tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64083195440901536192023-11-15T09:28:17.598-08:00Turn Your Book into a MovieDanek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-63509810385731756582011-02-14T00:46:00.000-08:002011-02-14T00:48:28.526-08:00If you plan to turn a book into a screenplay, here are some terms you need to know:<br />
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Biopic -- a biographical movie. <br />
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Target -- audience who the producers think will pay money to watch the movie.<br />
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Pitch or pitching – a pitch is an attempt to sell the story idea to the decision maker or investor. It can be lot like a sales pitch. <br />
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Green light – means someone with the power to say "Yes" his given the OK to make the movie.<br />
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Raising the stakes – in a screenplay, somebody must want something and take action to get it. To raise the stakes means to put even greater pressure on the protagonist , which makes achieving the objective that much more critical.<br />
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Backstory – everything that happened before the story begins. Can include the characters' education, job history, relationships, health, major events, both happy and traumatic, that shaped your character and set up the situation. <br />
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Pace – how fast the screenplay moves. Some have leisurely pace with long scenes, other have shorter scenes, which conflict rises quickly and increases in speed.<br />
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Synopsis – a short overview of the story, hitting all the major plot points. Does not contain dialogue. Like the screenplay, it is written in the present tense. Usually just a few hundred words.<br />
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Treatment – is a longer version of the synopsis. It can be short or long, four or five pages up to about 20 pages. <br />
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Logline -- a one or two sentence description used to sell a movie idea. It contains the main selling point of the story.<br />
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Inciting incident – gets the story moving. In the beginning of the movie, we are first introduced to the protagonist and their life. The inciting incident thrusts a change upon them, forcing them to move their life into a different direction. It must occur within the first 20 pages, though many happen much sooner.<br />
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Dramatic Irony – happens when the audience knows something that the character or characters do not.<br />
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Beat – a short pause, either in dialogue or before someone commits an action or reacts to an event or statement. <br />
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INT. – stands for interior, meaning inside.<br />
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EXT. – Exterior, meaning outside.<br />
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Slugline – begins each scene. The slugline indicates whether the scene is inside or outside, where the scene takes place and the time of day.<br />
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Montage – a series of scenes used to denote the passage of time or a theme.<br />
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<b>NEED HELP WRITING YOUR SCREENPLAY? <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">GO HERE</a></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tags: screenwriting,screen writing, book into a movie, turn a book into a movie, movie script</span>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-41189004453721951412011-02-11T15:07:00.000-08:002011-02-11T15:07:10.612-08:00<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jEJ3cXjFd54" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-76735164218642376792011-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:002011-02-11T14:57:14.109-08:00<a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">Test</a>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-70326459026908926532010-12-09T17:06:00.000-08:002010-12-09T18:14:23.499-08:00Joe Eszterhas on Writing Your Story<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Joe Eszterhas is one of the most successful screenwriters of the last two decades. Here are his thoughts on the process of screenwriting.</span><br />
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Want help with your screenplay or a professional analysis? <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">Click Here</a></b><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4o4V2pVNsqA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4o4V2pVNsqA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-22274950581540554682010-12-08T15:24:00.000-08:002010-12-08T15:24:32.418-08:00Screenwriting Tips from Screenwriter Susannah GrantSusannah shares some tips on dialogue.<br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6ynhTDnzufI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6ynhTDnzufI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br />
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Want help with your screenplay or adapting your book?Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-58594339238518064492010-10-08T22:46:00.000-07:002010-10-09T13:40:30.692-07:00The Most Popular Type of Screenplay<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What do Avatar, The Godfather, The Devil Wears Prada, Finding Nemo, Casablanca, Chinatown, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, When Harry Met Sally, Gladiator, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sleepless in Seattle, The Matrix, No Country for Old Men, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Kite Runner, Million Dollar Baby, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Shrek, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Citizen Kane, Wall-E, Pirates of the Caribbean, Slumdog Millionaire, It's a Wonderful Life, Rocky and A Christmas Carol all have common? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">They are all based on the story-telling and screenwriting framework known as The Hero's Journey, or the Monomyth, as delineated by Joseph Campbell, author of the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, first published in 1949. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Campbell studied myths from different cultures that have lasted for thousands of years and believes that they all carry common threads that touch us on a deep level. Hundreds of successful movies, many of which won the Oscar for best picture, employ the template of The Hero's Journey.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Many successful novels have also benefited from this template, and the screenplays based upon them were made into wildly successful movies, such as No Country for Old Men, The Godfather and Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire).</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Although you may think that using a template constricts creativity, the wide variety of films listed above should convince you otherwise. You would be hard-pressed to convince untrained observers that all of these movies are essentially the same story, but they are. And yet they're not. That is part of the beauty and magic of this template. You can tell so many different kinds of stories with it. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What makes them different are the characters and their situations, their overall goals, the setting, the obstacles, pacing, themes, the surprise elements, plot twists, approaches to creating suspense, the dialogue, use of humor or lack of it, the genre and more.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So what is The Hero's Journey? It is essentially a series of progressive steps, experiences and changes that the Hero undergoes in an attempt to solve the main story problem. Please be aware, lest the PC police are reading this, Hero is not a gender-specific term. It is an archetype. It represents a focal point in the form of a person, male or female, for the story. The Mentor, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, is also an archetype, and is also found in many of the best stories. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is also important to note that the journey, though often a physical one, such as in Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, can also be an internal one, such as the character arc of Michael Corleone in The Godfather or Andy in The Devil Wears Prada.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Many of the best screenplays employ both inner and outer journeys. The bottom line is, if you want to be successful at screenwriting, you may want to study and master The Hero's Journey.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Need help adapting your book? Want an analysis of your screenplay? </span></span></b><a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Go Here.</span></span></b></a></span></div>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-73381347636305138902010-08-24T11:46:00.000-07:002010-08-24T11:46:23.876-07:00Why Characters Need to Be Different from Each Other<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Because conflict is the key element in any form of story telling, it is important to make sure your characters are different in significant and minor ways. Characters with differing world views, attitudes, values and modes of operation offer a wealth of opportunities for conflict.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Examples:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The by-the-book cop partnered with someone who thinks the rules are merely suggestions meant to be broken.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A neat freak living with a slob.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A night owl married to an early riser.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A penny pincher and a compulsive gambler.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A daredevil into extreme sports and a fearful homebody.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These are just a few examples of character couplings with built-in conflict possibilities. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Not only will these characters have a natural conflict simply by being in each other's presence, they will disagree about how they go about solving problems and achieving the major goal of the story.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Take a cop story, for instance. Say one character wants to bust the drug ring by carefully building a case, while the other want's to bust in with guns blazing. Great conflict.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Having two or more characters who want to achieve the same goal together, or for an even greater level of conflict, two wildly different characters who are, for whatever reason, forced to solve the problem together, can create several levels of conflict.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">So when starting your next story, create characters who will naturally conflict with each other. It can lead to great story telling.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><b>Want help finishing your screenplay? <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">Visit my site</a>.</b></span>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-16669538547467701152010-08-16T16:13:00.000-07:002010-08-16T16:13:32.394-07:00Movie Dialogue Vs Real Speech<div class="UIIntentionalStory_Header" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message">Movie dialogue is supposed to APPEAR TO SOUND like real-life conversation without actually BEING like real-life conversation.<br />
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Most of what people have to say in a particular real conversation is not that interesting to other people, only certain elements are. If any.<br />
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All of the dialogue in a film or TV show is supposed to move the story forward, so limit it to the meat of what you want to impart to the audience. Make it sound they way people talk in real life but without all the usual fluff, extraneous information and tangents.<br />
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Think of dialogue as Talk Light, only with much more meaning and drama. Or humor.<br />
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Enough said?</span></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Need Help with Your Screenplay?</span> </span><a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Learn More</span></a></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><form action="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" ajaxify="1" class="commentable_item one_row_add_box autoexpand_mode comment_form_137180996323249" id="commentable_item_1784730686_137180996323249" method="POST" name="add_comment" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></form>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-23295699050647519952010-08-12T14:13:00.000-07:002010-08-12T14:13:11.269-07:00Avoid the Second Act Blues<h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message">The second act is the longest of the three acts and for most people, the hardest to write. It's easy (usually) to come up with the beginning of a story and the big climax, but what do you do in between? This is where many stories bog down.<br />
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One thing you can do is keep in mind that every scene in your movie must move the<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> story forward and in the second act, you need to keep increasing the tension and conflict. You must continually increase the stakes until a "showdown" is inevitable.<br />
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Yet at the same time, right at the end of the second act, things need to be at their worst for your protagonist. Often this is done by having your hero experience their "dark night of despair," when everything seems lost and or they have lost faith in themselves.<br />
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This is how you build a second act. When you construct it this way, the contrast between the dark low point and the climax will make the ending much more satisfying for the audience.<br />
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If you need help with your script or would like a professional analysis, please check out my website:<a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://yourbookintoamovie.com/</a></span></span></h3>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-90035664784450507562010-07-25T22:37:00.000-07:002010-07-25T22:37:05.742-07:0010 Keys for Turning Your Book into a MovieHere's an article I wrote on adapting a book into a screenplay that got syndicated on a screenwriting how-to website.<br />
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I hope you find it useful. <a href="http://www.screenwritingbasics.com/2010/07/turn-your-book-into-a-movie/">Click Here</a> to read it.Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-87423501541366489992010-07-24T15:58:00.000-07:002010-07-24T18:44:20.762-07:00Distinctive Dialogue<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names" data-ft="{"type":"name"}" style="color: grey;"> </span><span class="UIStory_Message">Each character should have their own voice, that is, a distinctive way of speaking that reflects who they are as a person. Each thing they say should be so distinctive that only they could have said it in your story.<br />
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A cynical, mature college professor from New York city will speak differently than a naive freshman fro<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">m the Midwest. </span></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />
</span></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">A down-on-his-luck carpenter will speak differently than a real estate tycoon, even though they're in the same industry. They will have different vocabularies and attitudes. Someone who is positive, on top of the world will say things that reflect his world view. The same is true for the carpenter who is worried he won't make the mortgage.<br />
<br />
One problem with many newbie scripts is that everyone sounds the same and just about anything they say could be said by any other character.<br />
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Make your characters SOUND different, distinctive and you're on your way to a more sellable script.</span></span></h3><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">WANT HELP WITH YOUR SCRIPT? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">CLICK HERE</a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><br />
</div></span>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-51291448779196151742010-07-17T17:46:00.000-07:002010-07-17T17:56:19.817-07:00Don't Novelize a ScreenplayOne of the mistakes that beginning screenwriters make is the tendency to "novelize" in the descriptive passages. That its, they use the methods found in novels. For example:<br />
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When John looked at Allison he remembered all the other women he had been with. Some had hurt him and some had loved him. But he was willing to continue trying to make it work with her.<br />
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Or:<br />
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When Mary looked at the boat, she realized it was the most beautiful one she had ever seen. She knew she had to have it, even though it was out of her price range.<br />
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How can you possibly show those things on the screen?<br />
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A screenplay can only contain what the audience can see and hear on the screen. Unlike the novel, you can only reveal character and backstory (history) through action and dialogue.<br />
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This is the challenge. To take what you know about your characters and reveal it on the screen, ONLY through action and dialogue, without resorting to long passages of one person describing themselves and their history. Boring and amateurish.<br />
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Let's look at how you might handle John's situation. Please note, the following are NOT in proper format.<br />
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**********<br />
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Allison's remark stings. John hesitates before replying, then he looks into her cold eyes.<br />
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JOHN<br />
I never thought you'd talk to me that way.<br />
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ALLISION<br />
What? No woman has ever talked to you that way?<br />
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JOHN<br />
No, that's happened before. More than one said something like that.<br />
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ALLSION<br />
So now we're all evil harpies?<br />
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JOHN<br />
I didn't say that. Some were very kind -- like Judy.<br />
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ALLISON<br />
I told you not to bring her up again.<br />
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JOHN<br />
I don't love her any more. I love you. And I'm<br />
willing to try again, to make it work with us.<br />
<br />
***********<br />
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Allison's last statement also reveals something about the couple's past -- John's past relationship with Judy is still a sore point with her.<br />
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So as you're adapting your book into a screenplay, look out for the places where you might tend to "novelize" and instead use screenwriter's methods of revealing information.<br />
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WANT TO TURN YOUR BOOK INTO A MOVIE? PARTNER WITH A PRODUCED SCREENWRITER <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">Click here</a>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-90941843589592652112010-07-15T18:13:00.000-07:002010-07-15T18:16:04.216-07:00Powerful Images & Story Telling<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names" data-ft="{"type":"name"}" style="color: grey;"> </span><span class="UIStory_Message">Watched Kurosawa's "Ran" last night, which is a retelling of King Lear in feudal Japan.<br />
<br />
One thing that I like about his directing style is his striking use of images, especially the countryside and sky. They become almost a character in the story, much as John Ford did with the American West.</span></h3><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><br />
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</h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C58jxwu9vNQ&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C58jxwu9vNQ&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WI2AZb04HAc&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WI2AZb04HAc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
One thing I don't like with "Ran" is that the director seems too removed from his characters, both visually and internally., He's using one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, but most of the characters seem one-dimensional. </span></span></h3></span>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-4913485878861762992010-07-14T18:56:00.000-07:002010-07-14T18:56:33.854-07:00Should You Outline First?<h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message">To outline or not to outline, that is the question. There are two schools of thought.<br />
<br />
Because screenplays must adhere to a three-act structure, in a limited amount of pages, many writing coaches advocate creating a complete outline first.<br />
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Then there is the other school, which includes me, that takes a more free-wheeling<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> approach.<br />
<br />
Whenever I try to outline a story, it seems to block the flow of ideas. I like to start with an idea, with a general sense of the characters and see where it takes me. Many writers prefer the free-flow of ideas and the freedom of using an idea when it hits them.<br />
<br />
Tolkien said at the beginning of the Rings trilogy, "The story grew in the telling."<br />
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Bottom line, there is no right or wrong way, there is only what works for you.</span></span></h3><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Want to TURN YOUR BOOK INTO A MOVIE? <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">CLICK HERE</a></span></span></div>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408319544090153619.post-79816553641622270852010-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:002010-07-11T20:34:40.778-07:00How to Write for Independent Movie CompaniesNo matter how much we love movies, it's important to remember that the operative word in Show Business is Business.<br />
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Movies cost a lot of money to make. A LOT!<br />
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And the more characters, extras, scene locations, special effects and so on that your screenplay has, the more expensive it will be to produce.<br />
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If you want to have your book turned into a movie, it is often easier to break in with the smaller, independent companies. But one reason they are smaller is that they have access to less money than the big studios do. So anything you can do to lower the cost of making a movie out of your book, the better.<br />
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For example, having a lot of locations in your story increases the cost of production. It's very expensive to move around the actors, crew and equipment from place to place. It also increases the number of days necessary for shooting. Many indie companies rent cameras, booms, props, etc. The more days they have to rent them because of moving around, the more expensive the production becomes.<br />
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One way to decrease the cost is to reduce number of locations in your screenplay adaptation. For example, if your story has a couple that fights a lot -- in the bedroom, in the kitchen, in the living room, etc., consider having several of those altercations occur in the same location.<br />
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Think <i>My Dinner with Andre </i>vs <i>Avatar</i>.<br />
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The former had two main characters and if memory serves, a single location.<br />
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Now think about <i>Avatar -- </i>huge cast, lots of characters, state-of-the-art special effects, a huge crew and some very ugly monsters. Those monsters don't work for union scale, either. They want top dollar.<br />
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So if you're thinking of approaching an indie company with your adaptation, you might want to consider dinner for two.<br />
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Want help adapting your screenplay? Want to work with a produced writer? <a href="http://yourbookintoamovie.com/">Learn more here</a>Danek S. Kaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123228675626387910noreply@blogger.com0