DON'T SUCK, SUCK IN THE READER!
By Daniel Calvisi
I worked for years as a professional Story Analyst, or “Reader” for
major movie companies in New York City, reading and evaluating incoming
screenplays and books for executives and producers who developed films
like Chicago, Scream, The Game, The Faculty, Volcano, Beloved,
Ulee’s
Gold, and Chocolat. Their production slates ran the
gamut of
genres and so did the material that I was handed.
And I realized that the common wisdom about your Act One being
“Setup”...is crap.
Common wisdom holds that a screenplay in its most basic structure is
organized as such...
Act One: Setup
Act Two: Conflict
Act Three: Resolution
I agree with the Conflict and Resolution, but I don’t like the Setup
term because it just sounds so...static. And pro Readers
don’t
have time for static. They need a story to MOVE.
I wrote an article about what I love to see in a
great Thriller and the top thing was a relentless push forward.
But I will concede that
this doesn’t apply only to thrillers, I think it applies to every genre.
Your first act, that crucial first 30 pages, cannot afford to lay down
EXPOSITION. It must get MOVING as soon as possible -- in short,
it must LAUNCH LINES OF ACTION FOR A FASCINATING MAIN CHARACTER THAT
SUCKS THE READER INTO THEIR WORLD AND THEIR STRUGGLE.
And this is not achieved by a character sitting in a room explaining
how they had to quit college to take care of their Grandma and then
they were recruited into the Army which led to them being an airborne
Ranger wherein they got the world’s most elite combat training and now
that Grams is imprisoned in South America by the notorious drug lord
known as “El Bad-O” they must put back together the Delta Force and go
rescue her.
Or something. But the point is, in those absolutely CRUCIAL first
pages, you can’t afford to sit around and talk, you must SHOW us how
this story is launching. And even if you don’t open on your MAIN
story line, you want to get that main story line, or Story Engine as I
like to call it, launched by pg. 30. Heck, page 20 is even
better. (wanna go for 10?)
I say this because too many new writers take 40, 50, even 60 pages to
establish the main dramatic elements of their story. To really
get it going. And professionals in the industry don’t have that
long to wait -- they’ve got a stack of scripts on their desk they need
to get through.
Going further, and to give you a little glimpse into my own method of
story construction and deconstruction that I developed on the job as a
Story Analyst and have taught to over 200 writers, I think you should
establish the main dramatic elements of your story, which I call your
“Basic Story Map.” They include...
PROTAGONIST -- what makes your main character unique. Tip: try to
show this through action, not just dialogue.
EXTERNAL GOAL -- the action goal for your main character (e.g., win the
game, catch the killer, teach the kid).
INTERNAL GOAL -- the emotional goal for your main character (e.g., get
the girl, believe in themselves, win their father’s respect).
MAIN DRAMATIC CONFLICT or ANTAGONIST -- that fascinating, powerful
villain or personal problem that seems impossible for the
Protagonist
to defeat. Tip: this must stand directly in the way of the
Protagonist achieving their goals.
CONTROLLING THEME -- that one overriding theme that the characters,
conflict and actions of your story express. Examples would be
“family communication” in The Sixth Sense, “the afterlife” in Gladiator
or “don’t let pessimism rule you” in As Good as it Gets.
These elements may seem like obvious things to establish early on, but
when you’re just starting out with screenwriting, or you’re an old pro
who just banged out a first draft, it’s often difficult to see if one
or more are missing. I am definitely of the camp that believes we
cannot be truly objective about our own writing, so it is crucial to
get other opinions.
I hope these words have inspired you to get your active story up and
running so that it Sucks in the Reader!
Thank you and good luck!
-Daniel Calvisi
www.actfourscreenplays.com
copyright © Daniel Calvisi 2006
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