Shawshank Redemption - I HATE THIS MOVIE

Ever watch a movie you just hated and want that time back?

Well, that's NOT how I felt when I watched shawshank redemption.

I enjoyed the movie and still enjoy it to this day.

So fuck off SR haters!  And drink a bottle of wine.

A Character's Goal - Your Screenplay

Thinking about a character's goal in an objective way can lead you to write impersonal flapjack snap-shit.

Try  thinking about their goal in a personal way.  Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what the goal will show about their character.

If they reach the goal, how does it reflect on their character.

At the inciting incident, what occurs to tarnish their character, their self image.

screenplays - communication

A story is not a story to your main character.  It is a time when they are trying to communicate something about themselves.  They are trying to prove something about themselves.

Screenwriters - This is for you!

http://www.ted.com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices/transcript

Story - Character - Screenwriting

The essence of a story is a character who wants to prove something about their character after an inciting incident suggest they are not who they think they are.

Tom gets rejected by all the major studios.
Then:
"I'm going to prove that I'm a fucking brilliant screenwriter!"

A NEW Structure - Screenwriting

Is screenwriting about structure?  YES!

Societal structure.  Rich and poor.  Good and bad.  Who's on top?  Who's on the bottom?  Why we should lock this guy up.  Why we should help that girl out.

Humans have an invisible social structure and it's this structure that screenplays play in.

When you walk into a local restaurant and yell, "Give me the fuckin' filet!"  You better know what part of the structure you are in.  If you're some random person in town, 1) you're gonna probably be asked to shut up or 2) the police are going to drag you out of there.  if you have a lot of money, own the restaurant, know the people in there, then maybe you get your filet.

Small Goals

Your stories, screenplays can reflect your own personality.

An example:

If you are a person who strives to achieve big goals - say design a 40-story skyscraper and you take steps toward a goal like that then you will probably be able to write a main character who strives toward a big goal like that.

If you are a person who strives to achieve small goals - say manage a project at work that takes 7 days to complete then you will probably be able to write a main character who strives toward a smaller goal like that.

If you are in group A and you try to write group B or vice versa you will be going against your natural grain.

Strong Story Structure - Screenwriting a great story

Structure in a screenplay equals character choices.

In Shawshank Redemption when Andy Defresne drinks outside the house his wife is making love in and almost shoots her.  That choice costs him decades in prison.

It's the first structural point in the story.

Emotional Argument part 2 - Screenwriting and Connecting with and Audience

Have you ever heard of or written a 5 paragraph essay?

Here's a refresher:

The first paragraph introduces your topic and your argument concerning said topic.

The following three paragraphs support your argument.

The final paragraph concludes your argument.

The first and last paragraphs relate to a screenplay in that you introduce your main character, what they want, why they want it, and finally whether they get it or not.

But how do the middle three paragraphs relate to a screenplay?

It all comes down to relationships.

Your main character will want something and each relationship they have will support or go against that goal.  Each supporting character acts as a paragraph in the story essay.

Example:
Let's say your main character Tracy argues that she deserves a shot at being Ben's girlfriend because they're not like other people.  They're both into nature walks and mountain biking and all the other kids in school just like video games and drugs.

Every character Tracy interacts with at home, school, work, playtime should support this desire to be with Ben or argue against it.  Whether verbally or through their actions.

That's the second act.  That's the middle.

Do your stories, screenplays, approach your second act in this way?

Does your Screenplay make an Emotional Argument? - Let's see!

When you write your screenplay...does your character's motivation make sense?

Probably.

But your readers aren't connecting with them?

Why?

Chances are your main character's reason for striving toward their goal is firmly based on logic.  And logic makes sense but doesn't make emotion.

Consider two examples:

Logic - A son wants his father to include him in his will because he's running his father's business and he could use the inheritance to expand the business.

Emotion - A son wants his father to include him in his will because he is his father's son.

The first example makes sense and is reasonable.

The second example makes sense and is unreasonable.  You can't argue logically with the line "Because I am your son."  The irony is that motivation such as that is a catalyst, a firecracker engine for drama/comedy.  The less the motivation is reasonable the more conflict you can draw from it.

Passion and emotion cause conflict, they get us into wars, they provide the juice and blood that fuel great screenplays.

Think about this:
When your upset...how do you calm down?  Using reason.

Don't let a reasonable motivation calm your screenplay down and snuff the flame that will connect your readers to your story.