Beginners Guide To Screenwriting - Shannan E. Johnson [FULL INTERVIEW]

Film Courage: Shannan, for anyone who  knows nothing about screenwriting,   how would you begin to teach them the craft? Writer/Instructor and Script Consultant  Shannan E. Johnson (The Professional Pen): Yeah   that's a great question because we all kind  of start from this place of not knowing   screenwriting unless you decide to go to a film  program that's actually teaching screenwriting   it's one of those things that is not a part of our  education system or anything like that so a lot of   us are starting from scratch. The great thing  about it being 2021 is that there are resources   everywhere so I actually just got this question  via email the other day and my first response   was just start writing it's kind of like even  if you are doing creative writing if you have   short stories that you're interested in if you  want to be a journalist and you want to write   articles you just have to start practicing it so  that's the first thing that you can do is just   start writing down your ideas the other thing you  want to do is then figure out how to hone that   craft are there screenwriting classes anywhere  whether they're in your area or they are virtual   are there screenwriting groups that are in your  area or virtual or go to youtube university which   is what we were talking about earlier and so  there are a lot of different organizations that   have pages like film courage like my page that  are teaching the fundamentals of screenwriting   because the biggest thing is understanding  the format which always tricks people up a   lot trips people up a lot and understanding the  structure the third thing you can do which is   just an addition to honing your craft is read  screenplays but make sure that you are reading   actual screenplays and not transcripts so a lot  of the times when people will google and look for   a particular screenplay the transcript will come  up and just so the difference the transcript will   be only dialogue and it'll all be formatted left  and it'll just be the dialogue from the screenplay   because someone actually watched the film and just  wrote down what everyone was saying but if you're   going to be the screenwriter you need to learn how  they are formatting the scene headings what action   looks like where everything is placed so you want  to make sure that you're looking at the actual   screenplay and not the transcript when you're  looking at those screenplays ask yourself what   you like to write ask yourself what you like to  watch so that you can then read screenplays that   fill in that format and that genre because each  genre is going to have kind of their own rules   and so you want to make sure that you're learning  how to write the thing that you're interested in   so what if someone says okay I've already been  working at writing a screenplay I actually have   four or five at home but I live in a small  town I have a family I have a full-time job   I don't know what to do from here yeah so the  first thing you want to do is get some feedback   on your screenplay because this industry is one  where there are going to be gatekeepers that are   going to be in place before you can get to the big  studios or the networks or production companies so   in order for your screenplay to get made at all  someone is going to have to read it and so you   want to make sure that your screenplay is in a  great place and that it's going to make it past   the reader so a great way to do that is finding  people like myself as a script consultant or   finding script coverage companies so that you can  get another set of eyes on those screenplays so   it's great if you have three or four screenplays  if you only have one keep writing get to your   three or four and then send them out so that you  can get feedback on them to see if they are up   to industry standard to see if there is an actual  story there now from there that's when it becomes   tricky because this is a who kind of industry and  if you are in whatever city outside of los angeles   new york atlanta maybe then it may be a little  harder to figure out how you're going to get in   so some of the options that you have are  screenwriting competitions competitions don't mean   that you will automatically get your screenplay  made but it's about exposure and access so if you   pay attention to which screenwriting competitions  are going to have who on their jury reading those   screenplays then you want to try to get in front  of those people so that they can help you to get   into the door the same thing is true for any  film festivals you can attend film festivals   and maybe meet some of the producers who are there  managers and agents who are there to be able to   talk to them about your work don't have your  screenplay printed out and pass it to anyone don't   do it don't do it keep your printed screenplay  at home but while you're there you want to be   networking and meeting people because since this  is a who kind of industry then you need to get out   there and meet some folks there are also different  kind of pitch competitions that are out there   that will also give you an opportunity to pitch  to people who are in the industry who then may   help you to develop your work to take it to the  next place if you don't want to do Hollywood at   all and you don't want to deal with a big machine  then raise your own money hire your own people   and make your own content because there are many  ways for you to get your own content out there now   so you said keep writing if if I just have one  or two screenplays what if my life story is so   fascinating I just have to get this story  you don't understand Shannan yeah I have to   get this story out yeah it's once you hear my  life story you will want to make this movie too   and I'm not looking to do other other stories  yeah if you're not looking to do other stories   if you don't want to be a professional writer I'm  going to say kind of the same thing applies to you   because unless you're going to find the money to  make it yourself you still got to get in to know   somebody to get them to make it so you're still  going to have to deal with those gatekeepers   so if your life story is so fantastic and so many  of us think that it is if your life story is so   fantastic then you need to find a producer who you  can prove to that person that it's that fantastic   someone has to get interested enough in the story  so you want to be able to have your log line ready   have your pitch ready have your screenplay ready  whatever materials you're going to have to be able   to show them like this is something that you want  to tell and if they decide to buy it and develop   it etc then they will but if you don't want to  be a professional writer you may say to yourself   but I don't want to go through all those hoops I  don't want to deal with that I want it made now   raise some money hire your people and make it  yourself because if it's the kind of story that   you just it's your baby and you just want to make  it then make it and air it to your family air it   in your hometown air it in your city you can  rent out a theater within the amc or whatever   theater you have in your community you can  rent out one of the rooms and show it on the   big screen and still have that same experience if  you're not trying to become a professional writer   so you just have to ask yourself what do you  want of that project realize what the different   avenues are and then choose one and hopefully  we'll get to see your story on the screen okay   what if I've heard a lot of bad stuff about  Hollywood and and I don't trust those people so   I i need you to get it out there for me because I  i just I've been warned me as in me or is this a   general question it could be you it could be it  could be me going to something but but we could   I could roleplay and say to you like I could  and so I I've heard stories and I just don't   trust it and I know that you could navigate  on my behalf so what you're looking for   is someone to be your representative those people  are managers those people are agents those people   are entertainment lawyers I'm a script consultant  so that's not my part of the job my part is to get   people from idea to pitch your representatives  then get you into the room to be able to pitch   and then you're going to pitch to executives or  producers or even actors or directors whoever it   is you can get in the room with so that it can get  bought developed and then made into into your film   or your television show so you want to make sure  whoever it is you're approaching is the person so   that means you have to start with research because  the thing about this industry if you decide to go   the Hollywood route the thing about this industry  is people care about you doing your part and you   doing the work so if you were to approach someone  who doesn't do that thing but you're asking them   for that thing then they're going to consider that  this is not something that you're serious about   so for example not every production company or  every studio makes the same kind of films or   tv shows so if this is a faith based production  company but you want to make a a vampire comedy   and so now you're pitching your vampire comedy  to this christian-based production company then   they know that you have not done your research you  don't understand their brand and now that is going   to look bad on you professionally so if you don't  want to do that bidding yourself great so that   means you need to find someone else who does that  thing who is that go between who is that liaison   who can do it for you so do the research to figure  out where the places that would make my kind of   movie or my kind of tv show who are the people who  I need to contact who have made their stuff there   because a lot of those studios are working  with the same kind of production companies   over and over again so then you figure out well  who do I need to have a relationship with to go   there so there's still going to be some work  on your part because if you don't know anyone   then you still have to find the people in order  for them to do the rest of the work so it's a   tough part of the industry which is why it's not  favorable for everyone it does take a lot of work   on your end and a lot of grit on your end and even  if you do have a representative if you are trying   to be a professional writer even if you do have a  representative the work doesn't stop for you there   so they're out doing some bidding but you're still  going to get most of the gigs because of the work   that you're doing yourself so if you're in a  position of saying that's not what I want to do   then maybe reconsider this may not be the industry  for you because there's gonna have to be work done   on your end and you're gonna have to get out of  your comfort zone okay and then lastly and and   I love this advice I've given my work's letting  me take two weeks to come out to la and I'm armed   with like five scripts I've talked to a couple  people on social media who say they might want to   produce it for me executive produce it I haven't  found too much about them online one of them says   they have their own company and they have money  that they can put behind it and they want to   meet so we're going to meet at a restaurant and  we're going to talk about them helping me make   my project how do I know that I could trust  this person well if you've done your research   and you haven't found anything you now have to  go with your gut go to the meeting listen learn   don't over share don't sign anything consider  this a part of your research when you're there   do you want them to take care of your baby that's  what this conversation is about everyone starts   from somewhere so maybe they are new in the  producing field so there isn't much online   about them just like you're new in the writing  field so it's not to say that just because you   can't find anything about them online means you  shouldn't work with them maybe maybe not you may   say okay well we're both starting out so we could  be starting this relationship together as issa ray   said you want to network this way and not this way  so if both of you are starting in the same place   take the meeting see what happens but while  you're in that meeting listen to yourself   listen to them and then make decisions  from there it may work out it may not   but that's going to happen no matter who you  decide to work with now if you do see a lot   of negative stuff online then don't take the  meeting there's no reason to take the meeting   if you can't find anything then take the meeting  and just listen learn have your questions ready   ask yourself what do I need to know in order  for me to feel comfortable with doing this   and then when you're in that meeting ask those  questions a lot of the times what happens is the   writer always feels like the person on the lowest  end of the totem pole which may or may not be true   so when we get into meetings with  other people we automatically get into   our own shells and think that we don't have a  voice to be able to request what we need but   if this is your baby and these people say they're  interested then you're interviewing them as much   as they're interviewing you so when you're  there ask the questions and if you don't get   the information that you need that makes you  feel comfortable with having a relationship   with them then you have all the information you  need shake hands don't burn bridges shake hands   say thank you and then find someone who is the  best for your project and I like that so issa ray   said network like this yeah network horizontally  instead of vertically she may not have used those   words but that's what she meant I don't remember  the actual quote yeah okay and sorry and so that   means then don't try to like be like this social  climber like do it with people that are starting   out at your level as well yeah it basically  means the people who you're starting out with   are all moving at the same time so that means  one of those people is going to be in a position   that can help you at some point just like  you might be in a position that can help them   so make friends with these people if  we're all assistants at the same time   we're probably all going to be executives at the  same time or one of them will become an executive   and i'll become a writer or another person becomes  a director and now going back to that who thing   now I'm working with the people that  I know because we started off together   versus everyone wants to get into the room  and they want to talk to steven spielberg   talk to steven spielsberg's assistant first of  all that's the closest person to him but secondly   that person has aspirations too most assistants  there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a   lifelong assistant we need people who are very  organized and get things done but most assistants   are there because they're trying to get somewhere  else and that's just the path that they chose to   get experience so that person may want to become  an agent that person may want to be a manager   that person may want to be a director if you get  a relationship with them because both of you are   in a place where you can build a relationship in  the first place because you're not going to get   to steven spielberg and make a relationship just  because you're on set one day but if you're nice   to the assistant and you guys become cool then now  you start rising together and you have the people   that you need when it's time to take a meeting  you can call over to this place because the person   that's working there because you guys were both  pas on some random music video five years ago so   I think it's really important as she said to  make sure that you don't ignore these people   just because they haven't made it yet because  some of them will maybe you will maybe you won't   but instead of jumping over those people and going  to the people who are already in place who don't   have time for you let's just be honest they don't  have that kind of time so instead of trying to   jump to those people pay attention to the people  who are grinding at the same time that you are   so we touched on some excellent points the way  to start screenwriting let's talk about the wrong   way to start oh that's the question yeah that's  a question sorry I think this offshore no it's   okay okay I think the wrong way to start is  just assuming how this thing works assuming   that what screenwriting is and so you don't have  to do any research that you don't have to try to   hone your craft in any way that you don't have to  read any screenplays that you can just wake up and   write and even though I said earlier writing is  a part of it that's the first thing you want to   do you want to start getting your ideas out to see  what they are but then to assume that that's all   it takes is the wrong place to start it's also the  wrong place to start to assume that you don't have   to know anything about the business as writers  you're your own advocate you are your business   and you're walking into a business so as much as  it's creative there's also the business part of   it and so you can have the best screenplays out  there but if you don't know how to play this game   of getting into the business then you're not going  to be in the mindset of it and also assuming that   you're just gonna be able to jump in like there is  like there's no putting in the midnight oil what   I mean of realizing that this is a long game this  Hollywood thing is long game so going back to that   networking across thing five years from now 10  years from now all of those people are gonna be in   different places not two days from now so the same  thing is true with your writing it's a process so   going back to knowing the business realizing that  I can write a screenplay today and it might not   get made until seven years from now so realizing  that it's not a quick thing it's not an in and   out kind of machine which is why you have to ask  yourself what is it that I want from this what   is my end goal am I trying to be a professional  writer am I just trying to get this one thing done   and if it's only that one thing do I really want  to put the time and energy into doing it another   place that you shouldn't start from is thinking  that the writer has total creative control   this is a collaborative effort filmmaking is  so realizing that there will always be someone   critiquing your work always always always always  and then learning how to separate yourself from   that so you aren't taking taking it personally  a no to your work is not a no to you as a person   like take that in breathe it understand it that no  to your work may mean this is not the work for our   company it may mean this is not what we're looking  for now it may mean there's growth necessary on   your part that's good information to hear you want  to hear great I need to grow because now what to   what to work towards versus not hearing anything  at all because that happens in Hollywood too   where people just don't respond to you at all you  don't get anything but getting that no tells you   I now am open to try to sell this somewhere  else this wasn't the fit for it and getting that   information so I know a lot of people say you need  tough skin when you come into this this industry   and yes that may be true but if you can learn how  to disconnect from your work equaling your worth   then the tough skin is not necessary as much  because that they're not critiquing you they're   talking about what's on the page and when someone  else develops it or someone else purchases it   they're now trying to get it to fit the mold  of their brand which is why you have to do your   research at the first place to ask yourself  is this the best place for my baby is this   the best place for my story if you decide to pitch  something to nbc it's got to feel like nbc so that   means the executives are going to mold it into nbc  that means they might lose trim some of the stuff   that you think is very important it may mean  that they're going to add some stuff that you   never thought about that's going to make this the  best show to ever hit television so you have to   be open to that collaborative process so I think  those three or four things are really important   that if you're not understanding that  you're starting off in the wrong place   can you have thick skin tough skin  and not be callous yes I think so   I think that thick skin that people are talking  about is being able to receive feedback not take   it personally and then therefore not react from  an emotional place and start to burn bridges   with that being said there are plenty  of callous people in the industry   a lot of the people who tell people they need to  have tough skin don't have tough skin themselves   everyone is sensitive and in the world that  we live in now everyone is sensitive and then   you come into an industry where we are  creating things and like erica badu said   people are sensitive about their stuff so I think  that thick skin just really comes from a place of   understanding that this is not about you and it's  about the work and the stuff but you are going to   deal with all kinds of different personalities  just like you would in any kind of industry   there are people who are not so nice here there  are people who are rude here and then there are   people who aren't and there are people who want to  help you and there are people who want you to grow   but at the end of the day you're still going to  hear no more than more than you hear yes someone   does have to approve and accept and affirm the  thing that you're giving to them and oftentimes   you're not going to hear the thing you wanted  to hear and if you don't know how to disconnect   if you don't know how to grow that tough skin  that they say then it can start to chip away   at who you are and that should not be the  end goal so yeah I think you can definitely   have tough skin and not end up being a  callous person but it takes work it takes work   and then you also said not knowing the industry  so if I want to jump in one of the wrong ways is   to not do research on the industry and who I'm  pitching and different things like that what if   I say what I'm just really good at winging it I've  always been good at sports I can fit into any room   I'm a chameleon in some ways I don't really need I  can just just get me there and and i'll know who's   in charge yeah I have a radar for that do it try  it out because at the end of the day no one has   the same true Hollywood story everyone gets into  this industry in a different way so if that's your   strong suit getting into the room and selling  yourself the hard part is getting into the room   when you get in there let your personality shine  do the thing that works for you because nine times   out of ten if that works for you in other places  it'll work for you here as long as whatever it is   you're saying can actually be backed up by what's  on the page a lot of people think what's on the   page is fantastic and wonderful and it just isn't  so now you went into the room and you oversold   you went into the room and you said I have this  thing and then we read this thing and it's like   no you don't so making sure that you're not  going to oversell because now people are going to   remember that you may not be able to get into the  room the next time but other than that if you're a   winged kind of person wing it the question is how  do you get in the room in the first place in order   to wing it that's why you have to know about the  industry do you ever see that where someone who's   kind of under confident they actually have really  excellent work yeah and it's the ones that are   like beating the the chest and wait you just have  got to see and it's like might not be there yet   almost always it's almost always that and  I say almost because there are outliers but   it's almost always that usually the people the  more introverted more I'm not really sure what's   happening here you read their stuff and it's like  you got something here you can be confident about   that and then it's the people who say I know I  have this thing you read it and it's like you   don't know how to format a scene heading so no  you don't have this thing quite yet so yes it   happens all the time and this is not necessarily  an industry that expects people to be humble what   I mean so I don't I don't my I don't mock them for  being overconfident however that thing on the page   is what represents you period it doesn't matter  what's coming out of your mouth what I mean so you   have to be able to back it up which is why I said  earlier you need that other set of eyes you need   someone you can trust on your team as a script  consultant that's what I become I become a part   of your team everybody needs a script consultant  even if they don't know that we exist but once you   find someone you need someone who can objectively  look at your stuff and let if you're doing the   thing you intend to do good or bad and if we don't  have those checks and balances then all we have is   our own confidence all we have is our own ego and  you can sometimes oversell what you have going on   but I don't think your overconfidence is bad what  I mean I would rather that than you falling apart   because you get a no what I mean but really trying  to make sure that whatever it is you're selling   can be seen on the page is the most important  thing there are plenty of people walking around   Hollywood with egos we we have a lot of those  so I'm not going to say you can't have an ego   sure you can what I mean but you got to be  able to back it up well what if I said though   what I ran this by my brother-in-law and he owns  his own company and this guy he knows his stuff   so it's already good I already know that yeah  does he know screenwriting no but he's built a   business and he's very successful look at the end  of the day I'm always going to say try it try it   go with it send your screenplay to one of these  script coverage companies send your screenplay   to me send it to a competition send it to a film  festival and see what happens because maybe you're   I'm not going to say that you don't have natural  talent I have natural talent I've sent screenplays   out that haven't been looked at by other people  and they've done decently well so I can't say that   that won't happen for another person but at the  end of the day you want someone who understands   not only the industry but also understands writing  understands the medium of screenplays so that they   can give you actual criticism and critique if not  then it's just opinion like you can have your mom   or your dad or your brother read as much as you  want they'll like it or don't won't like it but   can they tell you why can they tell you how to  fix things or are they just giving more opinion   and everybody out there has got an opinion it  doesn't mean that it's going to make your story   better so if you feel that you don't need another  set of eyes totally fine put it out in the into   the universe and see if you get what you need in  return and if you don't then you'll have to change   your tactic just like your characters have to do  when they aren't getting the things that they need   are there any other best practices that'll help  someone get their start I think those first few of   knowing who you are as a writer what you like to  write what your end goal is and then honing in   on that to me and then obviously figuring out the  business figuring out the business is the hardest   part because just like there's no formal education  on screenwriting unless you're in film school   there's no formal education on the business  like you can even go to film school and not   learn the business that part's going to be more  trial and error but as far as those other things   those are kind of the best practices get out  there try and try again in the beginning stages   write all kinds of stuff and see what you enjoy  something that I ask my students is what do you   like to watch what do you like to write because  a lot of the times those two things don't add   up and so if that going forward I mean from from  the beginning then now you can make sure that your   your samples your materials actually add up to  what you want to do because if you're out in the   world saying oh yeah I love watching one-hour  dramas but you're writing half-hour comedies   then are you saying that you want to work in  dramas but for whatever reason you've been   writing comedies or do you actually want to write  in comedies and so now I should be reading those   comedy scripts instead of those one-hour drama  scripts even though I like watching those one-hour   drama scripts so really just trying to figure out  who you are as a writer what your end goal is so   that you can start working your way there and  then once you're in a little more you can start   concerning yourself with getting representatives  and getting all that other kind of stuff but it   really just starts with the craft and also  understanding that everybody out there is   just trying no one has the answer everybody's  journey into this Hollywood machine is different   if you decide to go independent it's going to  be different because you're doing it on your own   so just having the confidence to say if I've  decided that I'm going to sign up for this then   I'm just going to do it and I'm just going to roll  with the punches how they come are there any false   beliefs that new writers have that sometimes just  drive you crazy hmm false beliefs I think one of   the biggest ones is that they think it'll happen  overnight they think well I have this idea and it   really has to be on tv by next year because what's  happening now is is is so important that this   story has to be told and I can tell them I agree  with you the industry just doesn't work that way   all it just takes time so I think that's one of  the biggest ones is just not realizing how much   time it takes to do things I'm trying to think  are there any other false beliefs that people have   I think that's the biggest one yeah okay so I  mean let's suppose let's say I watched startup   or queen's gambit or one of these excellent series  and I want to do I have this great idea that it's   going to be very similar is that its own mistake  because it's already been done and it's already   been done so well why try to not necessarily not  necessarily in my opinion there are no new ideas   especially now Hollywood is big on reboots and  remakes so they're big on established ip period   so if it's already been done the question is  what are you going to do that makes it unique   what's going to make it different you make it  different first of all because your experience in   this world is different so if you decide to tell a  story about a kid who doesn't know who his parents   are and lives with his aunt and uncle who are  emotionally abusive it doesn't mean that it turns   into harry potter but it's still got the same  premise that this child is looking for identity   so it's okay if you've seen it you just have to  figure out what unique thing you're bringing to   the table the other thing is trying to follow the  trends of Hollywood some people are into trends   some people want to write what they are already  seeing on television because they think that's   what's being purchased I'm here to tell you  if you're watching it the trend has passed   in Hollywood the trends pass every few months so  whatever that production company studio network or   streamer was looking for in january they're not  looking for that same thing by june so if now   you're seeing vampires on every network and you're  working on a vampire pilot now in your house   doesn't mean don't write it but it does mean that  by the time you're able to pitch it to someone   we're not into vampires anymore we've moved  on so I tell people you have to decide if   you're going to follow the trends or not that  can be a good thing for you if you're already   a professional writer and you're already in  the game therefore you hear about the trend   before the trend starts so that yes you want to  be writing the thing that that they're looking for   because all of those studios etc have mandates  and so they can say at whatever part of the year   we're looking for vampire stories where you're  ahead of the game go write a vampire story but if   you are just starting out and you're seeing all  the vampire stories on tv or on the big screen   then that trend has already passed so then now  it comes to maybe I should just write what I'm   interested in period and when it becomes something  people want to read great or like I've said before   sometimes it's not about selling something and  it's about having it as a sample to show how   great of a writer you are because if you can write  vampires I'm going to assume you can write ghost   I'm going to assume you can write werewolves I'm  going to assume that you can write in this science   fiction fantasy world or maybe horror whatever  it is whatever kind of story it was so you can   still use that as a sample to get you into the  next thing it may not get purchased and if you   want to be a professional writer then I think it's  a great balance to look at anything you write as a   possible sample versus I have to sell it because  you don't have control over what happens on the   other side unless you're doing it independently so  if you write somethings I have to sell this then   now you're setting yourself up for disappointment  if you don't versus saying I'm writing a fantastic   sample and I'm going to show this to someone and  those people might like it and they might decide   they want to buy it now when now you have a win  but yeah I would say just focus on writing what   you like to write that's what makes it fun if  it's not going to be fun we could all be doing   something else we can all be we're we took on  this creative job because it's supposed to be fun   if it's not gonna be fun then we could be doing  whatever job someone else tried to push us into   what if I say well I'm gonna resurrect an old show  like the office but we're gonna all be on zoom or   or facebook live or google chat and we're gonna  just it's gonna be so cool and it'll be the same   office politics but now we're all virtual and  our bosses are spying on us at home yeah so   it'll be really cool and it's been a few years  since the show was on so I can resurrect it   maybe if someone out there is interested in it if  someone out there is looking for something like it   like I said before Hollywood is kind of interested  in established i.p at this point and not to say   that you would then have to get in touch with  the people who made the office and blah blah blah   have to be different enough because if it's the  same thing then now you're infringing on their   copyright so you're not necessarily making the  office unless you are there are a lot of reboots   that are being made now and they're making bel air  which is a reboot of the fresh prince of bel air   with the entirely different group of people but  that means that they went through the proper   channels to make sure that there's no infringement  etc etc so they can do that so instead of saying   you're making the office make something that is  new and original and say that it's like the office   unless of course you have the permission to be  making the office and doing it doing something   different with it but again like I said there  in my opinion there aren't any new ideas   I've had people pitch me the same idea in three  different states from three different people and   one of those pers people wasn't even a writer  and I was just like wow this is crazy how we're   all living in the same world now so we're  all getting the same information and that's   making a lot of us create the same ideas if  that makes sense so if there was something   about the office that you enjoyed ask yourself  what was it about the office that I enjoyed   maybe that's the thing that you take and turn  into your own thing because the office doesn't own   office politics if any of us have ever worked in  a corporate space then we know office politics so   the people who made the office don't own that  space what they did to make it different was   the way they filmed it the mockumentary style  et cetera et cetera but other than that it's all   the same stuff that we'd see in any other kind  of office so asking yourself what is it that I   liked from that and then how can I put that into  this idea that I have that's about zoom or about   whatever it is so that it I'm turning it on its  head so that there's something unique about it   and now I can utilize the office as proof that  this may work but I'm not necessarily selling you   the office so maybe like pam she was yeah okay  so let's say pam's character type let's see she   was the go-to gal and she knew where all the  staples were and and everybody kind of needed   her all at once so I'm going to make a series  sort of like based on her life but it's she's   going to be at home but it's not really taking  the office's ip it's just a kind of a caricature   exactly someone like pam if you decide  to make it pam then now you're infringing   but if you do something like pam because again pam  exists because that person exists in all offices   there's always somebody who knows where everything  is that maybe that's the coordinator maybe it's   the admin the the ceo's a administrative  assistant or whoever it is but somebody   in that office everybody knows I'm going to go ask  her she's going to be able to get it to me and ask   him he's going to be able to get it so that's not  a new idea so being able to say well that's what I   thought was interesting this particular character  knowing everything about the office so then   you have to then of course build your story from  there because that's a character that's not enough   to get you a story or a pilot or a series but  understanding that that's the thing that you're   pulling from then that can work for you so pam's a  remote worker but she has another job on the side   that her boss doesn't know about and she's doing  it on company time and it's a little bit more   nefarious and so she's have got to make sure that  she's on point for the office but then she's doing   I don't know she's taking adult surveys or she's  doing something that's like it's not horrible but   it's like whoa pam what are you doing right so  the balance of that will then be what the series   is about and then figuring out what the stakes  are that she is doing that like does she has   she signed some kind of clause in her everyday job  that says that she shouldn't be or can't be doing   this thing so that if they find out that she's  doing this thing then this thing is in jeopardy   so you have to ask yourself what is the story  someone doing those two things okay cool but   what do they have to do with each other how do  they crash into each other to cause a problem   like does she have a problem trying to balance the  two or what does it become so you still have to   then build out the entire story around pam or  the pam-like character to see what it's going   to become what is screenplay structure very big  question but I would look at screenplay structure   as how you tell a story and depending upon the  kind of screenplay you're writing the structure   is different in general we've all learned about  three-act structure in some way shape or form   that three-act structure can then be broken down  into just two acts if you're writing a half-hour   multi-camera comedy it can be spread out into  four or five or six acts if you're doing a one   hour drama but your half hour single camera and  your features are usually told in three acts   and if you want to break it down and make  it as simple as possible your first act is   your setup it's giving me all the information  I need to know of why I am here your second act   is the journey to reach the goal and then your  third act is what happened now that I reached   the goal so it's your resolution so you have your  setup your journey and your resolution and so if   you can understand that anytime we hear a story  bedtime story dr seuss what happened last weekend   we're all listening for the setup the journey to  success or failure and then what happened after   that so to me that's like the simplest way of  talking about what structure is for a screenplay   I like how you broke that down because when  we think about let's say a family friend or   a bunch of friends getting together telling a  story about what happened last weekend it makes   sense if they leave out the second act that's but  when we think about a story that we're writing   we could I could see where things would get  convoluted yeah because you also even if you   don't understand story structure you feel it so  you have a cousin or a friend who doesn't know   how to tell stories so they come in and they go  oh let me tell you what happened last weekend   and that this particular cousin or friend is  just going to talk on and on and on and on   and never get to the point of what happened but  amongst your friend friend group are amongst your   family they're like no no no let such and such  tell it because such and such is going to give   you the setup the journey and what happened the  resolution that you're going to get there that   they're going to give you the details that you  need nothing extraneous or they're going to say   quick sidebar and then they'll give you this  extraneous stuff and then they'll come back to   the story and keep you following the journey so  storytelling is storytelling and storytelling   no matter where you're telling it in a screenplay  it has to be more concise and it has to be visual   but even those people who don't specifically know  they can't give you the vocabulary they don't   have the words to explain how to tell a story  we're hearing people tell stories all the time   like going back to that office thing there's  somebody in your office who always stands around   the kitchen or whatever and they have a story blah  blah blah and you enjoy their stories and then   there's somebody else who always has a story and  you're trying to sneak away from the conversation   because you're going to be here for the next 15  minutes and have learned absolutely nothing and   so that's kind of how that your screenplay isn't  working because we're 30 pages in and I don't have   I don't have any information we're 30 pages in and  I don't know what this screenplay is about we're   30 pages in and I don't know why I've been dropped  into it I don't know what I'm here to witness   because there's a whole lot of talking and going  around the bend and over the river and through   the woods but I still having the slightest idea  what my protagonist is trying to do or possibly   who my protagonist is in the first place so  sometimes that happens but yeah storytelling   is storytelling so if we start to allow and it's  hard when you're the writer when it's on the page   because now there's all kind of pressure and  stress and stuff but if we allow ourselves to   step away from it and just look at it like any  kind of story we can ask ourselves like does it   feel like my story is moving forward or does it  feel like people are just kind of talking around   some things but that's why again people like me  exist because maybe you can't see that yourself   and I pride myself on being objective my students  tell me all the time your objective I even had   a student in one of my classes on the university  level said can you teach the rest of our teachers   how to be objective in this way because when  I read their stuff I don't make them become   a particular kind of writer I'm able to look  at them as individuals which means they write   the way that they write it's not my job to make  them fit into this box but a lot of the times   you may send your work out and what you receive  back is a whole lot of opinion about what your   writing should be and you should change this  and it should be this you should have that   blah blah blah and it's like well that's a great  story but that's not my story that's not the one   that I'm trying to tell so finding someone  else who can objectively look at your stuff   they can help to help you to understand that your  story is kind of going around in circles and not   pushing forward just like when uncle such and such  starts telling a story whether it's a drunken one   or not he's never going to get to the point guys  we can go continue playing our basketball game   so when you say that you like to to work with  people and and find out the way they tell a   story and who they are how like how is that  because because so somebody could say well   this is just who I am and I i don't really like to  formulate full sentences and I'm just this is just   my style yeah is that acceptable if it's working  okay that's why you have to be objective because   sure we can say I need full sentences but if it's  working if the fact that they're shortening their   sentences is helping me to feel the tone that  they're setting helping me to feel the urgency   of the story I read a screenplay the other day and  every single line of action was just one sentence   but it made the story simple because it was about  a simple guy doing a simple thing I didn't need   more but if this were a more convoluted premise  if it were a more dramatic story where I needed   to feel more things etc then now my note would  be I need more and here is why but I was able   to tell this particular writer usually I would  say I need x y and z but this is working for you   because I also want them to know the rule I also  want them to know someone else might read this and   say x y and z but it's working for you the same  thing is true with I sometimes have people who   instill their voice too much as a writer and so  it's jarring now I'm hearing you and it's pulling   me out of the story sometimes that works though  same thing with camera angles it's a no-no for   writers to infuse camera angles in their  screenplay because it's distracting to the reed   I'm into something emotional then here you come  with big capital letters close in I already know   that I'm close because I feel it because I'm  reading the story and now you just ruined it for   me by yelling close in as if the director won't  feel that from the context that you've set up but   then I read somebody else's screenplay and they  didn't use it a lot but the moments that they did   worked it felt it didn't pull me out so that's  what I mean by you have to be objective to the   story you have to understand what is this story  trying to do what does it feel like what's its   tone what's its writer's voice what is it  intending to do and are they doing that and   if they are then why would I tell them to take  away the things that are making that thing happen   so if we took let's say a young  charles bukowski in a writing program   and there's just one way to do this  and then he's presenting this work that   might be might raise some eyebrows  but that's who he was that's his style   and and maybe he just didn't find the teacher yeah  I mean and the thing is not everyone's a teacher   just because how to write doesn't mean how to  teach people how to write that's just the truth   of it and I think we take the whole we take  the education part of it not seriously enough   so maybe that is the case because also teachers  are only teaching what they've been taught   depending upon how much experience you've had in  the industry you may think it has to be this way   because I was taught it has to be this way  but if you're continuing to read screenplays   even as a professional writer you'll see that  people break rules all the time people are doing   stuff all the time people make terrible stuff  that makes it onto tv and onto the big screen   all the time so why would I tell my client that  wouldn't work you can't do that it's just not   true you can do anything you want now I'm going  to tell you what the industry standard looks like   I'm going to tell you what people expect but do  you because maybe it's going gonna work now there   are some things that you just can't do like if  it's if it's unreadable then it's not gonna work   what I mean if I can't follow the story because of  whatever risk you're taking or creative licenses   you're taking then it's just not going to work  but if I can follow the story and I understand   the story a lot of those rules really do fly  out of the window they really do I'm going to   teach you what those rules are but again if it's  working then I'm not going to stop you from doing   the thing that's working think about aaron sorkin  and how much dialogue are in his screenplays   we're told all the time you can't have that much  dialogue you can't have that much dialogue think   about shonda rhimes and how many monologues she  has in her screenplays and we're told all the time   can't have monologues can't have monologues where  here are two examples where it's working very well   for these two people so I just don't believe in  the extremes I don't believe in yes this is going   to work and no that's not going to work because  Hollywood lives like in that in-between space and   I think the reason I can give that information  is because I have the experience to know   and then also because I am a teacher so I am  trying to teach you to fish and not giving   you fish so I'm always going to give you the  why the how the possibilities the what-ifs   and sometimes that doesn't work for people  because they need to know exactly what it is   but I try to explain to them Hollywood is  not one of those places not black or white   it really isn't it's all that stuff in  between so you're trying to write a story   that is well executed that's that's doing what you  intended to do that you're gonna be proud of that   represents you as a writer because all of us are  gonna look back on something that we wrote and go   oh my god that's terrible oh I can't believe I  wrote that so you're gonna grow from it anyway   so you just have to get to a place where  you're happy with it and it represents you so   for someone like aaron sorkin or even tarantito  I'm sure there were people telling them this is   too much dialogue I'm sure of it but they were  able to get in with whichever way they got in   because I don't know their stories but however  it is they got in and it worked out for them   how is screenplay structure different from  outlining a screenplay oh I actually don't   think it's different at all your structure  should be there from the beginning and if   you're outlining from the beginning you should  be able to follow your structure there to me the   biggest difference is in my opinion I look at a  beat sheet like one-liners of your biggest moments   and then I look at an outline of fleshing that  out so that now exactly what's happening in every   single scene not necessarily just those big beats  even though for some people that's all they need   but now you start to see the connecting beats  that get you from the large beats to the next   large beats and then the screenplay is actually  the creative part of writing out the scene   so that's how I explain it to my students some  people don't make beat sheets some people just   make outlines some people don't make outlines and  they just make beat sheets and some people just   write the screenplay you have to figure out what's  best for your process in my opinion you want to do   some work before you get to that screenplay  because the white page is intimidating   and if you don't know where you're going it will  eat you alive so just like with your google maps   you got to put in the address and know what  you're following even if you decide okay I'm   going to shut it off now I kind of know where I'm  going I don't have to keep looking at my gps great   same thing for your beat sheet or your outline so  for me I usually use the pixar formula as my beat   sheet I love the pixar formula if you're looking  for one you can go google it now I've added some   things to my pixar formula for my students because  there's some more emotional work I want them to do   before they get past this point but basically  it asks you about the beat sheets not the beat   sheets the big beats starting at once upon  a time and now you have this layout of what   your story is that you can post next to your  computer or wherever it is you want to put it   so that you always know where you're going because  as creatives we will veer off the road and that's   how we end up with uncle such and such a story  that never makes it back to where it's supposed to   be so if you have your outline or your b sheet or  your pixar formula or whatever it is that you're   using you always have something to come back  to to go oh yeah because you also have another   uncle who's like where was I what part was I on  blah blah blah blah well now you don't have to   ask anyone it's here you've written it down where  you're going and because every scene is supposed   to be cause and effect what happens in this  scene is because of what happened in that scene   then looking at that beat sheet lets these are  the scenes that I need to get to the next beat   and these are the scenes that I need to get to  the next beat because that the point is I need   to get from a to b to c to d to e whatever for  some people they only need to know a g m and z   I need to know a through z so my outlines are  a long my outlines can be 60 pages long if I'm   writing a feature and if it's like I did one  and I want to say it was somewhere between 30   and 50 pages long because it was a feature and it  was science fiction so there was a lot of stuff   and rules that you have to figure out if you don't  know the answers to those questions you don't want   to get to the page because then you can kind of  get lost in the sauce but some people don't need   everything written out I like it all to be written  out because I also do my revising in the outline   so as I start writing the screenplay and new  things do come because the outline doesn't   have to make it's not in concrete so new  things do come oh that's great that's good   what you now have to realize though is that new  thing is going to affect the outline what's coming   next maybe what came before it so now you can  go back to the outline and go okay I got this   new thing so let me move this copy and paste move  that around blah blah blah and now you can see   what the new story looks like without having to  do it in the screenplay which takes a lot longer   believe me I've done it so I utilize my outline  throughout the entire process which is why it's   so much longer but back to your original question  the structure is there that's why you're outlining   structure needs to be there if you're outlining  and there is no structure your screenplay won't   have any structure so the outline tells you  what and what you don't know if you're outlining   correctly I'm actually in the middle of teaching  my outlining class now it's called idea to story   2.0 I have it online for people to purchase to do  it at their own pace but then I do it once a year   where you get me live and so we're now going  through all of those moments because I feel that   if you have a an effective outline then you will  write your screenplay far more efficiently and so   I give them workbooks and worksheets that they can  do throughout that they can do with any project   they're doing but mostly so they can eventually  figure out what their process is because they   all may decide I don't need this worksheet I don't  need that I don't need to do this outline but if I   do this thing this is the thing that I need that  helps everything to open up so I'm just trying to   help them to figure out what their process is  while teaching them structure and then hoping   that they decide to do outlines forever but they  may not so that's kind of a go go at your own   pace you said I have two two characters so the  first idea of the story is go at your own pace   you get all of the videos all the worksheets et  cetera and you can just watch them on your own and   figure it out as you go and if you have any  questions then you can sign up for kind of like   an office hour thing with me and then i'll kind of  talk you through your homework if you sign up for   the live version which I only do once a year then  we spend two or three hours of lecture every week   and then 45 minutes to an hour of just one-on-one  talking about your story because if you take a   screenwriting class a lot of the times you're  in taking the general information but you're   not translating it to your story so the only way  that I know that they actually learned what social   proof was is if I start talking to them about  their characters and social proof I only know   if they really understand an inciting incident if  I'm talking to them about their inciting incident   and what information we got in during the normal  before the inciting incident so on and so forth   and so I think people enjoy that part because then  they start to realize oh yeah I don't I don't know   and it's like yeah so you can't go to the blank  page yet because you don't know but learning that   you don't know is just as helpful because now what  holes need to be filled before you get to the page   when a writer is outlining a screenplay does that  mean they are creating structure at the same time   yes exactly that's exactly what that means they  should be looking to understand what scenes make   up my normal and when I say normal that means  the everyday life of these characters whether   the cameras showed up or not like we're all living  our normal lives every day so your characters are   people who are doing whatever it is they do for  an action film that means we're probably going to   open in action because in their normal lives  they're already a police officer firefighter   ex-military whatever it is they are so now you're  asking yourself in the outline what scenes am I   using to show my character's normal life until we  get to the inciting incident which is the thing   that's going to crash into that normal life create  change therefore causing a goal or a problem so   you have to ask yourself what do those scenes look  like what's that sequence of the inciting incident   what is the inciting incident how does it make  my protagonists feel all of these great questions   and then you're going to start to figure out well  what is the debate is there a debate do they have   to decide to go on this journey or is it so urgent  that no matter what they're going on the journey   then you have to fix so you have to figure out  what do those scenes look like because that   that there being a debate what's the debate who  are they debating with where are they debating   why are they debating you get to figure all of  that out so the same is true throughout the entire   screenplay but in the outline you're putting  in all of the structure all of those big beats   but asking yourself what are the scenes how do I  visually show this beat because a million people   can probably tell you the inciting incident is a  car crash great where were they going what were   they doing who else is in the car where did the  car crash happen did the ambulance come or did   they stay there by themselves and pass away or did  they end up getting out did random people on the   side of the road come pull them out like what is  the scene and so in the outline you get to start   asking yourself what those scenes are and putting  them down not in screenplay format but just   the information of they were driving their  child to the nursery when they got hit by   a a semi auto semi truck whatever that  came through the light and then we cut to   the jaws of life getting them out that's the  information you need in your outline so that when   you get to your screenplay you can write it all  beautifully however it is you're going to write it   well if we take something maybe that's  less dramatic so if we go back to our   sort of metaphorical pam character who's like this  office administrator everybody needs her now she's   remote working her phone is buzzing all the time  she has no separation between her job and her her   life but then maybe the inciting incident because  she's going to find this other job which she'll   moonlight during office hours and they won't  know it because she'll have a second computer   maybe she meets a woman in a store and they just  have a fun exchange talking and she says what do   you do and she says oh I'm an office administrator  and the other woman does these surveys and she's   kind of fascinating there's something a little  interesting about her so she goes hey give me your   email and all so then maybe that's where and she  sees this woman and she's kind of intrigued by her   because she she's just different pam always does  the thing and this woman's a little bit rebellious   a little bit interesting and maybe that's the  the incident yeah it's not the jaws of life   but it's something yeah something is changing her  normal her normal is I'm working at home from zoom   every single day I'm answering the calls and I  have got to get dressed from here up so that I   can be present when they need me blah blah blah  blah today for lunch I decided to go for a walk   and while I'm on that walk because I go  into the store to buy my lunch or whatever   I meet this person that person just changed  her life so that's the inciting incident   and that small information is what's in  your outline then you'll flesh that out to   actually be full scenes and however it is you  describe them in the action and the dialogue   and blah blah that's the screenplay but in  the outline you say pam's working from her   desk all the time she's dressed from here on up  blah blah blah she's always answering the phone   and today she decided to go for a  walk for lunch and she bumps into   insert person right that's what you would have in  your outline okay so that would be the inciting   incident if it wasn't as dramatic where there  was a full action yeah the inciting incident can   be the smallest thing like comedies don't have  huge inciting incidents romantic comedies have   a breakup or meeting the other person or whatever  it is but whatever that thing is it's different   because if it's not different why am I here I  don't I'm not here to watch people's everyday   lives I have my own life I can go watch my  friends lives what I mean I'm here because   something is changing for them and I now  need to watch them to struggle through it   grow through it whatever is going to happen on  that journey that's why I'm here so there has   to be an inciting incident something has to come  in and make change cause problems cause a goal   that needs to be achieved what is your process for  teaching screenplay structure yeah so I start with   this great the screenplay I start with the pixar  formula from the pixar formula I go into character   work I am someone in my own time who likes to  psychoanalyze things I'm always asking people why   how what what happened to you and so we do some  work like that for the characters the more that   you understand people the more you can understand  your characters who are people so in my class   which may make some people uncomfortable but in my  class we talk about ourselves a lot we're doing a   lot of inner work because my class is also about  fighting writer's block and in my opinion writer's   block comes from lack of confidence and lack of  preparation so we spend a lot of time talking   about confidence talking about what our fears  are what our flaws are what our wants are what's   standing in the way of those wants why because  that's what's happening for your characters what   do they want what do they need what's standing in  the way of that what are they what are they afraid   of what are their flaws that are going to get in  the way of them getting the thing that they want   so if you start to understand how your own life  the life of your tribe members I call my classes   tribes the life of your tribe members if you start  to understand why they do the things they do then   you start to understand characters a little bit  more and now your characters can be more authentic   in their journey because oftentimes I can feel  the writer making characters do things versus it   feeling like an actual decision that the character  would make so we spend some time on characters   so let's say that's week two that's actually just  what I did on a couple of days ago week two that   was last night it was just last night it's hard  to keep up with time these days it's all one   big thing then we start to talk about goal  setting because every single story is about   your protagonist solving a problem reaching a goal  that's why we are here so we have to figure out   what's the best goal for them to reach or who's  the best character for that goal depending upon   which one you begin with and then we start  talking about now how are they physically   going to achieve it because again going back to  they need to save the world well that's general   what are they going to do how are they going to  save it and start asking ourselves well what are   the things that get in the way so in the fourth  week we start talking about the complications   we started talking about the stakes in in  week three we also talk about world building   because every single story you have to teach  us the rules of that world if it's just regular   old present-day earth something that we see in  the first three minutes are gonna tell me that   that's what it is so you're still teaching me if  it's a new industry like I love to use devil the   devil wears prada I'm not in the fashion industry  so you have to teach me how it works here so they   open up by showing me how all the other women  are nicely dressed and our protagonist is not   they show us by when she gets into that office  how everyone is looking at her judging her   and then when meryl streep's character is going  to show up everybody it's chaotic because they're   trying to make sure they get in line I'm learning  about this industry I'm learning about what the   rules are here even if there's not much being said  out loud so we talk about that and especially if   you're doing something that's science fiction  fantasy supernatural horror then there are rules   you have to set up I need to know candyman comes  when I say it how many times because if not then   I don't have the suspense now if I see a person  standing in the mirror and they only say it twice   should I be afraid because I don't know how many  times they're supposed to say it if I understand   they have to say it five times I don't even  remember if it's five or three but they have to   say it x amount of times and now I know when she  gets on number four that I should be on the edge   of my seat but I don't know that if you haven't  given me the information so we talk about world   building and then in the last week that's when we  finally start talking about outlining because I   want people to know there's not one way to do it  you can do it a million different ways so I show   them different examples of how you can outline but  all of those things that we're learning basically   break into those large beats and let me be  specific about those beats because I've said them   said that word a lot but I'm talking specifically  about the normal the inciting incident the goal   or the problem getting into act two knowing what  your midpoint is knowing what your rock bottom is   knowing what your point of no return is which  some people kind of mix into that rock bottom   midpoint place it basically just means we get to  a place where something changes so much that our   character has to change tactics that's just all it  means everybody gives it a different word but then   we got to get up to our climax which is your  highest point when your bad guy is going to   meet your good guy or your character is going  to meet their problem head on and then we get   to come down to the resolution where we say what  have they won because they succeeded or what did   they lose because they didn't yet throughout that  entire journey we were following them emotionally   so even if they didn't succeed we still feel  satisfaction with the story so all of those beats   are what I mean when I'm saying structure  all of those beats fit into your act one   act two and act three and so I utilize those  different weeks to talk about those different   elements because they all  break into those big beats   and how can you tell and I realize this is very  specific and we don't have something to workshop   but just vaguely when someone is really forcing an  action from their character it can be because the   evidence is just not on the page or the evidence  is on the page and your character isn't doing   what you've told us that they do so if you've said  this is a really shy character every single thing   you've shown us is that they're shy and then on  page 15 they stand on top of a table and dance what that's not who you told me this person was so  unless you showed me something that motivated this   then now I know you just needed her on a table  dancing because of whatever else is going to   happen in the screenplay not because she would get  on that table and dance I see okay yeah so we're   missing what would ever cause that if this was  truly what the characters would do okay yeah so   we're missing that so either it's just not there  at all or it's the opposite of what you told us   yeah and so it's like we know that you needed  this character to end up in jail because   now the sun has to avenge whatever's going  on with with the parent being in jail   but it isn't set up that our character would have  even done any of those things that they did to be   in jail so now I know you're just forcing them  into this position because of what you need to   happen from that so it's like you got to set  me up with the information so I can believe it   because if I don't believe it then now now the  stakes aren't as high now you just start to   lose me as a as an audience member yeah so it's  just like I need the evidence so that's a lot   of what i'll write in my notes I don't there's  no evidence of this this doesn't ring true like   where did this happen when do we meet that well  you said on page this that this is how they feel   but on page this they feel this way what motivated  that change where where was that because maybe I   missed it I probably didn't but maybe I missed it  but if I didn't if I didn't miss it then now it's   missing and you can figure out how to make that  connection because everything is cause and effect   people are cause and effect if I have an argument  in this room when I walk into that room my energy   is gonna be different if I had not had an  argument in this room so the same thing is   true about your characters why are they doing the  stuff that they're doing what happened on the page   to show me that motivates any of their decisions  how does a writer introduce a protagonist   in a way that makes the viewer or the reader want  to follow that character yeah good question I   actually did an entire workshop on how do I and  I call them how the f all of my workshops are   in the what the f workshop series so this  particular workshop was how the f do I   introduce my protagonist and there are a million  ways to do it but what we're looking for is what   information are you going to give me about them  in their normal life that makes me like them or   relate to them I don't have to do both it's 20  21 so I don't have to like the character they   can be totally unlikable but something about  them has to be I have to be able to relate to   in order to care enough and invest in them on  this journey so I use the word social proof   and basically what that means is prove to  me going back to the evidence prove to me   who they are on the page whether that means  we're receiving information from someone else   or we're watching them do the thing because just  like regular human beings you can only take what   they say about themselves with a grain of salt so  I can sit here and go I'm an expert I'm an expert   I'm an expert but unless you actually hear me  giving my expertise on something or you hear from   someone else who you trust who says Shannan  is an expert then you're probably gonna say   I'm not one so on the page you have to then  show us that your characters are whoever it   is you want us to believe that they are so one of  my favorite examples is using scandal we open up   scandal hearing from two other people talk about  olivia pope one of them is the trusted source   the other one is the fish out of water who already  has some kind of admiration for olivia pope   so as we're hearing them talk about olivia they're  putting her on this pedestal and now we are   therefore intrigued to go well who's this olivia  I want to know her she seems cool and then in the   next scene olivia now has to live up to the thing  that we just heard so now you have to show us in   action they could have gone to the next scene and  olivia was just sitting there having a meeting   talking on the phone to herself but instead they  put her in a situation to show her social proof   and doing her job and so hearing from those other  people first and then seeing her actually do the   thing is what made us want to journey with olivia  pope so the same is true for your characters there   is no particular kind of formula but what I  will say is you got about five to seven minutes   to get me engaged with your protagonist some  stories won't start with the protagonist which   is fine but that means if it didn't start with the  protagonists and then we meet them you have less   time to get me to like or relate to them because  I'm already x amount of minutes into your film   so for example I'm teaching from armageddon now we  don't meet harry stamper I think a snapper until   like page 10 which means we're we've been here  for 10 minutes already because we got our exciting   incident on page two so that means the urgency  is already there they're already making up a plan   by the time we meet harry I only get like  three pages to really understand who he is   and jump into action with him to decide to invest  in him so now you have even less time because I'm   already 10 minutes into it but either way whatever  it is I see them doing first so you can't be   generic about that like oftentimes I  will read a screenplay and it's just   oh such and such woman who's beautiful is cooking  breakfast and it just seems like she's cooking   breakfast because she needs busy work in the  kitchen not because cooking breakfast teaches us   anything about her is she cooking breakfast  because she's a stay-at-home mom and she's in her   pajamas and she has to get up early even though  she's going to be at home but because she's got   to get husband out she's got to get kids out and  she's getting it done or is she career woman who's   cooking breakfast so she doesn't really have much  time because she's on the phone at the same time   she's just trying to get something in and it's a  smoothie and she's running out or is this saturday   the only day that she gets to relax and she's  making brunch because her girlfriends are coming   over like what does it mean and what am I learning  about this person as they're cooking eggs because   if not they could be doing something else what I  mean so every single piece of information that I   get in those first five to seven minutes are gonna  help me know who they are and that's prime real   estate and a lot of people pass through that prime  real estate by doing the uncle such and such thing   talking about all this other stuff that does not  matter meanwhile all I got about my protagonist   was beautiful in cooking eggs why am I investing  in her what how is that interesting why would any   actor who reads it say I have got to play her so  you're trying to give me some information that's   gonna give me a reason to invest in the rest  of their journey and you only get a very short   amount of time okay so if something doesn't  happen within a five to seven minute minute   mark to show me why I should care about the  scene so then if we have this woman cooking   these eggs and then maybe there's a knock at  the door and it's some door-to-door salesman   so we think and it turns out it's really a private  investigator and they're saying I have something   for you and her life is about to change in that  moment and she finds out that her life and what   she thought it was wasn't really that but we  don't know in that moment so everything seems   calm and wonderful and she's beautiful and she has  this nice kitchen but then the knock at the door   is going to be what's going to upset the apple  cart yes but I want to make sure that we separate   the two things that that upset of the apple cart  can happen 15 pages in it can happen 17 pages in   everything that I'm getting up until that upset is  what's making me invest in her why do I care that   her life is going to change if I haven't learned  anything about her life other than the fact that   she cooks eggs what information are you gonna give  me does she have a child that she's caring for   that they have a really great relationship  with does she have a husband that she has   a bad relationship with and she's just today's  the day they're supposed to go to therap therapy   and she just really wants it to go well and  then this thing comes in and interrupts that   so what information am I getting about this  person's everyday life that's already worth   investing in so that when the upset comes I too  can be upset like no she really needs to go to   therapy today she doesn't have time to deal with  this door-to-door guy or no her sleeping child   is in the other room and she tried so hard to  have children and she finally has one and then   here comes this person and are they posing a  threat to the child that's in the other room   and again none of this has anything to do with  eggs so the question is do we need to open with   her cooking eggs like what does that mean for  her as a character or maybe it means everything   because she's really a chef in another life  but because she decided to be a stay-at-home   mom blah blah blah or maybe it means I'm always  going to make sure my husband's eggs are great   we argue every morning but these eggs matter today  because we have therapy later and I want him to be   happy when he gets to therapy now all of that  stuff is making me invest in her so when the   person comes and knocks on the door I understand  no no no we don't need this interruption like   we don't need this to happen how can you  explain smart goals for your protagonist yeah   good question so I actually do a series called  story elements on my youtube channel and one of   them is on goals and I talk about smart goals so  smart goals is an acronym for specific measurable   attainable relevant and time-bound okay and  smart goals actually was not created for story   but it works so I have adapted it from like a  business model to use it to teach my students   how to make goals for their protagonists so  specific means we need to know what it is period   we need to know what they're trying to achieve so  that we can track the progress or regress of it   how will we know that they were successful if we  don't know what they were looking for in the first   place so your goal needs to be specific the second  one is measurable so that again goes back to being   able to track it we need to know are they getting  closer to it or farther from it which is why   I always talk about your external goal being  the personification of the internal goal so if   someone's goal is to not grieve anymore how do I  track that what does that look like and if you can   attach grieving to something external or not  grieving to something external then we'll know   that when they reach that external thing then  they reach the goal and their grief has probably   subsided the third one is attainable which means  going back to social proof you have to prove to me   that my protagonist has the skills to be able to  attain this goal because if not then I'm not going   to believe that they can do it or if it's a comedy  then you're going to show me that they don't   have the skills to attain this goal which means  they're either going to do a really bad job of it   or they're going to have to learn along the way  or even in a drama I don't have those skills so   I have to learn those skills along the way and so  now it's probably going to be during your debate   time or somewhere in your journey in your second  act where they actually have to learn those skills   the fourth one is relevant and I like this one  because this one kind of starts to attach that   internal thing to the external thing it's like  why does this thing matter to this particular   protagonist so that goes back to choosing the  protagonist for the goal having the goal for the   protagonist so if you can make it relevant  then we will invest more we will empathize   more and the last one is time-bound and not  every single story is going to have something   time-bound but it's basically your ticking  clock if this if there's a state of urgency   if like an armageddon you have 18 days before the  world explodes then we understand that suspense   is that tension is going to stay there it's  like oh my god we only have 18 days and now   we have 12 and now we have 50 however many days so  adding a ticking clock depending upon your story   will always heighten the stakes so if nothing  else you need specific measurable attainable   and relevant and depending upon what your  story is you can then add a ticking clock   how else can I write a three-dimensional character  good question so getting into the stuff of the   character is where that dimension is going to  come from people are complex we're not all good   we're not all bad we all have wants we all have  needs we all have flaws we all have skills even   before the inciting incident happens so if you  can figure out what those things are then you will   figure out what's motivating your character I gave  this example that I am the youngest of six girls   but the closest one in age to me is six years  older than I am which would mean that at age   six she's 12. we don't play the same so we're not  interacting in the same way when I'm 12 she's 18.   we don't play the same so we're not interacting  in the same way because she's 18 she's graduating   from high school so now I'm in at home by  myself for another six years so even though   I have five older siblings I spent a lot of  time alone so therefore I have an only child   kind of experience just as much as I have a  youngest child experience that shows up in my life   I am an introverted extrovert a lot of people know  me as the life of a party I have a big personality   but I love being alone I problem solve  alone I do a lot of stuff by myself   because my history taught me to be able to be  okay with that good or bad so understanding   those things about your characters will let why  they do the things they do so there may be people   who say well Shannan well why didn't you call me  on saturday we could have hung out because they   don't understand that Shannan just likes to sit at  home and be by herself because she's used to that   that person may take it personally oh well that's  an offense towards me you don't think that we're   really good friends and blah blah blah blah but  it's like no it really has nothing to do with you   and everything to do with me and the same  thing is true for your characters they are   acting and reacting because of who they  are where they're from an immigrant is   not having the same experience in america  as an american born person period if that   depending upon the kind of story you're telling  you can now infuse your story with that stuff   the same thing is culturally as a black person  there are things that are going to happen in my   house that may not happen in someone else's so you  have to then take that and figure out how you can   color in the lines of your story with this  cultural stuff that makes it authentic for them   but the only way you can do that is if you really  take the time out to know who your characters are   and know why they're making the decisions they're  making and now you can get three-dimensional   people the other thing is it's 2021 so we're  now doing the same thing for our antagonist   our antagonists get to be three-dimensional  now we're no longer in the jack nicholson   joker time we're in the heath ledger and the  joaquin phoenix joker time we're in the killmonger   time where we understand our antagonists just  as much as we understand our protagonists   which leaves us as an audience fighting with those  themes and trying to figure out who's and who's   wrong and now there's discussion happening when  people go home but that only happens when you   take the time to dimensionalize your antagonist  understand what their plan is understand what   they want what motivates them which is usually  the opposite of your protagonist or the same   like if it's a sports movie it's the same we both  want to win if it's some kind of action film then   it's usually the opposite the antagonist wants to  kill people the protagonist doesn't want them to   those are the reasons that they are in  competition with each other and I've said   before if we change the pov of the story then your  antagonist should easily become your protagonist   your protagonist is the antagonist antagonist  because that antagonist does not exist because   your protagonists exist that was already a  person who was already planning to kill people   you came in and became a complication for that  person they didn't start killing people because   you exist they were already a murderer and as  a police officer you came in and you decided   to to muddy it up so if we were telling  the story from the killer's point of view   then now that would be our protagonist and  they'd both be dimensionalized enough to put us   in the middle of it because they're stories about  vigilantes they're murderers but they're doing it   for a reason we understand their reasoning and  sometimes we're on their side for it so if you   give us if you do the work because some of that  work you're gonna do is not gonna end up on the   page but it's still going to dictate some of the  choices you make for those characters on the page   what are the elements of story that have to  happen in act two oh good question so in act   2 some people call this the fun and games place  I call it the trial and error place I look at it   like this is your recipe this is your I want  to bake a cake how step one do this step two   do this so in act two we're actually watching the  character try to achieve the goal successfully or   unsuccessfully so being able to see them actually  take physical steps towards doing that thing is   what we're watching now we're going to start  putting in the complications and I like to call   it complications and not conflict because people  see conflict and they go just add some negative   something but a complication is something that's  very specific to stand in the way of the goal   so they're going to start coming in contact  with things that are hindering them from getting   what they need things that are redirecting them  things that are causing them to hit rock bottom   and then you need a midpoint and your midpoint  sounds like what it is happens kind of in the   middle of your story doesn't have to literally be  on page 45 of the 90 pages but it's gonna happen   somewhere around there and it basically  means that something big enough happens   to cause that redirection either I'm gonna  hit rock bottom or I have a false victory   or I receive some information that changes my  goal so I believe I gave this example I've given   this example before because it's the easiest one  for me if my goal was to find my kidnapped child   at the midpoint i'd find out that my kidnapped  child has already been killed that doesn't mean   the story is over though because we're only at  the midpoint that means my my goal has to change   so now my goal is not to find my child my goal  is to find the killer to get revenge to get   justice and so for the rest of the screenplay  we're gonna watch the the parent do that   instead of looking after the child so the  goal changes something causes a redirection   and then some people look at the climax as what  happens at the end of act two some people look at   it as what happens at the beginning of act three  either way it's in the same place in my opinion so   you're also going to be getting your character  up to the point where they actually are   face to face with that goal or face to face  with that antagonist so they can win or lose   so those are the biggest beats they need that  trial and error time or fun and games time   or steps to their recipe time they need those  complications that get in the way of that   so they can grow so they can redirect they  need that big moment whatever that midpoint is   that causes a new goal makes them redirect makes  them hit rock bottom so someone has to come in and   re-motivate them now your mentor character gets to  come in and give a speech or whatever and keep get   them going if you're watching an episode of grey's  anatomy that's the moment where it's like I found   the new cure at first we thought we'd never be  able to do this surgery oh no we didn't do well   I found this new thing and now for the rest of the  episode they're gonna do the new thing until they   win or lose or save the patient or not save the  patient and then you'll go up to the climax which   is where they save the patient or not save the  patient so those are the beats that you're looking   for in act two so if we used our pam from the  office and so she's at home doing the zoom she's   already now met this woman at a store who says  email me I've got this really cool job if you want   to make some extra money and pam is already doing  the job by act two maybe okay it depends on what   the goal of the episode is so if we're looking  at meeting this woman as the inciting incident   the problem can be deciding to call her or not  and if that's the pro if that's the goal deciding   to call her then the journey is going to be the  decision now she's going to have to I don't know   what she's doing to figure out whether she should  make this call or not but that may mean that   everything we're watching in her normal every day  is telling her I need a change I need a new thing   that motivates the call because it can be the end  of the episode where she finally makes the call   or it could be that I already know I'm gonna  call I've said I was gonna call so that means   we're gonna watch her call we're going to watch  her get set up with the new job we're going to   watch her do all of that in the second act where  she figures out what it is and then again seeing   how that may cause friction with her current job  so it really again is always going to depend on   what's the intended goal is is the pilot let's  say this is her this is the pilot is the pilot   about her choosing to go into this nefarious  work or is the pilot about I admit it what are   the repercussions of it okay so something  would have to happen so let's say so and   the stuff that was happening for her to decide  what happened in act one no that's going to be   act two okay and only because we're talking  about television now and television if it's   in television we need that inciting incident by  the end of act one so now your act two is gonna   be all the stuff that yeah I decided to take the  job I didn't decide to take the job this is why   this is what's happening with my other job and  then in act three you resolve and and depending   upon what the goal was if she's choosing to take  the job then in act three we finally hear her say   I'm gonna take the job if it was no I've chosen  this job and the problem is trying to balance   then by the end of act three we'll know what the  rest of the season is going to look like because   we just saw how this balance works or doesn't work  or maybe she didn't find out that it was nefarious   until the climax of the episode so in act 3 she  has to decide to continue even though she knows   that it's nefarious so it can go a million ways  but basically whatever that goal is that we get   by the end of act one when that inciting incident  happens she meets pam at the end of act one   pam says call me and act two we're gonna either  see her call and then get on board it or decide   to call which means now we have to see well what  motivates that because if this is so far out of   her life she would never do something like this  then that means whatever's happening during this   day in this episode is the stuff that's pushing  her to finally make the call okay so maybe she   gets a text in the middle of the night and it's  urgent and they've got to fax something overseas   and hey I'm really sorry to bother you I know  you're sleeping but this needs to happen asap   and then maybe she sees the webcam light come  on on her work computer and she realizes there's   like some type of a snooping software and it's  recording her and and it knows that she took   like a 10 minute walk around the block and she  wasn't at her computer and so she's now feeling   trapped by this job and she says okay I might  email this interesting lady and the interesting   lady gets back to her like midnight hey here  it is and this is what you do here's a link   and she goes maybe she has a glass of  wine and she decides to apply for the job   and now she's giving reviews on lingerie it's not  horrible it's like something where yeah because if   we're saying that it's in the tone of the office  and that means it's a half hour single camera   so it's going to be kind of like kind of funny  may have small things happen here and there that   could be a little darker but that means we're  talking about three act structure and we're   talking about half hours so we don't have a lot  of time so it can be something that simple that I   got back I got this card oh i'd never do that and  now I'm sleeping and enjoying myself and here come   these people saying they need this facts and this  thing and that thing and I just want something new   all i'll make the call let's do something new okay   and so and then in act three something entirely  different is going to happen possibly depending   upon what happened in your act two since it's all  cause and effect but because we're talking about   television and because we're talking about the  pilot by the time we get to the end of act three   we need to understand what the series is about so  we need to know that she has decided to do this   and either we already know it's nefarious or we  don't so that's what we're gonna find out in the   series or we realize it's getting in the way of  her current job and so we're going to watch her   try to balance it throughout so we'll we'll  need that information so sometimes in pilots   usually when it's kind of like a whodunit kind of  thing and a half hour single camera comedy they   usually tie up things with a pretty decent bow  at the end of the episodes but if we're talking   about one-hour dramas if we're talking about  a whodunit kind of limited series thing then   at the end of every episode you're going to give  me some new information so yes something new is   going to happen so that i'll come back to the  next episode and that new information might be   it wasn't who you thought it was or this is a new  person's doing something sneaky or whatever it is   yeah what mistakes do writers make in act  2 that end up ruining their screenplay yeah   this is where they don't know structure this  is where they haven't figured out what their   story was before they got to the page because  this is where uncle such and such shows up   this is where this is the goal this is  the story and the writer is doing this   because they don't know what the goal or the  story is or they don't know how to get to z from a   and maybe it's because they're just a new  writer so they really just don't know how   or they don't understand structure so they're  doing all of these other things to get to z   but none of those things connect going back to  cause and effect none of those things connect   so that happens quite often and I think that's  the biggest thing sometimes there is no midpoint   and depending upon what kind of story it is what  the tone is what the genre is the midpoint doesn't   have to be something huge but it's bigger than  your other trials and tribulations so sometimes   people are missing that thing that gets us over  the hump because once we get into act two and   you get into those those trials and tribulations  if it's take a step fail take a step fail take   a step fail by the time they're doing that the  fourth time I'm no longer invested what I mean I   need something that's going to change this thing  to get us going in the story so it goes back to   having that friend or cousin who's really great at  telling stories they know how to hook us in make   us think that this one thing is happening and then  take us to the next thing so that midpoint kind of   gets us over that hump of they've been  trying and failing or trying and succeeding   and here's something that's going to change  this whole thing for us so that the pacing can   kind of start to rev up and we can get to the  climax so a lot of times that's missing also   the climax is missing but more so in television  pilots that I read than in features it seems   like future writers kind of understand a little  bit more that there needs to be this high point   in tv because people are thinking about the series  and if you're writing a pilot then you're creating   a world and characters that people can be invested  in they sometimes forget about the structure of it   and forget that yeah but we're still telling  a story so I need them I need we got to get up   and so a lot of times that's missing and so if  you're writing a half hour single camera comedy   that means or a dramedy then you have three acts  so your climax is gonna happen at the end of act   two or at the top of act three depending upon how  you write it if you're doing a one hour drama and   let's just stay in the five act place because  there's a four act that exists in the six act   whatever let's stay in the five act place then  it's going to happen at the end of act four or top   of act five depending upon how you write it so a  lot of the times in tv there's just it never makes   it to a peak it just kind of stays here the whole  time and no matter what stories you're telling   pilots features even if you're writing a spec and  you're doing an episode of something we're looking   for stories to do this we're on a roller coaster  so we don't want to spend our whole time like   this we don't want to spend our whole time like  this we don't want to spend the whole time like   that we have to have all of it happening if not  it's not a fun ride and no one wants to get on it   and so uncle gus's method would be he would  just be telling too much sort of sidebar detail   that we don't need whereas the other  person at the let's say the family barbecue   they have like a a b and c a very clear point  very clear points very clear path and by the time   uncle gus is done and you ask uncle gus so what  happened he probably wouldn't even tell you the   same story if you asked again because he's just  talking about everything and doesn't know his his   point his end goal or he gets to the end goal but  we're all lost because none of the stuff between   when he started in the end goal made any sense  because they're not connected everything has to   be connected and the other cousin knows how to  make a connect to b connect to c connect to d   uncle gus is saying a g e m and it's like  wait but what happened to b and c and d   I got missing something like give me this other  information and he's cracking himself up no one   else is laughing because we missed the joke what I  mean yes that kind of stuff that starts happening   do writers get confused with subplot versus plot  how do we know the difference yeah I'm going to   assume that if you're saying subplot that you  mean different story lines and that's the way   that I kind of like to talk about it and I don't  think I've seen too many people get confused with   it but not really knowing how to use them and make  them impactful for each other so when I describe   sub characters I describe them as characters  who are helping or hindering the protagonist's   goal we only care about these sub characters  because they are pushing the a story forward   that doesn't mean that those characters don't also  have their own storylines because they're people   and they should be doing things other than walking  around behind your protagonist all day however   the point of their stories is to eventually  crash into the a story eventually complicate   the a story eventually help the a story even if  they look like they're going this for this way   at some point they're gonna connect and so I think  some people miss that and they will then start to   write an entirely different story for the b story  that has absolutely nothing to do with the a story   and now we're watching these two stories go but  they're not connected so going back to our family   reunion if I were to come to your family reunion  I expect to meet your cousins not your neighbor's   cousins so those sub characters are here because  they're important to this protagonist they're   not other random people in the world those random  people weren't invited to the barbecue the people   who are here the people who are helping or hurting  informing helping complicating what's going   on with the protagonists so we only care about  them because of their proxy their proximity to   the protagonist so I think people don't understand  that and they just say oh my subplot or my b story   is just another story it's like no thematically  they tie plot wise they tie something about them   connects them all and a great example of that is  crash the crash because there are 50 million main   characters but they're all dealing with the same  kind of themes and they all eventually connect   so spoiler alert they all eventually get you to  this dead kid who is the brother of one of those   people who was killed by one of the other people  so it all starts to connect when we first start to   watch it we're like why do we need to be following  all these people what is what is going on but it's   because their world is smaller than we think it is  they are all in the same world and they will all   affect that a story so in that particular film  haven't seen it in a little while but I wouldn't   say there's a standout protagonist unless  we'll say it's don cheadle's character who is   the detective maybe but instead it seems like we  just have a lot of main characters and they each   have their own story lines but the a plot is  what happened to this this boy because we open up   with learning that someone died so the main plot  is what happened to this boy and then we go into   all of these other stories to eventually come back  to oh that's what happened but then beyond that   the themes are about how we're all just people  regardless of our differences so it talks a lot   about race and religion and all these other  things so each of those groups of people is   dealing with that theme on their own level so that  still connects them they're they're not random   stories that are being told they're all connected  so if people can understand that about subplot or   like I like to call them story lines or a story b  story c story e d story however many story lines   you're going to have they all have to connect and  they all have to push your a story forward even if   when they first start it seems like it has nothing  to do with that eventually it all has to come back   to this one thing or at least thematically tie  and the theme is usually again going to be shown   in your a story so that means all of the other  storylines are still going to thematically tie   into them well let's take this family barbecue  so let's say everybody's happy everything's   wonderful and then there's another scene where  there's a man and maybe a beat-up vehicle   who's delivering something and it's his personal  vehicle and he's stressing out he's in traffic   and people are cutting him off whatever and he's  trying to be a decent driver but he finally gets   there and he's sweating and he unloads this  cake for this barbecue and when he delivers it   he finds out that one of the children there  that's actually his kid and the wife and he   had been estranged for years and now this happy  moment is awful because all the memories have come   back and he hasn't seen the sun in years because  it was too it was too difficult yeah and so now   he's this subplot has now come into the  main plot exactly okay okay and so then   how so then how long does this sub character stay  at that barbecue yeah it depends on your story   going back to what's the goal is the goal for  him to have the realization of this was my family   because if so then that's the end of the movie  everything got us to the moment that he arrived   if the story is about working on getting my  family back or working on rekindling with   my son or whatever that was then it could be the  inciting incident that he shows up with the cake   it could be the midpoint that he shows up with  the cake so we've been seeing him he had his   goal I need to deliver this cake we're watching  up until the midpoint everything that he's trying   to do to deliver the cake I don't know what's  happening with the other family but they have   their own goals and whatever they're doing  preparing for the barbecue whatever they're doing   or attending the barbecue and dealing with family  drama because they're already talking about   her ex-husband and blah blah blah that kind  of thing so when he shows up at the midpoint   now things are redirected so what's happening  for the rest of the time is it stay here and   work it out because this is the scene it's it's  pandemic so people aren't doing a lot of different   locations and blah blah blah so do we  stay here and work out the whole thing   or does that end the barbecue scene and now we go  into the rest of life as he's trying to rekindle   the relationship so depending upon what that  goal is then how long this barbecue thing needs   to happen or this journey to the barbecue in the  first place and then what scenes we need after   that for him to actually reach his goal and if  you've done your work of making the goal relevant   while he's preparing this cake while he's driving  through traffic while he's doing blah blah blah we   will learn that there is a loneliness there we  will learn that there is a like maybe we don't   get want to give it away that he lost his child  whatever that stuff is but we're getting some   information to know that there's something he's  missing something that he's needing something   he's given up on maybe it's because people are  calling as he's driving and he's I don't want to   talk about it man blah blah whatever that is we'll  start to know something else is going on here so   that when he arrives with that cake and he gets  out of the car and stops short yeah no one has to   say anything we know because we've been given the  evidence that something's going on with him and   we've been given the evidence at the barbecue as  she's been setting up and oh he's of this and he's   that and we've been hearing the stuff it hasn't  been like the a story because it wasn't yet but   now that these two things have collided they'll  make one storyline and we'll go on from there   how many subplots should a movie have or a tv show  have yeah so there isn't necessarily a set amount   but what I will say is your a story is going to  be in every single one of your acts fully out   some movies will only have an a story if you have  a b story it's now still all of the same amount of   beats but shorter so if your a story is this long  your b story might be that long your c story and d   story and e story all get shorter but they're  still full story lines which means they have their   own goals their own complications climaxes etc in  a television show you're usually only gonna have   maybe about three per episode even if you have six  or seven characters like if you watch this is us   something's gonna be going on with one of  the big three something's gonna be going   on with mom and dad in the past and then  we may also be watching something else   maybe in a show like brothers and sisters there  were five kids and a mom so maybe we're definitely   gonna have at least three story lines but there  might be a fourth small nugget of something   that's giving us breadcrumbs from something  bigger that's going to happen down the road   what I will say is in features it's good to have  at least more than one storyline depending on the   genre most horror movies have one storyline stay  alive protagonist that's it they're also usually   only 75 minutes long so we don't really have  time to be following up and other people and   whatever else is going on we're just trying to  stay in this one little thing but other than   that it's good to have a b story because you  want to break up the monotony of the a story   because again once we get into the second act it's  about reaching that goal and if I'm just if every   single page is about what this one person is doing  that can become monotonous it becomes like get   there or don't get there we start to get a little  impatient so if you have something to break it up   with another storyline another full story line  then that can kind of help keep the pacing up   I've seen it a lot in love stories a lot of  love stories will just have the love but how   much can we take together not together together  not together together not together it's like   do they have anything else that they can be doing  like what's going on in their personal lives that   can be a b and a c story what I mean what's  going on with mom that that can thematically   tie to what's happening with them that we can be  watching because if not then we can start to get   disinterested by the redundancy because it's a  relationship how much can they really go through   even if it's a new piece of conflict it still ends  in the same thing be together or don't so if we   keep watching them do this for 40 minutes I mean  that we need to break that up a little bit so it's   always good to have another but in general there  isn't a standard I think that you can figure out   if you if you've gotten too many of them if things  start to get a little messy and you can't really   follow the story lines like even if you look at  a marvel film at the avengers the avengers has   all of the peop all of the superheroes there but  we're not following each of them separately in all   the things that they're doing we may be following  them as a group and then following one or two of   them who may be doing something separately and  the others are just there for support in this   particular movie and that's okay so you want  to definitely make sure that it doesn't become   too much like if you look at at crash that was I  don't know how many people that was but there was   a lot of story lines but they were simple enough  simple and thematic so each time we came to them   we were kind of mirroring whatever just happened  with the other group of people on their side of   town or getting them closer to meeting one of  the other group of people so it worked for them   so that's why again it's everything is going  to come down to what's best for your story   so you have to be paying attention to that pacing  and am I spending enough time to understand what   the storyline is or am I just dropping a couple  of people every now and again which now confuses   us so instead of it breaking up the monotony  it's confusing us and we have more questions   so you just have to again find another pair of  eyes if you can't figure it out hire a script   consultant like myself there are plenty of us  out there or have someone who understands story   at least to read it to see how it's making  them feel and what information they're missing   so with this family barbecue story if we have  this dad that's now bringing this cake and now   the rest of the family is just stunned that he's  doing this job and that he's there and that he's   actually shown himself maybe there were calls that  say don't come by anymore who knows what happened   if we were to add another character it would  somehow have to make it in it can't just be the   random guy at the bar that he goes pounds a drink  and he goes hey man slow down what's wrong and   oh I can't talk about it somehow that guy at the  bar has to be part of the story he can't just be   I mean again every sub-character has their own  role to play meeting a guy in a bar doesn't have   to become a storyline okay that sub-character can  just be the person in the bar that had some kind   of conversation with our actual character that  motivated or changed them to go do something   okay so that person doesn't have to become a  storyline that person can just be a guy in the bar   who said whatever but whatever it is he said had  to have changed our character because if not then   we don't need this conversation we don't need  this bar we don't need this location we need to   pay for these people or any of that right okay so  that so that's going to be the difference but if   I watched guy at bar at home and then watch guy at  bar get to the bar then I watch guy at bar drive   away from the bar then now I'm asking myself okay  what does this guy bar have to do with any of this   because now I'm watching their life from their  point of view so does guy from barr end up being   her new boyfriend so he didn't know that when they  were sitting next to each other these two men when   they're talking about the situation and gaia bar  is like you should go get your family back and now   guy with cake shows up at the barbecue and then  guy with bar a guy from the bar drives up what are   you doing here getting my family back oh that's  my girl now we've got something going on now these   story lines are connecting I was actually thinking  that the guy at the bar would be a negative   reflection of the of the protagonist that he  didn't want to ever become and so he sees himself   in that guy at the bar and he go and the guy at  the bar is drunk and he's like yeah my ex-wife   she's a you-know-what and I just whatever I i I  walked out a long time ago and and hey johnny give   me another bourbon or whatever and then he sees  like I could become that man and I don't want to   be that and that straightens him out yep and that  so in that case then he's just a sub character   okay he doesn't have his own storyline okay  so he's not a subplot story yeah he's not   a subplot he's just a sub character he's just a  character who's helping to push the story forward   by his interaction with this guy but a story  line would mean that the guy at the bar   has his own goals and we're following  him trying to achieve those goals too   and then eventually they align with what everybody  else has going on I see okay so he's a catalyst   okay yeah interesting just coming in to push you  in one direction or the other because again if not   then we don't need him we don't need a guy who's  just at the bar being belligerent that that   belligerence should affect our guy in some kind  of way because if not then we don't need that. What do you like about this video?

Channel: Film Courage

Views: 65,397

Keywords: Screenwriting tips, screenwriting 101, screenwriting for beginners, screenwriting techniques, screenwriting advice, writing a screenplay, how to write a movie, script consultant, Shannan e. johnson, the professional pen, writing teacher, filmcourage, film courage, interview

Id: pwcTge9iF0E

Length: 113min 34sec (6814 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 27 2022