THE SCREENWRITING DOJO – PART II

SCRIPT TERMINOLOGY

FADE IN – BLACK TO PICTURE

EXT. – EXTERIOR

INT. – INTERIOR

CUT TO – SCENE CHANGE

P.O.V. – POINT OF VIEW

CLOSE – CLOSE UP

CONT. – CONTINUED DIALOGUE

F.G. – FOREGROUND

B.G. – BACKGROUND

F.B.G. – FAR BACKGROUND

V.O. – VOICE OVER

O.S. – OFF SCREEN

TITLE – TEXT ON SCREEN

FADE OUT – PICTURE TO BLACK

Grasshopper...why are you just sitting in front of your computer - staring at the monitor? Chanting and praying won’t put words on the paper - you will have to let your fingers do some walking on the keyboard!

(I know Sensei. I’m just thinking about my characters.
I want them to be real)

Why don’t you let them start to interact with via conversation?

(Let them talk to each other?)

Yes Grasshopper...In the screenwriting world that is know as dialogue. You want your characters to be real - so that the viewing audience can relate to them.

They should have wants and needs - strong points and short comings. You want them to be human - unless, of course, your story is about space-aliens. Your characters must express themselves verbally.

DIALOGUE: The words your characters speak. Hopefully those words are interesting and intelligent. Stay away from a lot of unnecessary profanity. The character’s name [who is speaking] should be centered on the page in all capital letters - above the words she/he is speaking. The actual dialogue [words] should be centered (or indent] on the page and each line should run about 3 inches wide. dialogue is an excellent way for the viewing audience to learn things about your characters.

(Okay Sensei...take a look at this exchange of words and tell me what you think)

INT. JFK AIRPORT - TERMINAL 18 - NIGHT

A KLM jumbo-jet has just arrived from Amsterdam. TSA agents scan each person as arriving passenger’s barge into the terminal. JOHN SANDOVAL stands off to the
side - holding a torn-off piece of cardboard with the word “Kenyatta” Sharpied (in black) onto it. Flight-weary Time Magazine staffer SIMON KENYATTA finds his
way to the cardboard sign that bears his sir name. Sandoval and Kenyatta shake hands briefly.

SANDOVAL
Mr. Kenyatta...it’s a pleasure
to meet you! I’m Sandoval, chief
of security.

KENYATTA
The pleasure is all mine!

SANDOVAL
My car is parked out on the loading
apron. Right this way.

They walk...Sandoval is leading.

SANDOVAL
I like to read - mostly fiction but
I read one of your books. The one
about the Polar War - when you were
embedded with that squad of Marines.
What was the name of that one again?



KENYATTA
Hell Frozen Over.

SANDOVAL
Yeah...that’s it! It was pretty
good. You took great pictures too!

KENYATTA
Thanks.

SANDOVAL
The exit is this way.

KENYATTA
Can I get a cup of coffee first?

SANDOVAL
Sure!

Sandoval swiftly leads Kenyatta toward a bank of see-thru elevators. Kenyatta gets a sour look on his face.

KENYATTA
Can we take the stairs?

SANDOVAL
Don’t tell me you’re afraid of
elevators.

KENYATTA
Not afraid of them...I just don’t
like them.

SANDOVAL
Yeah...I feel the same way about
circus clowns!

They both laugh out loud...and walk toward the staircase.

(Comments...Sensei?)

Impressive Grasshopper! In this verbal exchange the audience will learn that John Sandoval supervises the TSA staff at Kennedy International Airport and he is an avid fiction reader - with an aversion to circus clowns. Simon Kenyatta on the other hand is a published author who works for Time Magazine and does not like elevators. You made them human - the audience will relate to them. Very good! Oh - by the way - are you familiar with the word parenthetical?


(Paren-what?)

Literal translation is things within a parenthesis.
They are writer’s directions - Grasshopper - that clarify certain things about a particular scene. For example - a character is speaking - then there is descriptive text - then the same character speaks again - you add (cont.) to indicate a continuation of dialog. Or maybe we hear the character speaking over the phone - then you add (v.o.) to indicate voice over. Sometimes a character is speaking in a scene but not actually on camera - then you add (o.s.) to indicate off screen. Get It?

(I think so...Sensei)

PARENTHETICAL: Lower-case directions centered over dialogue and under the [speaking] character’s name.

Try it Grasshopper.

(Okay...I’ll give it a shot)

INT. GRACIE MANSION - LIBRARY - NIGHT

NYC Mayor’s official residence (although Mayor Jeter does not officially reside here). Disheartened faces fill the room. Jeter looks at everyone before he speaks.

MAYOR JETER
You all may as well get comfortable
because we start early tomorrow
morning and nobody is going home
tonight.

Mob-boss TONY SPATZ clears his throat (in protest) loud enough for everyone to hear. Jeter ignores him

MAYOR JETER
(cont.)
Room and board for the night will
be provided for you all. So please
phone call your wives, husbands and
partners and advise them of the
situation.

Jeter scans faces again...pausing silently for a moment as his words are absorbed by everyone in attendance.

DETECTIVE SISKO
(o.s.)
Your honor...

Jeter eyes trail over to the window where NYPD Detective JACOB SISKO is standing. Sisko is looking through the glass pane and can see the big tent being constructed on Gracie Mansion’s Astro-turfed front lawn. No snow on
the carpet because of underground heating...but in the background, the city is blanketed in four-inches of
frozen precipitation. Sisko is thinking about his wife
and children.

MAYOR JETER
Yes detective?

DETECTIVE SISKO
Can we tell them why we won’t be
home tonight.

Before Jeter can answer, (his assistant) TYRONE VINCENT JR. voice blares over the public address system.

VINCENT
(v.o.)
Commander Riggs...report to the
control room.

You are performing above and beyond my expectations Grasshopper!

(Thank you Sensei...but there is really a lot of stuff to remember. And making all these manual format changes in my Word program is really time consuming. Couldn’t I just buy scriptwriting software to simplify the process?)

Screenwriting software is great - Final Draft Pro is one
of the best on the market. And as your writing career progresses you will probably want to purchase this type
of software. But it is better to learn the manual ways
of the art. Besides - what if there is a power failure
and you are forced to use a non-electric typewriter? Since you’re in the mood to buy stuff - get “Writing Screenplays That Sell” by Michael Hauge - you’d do well to read it from cover to cover.

Cool?

Until next time...

Write On!

A. SUPREME

CONTACT ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

nightwriterblog@yahoo.com

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THE SCREENWRITING DOJO - PART I

Welcome back Grasshopper...make yourself comfortable.

I have a question for you.

What would the film and television industry be if there were no screenwriters?

(I don’t know...Sensei)

This is a no-brainer! Haven’t you followed the industry news? Or have you been at the International Space Station for the past few years with no access to the trade papers?

(I...I...)

Silence! The answer is - The film and television industry would be in limbo...idle...inactive...at a virtual standstill...in cryogenic stasis!

In all honesty...when it comes to the feature-film business totem-pole...screenwriters are on the very bottom.

(Really, that doesn’t make sense...Sensei.)

Yes, Grasshopper...It doesn’t make sense to me either.

Without writers there would be no Five Fingers of Death -
no Fists of Fury - no Deadly China Doll – there would be
no movies!

But I digress...today’s lesson is screenplay format. And proper format is a key element in jumpstarting your scriptwriting career.

To be sure...there is a strict protocol in screenwriting. And you must adhere to that protocol as if your writing life depended on it...because it does!

One more thing – this lesson may be kind of boring.
But this is a screenwriting dojo! Not a Dancing With
The Stars dojo! If you want excitement – then you are
in the wrong dojo!

(Understood...Sensei)

So Grasshopper...let’s start with the basics.

PAPER for your printer: Paper should be 8.5” x 11”. Buy one of those 3-hole punching gizmos - they’re not expensive and you are going to need it. And please - if you don’t already own one - get a Laser-printer! The best draft-quality for written work is generated by Laser. The average toner cartridge should do somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 printouts before you need to change cartridges. If you have an Ink-jet or Bubble-jet printer - then I suggest you buy stock in the company that manufactures your machine. You are going to spend a lot of cash on replacement cartridges...so at the very least when the dividend checks come in – you can reclaim some of your money.

(Ha, ha, ha!)

You laugh Grasshopper – but I am not joking.

(Oh...I thought you were)

MARGINS: Set margins at 1.5” LEFT and 1” RIGHT. There is a direct correlation between the left-margin and the 3-holes you will punch into each page. When you complete the final draft of your script and print it out...at some point you may have to bind it. Use 2-hole prong paper fasteners.

(Sensei...why should I use 2-hole fasteners if I’m punching 3-holes into the paper?).

Good question Grasshopper - I really don’t know - but for NIKE sakes...Just Do It! These are the Industry Standards, and you must follow them like sunrise follows sunset. What I do know is the 1.5” Left margin will allow enough space - so that when you bind the script - and open it - the text on the left side of the paper is readable and not covered by the fastener.

FONT STYLE: Should be COURIER!
Not Times New Roman - not Desdemona - not Helvetica or any of the Sans Serifs! If you use any font - no matter how cute it is - other than Courier - you will be admitting to prod-co execs [production company executives] that you are nothing more than an amateur - and your work is not worth their valuable time to read. So...COURIER ONLY! Do not Justify the text – do not use Bold – and instead of using Italics - use the Underline feature.


FONT SIZE: Should be 12 Point. It’s as simple as that...Courier 12 point is your font style and size.

(Why...Sensei?)

I’ll tell you why Grasshopper.

1) A screenplay needs to look like you used one of those old Olivetti machines that your mother learned to type on in high school.

2) The average feature-length movie is two-hours long. Every page of your screenplay represents One-Minute of screen-time. That is why your screenplay is 120-Pages long.

1-minute per page x 120 pages = 2 hours.

Furthermore...Courier is a proportional font...that is to say that each letter takes up the same amount of space on the page...just like your mother’s Olivetti.

Lower-case or Upper-case - it doesn’t matter – same amount of space.

(I get it!)

Good. And don’t forget to call me Sensei.

(Sorry...Sensei)

TITLE PAGE front cover: Title and author name - pen name if you have one - should be centered about fifteen spaces down from the top of the page.

Somewhere close to the bottom right-hand corner of the page - use a no-line text box for your given name, address, city/state/zip code, phone number and email address.

Never add copyright data, a date or what draft it is to your title page.

This next part may be a bit confusing Grasshopper – so I will explain.

PAGE ONE: Although the Title page is the first physical page of your script – it considered a cover. The second physical page of your script is actually Page One.

(Understood...Sensei)

Top of page-one begins with the words FADE IN all capital letters.

I will explain “FADE IN” in the section that covers “Script Terminology”.

SLUG LINE: Tells where and when the action is taking place.

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT: Tells what action occurs at the location mentioned in the slug line. Descriptive text should run about 6” wide.

CHARACTERS: Are the people in your story. It’s a good idea to start introducing the main characters as early as possible in your descriptive text. Character names are CAPITALIZED for initial introduction [with one exception to be explained later].

(So start with fade-in at the top of the page. Slug lines are followed by descriptive text. And character names are all caps when first introduced...is that correct Sensei?)

Yes...Grasshopper

(So the beginning of my screenplay should look like this)

FADE IN Page 1

EXT. NYC – BROADWAY AT WEST 54TH STREET – DAY

The Future. We see a street-level view of the wildly cheering crowd (fenced-in by metal police barriers) in front of renovated Ed Sullivan Theater. A black Lincoln Continental limousine slowly rolls into view. Blue number 2 embossed on the white license plate. Magnetized video-placards, on the passenger compartment doors, stream Republican National Committee public relations commercials. Barely visible behind the bullet-proofed tinted windows are New York City’s celebrity Mayor DEREK JETER, Deputy-mayor ANNETTE BENEDETTI, and ZOLANGÉ DEPASSE, the mayor’s chief of staff. The smiling ex-Yankee, hall-of-fame, jock-
turned politician shows a thumbs up to the camera.

Very impressive Grasshopper...you are on your way to an
Academy Award for Best Screenplay!



Come back next time for...

THE SCREENWRITING DOJO - PART II

Write On!

A. SUPREME


Author Of

THE TIMECODE RAILROAD

“The American Civil War – Like It’s Never Been Told Before”


For information about how to purchase my books or if you have questions or comments please send your emails to:

nightwriterblog@yahoo.com

READY TO RUMBLE

So you want to be a writer?

Consider this...professional boxing may be a better choice. You get into the ring. Take a few punches (left-hooks) to the head. And you wind up flat on your back...knocked unconscious. Then you get your paycheck and go home.

Being a writer is similar to boxing. The ring (is that confined space in front of your computer keyboard). The punches (are all the in-depth research you will have to do to make your fiction or non-fiction stories credible). When night falls you will be in bed, out cold on your back. At least with boxing you know when the paycheck is coming!

Good Luck and Godspeed! I guess if you didn’t want to be

a writer, you wouldn’t be reading this column...say word?

So let’s get right down to the real nitty-gritty.

You’ll have 3 opportunities to prove to literary agents

and book publishers that you are a GREAT writer.

OPPORTUNITY #1) Your Written Work (completed): Movie Screenplays (120 pages), Book Manuscripts (300 pages), Poems (at least 200).

Most novice writers personally believe that when the script is finished...the writing process is over. That is as far from the truth as Earth is from the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light-years!) Actually, the end of your script is when the real writing is just about to begin!

That leads us to...

OPPORTUNITY #2) The Synopsis. This is where you take your 120 page screenplay or 300 page manuscript (that you have labored over literally for months) and condense it into a slick one page overview. And most importantly - that one page has to have all of the eye-popping excitement of the complete script.

(OMG!) Yeah...I heard you. Is boxing starting to sound more appealing? Relax...you’ve made it this far - to late to turn back now!

You’ve finished your script (sans typos, grammar errors, etc.) and typed out your synopsis - now you are ready to start pitching your proposal to agents and publishers.

You are going to need...

OPPORTUNITY #3) A Query Letter. A formal one page letter that is sent to ask agents or publishers to consider your work for representation and/or publishing.

An excellent query letter is an important tool and can be the difference between writers getting a rejection letter or a request for the full manuscript. Your query letter should be addressed to a specific person - never “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Ms”.

It should include:

Paragraph #1 - A brief introduction with the title and word count of the script you are sending.

Paragraph #2 - A script “teaser” and why you think the work is marketable.

Paragraph #3 - A short biography and credits (if you have any) on why you are qualified to write about the subject matter.

It’s cool to brag (just don’t over-do it!).

End with a sincere Thank You for using so much of the agent or publisher’s valuable time. Your name, mailing address, phone, and email should also be included.

Script, Synopsis, and Query Letter are ready to be mailed. And don’t forget to add a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE)...so you can receive a reply.

Do as much research (as you can) to find out which agents or publishers are inclined to read your work (be genre specific). The Internet is a valuable resource so Google-search literary agents and book publishers. Go to their websites and look for the submission guidelines link on the home page.

The guidelines will show you exactly what and how to submit. Only do what the guideline say to do to increase the chances of your script getting read.

Okay...you found an agent or publisher that wants to see your work. You mail it out in a neatly wrapped package. Now the fun really begins! A few weeks of patient waiting and guess what you get in your mailbox...a form rejection letter. Get used to it! Rejection...that is. Well, you said you wanted to be a writer...right? Rejection is going to be an integral part of your run-up to a Pulitzer Prize.

But...Never! Never! Never let rejection deter you from continuing to write.

Look at it this way...You are an 8-cylinder, Turbo-charged, Petrol-burning Writing-machine...and every rejection letter is the High-octane fuel that drives you to continue to write fascinating scripts! I know...that analogy would Freak-out the average Global-ecologist...but I think you get my drift!

In future columns we will cover the topics discussed

today in greater detail. And you will become an expert

at crafting scripts that meet (carved-in-stone) publishing industry standards.

So let me be the first to welcome you to the elite group

of Humanoids who make magic with paper and pen!

Write On!

A. Supreme

Author Of

THE TIMECODE RAILROAD

“The American Civil War – Like It’s Never Been Told Before”

For information about how to purchase my books or if you have questions or comments please send your emails to:

nightwriterblog@yahoo.com