I'm a big fan of Save the Cat and Screenwriting 434 (which says try to land your act one near page 17)... and beat sheets and act breaks in general.
But I'm not a "it has to be this" on page 12 or anything. Yet, sometimes, with all the knowledge from books and a page count in your head, you go crazy.
See I'm writing this romantic comedy that is a KNOCKED UP/WEDDING CRASHERS types of script. 127 and 112 pages long respectively.
But in my mind, I try to get my comedies 110 or under. Close to 100 pages for a spec.
So I take my idea, go to write Act One and its coming in at 38 pages. But it FEELS right. Even though I aim for 20 pages, then let's go, it feels correct.
And I look at Knocked Up and it seems to fit that. See I have two characters and show both their worlds.. back and forth like they did, so that eats up more pages.
And I was thinking of PRETTY WOMAN and HARRY MET SALLY -- both seem not to have these quick act breaks, but a building, well story.
Some stories feel easy to go going. Like FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. He gets dump, decides to go on a vacation. Perfect short setup/act break.
But my story isn't that "call to adventure" type of thing. It builds slower like it feels to me that a lot of romantic comedies seem to do. Or maybe that's just my perception.
It's hard to nail down. In the 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN script, we don't met TRISH until the midpoint... in the movie she shows up at minute 33. So I guess they thought it was too long. But still. In most comedies, you see the "girl of the guys dreams" in the first 10 minutes. But it wouldn't work if that happened, because we have to know Andy first.
Of course, whatever tells the best story is the answer. Don't be boring.
My question to people that enjoy beat sheets, do they ever mess your writing up by over thinking it?
I believe a script needs an inciting incident, a mid point, an all is lost moment... but not sure every script has a true "debate" section or a "call to action by the hero"... plenty of little variations that not all movies have or even quite frankly need.
Any thoughts or help. Because I know I can take my 38 pages down and probably will on a rewrite, but right now it feels correct. It doesn't feel overwritten. The comedy can't come out until you set up the situation.
But I'm not a "it has to be this" on page 12 or anything. Yet, sometimes, with all the knowledge from books and a page count in your head, you go crazy.
See I'm writing this romantic comedy that is a KNOCKED UP/WEDDING CRASHERS types of script. 127 and 112 pages long respectively.
But in my mind, I try to get my comedies 110 or under. Close to 100 pages for a spec.
So I take my idea, go to write Act One and its coming in at 38 pages. But it FEELS right. Even though I aim for 20 pages, then let's go, it feels correct.
And I look at Knocked Up and it seems to fit that. See I have two characters and show both their worlds.. back and forth like they did, so that eats up more pages.
And I was thinking of PRETTY WOMAN and HARRY MET SALLY -- both seem not to have these quick act breaks, but a building, well story.
Some stories feel easy to go going. Like FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. He gets dump, decides to go on a vacation. Perfect short setup/act break.
But my story isn't that "call to adventure" type of thing. It builds slower like it feels to me that a lot of romantic comedies seem to do. Or maybe that's just my perception.
It's hard to nail down. In the 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN script, we don't met TRISH until the midpoint... in the movie she shows up at minute 33. So I guess they thought it was too long. But still. In most comedies, you see the "girl of the guys dreams" in the first 10 minutes. But it wouldn't work if that happened, because we have to know Andy first.
Of course, whatever tells the best story is the answer. Don't be boring.
My question to people that enjoy beat sheets, do they ever mess your writing up by over thinking it?
I believe a script needs an inciting incident, a mid point, an all is lost moment... but not sure every script has a true "debate" section or a "call to action by the hero"... plenty of little variations that not all movies have or even quite frankly need.
Any thoughts or help. Because I know I can take my 38 pages down and probably will on a rewrite, but right now it feels correct. It doesn't feel overwritten. The comedy can't come out until you set up the situation.
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