Archive for the ‘Concept, Premise, Ideas’ Category

Friday Q&A: What Topics Are Off-Limits For Screenplays?

Q: What topics are off limits for Hollywood? My second script was about a husband of a slain abortion doctor that took revenge on conservative pundits after her murder. A friend of mine that works in Hollywood told me that the studios would not touch any movies with abortion in them. I did a search on the topic and found a couple of articles that back him up. I find this very disheartening that a topic like mine is considered off limits while they keep making Saw movies. – Rick Gillespie

A: Thanks for your question Rick. My general answer is “no topic is off limits for screenplays” – as long as a studio believes there is a large market for a film and the script is well-written they don’t really care if the screenplay addresses a “touchy” topic. A good film entertains, provokes, and delivers an emotional impact.

There may be occasions when something may be considered off-limits, usually when the subject will provoke a negative reaction or backlash from a majority of movie-goers – hence adversely affecting ticket sales. For instance, for a short time after the events of September 11^th, Hollywood shied away from disaster films and stories about terrorists. But even that was short-lived. Hollywood didn’t suddenly forget that the disaster film Titanic was one of the biggest money-makers of all time and that Speed, a movie about a terrorist and a bomb, was a mega-blockbuster. Hollywood is a business and ultimately studios will release films they believe will do well financially, regardless of the subject.

There are many films that address the topic of abortion. The Cider House Rules was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture and won the Academy Award for best-adapted screenplay.

The key to presenting topics that have the potential to polarize viewers is to effectively portray both sides of the subject equally and allow the audience to make their own decision. Screenwriter John Irving does this in The Cider House Rules by showing Dr. Larch’s view of abortion and Homer’s opposite stance on it. The film also demonstrates the negative and positive sides of the topic — the negative emotional toll that performing abortions has on Dr. Larch (as portrayed through his addiction to ether) and the deadly result not performing an abortion has (as depicted by the death of a young girl who attempts an illegal back-alley abortion).

Good screenwriters never, ever preach to the audience. The writer doesn’t claim that one belief or one action is superior then the other. The film Dead Man Walking, which addresses the very “touchy” subject of the death penalty, never takes a position on either side of the argument. Screenwriter-director Tim Robbins simply presents both sides – through the action and the characters.

There will always be articles and nay-sayers making claims that this is in and that is out. “Westerns are dead”, “Scripts about 15-year old girls don’t sell”, and “Comedic-vampire films are the hottest trend.” Everything goes in cycles.

Regarding your script about a man who takes revenge on conservative pundits after his abortion-doctor wife is murdered…. my first reaction isn’t that Hollywood will take issue with the abortion topic but to ask: who is your audience, how will they relate to your protagonist, and why will they follow him on his journey? Audiences relate to protagonists and root for them through the obstacles and trials they face and the ultimate sacrifices they make for the good of another or the community.

I have not read your script and don’t know all the plot details, but from what you mention, I think the challenge lies in getting an audience or reader to care about a protagonist who takes the law into his own hands and goes after people who simply have different views and values then he does (and not the murderer who actually killed his wife.) Pro-life viewers are not going to go along for the ride about a story where people they may identify with (conservatives) are the target of the hero. And pro-choice viewers won’t be willing to align themselves with a main character that doesn’t abide by the law. So, you risk losing both sides of a potential audience, when what you want to do is actually attract both sides. The larger the audience for a film, the more money for the studio, and the better chance your script will be optioned.

YOUR TURN: I welcome your comments, feedback, and even your opposing opinions. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences on this topic.

What is High Concept? And Does That Mean My Little Character-Driven Script is Conceptually Low?

The term ‘high-concept’ may fall in and out of favor, but it remains the standard for what Hollywood looks for in a film premise. ‘High-concept’ basically means the concept is the highest appeal. It is easily understood and creates immediate excitement. If a film executive hears your idea and asks you what it’s about or has no emotional reaction, then your script is not high-concept.

Does that mean your little character-driven script will be ignored by studios or production companies because it’s ‘low-concept’? (Okay, I’m not sure that term actually exists, but you know what I mean.) An idea is irresistible because it is appealing (and, thereby, highly marketable). The key is to make your soft-concept seem high-concept:

EMPHASIZE THE UNIQUENESS OF THE STORY
A lonely, fatherless, young boy claims to see dead people (The Sixth Sense).

HIGHLIGHT THE DISTINCTIVENESS OF YOUR CHARACTER(S)
A sassy, confident, independent-minded teenager takes control of a challenging situation when she faces an unwanted pregnancy (Juno). A failing success coach, a renowned, gay, suicidal professor, a pot-smoking grandfather, a self-imposed mute teenager, and a scattered mom take a road-trip to get an 8-year-old, overweight, beauty queen wanna-be to a pageant (Little Miss Sunshine).

SHOWCASE AN INTRIGUING DILEMMA
An apprehended outlaw is given only nine days to kill his older brother or else his younger brother will be executed (The Proposition).

AVOID A PREDICTABLE PLOT (REVERSE WHAT IS EXPECTED)
A beautiful American tourist falls in love and moves-in with a charming Spaniard and then stays when his crazy ex-lover returns to the house… and their bed (Vicki Cristina Barcelona).

CREATE AN UNKNOWN WORLD
A simulated reality created by sentient machines (The Matrix). The ancient Roman Empire (Gladiator). The rise of an organized crime family (The Godfather).

PUT YOUR CHARACTERS IN AN UNEXPECTED ENVIRONMENT
An uneducated, single-mom, blonde-bombshell goes to work in a corporate law firm investigating a complicated case of industrial poisoning (Erin Brockovich).

CONTRAST YOUR CHARACTERS
A Chinese Imperial Guard hooks up with a dim-witted cowboy/train robber to rescue a princess (Shanghai Noon).

INCLUDE A TICKING TIME-CLOCK SCENARIO
A Civil War veteran must deliver a vicious outlaw alive to the train that will take him to trial (3:10 to Yuma).

ADD ANOTHER LAYER (OR TWIST) TO THE IDEA
An FBI trainee hunts a serial killer with the assistance of a deadly psychopath who becomes her mentor (Silence of the Lambs).

Five Tips For Writing Your Logline

A logline is a summary of your script. It conveys the dramatic story – condensed into one sentence (more complex scripts sometimes require a two-sentence logline). The logline is not the same as the film’s tagline, which is a catchy, short-phrase or slogan used by film studios to market a movie.

TAGLINES

“The End Begins” (Terminator Salvation)

“How do you break free without breaking apart?” (Revolutionary Road)

“You think you know who you are. You have no idea” (Crash)

The logline effectively communicates the concept and the central problem that the main character needs to resolve.

LOGLINES

“A drunken superhero, who has fallen out of favor with the community, meets a do-good public relations professional who tries to help him repair his image.” (Hancock)

“After his wife and youngest child are brutally murdered, an Irish mobster hits the road with his surviving twelve year-old son and seeks revenge on those who betrayed him.” (Road to Perdition)

“On his final run, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter must track a bail-jumping accountant/mob embezzler and drag him cross-country from New York to Los Angeles while eluding the FBI, the mob, and a rival bounty hunter.” (Midnight Run)

“In 13^th century Scotland, a common man becomes a legend when he leads an uprising to overthrow English rule and gain Scottish freedom.” (Braveheart)

“Three police officers unravel the truth behind the ‘random’ murder of a corrupt policeman and expose the political and judicial depravity of 1950’s Hollywood.” (L.A. Confidential)

Why do you need a logline?

1. Creating a logline is a crucial first step in planning your screenplay. The logline is a tool you can use when writing and revising your script to keep you focused.

2. You will need a logline to sell your screenplay.

FIVE TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR LOGLINE

1. Establish the Main Character
Who is the protagonist – an ex-cop, a gunslinger, an Irish mobster, a super-hero?

2. State the Main Character’s Need or Goal
What does your main character want – to get revenge, to find the truth, to repair his image, to track a bail-jumper, to free his people from tyranny?

3. Provide a Promise of Conflict
What obstacles does your protagonist face in achieving his goal – corrupt law enforcement, another bounty hunter, the FBI and the mob, English military rule, his own character flaw?

4. Stimulate Interest with a Hook
What is unique about the story – a super-hero that’s an alcoholic, a mobster on-the-road with his young son?

5. Convey All Relevant Information
A studio executive who has not read your script should be able to read your logline and fully understand the concept without any additional information. Do not include character intricacies, sub-plots, or specific scenes.

Now go write your logline!

STAY-TUNED: In my next post I will address Writing For The Reader (that’s the guy or gal who decides if your script gets recommended.)

So, You’ve Got An Idea For A Movie

A new writer recently pitched me an idea for a horror film: “A sexy high-school senior is pursued through a never-ending labyrinth by an escaped psychopath after witnessing the gruesome deaths of a group of her friends on Halloween night.”

Ummm… that’s not a feature film idea. That’s maybe a couple of scenes at the most (and I’m not even going to address the cliché, been-there-done-that, problems of this script concept. By the way, can we use another holiday besides Halloween for horror films? I’m thinking maybe President’s Day, the killer can dress-up as Washington or Lincoln and wreak havoc on car dealerships who don’t honor the traditional President’s Day store-wide sale.)

Before you run off to your keyboard and spend the next three months writing your screenplay masterpiece, make sure your film idea is fully developed and viable. Ask yourself:

- Do I have “enough” story to fill up a full 90-120 minute film?
- Does my story have a beginning, middle, and end (the blueprint of a First, Second, and Third Act)?
- Who is the main character?
- What does he or she want to achieve?
- What obstacles are preventing the protagonist from achieving his/her goal?
- Do I have an inciting incident, turning points, and a resolution?
- Do I have supporting characters and subplots?
- By the end of the story, how have my characters changed?
- What elements of the story will attract an audience?

COMPELLING IDEAS

What does “Hollywood” want? A compelling concept with emotional impact. Appealing ideas have two components:

1) A unique hook

2) A promise of conflict

A unique hook (or gimmick, or twist) transports the viewer to new worlds and experiences – the adventures of a fighter pilot-in-training (Top Gun), the exploits of a group of unemployed men learning to strip (The Full Monty), two female friends on a road trip trying to outrun the law (Thelma and Louise), three backpackers attempting to survive their trip to Slovakia (Hostel). Conflict creates interest. A story without conflict is boring. Never bore your audience. Your script will be in the trash before the reader makes it through the first ten pages if you don’t engage him/her with rising tension.

IDEAS THAT SELL

No one knows what’s going to sell. A year ago, no one could have predicted a book about a young, impoverished man in India, who becomes a contestant on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, would be adapted into a film that not only won the hearts of mainstream movie-goers but the Academy Award for Best Picture. In the famous words of screenwriter William Goldman, “Nobody knows anything”. So, don’t try to write the next “Wedding Crashers”, the next “Saw” or the next “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Write what you’re passionate about.
If you don’t care about your subject, who will?

Say what you gotta say.
Whether you’re writing a zombie-horror-buddy-comedy film or a historical drama-musical, have something to say. Every film (no matter the genre) has an underlying philosophy – “good conquers evil”, “love is all you need”, “there’s no place like home”. When you convey a universal theme it resonates with the audience.

Write what you know… sort of.
John Grisham, an ex-attorney, writes legal thrillers, Michael Crichton was a physician who often wrote about biotechnology, and Oliver Stone, a Vietnam vet, wrote about war in the film “Platoon”. I’m not a proponent of the common advice to ‘write what you know’. It makes sense, and can add a compelling component to your screenplay, when you can authentically include elements of a “world” unknown to most viewers. But if all you write about is what you know, you’re limiting your growth as a writer. (And a writer can research any unknown world and sound authentic, anyway). The first script I wrote was an adaptation of a true crime story revolving around the world of hitmen and a ‘civilian’ witness. What did I know about the mafia (other than “The Godfather” and a plethora of Martin Scorcese films), or what it felt like to kill someone or to spend years in prison or on-the-run in the witness protection program? What I did know about was courage, fear, responsibility, honesty, the toll of doing ‘the right thing’, and family love; all relatable, universal elements and feelings that allow an audience to connect with the story. In the end, I wrote what I knew… sort of.

Stay-Tuned: In the next post I will be providing tips for writing your Logline.