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.