#36 - Making Lists
Edition #36 of the Lighthouse miniLetter!
You'll always get:
Three examples of great screenwriting
Two quotes about storytelling
One thing to think about
Plus some fun links at the bottom.
Three examples of great screenwriting
The Flight Attendant
Written by Steve Yockey
This could have been slugged like montages often are. But it’s worth looking at why Yockey uses a full slugline every time (besides possible production purposes.)
For my read, I really felt the switch between these two types of spaces, these two types of vibes. Rather than a collection of images showing passage of time or collection of ideas (like montages usually are) I really felt like we were toggling between two distinct things.
Notorious
Screen Play by Ben Hecht
I don’t actually know what production draft this, and I don’t know the reason these are blanks. Could be clearances, could be Hecht just doesn’t know yet.
But regardless, I think it’s a nice way to keep writing without getting stuck.
(I usually write BLANK in all caps when I hit something I want to come back to while drafting, but I think I might adopt this convention.)
Deity Control (Pilot)
Written by Micah Khan
Some quick context: This story’s about an Manhattan-like urban center where gods and deities from various cultures all live together and go about their lives. So if you know your Norse myths, you know how this is gonna turn out for Balder…
But what I really want to call attention to is the way Khan here creates flowing action and then interrupts it. Without writing “freeze frame” he creates the sort of reading equivalent.
We get a series of lines leading up that are all action based. A lot of noun verb, noun verb.
The crowd runs…
Balder falls…
He turns…
His face turns…
He closes his eyes…
Mid-fall is an action with an incredible amount of momentum. An object in motion stays in motion…unless you cut to a new slugline, with a phrase addressing the reader (“Let’s…”) and it’s even in italics to separate it from the rest.
And then, we snap back into it with a noun verb. “A car honks.” Just a really clear and confident passage.
Two quotes about screenwriting
“It’s not hard to get an audience to cry, but to get them to cry because it resonates with them - that’s hard.”
“I am, to be quite honest, sick of hero stories.”
One thing to think about
Can you make a list?
Lists are my favorite screenwriting tool when I'm stuck.
A scene isn't working? I'm making a list.
If the reader hasn't seen the character in a bit, I'll make a list of possibilities for what they just did before the scene began.
got coffee with their brother
got a speeding ticket
had a nap
A bunch of options that I may or may not use. But it gets me thinking.
If I think the scene is constructed well, but still falls flat, I might make a list of what furniture is in the room, and see if that can inspire the blocking at all.
bar cabinet (she makes a drink)
bed, unmade (he tidies while discussing)
glass dining table (forces the usually brutish character to be more gentle...or not and he breaks the table)
It's not a list of what I'm going to write into the scene, but a list of what could be possible. Gets my brain going.
I'll list possible obstacles, possible wardrobe options, possible lines of dialogue, really anything.
I think why this works is that it so explicitly separates the creation from the evaluation. A list puts me in a purely creative mode, and then I can say, "Okay, of these ten, eleven, twelve options...what's the best one?" It's (emotionally) a lot easier than coming up with an idea and constantly asking, "Is that any good?"
So if you're stuck, or just uninspired, feel free to ask:
Can you make a list?
Have a great draft,
David Wappel
PS Don’t Miss
My new go-to for recommendations for stuff to watch, listen, read. Kate’s taste is super sharp!
Super cool music genre map
Find out how long a video game takes to beat before you play. (And add a few hours if you want my time.)