The Screenwriter's Bible, 4th ed. by David Trottier. ISBN: 1-879505-84-3
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sample Screenplay for New Writers
http://goo.gl/k1Wd1
This is a screenplay I wrote called The Safest Place in Town. 2004 Finalist at the Houston International Film Festival. Similar to (Reasonable facsimile) the beginning of Blood Diamonds, but written and copyrighted before then.
That's life.
I also learned that the U.S. copyright office is the way to go for copyrighting your script. I no longer stop at the Writer's Guild of America method. The difference is damages in a suit. You have a stronger base for your attorney should you need to fight copyright theft.
Copyright attorneys will take cases, of course, but if on contingency, they like a slam dunk case--word for word stuff. That's not likely to happen. It's my understanding that a reasonable facsimile case can work, but it requires the attorney to work harder and with less confidence, unless of course you are paying by the hour.
The format is the style for submitting scripts. A lot of scripts you see on the web are production scripts; you don't turn in those styles if you are proposing for a sale.
I use Final Draft.com for my formatting of the script. It was recommended to me by Cam Jones, Executive Producer of the movie Traffic.
Yeah, I know him, but it's not like that. It's a business.
The studio has writers. You need to come up with something unique and likely something they can't do due to your unique knowledge and experience..
Keep it real: for most of it's an enjoyable hobby until we sell something. Until then, we are giving studios ideas.
I still write: it's fun. Attend festivals now and then; they are also fun, and they have their own unique dynamics. I met a few famous actors that way. Good conversation.
This is a screenplay I wrote called The Safest Place in Town. 2004 Finalist at the Houston International Film Festival. Similar to (Reasonable facsimile) the beginning of Blood Diamonds, but written and copyrighted before then.
That's life.
I also learned that the U.S. copyright office is the way to go for copyrighting your script. I no longer stop at the Writer's Guild of America method. The difference is damages in a suit. You have a stronger base for your attorney should you need to fight copyright theft.
Copyright attorneys will take cases, of course, but if on contingency, they like a slam dunk case--word for word stuff. That's not likely to happen. It's my understanding that a reasonable facsimile case can work, but it requires the attorney to work harder and with less confidence, unless of course you are paying by the hour.
The format is the style for submitting scripts. A lot of scripts you see on the web are production scripts; you don't turn in those styles if you are proposing for a sale.
I use Final Draft.com for my formatting of the script. It was recommended to me by Cam Jones, Executive Producer of the movie Traffic.
Yeah, I know him, but it's not like that. It's a business.
The studio has writers. You need to come up with something unique and likely something they can't do due to your unique knowledge and experience..
Keep it real: for most of it's an enjoyable hobby until we sell something. Until then, we are giving studios ideas.
I still write: it's fun. Attend festivals now and then; they are also fun, and they have their own unique dynamics. I met a few famous actors that way. Good conversation.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Lew Hunter & Syd Field Advice to Screenwriters
Syd Field's model of screenplay structure is excellent; so is Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434.
The difference is that Syd Field offers a "cookie cutter" approach to screenwriting, and the character analysis suggestions seems to fit Character Acting Analysis techniques.
Lew Hunter's style is more flexible, focusing on concepts. He does not endorse the Character Acting techniques, leaning more towards what appears to be Method Acting techniques.
What's the significance in character analysis emphasis. In my humble opinion, Character Acting is good for stage since there is no pauses in scenes. The scenes in film don't happen all the same day. To that extent, Method Acting analysis is practical and followed by many heavy weight actors in the business.
The difference is that Syd Field offers a "cookie cutter" approach to screenwriting, and the character analysis suggestions seems to fit Character Acting Analysis techniques.
Lew Hunter's style is more flexible, focusing on concepts. He does not endorse the Character Acting techniques, leaning more towards what appears to be Method Acting techniques.
What's the significance in character analysis emphasis. In my humble opinion, Character Acting is good for stage since there is no pauses in scenes. The scenes in film don't happen all the same day. To that extent, Method Acting analysis is practical and followed by many heavy weight actors in the business.
SCHINDLER'S LIST (The Truth about "Based on a True Story" Rhetoric in Movies
SCHINDLER’S LIST,
RHETORICAL REVIEW
RHETORICAL REVIEW
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*“This is based on a True Story.”
Director, Steven Spielberg, says the movie is “based on a True Story”
Screenwriter, Steven Zillian, says the script is “based on a true story.”
Author, Thomas Keneally, says the book is “based on a true story.”
*I found the book, Schindler’s List, in the fiction section of Barnes & Noble.
Motivated by the American Screenwriter's Association claim that Schindler's List is one of the top ten
screenplays ever written, I decided to analyze the screenplay and learn from it.
Screenwriter, Steven Zillian, says the script is “based on a true story.”
Author, Thomas Keneally, says the book is “based on a true story.”
*I found the book, Schindler’s List, in the fiction section of Barnes & Noble.
Motivated by the American Screenwriter's Association claim that Schindler's List is one of the top ten
screenplays ever written, I decided to analyze the screenplay and learn from it.
Having viewed the movie a couple of times, read the book and combed the screenplay, I found myself less suspicious of the authenticity of nearly all the stated facts, particularly numerical and geographical, then I did the characterizations, action and dialogue. The latter being based on the testimonials of grateful survivers of the Holocaust whom worked as slave labors in Oskar Schindler's Nazi approved essentail industries factory.
It should be noted to those only seening the movie, that there were other essential industry factories that utilitized forced Jewish labor. Oskar Schindler was unique in his efforts to retain his selected workers, rather than have them replaced by other healthy and skilled Jews. In other words, there were Jews that would have replaced the specific Jews in his essential industries factory. To that extent, termination of the war would have saved replaced Schindler Jews and his accontant, Itzak Stern, but not the specific ones dramatically saved. Nonetheless, Julian Madritsch and his Supervisor Raimund Titsch also received the honor of Righteous Persons in Israel for their kind treating of Jews in their Essential Industries factory, also in Crawkow. Noteworthy, Raimund Titsch added Jews to the Schindler list at the closing days of the war, perhaps saving replacing Jewish workers in the Madritsch factory. The movie could have been called The Schindler, Stern and Titsch List. (I don't think Itzhak and Oskar let alone the addition of Raimund was a title consideration.)
The movie, the script and the novel, offer three different characters called Oskar Schindler: the movie shows him uniquely shrewd; the screenplay shows more faults; the novel sheds even more light on his womanizing and latent alcoholism, three bouts in jail, and vomiting from his horseback view of the Jews to the ghetto transport. The latter was the equivelenat of a Saul to Paul effect (Recall a redemptive lightening strike of Saul while on horseback; thus becoming Paul).
The theme of the movie and the script happen at the top of the twenty first page of the script found on Daily Script.com. Schindler tells his wife that his success is based on one fact: She guesses luck. He corrects her with he word 'War.' It's a perfect theme: the war made him rich, and its end made him poor, in terms of money. Fact: he was an utter businesss failure in post World War II. Nevertheless, the grateful Jews of his factory gave him a pension to keep him afloat.
The investigators of post world war II war crimes disparagingly saw Schindler and Madritsch as entraprenuers for the Nazis. Schindler Jews saved both gentlemen as friends because of their humane treatment of Jews. Schindler was extra-ordinary in his efforts to save those specific ones he Stern and Titsch identified. in other words, arguably, both Schindler and Madritsch were saved from war crime trials by the Jewish workers of their respective labor camps.
_______________
Why did Steven Speilberg omit some very intriguing circumstances in the book and screenplay?
You've got to cut something. Then again, the director chooses what to cut. That decision is based on the purpose.
Hypothesis: the rhetoric of guilt.
You've got to cut something. Then again, the director chooses what to cut. That decision is based on the purpose.
Hypothesis: the rhetoric of guilt.
Simply put, we feel guilty when we should have done something and didn't do it, particularly if our omission caused an extra-ordinary horrible result, like the holocaust. History tells us that the U.S. England and France openly purported to back up Poland if the Nazi's attacked. Hitler countered with a ploy: a pact with the Soviet Union, offering to divide Poland with them if they forebear.. The U.S. England and France backed off. The Nazi's attacked Poland.
Shamefully, we backed off our word to come to the aid of Poland should the Nazi's attack them. The Nazi's won in two weeks and immediately began a low profile "Final Solution" out of hatred for the capitalistic savy Jews, and to build a buffer between their arch-enemy Soviet Union after they broke the pact. The cleansing of even non-Jewish Poles--perhaps the sixteenth century regional dominance by Poland was still historically remembered.
The hero Oskar Schindler pointedly separates Nazi's from German citizens. Schindler makes Germans and German-Americans feel better, and Americans in general. Identification with Schindler and Stern is to identify with European Americans and Jews as one--working together against horrible enemies. Keeping the hero clean of too many defilements is necessary to cement the identification effect.
When you are guilty, you have two options: restitution or scapegoat. The Nazi's chose the Jews as their scapegoat for economic problems of the past, (Shades of sentiment towards wall-street today). Post WW II United Naions gave the Jews Israel as a form of restitution. America and. England gave the Soviets more of Poland then offered by the Nazis' to switch to the Allie cause of defeating the Nazis. Some old time Poles still admonish Roosevelt for it.
Michael Keneally slants his view of Schindler's special choosing of laborers by saying Schindler's adament contentions to the Nazi factory overseers was motivated by a personal penchant: They were his workers. I work in a right to work state, and that view by management is the same purported as Schindler's: there is no implied nobility in the act. Buying his workers back to work is noble, unless you see the downfall of the Reich and realize you better do something to save your hide. Indeed, those were the suspicions of post war investigators. It was the overwhelming gratefullness of the chosen Jews that persuaded the decision in Shindler's favor.
Schindler's list is a reminder of our reason for supporting Israel. It reinforces our indentification, bond and duty to Israel in terms of continued restitution.
Shamefully, we backed off our word to come to the aid of Poland should the Nazi's attack them. The Nazi's won in two weeks and immediately began a low profile "Final Solution" out of hatred for the capitalistic savy Jews, and to build a buffer between their arch-enemy Soviet Union after they broke the pact. The cleansing of even non-Jewish Poles--perhaps the sixteenth century regional dominance by Poland was still historically remembered.
The hero Oskar Schindler pointedly separates Nazi's from German citizens. Schindler makes Germans and German-Americans feel better, and Americans in general. Identification with Schindler and Stern is to identify with European Americans and Jews as one--working together against horrible enemies. Keeping the hero clean of too many defilements is necessary to cement the identification effect.
When you are guilty, you have two options: restitution or scapegoat. The Nazi's chose the Jews as their scapegoat for economic problems of the past, (Shades of sentiment towards wall-street today). Post WW II United Naions gave the Jews Israel as a form of restitution. America and. England gave the Soviets more of Poland then offered by the Nazis' to switch to the Allie cause of defeating the Nazis. Some old time Poles still admonish Roosevelt for it.
Michael Keneally slants his view of Schindler's special choosing of laborers by saying Schindler's adament contentions to the Nazi factory overseers was motivated by a personal penchant: They were his workers. I work in a right to work state, and that view by management is the same purported as Schindler's: there is no implied nobility in the act. Buying his workers back to work is noble, unless you see the downfall of the Reich and realize you better do something to save your hide. Indeed, those were the suspicions of post war investigators. It was the overwhelming gratefullness of the chosen Jews that persuaded the decision in Shindler's favor.
Schindler's list is a reminder of our reason for supporting Israel. It reinforces our indentification, bond and duty to Israel in terms of continued restitution.
That's why extensions of the juicy defilements were secondary to the horrors of the holocaust, sympathy for the Jews and our identification with an apparent Semper Fi war hero.
This Analysis is based on a true story.
And I am now added to the list of those benefiting from the War: certainly, we four are like Oskar Shindler.
If your respond by saying, "I knew Oskar Schindler and you are no Oskar Shindler." My reply is a sincere, "Thank you."
ozzie@oz7.com
And I am now added to the list of those benefiting from the War: certainly, we four are like Oskar Shindler.
If your respond by saying, "I knew Oskar Schindler and you are no Oskar Shindler." My reply is a sincere, "Thank you."
ozzie@oz7.com
Braveheart Screening Review
REVIEW
by
Ozzie Banicki
THE MOVIE
During the movie I detected some influences of the screenwriter, Randall Wallace, and director/actor Mel Gibson that actually came to past in the forum and my subsequent brief research into Randall Wallace's background, and of course, we all know of the subsequent movie of Mel Gibson regarding the Passion of Christ.
What you may not have known is that Randall Wallace majored in Religion at Duke, reads parts of the Bible every day and holds a Black Belt in Karate.
So, if put two men together who have a passion for action and a devotion to Christ, you get BRAVEHEART.
How so? Well, I was looking for a theme early in the movie, and just in case I missed it, it popped up three times, which is highly unusual as movies go. Young William Wallace, played by James Robinson, received words of wisdom from his father, Malcom Wallace, played by Sean Lawlor, when he said something to the effect-- I know you can fight, but only if you develop your mind, you will be good with your body. That sounded like something some Asian martial arts instructor would say, and has said in many such movies and to those taking courses in martial arts.
Secondly, I certainly got the parallel to the Crucifixion at the end of the movie. I found myself focusing on my breath as I watched, trying to detach myself from the powerful emotion.
The reappearing spirit of William Wallace's wife, played by Mhari Calvey was certainly spiritual—no pun intended, but the alliteration does fit.
Third, One simple statement in the movie caught my attention, and it reveals volumes about the author's training. It was a reference to “courage.” An elder replied to someone's comment on courage. The elder made a distinction in the form of a question, “Was it courage or rage?”
Here's the significance. This is a reasonable facsimile of a statement Aristotle made in his book of Ethics. Aristotle contrasts Courage to Rash when speaking of distinctions in virtue.
Lew Hunter, in his screenwriting book Screenwriting 434, strongly suggests aspiring screenwriters should read Aristotle. I did read Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Poetics and Ethics—still reading more of Aristotle's philosophy. I am looking forward to Politics and Psychology, though I come from a background in rhetoric (philosophy). Apparently, so did Lew Hunter, Chair of Screen Writing at UCLA. Structure, character development and clearly written succinct action are essential.
You get the picture, here's what's behind the writer.
THE FORUM
- Write about your passion: ignore the market.This makes sense. If it is in the market, the studio writer is likely doing it.Randall Wallace's last name is the same as William Wallace, the star character in BRAVEHEART. He was fascinated over the responsibilities and felt he was related, at least in spirit, to the character.
Interestingly, Randall Wallace quit writing screenplays for ten years after writing BRAVEHEART. He did say that he prayed to God that he would finally sell it because he was in serious financial trouble. He must have done well on the financial side, but I also believe he was writing his book that he is now turning into a screenplay.
The movie SECRETARIATE was also made from a Randall Wallace screenplay, along with three others, plus a novel. As aforementioned, the novel is now turning into a screenplay.
- Fiction is not a documentary.
A forum question from the audience turned out quite humorous. He was asked about the truth of William Wallace in the move. He replied that news reporters and screenwriters lie.
The interviewer pointed out the question came for a local news reporter.
Mr. Wallace tried to squirm out of it, but it only added to the humor. Nevertheless, an important distinction was made in my eyes (Assuming you read my review of Schindler’s List). I don't recall it being said, “This is based on a true story.” But it probably was said.
Mr. Wallace said the spirit of William Wallace is the essential, not the facts.
.
3. Re-write.
The screenwriter also revealed that he wrote twelve drafts of BRAVEHEART before he turned it in, and then did claim it was his first draft. Even then, he said, there were several rewrites after the purchase of the script.
Moreover, Director, Mel Gibson, wrote some inserts that he thought were effective. For example, in the ending during the torture, “Crucifixion,” William Wallace looked at a boy and smiled. To me, this was an inspirational message that highlighted the theme—a warrior can only be effective if he develops his mind first. Of course the ending scream of “Freedom” added to this effective ending and accent on the Asian Martial Arts theme of Randall Wallace.
4. Don't give up your day job.
He did not discuss how he made his contacts, but he did live in Hollywood, although not totally necessary. Supposedly it is easier to make contacts that way, many return to home.
Randall Wallace and the interviewer did strongly note that odd are you are likely not to sell anything. Then again, neither do amateur athletes after years of playing sport.
Done Deal Pro
http://www.donedealpro.com
Professional organization for screenwriters.
Professional organization for screenwriters.
Great Interviews for members with Screenwriters, Agents etc. News on what's hot. Deals in the business, and Selected Screenwriting Deadlines are also posted for free.
I highly recommend this online organization.
Ozzie Banicki
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