What does your character want out of life?

A character's wants and needs drive the plot.

Before you argue that plot precedes character development, let's focus on how a character's wants and needs can drive a plot forward.

Today I watched WALL STREET again. I know this probably makes me a sucker since I am also planning on watching the sequel to see where Gordon Gekko picks up once he's a free man. And though I hate explanation as a story element, since I don't see Bud Fox in the character list for the 2010 film, I hope they'll tell us what became of him.

So let's focus on Bud Fox for a moment. What did he want? He wanted to be a powerful player on Wall Street, and he did everything he could to become that player. First he cold called Gekko's office 59 days in a row, trying to score just five minutes with the legend. Then, on May 6th -- Gekko's birthday -- he personally delivered a box of Cuban cigars to him. For his effort, Fox was invited to wait (for three hours!) to finally gain his five minutes with Gekko.

At first Fox acted like I might have given the same opportunity - he was tongue tied and nervous. After all, this was WHO Fox wanted to be. Or at least who he wanted to mentor him. But by the end of the five minutes, Fox makes a decision: he divulges insider trading information for the chance to work with Gekko, while at the same time selling a piece of his soul.

And it works.

Fox continues to drive the plot forward by chasing his wants and dreams, even though more pieces of him are dying off in the process. But it isn't until his actions nearly cause massive destruction to his father and his father's friends and co-workers, that Fox realizes he's chasing the wrong dreams. And so the third act becomes about him seeking his redemption.

Do we care? I think we do. We might not agree with all the choices Fox makes, but we empathize with his reasons, and understand that for him, this really is a do-or-die goal. But I'll also admit I am happy redemption seeps in at the end--that Fox ultimately turns out to be his father's son and not a Gekko II. Whether or not you enjoyed the 1987 movie, or liked the characters, you can see how the character's single-minded wants drive the story forward.  It's an unstoppable train that carries the viewer on a ride.

Next time we'll look at the equal and opposite viewpoint of the antagonist who works against the protagonist to cause conflict, raise tension, and keep our attention.

Writing Your Story

An interesting article on writing the story inside you by Screenwriter and Playwright Catherine Ann Jones; check it out at ScriptShark.

Backstory: Knowing it is important; knowing when to share it is key

How well do you know your characters?

Chances are you've done your homework and you know what they ate for lunch, where they ate it, and with whom. You also know if their parents are alive, what their parents' occupations are or were, and whether they lived happily as a married or divorced couple.  But just because you know that your character prefers Prada to Levi's, or vice versa, doesn't mean you have to share every scrap of backstory with the script reader.

Author James Scott Bell (The Art of War for Writers) talks about actively adding backstory to your writing (page 145). While Bell is writing to novelists, the same logic applies to screenwriters: tell us what we need to know to actively keep the story moving forward. In his example, from The House of Sand and Fog by novelist Andre Dubus, Bell notes how Dubus cleverly inserts backstory into dialogue. It's not a character running off her mouth, listing her characteristics: "I'm twenty-seven years old, a pisces, was born in Bermuda during a hurricane, had my tonsils removed," etc., but rather pertinent information that helps define who the character is and what his dreams are. It helps the reader (or film viewer) begin to understand the character's goals.

Another great bit of wisdom to keep in mind when uncertain about how much backstory to present is delivered by Director Sydney Lumet. In his book Making Movies, Lumet describes the early years of filmmaking when, about two-thirds of the way through a movie, someone describes the psychological truth that made the character who he was. He writes that he and Writer Paddy Chayefsky named this, "the 'rubber-ducky' school of drama: 'Someone once took his rubber ducky away from him, and that's why he's a deranged killer'" (page 37). 

So while it's important that you know your characters inside and out, backwards and forwards, it's also important to know how to judiciously share relevant, character-building details that drive the story forward, not derail it completely.

Next blog post, we'll discuss how the character's wants and needs drive the plot forward. 

Writing Dialogue: It's about listening.

Yesterday as I sat and talked script notes with a director friend of mine, I scribbled down every suggestion he had for me. It didn't mean that this morning as I edited I used his notes verbatim, but it meant I had the essence of his vision, which is so close to mine that sometimes he and I can't even recall whose idea a favorite line of dialogue originally was.

But he said something else to me during one of our breaks. He told me about two people he chatted with who didn't listen to him. The experience, he said, has made him a better listener since he has a new appreciation for just how important the skill is.

The scriptwriter must be an acute listener, for not only must she hear what a director or producer is saying in a notes session, but she must hear her characters speaking to each other.  If a character asks a question of one character or makes an observation, then the next line from the other character needs to be in response to that (unless the character is known for his easily distracted tendencies).

As I revise some of my scenes today, I am also conscious of how each character speaks. The three buddies in my story each have a unique voice, and a distinct manner in which they interact with one another. You know you've nailed the dialogue when you can cover the name of the character and still discern who is speaking. If you can't hear the unique voices of your characters, it's time to go back and make sure you know who they are, and how each fits in with the others.

Listening in on everyday conversations is another skill the adept writer needs to embrace. I tell my students and workshop participants to listen in on their own conversations as well as dialogue around them. I have a slight hearing problem, so when I can overhear a conversation in line at the movie theatre, then I consider it a public conversation, inviting people like me to listen in and learn how different people speak with each other.  It's become a hobby of mine that helps my writing, especially when I discover a new speech pattern or a unique dialect.

So...you wanna be a scriptwriter? First rule (repeated from an earlier post) -- listen.

So You Want to Write a Screenplay? (Take Two.)

You’re not alone.

This semester 15 students enrolled in my Intro Scriptwriting course at the University of New Hampshire. It’s a three-hour class that meets once a week. During that time we read scripts, talk films, screen movies, and discuss story-telling techniques and screenplay rules.

As a reader of screenplays submitted to various competitions over the years, I’ve grown to appreciate the scripts penned by writers who have obviously studied their craft. The tales that jump to the front of my queue are the ones that have compelling characters with clear and defined do-or-die goals.  Where they are up against believable odds, and find logical solutions to their problems.  The best screenplays also share one major trait: they adhere to proper screenplay format.

If you’re going to write a screenplay, it’s important to study screenwriting. Just as an architect must study for years before being able to create comprehensible plans for contractors, a screenwriter must learn the intricacies of the art form in order to pen a solid screenplay that can serve as a blueprint for a director and her crew.

There are many great books* and programs available to students of any age. I first studied in the Online Professional Programs at UCLA and later earned my MFA in Creative Writing with a focus in Screenwriting via the low-residency program at Goddard College. In addition to classes at UNH and at New England College, I’ve taught workshops ranging from two hours to two days for the NH Film Festival, the RI International Film Festival, and the NH Writers’ Project. So you see, there are countless programs to choose from.

So…you want to be a screenwriter? Second rule: study your craft.

*One excellent reference book is Paul Argentini’s Elements of Style for Screenwriters: The Essential Manual for Writers of Screenplays. Read that and as many screenplays as you can.

So You Want to Write A Screenplay

Who doesn't these days?

A friend of mine, a screenwriter who landed the post of a WGA writing intern at a popular TV series, told me the story of his cab ride from LAX to the studio -- in which the cabbie pitched him a script! It's an often retold story, so I rarely tell anyone on a flight to LA or nearby Long Beach that I'm a screenwriter.

But then it happened to me yesterday on the phone. I called a printer in another major metropolis where studios reside to get a quote on photocopying the Top Three Screenplays in the New Hampshire Film Festival Screenplay Competition and delivering them to our judge's office. When the guy on the other end of the phone pitched me his script, I scratched his company off my list. I was not about to give him the job...so he could pitch to our judge upon delivery too.  I didn't care how good his prices were. (Actually he was going to charge me more than the service I eventually hired.)

Knowing when and where to pitch to someone is as important as knowing how to pitch. I'll give the guy credit: he had his pitch down cold. But when he asked, "Is this something your company would be interested in?" I could only repeat what I had told him at the beginning of our conversation -- that I am the Director of the NHFF Screenplay Competition, and that he is welcome to submit his script in next year's competition via Withoutabox, but I'm not a company. Rather, I'm just a screenwriter who, like him, would also be interested in finding a studio interested in acquiring my script.

Like great dialogue writing, pitching needs to be about listening first. If he had listened to me when he initially asked, he would have heard that I was not a person he should be pitching to. Or even if I was, I was not interested in hearing his pitch at that moment. I felt like I had dialed into a telemarketer. Resisting the urge to tell him, "Take me off your list!" and hanging up, instead I removed him from my list when I hung up.

So...you want to be a screenwriter?  First rule: listen.

Short Film

How do we attract the super short (and the tall) filmmakers as we attempt to launch the New Hampshire 7DayPSA Competition?

The deadline’s tomorrow. Yet as of today we only have—gulp—one team registered. Yes. You read that correctly. One team. And seven fabulous New Hampshire non-profits are interested, three of which are prepping materials for this year’s competition.

What to do?

Get the word out like never before. And start advertising the one-week late, extended deadline now.

Okay, so here it is:

The New Hampshire 7DayPSA Competition deadline is tomorrow—Sept. 2, 2010. Teams can register for $120 (or $100 for Student Teams).

Or Teams can Register up to one week after the deadline—by Sept. 9, 2010—for the Late Registration Fee of  $135 per Team (or $110 per Student Team).

Note: NH 48-Hour Filmakers may deduct 10% off of their Registration Fee.

Information is available at the NH 7DayPSA blog; registration forms are available courtesy of our host organization, Red River Theatres.

Questions? Contact Dana.

Thanks!