Where to start?

There are no hard and fast rules to this.

But if I had to do it again.

This is probably a route I would consider taking.

1. Do you have an idea that you think will make a movie?
   
   
2. Is this an idea that you think you can expand and turn into a story?
   
   
3. How long have you been letting this idea brew in your subconscious?
   
   
4. Have you written down lots and lot of ideas and notes for it? Characters, scenes that you would like to see in it? The beginning, middle and the end of the movie? How will your main character get from A to B to C?

If you have all this, that's great. Now you need to structure everything into a story and put it into screenplay format. But you've never done this before. You have no idea where to start.

Before you get started:

Read 20 produced screenplays. Ones that are in the same genre as the one you want to write. If you want to write a horror. Read horror. If you want to write a comedy, read comedies.

Then watch the movies and see how things translate from the page onto the screen. Have a look at how they do it. When do things happen to the main characters? At what point does the main character's life change? When does the protagonist leave their comfort zone?

These are the types of things you need to be looking for.

After you've done this. Reread the screenplay.

• Read Screenplay
• Watch movie
• Reread Screenplay

Now you need to join a peer review site where you can read amateur screenplays. Out of all the ones on the web, my favorite one is Trigger Street Labs.

Lots of information.

And the best thing. It's all free.

You need to start reviewing screenplays. If you've never done this before. It can take a bit of getting used to. Especially if you don't actually know what you're looking for because you're just starting out yourself.

So before you do your first review of a screenplay. You need to go to the forum and check out how the spotlighted reviewers do their reviews. Find out how they review and evaluate a screenplay.

• CONCEPT
• STORY
• STRUCTURE
• THEME
• CHARACTER
• DIALOGUE

This is one of the best ways to learn how to structure a screenplay.

You now need to start reviewing and giving feedback.

It doesn't matter what genre you get. You're here to read and give an honest evaluation of the screenplays you read.

Before you even consider even writing that first screenplay.

You will need to read and evaluate around 20-30 screenplays to start. You'll find that the more amateur screenplays you read , the better your feedback will get. You'll start noticing things and trends that will help when you come to writing and structuring the story of that first screenplay.

While you're doing this, you should be coming up with plenty of ideas for your screenplay. The more you have, the easier it will be to structure your story.

Once you've done this. You need to start structuring your story.

ACT 1

Setting up your main characters.

What does your main character want and need?

What are their internal and external goals?

ACT 2

Probably the toughest of the acts to write.

What's the main plot?

What are the secondary plots?

Does the main plot cross the secondary plot?

This is where you get the ups and downs of the story.

ACT 3

Does the guy win the girl?

Does the good guy defeat the bad guy?

Usually the ending is the opposite of the start?

Not all the time. But usually it's the opposite.

The above is pretty simplistic. But it gives you a rough idea as to what should happen.

I wouldn't buy any books at this stage either.

You pretty much want to write this on your own, under your own steam with no one else's influence.

You now need to write it.

Give yourself a deadline. Twelve weeks should be enough. Especially if you've planned and outlined it well.

Once you've written it. You need to put it away for a couple of weeks. While it's sitting in a drawer. Come up with other ideas for other projects.

After two weeks, come back to it and go through it.

Rewrite scenes if you need to. Change dialogue etc.

Now you need to upload that sucker onto Trigger Street Labs and get some feedback. This can be quite daunting and you need to grow a thick skin. Because some reviews will get under your skin. But remember, this is for a good cause. This is to improve your story in the long run.

While reviews are coming in. You should continue reviewing.

You'll probably want around 10 to 20 reviews.

Make sure you print off the reviews before taking down your screenplay.

Put it away for a week and come back to it and the reviews with an open mind and fresh eyes. As writers, we can get too close to our work.

Look for common areas and problems that have been brought up.

Perhaps ACT 1 is too slow.

Maybe you have a couple of characters that could be combined into one.

Maybe you need to cut pages because it's too long. Ideally 85 – 115 pages or less.

Then the rewriting starts after this.

Good Luck.

Craig Mazin and John August discuss The Black List from the Austin Film Festival.

A few notes I made during the session with Simon Beaufoy at the London Screenwriters' Festival 2012.

• Keep ideas simple.
• You want to engage the reader from the very first page.
• If you're doing an adaptation -- make sure you layer the story.
• Make sure that the character journeys are satisfying.

Sometimes it's good to write what you know.
It can be equally as good to write about what you don't know.

In order to have a clear vision of the world you want to create.  You need to do the RESEARCH.

No need to add specific music to a screenplay.

Being able to take notes and understand problem areas within a screenplay.

BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!

LISTEN.

Keep REFINING & TIGHTENING YOUR WORK.

Layer your scenes -- Make them rich.

What do I need my CHARACTERS to do within the context of the STORY?
What would they do in the situation and circumstances they find themselves in?

Character ACTIONS & CHOICES must be believable.

TRUST YOUR VOICE and the IDEAS in your HEAD.

YODA
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.

Notes taken from Luke Ryan's session at London Screenwriters' Festival 2012

Most Important Things

Know and understand who you're pitching and querying to.

• AGENTS -- want to make money -- lots of money.
• MANAGERS -- want to be producers -- they take an active part in developing you as a writer.
• PRODUCERS -- want to get movies made.
• STUDIO EXECUTIVES -- don't want to get fired.
• ASSISTANTS -- want promotion.
• LAWYERS -- want to argue, I'm sure the money's a bonus as well.
• TALENT -- Actors want to stay exactly where they are.
• READERS -- want to be writers -- as writers, you need to take away the reasons for them to say NO!

Writers earn a living by writing.

• Majority of work through assignments.
• Assignments gained through reputation for great creative delivery.
• Need an AMAZING SAMPLE.
• That SAMPLE SHOULD BE A SPEC.
• Well written, story told well.
• Selling it is a bonus.

As a writer you should be easy to work with.
And have excellent ideas for projects.

PURPOSE OF PITCH

To make the person you're pitching to say:

"I have to READ/BUY that!"

Using as few words as possible.

CONFLICT most important component of STORY.

Testing HERO.

CONCEPT and PREMISE

Concept = BIG IDEA
Premise = The way into the BIG IDEA.

Ideally the story needs to be:

• FOUR QUADRANT
• INTERNATIONAL
• HIGH CONCEPT -- Easy to get/sell
• A huge event -- TENT POLE -- SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER

LOGLINES

A Good logline:

Captures the most interesting ideas in the story within one or two sentences.
Gives us a clear idea of character, tone and stakes.
Two vital parts

The BUT and the MUST.

GIVES US A

A (CHARACTER) sets out to (ACHIEVE A GOAL),  but (RUNS INTO AN UNEXPECTED & SOMETIMES IRONIC OBSTACLE) and must (GROW IN A WAY TO TRIUMPH OR FACE CERTAIN DOOM).

Is this something other people want to see?
Is this something I can write the hell out of?

QUERYING

-- Managers
-- Agents
-- Producers

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO WORK THE ASSISTANTS

Find out who writes like/similar to you?

Actually do a proper letter rather than email.

1. Polite opening
2. Logline
3. A paragraph about who you are.
4. Past accomplishments
5. What you're currently working on.
6. What projects are you finishing next.

A few notes I took from Kate Leys' session.

The central character must want something.  They have a goal to achieve.

What are the stakes?  They must be important to the main character.
Conflict -- As the story progresses, make things worse for the protagonist.
Take them out of their comfort zone.
How does the ending play out?  Make sure it's an emotional ending and satisfying to the audience.  Chances are the audience will remember the ending if it's good.

To summarize:

What's the central idea that holds the story together?

Who's story is this?
What do they want?
Why can't they have it?
What do they need in order to understand?
What does the protagonist get at the end that they did not have at the start?

10 things that can go wrong while writing a story.

1. VEERING -- Sliding off course -- the story goes off on a tangent
2. NOTHING HAPPENS -- Imagine if you are the reader.  You need to capture their attention as soon as possible and keep them glued to the page.
3. WHO'S THE PROTAGONIST?  WHO ARE WE FOLLOWING?
4. NOBODY WANTS ANYTHING? -- Instead of proactive characters, we have a bunch of characters reacting to the situation.  This is very boring.  Make sure your characters, especially the main protagonist is ACTIVE rather than REACTIVE.
5. LACK OF CONFLICT -- everyone gets along.  Look at LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE ( if you haven't watched it, I suggest you watch it and read the screenplay) -- if the family all got along in that -- it would make for a very boring movie.
6. LEAVING PARTS OF THE STORY OFF THE PAGE -- sometimes you'll have characters mention things that happened rather than showing them.  Sometimes it's better to SHOW rather than TELL.  It also adds more flavor and depth to the story.
   
7. PLOT, BUT NO STORY.  Make sure you have INTERNAL and EXTERNAL GOALS for your protagonist.
8. THIRTY PAGES IN -- still nothing happening.
9. ENACTING NOT DRAMATIZES
10. STORY SEARCHING FOR MEANING -- what's the protagonist's internal goal?

I jotted down a few lines during this session.

• We are meaning making machines!
• Say what you do, do what you say.
• TAKE ACTION!
• If you have a GREAT IDEA!  Whether it's for a screenplay, short film, get on with it and DO IT!
• Thinking about it isn't going to get you anywhere.

• Don't let the past dictate the present or the  future.
• Concentrate on the here and now.

Hope that makes sense.

N.B. If you're returning next year. Well worth going to if your schedule allows it.

KYLE REESE
Listen, and understand.  That terminator is out there.
It can't be bargained with.  It can't be reasoned with.  It
doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear.  And it absolutely
will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

TRAVIS BICKLE
You talkin' to me?  You talkin' to me?  You talkin' to me?
Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to
me?  Well I'm the only one here.  Who the fuck do you
think you're talking to?  Oh yeah?  OK.