Weeks 1 - 4

So I'm playing a bit of catch up here as the writers guild has been going for several weeks now, but...

Hey you all know how life goes, there are things that come up, people to see, places to go, movies to watch, work to be done, etc. So I will have to settle for just one post about weeks 1 - 4 otherwise I'll never catch .

As mentioned in my drawn out intro there have been several ideas bounced back and forth, and I firmly believe that 2 of them would make awesome TV shows, but that is an experience to embark upon once we are slightly more proficient writers. We bounced some more ideas and then something pops, an ending for a story which made complete sense.

In Syd Fields The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting he says, "KNOW YOUR ENDING!" and goes on to explain how many don't believe this opting instead to write under the belief that their story will dictate the ending, or your character will determine the ending and so write and write with no end goal in mind. So yes, know your ending. The fact that naturally we had our ending was pretty cool.

We got an ending, and from there the basic story line forms, our main character, one or two supporting characters, a scene or 2 here and there... but wait we're getting a head of ourselves a bit. As reading of the above mentioned book is taking place as we write, there is a other key thing that is recommended and this we then delve into....

From there for the most part each session is pretty similar, and while someone might think that's a bit boring it really isn't!! There is a lot of character development that MUST be done before writing begins. This means building a complete person, from birth through their childhood, education, meaningful relationships, events that affected their lives, dreams and aspirations, effects of others on this person... all the way the way through to the present.

This has to be done so that when something takes place in the story our main characters reaction makes sense, and his/her reaction would be different from, let's say yours. You, me, Scott, Denzel Washington or George Lucas would all react to the same situation differently based on our life... so why not the same of ones character. It makes for a more fluid writing experience.

So for the first two weeks this is what we did, developed our main character and there was a lot of back & forth, as there should be. We need to find a person that we both agree on and each experience should make sense, leading to how that person is going to deal with what we as the story tellers throw at them. It's quite a fun creative process and it's awesome to bring ones own experiences into the mix (which is unavoidable) and to be brutally honest with oneself on how I would react to something - no posturing, just a true this is what I would really do not what I wish I would do.

Of course while this is going on, unavoidably we do take notes on plot points, directions the story could go based on what we are adding to our character. Some really good plot points are coming to the forefront and I'm really looking forward to revisiting this as the story unfolds.

By the end of week 2 I think we have a pretty rounded character and know this person well. And through this process have a basic story line from which we can build on. Of course things will come up that might alter that story line, but that's writing... things change and we adapt.

Now, reading the fore mentioned book is quite an experience and there is a definite structure to a script which I did not know. I had a basic idea but as with any new endeavour there are things that must be learned, so in line with learning about this structure arm. Mr. Field recommends watching at least 2 films a week, from the point of view of structure, how each act breaks down, plot points and other key points.

This brings us to week 3. In the book he refers to the Shawshank Redemption a lot, and why not, this is a great film. Granted I haven't seen it in a long time but to this day it remains top of my list, but this time I'm gonna watch it from a different point of view. What a watch, of course I enjoyed the film again and am again reminded of the incredible dialogue, moved again by the story and this incredible friendship of Tim Robbins' and Morgan Freeman's characters but as I am watching with specific things in mind I notice so much more particularly the use of plot points timed with pin point accuracy moving this story along and keeping the viewer engaged. I know this is based on Stephen asking book, but the translation into script is amazing.

While watching this film we also have the script to hand (well on the computer) for reference to see how certain things are written, and this makes for an even more illuminating experience. Again I have to say what a film!!!!

Next is film number 2 of the night, 13 Days, and although it is one neither of us had seen again, we watch from the perspective of script and structure pausing for discussion on plot points and where certain this take place to keep the story moving forward (see my Reviews Of A Short Man blog for my review of the film). Watching a film from this point of view is such a useful tool while writing.

Week 4 I would say was a night of reviewing what we had, which was really good. Scott had a very good question about a specific point (sorry I'm a bit vague but there will be no specifics mentioned about the script we are writing) and this does get us thinking about a few things we have done, why we had done them and do they really make sense. This prompts some back and forth, which in the end results in 2 or 3 changes which make the story flow even better, makes our central character more rounded and then leads us on to what needs to be done this week.

The completion of creating one character then opens the door to those that surround him or her, how they affect the story line and our main characters goal, why they are there and how do they also affect other characters. So we go over some of the basics of this character so there is a starting point, but decide to complete the development of this character individually, over the course of this week and then compare notes. It's a creative exercise, a good idea I think to develop this person and see what each other comes up with. We can then choose what works from each creation and combine them. Maybe this doesn't work, we after all created the central character together but part of this writing experience is finding what doesn't work and learning from each step.

This review also brings about a change in a particular scene (for the better), which in turn doesn't change the direction of the story but does focus it more. We also talk about how this could affect our ending which amazingly it doesn't and the introduction of a plot point which does need more discussion but could possibly add a pretty cool dimension to the story. A pretty good night I feel!!

And then to end we discuss a film or 2 to watch this week for research. I've never seen American Beauty so borrow this from Scott, I do hope I find it lives up to the hype. I do enjoy Kevin Spacey's work so I think I will. So assignment for the week is set and one of my movies to watch has been selected (maybe for number 2 I'll watch something crap to see how it shouldn't be done).

Check in after week 5.

'nuff said.