StorytimeWednesday

  Action Scenes in a Screenplay When we think of an action scene, we think of a hard-fighting scene between characters. However, action scenes are much more technical and diverse in nature, think of a car chase, a battle scene in a war movie, or a high-powered chasing scene through a city or on the highway. An action scene is any scene that contains a rapid movement that accomplishes a specific goal that moves the story forward. In any action scene, there are the typical beginning, middle, and end. First, you introduce the characters that will be in the scene, then you escalate the scene to raise the stakes higher such as making one of them the evil one and another the hero. Will the hero win or lose the scene is the question. Tensions build higher and it’s unclear how the scene will end, but you still have another segment to clarify I they will be victorious or not. In the end scene of this conflict, it is revealed that the true character of the hero is revealed and something that...

  How to Structure a Screenplay/Script Many years ago, I was encouraged to take an online course offered by Syd Field, one of the most talented screenplay/scriptwriters in Hollywood. It was through that course that I learned the best way to structure a script. Allow me to teach you what I learned. Mr. Fields started off the course by explaining that a screenplay or script has a beginning, middle, and end to the storyline, but there were a few other things to know and understand in how to tell the story. You have to have what is known as the catalyst, your first plot point, after your middle or midpoint you have despair, then your redemption, and ultimately the end of the story. Allow me to explain each in greater detail. The beginning of the story is also known as your setup! This is where you give a visual and emotional introduction to your story and characters along with the reason for the story. This should happen in the first 10-15 pages of your script. The audience doesn...

  How to Write Dialogue If you don’t know how to write dialogue before you attempt to write a novel or even a movie script, you’ll not be successful. No matter what you come up with as a plot or storyline, if your writing is effective you’ll fall flat on your face. That’s why my mentor always told me that a book without good dialogue isn’t a good book. But first, let’s discuss the ground rules for dialogue. Each voice or character gets a new paragraph. Doesn’t matter if they say one or two words in the conversation, those words get a new paragraph. The dialogue also gets quotes surrounding the dialogue. For example,             “Mary had a little lamb,” Paul said. The only time you don’t indent is if you are starting a new chapter or it’s after a scene break in a script. This is why you never start a new chapter or after a scene break with dialogue. Always start off with describing a scene or what a character is doing or thinki...

  A Storyboard, what and how do you make one? As a writer, I never start a book without first writing the movie script. Why do I start this way, well that’s because I can get the story out of my head faster, and at the same time, I’m creating the storyboard of scenes. Once I get the script and storyboard finished I can begin to fill in the fluff and descriptions of characters, thoughts, emotions surroundings, etc., to flesh out the book to make it 125,000 words. But the storyboard is the most important thing of all. Allow me to explain why. The storyboard is my outline for a book. It is my blueprint with roughly drawn sketches that help me remember what direction I want to take the story. It’s easier to change a storyboard, then it is to rewrite 30 pages of written material, but also to ensure that if it’s ever made into a movie, it doesn’t cost the production company, my company, a million dollars to make serious changes to the storyline. So if you’re new to creating a story...