Introduction to Screenwriting

Lesson 1

Why Write a Script Now?

The first lesson will discuss the increasing opportunities for new screenwriters and all the ways you can use those opportunities to build your own career. You'll find out why it's going to be so much easier to get a movie made in the near future and what that could mean for your career as a writer. Then you'll get an insight into the three basic elements that any script needs to succeed: a great concept, compelling characters, and a strong structure. Finally, you'll examine what your script needs to look like and explore ways to achieve that easily. By the end of this lesson, you'll be ready to dive into this exciting world.

What Is a Story?

In this lesson, you'll explore why people don't just love stories—they need them. You'll search the distant past to discover where stories come from and then rocket back to the present to understand how they work. You'll examine the rules that define Western storytelling and then learn the one simple sentence that will allow you to create compelling stories for your own scripts. Finally, you'll take a close look at the master story that underlies almost every other story ever told and find out how it can help you shape your own stories.

Conflict

In this lesson, you'll look into the very heart and soul of any story—the conflicts that drive it. You'll pull some stories apart to see why they don't tick and then put them back together the right way so that they do. You'll learn about the one central feature that defines every story, and the seven conflicts that define all stories. Finally, you'll examine how you can take a deeply personal internal story and turn it into a movie that audiences will love.

Creating Characters

In this lesson, you'll unlock the secrets of creating great characters. You'll blow up the stale formulas of "building profiles" and focus on the essence of your characters instead of the details. You'll find out how to strip characters down to the central conflict at their core and then explore ways to build them back up into living, breathing human beings. Then, you'll see how even the most brilliantly developed characters can fall flat on the page and how to bring them to life.

Screenplay Structure

In this lesson, you'll blast through all the reams of nonsense that have been written about the mysterious complexities of the three-act structure and reveal how simple and elegant it really can be. You'll analyze what goes into each of the acts and figure out how to use them to tell an unforgettable story. After that, you'll tackle the dreaded task of outlining and learn why it's essential—and how to make it easier and more productive.

Beginnings

In this lesson, you'll take a hard look at how to start your stories. You'll examine the subtle elements necessary to get your script off to the right start and explore the ways you can accidentally send your audience off-course. Then you'll tear apart the opening of some great movies to see what makes them tick. Finally, you'll tackle the one quality your first pages need more than any other.

Middles

In this lesson, you'll tackle the hardest part of any script—the second act. You'll explore the reasons why it's so much more difficult to plot than the first and third acts and then zero in on the one sure way to make sure you'll always have enough story to fill the great middle of your screenplay. Through close examination of one brilliantly structured script, you'll discover the essential element that keeps stories alive through act two. Finally, you'll take a hard look at act two's crucial structural component, and how you can make it work for you.

The End

In this lesson, you'll find out why some scripts have endings you'll never forget—and some have finales you'd rather not remember. You'll explore the mysterious, contradictory nature of the great ending and discover how those last few scenes can completely transform everything that's come before. Then, you'll tear apart a few finales to understand why some soar and others sink. Finally, you'll take a hard look at that most difficult ending to pull off, the big twist.

The Scene

In this lesson, you're going to take those first steps from outline to script. You're going to see the difference between a scene that exists as a paragraph in an outline and one that comes vividly to life on the page. You'll dive into the process of creating exciting scenes that pop from the first line and how to keep them going until the end. Finally, you'll learn the one trick that will always turn a flat scene into one that sings.

Dialogue or No Dialogue

In this lesson, you're going to learn what makes film dialogue special, and how you can use it to create and develop your characters. You'll get a tour through various types of dialogue with stops to explain the particular challenges each one poses and the rewards each brings. You'll find out why screenwriting is the one place where it's never good to be on the money, and how to get off it. Finally, you'll get a map to tell you how to avoid the biggest trap in writing dialogue.

The Rewrite

In this lesson, you'll celebrate your finished first draft—and then leap into rewriting it from top to bottom. You'll explore what the real purpose of the first draft is and how to get the most out of it. You'll find the joy of the accidental discovery and investigate how to use that to make the script better than you ever consciously knew it could be. You'll get a demonstration of how this works in practice. Finally, you'll receive a step-by-step roadmap for approaching your rewrite.

Your Script and You

In this lesson, you'll take your finished script and turn it into a movie. You'll explore the ways you can get your script to the movers and shakers in Hollywood—and examine which movers and shakers you should target. You'll weigh the merits of agents and managers, contests and script analysts who promise to get your screenplay to all the top executives. Then, you'll take a clear look at an alternative way to get your script made into a film that reflects your vision. Finally, the lesson will talk about ways to encourage and manage your growth as a writer while you work toward your big break.