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I’ve been thinking about the types of film production experiences I’ve had that have informed my writing. I think a lot of people underestimate how important production experience is to a screenwriter. Whether it’s on a professional feature, a studio show, or an independent or student short, getting experience on set not only gives you insight on how to write scripts that are set-friendly (get rid of those 10-character scenes if you’re trying to sell to a low-budget indie!), but it also exposes you to a million personalities.
Why should you care about personalities, you isolated artists out there? First of all, if you’re writing films that you plan on having other people make you’re going to have to get used to the fact that film is a highly collaborative industry. I remember coming out of my first major student shoot that I directed and realizing it never, never would have existed without the wonderful cast and crew I had backing me up. Secondly, you’re a god damn writer and should be observing everything around you. The high-stress situations on a set allow you to see some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet at their most chaotic. It’s great character study.
Now my on-set experience has entirely been with student shoots, but some of these kids operate with decent budgets and it allows me to take on bigger roles than I could on a large shoot. Here are some of the roles I have found most helpful for learning to write “shootable” scripts:
- Script Supervisor – A lot of people dismiss script supervision as a no-brainer job you pass off to the “script girl.” First of all, this is an incredible position for either a man or woman who is interested in working creatively in film. Second of all, if you’re doing your job right then you’re constantly on your feet thinking not only about jotting down continuity notes and taking pictures, but also about creatively thinking of solutions to help a director make continuity work. On top of the creative possibilites (I’ve heard of script sup.s coming up with entire shots that the director, DP, and AD missed), it’s a great chance to really get to know a script… in a way you would never understand it from just reading it.
- Assistant Director - You will write differently after the first time you AD a worthwhile shoot. Suddenly your scenes will be in simpler locations with as few characters as possible in any given scene. You will economize your use of complicated set-ups and will completely get rid of any description of fancy moving shots. Why? Because once you’ve had to schedule a shoot, keep it on schedule, deal with creatively frustrated camera ops, delegate errands to half-baked 18-year-old PAs, and taken a yelling from every single member of the crew so that your director doesn’t have to… Well, you appreciate simplicity in a script more.
- Sound Mixer – OK, this is a pretty specialized skill, but let’s face it… 50% of film is sound. There’s something about being in an isolated mixing area, only able to hear the dialogue through headphones and often not being able to see the action at all, that lets you get to know a script in a new way.
- Art Assistant – Sometimes I think the scripts I read aren’t visual enough. Working in the art department allows you to think about the minute visual details of a film, which will serve your own scriptwriting down the line.
- PA – Last, and probably least, is ye old PA position. If you can get a PA gig on a major production, it’s a great way to be a bit like a chameleon on the wall and see how the whole film production process works. (Granted, you’re a chameleon who totes sandbags.)
Of course, any job on a shoot can be helpful if you’re putting your best effort at it. I think that’s what took me the longest to learn: if you treat every job like it’s your dream job, you’ll not earn respect for your dedication and you’ll learn a lot about the world of film.
I’d like to talk a little about how to watch a film as a film student. This is in part due to a comment on my “Writing the Dark Night” post that genuinely asked if I ever just relax and soak a film in, and in part because of comments from some non-film-student friends about how I sometimes pay too much attention to the details of a film.
Let me set something straight: I do just soak in film sometimes. I am a zombie movie fanatic, I rent B-movies (especially action flicks) by the dozens, and dedicated an entire year of Thursday nights to following Grey’s Anatomy before I discovered “The Office” and all of its wonders.
But yes, when I particularly enjoy or dislike a film, as a student I can’t help but ask myself “Why?” And that’s when I start to study the cinematography, take note of performances, and – most importantly – dissect the story.
Taking an interest in something I liked has always gotten me into trouble socially. When I was in middle school and college people called it “geeky” and when I got to college people called it “pretentious.” Apparently liking computers, books (even if they were – dare I say it? - written before 1960), and films from all countries and genres is unforgivable. I can’t tell if people think I judge them for not sharing my tastes (I don’t… rock on, Hilary Duff fans!) or if maybe I really am as lame as I was in sixth grade.
I’ve never seen a sports fanatic be called pretentious for knowing plays in last night’s game or the stats of their favorite baseball player. What makes me any different from them? Just like my baseball-addicted family all make a judgement on who botched up every game because they fervently watched every replay of an out on ESPN, I know that such-and-such film seemed too slow because such-and-such a scene seemed like a second-act turning point but actually turned into an ordinary obstacle, disappointing the viewer. And just like my brother used to watch pro game after game when preparing for a little league tournament, I will watch a film like “The Dark Knight” for its flaws and its good qualities in order to prepare for my next student film.
I’m not sorry if doing something I love comes off as pretentious or uptight just because somebody else doesn’t love it as much. And yes, I understand the frustration. I hate watching baseball with my family sometimes because they get too involved. But after a while, even if everyone else is examining plays I don’t understand and rambling off statistics I won’t remember, I find I can sit back on my own and enjoy the game on my own terms.
It makes me sad that not everyone can do that, but I’m sure at some point they will figure it out.
At this ungodly hour I have more fun tools for those screewriters, film students, and indie filmmakers in the need of productivity management.
I didn’t mention it yesterday, but Firefox is an essential software for me. The open source web browser is not only slick enough to quickly surf even the most media-rich sites, it also is extremely adaptable to your needs via its large collection of add-ons. Here are a few I use to keep my life and my work straight:
- Delicious Bookmarks – The internet has a wealth of resources, but they are little use if you can’t find them when you need them. While Firefox’s built-in bookmarking is sleek and well-organized, this plugin (combined with a del.licio.us account) allows you to your bookmarks online for easy access and sharing capabilities. I’m actually thinking of starting a bookmark index of useful film and screenwriting sites.
- Google Notebook - This add-on collects “clippings” from the internet and stores them for later reference. While I’ve largely replace my use of this add-on with Journler and Scrivener’s link-storing capabilities, it’s a great way to capture a website excerpt for blogging, screenwriting, and sharing inspiration with collaborators. And the excerpts link back to their source!
- Google Toolbar – This is a no-brainer if you use Google Apps to organize your life. Gmail, Reader, Calendar, Docs, and a variety of other resources are just a button click away. Best of all, you can customize the toolbar to only have the buttons you need.
- Zotero - More helpful to students and scholars, Zotero is basically a reference organize that collects and then generates citations for web sites you want to use in research papers and essays. I think it’s very useful for historical research in period films because you can generate a list of reference works for collaborators.
- Weather Bug – If you’re making films then you’re worrying about the weather. Have no fear! There’s yet another way for you to consume the lies meteorologists feed you about things like temperature, chances of rain, and odds you’ll be filling out insurance paperwork for tornado-torn light kits. And instead of listening to another annoying weather dude, you can just check the corner of your browser!
- ScribeFire – I’m using it right now! ScribeFire is a blog client that integrates right into your browser. You can surf the web looking for post content without multiple windows being open. Your entry just sits at the bottom of the screen. While it’s not as powerful as a dedicated client, ScribeFire’s convenience and ease of use makes it my top choice for creating blog content.
There are many, many more add-ons on Firefox, so go ahead and check some of them out. There’s everything from dictionaries to To-Do managers, and so much more. Once you’ve given a go, feel free to leave a comment letting me know if you find any gems of awesomeness or giant duds.
This is the first in a series of articles about how I’ve used various online and offline digital tools to optimize productivity as a film student and burgeoning screenwriter. Today I’ll discuss my use of freeware and inexpensive software in film-related tasks.
Productivity management isn’t just for MBA students in power suits anymore. Maximizing the usage of computer applications to organize and complete tedious routine tasks frees up your mind and allows you to concentrate on writing, studying, and those life-shortening student film shoots.
Plus pimping out your computer is like modding a car. “Check out my sweet video compression workflow.”
After the jump are some applications that I find indispensable for creativity and productivity. As a bonus, most are free/cheap.
Leave a comment if you have any more suggestions or stories of your take on this software.
Quicksilver (Free)
I don’t know how I lived for so long without Quicksilver. I’ve only been using it a short time and it’s already changed the way I use my Mac. Basically, Quicksilver is an interface that, at its simplest, allows you to control your Mac mouse-free. You can search for and open programs in a few keystrokes (much faster than getting to your Applications folder in finder), assign keyboard shortcuts, and even use plugins to control the finer points of software you use everyday. For example, after calling up Quicksilver with Ctr-Space or a keyboard shortcut of your choice, you can start typing the name of an iTunes playlist and start playing it without ever going into iTunes. As a keyboard shortcut junky, I am enthralled with how much time this saves.
iGTD (Free)
I believe iGTD stands for “I Get Things Done” and holy crap I do now. This software is so much more than your standard to-do list. It lets you organize tasks by context (where you will complete it), project, and tags so that project management can be fine-tuned. Not only is this invaluable during production crunch time for student films (you can create sub-projects for each production department), but it is a great way to discipline writing, research, and general studying. For example, you might want to open a project for each script you start and add tasks like “finish character bios” or “write pages 6-12.” The software integrates beautiful with iCal and thus my Palm Tungsten E2, so I carry my very organized tasks (and attached notes about them!) around with me all day. The only problem I have with this software is the lack of task delegation, which would be nice for group projects, preproduction, and club activities. Still, for personal task management, this takes the cake. Did I mention there is a Quicksilver plugin so that you can add tasks on the fly? A great blog article at 43 Folders explains this here. Better yet, if you have MailTags (which I haven’t “splurged” the $30 on yet), you can connect your tasks to Mail.app e-mail for quick reference!
Scrivener ($39.95)
This is where I write. “But wait, didn’t you spend all of your 18th birthday cash on Final Draft back in freshman year?” Why, yes. Yes I did. And it was worth it since ultimately that’s where I output industry-friendly scripts with proper formatting. But Scrivener is where I make the first draft… of ANYTHING. You can organize your writing project by folders and index cards that translate into outlines, which makes outlining a typical three-act so much easier. You can create folders outside of your text to hold brainstorming texts, research PDFs, websites, and other PDFs that you’ve found useful for your research. Plus it has tab-based screenplay formatting that translates fairly well to Final Draft!!! I’ve used this baby for everything from research papers to my Pushing Daisies spec.
Journler (Free)
This is a pretty powerful “journaling” app that can do oh so much more. You can create entries with embedded media files that are automatically dated (I am a dating fiend) and then organize them with tags and folders… Even smart folders that automatically organize based on your tagging! While on the writing side, I’ve found this a great way to organize freewrites and brainstorming before committing to a writing project (once it’s a project I switch over to Scrivener), it’s also great for taking class notes (set up a folder for each class!), keeping minutes at club meetings, and organizing random thoughts.
Celtx (Free)
I actually use this software more for pre-production than actual screenwriting, although it is a great alternative to more pricey screenwriting software. Its breakdown features are excellent for creating prop lists, keeping track of locations, and making schedules that reflect not just time but also what you need for those times. Until you’ve got the bucks to spend on a professional pre-production software, this fella is quite the useful app.
Alarm Clock (Free)
When your call time is at 5am, it’s so much more pleasant to wake up to your “Booty-Shaking” playlist.
iCal/Mail.app/Address Book (Comes with Mac)
Ok, ok, this might sound obvious… But I’m always surprised how few people really use their “iLife” applications to their advantage. They integrate with so many applications (including iGTD and Google Calendar!) and sync with my Palm, so you can manage projects corporate-style without spending corporate bucks.
Genius (Free)
Ok, this one has a lot less to do with the “film” part of “film student,” but as a student I had to give this flashcard software a nod. It’s great for memorization (for my Lit. major I need to learn dozens of authors/titles/publication dates at a time) and language vocabulary-buildling. It even repeats cards according to which ones you get right and wrong.
Frame Thief (Free)
A shout-out to my animation homies. While I gave up the good art because I draw like a preschooler and sculpt like a first-grader, I still dapple in stop motion from time to time. This animation software is great to have on a laptop for instant gratification (ha, like that exists in animation) stop motion work. You can also set it up with a lightbox for pencil tests if you want to be fancy.
HandBrake (Free)
Takes your DVDs and makes them into iPod-friendly video files. While I prefer the original DVDs for viewing, this software is great for pulling TV episodes, shorts, and music videos from DVDs and then bringing them on the go for study, inspiration, or particularly long bus rides.
Tooble (Free)
YouTube on your iPod! Yes, it’s possible…. with Tooble! Great for scene studies, keeping up with your favorite webisodes, and general good times.
NeoOffice (Free)
Who needs Word when NeoOffice takes care of all your word processing needs? Its spreadsheets are Excel-like heaven and this has been a staple for every task I’ve needed to complete.
Further reading:
Ok, a little background info: I’m an entering senior at NYU but, because of a lack of funds stemming back several generations of Italian peasants, I’m back at home at a suburb in MA for the summer.
This creates a not-so-unique dilemma of: “What the hell do I write about?”
In New York City, or any metropolitan really, there is inspiration standing on every sidewalk, crawling in every cafe, and leaking from every poorly-drained subway station’s ceiling. But here in the suburbs?
Here in the suburbs, everyone seems to get up at the same time everyday for their blue-collared jobs. Everyone finishes their day with a nightcap at a sports bar. Everyone spends their weekends drunk at a party or their favorite “club,” which is more like a slightly nicer sports club than anything else. Most of all, sometimes when you’ve been living in the same place for 21 years and you’ve seen the same faces and heard the sam names, you being to think that you have everybody figured out.
I’m trying to learn to write whereever I am. Writing in New York is easy. After all, there are a million brilliant characters, courtesy of God (or Darwin?), waiting to be plagiarized into the plot of your next work. Every face you see has something new etched in its wrinkles, every name you hear seems to have a compelling story behind it. Of course, you have to deal with perilous traffic and dangerous-seeming streets late at night, but that is part of the excitement and the suspense.
Writing in the suburbs becomes a new sort of challenge. It requires one to imagine and inquire much more actively than in the city, where the stories and the insight seem to be worn on the sleeve of every neighborhood. Everyday, I have to look at everything and try to see it from a new angle. After over twenty years, you have to get creative.
Maybe I’ll watch the friendly dude at the grocery store bakery who always made the cheesiest yet most lovable cakes for my birthday and suddenly notice that he’s flirting with a 25-year-old blonde in front of his deli-meat-slinging wife. Or I might wake up one day and notice that the door to our downstairs closet is about 3/4ths the size of every other door in the house. Has it always been this size? When did it become different?
I know I’m about a bazillion years too young (as demonstrated by my use of “bazillion”) to be feeling jaded, but I really think suburban life does that to you in a strange way. It’s not the gritty, adversity-defying kind of jadedness one sees in the heart of urban squalor, but this sort of emptying of one’s imaginative capacity that comes with the reduncy of suburb life.
So maybe tomorrow I will write about another silly neighbor at another silly party, one who drinks until the world looks fun again.
I am working on a script that draws heavily from incidents in my own life and the amusing, if exaggerated, anecdotes of people I have met. Some of the anecdotal accounts of events I was actually there to experience and yet I still prefer the grossly distorted retellings by my friends. Some of the anecdotes were told to me by complete strangers while stuck in a subway during the usual rush-hour slow-downs.
Some I am almost completely sure are made up.
Still, sometimes I wonder… At what point to the casual anecdotes of others transform into unique story elements of my own? Of course, I would never lift a tale word-for-word from the teller, but is it still mine if I’m inspired by it?
I like to think of an example from Freaks and Geeks whenever I am incorporating true stories into a fictional universe. There is a funny, yet bitter-sweet scene in which Sam Levine’s character finds a garage door opener in his father’s car that does not match with their house. He proceeds to try the opener on every door in the neighborhood, eventually confirming what he suspected all along: his father was having an affair.
This incident was based on the real experiences of one of the staff writers on the show. It is such a specific story that it seems the use of it in the show is a lazy lack of imagination, and yet the scene is touching and unique. I feel that it was the writers’ reaccomadation of the anecdote into the life of their imagined character that made this work as something distinctly Freaks and Geeks rather than simply a rehashed cocktail party confession. Sam Levine’s maturely naive performance, the integration of his two friends who help an then protest the garage door search, and the final moment where, alone, he sees his father’s car at another woman’s house… All of these things made for a compelling three-act subplot that was both structurally sound (something most oral anecdotes are not) and pregnant with emotion.
Like any self-respecting 21-year-old film student, I packed into a theater full of fanboys to watch the much-anticipated midnight screening of The Dark Knight. While I thought the film was extremely well-acted and well directed (except for a few flawed actions scenes which I chalked up to Nolan being more of an actor’s director than a 10-year-old who loves special effect), there definitely were some story issues I thought could have been polished.
I could gush for hours about the beautiful performances by Caine, Ledger, and Oldman and the incredible ways in which terror and humor collided to make the audience feel both violated and entertained, but I decided for he sake of “learning to be a better writer” I would go over some points in the movie that just didn’t seem to work. Needless to say, SPOILERS ARE AFTER THE JUMP so don’t read unless you’ve seen the flick or don’t care:
I’ve been taught a lot in writing classes. Writing brief “like Hemingway.” Start late and end early. Fill every scene with tension… Character is king. No, wait. Plot is king. The characters come from the story, right? So the plot will inspire them. No, but a good story/plot can only happen through the actions of an interesting character.
So what is it? Character or Plot? (Yes, I know there’s a difference between story and plot, but for this post only the terms will be roughly interchangeable…. or rather will encompass both story – the actual narrative being told – and plot – the way it’s being told)
While I decide whether to start with a character or story idea, I’ve been looking at some films that seem to approach it from opposite directions with extremely good results. First, we have Memento which, while it does have a compelling lead character, depends almost entirely on its intriguing story and uniue plot structure to reveal things about that character in ways that make him far more interesting than he would be in a normal, chronological plotline. On the other end of the spectrum is a film like Superbad (go ahead, throw tomatoes), which gives a fairly straightforward and almost too-familiar story of young men trying to have their last flings before college, yet delivers the old story with amazing freshness as the cast portrays excruciatingly awkward characters with complex inner lives.
In Memento, we never see the social vulnerabilities of the characters but only the literal ones he faces because of his memory lost. In Superbad we aren’t challenged to look at a story in a new way but instead are given a simple plot so that more time can be spent trying to understand why the characters do the crazy things they do. At the end, both scripts turn into fantastic movies, so how do we make a judgment call between character and plot?
A TA in a Lit. class I took my sophomore year once said “Criticism all boils down to Critic A saying one thing is right, Critic B saying another thing is right, and Critic C saying that both A and B are right if we synthesize their theories.” That brings us to the third kind of filim, the one in which plot and character seem to perfectly complement each other.
Now both Memento and Superbad do this to some degree. After all, they are both decently-writting films and cannot help but have plot and character affect each other. However, there are scripts that seem to have plots that can only exist with the very specific characters within them. Citizen Kane, I believe, is an enduring classic for that reason: Charles Kane is a man who needs to be loved, and it’s only fitting that his story be told by those who came the closest to loving him.
Today I started and finished a detailed step outline of the romantic comedy(-esque) feature I’m working on and then wrote the first seven pages of that script. It was a nice little break from all the spec writing I’ve been doing since the characters and concept are all mine.
While I won’t divulge the plot, it’s definitely more in the Kevin Smith/Edgar Wright/Judd Apatow vein of humor than your typical romantic comedy. After working several months on a kid’s comedy-adventure script, it’s kind of fun to be as crass on paper as I allow myself to be with my closest friends.
Of course, this is just distracting me from my non-genre-specific (maybe dark comedic?) script that I submitted for Sundance’s Screenwriter’s lab. That baby still has quite a lot of work that needs to be done. (Is it procrastinating if I’m still doing something productive?)
