe this place. Now, narrow it down to 3 that truly capture it’s essence. Finally, write 1 descriptive sentence that shows where you are.

How do movies influence, change or effect us? How can 1 scene have so much staying power in our lives? I’ve seen it many times. Friends will refer to a specific scene from a movie to relate experiences in their lives. They’ll use scenes in movies to justify a decision. It goes on. Your Task: Watch your favorite scene of a movie. Freewrite for 20 minutes on anything that comes up.

Place effects us. We react differently based on where we are. See for yourself. Your Task: Take a character from a movie (one that you’ve created, or one that you like) & place them in several different locations and time periods. Imagine your character’s main attributes and how they change relative to where they are. Also, notice what remains the same. Freewrite: How does place change us?

What changes in your scenes when you reduce or expand them? Screenwriting books almost unanimously call for an economy of words — choosing your words wisely and using less to say more. Practice this. Your Task: Come up with a scene from a movie and write 3 versions of the same scene. Write the first one using a 1/2 page; the second one with 1 1/2 pages; and the third one using 3 pages.