Recommended Screenwriters
Tip 11. Universal, But Not Cliche!
- February 14, 2011
- Posted by: jennamilly
- Category: Interviews
When I listen to the reasons producers turn down scripts, the word "cliche" often shows up. But right after insisting they don't want cliches, the same producers will say they love "universal" stories.
How can both be true?
You could think of stories, characters, situations, and dialogue in these terms:
- Familiar
- Familiar, yet different
- Different, yet familiar
- Different
Studios are looking for "familiar, yet different" because they have to go out to a wide audience. Indie producers often look for "different, yet familiar" because they want to push boundaries, but still need to be able to get funding. Almost no one is looking for 100% familiar or 100% different.
Audiences want universal experiences that have some uniqueness about them. In fact, many audience complaints come when the movie was either too familiar or too different.
How Does a Pro Solve Cliches?
Realize this: Any concept, character, scene, action or line of dialogue could be written 50 to 100 different ways. Often, writers think there is only one way to tell the story — the way it first popped into their heads.
Remember, that is a "first draft idea." Rather than defend it, make it your mission to rid your script of cliches.
Discover the essence of the concept or scene. Work with it. Develop it. Brainstorm better ways to achieve your goals. Bring it to a level that will be interesting to a wide audience.
Cliches are alright in early drafts, but with each draft, you want to move your script to a more professional level. So your progress might look like this:
- 1st Draft: 30 cliches
- 3rd Draft: 10 cliches
- 5th Draft: No cliches
Push yourself to find the cliches in your screenplays and make them unique in some way. Be rigorous about this. The more cliches you find and replace, the more your script will stand out as professional.
How Does This Relate to the Other Philosophy Tips?
First, this is a philosophy that every A-lister had to learn at some point (Tip 2). Cliches are a great place to find the coal (Tip 3) and transform it into diamonds. This is also an easy way to practice Kaizen (Tip 8) with your script. And to answer the question, "What would Kurtzman and Orci do?" (Tip 10), they'd do whatever it took to make sure their script was both universal and unique.
If you want to create buzz about your writing, get really good at presenting universal experiences in a fresh and unique way. Familiar, yet different!
ACTION: Look at each character and scene in your current script. Make a list of everything that could be interpreted as too familiar. One at a time, brainstorm each of them and find ways to elevate them to a new level. QUESTION: What would happen if you became a master at creating universal experiences in a fresh and interesting way? What could that do for your career? |
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