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About A Screenplay is devoted to helping new writers who want to learn how to craft a screenplay, and writers interested in film adaptation projects. Each week I provide tips on screenplay writing, answer readers’ questions, highlight books optioned or sold for script development, and feature a recently released film adaptation. Once in a while I’ll feature a guest post from an industry insider or an interview with a new screenwriter who has landed his or her first deal.
Q: What is the meaning of dramatic context? – Shyam Prasad Neerati
A: Thanks for your question Shyam. Dramatic context simply refers to the context (situation) in which the drama (story) occurs – the who, where, when.
For example, the film Stand By Me tells a coming-of-age story in the context of four boys on a journey to see a dead body. The Shawshank Redemption is a story of hope told in the context of an innocent man in prison.
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Author: Lewis Carroll
Screenwriter: Linda Woolverton
Logline: 19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.
Read an interview with screenwriter Linda Woolverton at WGA.
Download a free copy of the screenplay via Script Collector.
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WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?
(Rewrite of the script by Karyn Bosnak, based on the book 20 Times A Lady)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Author: Karyn Bosnak
Screenwriter: Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan
Logline: A young woman, with the help of her womanizing next door neighbor, decides to re-visit all her ex-boyfriends in the hopes of finding the man of her dreams.
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LOMBARDI
(Based on the book Instant Replay)
Genre: Drama Bio
Author: Jerry Kramer and Dick Schapp
Screenwriter: Eric Roth
Logline: Coach Lombardi rebuilds the Green Bay Packers into gridiron NFL champions.
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AU PAIRS
(Rewrite of a previous draft by Liz Garcia)
Genre: Teen Drama
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Screenwriter: Alexa Junge
Logline: Three teenage girls learn how the other half lives by taking summer jobs with a wealthy family in the Hamptons.
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Many new screenwriters despair the second act. But by focusing on the elements that make up Act II, and understanding the main character’s internal needs, a writer can effectively navigate this section of the script with ease.
GRACE PERIOD
Once the protagonist has climbed to the summit of the MidPoint, there is often what is referred to as a Grace Period, where the hero is rewarded for his discovery with a period of happiness, free of conflict and struggle.
Though not found in all scripts, the Grace Period benefits a story:
* It provides a rest from the unrelenting tension building up to the MidPoint – allowing the protagonist and the audience a moment to “breath”.
* It provides an opportunity to show a renewed, invigorated protagonist and his potential to achieve the goal.
* It provides a glimpse of what the future can be if the hero achieves his goal.
FREE FALLIN’
Everything seems peachy-keen during the Grace Period, but there are still unresolved complications. In order for real transformation to occur, the hero must act on his new discovery, which will present additional challenges the protagonist must face to achieve the goal.
After the Grace Period, the hero begins a rapid free-fall descent. During this downward spiral, things fall apart for the hero – usually the result of the protagonist falling back on old behaviors. There is often a conflict or struggle between the old-self and the emerging new-self.
CRISIS
Change comes from the hero’s own undoing – letting go of the old-self and embracing the new. And it’s not an easy process, which leads us to the Crisis (or the “death experience”) and the Second Turning Point. The Crisis is the worst possible thing that can happen to the protagonist. This external event directly relates to the hero’s internal struggle.
In the film Silence of the Lambs, the protagonist Clarice Starling’s internal need is to alleviate her guilt and loss by catching Buffalo Bill and saving Catherine Martin. At the Midpoint she begins collaborating with Lector and receives information (enlightenment; discovery) that puts her on the path to achieving her goal. What’s the worst thing that can happen to Clarice? To feel guilt and loss because she is unable to save a victim and take down the bad guy. Clarice’s crisis moment occurs when Lector escapes custody and Clarice faces the real possibility that she won’t be able to save Catherine without Lector’s help.
With an understanding of the protagonist’s inner struggle, a writer can develop external situations that effectively challenge the hero – making the Second Act an energized and engaging component of the script, and not the unfocused, desolate landscape many new writers encounter.
Already completed your first draft? Looking for professional guidance to ensure a productive rewrite? I offer comprehensive script evaluation, including an analysis and diagnosis of a script’s weaknesses, detailed development notes to solve underlying problems and enhance the script’s natural strengths, and a story map to guide you effectively and efficiently through the revision process.
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Q: Should I pitch my script to a major studio or an independent production company?
A: Thanks for your question. My advice is to focus on writing your screenplay and acquire an agent to represent and pitch your script to the appropriate producer, studio, or production company. Character driven films with a small cast, limited locations, and a low budget ($10-$15 million) may be best for an independent production company, while larger budget films with A-list talent, massive sets, or special effects often require a major studio.
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Author: Robert Harris
Screenwriters: Robert Harris and Roman Polanski
Logline: A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.
Read an interview with author and screenwriter Robert Harris at Ain’t It Cool.
Download a free copy of the script from My PDF Scripts.
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Are you a screenwriter or entertainment industry professional with advice and tips to share with readers of About A Screenplay? I welcome guest posts on the topic of screenplay writing and the screenwriting business. If you’re interested in contributing an article, check out the submission guidelines.
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SAVAGES
Genre: Drama Thriller
Author: Don Winslow
Screenwriters: Don Winslow and Oliver Stone
Logline: Two pals from Laguna Beach share the same girlfriend and thriving business growing and distributing high-quality marijuana. When they resist being muscled by a Mexican drug cartel, the girl is kidnapped and the ransom is every cent they’ve made for the last five years. The guys agree to pay while hatching an alternate plan to get her back, get revenge, and then get lost.
PET SEMATARY
(Remake)
Genre: Horror
Author: Stephen King
Screenwriter: Matthew Greenberg
Logline: A family trades city life for county life in Maine, then discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. When their toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the cemetery, where it is resurrected in demon form.
INCARCERON
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Catherine Fisher
Screenwriter: not announced
Logline: A young boy lives in a prison that is a complete society; outside the prison, the world is stuck in the 17th Century and run by computers. When the boy comes into contact with the warden’s daughter they find a key that can change everything.
SERENA
Genre: Drama
Author: Ron Rash
Screenwriter: Chris Kyle
Logline: Set in the rugged mountains of 1929 North Carolina, a man named George Pembleton and his new bride, Serena, create a timber empire. When Serena learns she cannot bear a child, she sets out to murder the son her husband fathered illegitimately.
NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS
Genre: Drama
Author: Graham Salisbury
Screenwriter: not announced
Logline: In 1972 while camping in the wilderness, Boy Scout Troop 77 of Hilo, Hawaii, experiences the earthquake in Halape and the subsequent tsunami.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Genre: Historical Horror
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Screenwriter: Seth Grahame-Smith
Logline: President Abraham Lincoln secretly battles the undead as an ax-throwing, highly trained vampire killer.
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Portrayals of the human experience reveal something about ourselves. When we see a reflection of our humanity on screen, we connect with the story. Witnessing imperfect characters struggle with change and transformation resonates with our own experiences of life.
We all know that nothing in nature is static and that change is essential for growth. Character traits that once were vital to our survival may no longer serve us, they have outlived their purpose and may even be detrimental to our well-being. When the old ways of doing and behaving no longer work, a transformation must occur. To create a story that reveals transformation the writer must first establish why the character needs to transform. Which survival trait has outlived its purpose? What behavior is prohibiting the protagonist from achieving his goal? This is the fatal flaw.
The Fatal Flaw helps the writer:
* Create dramatic conflict
* Design character behavior
* Develop character backstory
* Reveal character motivation
* Structure the plot to serve the character’s internal journey
HOW TO FIND THE CHARACTER’S FATAL FLAW
A character’s Fatal Flaw is the opposite value of the Internal Goal of the Theme. If the value of the Internal Goal is generosity, then the opposite value (the Fatal Flaw) is greed.
Here are four steps to help you find your character’s fatal flaw:
1. Identify the Theme
2. Identify the Opposite Value of the Theme.
3. Define the value that represents the theme. This is the Internal Goal. (This representation can take many forms. If ten different writers wrote a script revolving around the same theme each writer could easily construct ten different ways to present the theme.)
4. Determine the opposite value/representation of the Internal Goal. This is the character’s Fatal Flaw.
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EXAMPLE FROM THE SCRIPT “LETHAL WEAPON” (by Shane Black)
1. Identify the Theme = Embracing Life
2. Identify the Opposite Value of the Theme = Devaluing Life
3. Define the value that represents the theme. Internal Goal = Connecting with Other People
4. Determine the opposite value/representation of the Internal Goal. Fatal Flaw = Disconnected from other people
(Riggs, played by Mel Gibson, is lonely and isolated, and exhibits reckless and suicidal behavior – the opposite of “embracing life” and being “connected to other people”.)
YOUR TURN: Can you identify your main character’s fatal flaw? Does your protagonist’s fatal flaw represent the opposite value of your theme? Does the fatal flaw drive the hero’s internal journey?
Already completed your first draft? Looking for professional guidance to ensure a productive rewrite? I offer comprehensive script evaluation, including an analysis and diagnosis of a script’s weaknesses, detailed development notes to solve underlying problems and enhance the script’s natural strengths, and a story map to guide you effectively and efficiently through the revision process.
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Q: What is a release form and do I need to sign it?
A: Thanks for your question. If a production company, studio, or producer is interested in reading your script and you do not have an agent, they will often ask you to sign a release form, which protects them against claims of idea theft. The release form states that you own the material and have the right to sell it. It also states that in the event the company releases a film with a similar premise, you don’t have the right to sue them.
If you choose not to sign the release form, the company will most likely choose not to read your script. Release forms are a standard industry necessity. If the producer, studio, or production company requesting the form is an unknown entity, or if you have any concerns, be sure to confer with an entertainment lawyer prior to signing any document. Better yet, get an agent, and forgo having to sign unsolicited submission agreements.
For more on release forms, check out this post from Matt Galsor and Jesse Saivar: By Signing This Agreement Am I Giving Up All My Rights?
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