In the episode “You Win or You Die” of GAME OF THRONES, we get two “Pope in the Pool” scenes practically back-to-back.  The first has a man skinning an elk while delivering exposition, while the second has two prostitutes having sex as backstory is told to them.  I can’t tell you what the content was of either speech, but I didn’t get bored watching them either.

Geoffrey Rush’s character, Lionel Logue, convinces soon-to-be-King George (played by Colin Firth) to hire him in Act I by covering George’s ears with headphones and blaring music, allowing him to speak without a stutter.

Boom.  Problem solved.  Why is there a movie after that point?  The PROBLEM is SOLVED.

I held judgement for the rest of the film, though, assuming that the King would need to make a huge public speech in front of millions, and would have to conquer his disability in order to do it.

Nope.  Instead, George and Lionel hid out in a closet for the climax of the movie.  It was the two of them, alone in a room, just like they were at the beginning of the movie.  There was no reason that Lionel couldn’t have hooked up a record player and headphones, just like he did the first time, in order for George to flawlessly deliver his address to the nation.  And this, to me, undermined the entire conflict of the film, and therefore the story as well.

If the central problem of a movie is solved in Act I, there needs to be a reason the solution won’t work again in Act III.

Stepping away from THE KING’S SPEECH for a moment, let’s talk about other genres:

- If the kids use fairy dust to fly in Act I, it needs to wear off by Act III.
- If the gunslinger can shoot the hair off a fly in Act I, she needs to run out of bullets (or go blind) by Act III.
- If Superman is…well…Superman in Act I, he needs to get some Kryptonite strapped to him by Act III.

I know that the story is about George overcoming his disability and not a single speech, but with a simple change and some creative liberties (as I’m sure already exist in the movie), the problem is solved: by making THE KING’S SPEECH at the climax a public one, George would have had a reason to overcome his disability, thereby making the conflict one that lasts beyond the first act.

As is my usual procedure, each day I work on a writing project, I save a different draft.  This includes changing the file name to include the date, so I know what the latest draft is, in MonthDayYear format (I also don’t lose any changes between drafts this way).  For example, I’d title a file “Movie Script 010711″.  The next time I’d work on a project, I’d save it for whatever date it was then; for this example, if I worked on it a week later, it’d be “Movie Script 011411″.

A number of times, however, I’ve run into problems where projects roll over into the new year.  After the first draft in the new year, the latest draft will be buried in the middle of all my previous drafts:

Movie Script 010711
Movie Script 011411
Movie Script 121210
Movie Script 123010

For this reason, I’m switching over to YearMonthDay format.  That way the most recent file is always on the bottom (or top) of the list, and I don’t have to have extra folders for 2010 drafts and the like:

Movie Script 101212
Movie Script 101230
Movie Script 110107
Movie Script 110114

Also, I email copies of each draft to myself as an additional backup.  With Gmail now up to a 7.5GB capacity, it makes for easy and free off-site storage.

However, it’s important not to bug the producer or exec either.  Checking in once every two weeks is a reasonable amount of time, and email is generally best, so that you don’t catch them off guard.  It also gives them a chance to formulate their thoughts and look over their notes if need be before replying to you.

One rule of thumb is that if you can’t see or hear it on the screen, don’t write it down.  This is a great place to start, but still doesn’t help you figure out how to write a screenplay.

When I was starting out, I came up with an exercise that helped me start thinking (and writing) visually.  I’d watch a movie and I’d narrate the action that was taking place on the screen, as if I was reading the screenplay (please note: don’t do this out loud if you’re in a public place!).  While it’s not an accurate representation of the actual screenplay, it gets you thinking in screenwriting terms about movies.

Another way to look at it is to ask yourself, “What would I have written, in order to get what I’m watching onto the screen?  How would I write this scene?”

An easy way to do this is to sit down with your favorite movie on DVD.  Pick a scene with some dialogue, some action, and some “unspoken dialogue” (where a character’s looks say everything).  Now, write out the scene as it plays.  Don’t worry about getting it all at once; you can go back and rewatch it as many times as you need.

Here’s a made-up example, so we don’t piss off any screenwriters and/or studios.

Don’t just transcribe the dialogue, though.  Write out the action too.

And don’t stop there.  Make sure to also catch the unspoken stuff.  If there’s a beat where a character reacts, it belongs in the script.

But don’t overdo it!  We don’t necessarily need to know that Harry drew his gun with his right hand, for example.

Now take a look at the scene.  Read it back to yourself.  Is it an accurate representation of what’s going on on the screen?  You should be able to read it in close-to-realtime with the movie.  If not, you might have too much description.

If you have a copy of the actual screenplay, take a look at that as well.  How does the original script compare to what’s on screen?  How does your version compare?  Just make sure to write your version first, so that you’re not influenced when you do the exercise yourself.

After doing this exercise a few times, it’ll get easier to “write” what you see on screen, making it easier to write visually yourself.

[With thanks to John August and Nima Yousefi for Scrippets!]

Using this approach, a seemingly normal person, going about their normal routine, becomes the focus of everything.  In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, for example, Roger Thornhill accidentally gets drawn into the plot via mistaken identity when he simply raises his hand.

Another good example is THE TERMINATOR.  Sarah Connor gets targeted without having done anything out of the ordinary (not to mention the unfortunate women who share her name!).  You can see the thought process in her head when she’s told that she’s “been selected for termination” : How did this happen?  What did I do?

And since the protagonists are ordinary people, the audience can’t help but think, “What would I do in the same situation?”  It immediately pulls them into the movie by putting the audience into the protagonist’s shoes, making them root for the heroes to succeed, and cringe at every failure or setback.  This is how the “It Could Happen to You” approach engages the audience in a way that other storylines can’t.

Nowadays, unless you’re an established writer, you’re not going to sell a movie off of a pitch alone.  Even if you have a great sample, even if they love your pitch, execs will still want a script from unsold writers.

Even if you can’t sell a pitch, though, it doesn’t mean that pitches are a waste of time.  Pitches can be great tools for honing your idea, flushing out any plot holes or character arcs that might not have popped up otherwise.

And if you like an idea enough, you can take the time while you wait to hear back to start writing it.  Worst case scenario, you have another spec to shop around town showing off your abilities.

There’s a television term that’s been going around town a lot lately (I even saw it in Variety recently), and a surprising number of writers are not aware of it.  Since many people in town are looking for this type of show, I thought I’d post about it.  Here’s the term:

Blue sky.

In this case, used as an adjective.  As in, “Is your show blue sky?”

Here’s a helpful way to analyze if a show is “blue sky” or not: Could the show be on USA currently?  If so, it’s probably blue sky.  Here’s part of their lineup:  WHITE COLLAR?  Blue sky.  BURN NOTICE?  Blue sky.  PSYCH?  Blue sky.

So what is “blue sky”?  Blue sky is light-hearted drama.  Drama with sarcasm.  Drama that doesn’t take itself seriously.  And on the production side, every exterior shot has…wait for it…blue skies.

Shows that are NOT blue sky include LAW & ORDER and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.  If it’s a serious drama, it’s not blue sky.

The ad campaigns for these types of shows even feature blue skies in the poster art.

See what I mean?  The font for EUREKA is even blue sky…literally!

If you’re a writer and get a meeting with a producer who has read your work, it’s up to you to be prepared for that meeting.  You already got the meeting, but it doesn’t mean you have the job.

Here’s a short list of the bare minimums:

- If it’s a general meeting, come in with several ideas that are appropriate for that company.  For example, if you’re meeting with Ghost House, don’t bring romantic comedy ideas.

- If you’re meeting about a specific project, have a specific take on that project.  This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised.  It doesn’t hurt to have a couple of backup versions too, in case they don’t spark to your primary take.

- If you’re meeting with a producer to get notes on a specific project, bring a notebook, something to write with, and a copy of the script (hard or digital) to refer to.  You can’t count on the producer having a copy of their own, and don’t expect them to type up their notes for you.

For some great general notes on meetings, John August has several good posts on the subject as well.

If you have a meeting, they already like your writing.  If you show up unprepared and don’t get the gig, you have no one to blame by yourself.

“Oh, you’re ‘going another way’ and hiring a writer half as talented as me for the script that I’ve already given you two rounds of free outlining on. No that’s cool, I got plenty of other work to catch up on anyway.”

“You want to hire me at double my rate? Of course, I can crank out a draft in two weeks. I do this all the time.”

No matter which way the conversation is going, it’s important to keep your cool and remain confident. Freak out after the meeting all you want, but the last thing a person who is about entrust you with their time, story, and money wants to see is the self-doubt that attacks most writers the moment the big executive’s assistant offers them that luke-warm bottle of water.

And with that, I offer you -

MY POKER FACE

Director Brandon Sonnier checks his cards for the final hand of the Director's Guild Foundation "Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament" - photo by Byron Gamarro

First Place: Sonnier shows the winning hand of the tournament. - photo by Byron Gamarro