Archive for November, 2009

Friday Q&A: Basing A Screenplay Story On A Book

Q: Can you legally change the title of a screenplay and still base the story on the original book – without using the book title? Can you do this without incurring a lawsuit or litigation from the book publisher and author? – Regulo “Reggie” Zapata

A: Thanks for your question Reggie. If you own or have optioned the film rights to a book you can legally change the title for the screenplay. A recent example is the book “Push” by Sapphire, which was re-titled Precious when it was adapted for the screen. But you can’t base a screenplay’s story on a book unless you own or have optioned the film rights – that’s called copyright infringement and it’s illegal.

Subsidiary rights (including film rights) are almost always retained by the author (not the publisher) and can be negotiated through the author’s literary agent. The fee for optioning film rights varies widely, depending on the popularity of the book (a little-known self-published book may be optioned for as low as $1 while a bestseller could cost you the median price of a Los Angeles home.) The purchase price to exercise the option (to own the rights) is often 3% to 5% of the film budget with a pre-established minimum and maximum fee.

Attorneys Matt Galsor and Jesse Saivar of Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, LLP have several informative posts over at their Legal Ease blog. For more details on optioning film rights, check out:

I Want To Buy The Film Rights!

What’s The Difference Between A Screenplay Option And A Book Option?

Should I Be Worried About Optioning A Book That Is No Longer In Print?

How Do I Obtain Rights For A Foreign Book?

Resources for Screenwriters

MAGAZINES & ONLINE PUBLICATIONS

Creative Screenwriting

Fade In

Filmmaker Magazine

The Hollywood Reporter

Hollywood Scriptwriter

Inside Film Magazine

MovieMaker Magazine

Scr(i)pt

Variety

Written By

COMMUNITY SITES, FORUMS, AND DIRECTORIES

Absolute Write – industry articles, agent listings, competitions, message boards

Done Deal – script sales, directory of agents, attorneys, and production companies, message boards

FilmTracker – lists films in development

Hollywood Creative Directory – listing of studios, production companies, and executives

Hollywood Representation Directory – listing of agents and manager

Internet Movie Database Pro – production charts, representation listings

Moviebytes – screenwriting competitions, industry articles, and “Who’s Buying What”

StoryLink – articles, screenwriter interviews, message boards

Who Represents – directory of talent representatives

ORGANIZATIONS & ASSOCIATIONS

American Film Institute

Film Independent

Scriptwriter’s Network

Women In Film

Writers Guild of America, West

SCRIPTS (Free)

Daily Script

Drew’s Script-O-Rama

Internet Movie Script Database

My PDF Scripts

Script Collector

ScriptCrawler

Simply Scripts

Three Ways To Ensure A Satisfying Ending

A satisfying ending is natural and inevitable. It should be synergistic with the theme and the main character’s development. It should never feel forced.

THE AMBIGUOUS OR UNRESOLVED ENDING
The Ambiguous or Unresolved Ending leaves the conclusion of the story open to the viewer’s interpretation. We may have a pretty good idea how the story ends based on the set-up, but we’re not absolutely sure what will happen. This type of ending is rarely used by screenwriters – it can be tricky to string an audience along for two hours and then fail to provide an ending – however there are films that successfully master this technique and still satisfy viewers. Unfaithful, No Country For Old Men, Blade Runner, The Wrestler, and almost any film by David Lynch are examples of the Ambiguous or Unresolved Ending.

THE HOPELESS ENDING
Some writers refer to the Hopeless Ending as the “downer ending” or “negative ending.” I don’t necessarily believe that audiences leave a theatre feeling “down” or “negative” after experiencing a Hopeless Ending. Hopeless Endings can be powerful, moving, and insightful. Think about the films Chinatown, Midnight Cowboy, Easy Rider, Blow Out, Planet of the Apes, Leaving Las Vegas, and Revolutionary Road – each a story with a Hopeless Ending.

THE HOPEFUL ENDING
Hopeful Endings are not necessarily “happy” endings. The final result may be sad, bittersweet, tragic, or ironic, the hero/heroine may lose the fight, the love interest, or even his life, but ultimately these stories convey a sense of hope; that the journey was worthwhile and noble, regardless of the outcome. Things don’t turn out so good for William Wallace at the end of the film Braveheart, yet the ending gives a sense of hope that the protagonist made a difference, that he lived his life on his terms, and that his cause will go on and triumph. Other films (especially rom-coms and comedies) are the upbeat, happily-ever-after, “feel-good” variety in which the heroes emerge from their conflicts and ordeals battered but stronger. Hopeful Endings are the most popular.

Sad-But-Hopeful Endings: Witness, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, American Beauty, The Perfect Storm, The Sixth Sense, Thelma & Louise, L.A. Confidential

Happily-Ever-After Endings: Working Girl, When Harry Met Sally, Sideways, Juno

THREE TIPS TO ENSURE YOUR ENDING IS SATISFYING

1. Determine what inevitable path the protagonist is on
Ben Sanderson’s self-loathing and downward spiral into alcohol in Leaving Las Vegas leads to his inevitable demise.

2. Be aware of the tone, style, and genre of your script
If you’re writing a breezy, fun rom-com your ending probably won’t include death, destruction, and hopelessness.

3. Pay off the theme
The Shawshank Redemption deftly interweaves the theme of “hope” throughout the film’s scenes of violence and loss – the inevitable and satisfying ending is one of hope. The theme of Chinatown is “the powerful always win” – the inevitable and satisfying ending pays off this theme.

YOUR TURN: What type of ending are you using for your story? Why is it the most satisfactory ending for your screenplay?

Adaptation Sales: “Nubs”

Nubs

Genre: Family

Author: Major Brian Dennis, mary Netherly, Kirby Larson

Screenwriter: Justin Zackham

Logline: Major Brian Dennis rescues a stray dog while on a tour of duty on the front lines of Iraq. After nursing the dog back to health and caring for it as his own, he arranges to have the dog shipped back to the U.S.

Adapting the Book “Push” Into The Film “Precious”

Interview with Sapphire, author of “Push” on working closely with the screenwriter during the adaptation of the book into the film “Precious”. Get a free copy of the screenplay via Lions Gate.

Book: Push

Adaptation Sales: “Three Little Words”

Three Little Words

Genre: Drama Bio

Author: Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Screenwriter: Lewis Colick

Logline: A young girl is placed in 14 foster homes before she is finally adopted by a loving family at age 12. As a college senior, she speaks out to reform the system.

Interview with the Author of the Book “The Men Who Stare At Goats”

Book: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Check out this insightful interview with Jon Ronson, the author of the book “The Men Who Stare At Goats” – recently adapted for the screen by Peter Straughan and download the script for free from the Script Collector.

In Honor of Halloween: An Interview with “Twilight” Series Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg

Excellent interview with Twilight series screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg

Book: Twilight Series Saga

discussing how she adapted “Twilight” and “New Moon”. Also get the Twilight script for free.

Q&A Friday: Common Screenwriting Mistakes

Q: What are the most common errors new writers make with writing a screenplay? – Hog Muffin

A: Thanks for your question Hog Muffin (I’m guessing that’s your pen name.) The ten most common mistakes I see over and over from new writers are:

1. The protagonist lacks a clear goal

2. Incorrect formatting and too many camera directions

3. Poor grammar, punctuation, and spelling

4. No character transformation

5. All the characters sound alike (which happens to sound just like the writer’s “voice”)

6. Not enough conflict and action

7. The stakes aren’t high enough

8. The scenes (and overall story) lack direction, they meander without purpose. The scenes don’t move the story forward.

9. The story is derivative and predictable – everything presented has been done before and done better

10. Poor dialogue: on-the-nose, overly long passages, too much exposition

My advice: learn the craft of good screenwriting by reading successful scripts (try to read several each week), stay focused and on-track by writing from a detailed outline, and continue to edit, revise, and repeat…

Three Types of Character Arcs

The character arc is the degree of emotional transformation the protagonist undergoes as a result of the events, conflicts, problems, and crises he is forced to face as the story progresses. The hero’s value system, opinions, feelings, and overall worldview may shift based on the character arc. Some main characters may change significantly, while others barely at all.

1. The Clearly Defined Character Transformation
These protagonists react to the external elements. The conflicts, crises or problems force the hero to change and adapt to new circumstances and responsibilities. When the last scene fades, the audience has a clear understanding of how the protagonist has transformed and can usually predict what his life will be like after Fade Out. The majority of produced screenplays present a hero with a clearly defined character arc.  Bruce Almighty, Jerry Maguire, and Juno are examples of films that employ this type of character transformation.

2. The Work-in-Progress Character Transformation
These protagonists act independently of the external elements. Regardless of what the specific conflicts, crises, and problems are, the hero is forever evolving. Whatever scenario the screenwriter chooses to “drop” the hero into does not matter, this character remains in constant flux – with each step he is forced to reconcile newly revealed facets of his personality or confront ongoing inner demons. Often, the viewer is unable to predict what action the hero will take. At the end of the film, the audience may be left guessing what the future holds for the hero. These protagonists are often the most compelling, engaging, and memorable. Bill Munny in Unforgiven and Lt. John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves represent the work-in-progress character arc.

3. The Minimal or Nonexistent Character Transformation
These protagonists are not affected by the external elements. The hero can withstand whatever crisis, conflict, or problem is thrown at him. His worldview is not phased by the external elements. At the end of the film he is basically the same guy he was at the beginning. Many action-adventure films embrace the minimal or nonexistent character arc. Indiana Jones, James Bond, and John McClane in Die Hard are examples of this type of protagonist, which easily allow for sequels.

To develop your protagonist’s character arc effectively it is important to have a clear vision of:

* Where your hero is emotionally when the story begins

* What the protagonist wants most at the start of the story

* If the hero’s goal will remain consistent throughout the story or if it will change

* If the hero will achieve his goal – will it be more, less, nothing, or something else

* How much, or how little, your character will evolve from his experience

* What plot points can best be used to show the progression (or retraction) of the hero’s transformation

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