Thank you so much, Ela. Not only have I made this mistake in my own 1st drafts, but I now bail out of watching any TV show, film, play or any book I'm reading if it begins with one or all of these mistakes. My time is too precious to waste. I've found that if a story in any media begins this way, the rest of it just gets worse.
best advice ever, embed any necessary exposition, into a conflict (thwarting of a goal, any tangible goal even if it's just her friend refusing to order food - the goal here being to finally eat supper - until she admits what's wrong). I know you've said it before but hearing it again was SO helpful! I'm reading over two pilots before submitting them and I'm going to re-visit the first few pages and look for these things! I also forgot that each scene should probably have a conflict. I'm going to look and see if I can add some mini-goals that can be thwarted within the action, in each scene if possible. I watched a movie on Netflix recently where the nail technician kept trying to do the MC's nails but the MC kept gesturing with her hands while talking about how she believed her boyfriend was about to propose (exposition). You saw the nail technician's goal (painting the nails) being thwarted over and over and over. It was annoying but at least it was more engaging than the MC just sitting there talking, while getting her nails done. I think it was also supposed to be funny. Anyhow, I wouldn't have understood why it was there, or even noticed it as a story tool, before I took your classes, but now I see the scenes of a movie with a storytelling eye! Conflict in each scene helps the viewer not be bored, because the medium is visual and humans seem to want a goal reached, even if it's just getting a phone out from under the bed that fell back there. It seems to be in our nature to want resolutions to everything lol
@@elathier Yay! Now I just have to do the hard work of putting it into practice lolol Thanks again for these videos, hearing it once is never ever enough. I need to be knocked over the head, repeatedly
Thank you so much, Ela. Not only have I made this mistake in my own 1st drafts, but I now bail out of watching any TV show, film, play or any book I'm reading if it begins with one or all of these mistakes. My time is too precious to waste. I've found that if a story in any media begins this way, the rest of it just gets worse.
Thank you again Ela.
best advice ever, embed any necessary exposition, into a conflict (thwarting of a goal, any tangible goal even if it's just her friend refusing to order food - the goal here being to finally eat supper - until she admits what's wrong).
I know you've said it before but hearing it again was SO helpful! I'm reading over two pilots before submitting them and I'm going to re-visit the first few pages and look for these things! I also forgot that each scene should probably have a conflict. I'm going to look and see if I can add some mini-goals that can be thwarted within the action, in each scene if possible.
I watched a movie on Netflix recently where the nail technician kept trying to do the MC's nails but the MC kept gesturing with her hands while talking about how she believed her boyfriend was about to propose (exposition). You saw the nail technician's goal (painting the nails) being thwarted over and over and over. It was annoying but at least it was more engaging than the MC just sitting there talking, while getting her nails done. I think it was also supposed to be funny. Anyhow, I wouldn't have understood why it was there, or even noticed it as a story tool, before I took your classes, but now I see the scenes of a movie with a storytelling eye!
Conflict in each scene helps the viewer not be bored, because the medium is visual and humans seem to want a goal reached, even if it's just getting a phone out from under the bed that fell back there. It seems to be in our nature to want resolutions to everything lol
Yessssss. You got it Bianca. Every scene is built around conflict. That's the ticket to nothing being boring!! ;)
@@elathier Yay! Now I just have to do the hard work of putting it into practice lolol Thanks again for these videos, hearing it once is never ever enough. I need to be knocked over the head, repeatedly
@@biancarowena9040 lol yes. You and the rest of us 😂
Thanks so much for another excellent video, Ela!
Excellent info. Thank you so much!!! You always give invaluable information.
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Fantastic advice!!
Thanks! 🙏
I love you - I love you.. You are fantastic..
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I always have this problem coming up with a great opening.