Rewriting Screenplays

I as I start to rewrite of one of my screenplays, I start gathering notes...

(I must make it very clear. DON'T LOOK AT THE GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS POSTING. These are notes.)

1. Every character has an arc, presented with obstacles along the way.

This is what story is all about.

2. Every character must have a distinct voice so you can tell each character by the way you read their dialogue.

3. All unnecessary scenes cut.

I see this a lot when reading about screenplays - your favorite scene should be the first one cut.

4. A distinguishable structure.

This is the Act I, Act II, Act III part. There are those that say that certain things should happen at certain points during the screenplay. The inciting incident (around page 12), the end of the first Act (page 25), the Midpoint (where the story changes completely around, page 55), the end of Act II (page 90), followed by Act III. There are different theories on this. I use to spend way too much time thinking about this which has, probably, been a detriment to my writing.

5. Bring each scene to life.

There should be NO unnecessary scenes (these are notes; don't mind the grammar), so each scene that ends up in the screenplay must move the story further and we should learn more about each character in each scene that we didn't know before.

6. Dialogue

I have always been the first to acknowledge that this is the hardest part of my writing. Since then, upon reading McKee's book entitled "Story", I have a new understanding.

As you rewrite your screenplay, you should know your characters throughout. Some writers will write character back story's, thus gaining so much information, that you know how your characters will react in certain situations (obstacles to their overall need). I take this in regards to dialogue. Part of Mr. McKee's chapter in his book, that I took from it, tells writers that you should put yourself in the characters shoes, actually in the scene** like you are living it, personally. He uses that vital scene in the movie, "Chinatown", where we learn everything we need to know about how each and every character Mr. Nicholson's character comes into contact with him during his investigation. The reaction of these character's, by dialogue, is not a surprise. If you put yourself in the shoes of each character, during that scene, every word of dialogue means something. (Try doing this as you watch movies. We, as viewers, if we are into the story, will try to predict what a character will say at certain situations [scenes], thus putting you in their shoes. It's really fun, exciting really.)

I have read, from a couple screenwriters that they won't include ANY dialogue as they write their first draft. (This goes against #4 [a distinguishable structure]. If certain story points should happen at specific pages, then why do these writers not write dialogue. If certain events have to take place at certain minutes/pages in the screenplay/movie, than wouldn't these writers write some dialogue?)

*** One of the first suggestions I read as I made my decision to dedicate my life to writing screenplays (darn those short stories and novels) was that you should take acting classes. I now know what they are talking about - dialogue. You can't understand characters unless you are right there in that scene.

7. Get perspective (see things in totality).

This is the planning part of rewriting. This, if you choose not to write an outline before you start (or after) is the sort of stuff you see, or think of writers putting up a bunch of 3 x 5 cards on a wall, often color coded - which I avoided at the beginning. The biggest change the latest version version of Final Draft 8 (screenwriting software) is the color coding over haul. Without going into detail, this is a big part of writing, seeing things big picture. Often screenwriters get so into one scene(s), or a sequence of scenes, that they lose perspective of what just this scene means, maybe, eventually understanding that the scene shouldn't exist in the first place (see point #3).

By looking at your screenplays in totality (3 x 5 cards on a wall), you begin to see certain things. Hold up...

In any story, you have a central character trying to achieve a certain goal (emotional and/or physical). This is the A story. You also have other characters that are either there to help or mentor the central character. You have, of course, the anti-hero (a physical being or something else standing in his way) who is the one trying to stop him from achieving his goal. There has to be a B story that either mirrors, or is in contrary to the protagonist's ultimate goal (seriously... look at the characters in your favorite movie. Those characters that take your attention from the main character are going through the same type of problem. It's understated, not really acknowledged until you say, "Oh Yeah".

Since every character in your story must have a goal, a screenwriter must see that, maybe that important character hasn't been heard of for several minutes. This is how looking at the 3 x 5 cards can indicate a problem - it's been too long since we last saw this character (this happens frequently. All of a sudden a character will pop up, that you saw earlier, making the audience not care about them as much.)

Without going into more detail, screenwriters must see things in totality to make sure things aren't too static. Audiences get bored quick. It's a fact.

8. Scenes "rise", keeping the audience interested.

The main character has a goal. They are continuously presented with obstacles. They solve one but are presented with another. This happens in every single movie you watch (even the bad ones). Once they think they have gained an upper hand, something else happens. After solving that, another one comes their way. Screenwriters must keep these things coming. If we don't, the audience becomes bored. A bored audience means it's a bad audience. It also means that readers of your screenplay will just stop caring, throwing your screenplay you have worked on for several years.

9. Transitions

Transitions are absolutely necessary. I use to think that this happens in the preparation part of making the movie.

(Okay. Don't get me started. There are certain "rules" us spec screenwriters should never do, unless you plan to film it yourself, or if you "know" someone. One of those rules are camera angles/direction - You can't do this. If you think this is easy... please.

You can't write, "We pull back seeing Bob looking at..." or "Cut to: Bob getting in his car".

So... we have to stick to a certain number of pages (see #10) and you can't have any camera direction or certain words like "Pull back", "We see", or "Cut to:" but we must have good transitions. Welcome to my world.

Transitions are those brief moments you see in movies where some dramatic event event takes place and the camera "cuts" to an introduction to the next scene.

10. The 116 page rule.

Another "rule" spec screenwriters must adhere to (unless you're one of those ass holes making a living writing scrips [my heroes]) that you shouldn't submit any work over 116 pages. If you do, you must be writing some "Benjamin Button" epic bullshit. If that's the case, no one, who has any connection to someone, that knows someone who gets coffee for somebody who knows someone, will ever pick up your script - unless you have a "credit" to your name (give me that WGA card, now. I will suck anybody's... Oops.)

I was watching an interview with a screenwriter in Hollywood, where he told the interviewer of how he got "into the business". Besides the fact that he wrote some 15, or more screenplays before getting his first script sold, he said that the hardest part was getting "under the 116".

I wrote the second, or third draft (I'm on the fifth), of the screenplay I'm preparing to rewrite, in 98 pages. One of the critiques I got was that they needed more to the story (this includes my mother whom said the same thing). As my final rewrite goes on, I am up to 130 pages. See #3, #5, #6, and #8.