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It's
All About A New E-book by Barry Pearson |
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Chapter Four
Imagine your story and pick your genre
Steps to the story
The purpose of this book is to lead you through the steps that successful screenwriters use to create a screen story.
When you use the steps to your story described here, you'll have a practical opportunity to apply the right and left brain functions you learned in Chapter Three.
First a basic understanding of the overall process.
Every screenwriter who ever lived worked through a process of four phases in writing his or her screenplay:
Create the Story,
Shape the Story,
Write the Draft, and
Revise the Draft.
What many less-experienced screenwriters don’t understand is that they need to know how to function differently in each of these four phases, because:
Each phase requires your imagination to work in a different way.
Each phase requires a different combination of your skills.
Each phase requires a specific type of interaction between the left and right sides of your brain.
It’s important for you to develop familiarity and facility with the particular types of imagination and skills needed in each phase, and this book will show you how to get comfortable when you
Create your Story, and
Shape your Story
But almost as important as learning to use imagination and writer’s skills properly, you need to guard against the temptation to move on to a later phase before you have completed all the earlier ones.
Why?
Because the single most damaging error you can make as a writer is to jump to Writing the Draft when you have only partly completed Creating the Story, and Shaping the Story.
One of the things this book will do is give you a better idea of how to tell when you’re ready to attack the next phase, so you never make that error.
Why is it important not to fall into the trap of writing the draft before you're ready?
Because each of the four phases listed above depends heavily on the preceding phases. If you go to draft too soon, it’s almost a certainty that your screenplay will not be successful.
Beginning the process — Creating the Story
For some people, beginnings are like a shot of sunshine. For many others — torture.
Here are just two excerpts from letters I received on the topic.
"I like to think of myself as a pretty good writer, however, I can never come up with a concept. Where do I start? All of my ideas seem to be going nowhere. "
"Although I'm a young writer I know this is what I`ve wanted to do since I was a kid, the thing is that I'm having trouble getting over the hump of writing my first script. I have so many ideas and themes, and they look good on paper, but when it comes down to me writing I get so #$*%*#@ stumped. Heeelllp!"
One of the main assets you need in order to get off to a smooth start is a methodical process.
You need to lure your basic story idea forth from its hiding place and develop it a bit so you can have a look at it.
The time to use this phase of the creating process is during the gestational, embryonic stage when you feel you hardly know anything, or don’t know enough, about your own idea. The following is what you do:
Trap the idea!
A technical point:
Many writers like to use 3" X 5" file cards to capture their ideas about their stories. They stick the cards on the wall, wrap elastic bands around them, staple them to other cards, color them with markers, shuffle them, number them, bend, spindle, and mutilate them.
They move them around on bulletin boards with colored pins, spread them all over the floor, and end up with a sore neck looking at them.
The device is so prevalent in the film and television business that the expression carding the story has become commonplace.
Not all writers like to work this way. Some like to write notes on yellow lined legal pads. Some like to work on half sheets. Many like to work directly into their laptop. Others can only work at their desk computers.
I like to create hundreds of small MS Word documents, and make headings and text boxes. When my computer’s not on, I scribble on the back of once-used paper and transfer later.
But for many years I used cards, and I still do on occasion.
One big advantage of cards is that
because of their limited writing space, they prevent you from becoming
too detailed during the story development stage.
If you don’t have a method, try a few different ways to see what "feels
best."
Trapping your ideas is one of the freest flowing and dynamic phases of the process of creating your screenplay.
If you are at the beginning of developing a story idea, here are some examples of starter cards:
April 19, 1999..........................................................1.
"My
story is about the crazy, quirky
world of the guys at…….
April 19, 1999..........................................................2
"The genre of my movie is a mix
between Comedy
and Caper, with the emphasis on Comedy. Might
be good to throw in some physical comic scenes when we…….
Brainstorm
Think about all the aspects of your idea that you have in mind
now.
Record all the ideas.
If the card method described above doesn’t appeal to you, use any
method you like. Key is to get the thoughts and images down as fast
as they come.
Let one idea flow into another.
Take side trips.
Encourage lateral thinking in yourself.
All ideas are valuable, especially if they arise spontaneously, without
being derivative.
Any aspect of your basic idea for a movie is valid.
At this stage you’re a collector, not a critic (see
next point.)
Banish your Critic.
Do not judge or reject your ideas during this stage.
Banish your critic to Mongolia. Outer Mongolia.
Accept all ideas and (see next point) capture them.
Capture your first ideas (even
though you’re seeing through a glass darkly).
From this point on, it 's important to capture ideas the minute
they present themselves.
Grab any means to record the idea. Record it in whatever form you can at the time.
Feed your imagination.
Your imagination and your subconscious
mind feed in the night. You need to store nutritious information in
the daytime.
Provide your imagination and your mind with your own ideas, however
sketchy, as well as nitty-gritty facts about every relevant aspect
of your story idea, by collecting information, organizing it, writing
it down, filing it, and pondering it.
Put down questions and reminders and ideas for research as they occur during this process.
Play ball with your imagination
At some point in this game, your creative
imagination will start hitting the ball back to you. At any time.
Any place.
Be prepared to catch the ideas as they come. The old "notepad near
the bed" ploy isn’t a bad one.
Carry a pen, pencil at all times.
Do not wear a pocket protector. The style police will get you and
drop you in a cell with Christopher Lloyd.
Explore your genres
How do you take this amorphous mass of ideas and thoughts and inspirations you've collected, and use your imagination to create a screen story that will grow into a screenplay?
You need to think about what genres of stories fire up your imagination, what genres have a personal visceral appeal, so that you can embrace the genres of your story.
Choosing the right blend of genres is vital to the success of your story and ultimately your screenplay. Genres, well understood, provide the writer with compass bearings on the style, tone, character types, themes and structure that will enrich and direct the telling of the screen story.
Knowing a genre’s typical framework and ingredients helps a writer to avoid cliché and stereotype. More importantly, knowing the genre is the only way to know how to ring the changes on the story form and create freshness in the work.
The following basic genres are defined in terms of the central struggle of the story.
"Typing" Genres is, at its worst, a prejudice, and at its best, an inexact science; nevertheless, here is my version of the basic types of movies.
The main point of this exercise is to provide a tool to understand, test, and define the different types of movies being made, and thus assist the writer to situate his or her own script in a workable combination of genres.
Note: most Hollywood movies combine two genres in various proportions. If a screenwriter knows and applies two applicable genres when creating his or her story, it will possess greater focus, richer subplotting, and a keener sense of the audience.
Which two of the following genres fit your story ideas best?
1. Action (Disaster):
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Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly
through: a clash of physical forces: as seen here in XXX, the actioneer written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Rob Cohen. |
For example:
48 Hours....................... Air Force One..................... Die Hard.....................
Face/Off........................ Jurassic Park......................Lethal Weapon
Return of the Jedi ....... Speed ...................................Titanic
(also Science Fiction).......(also a Thriller) .......................(also a Love story)..........The Terminator........... True Lies............................. Twister
2. Adventure:
Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through:
encounters with new "worlds.
For example:
Apollo 13.....................Get Shorty........................... Die Hard
...................................... (also blend of Gangster,
. ...................................... Love,and Crime)............Indiana Jones .............. Little Big Man ....................Lawrence of Arabia ..
(also an Action picture)......(also Epic/Myth)...........................................................Mr. Smith Goes to..........Quest For Fire...................Rain Man.
Washington ....... .................... .....................Robinson Crusoe ......... The Deep ........................Water World
3. Comedy:
Stories whose central struggle causes:
hilarious results.
For example:
Ace Ventura,.................. Analyze This......................... Annie Hall ....
Pet DetectiveBowfinger........................ French Kiss......................... Honey, I Shrunk
......... . ..... ............ ...........(also love story)........................ the Kids
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............(also fantasy)My Best Friend’s ........... Nine to Five..................../.... Shakespeare in Love
WeddingGoldmember............ .......When Harry Met Sally..........Working Girl (also Love Story)
.........
Bonding Character (Harrison Ford),
Hero (Melanie Griffith) and
Opponent/Rival (Sigourney Weaver) in Working Girl .
It's an excellent example of a successful genre blend (love story and comedy).
© 20th Century Fox
4. Coming-of-Age Drama:
Stories whose central struggle is about:
the hero finding his or her place in the world:
For example:
Almost Famous.............. American Graffiti................. My Brilliant Career
Pretty In Pink................... Rebel Without a Cause...... Risky Business
The Breakfast Club........ The Lion King...................... Saturday Night Fever
Shakespeare in Love .... Splendor in the Grass........ The Graduate
(also Romantic Comedy)The Last Picture Show.....The Paper Chase...............Top Gun
(also Action)The Water Boy
(also Comedy)
5. Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about:
catching a criminal:
For example:
48 Hours......................... Basic Instinct....................... Fargo
French Connection........ Ghost ................................... L.A.Confidential
......................................... (also Love and Thriller)Patriot Games................ Pulp Fiction ........... ............ The Sting
......................................... (Also Black Comedy,
................ ................ .........Bends the Genre a lot)
6. Detective Story/Courtroom Drama:
Stories whose central struggle is:
to find out what really happened, and thus to expose the truth.
For example:
The Caine Mutiny ..........Chinatown ............. .............. Death and the ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........................... ............. .....Maiden.............
A Few Good Men.......... The General’s Daughter...... Inherit the Wind
The Maltese Falcon ...... Philadelphia ....... ................. Rear Window
............. ............. ............. (also Social Drama) ............................(also Thriller)A Time To Kill................ The Verdict...... ..................... Vertigo
In the classic movie Chinatown, the Hero.......................Studio Stills Paramount Pictures
(Jack Nicholson) finds the incriminating
broken glasses that help him discover the truth.
7. Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the
midst of:
a clash of great forces or in the
sweep of great historical change:
For example:
Apocalypse Now ........... Butch Cassidy and ............ .Gandhi
............ ............ ............ ...The Sundance Kid.............Gone With The Wind...... Lawrence of Arabia ............Star Wars
............ ............ ............ ....(also Adventure)The Birth of A Nation...... The Bridge on the ............... The Godfather
............ ............ ............ ....River Kwai..... ....
8. Fantasy: Stories which are:
animated, or whose central struggle plays out in:
two worlds –– the "real" world and an imaginary world.
For example:
A Connecticut Yankee....... Alice in Wonderland........... Antz
in King Arthur’s CourtGhostbusters.........v............ Batman......... ......... ............. Big
Heaven Can Wait .............. Mary Poppins........... .......... The Mask
(also Crime story and Love story)Peter Pan......... ......... ........ Snow White......... .......... ....Toy Story
The Wizard of Oz ............... Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
9. Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is:
between a criminal and society, or is:
a cautionary tale, rooted in a main character who commits crimes
(This genre is often blended with Film Noir). For example:
Badlands........... ................Butch Cassidy and the...... Dead End
........... ........... ........... .........Sundance KidDead Man Walking........... The Godfather .... ............. Goodfellas
........... ........... ........... .........(also.Epic/Myth)Bonnie and Clyde..............La Femme Nikita................M.
Out of Sight ....... ............... Sling Blade........... ........... The Usual Suspects
(also Love Story)
10. Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on:
escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster
(either human or non-human).
For example:
Alien ........... ........... .........The Blair Witch Project .......Friday the Thirteenth
Halloween ........... .............I Know What You Did ........ It’s Alive
........... ........... ........... ........Last SummerKing Kong.. ........... ...........Nightmare on Elm Street ....Psycho
Scream........... ........... .......Tremors
11. Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is:
between two people who each want to win or keep the love of the other.
For example:
Annie Hall......... ......... ....As Good As It Gets...............Casablanca
......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... (also Epic/Myth)Ghost ......... ......... ..........The Graduate ......... ..............It Happened One Night
Mickey Blue Eyes...........Notting Hill......... ......... ..........Pretty Woman
Roman Holiday......... ......The Way We Were...............Wuthering Heights
12. Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from:
the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world.
For example:
Back to the Future .........Blade Runner ......... ......... ... ET: The Extra Terrestrial
(also Crime)Gattaca......... ......... ........Minority Report......... ......... ..The Sixth Sense
Stargate......... ......... .......Star Wars ......... ......... .........The Fifth Element
......... ......... ......... ......... ..(and all the sequels
......... ......... ......... .............or prequels)The Matrix......... ......... .....The Terminator.........v......... 12 Monkeys
13. Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between:
a Champion and a problem or injustice in society.
(Usually the Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.)
For example:
A Civil Action...................Dead Man Walking........ .....Dr. Strangelove
Grapes of Wrath........ .....Kramer vs. Kramer........ ......Network
Philadelphia ........ ........ ..Schindler’s List.......... ......... The Insider
(also Courtroom Drama)
14. Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits:
an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to kill him or her.
(This is a favorite genre to blend with a love story.)
For example:
The Net......... ......... ........The Bourne Identity...............Wait Until Dark
North By Northwest ........Sleeping With The Enemy...Night of the Hunter
Witness ......... ......... .......Three Days of the Condor
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In North by Northwest the
Hero (Cary Grant)
MGM Image courtesy MPTV.net |
Other Types of Movies:
There obviously are many other groupings that might be constructed.
Discussing genres of movies might just be a way of describing the history of moviemaking — a method of grouping motion pictures for whatever convenient need arises for whatever individual or group.
Without trying to define them, I’m listing here a number of other possible types.
The Art Film: Not a preferred Hollywood Type.
HOWEVER –– the acceleration of cheaper video-to-film technology makes this an interesting potential genre to look at for the future
 |
Sometimes an "Art Film" breaks out like Run,
Lola, Run
Studio Still Sony Pictures Classics |
The Black Comedy: A comedy that uses death and morbid doings as the root of its humor. Surfaces regularly. Most recent incarnations, Very Bad Things and Pulp Fiction.
The Buddy Movie: Not a distinctive genre. Really describes a vehicle for two stars of relatively equal importance, although one of them is usually the main character.
Redford and Newman are a well celebrated
pairing.
Other, more recent successful pairings include Jackie Chan and Chris
Tucker in their Rush Hour series,
and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in all the Lethal Weapons.
When these types of films work, they can be a cash cow for the studios; for example, the "road" films of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, the musicals of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the wacky doings of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Abbot and Costello, etc.
In today’s market there is probably a pent-up appetite for female pairings. Witness the phenomenal success of Thelma and Louise (despite the sour "downer" ending –– somebody took the ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid too seriously. They should have checked out The Sting instead).
The Film Noir: From the standpoint of the way I prefer to define a "genre" ––that is, defining the genre according to the nature of the central struggle –– this type of film is more of a stylistic categorization.
Even so, the typical black and light patterns, the dark shadows, the penchant for cynicism and irony, the use of the dark side of human behavior –– these elements still have a potent appeal for a large segment of the moviegoing audience.
The Ghost Story: Obvious from its title, needs no definition. This type of story, popular in the past, has been somewhat supplanted by the horror genre. Interesting to us writers for its resurgence with a twist in the Demi Moore thriller Ghost. Testament to the writer’s imagination.
The Heist (or Caper): Sort of a "cross-categorization." An intricately planned theft by a group of people.
Examples: The Usual Suspects, Ocean’s Eleven, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Great Train Robbery.
The Picaresque: An episodic string of adventures by a hero who moves from place to place. Stellar example, Tom Jones, and more recently, Forrest Gump.
Other obvious types:
The Historical Drama
The Musical
The Western
So, enough about genre.
Try to settle on a mix of two genres for your story.
To start with, that is. More than two genres can be a mess. Keep the possibility open that you might be able to spice up your story with little bits of a third genre, but — proceed with caution.
Points to remember
There are four phases in writing a screenplay:
Shape the Story,
Write the Draft, and
Revise the Draft.
Each phase requires your imagination to work in a different way.
Each phase requires a different combination of your skills.
Each phase requires a specific type of interaction between the left and right sides of your brain.
The single most damaging error you can make as a writer is to jump to Writing the Draft when you have only partly completed Creating the Story, and Shaping the Story.
The first step in writing a screenplay is to trap your ideas — on paper, or in your computer.
When you're trapping your ideas, you're a Collector, not a Critic
While you're trapping your ideas, you need to begin exploring your genres.
Most movies have two central genres.
When you're defining the genre of your movie, try to come up with a clear idea of what the central struggle is in your story. See if it fits the definitions of genre given in this chapter.
© 2002 Barry Pearson
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