Vareity's Top Ten Screenwriters to Watch

This article makes for interesting reading for any wannabe writer trying to break into the biz. Each writer talks about their influences, their big break, and a little bit about how they pursue their craft.

Also note that as I argued in this post, all of these writers came to Los Angeles in order to begin their careers as screenwriters... even the playwright who'd had a dozen plays produced in New York realized that if she wanted to make it in the movie business, she needed to be here.

Hilarious Hollywood-related e-mail forward of the day

Here's the backstory. A couple of weeks ago a company here in town bought a script that was described as a spoof of a popular TV series from the 70's.

Allegedly, an executive at the company which controls the rights to the original character decided to send a letter to an executive at the other company asserting his belief that this new script infringes upon rights held by the first company.

He wrote:

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Executive X-

Please give me a call about a spec script called XXXX. As you know, along with XXXXX, we control the rights to XXXX. My understanding is this spec includes characters we own.

Best- Executive Y
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Well the response he got is PURE comedy gold. Enjoy!

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Executive Y-

Good news. As you may know, The United States Supreme Court has affirmed the right of Parody as an unassailable First Amendment Right. This has enabled you to make movies like XXXX and XXXX in which you parody many films which (your company) does not own or control.

The script is a parody and if you have any problems I suggest you hire a Constitutional lawyer and file a brief with the US Supreme Court. This will be an uphill battle - the court voted 9 to 0 when this last hit the docket and those stubborn justices all believe in Stare Decisis!

And if you succeed at the Supreme Court - you will have to stop making XXXX and XXXX.

This will take about 5 to 7 years...and lawyers are an expensive breed but I wish you good luck on your journey to deny our First Amendment rights.

All the best

Executive X
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Genius!

* Because I have no first-hand knowledge that these e-mails are real or even accurate, I have decided to remove all the names of the people, companies, and projects involved.

Sorry 'bout that, but this is a fledgling blog offering "how-to" information most Hollywood folks would rather you didn't have, and I don't need that kind of heat.

Minor screenwriting pet peeve

Be careful with unnecessarily obvious exposition in your screenplay dialogue. Rather than have one of your characters just flat out tell us a crucial piece of information, I like to see writers get a little more creative about letting crucial information slip out naturally so that the exposition is as unobtrusive as possible.

It's pretty common, for instance, for action heroes to have a background as "a former something or other." It's gotten to be a pretty serious cliche. Now that's not to say you shouldn't use it, ever... because it almost always makes sense for a guy who's going to spend two hours kicking ass to have at least some training in the fine art of ass-kicking. But you have to be clever about it. Nothing makes me cringe more than when I'm watching a movie and some character or another describes the hero by saying... "oh that's Bob Jones... he's a former Navy SEAL who fought in Kuwait during Gulf War I and got kicked out of the Navy for punching out his commanding officer."

I mean come on...

It goes back to one of my earlier posts where I cautioned you to be sure you write dialogue that sounds like people actually talking. It's hard to imagine an actual human being introducing someone by spelling out his entire resume.

Find a way for that information to flow naturally. Maybe instead when that character introduces the hero, the person he's meeting could say something like "yeah we know each other from the Navy."

Rare will be the times when you'll hear the Commander cite Steven Seagal movies as examples of great writing, but I have to give UNDER SIEGE credit for coming up with a clever riff on the "former etc. etc." cliche... Even though Steven spends the first half of the movie performing ridiculous feats of derring-do, he continues to insist through out that he's "just a cook." But he does it with a smile on his face and the claim rings SO hollow that by the time his former Commanding Officer ends the suspense by listing off his seemingly endless list of military accomplishments, we're ready for it, and the result is more comic than annoyingly cliched.

Just be smart about it. Lazy writing is boring writing, and the quickest path I've found to get your script passed on by everybody in town.

Friday Night movie quote

Jill: You saved his life!
Harmonica: I didn't let THEM kill him, and that's not the same thing.

- ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Hey... I owe you some answers on a few first act breaks, don't I?

OK, so as you read these, bear in mind that I'm doing this from memory... so if I remember some scenes out of order or if you think I've remembered the act breaks wrong, feel free to challenge me in the comments, as it quite possible that my memory has failed me on the order of a scene or two. Also, if the title of this post means nothing to you, check out this previous post on Screenplay Structure, where I discussed The First Act and left you with a challenge to try and identify where the first act ends in three popular movies.

Now that that's all out of the way, here we go:

STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KAHN - Kahn forces Chekov to contact Carol Marcus on Regula One to let her know that the Reliant is coming to take possession of Genesis under the orders of Admiral James T. Kirk, knowing full well that Carol will try to confirm the order with Kirk. She does, but Kirk is unable to understand what she's saying because Kahn is jamming the signal. Unable to stop being the hero even for a second, and chomping at the bit to get back in the Captain's chair, Kirk takes it upon himself to re-assume command of the Enterprise in order to find out what the hell is happening... just as Kahn, and his superior intellect, knew he would. The First Act officially ends when Kirk gets on the ship-wide intercom and announces that he is assuming command of the ship, they are embarking on a combat mission, and that he's going to need this boatload of recruits to grow up a little faster than they'd planned.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - Chris and Vin have accepted the contract to protect the village, but based on their tactical plan, they know they cannot get the job done with less than seven men. Nevertheless, as the deadline for leaving town approaches, their rigorous interview process has yielded only six reliable recruits. It's a tense ride to the village, as each man realizes they are probably riding to their deaths at the hands of Caldera's overwhelming manpower... and yet as they ride, Vin notices that someone is following them. It turns out to be Chico, who is determined to jon the group despite his humiliation at Chris' hands during the interview. Impressed with his pluck and determination, Chris allows him to join the team... as they ride on, Vin looks at Chris, smiles, and holds up seven fingers. The teams is set, and Act One has ended.

DIE HARD - John McClane arrives at Nakatomi. At this point we've met most of the crucial supporting characters... Argyle, Takagi, Holly, and of course Ellis. Nakatomi has mentioned the important tactical information we need to know about the building... no one is here but the party-goers on 30, several floors are under construction, etc. etc. John tries to be civil with Holly but his temper gets the better of him and the last words they say to one another are in anger. She storms back to the party, while he throws water on his face in an attempt to relax. Meanwhile the terrorists seal off the elevators, effectively blocking off any escape from the 30th floor, and then start shooting up the party. McClane peeks out into the hallway, sees he is hopelessly outnumbered, and only has time to grab his gun and duck into a stairwell before the gunmen check the office where he has been hiding. Now he's alone in the stairwell with a single gun, no shoes, and no way to call for help. Our story has begun, and act one has ended.

Where to I go to be a movie star?

The title of this post is a line from Steve Martin's fantastic Hollywood satire BOWFINGER... Heather Graham, looking every inch like she just arrived from Muncie, Indiana, climbs off a Greyhound bus in Hollywood, plaid patterned suitcase in hand, and asks the very first person she sees, "Hi, where do I go to be a movie star."

That's a bit like how I felt when I got to town. My University film education had consisted mostly of running around campus with a 16mm camera shooting short films about guys slowly going crazy. It was fun, but there was a fundamental lack of education in the reality of what I would be doing in Hollywood, eight o'clock, Day One.

Because the reality is that you are not going to come to town and be a working screenwriter that same week... or a director, or an agent, or a producer, for that matter. A few do, but it's such a tiny percentage of the people who come to town looking for fame and fortune that it isn't even really worth fantasizing about. I once debated with a friend whether or not a particular actress would ever make it as a movie star, and when I argued that she was really talented, he replied "The road to Hollywood is littered with the bodies of talented actresses." He was kidding of course, but he had a point... if everyone who came to Hollywood bought a lottery ticket their first day in town, chances are that after ten years, twice as many would have hit the lottery jackpot than would have found the fame and fortune they were looking for without a good five years of hard work struggling up that ladder.

So, here you are. You just graduated from college, or you've quit your job at the widget factory in Muncie and you're ready to move out to Hollywood and give your dreams a chance. Chances are you're going to be working as an assistant until your big break comes... whether that break is selling a screenplay, getting promoted to agent, or getting hired as a creative executive by some producer... just about everyone does at least SOME time on some Hollywood big shot's desk as an assistant.

I'm not going to tell you it's fun. It can be exciting, sure... this is a really interesting, flashy, high-profile business and being a part of it, even a small part, is definitely a rush. But the hours are long, the pay is crap, and too many of the bosses can be complete A-holes... I don't know why these things are true, there are lots of theories... but I think it has something to do with the fact that there are a finite number of jobs available, and TONS of bright-eyed kids with stars in their eyes who want those jobs, and so the business feels a little more free to jerk people around, knowing that if a given employee gets frustrated or angry and storms off, there is a literal army of replacements standing just outside the door waiting to take over.

How bad can it get? Check out a film called SWIMMING WITH SHARKS... the writer/director George Huang worked for some of the legendary jerkweed bosses in the business and claims that he based a lot of the horrible things Kevin Spacey does to Frank Whaley's character in the film, on things that his bosses did to him when he was an assistant.

It may not be fair, but it's the way it is.

But there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for life as an assistant, and that's really what this post is about... I want to give you an idea of what you're in for so that you can make that big move with full disclosure under your belt.

First, before you get to Hollywood, spend some time reading Variety and the NY Times Sunday calendar section on-line where the major headlines are free. The best way to get a boost in this business, to start off just a hair above everyone else in town, is to know who's who and how they relate to the other who's whos. Who runs Warner Bros? Who is the President of Production and who is the Studio Head? What's the difference? What about New Line? What kinds of movies do the various studios seem to specialize in? Who's just had a great summer and who is about to get fired because every summer blockbuster flopped like a dead turkey? You're going to need to know this stuff eventually, so the earlier you get started, the better for your career.

But assuming you're here already, and are looking for that first assistant gig, what can you expect?

Agent assistants typically start their day between 8am and 8:45am. Producer assistants and assistants who work for Studio Executives typically begin their days a little bit later, say 9 or 9:30. Most folks who work in the biz "roll calls" from the car on the way in every morning and again on the way home... both returning phone calls from the night before and putting out calls they hope will generate business during the day. It's the assistant's job to keep track of what calls have been made, which calls need to be returned, and what needs to be done as a result of each call connected. Agents are typically calling producers and executives trying to find out what jobs they need writers, directors, or actors for, and then trying to sell those executives on the idea of hiring their clients for those jobs. If the executive is unfamiliar with a given client, it's the assistant's job to get the appropriate material to that executive so they can be educated on the artist in question. Producers and Studio folks do just the opposite. Generally they are calling agents or the artists themselves trying to get people attached to write, direct, or star in their movies.

As an assistant you'll also be responsible for making your boss' schedule, and for typing up letters, keeping up a Rolodex, booking lunch reservations, as well as various and sundry other annoying administrative....things....

If this sounds like secretary work, that's because it is. Yeah I know it's tough to swallow, especially when you could be sitting on a hundred thousand dollars worth of degrees or more, as I was. But there is an upside.

For one thing, if your boss grows to like you and trust your taste, they will often ask you to read scripts for them, and sometimes, to do "coverage" or a set of "notes." Believe me, if you want to be an agent or a production executive, you're going to need to know how to break down a set of notes, or analyze a script via a good piece of coverage. If you don't know what either of those things are, don't worry... no one taught me either. I'll try to take a crack at both in future posts.

Beyond that, something to know about the upside of being an assistant is that the business plays very fast and loose with the "rules" for moving up the ladder and it's more than willing to let really clever and industrious assistants figure out unorthodox ways to get ahead. You will be on the front lines and trusted with an awful lot of access to the inner workings of the business, so if you bust your ass, work hard, and do a great job, sooner or later someone will promote you and give you a shot. If you want to be an agent or an executive, working your way up from the assistant ranks is pretty much the only reliable way to get there.

On the other hand, if you want to be a writer, being an assistant will afford you plenty of time to write, as well as good access to the people you will need to know in order to get your career going. Most of the writers I know have gotten a helping hand along the way from someone they worked for as an assistant.

Whew... that's quite a brain dump for one post on what to do when you first get to town. I think I've covered most of the relevant topics, but if there's something missing, or if you have a follow-up question, feel free to leave a comment or, as always, I am available by e-mail.

Cheers from Shears!

Screenplay Structure - Part 1

A whopping ONE reader left a comment saying a discussion of Structure would be helpful (Thanks "T")... now most people would probably argue that one person is not enough to spark a long detailed discussion of screenplay craft... but in Shears' case, one person could be as much as 50% of my total readership... so who am I to resist those kind of overwhelming numbers. Vlad Guerrero would kill for a .500 batting average after all...

Screenplays, ALL screenplays, must be written in three acts. Are there exceptions to this rule? Yes, of course, but they are few and far between and in 99% of cases, if you can't fit your story into a three act screenplay, it's either a bad or fundamentally flawed idea, or the story would work better in some other format.., a novel or short story, for example. Truth is, you give me a movie you think occurs in more or less than three acts, and I'll bet you a can of crisco I can prove you wrong... (now if THAT doesn't generate a flood of e-mails, nothing will! :-)).

So what are these three acts... well before we get into that I'm going to steal an idea from the Libertas guys... before you start writing, you need to be able to encapsulate your idea into one sentence... what we Hollywood eggheads call a "logline." For instance, the logline for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK might read something like "An adventure-seeking Archaeologist must track down a potentially dangerous Biblical artifact before the Nazis can use it to conquer the world." That one-liner, as the Libertas guys point out, will tell you exactly how your story breaks down into three acts.

Act one is where you'll introduce your characters and let the audience know what problem he (or they) will be forced to solve. In Act Two, your hero will go about the process of actually tring to solve the problem you've presented him with. Act Two typically ends at a low point in the hero's story... a moment where all seems lost. And finally, in Act 3, the hero re-engages the problem, gets his second wind, and ultimately comes out the other side victorious... or at least having come full circle in some way. I say that because it's important to remember that every movie doesn't have to have a happy ending, but if the ending IS a downer, you are still responsible, as a writer, for giving your hero some kind of character arc that justifies the story you've just asked your audience to spend two hours watching. As a quick example, in AMERICAN BEAUTY, Kevin Spacey's character is killed at the end (bummer), but having gone through the experiences provided by that story leaves an indelible impression on the other characters which makes their lives better for having known and interacted with him (whoo-hoo!)... the ending is ultimately uplifting, even though our hero is gunned down in cold blood.

Act One generally runs anywhere from 20-35 pages, where one page equals one minute of screen time, depending on the genre. Action movies tend to be short on character development and usually come with a requirement to get right to the action or risk losing the audience... in other words, action movie audiences require a certain amount of cutting to the chase, and are willing to sacrifice deep character development for it. As a result, you'll generally see the first act of an action movie run on the short side, say 20 pages or so. Dramas like THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW or THE KILLING FIELDS may run longer because so much more is required of the screenplay writer in setting up the story and the characters who will go through it, and where so much less of the story will need to be filled up by action sequences.

Let's look at a couple of First Act examples.

RADIERS OF THE LOST ARK - I start with RAIDERS for a couple of reasons... 1) it's flat-out one of the best movies ever made, and a textbook example of the three act structure, and 2) Spielberg and Lucas were trying to make a movie that was an homage to the classic serials they went to see at movie houses when they were kids, and as such, they added interstitial scenes which effectively break up the 3 acts for us. Back in the 40's and 50's, folks would spend all day at the movies, sometimes seeing two or three episodes in long-running serials where stories played out over months rather than hours, and audiences were expected to get up and move around, or go to the snack stand every now-and-then, and thus needed clear act breaks to tell them what was going on from one minute to the next.

Before we start, we must agree on what RAIDERS is about? To do that, let's go back to the logline I wrote earlier... "An adventure-seeking Archaeologist must track down a potentially dangerous Biblical artifact before the Nazis can use it to conquer the world." OK, so if that's our logline, what do we need to do in Act One? We need to introduce our main character Indiana Jones and the world he lives in, we need to tell the audience about this dangerous Biblical artifact, and we need to start Indy off on his journey to find it. That's it. Pretty simple right?

So how did this work out in practice... well, right off the bat they tell us with a graphic that the movie is set in 1938. We watch as a group of men make their way through an impenetrable jungle. We see Indy find a poisoned dart and we learn from his compadres that the bad guys are, at most, 3 days away. We see one of his team attempt a double cross and we watch Indy disarm a gunman with a whip. Later, Indy disarms several deadly and ingenious booby traps using an extensive knowledge of archaeology. We then meet his arch-enemy, Beloq, a proper Frenchman who, rather than getting involved in the wet work himself, prefers to show up in a white suit after Indy has done all the hard work, and steal it for himself at the last minute. We watch as Indy teaches a class, badly, and see his female students swoon over him. It's at this point that his old friend Marcus Brody shows up with the news that Army Intelligence is looking for him. In the next scene, the Army guys ask for help finding something called the headpiece to the staff of Ra, which Indy interprets to mean that the Nazis are on the verge of finding the Ark of the Covenant... Marcus then explains that accortding to legend, the Army which carries the Ark before it is invincible. Shortly thereafter, Indy begins his journey by boarding a plane for Cairo...

Now, observant viewers would have already discerned that this is the end of the First Act... but even if we hadn't done it on our own, Spielberg did us a favor by putting in a musical interlude... A flying plane is super-imposed over a map of the world which shows us Indy's forward progress. Simple, no?

JAWS is much less simple, but still doable. Again, let's start at the beginning. We need a logline... how about, "A former New York City cop has his little slice of paradise shattered when a ravenous Great White Shark begins hunting off the coast of the small island where he has been hired as Chief of Police." Given this one-liner, in the First Act, we would expect the writer to introduce us to Chief Brody, tell us where he's from and why he's in Amity now, introduce us to the danger of the shark, and ultimately, to start Brody on his journey to kill it.

The problem with JAWS is that the end of Act One is much less cut-and-dried than it is in RAIDERS. We could debate where Act One ends for hours and never come to a consensus, and the reality is that we'd all be right. The details of where EXACTLY an act ends aren't so important as long as you quickly and efficiently move through the introduction of your characters and get them started on their journey to solve them... and that you don't spend 65 pages doing it.

However, just for fun, I going to tell you that I think the First Act ends when Quint screeches his fingernails down the chalkboard and offers the citizens of Amity a choice... "ante up, or be on welfare the whole winter." At that point, we've met our hero, we know the problem he faces, and between the Mayor and Quint, he's been presented with two very clear and distinct options for moving forward with a plan to deal with the shark.

That said, I would find it perfectly acceptable if you were to say to me, "no Shears, I think the First Act officially ends when they check the belly of the Tiger Shark, find no boy in it, and Hooper says 'You got a bigger problem than that Martin, you still got a hell of a fish out there, with a mouth about THIS big'."

I would even accept the view that the First Act truly ends when the shark kills the man in the Pond and the Mayor finally writes Quint the ten thousand dollar check that send the three men out on their final shark hunt.

I'd argue like hell that you're wrong, but I'd accept it. I think, by then, you're getting way late in the story for us to still be in Act One. In my opinion, by this point in the story, Marcus has already begun his journey to eliminate the threat posed by the shark. He's put shark watchers on the beach, he has Helicopters in the air, gun boats in the water, and he's forbidden his son from taking his sailboat out on the ocean. Just because his first efforts at neutralizing the shark are unsuccessful, I'd still argue that his jouney has begun.

For more practice, here's a few more movies that I have very definite opinions on as to where the First Act ends. Take a minute and see if you can figure it out for yourself. I'll post my answers at a later date.

STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KAHN
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
DIE HARD

In the meantime, happy writing, and I'll see you back here for a discussion of Act 2 in the near future.