Recommended Screenwriters
Situations That Sell Your Screenplay, Part 1
- May 25, 2010
- Posted by: HalCroasmun
- Category: Articles
Imagine these two scenarios:
A. A production company reader picks up your script. It is the 25th script they’ve read this week. They have been bored to tears by some of the other ones and now, it is your turn.
But the opening scene is so fresh and unique that they feel hope that your script might be the one they recommend this week. As they continue through scene after scene, every situation your character enters surprises the reader in some way.
And then the most amazing thing happens. They forget that they are doing a job and just fall in love with your writing.
B. Same reader picks up another script. The opening scene is predictable. The next scene is a talking heads scene. The next is completely cliche.
And so, this poor reader must force himself to read the rest of the script and complete his coverage report. Naturally, that script is going to get a Pass.
Which scenario do you want for your screenplay?
QUICK DEFINITION
SITUATION: Combination of circumstances your character finds themself in.
Most writers are able to create SOME unique situations, but the rest of their script is littered with one-dimensional situations that don’t add anything to the screenplay.
On the other side, many of the scenes in your script might be able to benefit from having more creativity applied to the situation the character is in.
If you want to get the most out of this article, I’d make a list of all the scenes that:
A. Are talking heads scenes.
B. Where the majority of the meaning is in dialogue.
C. Where the situation isn’t unique.
D. Where the situation is one-dimensional.
Those are the scenes that often need to be more interesting. Wouldn’t you agree?
CREATING COMPELLING SITUATIONS
Let’s look at a few scenes that could have been dull, average, or cliche, but the writer kept creating until they had an engaging situation.
As you read these, notice how the writer took a potential talking-heads scene and set it in a situation that doubled or tripled the entertainment value of the scene.
——————Situation 1—————-
Dialogue: A couple have an argument because he didn’t tell his family about her.
This argument could occur in many different settings and situations — walking, dining, on the phone, etc.. In real life, having an argument like this brings up a lot of emotions. But to cause that same level of emotion for an audience, you need much more.
Watch how they raised the level of emotion in the movie “Fools Rush In.”
Situation: The guy’s family has just shown up unannounced. And of course, our lead male hasn’t told them about his new wife.
Before he has a chance to say anything, the mother mistakes his new wife for the maid. An argument ensues and the mother is appalled at how the “hired help” is speaking to her son. At that point, the bride realizes that the groom is ashamed of their relationship.
On one side is a deeply disturbed bride. On the other is an insulted mother. Between them is a spineless groom who finally has to admit that they got married without telling anyone.
Isn’t that more interesting than the standard argument at a restaurant?
Method: Raise the stakes. Create a dilemma.
——————Situation 2—————-
Dialogue: A race car driver talks in an irrational manner after crashing his car.
Of course, a crash is emotional enough. Many race car drivers never fully recover from a bad crash. This kind of scene could show up in a therapy session, between friends, between the driver and his owner…and all of them would be valid ways of demonstrating how damaging the crash was to the driver’s sanity.
But this situation needs to be taken to a new level, clearly showing the amount of stress on the driver. Here’s what they did in the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
Situation: When he’s pulled out of the crashed car, the driver believes he’s on fire and strips down to his shorts. Then he runs around the track screaming “Help me, baby Jesus. Help me, Allah. Help me, Tom Cruise!” Finally, another driver jumps on him, forces him to the ground, and pretends to put the fire out.
It is a unique way to show the emotional impact of a crash.
Method: Find the absurd meaning.
——————Situation 3—————-
Dialogue: A couple discusses why their marriage didn’t work and ends with a passionate reuniting.
Okay, this happens lots of times. The audience knows they’re right for each other, but they just can’t admit it. So they argue their way into a relationship. It’s a fun way to get two people together.
But how can it be a more dramatic situation? Check out what they did in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Situation: After multiple attempts to kill each other, they finally end up back at their own house. First, there’s the hunt, then the gun fight, then a fist fight with some excellent martial arts, finally ending up in a Mexican stand-off.
With their guns pointed at each other, they both realize the are faced with the one person they can’t kill. So they make love in a violent way that fits their shared profession — as professional killers.
Isn’t that a beautiful romance scene?
Method: Express their nature at an extreme.
WHAT TO DO?
The beauty of these situations is that they deliver an experience to the audience, instead of a conversation. They increase the entertainment value of the scenes and the entire movie. They also deliver more character than a dialogue intensive scene.
Simply put, you are looking into the scene and the character to find something that can be dramatized in a more interesting way. Our “Fresh & Edgy Screenwriting Class” details some great ways to make your scenes more interesting and compelling — for both readers and producers.
Many times, when people refer to a brilliant writer, these type of scenes are the ones they talk about.