Notes made from Intro to Screen Writing 26th September 2016

Here are notes made from the Screenwriting session with Steve Coombes on 26th September 2016:

Screenplay:
1 hour = 12000 words
10 minutes = 2000 words
Don't bother with adjectives
-Use Verbs- 'Excerpt from Alice in Wonderland'

Logline- Pitch for the pitch-Small summary of idea.

Pitch Process:
Elevator Process.
Treatment- Story- 5/10 pages long-Scene by scene.
Bible-Overview of characters-Story arch.
First Draft Script.
Get given notes.
Shooting Script.
Green Light.

Script writers get paid for writing scripts that often don't get made...this has changed.

STRUCTURE:
Screenplay
-Hypothesis
-Guide from start to finish
-Narrative structure/hints for characters.

Nobody can read screenplays- Stage directions are not usually read.

Timing (humour, camera angles) is important!

Movie business- Property law business.

Screenplay-Foundation.

FIRST GOLDEN RULE:
Audience don't need to know unimportant details- Tell them what they need to know.

SECOND GOLDEN RULE:
Showing, not telling. Write a scene that shows what is going on.

THIRD GOLDEN RULE:
The set-up, Distraction, Punchline/ Ending.
-Individual scenes, characters.
-Try to create a revolution.
-Create a metaphor- speaks for itself.

FOURTH GOLDEN RULE:
Know your ending.
-The final destination.

FIFTH GOLDEN RULE:
Moments- Obey rules but make it Memorable.

'One thing a screenplay cannot survive is a bad actor'.

This session has been very beneficial in knowing how I should create and improve on my screenplay over the next few weeks.