Episode 5: Beginning and Ending Your Story

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ม.ค. 2025

ความคิดเห็น • 92

  • @elizabethdahl487
    @elizabethdahl487 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    No one had ever explained the difference between plot and story and, plot twist, it turns out to be immense! I feel like I've just gotten some kind of screenwriting super power! And yet again... outstanding shirt. Thank you, thank you! Can't wait for the next video!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Glad it's of help. But now I have to go clothes shopping.

    • @RustinCohlemind
      @RustinCohlemind 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah, this guy has good taste (about his shirts and caps)

  • @fuzbalagent
    @fuzbalagent 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Andy knows what he is talking about. For me he is the best screenwriting guru on youtube. Thank you.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Andy says You're welcome!

  • @sarahsheean428
    @sarahsheean428 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    I'm a film student, been watching all your vidoes, they have helped me tremendously! Endlessly valuable lessons.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Glad it's helping. I'll have more coming.

  • @thebacons5943
    @thebacons5943 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    These videos are an incredible resource. Thanks for being a forthcoming teacher and not commoditizing your expertise. That’s ok for some people, but so valuable to have free and open dialogue, as well.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Glad it's helping you. What you describe is exactly why I'm doing this.

    • @thebacons5943
      @thebacons5943 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft really appreciated

  • @MARCOS44GP
    @MARCOS44GP 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    What an amazing series of priceless lessons, Andy. Thanks to you, Im finally starting to write a script after more than 15 years of working in the industry as an AD in Argentina. Of course, I would also have to thank my therapist... But then again, you truly are a gem.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Glad whatever I'm saying is helping. I have many friends here in LA from Argentina.

  • @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu
    @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I can't get enough of your videos. I simply LOVE the way you explain every aspect of the craft; it is just the best possible didactic-at least, for me.
    There are indeed a couple of other younger dedicated fellas, also very helpful, but who still need to cash some with some urgency-which is totally okay, obviously! But-- And here's a big but:
    You're literally the one person on TH-cam teaching screenwriting right now who would actually totally get away with being a total jerk, and... Plot Twist: You're a freaking gentleman! Such a good sport -- You even answer our questions individually, for Lumet's sake!!!
    I do have a theory: You love storytelling so much that you've decided to do something rather than watch us drawn under the weight of so much garbage produced recently. It's literally getting almost too hard to choose something to watch -- I might as well just watch whatever A24 feeds me these days. Good job, sir!!!
    It is just so inspiring to see the people in the comments freaking out for having their writing skills boosted. Also, making the job of future readers less painful -- win, win!
    I couldn't thank you enough!!! Big CHEERS!!!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Very kind words. I do this because I genuinely want people to write better scripts -- and see them made into better movies than I mostly see now. Good luck to you.

  • @cledosliop4175
    @cledosliop4175 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Please please keep making videos . I find your teaching significantly helpful. Thank you so much. ❤

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Glad it's helping. And I'll keep making them (one is due tomorrow).

  • @arfung9871
    @arfung9871 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Over a dozen episodes, this helped me the most so far. After rewatching it, I suddenly understand why The Holdover ended it that way. Thank you sir.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Glad it helped. Thanks for watching.

  • @understatedwalrus
    @understatedwalrus 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This series and maybe this video has been the thing I've been searching for, for five years. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You're welcome x 3!

  • @australiainfelix7307
    @australiainfelix7307 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    What a discovery! Thank you. All the best for your channel.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It's heartening to know it's helping. Thanks.

  • @gcc4426
    @gcc4426 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    thank you! i've been an aspiring writer but i don't have extra resources to study scriptwriting. i hope you got this monetized cause you deserve so much support for sharing this to us

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Well, I'm deliberately not doing this for money because it frees me up to tell you the truth. But thanks for the good thoughts.

    • @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu
      @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft You know how sexy that sounds, right?

  • @benwilliamson8391
    @benwilliamson8391 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Gold. My 14yo is now identifying protagonists and act turns in everything, including the musical he’s in this week.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Ha! That's fantastic. Sounds like you have a future Sondheim on your hands.

    • @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu
      @TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Cheers, bruh!

  • @miggseye
    @miggseye ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I’m loving your channel and it’s focus on organic (non-formulaic) story structure-which is how professional scripts are structured. Thank you for letting us peak into your writer’s room. Please keep the episodes coming.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Will do. Glad it's helping you.

  • @constanzagarcia348
    @constanzagarcia348 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for saying "resolution does not mean happy ending", I am writing a story in wich the protagonist finds resolution but pays too high a price , resolution has destroyed loved values and left a scar that is never going to go away. I tried to change the ending but the story allways went to that direction. Yes, she wins, but also looses the one thing she belived she will never had to gave up. Thanks, thanks, I was stuck with the ending. Thanks for your work.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Glad it was of help. And that you got over that particular hump.

  • @DairdJackson
    @DairdJackson ปีที่แล้ว

    I’m trying to patiently wait for the next episode in this series. You speak to me in a way my mind understands! I always wondered why save the cat, the nutshell, 11 step story structure, and any other formulaic story telling book never worked for me.
    I thought writing your way was wrong because nobody really talked about it. Writers block has withered away now that I’m not trying to follow a formula. Hearing you validate my natural writing style has freed me.
    Thank you !

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      It makes my heart sing to hear how my approach is affecting you. That's my goal for the series. Keep up your work!

  • @apolloarmstrong5052
    @apolloarmstrong5052 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Riveting! Love all five videos. Can't wait to see more!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      More on the way. I'm trying to keep up a one-per-week pace, but the holidays put a ding in my plans. Thanks for watching.

  • @jimjo8541
    @jimjo8541 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Masterful content here. And for free! Thank you thank you thank you! Keep it coming. YOU ARE INSPIRING.

  • @xella3525
    @xella3525 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    More should know about this channel/resource.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Spread the word! I've only been up for a couple months and it seems to be doing pretty well.

  • @spacecatboy2962
    @spacecatboy2962 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    sounds like you and richard walter agree on a lot of things.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      I knew Richard many years ago in our wanton youths. I don't read or study other people's screenwriting books or philosophies, however; I just try to articulate what I've learned over the years in the trenches.

  • @kanelynch6405
    @kanelynch6405 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fantastic videos, Andy! Looking forward to Ep 6!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks. It's coming soon.

  • @toanjuan
    @toanjuan ปีที่แล้ว +1

    wow 45 years! a true pro

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks. Heading into year 46 -- and still working.

  • @sstolarik
    @sstolarik 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just a thought…
    The city setting 2:05 is much more compelling of a story (trauma of seeing a man fall to violent death by young boy compared to quiet neighborhood were neighbor kid see man for a minute in the kitchen then (?) waits for the pills to work while he goes to sleep over the course of an hour? Two, very different plots with two very different story outcomes.).

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      You're mistaking style for story. Yes, it would be more visually dazzling to see a man atop a roof than at a kitchen table, but that's style not content. In REAR WINDOW Hitchcock achieved an enormous amount of drama from watching a woman (whom we never see up close or hear speak) sitting at a kitchen table staring down at pills.

    • @sstolarik
      @sstolarik 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft
      Andy, first of all I'm honored that you would comment / 'straighten me out' on this. I'm a serious (new career), beginning writer and you've accelerated my writing skills farther than any of my other (self) education. Thank you, great vids.
      I'm a little confused (and I think I made a mistake saying story instead of plot). Correct me if I'm wrong, but...
      The story is 'man starts to end his life, but child makes him stop.'
      The plot is 'man goes to rooftop, stands on edge, sees child, interacts, steps down, stops attempt' vs. 'man sits at table, pours out pills, interacts with child, stops attempt.'
      So, the plot is the order of the scenes (the spine), and the story is the narrative, right?
      Also, my thought was the city plot is more emotional than the suburb plot because the child would watch a violent death (therefore ruining two lives), rather than a child watching a man 'take a nap at the table?' Not as much tension in the suburbs?
      I think I understand the plot vs. story, and is the style the same as the writer's voice?
      Thank you, again, for sharing your knowledge with us beginners.

  • @H5Fredux
    @H5Fredux ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Just discovered your channel- expert info, great examples, and I enjoy your perspective. Not sure if this is something you cover but do you have any recommendations for getting your work out to agents? I’m at a stage with ten+ scripts where I’m being told by friends in the business that I’m good enough for an agent but I have no idea how to procure one. Thank you and keep up the fantastic vids!!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I will cover that subject in more detail in future videos, but bear this in mind: because of the expansion of professional writing opportunities now, having an agent is no longer de rigueur to get a foothold in the business. I have many clients, friends, and co-workers (especially in animation) who don't have an agent, and others who have one but don't feel they need one. In the simplest terms, it always comes down to writing great scripts and getting eyeballs on them any way you can. For what it's worth, in 45 years I have never known anyone who had talent and perseverance who DIDN'T have some measure of success -- eventually.

  • @abduosmanaj
    @abduosmanaj ปีที่แล้ว

    Please continue 🙏

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I will. Promise.

    • @abduosmanaj
      @abduosmanaj ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TheGoDraft
      That's very kind of you sir 😊
      Thank you. God bless you 🙏

  • @landofthesilverpath5823
    @landofthesilverpath5823 ปีที่แล้ว

    Honestly, I couldn't believe "Save the Cat," was a literal suggestion to have the protagonist save a cat until I actually learned this from a video on the film Courage channel.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Don't get me started on the many terrible analogies and metaphors in that book.

  • @metronomeblues1028
    @metronomeblues1028 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love classic films and obviously their structure is solid, but how do you feel about film makers like David Lynch who seem to totally upend traditional storytelling while remaining powerful to watch? As you mention, Lost In Translation seems to have no "story", but for me (who has lived in Tokyo) the atmosphere Coppola captures is hypnotic. (I also love a lot of the soundtrack music myself.) Is trying to be original a blessing or a curse? Cheers!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes, there are reasons to watch a film beyond a good story, but almost all films would be better if they had a better story to go with their visual appeal. David Lynch, like most directors who take a more abstract approach, is not among my favorites. I find the non sequiturs and random weirdness tiresome (and frankly not at all hard for any imaginative person to do). Making a film that's surprising and outrageous is great, but it's more satisfying if it also has an actual point beyond just being audacious. But as I said, the first goal is to not be boring and he and others of his surrealist ilk are not boring ( well, they are if they go on long enough).

    • @metronomeblues1028
      @metronomeblues1028 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@TheGoDraft For sure. Though I guess he can still use traditional stories (The Straight Story, Elephant Man) but it's the subject matter that is "surreal". He elicits emotion in ways that can be quite uncomfortable!

  • @MegaTkls
    @MegaTkls 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Is there any benefit/reason NOT to introduce the protagonist at the start of the film? Thanks for the great advice.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yes, it can be done if there's good reason. I mentioned the Coen Brothers deliberately not introducing Marge, the sheriff protagonist, in FARGO until the start of Act Two. And sometimes a storyteller will choose to "drumroll" a protagonist so we anticipate his/her arrival on screen.

    • @MegaTkls
      @MegaTkls 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft right yes, I understand! Thanks again.

  • @SHANECatLovinActivistHistorian
    @SHANECatLovinActivistHistorian ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Its funny that you mention that we should not have our character save a cat because my favorite script has a lot to do with the characters saving cats. By that i mean, actually saving actual cats. But to set the record straight, even though i have heard that term and or book title for years, i have never read the book, so it had nothing to do with my story. It just so happens that my characters have and care for cats.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      That's fine; it's the notion that writers should arbitrarily have characters do something "sympathetic" that is anathema to me, as it results in a lot of boring and predictable films.

  • @Gavrev
    @Gavrev 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Looking at Lost In Translation, I can't help but think maybe it's not a coincidence that Sofia set it in Tokyo. It seems to aspire more to the "framework" of the Japanese construct of Kishotenketsu, in that as you say it flows through an experiential "slice of life" lens which in turn makes it much more akin to anime, such as "Non-Non Byori" and "Amanchu".. Would you agree?

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Not being an expert on anime and with only an average cinephile's knowledge Japanese cinema, I don't feel qualified to give an intelligent opinion. However, having seen her subsequent work, I suspect you're giving too much credit to Ms. Coppola.

    • @Gavrev
      @Gavrev 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft Maybe so.. lol. I haven't seen any of her subsequent works but I did enjoy this for reasons which seem to fit the anime form. It definitely does feel more akin to a lived experience rather than being plot driven, which conforms to the feel of a 'slice of life'.

  • @douglasesper
    @douglasesper 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    If, in Leave The World Behind, they inserted a line about the daughter being claustrophobic and terrified of being along, would that prove enough empathy and character to make her the protagonist and make the ending more satisfying?

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Well, it might have been a start. But the film had no central emotional conflict, so there was nothing to resolve. It was not that different from The War of the Worlds structurally, which was also flawed but covered up by Spielberg's great filmmaking skills.

    • @douglasesper
      @douglasesper 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheGoDraft and also by Tom Cruises running scared, which he has down to a science.

  • @zbosmanchannel5604
    @zbosmanchannel5604 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Bajunya cantik.. Unique & vibrant... Idea spectrum

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thanks for watching.

  • @izabelakline113
    @izabelakline113 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks.

  • @kingq3904
    @kingq3904 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Love these videos to death, but how does this approach to screenwriting differ for pantsers/gardeners(those who write without outlining before hand)? I'm assuming you figure out your spine and main characters and just writing the script from there? I'll admit I'm a pantser myself and this is how i write. I usually have an ending in mind, but it might change depending on where my characters take the story in Act 2. Sometimes I won't even have a sense of an ending until I have written to the end of Act 1 and know my chatacters better(since I'm a discovery writer). Just wanna know your thoughts on this approach.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      No, I always work from an outline -- as should everyone. Only an very experienced pilot can fly a plane without a map. It's just that the WAY I break the story is organic, not done to fit someone pre-fab format. You need an Audience Antenna.

    • @kingq3904
      @kingq3904 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @TheGoDraft so what about writers like James Mangold? Aaron Sorkin? Quentin Tarantino? Larry Wilson? James stated her never does outlines, even when he was in film school and was told to, he didn't(one of the two scripts he wrote in film school was Copland. Without an outline. It got produced and was critically acclaimed. He also went on to write Logan, the Wolverine film). Aaron Sorkin himself stated he has never written an outline. Same with Larry Wilson, who co-wrote Beetlejuice without an outline(which is impressive and a bit hard to believe, honestly). Larry will outline if hes paid to, but then he ditches it and "discovery writes" the actual script anyway. My point is there are successful who didnt require that high level of experience to tell a great story without outlining. I'm not trashing outlines, especially since I used to be meticulous about them myself. I just believe there's a lot more merit to "gardener" type writers that isn't credited.

  • @paulpena5040
    @paulpena5040 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    He really rips 'lost in translation'. I thought it was funny, poignant movie and was quite moving. The theme of fish-out-of-water foreigners in a foreign land finding solace in not only their mutual nationality and life stories but also in this seemingly desolate landscape of emotional vacancy. There was just a lot of subtle points being made in spite of a missing plot. The humor was great, performances were great and it was refreshing to be freed from the shackles of formulaic scriptwriting. The ending, in its simplicity, was much more intense than any pornographic love making scene would ever have been.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      To be clear, Lost In Translation was a successful film (for many of the reason you articulated), but I don't think it's a film to be emulated. It's success was to a large degree due to the pairing of the hottest young actress at the time wearing translucent pink panties throughout much of the film and the funniest and most charming actor in Hollywood. Unless your last name is Coppola too, you're not going to get them. Thousands of young filmmakers walk onto to their set with no story or real script and assume they're going to improv their way to success and almost all of them face-plant. Imitate LIT at your own risk. But yes, it was not formulaic and that goes a long way with bored audiences.

  • @nestorarranz3179
    @nestorarranz3179 ปีที่แล้ว

    Maybe its because im thick maybe its because im spanish maybe its because its a very specific situation but in the case of Drive and baby driver do they have the same plot or the same story or both

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Wow. I've seen them both, but neither lately. Certainly they cover similar territory, but I can't say they're the same story -- maybe because I don't remember them well enough.

    • @nestorarranz3179
      @nestorarranz3179 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TheGoDraft ill keep thinking about it

  • @spacecatboy2962
    @spacecatboy2962 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Would you be willing to read one of my scripts for a fee so you can tell me how bad it is and how it has no chance of ever being made?

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      I do consult (yes, for a fee). If you're interested, contact me at thegodraft@gmail.com.

  • @stijnvdv2
    @stijnvdv2 ปีที่แล้ว

    They are interconnected, if you have a better way of incorporation and be creative about it, that's fine, however what we see in Hollywood today is that they film most of it, then they change the entire story and plot..... you cannot do that coz it is structured. So what you end up with is a movie that has still some stuff of the original story and plot, but it meanders, crosses the street and gets run over by a car, resulting in being all over the place and feeling like an incoherent mess. Moreover, the movie is twice as expensive in budget coz they have to now film half of the story all over again. That's the movies we get today.

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Well, yes. There are many reasons why current movies mostly don't work. The phenomenon you describe is part of it.

  • @Dumpspace
    @Dumpspace ปีที่แล้ว

    Omg I think you sound like Jim Henson

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I hope that's a good thing. At any rate, I can't do much to adjust my voice, so more froggy vocalizations are on the way.

  • @oraclemedia9266
    @oraclemedia9266 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "Leave the World Behind" it is a failer!

  • @thereallybigdotcom
    @thereallybigdotcom ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I’m really digging you’re series!

    • @TheGoDraft
      @TheGoDraft  ปีที่แล้ว

      Great! That's why I'm doing it.