Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

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  • Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

    I started a similar thread some time ago but this is a little different and I hope you can help me to straight things out.

    What is the proper way to read a screenplay for learning purpose? Should my aim be to know why something in a screenplay works or doesn´t or is it more of an unconscious process going on that tell you what works and what doesn´t somewhere in my brain. Will it help me when I write screenplays?

    If I feel that something doesn´t work, should I dig deeper or should I just continue reading? I consider myself a slow reader and it usually takes me somewhere between five to six hours to read a screenplay and lately I´ve got the habit of just reading them from the beginning to the end and not stop that much to analyze anything.

    I also find it very hard to know what works and what doesn´t. In some screenplays it´s been obvious but in most of them I haven´t been able to tell why I did or didn´t like something. And I don´t consider myself smarter or better than the writers of screenplays that have been sold. How much can you analyze?

    I´ve read drafts of Seven, Adaptation, Kramer VS. Kramer, Sunset boulevard, The apartment and many more that worked for me in different ways. They all had characters I connected with, but why did they work?

    Would it be wise to answer questions like: "is the goal clear enough", "are the stakes high enough?", "is the antagonist strong enough?" plus all the other questions McKee, Trottier and all the other sources of knowledge has made me aware of?

    Those of you who feel that you´ve learned a lot from reading screenplays and novels, how did read them? Did you just read a hundred screenplays without giving it much thought or did you analyze every scene you read or something in between?

    Now after reading my post I think that I should analyze more and I don´t know why I´ve got the habit of reading without asking questions. Maybe I´m getting lazy. It would be great to hear your oppinions anyway.

    I am sorry about the messy structure of this thread, I hope you understand what I´m asking though. Many thanks for all the valuable answers I´ve got to some of my previous questions.
    - Tomas

  • #2
    Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

    There are times when you wanna disect something and times when you just want to enjoy a good read. Generally I think if there's something to really notice, when it's your time you'll really notice it. Othertimes you'll just read and enjoy it or hate it and move on.

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    • #3
      Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

      Pretend you're a story analyst and write coverage on the scripts you read. Write up a synopsis of the scripts and rate elements like CONCEPT, STRUCTURE, CHARACTER, and DIALOGUE.

      You could go to one of the many coverage services out there and pirate their example coverage report as a guide.

      If you write coverage on the scripts you read, it may help you think about the story from an analyst's perspective.

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      • #4
        Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

        It's simple. At what point did the script lose you? Where did it slow down, and why? That's what you want to avoid. Usually it'll be a scene that doesn't advance the story, or doesn't have any conflict.
        If you're having a specific problem with your writing, look for examples of how pro writers handle the same problem (might have to read a lot of scripts to find any). Even pro writers look at scripts for examples of how other writers handled things.

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        • #5
          Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

          Originally posted by tomasz1985
          What is the proper way to read a screenplay for learning purpose?
          your kinda asking a question and answering it, that might be a problem right there... But you have to seek knowledge to learn.

          When i read script it's usually to get pacing or understanding of how a scene is presented. Basically how to convey to the reader what Imagery i'm thinking of... The technique of it all.

          What are you looking for in these scripts? Entertainment? That's what they are written for.

          If someone was to tell me a great idea for a movie and ask me how to write it
          i would tell them "to read a script"

          -as said before... and again
          But this wily god never discloses even to the skillful questioner the whole content of his wisdom.

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          • #6
            Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

            Oh man, to think I've been reading screenplays to avoid watching the movie.

            What was I thinking?

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            • #7
              Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

              How to learn from a screenplay? It's critical reading.

              It'll help to not think of the sp's as fun or entertaining reading. It's work. Work that must be decoded, organized, and filed away.

              Read while holding a pen in your hand. When you find a particularly good line, underline it. Find some good dialogue? circle it.
              Write down what you think the themes of the SP are in the margins.

              Take notes on character motivations as expressed in the action lines. Then on their dialogue. Do they match up? How divergent are they?

              When you're done, write a fast summary of your thoughts on the story. it's plot, it's themes, etc. Nothing more than a page.

              Then go back and examine the circled and underlined points in isolation.

              Examine word choice and order. Why those words, in that sentence, at that point in the story?

              Do they support what you thought the themes were? Do they express them overtly or through a subtext?


              Do that everytime you read a screenplay. You'll learn how to take one apart quickly.

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              • #8
                Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

                T:

                The scripts you have mentioned, APARTMENT, SEVEN, KRAMER etc. are excellant examples of character driven scripts. Granted that SEVEN has a "serial killer" plot. But that to me is more of a back drop and is used as a device to deepen the main characters. The same as the use of "water fearing aliens' in SIGNS. I read "successful" scripts mostly as a character study. Of course, structure, plot are equally important but if you cannot relate to the character, everything falls apart. Again, TITANIC is a classic exception to the "character" rule. Happy reading!

                just my 2 cents,
                P
                'The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.' GILBERT K. CHESTERTON

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                • #9
                  Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

                  Everybody has their own opinion but good grief, don't underline the verbs twice and circle the nouns unless you're going to put your name in the upper right hand corner.

                  Some interesting scripts I've learned a lot from:

                  the 3 copies of 3 Kings/Spoils of War on simply scripts.com and also read this book, Rebels on the Back Lot that talks about the making of the movie. It's really interesting to compare/see the progress. I learned a LOT.
                  Also I learned a lot by reading:
                  the several versions of Natural Born Killers.
                  Leathal Weapon
                  El Mariachi and then Desperado.


                  Minority Report and American Beauty were really good, too, but you learn something different from every script.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

                    When you first start just read and move one. Donâ€TMt worry about any of the story elements you donâ€TMt know enough about them the picked them out of the script.



                    Just read get into the flow of it. See how the images are drawn after a while things will start to stand out and you can recognize them without any effort.

                    Faster would be better! ~ Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

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                    • #11
                      Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

                      Interesting question...

                      In order for you to know what does and doesn't work in a script, you first have to know what to look for.

                      You can attain the "craft" through many different avenues such as writing courses, mentors, online classes etc...

                      Without the understanding of the "craft", you won't know what to look for. So what you'll end up doing is reading the script for the "reading experience" which will lead to "you liked it" or "you didn't like it".

                      But be warned! Once you go down the road of "learning the craft", you will no longer be able to watch a film or read a script for the "reading experience". You will FOREVER view these through a new lens...the writer's lens.

                      This new lens will not allow you to just sit back and enjoy a script or film. No...you will end up searching for the "craft" or lack of in everything that you read or see that relates to screenwriting. You will search for ways that YOU could have made better choices.

                      Only by knowing the craft inside and out will you be able to know whether a script or film works or not. But like all things in life, there will be a consequence for the pursuit of that endeavor.

                      Chinaboxer

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                      • #12
                        Re: Why another screenplay work or doesn´t and learning from it

                        I have to read and analyze a lot of scripts for school. Every 3 weeks I have to write a 3 page paper based on one aspect of script, and I have to do 3 papers per packet.

                        I've read a lot of unproduced scripts. It is so much easier seeing what doesn't work in an amateur script, but then when I go to a produced script, I see the "rules" broken and I see how beautifully crafted they are, and I see the voice and the pacing, and it isn't a subtle difference.

                        If all you're reading is pro scripts, it is probably harder to get what you want from them. Add some amateur scripts to the mix (Zoetrope or similair sites) and the contrast is glaring. Read enough amateur scripts for a while, and when you return to the pro scripts, they will be such an easy read and so beautifully written, understanding why they work and how becomes that much easier to do.

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