Last summer, I decided to put aside writing short films and focus on features again. For the longest time, I had written shorts almost exclusively. When I began writing a new feature, I found it harder to find time to work on it.
It’s all excuses really. I know it and you know it. You either find time to write or you don’t. Whether it’s shorts or features, it’s the act of writing that’s important. So I challenged myself to finish a feature screenplay by summer’s end.
Almost immediately I dove into a brand new feature. To this day, I’m still working out the finer details of my new script.
Lately, I found myself missing the rush of completing a short screenplay in one sitting. The immediate satisfaction you get when you can pump out a first draft in a few hours.
I think once I finish my new feature, I may take a few weeks and write a couple more shorts. Not for anyone else but myself. But I don’t know if I’ll make it given the dream I had the other night.
THE DREAM
I don’t know if I’m alone on this or not but for years, I’ve watched movies in my dreams. I’m the camera. It’s the oddest thing but I’ve had tons of dreams like that. Sure, I’m the star in others but I was just an observer in my latest subconscious adventure.
It was set in a senior citizens center where the tenants were gearing up to put on a play. They were led by an ambitious elderly man who is easily the coolest character I’ve ever accidentally made up.
By the time I woke up, the story development was done. I had a complete concept ready to go. I just needed to write it down. Since then, I’ve often thought about my latest inspiration and what it could become if I really focus on writing a first draft.
Right now, I remain focused on finishing my feature screenplay. It’s an action script and I’m having a blast creating the world and the characters that live there.
Who knows when I’ll get to another short screenplay. What I find encouraging is that inspiration can quite literally strike at any moment. Awake or not.
It all depends on the story and the individual writer. We all have different methods and techniques when creating characters. Personally, I like to free write. I sit down and write as much detail as I possibly can about my new creations. When I start a screenplay, I’ve usually got a main character in mind but 100% of the time my original idea changes as I get to know them.
Beyond free writing and other techniques, there are many resources out there that provide quizzes, interviews and questionnaires to help you develop your characters. These lists of questions are designed to help you truly understand who your characters are and what drives them. Most of the time, I simply read questionnaires like these just to gain a basic understanding of my characters.
What’s in your character’s refrigerator? It sounds like an odd question but answering it could give you a ton of helpful information. Even if it gives you one tiny piece of insight it’s worth it.
At the same time, why not seek out questionnaires about getting to know yourself and answer them as one of your characters? All of these techniques can help you write better in the long run.
Zack Mandell is a movie enthusiast, writer of movie reviews, and owner of www.movieroomreviews.com which has great information on movies, actors, and films like Snitch. He writes extensively about the movie industry for sites like Gossip Center, Yahoo, NowPublic, and Helium.
WHY I WRITE MOVIE REVIEWS
When I was 18 or 19 a good friend of mine was throwing a party and invited me to attend, suggesting I arrive several hours early so we could hang out before it started. I did so to find he had his hands full with party preparation more intense than he’d anticipated. As I couldn’t be of much help he suggested I watch a movie in his room until the party started. This friend had been a film student for a while and had an excellent collection so I was happy to oblige. I liked movies but wasn’t a committed film buff or anything. Remembering a positive endorsement from my mom (who has great taste in movies) I put on Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood Western and became increasingly engrossed.
William Munny (Eastwood) and his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) are aging ex-gunmen who’ve been hired by a group of prostitutes to kill two men that had slashed up one of their number in a Big Whiskey, WY brothel. Opposing Munny and Logan is Big Whiskey’s protective, brutal ex-gunslinger sheriff- Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman). Munny, by his own admission, had himself been an incredibly cruel, drunken, sadistic and murderous desperado as a younger man before being reformed by his (since deceased) wife. Much of Munny’s youthful sadism had been inspired by liquor, which he’s sworn off.
[Spoiler Alert] Near the end of the film William Munny is preparing to return home when he finds out that someone very close to him has been been captured and tortured (inadvertently) to death by Daggett. At this revelation Munny takes a bottle of whiskey he’s spurned several times and drinks while learning the details of his friend’s ordeal from a terrified prostitute, who in turn reveals details about Munny’s exceedingly vicious past. As we watch, William Munny the father, loving husband, pig farmer and homesteader is dissolved by the whiskey and William Munny the dangerous, bloodthirsty, ruthless, ice water-cold gunfighter emerges. His transformation precipitates and precedes probably the best sequence ever filmed for a Western.
I was transfixed. Everything about Unforgiven seemed backwards: the good guys are hired assassins and the villain a small town sheriff just trying to protect his little patch of territory. The prostitutes seek revenge for their cut comrade, who is perhaps the only one of them not intent on vengeance. One of the men the assassins were hired to kill is good-hearted, hadn’t done any violence himself and was mostly guilty of running to his partner’s aid on instinct, unaware he (the partner) meant to cut up a woman.
Colorful characters enrich Unforgiven’s universe without conforming to cliché, notably incredible turns by Richard Harris as another hired shooter, “English Bob”, and Saul Rubinek’s W.W. Beauchamp- Bob’s Western-mythology-smitten pulp biographer- both of whom put in amazing performances. The primary players- Munny, Logan, Daggett and English Bob, were all old men who’d long since past their prime. It was like watching the hangover following a John Wayne and/or Gary Cooper Western. The tough cowboys, brave sheriffs and slick gunfighters had grown up and grown old. No one is spared (or spared from) the gritty reality of Western life. I’d never seen a movie like it, particularly a Western. When my host came to fetch me for the party (which started about halfway into the movie) I thanked him but requested time to finish. That viewing of Unforgiven affected my initiation into movie buffness.
Obviously, my description of a great movie is nothing at all like watching one and that’s maybe the best case to be made for reviewing movies. Since even the best review can’t really capture the movie experience, good or bad, reviewing appeals to me as a tool for steering viewers toward something they’ll never forget, or at least enjoy. Just as a well-done review can deliver an innocent from a bomb intent on stealing $10 bucks ($44 if concessions are purchased) and two hours of their time. My advice, such as it is, for anyone interested in writing reviews is to write toward a purpose. If you haven’t been assigned a particular movie to review, write on one that stood out to you or had some feature that stood out, whether good or bad. If a movie employs some tired convention or is representative of some trend that bothers you (or that inspires you), point it out.
Write what you think; not what you think you should.
Beware of prevailing review-trends though and learn to recognize them. The woman who wrote for the art and entertainment page of my college newspaper epitomized trend reviewing. When the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movies were being released she sang their praises, as did everyone. However, when the backlash that inevitably accompanies any widely-popular entertainment phenomenon struck she immediately began referencing the LOTR films as the embodiment of boredom and filmic pretension.
Also- be aware of your disposition and situation and let a movie sit with you for a little bit before writing about it. More than once I’ve seen bad movies in some strange mood or with an enthusiastic watching buddy that totally colored my consideration of it, and led to some unforgiven recommendations. Likewise, I’ve watched great movies in a bad mood and judged them too harshly. On a number of occasions something I didn’t immediately like, or even actively disliked, nevertheless stuck with me. Despite an initial neutral-to-negative reaction, if I find myself chewing a movie over for several days afterward (if I’m not thinking on how overtly horrible it was) I almost always come around to digging it.
Another trend in reviewing that’s gained popularity is an attempted populist-appeal. A crappy action movie with the requisite inclusion of explosions and shootings will score glowing reviews from columnists intent on proving how absolutely they dismiss film snobbery and embrace regular-Joe cinematic taste. That being said- both the audience and genre should be kept in mind. If you’re writing a review for Best Car Chases Ever! dot com, the terrible Fast and the Furious sequel you just watched should be weighted regarding the content of the chase scenes with less attention given to the ridiculous dialogue. To be at all successful and satisfied, I think a writer of anything has to write from a place of passionate opinion. If you hate a popular movie or love a “terrible” one- I guarantee there are people out there that agree with you. Write what you think; not what you think you should.
It’s the category I look forward to most each year.
A screenwriter(s) gets an idea and spends countless hours perfecting every moment. Slowly, the story takes shape and the characters come alive. The first draft gets sent out to family and friends. To producers and actors. The reviews are all positive but the screenwriter is still critical. Rewrites. The very measure of the dedication it takes to succeed as a screenwriter.
A new draft makes it’s way into the right hands and hundreds of passionate artists from all corners of the industry make it their own. A collaboration. One tiny idea backed by the passion and commitment of many becomes a film.
It’s released to the world and people relate to the story. Professionals love it. Critics love it. Audiences love it. Fans around the world discuss all the little details so carefully put in place. Every word counts. Every ounce of sweat poured into each sentence is on the screen. A new classic.
Oscar night arrives. The competition is tough. The envelope is opened. The winner is…
To me, this story is less about the award and more about the inspiring feeling I get when I watch The Academy Awards each year. Best original screenplay. A screenwriter’s dream. It’s a worthy goal but I like to focus more on the passion that leads to the accomplishment.
A good idea is one of the most exciting events in the life of any creative individual. But a good idea is only as good as the passion you summon to fan the flames. Imagine having the freedom to write anything you want. Imagine having the ability to hone your craft and make your screenplay great. You can. It may not win an Oscar but dedicating yourself to your script certainly doesn’t make things worse. Everything you need is staring back at you when you look at a blank page.
A few years ago, I came up with a concept for a ‘superhero’ drama. I was really excited about the possibilities because it was something I had never seen before. Almost immediately, I began developing my tragic main character and the supporting cast that populated his world.
But…
Something happened… It’s a familiar scenario for many storytellers out there. You think you have a game changing idea but slowly, it fizzles and you lose interest. It happens. If the idea doesn’t keep your interest how can you expect readers/viewers to invest?
I wouldn’t call my superhero concept dead. I loved the concept and I adored the characters but the actual plot didn’t do them justice. I needed to do a lot more work on the story. So my notes gathered ‘dust’ on the digital shelf that is my hard drive. But I never forgot about the excitement I felt…
A few months ago, I had just completed a feature length screenplay called Strangers and I began developing a new drama. One morning, I was working on some rough notes when something occurred to me. A new approach to my superhero tale. I dropped everything and got to work.
INSPIRATION WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
It was an adrenaline filled morning. I wrote for hours and before I knew it, I had mapped out the majority of my superhero movie and I loved it. I couldn’t wait to write it. I finally had a hook that made sense within the world I created and things just fell into place.
I felt fantastic. Except I had a new problem. My other script was going well and I had just finished writing the opening sequence. What would you do? I decided to focus on the story that excited me the most so I put my drama on hold and immediately began writing about superheroes.
That was two weeks ago…
Since then, I’ve made countless adjustments and I’ve nearly finished the first act. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever written before and that’s an encouraging thought. There’s nothing more inspiring that finding a story worth telling. A screenplay you can’t wait to finish.
This idea has been in development a long time but it just wasn’t ready back then. Today, I’m absolutely obsessed with ‘What Comes Next’. I’m sad when my writing time runs out but still, I’m beyond excited to write again.
Screenwriting, to me, is about finding a story that keeps bringing you back to the blank page. Eager to fill it with original ideas. I’m writing action for the first time in years and I’m having a blast.
What’s even more encouraging is the screenplay I put aside to write my take on the superhero genre remains. It’s always nice to know that another exciting idea awaits.
You never know when inspiration will hit. Likewise, you never know which idea it will strike. That’s why it’s always important to step back from an idea and look at it from a fresh perspective. I may have waited too long to get back to my idea but it was never dead. It was just the wrong time.
Fate is a funny thing. I’m happiest when I’m writing something I believe in.
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