Script Frenzy Report Card 2009

Just in time for the 2009 Script Frenzy I’ve updated the Report Card. It’s more or less the same version as the one from last year, with just the dates adjusted.

This is an modified version of some of the report cards from NaNoWriMo to suit the needs for Script Frenzy.

• Script Frenzy Report Card 2009 (Microsoft Excel 2003).

I did not create this. I merely modified it for Script Frenzy. All credit for creation and idea goes to the original creators.

Gone for good?

And like that he was gone. Underground. Nobody has ever seen him since. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. #

I’ve said it before and now I’m gonna say it again; my work here is done.

Last time I said that I not gonna write any more on this weblog at all. I’m not gonna be so absolute in this time around. Just don’t expect any new posts anytime soon. All the smaller updates will be on my Tumblr page.

My new job at 1508 is not just great. It’s superb. So far it might very well be the best job I’ve ever had. Really nice colleagues, great projects, superb office, and just a heck of fun time.

I’ve been thinking about restarting with an entirely new weblog focused solely on screenwriting (a la the Story Tricks series). That might or might not happen anytime soon, but don’t keep your breath, because as the time is right now I’ve rather spend time with my wife and son and actually write screenplays and write about them. And there are only so many hours a day, so I have to prioritize.

And if any of you are up to it, I’m gonna participate in the Script Frenzy again this year. Feel free to add me as a writing partner. Although I’m gonna “cheat” a little this year, by writing a complete rewrite of my script from last year. The story structure is more or less unchanged, but the story itself is getting a major overhaul.

And don’t forget that you can track my movie watching adventures on the Movies page.

It’s done

If you by any chance would be looking for the proudest person in Copenhagen at the moment, look no further, because here I am.

I just uploaded my latest¹ version of my feature length screenplay Downfall to the wonderful website TriggerStreet.com².

It has really been a learning experience to write this screenplay. I loved the month of April when I was witting the script as part of the Script Frenzy event, but was so exhausted afterward that I had to leave it alone for some weeks before looking at it again.

And when I finally did, I found a screenplay in need of some serious rewriting. And that is what I’ve spent most of my free time doing for the past months.

The structure of the story is somewhat unchanged, but the pacing, the dialogue, the descriptions have all been changed, corrected or rewritten completely.
Even some of the main characters where merged into one to keep the entourage down to a minimum.

So now, all I have to do is wait for the hungry review vultures of TriggerStreet.com to rip it to pieces and tell me why and where I need to revise the script.

But right now I’m happy as a lark and above proud. Very proud.

1. Latest, not final… it’s never really final [↩]
2. if you’re a member of TriggerStreet, fell free to give it a spin, but please be truthful as that’s the only way I’ll learn anything [↩]

Edit mode

Again the eerie silence have settle on this weblog, but fret not, I’m hard at work making a 2nd draft of my Script Frenzy script Downfall.

It’s going fairly well. There are truckloads of typos, but that’s what you get when writing 4-6 pages an hour.

Many of the scenes are quite good already, but I am struggling with some of them. Especially the one in the first half of the 2nd act as many of them feel like they are just stalling time for the midpoint. I’m toying with the idea of changing the setting for this part of the story as the setting is hindering some of the rewriting I’m doing.

And I can’t stress this enough; walking away from the computer and doing this in hand is essential. Sitting down in front of the computer is, at least for me, the most counterproductive way of working.
Call me old fashioned but I need my pen and paper.

Story Trick #3: The basic beats

It’s been a long time since Story Trick #2 and this time it not about a trick in any specific movie but more about the lessons learned from April’s Script Frenzy.

So, that was 30 days of script writing, and what did I learn from that (apart from being able to write a first draft feature length screenplay in less than 30 days while holding down a full time job and being a caring family man)?

One thing: Outline. Outline. Outline…. and… outline.

I know that many big time screenwriter and directors don’t outline at all. The Coen brothers have said in numerous interviews that they never outline, but for the rest of us, I truly believe that outlining is the way to go.

When I sat down the work out the storyline for my script Downfall I looked at what the “masters” of screenwriting said about structuring the story.

I read about what Syd Field, Michael Hauge and Trine Breum (Danish) said about the topic, and scoured the internet for more references.

Listed below are the fundamental structure I’ve complied from all of these and for me at least it worked really well and always kept my writing on track and moving forward.

(Please note: The beats below are structured after a 100 pages script. If you plan to write a short script just take the page number and divided by 100, e.g. point of no return on page 50 is 50% of the script lenght).

The beats:

1. Page 1: Opening Scene: Setting up the main character. Hard to do, but just think of what you want to viewer to see first when sitting down to watch your film.
2. From page 1-10: Setting up the story: All the main characters (protagonist, antagonist, supporting characters etc.) are introduced here. The audience must know or at least have some basic idea of what kind of people they are.
3. Page 10: The 1st Turning Point: Something happens here that give the story a completely new direction. Someone dies, wins the lottery, the aliens attack, the long lost father returns home… you get the idea. This is the thing that sets the entire story in motion. Up until now we where just getting to know the characters, now the real story starts.
4. Page 10-25: The new situation: Okay, so something happened on page 10 and now everything is up in the air. What should the protagonist do? What is it all about? Should our hero embark on a journey to solve this new situation or should he/she just do nothing? Try to write down reasons to go and reasons to stay, and work with this conflict.
5. Page 25: The 2nd Turning Point (sometimes also called the Plot Point 1, but it’s the same thing): The start of Act 2 is all about going into the great unknown. The situation that started on page 10 is now going to be dealt with. The plans that the hero had for his/her situation in page 1-10 is now being changed completely. Some talk about going from the Ordinary World to the Special World.
6. Page 30: If you have a subplot (you don’t always need one) now is the time to introduce it. Be it a love story or something.
7. Page 25-50: First half of Act 2: The situation develops and the hero is slowly but surely moving forward in a positive way toward solving the situation.
8. Page 37: The symbolic scene: This is where the main character really commits to the journey. The audience might have known for a long time that this was the case, but this is where the main character expresses it clearly in some way, like taking charge of the search & rescue team. Can be very dramatic or almost unnoticeable.
9. Page 50: The 3rd Turning Point: The Point of No Return: This is where things can’t get any worse or any better depending on your story. The journey is almost over and the end is clearly in sight. Maybe the hardest part of the screenplay to nail completely, and also one of (if not the) most important points in the structure of the story.
10. Page 50-75: The 2nd half of Act 2: The plot thickens: The antagonist return. The antagonist has already been very much present in the story, but now the “attacks” becomes more frequent and clear. The complications and the stakes involved in the journey increases very much. Before the life of the protagonist maybe wasn’t at stake but not it most certainly is.
11. Page 65: The moment of regret: Maybe taking on this journey was a bad idea after all. Maybe we should just all go back. It’s not working out anyway. The hero of some of the supporting characters clearly states that they feel bad about doing what they are doing. Maybe we should just do what the antagonist wants us to do?
12. Page 75: The 4th Turning Point (also called Plot Point 2): All is lost. Major setback. One of the dear supporting characters dies, or the lovers are separated for good (it would seem), etc. The main characters are ready to give up. This is rock bottom it can’t get any worse than this so why even continue.
13. Page 75-100: Act 3: The race against time to finish the journey. The part where the protagonist solve the main conflict.
14. Page 85: The aha moment: “So this is how it works!” Aha. This one is not always used but good to get the third act some momentum. Could also be used to introduces a time-lock: They must get out of the building before the bomb explodes in 5 minutes, etc.
15. Page 85-100: The final push. All or nothing. Part of the third act where the main characters give all they have to complete the journey. Often the hero must face three tests that becomes more and more difficult in order to continue.
16. Page 9x: The 5th Turning Point: The Climax: Somewhere between page 90 and 99 the conflict is resolved. The antagonist is neutralized. The protagonist made it. The lovers reunite. The maniacl killer is captured
17. Page 9x-100: The aftermath: Use these pages to show the protagonist riding out into the sunset or whatever suits the story. Tie up any loose ends.

There you have it, 17 beats that make up more or less a typical movie. Use them at will; many really good movies (and Oscar winners) did not use them, not even close. But when you’re, like me, still new at this game, they help a lot more than hinders your story.

The end

… and FADE OUT.

And that leaves us with the following;

• 106 pages
• 25499 words
• 71 scenes
• 1 protagonist
• 1 antagonist
• 7 main supporting characters
• 3 supporting characters still alive at the end of the screenplay
• 50+ extras (that all die)
• 1 large explosion
• 22 hours of writing
• 5 pages in average per hour
• 4 pages in average per day
• 51 minutes spend per average per day
• 25 days of serious mood swings
• 1 feature length screenplay
• 1 winner of the Script Frenzy 2008
• 1 very proud person
• 1 very tired person
• 1 person in serious need to relax and do something else for the next week or so

Next time, I’m gonna write a light romantic comedy… in pre-historic space… or something…

One hundred pages

I’ve done it!

I’ve written 100 pages of a screenplay in less than 30 days. As I mentioned the story isn’t done yet so I’m not celebrating just yet, but I’m damn proud of my self for being able to write 100 pages in this very tight time frame and with all the limitations I was facing.

92 pages and still going strong

After a weekend of heavy drinking (again) at one of my friend’s weeding I didn’t write that much on the script as I should have.

But I did manage to write 3 pages last night. And these pages I’m very much looking forward to be reading once the whole script is done. They’ll be interesting because they were written very much in a free flowing form, since my brain was still heavily impacted by the alcohol, and I really had no idea of where the scenes where going.

I still have 8 pages to write to win the Script Frenzy, and I gonna make it, no question about that. The only problem I have is that the story is not finished. I still have a lot of ground to cover, so the final script is gonna run somewhere between 115-130 page, which is way too long for a story of this kind.

But I’ll use the summer to do a through edit of the script and I presume that the final draft (oxymoron) will be around 90 pages long.

73 pages

I’m so tired of writing, but that was bound to happen at some point right?

I hate the antagonist, but only not because he’s the antagonist but because he’s such a pain in the ass. I’m almost afraid that he maybe he’s too annoying and that the audience will hate him too much.

Good thing this is just the first draft, because lot’s of rewriting needs to be done on this area.

Halfway point

The crisis is over. Not that my mood as changed dramaticly, but I am over the top now and that feels great.

I still have doubts about the greatness of the story, but my writing has approved again after some days of shit poor writing.

I’ve just finished one of the larger dialogue scenes and in it my main character, David, says at some point:

• DAVID
• I’m not asking you to do anything against your will. If you wanna stay up here and wait for some rescue team to come sweeping through and take you with them, fine by me. But I’m not laying down my life waiting for something that might or might not come. If I’m gonna fucking die in here, I’m sure as hell are gonna die trying.

That’s me… if I’m gonna do this thing and write 100 pages or more in one month, I’m sure as hell gonna trying standing up.