Reading Screenplays Page 10

  If it isn’t indicated otherwise a reader will assume that your story is set in the present day and in the city and country in which they are reading it and this often leads to subsequent confusion that can prejudice their response to the idea.

  It can be effective to state a fact because, if it’s an intriguing one, it is also likely to serve as a hook.

  Mr & Mrs Smith could have effectively started with a statement that says:

  Professional assassins all lead a double life. To their friends and neighbours they are happily married, conventional, law–abiding members of neighbourhood watch, but it’s just a cover. Even their husbands and wives don’t know that, whilst everyone else is doing the school run or the daily office grind, they are bumping off politicians and annihilating business men. Jane and John Smith (not their real names) are New York’s top–secret assassins. So secret that neither has a clue what the other really does for a living…

  Screenplay structure

  It is essential that the treatment reveal a good understanding of screenplay structure and the best way to convey this is to:

  Establish the normal world of the main character

  Describe what happens to kick start this particular story

  Articulate the active, dramatic question that runs through the film

  Indicate the layers of conflict that will keep things developing through the middle section of the film

  Describe the climax, i.e. the final confrontation with the main source of opposition/antagonism – and tells us which way it goes

  Resolve any outstanding important story threads

  Remember to write in a way that constantly reminds the reader what kind of a film this is, not just with the vocabulary you choose but by varying the lengths of the sentences to reflect the pace of the action and by drawing the reader’s attention to visual imagery if this conveys important layers of meaning in the story.

  Dialogue

  If the project is a soft–concept drama or a sophisticated comedy it is likely that dialogue will be doing more work than it would in many of the other genres, so the treatment should probably be well sprinkled with exchanges that mark key turning points or big laughs.

  Writing visually

  It can be tempting in writing the prose version of the film idea to drift into novelising the story: this means writing too much description, supplying more character backstory than necessary and telling the reader the stuff that is going on inside the character’s head. Writing in the present tense should help keep it focused on the fact that this is a film, and remember that, in films, the vast majority of key moments are marked by what the characters DO and not what they THINK. Constantly check that the writing is telling the reader what is happening in a way that conveys the action from what they are seeing. In a story in which the plot turns on subtle changes in a character, make sure that it is clear how these changes will be signalled to the audience.

  It can be worth considering whether to open the treatment by describing the action of the first scene rather than telling the reader about the main character. Characters come with backstory and the temptation to drift into this in detail can make the reader panic – how will I know all this from what I see on the screen?

  Read back each paragraph to ask whether there are any concrete images conveyed; can the reader see someone doing something or is it vague? This doesn’t mean that everything that happens in every scene needs to be described in detail, but the writer should choose pivotal moments and make sure that the treatment conveys how the film plans to TREAT that revelation, plot development, character reveal in a dramatically interesting way.

  The setting of the film in general, and key scenes in particular, is obviously an important element of what makes the story cinematic, but hone the skill of painting the scene with the minimum number of brush strokes. If a scene is happening on a beach in the north of England in winter, how much more information does the reader really need in order to visualise it?

  Introducing and describing characters

  Keep the number of characters featured in the treatment to the minimum necessary to convey the essential elements of the film. It’s important to name the key characters but it is even more important to introduce them with the significant detail that pins down the kind of person they are. An indication of age is always useful (unless it is obvious from the context) but race and physical attributes should only be highlighted if they are significant in terms of the character’s role and behaviour in this story. Far more useful to the reader trying to hold the cast in their head as they read is a pithy phrase that evokes the character’s general demeanour or attitude: Greg is a looker and, boy, does he know it; Juliet is a solemn 10–year–old with eyes that have seen worse things than you can possibly imagine, etc.

  It is also important to avoid giving too much precise physical detail about characters so that the reader can fill in the detail that works for them. If, for example, it’s important to your story that a character is fantastic looking and you describe blue eyes, blonde hair, etc, but the reader doesn’t go for that physical type, you are giving them a way out of engaging with your character and therefore your story. Far better to say something like: Jane walks into the restaurant and heads turn – every woman in the place wants to be her and every man just wants her.

  These principles also apply to establishing what is significant in the character’s emotional or professional life. Of course, the treatment could just state that they are in an unhappy marriage, or hate their job, but it’s far better, both in terms of evoking the film and engaging the reader’s active investment in the story, if the treatment describes briefly the scene that conveys this information:

  John is in his pyjamas standing outside the bathroom door. He raises his hand to knock but thinks better of it. The door opens. Suzie walks past him without a word, pulling her robe tightly around her.

  Point of view

  It is important to ensure that the POV is clear. In a single–protagonist film this will mean writing the treatment from the main character’s understanding of the story. It is not unheard of for treatments to be written in the first–person voice of one of the characters, but clearly this is only appropriate if it is an accurate reflection of the film, and if that character has a distinctive voice. This kind of limitation on the writing can be creatively liberating for the writer but it can also compromise what the treatment can actually achieve for the reader. It is likely to work best in relation to films in which the whole script is written solely from the main character’s POV and less well in relation to films that depart from that to an objective POV. It is quite possible to strike a happy medium by alternating the ‘voice’ of the treatment between that of the character and an objective voice. If this approach is used it is probably a good idea to employ a simple, obvious and consistent layout convention to distinguish between the two.

  What to do with a multi–strand story?

  Multi–strand stories are those that have several discrete story lines each with their own beginning, middle and end. The disparate stories may be connected by a key event, or by a place, or through a theme, and ideally all three, to generate a cohesive film, but each strand is also complete within itself. (Examples of multi–strand films are Crash, Magnolia, Love Actually). A film in which a single story is followed may still use different points of view to show different events, as is the case in American Beauty, but, ultimately, if one story is being told (in this case Lester’s mid–life crisis) it is not a multi–strand.

  When preparing a treatment for a multi–strand story, a good question to ask is what links the individual stories and then to flag that up strongly at the beginning of the treatment. It may be that they are all set in the same location but there is also likely to be an event or theme that links the characters. If it is an event – such as a car crash and the ramifications of that on several lives – then, wherever that happens in the film script, it is a good idea to begin the prose version with that event.
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  If the characters are linked thematically (grief, trust, love), it is likely that each character will bring a different point of view to the theme to give the story a wholeness and sense of completeness. Ensure that the way in which each character is introduced, and the way their actions are portrayed, clearly distinguishes each character’s position in relation to the central theme.

  Think very carefully about whether to intercut between all the stories in the treatment in the way that the script does. Obviously, the more strands there are, the harder this will be for the reader to follow, and it may be better to give one small indication of the way the film will move between characters early on in the document but then simply to summarise each character’s story.

  Acknowledge the source

  If the film is an adaptation of a book (or anything else), or is based on a true–life event, then be sure to flag this up at the start. The industry is notoriously conservative when it comes to totally original material so make good use of the advantage that an existing source endows on a project. However, be even more sure that all the underlying rights have been secured before approaching the industry with a treatment or script.

  Finally – make it reader–friendly

  The people who will be reading the treatment spend most of their time reading scripts. Scripts are documents with lots of space on the page and this has a psychological effect on the reader that is very different from reading blocks of prose. So aim for a layout that is elegant and well spaced, with wide margins and a 12–point font. Avoid colours and quirky fonts. Keep the paragraphs short and, where appropriate, break up chunks of prose with short extracts of dialogue. The convention is to write treatments in the present tense in order to keep the reader involved as the action develops.

  As with all aspects of screenwriting, there is no magic formula to writing treatments and it is important to take an approach that, without being overly tricksy, best suits the particular project and allows the writer’s voice to come through. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that this is a prose document – people in the industry know that you are a screenwriter and not (necessarily) a novelist, and the treatment will be judged primarily on the strength and dramatic potential of the idea and not on the beauty of the writing. On the other hand, take pains to avoid irritating the reader by scrupulously checking spelling, grammar and punctuation.

  Test read

  Friends aren’t often very useful critics of screenplays, but they can be an invaluable resource for test reading treatments. Ask them to read it and then really listen to what they say, especially the bit after the obligatory, ‘I thought it was really great…’ Quiz them to see if they understand the story you think you have written and, if they don’t, acknowledge that it is probably not that they are stupid but that you have not made it clear.

  Treatments are an important part of the writing process and the development industry, and must be given the time and thought required to make them both fit for purpose and as good as the writer can make them.

  6.A CAREER IN SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT

  INTRODUCTION

  When the process of script development succeeds it is the most enjoyable and satisfying experience. Discussing stories with other creative people is an education and endlessly fascinating and feels like a huge privilege. Of course, script development may often be unsuccessful and disappointing. This chapter describes the nature of script development and offers some guidance on how to best ensure the development is a successful process.

  The main problem with the ‘job’ of script development is that it isn’t written down anywhere. There is no fixed description that sets out the process or the boundaries of development work, or any useful document to refer to that can help guide us through the different scenarios we may encounter. There is no list of probable or possible situations and how best to navigate them, and often, to cap it all, lots of us ‘fall’ unprepared into the role of script developer. Though we may approach the task responsibly, if we are not clear about demarcating the roles and boundaries it may prove to be a very stressful and difficult process.

  To be clear, my definition of script development is the process by which the developer works with a writer on a project with the intention of making the script better placed for the next stage, i.e. finding a producer, seeking an agent, making an application for funding, or production of the film itself. The script developer will be anyone who works on the script who is not the writer. This could be another writer, or a producer, or a director, or a script developer who may be attached to the production or the production company, the funding body or working freelance.

  A developer may have started out as a producer (though often styled ‘creative producer’ rather than ‘developer’). Coming to development via producing usually means that the developer has completed at least one project such as a short film, television content or a feature film. The process of reading a story idea and then seeing it go through the various development stages to reach the screen is a very sharp and useful education in story development.

  The other route to script development is to be good at script reports. Readers who write reports that are useful and valued sufficiently by either the writer or the producer become script developers when one or both ask the reader to do more detailed, face–to–face work.

  DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS

  The transition from writing script reports or producing content to running development meetings is a major one and should not be underestimated. Producing becomes driven by largely practical considerations and reading scripts and writing script reports is a task requiring skills in analysis and the understanding of the potential and the problems of the proposed project. The process of script development, however, is all about the writer; the developer has to productively assist the writer achieve the best potential that exists in the written script. This is the most important task of the developer, and the developer’s biggest responsibility is to create a working climate in which the writer may produce the best possible work.

  The two important maxims of the development process are: (1) writing is re–writing, and (2) in rewriting, nothing is sacred. Developers have to hone and perfect two interpersonal skills to do this job well – the ability to listen and the ability to communicate clearly, as the development process is guided through meetings.

  Preparation

  When meeting a writer for the first time, here are some points to bear in mind. First, make sure you have enough time between receiving the script and the meeting date to prepare. Find out about the background to the project: is this the first draft or has the project already been through stages of development? If so, don’t ask for earlier drafts or previous scripts, but, if a short document exists that articulates the central idea, try to obtain it. Find out the origins of the project: is it the writer’s original idea, or the producer’s? Or is it an adaptation? The answers will affect the way you approach the material. Writers will have a very different relationship to their own stories, as opposed to having being hired to do the writing.

  If the story is adapted and you are not familiar with the original, you need not necessarily read, watch or research the source material. Your contribution to the process is in assessing the project as a piece of film, and knowledge of the source may be a distraction. Do research the writer, however, and find what else they have written, and read or watch it.

  The script

  It is essential to read the script in one sitting so as to get a sense of the whole story. Most scripts you read will remind you of other films, and you should note these as they may be a useful topic during a meeting with the writer. If the story appears to conform to a genre that you are not especially familiar with (kids’ films, westerns, sci–fi, war films) find time to watch classics of the genre. A second reading of the script will always be worthwhile and ensure more accuracy in your notes and thinking. Remember to note good elements – a well–written character, a beautifully crafted image – as well as your reservations.
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br />   The meeting

  Prepare, and, if possible, memorise, the points that you believe are pertinent to the script you have read, but be flexible enough to respond to what the writer says at your meeting.

  The heart of the problem in any script may often be connected with the relationship between the premise, the structure, the characters and the genre. Anyone who reads a script will be able to offer an opinion about whether or not they like it. What characterises a good developer is in offering the writer a way of understanding why and how elements of the script may not be working well. This is not the same as knowing and giving the writer the answers. In fact, try not to provide your answers because that is what the writer has to do. The developer needs to concentrate on knowing and pointing out why there is a problem. The purpose of the meeting is not to tell the writer what may not work or how to fix it, but to hold the discussion that will allow them to make the useful connections for themselves.

  Breaking the ice

  Do not omit to catch up with where the writer is by the time you meet; since your reading the draft, the writer has probably thought a lot more about the script and has often done further writing. Be sure to find out what work the writer thinks is required. If the writer has also noted something that you have (e.g. ‘I am struggling with the structure; I am not sure where the first act should end…’) then open the discussion there. If the writer doesn’t suggest any ways to work on the script that they have considered, then it’s up to you to raise your most important point.