HOLLYWOODSCRIPT.COM NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the latest edition of the Hollywoodscript.com Newsletter, which is published by script consultants Craig Kellem, Judy Kellem
(http://www.hollywoodscript.com)
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A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GUILLOTINE
By Craig Kellem
Recently we wrote an article entitled "Revisiting, 'It's the Singular
Image that
Haunts us that Becomes Art'" in which we put forth what we thought
was a nifty
and powerful way to start the development of a screenplay.
It worked so well for us that we started touting it to
some of our consultation
clients with smashing results.
But first some backstory.
We initiated this technique and used it ourselves when
we were given a full
project to write from a producer/idea guy who provided
a seven page pitch with
instructions for us (Judy writes, I consult) to write
the script.
We liked the concept a lot but it obviously did not come
off our own radar
screen, and it was a formidable prospect knowing that
we only had twelve weeks
or so, to produce a terrific piece of professional work.
So we came up with a novel exercise to get things going
fast and furious, which
was to give each other the prerequisite task of "playing in the sandbox" for
two of our precious weeks -- namely to think of cool
ideas for scenes or parts
of scenes in order to get things rolling, without worrying
about story structure
or much of anything else.
This was alien to the way these things usually start
which is via initiating
story arcs, act breaks, character inventories --the whole
nine yards.
So instead of eking material out in the usual ways, we
decided to go for
something different and come up with five ideas a day,
each. The only rule: NO
STRESS. At this stage of the game it was enough to just
come up with some really
good glimmers of material.
What a freeing notion this was, kind of like painting
by splashing paint on the
wall and seeing how it all comes out.
So the "games" began.
Each day had a mini deadline, namely facing each other
(which naturally fondled
our respective sense of pride and yes a dash of competition).
It should be
noted that neither of us were allowed to complain - nor
would we have since
somehow filling this prescription became a matter of
pride!
Day followed day, which followed day. What a delight
it was to just be creative
without having to put anything together. Under these
bohemian conditions it
sometimes took me 10 or 15 minutes to do my daily task
and then I got to happily
walk away from further responsibility.
How that appealed to the rebel in me.
Like a free play period in kindergarten we could be wonderfully
extemporaneous
and delay, in a way, the inevitable work that we knew
we had to face down the
line.
The pile began to accumulate.
Almost all of the scene ideas and creative threads came
from that bedrock
resource: our lives and times. Indeed this never ending
asset emanates from
things that we have both felt, noticed and experienced,
all defined under Julia
Cameron's wonderful umbrella, "It's the singular image that haunts
us
that becomes art." (ie: insights, moments of truth, fascinations
and unique experiences which had previously lacked a "file.")
My associate Judy (Kellem) says this--"there is a marked, qualitative
disparity
between stories and images born from real life experience
and those made from
pure intellectual invention. Life is rife with evocative
moments, large and
small, which create powerful feelings. Insights. Unique
situations."
We brainstormed and played, keeping in mind our own words
of previous advice to
folks:
" Write it down. Put it on index cards randomly, no need
to be
organized...yet. Let your mind wander. Get it all down
on paper without
restrictions. Thinking about characters? Jot down the
hot licks about them
remembering that the main ingredient is YOUR emotional
connection with them. Forget the mundane--stick with
your creative electricity. Only collect the stuff that's
near ten on the Richter scale of your heart. Which idea
creates a hot beat in your belly? As you bubble and percolate,
AVOID the temptation to write at
all costs! Instead, let the DESIRE to write build up
as you dabble. Let your energy be expressed in the proliferation
of creative nuggets randomly thrown on a page or on index cards."
A funny thing happened on the way to the guillotine:
2 weeks went by and we had
over...100 scenes. It so delightfully snuck up on us,
as did a real sense of
POWER. For we were now well into this puppy, totally
sucked in via the
confidence that is achieved when there's something "on the wall" to
admire and
to provide inspiration and synergy.
As if ON THEIR OWN our scenes also had begun to create
plot trends and character postures and we now started
to connect the dots.
We were soon beginning to get a sense of the trajectory
of the film? A rough
sense of how the idea set up, then developed. Even got
a sense of how the story
resolves, indeed the rough parameters of Acts 1, 2 and
3 (i.e.: Act 1, the set
up; Act 2, tell the story; Act 3, resolve it).
On the wings of smelling possibility, it wasn't long
before we cut to the chase
and had a full, very extensive story outline.
Just like in a Hollywood movie, we're happy to report
that the script's been
delivered, they love it and now we go to the next step
--we'll let you know what
happens next.
This approach has already helped other writers, as we've
used it in dealing with
Works in Progress clients who often are in need of more "meat" and
story weight
in their quivers. The results have been extremely impressive.
It works particularly well with writers who are in a
hurry to get it done and
tend to under develop their stuff (and there are many).
By "forcing" them to
take a short couple of weeks or so laying down this track
(sometimes we help
with idea contribution and thus moral support as well),
these previously
"
once too easily satisfied quick prep players" find themselves swimming
in
mountains of scenes which we've found gives them a new
strength and perspective
on doing things. It pushes them into being more multifaceted
in their approach,
since having more of the needed goods under their noses
gives impetus to new ambition and willingness.
One client, a comedy type, was always in a rush to make
you laugh via his fat
inventory of stuff. He can now supplement "the funny" and anchor
his jokes with
character currency and even a little drama and poignancy.
These elements
contribute greatly to his scripts, since comedy always
works better in an
atmosphere of reality.
Another client - who's more of a drama aficionado - was
always in a hurry to get
to the "spiritual" moment in his story. He now has a wealth of
OTHER creative
assets to choose from, which support those "big moments" story
and plot wise.
All were born from this simple system.
The idea here is instead of scratching it out, indulging
the tendency to become
impatient and rush one's beloved writing phase, to use
that nascent first energy
to create a little mountain of creative goods. Those
goods will not only help
with the psychology of the thing, but with staying well
ahead of
the "posse" faced by all writers.
________________________
BE SURE TO LOOK IN THEIR EYES!!
One of the great tricks of the trade is learning how
to take in and react to
script notes from friends and family, as many vulnerable
writers can either be
falsely encouraged or horribly discouraged by well-meaning
folks - perhaps
erroneously in both respects. Despite these common
hazards, writers
can sometimes not resist seeking reactions and opinions.
But there is a method to this madness.
First of all, know and understand that you'll rarely
get the same opinion. This
can be disconcerting and can sometimes only add to
one's confusion. Worse it can
take you in creative directions that are discombobulating
and ambiguous.
Sometimes, writers go from one person to another, dutifully
changing their
manuscript according to the opinion du jour and inevitably
end up well in the
soup as a result.
If you go the friend/family route, my suggestion is
that you know your readers
and obviously feel that they have decent judgment.
But even with this leg up,
one must discriminate with what you take in.
You need to know, for example, that readers can sometimes
overreact to small,
petty issues and, in doing this, give a disproportionate
view.
Your job is to understand this and to take it in stride,
while seeing if the
reader does have some valid points despite their "hysteria" over
a pet peeve.
Another kind of reader can become preoccupied with
peripheral areas such as
punctuation, minor language usage, etc which can be
valuable in a limited
respect but has nothing to do with the big issues.
Other readers who do not have these encumbrances and
who may have real valuable instincts can be invaluable,
particularly when their notes become part of a
TREND. In other words, if three readers tell you that
Act 3 isn't making sense,
it may be time to listen. My point is to perhaps wait
for the trend to occur
before messing too much with your precious screenplay.
This may sound silly but it's also important to make
sure that whoever is
reading your script likes you and has your best interests
at heart. Sad as it
may be, sometimes fellow writers can be unfair in their
evaluations, due to
prejudice or jealousy, whether it be conscious or unconscious.
Or you're
dealing with people who have some latent issue with
you that's being expressed
"
sideways" via your work. The point is they know that you're vulnerable
and may
take advantage of the smell of blood. Others may think
they have to come up with
something and innocently fabricate their offerings
to save face.
In any case, this process is not dissimilar to the
art of political and other
kinds of polling. There are folks who make a very good
living via the skill of
knowing how to interpret focus groups, surveys, and
the like. They know how to
cut through the B.S. and find the REAL ANSWERS in the
data, etc.
It goes without saying that a professional script consultant
like yours truly
would recommend that you go to a pro for this kind
of advice - an objective
reader when things get down to the short hairs. But,
if you can't resist a
little of your own polling before you get to that stage,
I'd approach it very
carefully and with a healthy dose of insightful skepticism.
One other thing, until you're sure it's ready the rule
is this-don't give your
script to anyone who can really help you or hurt you
in the industry!
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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN?
Our esteemed relative Jane Kellem Anderson invites any of you who are California
dreamin to give her a call. Realtor Jane will welcome you to Los Angeles with
showings of houses, condos, leases and more. Be assured you will find a sanctuary
for you to create in peace and tranquility. 323-240-8767
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SCRIPTBLASTER has an incredibly vast data base
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and the like. They can zap your coverage or query directly
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A unique feature is that
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___________________
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