FREE WORKSHOP - 01 Concept

Okay, if you're reading this, you probably have a concept. Use the tools I provide to make it GREAT. If you don't have a concept, that sucks for you. I'll give you tools that will help you develop one, but the heavy lifting is all you. (It always is when you're a writer. And if you've made it past my Introduction, you're a writer. Sorry to be the barer the bad news, lol.)

Karl Iglesias suggests that our concept needs to be UNIQUE and FAMILIAR. AND he tells us how to do it.

The unique part is the Main Problem of our movie. A New York Cop is trapped in an L. A. sky-scraper by terorists, for instance, is the Main Problem of DIE HARD. An archeaologist is sent to find and obtain the Arc of the Covanent is the Main Problem of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC.

Think about 3 of your favorite movies right now, and locate their Main Problem.

Do it. I'll wait.

Okay, now the familiar part is -- according to Iglesias -- the central Emotional Struggle the protaonist has to endure while solving the Main problem. DIE HARD: The New York cop's ex-wife (whom he still loves) is in the skyscraper, too. Indiana Jones has to rescue the Arc of the Covanent before Hitler and the Nazis use it to take over the world.

Okay, those same 3 faves of yours, track down the central Emotional Struggle. Go.

Back already? Cool.

You need to be able to condense your concept into 2 sentences that grab the attention of anyone you tell it to. TWO sentences. If you can't do that, you're not ready to start developing your movie.

Stories are made up ove Plot Moves and Moments. The Plot Moves (or "Moves") are the cool scenes where the audience jumps or cheers or cringes or whatever. The Moments outline your character's emotional journey through the story. Moments are WHY the audience jumps or cheers or cringes or whatever at the Moves.

If you don't know this already I don't think I'm going to be able to help you much, but the CORE of your screenplay -- what will make it GREAT (and will make it SELL) -- is the emotional journey of your characters. Film is an emotional medium. Iglesias calls us, in essence, Emotion Dealers. The audience watches TV and goes to the movies to experience intense blasts of emotion.

So all the shit you've got blowing up and all the cool gadgets you've created, they mean NOTHING without the emotional ride. Don't believe me? Go watch BATMAN & ROBIN, then watch BATMAN BEYOND. I mean, yeah, BATMAN & ROBIN is gayer than gay, but that's not why it fails. It fails because you're not emotionally invested in the characters. I read the novelization of the movie before it came out and LOVED IT! I saw the movie and (knowing what the screenwriter intended versus what the director actually provided) enjoyed it a lot more than any of my friends.

Another great example: SERINITY. I took my Super-hot Best Friend traci to see it and she has NO INTERST in sci-fi for sci-fi's sake! But she didn't hate the movie!!! She enjoyed it, actually. Sje wouldn't seek out the dvd to watch it again, but if anyone aksed her "You think SERINITY's gonna be good?" she would say 'Hell, yeah! Go see it!"

The reason is that Joss Whedon understance the importance of the emotional journey, and its relationship to the "cool scenes". He KNOWS that the emotional journey is what makes people think that the cool stuff is cool... and without it, the cool stuff is silly or even boring.

So...

Now go do some thinking and/or reading and join me for the next step.