Screenplay Mistakes A Producer Will Immediately Identify - Stanley M. Brooks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มี.ค. 2020
- In this Film Courage video interview, Filmmaker Stanley M. Brooks on Screenplay Mistakes A Producer Will Immediately Identify.
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#writing #screenwriting #screenplay - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
I like this guy. It's refreshing to see someone like this who isn't jaded and bitter.
th-cam.com/video/RupxUqpeM4o/w-d-xo.html
That’s very jaded of you to say
If you aren’t jaded and bitter you a dumbass lol
Huh? He's clearly jaded and bitter towards technology ...
Spot on!
Great to hear from a guy who doesn’t only read the first page!!!
Young people don't realize what was sacrificed. Call it old school, but many things are still good. Reading a physical book, script, watching a movie in a cinema.
I have written movie scripts for years. I have always used spiral notebook 3 subject and used 2 to 3 per script. A year or two ago, a friend asked me why haven't I taken my craft seriously and pursue in script writing. What I learned is that I have the talent, the knowledge on what others expect of me is different. So I researched and went on TH-cam to follow their formats and, in my knowledge, did quite well. I just wish that I can learn before the process rather than during. It would make things a lot easier but I'm still grateful to go through this experience
skill share has a few courses on the subject. I'm kind of in the same boat as you.lol. Barbara Vance's classes have been insightful. You get a 2 month free trial. The trial is plenty of time to learn the majority of what you're looking for.
Are there resources that you would share with others in the same position, so they could avoid the very same experience you have described, of lacking the knowledge in advance of beginning the writing process?
@@mothratemporalradio517 if u pay attention to the individuals on TH-cam, they basically say the same thing. Rarely, you will get info on something that matter to you and what you is looking for. Bing and google sometimes give good advice, but regardless, make your story interesting and it will stand out. Some people will send others to read books, but different strokes for different folks
@@hyronelilly2277 So there's nothing in particular you'd recommend to people who are in the position you were in? I basically already know this stuff, just thought it might help others. Cheers!
@@mothratemporalradio517 i get emails from stage 32 and a lot of other script writing sites. Basically just go on sites and have them send emails to you. If something comes up that u is interested in, jump on it. Blacklist, stage 32 is on the top of my head right now. I'm letting you know now that everything cost, do research on how they treat new writers before you send money. I learned the hard way with a couple of screenplay events. Will update you when i can tomorrow
I’m an arrogant SOB. I thought I was so smart; i made a choice to not learn how to write a screenplay but to just do it. To write my story without any outside influence. So I wrote a screenplay without knowing about format. It was awful; but I got it down on paper and showed some friends, who are in the biz.
They looked at my work like I was crazy. Then told me about formatting. I now use a script reading service haha.
Thanks for sharing this story Anthony!
I discovered "The Screenwriter's Bible" by David Trottier and keep it on my desk. Besides formatting it has a ton of other useful information. And he updates it every few years with new info so it must work for a lot of people.
James Sorensen I started to read other screenplays and I watched every video I could on screenwriting, still do. I also got Syd Fields workbook. I heard about the screenwriters bible; I’m gonna have to check that out, thanks.
This is how I got into screenwriting too, just to see if I liked the process and medium. The only difference is I was 12 years old and knew not to show it to anyone after 😂
1:43 "Red flags" starts here
I love how he wants a printed script. Awesomeness
It's awesome because more tees died so that he can stubbornly refuse to change?
it's easier to focus who wants to stare screens all the time
Let's go back to basics. What is a storyteller trying to do early on as a minimum? Get the reader/viewer interested and keep them interested. The most usual way is to quickly introduce a protagonist and give them a goal which they then pursue for the rest of the story.
A famous example of not doing that is Psycho. SPOILERS FOLLOW. The person we think will be the protagonist has a goal but after about 45 minutes everything changes, they aren't the protagonist any more and their original goal becomes almost irrelevant. However we have been presented with what seems like the start of a conventional story structure and we have been kept interested by that story. By the time we get to the switch we are more than invested enough in the film to want to know what happens next.
In Alien, it isn't apparent for a while who will be the eventual protagonist. However, we have met her and the crew are all facing the same problem and apparently have the same goal. They are a kind of group protagonist.
Judging by the audience figures and the acclaim both films have received over decades their deviation from the norm doesn't appear to matter at all. They got the audience interested and kept them interested. That's what matters.
This isn't an argument for "anything goes" these films were not initially unusual enough in form to alienate an audience. For 45 minutes Psycho exactly followed the conventional form for a compelling film story - just a different story from what it eventually turned into. The only unusual thing about the beginning of Alien was that Ripley wasn't obviously the main protagonist.
If you are an unknown quantity as a writer then it makes sense to try to fulfill the usual expectations. If and when you become a known, established writer then readers will assume that you know what you are doing and give you a little more leeway.
Yeah, you're going to get more leeway. Of course there are always examples that disprove a rule. Both your examples are from decades ago, though, when Hollywood was more experimental than today.
Both examples are also horror movies (or a twist on horror; sci-fi horror, psychological horror), and one trope of the genre is people being unexpectedly killed off and/or a shock or twist.
Alien's plot is in the traditional survival horror genre. Often the survivor isn't clearly established in the beginning, as it removes some of the tension.
@@Ruylopez778 Interesting points - when i was studying screenwriting, most of the available guides relied on examples that were often at least 15 years old at the time. And while these films were familiar, it could create a feeling that overall the analyses and suggestions were heavily dated. 80s blockbusters were basically the most popular examples in these books.
Out of curiosity in terms of the OP's suggestions about leading with convention and then twisting once down the garden path, and your point about generic convention, may i ask if you have seen Asghar Farhadi's 'A Separation' in the context of what OP suggests? I feel i've practically never encountered a script that keeps you on your toes to that extent. I've seen his other work, but for me it's pale in comparison. Also, if you are familiar with it and rate it highly, are there any scripts you would recommend which maintain the same kind of grip? Cheers!
@@mothratemporalradio517 No, I mean we can all learn so much from movies like Casablanca, Chinatown etc in terms of the craft.
And even high quality popcorn stuff like Die Hard. And of course the irony is that Casablanca was being rewritten on the set.
I suppose the movies that impact me most are the ones with something meaningful to say.
I get the idea that you can stick to a convention, and once the audience is invested you can go anywhere, and I agree. But the 'success' will depend on if the story goes somewhere as good or better as what the audience can imagine. Just twisting for the sake of a twist won't satisfy on its own (in my opinion).
There are some movies like that, but I don't think they usually resonate beyond the viewing.
I haven't seen 'A Separation', sorry. I suppose my point was that certain genres can work with a twist (or even expect a twist) but many of our favourite movies from the past (used to prove the rule isn't the rule) probably wouldn't get made in today's industry (except for streaming perhaps).
Rocky, for example, would likely get notes for being too slow. Jaws is another example. The mechanical shark was acting up, which is why it is hardly seen, to the benefit of the end product - but these days they wouldn't make a movie that way.
All just my opinion.
@@Ruylopez778 hi! Thanks for sharing your views. Indeed we can learn from older work, naturally. Fashions change, as you point out, but one good thing about that is they sometimes do a 180, and everything unfashionable becomes cutting edge again by dint of being so out of circulation as to now seem fresh. The control for this notion has to be the mullet haircut. I can confirm i have now seen about four different videos in which young people have deliberately mulleted up. Case in point!
Still, this doesn't always happen and what you said about film also applies to novels. A lot of classics use what would now be viewed as a surfeit of adjectives, modifiers, exposition, descriptions. I am pretty sure this concept was tested in an experiment by relabelling a 19th century classic and sending it to publishing houses, whereupon it was summarily rejected from all in some possibly amusing ways which shed light on the nature of this phenomenon.
So that does seem to indicate to me that all rules are unstable.
I know it's unsolicited, but if you take scriptwriting seriously, i strongly recommend not missing 'A Separation'. Masterfully crafted.
@@mothratemporalradio517 Well, yeah things go in and out of fashion. I think the problem now is that an idea is taken from the past, and recrafted, but it is an ironic take on the original - and so the authenticity, or at least 'heart' of the original is lost. And we get a movie that reminds of the thing we enjoyed before, but never quite scratches the itch, so to speak.
I think a publisher is more likely to take a punt on a novel than a big studio is going to agree to a $100m remake of a movie that broke conventions in the 70s.
I'm not talking about the merits in art or writing, more like the reality that studios rarely take risks anymore, and when they do, they typically end up ruining it, because they are worried it won't be conventional enough.
If you have the money yourself, or are a big enough name in the industry, of course, anything can get made.
I would follow the sentiment that breaking the rules is fine, as long as you have a reason for doing it - but that doesn't guarantee a studio or the audience will like it.
And the case can be made that if some of the classics were a script today they might not even get made (except to a modest budget on Netflix)
Kind of adorable how he discovered the existence of reaction videos. I would've never considered that writers would find or watch those.
Actually years back I would watch Flamingshark reacting to cartoons and anime because I enjoy seeing what makes audience members tick emotionally. What kind of stuff annoys them...
Movie Directors reacting to reaction of their movies, is the kind of niche category of TH-cam videos I'd be down for.
great interview! i like my protagonist to be visible from page one and present them with a confrontational event by page ten!
So pleased to hear his views on hard copies, books, newspapers etc. It has been said that a book has geography, it's multidimensional, it has authority*, reflecting the elements of the story within. E-books, Kindle etc are merely pixels on a soul-less screen. That's why the cinema experience trumps any movie viewed on a 'device' - in an auditorium, amongst an audience, watching the Shaman tell the story from another world.
* The first line of dialogue delivered by the Rev Hale in Miller's 'The Crucible' - when Rev Parris offers to relieve him of his pile of books, commenting that they look very heavy - "They must be, they are weighted with authority." Don't think it has the same affect (nor effect) relieving someone of a kindle or i-Pad.
Thank you for this…
I can't even read my own scripts unless I print them. As soon as I have them in paper form I can make changes to them, but I'll never be able to track what's happening unless I do. I shot a 50 minute movie and we were making changes to the script as we shot because of budget issues. We weren't able to print the script all the time so I stopped rewriting it and kept the changes in my head. Worked better and at times I'd read the script and be like "this isn't right, is this an old copy?", but actually it was just because I'd made a change in my head and in my mind it was in script, so I didn't even remember that's not how it originally went.
Yeah, it's definitely not the same
These Rock!
This guy ... I love him ... finally somebody that likes paper just as much as I do!
Fuck Kindle!
This video ends at 3:34, going completely off topic after that.
Still interesting though
Unless we are talking about Psycho. A movie where the protagonist dies half hour into it and some random hotel dude takes over. But that´s a gimmick you can pull off only intentionally for shocking purposes. This guy obviously means simply sloppy writing.
"dont introduce the protagonist 30 pages in"
insert The Dark Knight script
Very true. But you could make the argument that as that's a sequel there's no need to reintroduce Bruce/Batman immediately. So instead they use the beginning of the script to establish the Joker as an antagonist. Then set up the mob plot line of the story and showcase how intricately chaotic Joker's plans can be with each heist member killing the other until it's revealed he was the last one all along.
The Joker is kinda the protagonist of that movie though, that's why it starts with the bank heist.
@@ahdvd I agree. His outward motivation is what drives the story. Batman reacts to the Joker.
But that movie was great so it doesn't apply here. lol
The Joker was the protagonist.
I can relate to what he says on how he reads the first pas of a script. When to bring ni the protagonist. He makes sense.
I enjoy so much of what this man say...hope I'm able to turn one of bkks into a movie.
Some of my best friends are very famous screenplay writers here in Pakistan and non of them has a clue about the screenplay structure or formating.
He's talking about favoring a certain form and i'm thinking "he'd hate my scripts, Then he mentions his film plot about two high schoolers plotting to kill their deadbeat mom and i'm "oh maybe he would like my scripts" ha ha ha.
th-cam.com/video/RupxUqpeM4o/w-d-xo.html
are you sure? because there are a lot of SSSHHHIIITTTTT movies out there lol
"Writer talks about how he hates electronics for nine minutes, explains that amateur scripts are amateur."
He seems like a nice guy, but I have never heard of any film he's ever done.
I read your comment and thought, hows that possible, this dudes been around for decades.” But you’re 100% correct. All made for TV crap.
@@rainierr9356 But you know, on the positive side - if so much of this crap gets made; I'm less concerned about my script sucking.
@@rainierr9356 "Made for TV Crap" True. Made for TV movies usually suck. But it's still SOMETHING. What have _you_ made? Did it actually get some form of widespread distribution? Win any awards? Nominated? Comments like this just sound like bitter, jaded wannabes who think they are entitled to a career.
@@firstlast-oo1he welcome to the internet where people comment on things. Get over it bro.
@@firstlast-oo1he You sound like the bitter one
I like the crosswords and Sudoku in the paper.
3 minutes in this and I realized that I'm terrible at writing scripts. I didn't know I was that bad.
I agree. I can't stand reading books on a screen.
Although I own a kindle; I much prefer to hold a book. Maybe my age (40) is the reason behind it. But, I do say it feels great to hold a book in your hands.
can you guys please introduce us to the different formats of scripts? Using original/approvable sample scripts? I don't think I can trust google images especially when there's different types of em all over
look up scripts of your favorite shows/movies. Join the screenwriters reddit group, they post some there.
@@convolution223 what's the title of the reddit sub? r/...
@@mothratemporalradio517 pretty sure it's r/screenwriting or r/screenwriters
@@convolution223 Thanks dude, much appreciated!
Yet Sharknado was not only made, it became a franchise.
💙💙💙
3:26 FARGO has entered the chat.
We used to gather near a campfire to watch someone tell us stories. Now there’s individual televisions with streaming replacing our theaters. But streaming is good. If you’re having problems with a small screen, you can buy a really large tv screen and … wait, whoops😆
He says he likes to read on a plane because no one bothers him. Apparently he's never sat next to me.
Stanley, if you need a screenwriter for "Girl Who Fell From The Sky," let me know.
th-cam.com/video/RupxUqpeM4o/w-d-xo.html
Art on title page
I wonder what differences there are between theatrical films and TV movies; the latter of which appearing to be this man’s wheelhouse.
I think the biggest thing would be the pacing. Everything would have to happen quicker.
It used to be that film had a more highly-esteemed reputation than TV. Now, certain highly-acclaimed actors prefer film over TV, because they love the content and TV shooting schedules fit their life schedules better. Certain writers prefer TV over film because they have far more control over content.
He could do Tom Hanks voice and get away with it. Some of the head gestures, too.
Have you ever given someone a script that didn't have proper formatting? What happened?
Film Courage yes, my 1st script in a screenwriting class was given an F. I was like wtf? seriously? What gives? My teacher said I loved the story, but you spaced too much for a feature film. You spaced it in tv format. I was like oh shit... that’s what I get for trying to create my own spacing. This was like 2000 before I ever got any screenwriting software.., lesson learned
Thanks for posting. Better to learn this lesson in class!
@@cinsationalcinema1776 Hey there, which software do you use now, Final Draft or another programme? If the latter, have you compared it to FD? Cheers!
Yes. It took 3 months to hear back. The person who wrote the coverage on it spoke to me in person about it as well.
The title of this clip isn't right. After 3.35 it changes subject. That is a youtube mistake viewers immediately identify. Though interesting.
This is typically how Film Courage segment their interviews; the topic, and related anecdotes or discussion
Straight shooter I like it.
Obviously these guys are really bad at doing this job because 95% of the movies out there are just horrible.
Blame the guys who write the checks.
Existing property, multi-platform, merch, built-in audience, franchise potential rule. Easier to finance a film about a theme park ride than a Booker prize novel.
He is an incredibly charming gent, I must say. Although I disagree with the McKee example he gave as I cannot think of a film OR story that doesn't have an "inciting incident".
I think he means when the inciting incident happens
He's giving an example of the McKee paradigm that everyone will know. He isn't saying commercial movies don't have an inciting incident.
His voice sounds like Tom Hanks
Just read scripts everything u need is in there
Is there still a free alternative to Final Draft?
Final Draft app for iPad and phone is cheap. I think I paid around £20 for it
Celtx
I use Trelby
@@camronchlarson3767 Thanks so much 👍
@@peterkrucker7394 hey no problem! Glad you found that helpful
Film Courage. Yup. There are 13 thousand rules to a good script. We will reveal each and every one so PAY ATTENTION.
"You're not asking a movie star to show after half hour into the movie." Oh, really?
Go watch Fargo again. See when Marge Gunderson appears.
Are images on the cover page that bad? Come on, hasn't A Quiet Place proven those strict rules are holding people back?
But you also have to distinguish this. If Steven Spielberg plops a script on your desk, you're gonna read it no matter what it looks like. After all this is an award winning director. But if I put a screenplay on your desk, you may or may not read it no matter how professional it looks
@@brandonhicks9926 good point🙏
Final draft let’s you put art in the title page. Just sayin
What's this guy's physical address?
Ridley didn’t come out as the main character well into the “Alien” movie. Exactly the opposite of what this guy is saying. You gotta know the rules so you can break them.
She was introduced on page 2. That script followed the rule pretty well.
GLBXA - Alien is terrible as a “safe movie”. It’s too experimental, too grim-dark, no romance, boring main character, you have to wait WAY too long before the plot actually starts. Based on the script-reader’s notes, Alien is a no-go.
Dude, Ridley is introduced with EVERY FREAKING ONE ELSE when the come out of hipersleep!
@@Shade23753 She is not introduced as the PROTAGONIST until at least an hour into the movie. Honestly, I thought the Captain, Dallas was going to be the hero. This guy on the video states that you have to introduce your protagonist right away. "Alien" breaks that rule
@@samwallaceart288 Agreed. And with a glaring plot hole. All the captain had to do is get everybody to their space suits, open the space doors, let the air out, wait an hour and then go pick the dead Alien's body.
All very superficial people who wish to enjoy their few moments of superiority over aspiring writers. They would go at great lengths to advise actual writers though never have written a story themselves, but hold on they have advice on how to impress them with the opening line , first page first chapter just a tag line even , or few paragraph synopsis. The author must do a trick to grab these people's attention fast otherwise they are doomed. If they are so good and put every script through their rigorous laser eyes, how come Hollywood and Netflix are producing trash after trash. I am sure the formula these people are using is missing some great stories and great scripts which failed to impress their straightjacket approach in one line , one page, one chapter......
This guy is why movies are all the same cookie cutter bs.
In the first minute he is very right, people actually forget about this human conditions called feelings and emotions, but if one is rejecting a script, because a protagonist wasn't introduced in the first 10 pages I'd say that's why we can't have good things anymore. Extremely limited approach to the point of narrow minded.
Some stories do not have clear protagonist, so.. "it's not what the movie is about, it's HOW it goes about it."
Speak up!!!!
I'm looking for his email address
Same. I got sme shit to pass
In your heart, put a powerful mental request/intention out into the universe to run smack into him in person. A former President of the Directors Guild recommended to do just that.
That’s how I’ve met a lot of people:
Billy Wilder, Carl Reiner, Marvin Davis, Sydney Pollack, Ray Stark, Alan Ladd, Jr., Peter Gruber, Richard Donner, Stella Adler, Swifty Lazar, Brian Helgeland, Bruce Joel Rubin, Glenn Ford, Walter Matthau, Kathy Bates, Jay Leno, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Kim Basinger, Laura Dern, Ethan Hawke, Sean Penn, etc.
And tons more...
Write a long list. The Universe is a short-order cook. Ask.
He requires a printed script? Really? I just kinda lost respect for Brooks. You can read a script off a tablet or laptop on a plane and you can still make notes electronically. Sorry, there's no excuse for knocking down trees. Dinosaurs don't do well for long in this industry.
Dude...you know...that like...we also plant new trees...I'm just saying, trees are not oil. Get off your high horse. "Dinosaurs don't do well for long in this industry"...well assholes sure don't! This is the most petty thing to disrespect someone for, like he personally hurt you. Some people just like reading a physical copy, something "tangible". Lots of people still do this, even screenwriters. I'm no expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but you won't get ANYWHERE by being a dick over petty ass shit.
@@firstlast-oo1he I just kinda lost respect for you too.
Not hard to grow more trees in their stead.
@@jeffmcmahon3278 Trees are not the point. I'm sorry to be blunt, but Hollywood is transforming. Adapt to advances in technology and learn how social media works or be left behind.