Comments for scriptxray

Comment on Demystifying Story Structure by Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:52:38 +0000

I totally agree — there is no right or wrong way to go about it.

Comment on Demystifying Story Structure by Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:18:02 +0000

Hey Phoenix, good question. There’s a big difference between “structure review” and “structure when I’m through.”

In my opinion it’s vital to have some type of structure or framework in mind before you start to write your script. It’s like the old adage, “An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.”

I’ve seen so many cases of writers who plow ahead without an outline only to get lost in the wilderness of their script. Of course it all depends what type of writer you are. If you’re the type of writer that absolutely must get those stream of consciousness ideas on the page — great stuff! Just know ahead of time that you’ll probably be throwing out wholesale swathes of what you’ve just written.

On the other hand, if you spend some time ensuring you have a solid outline before you write, you’ll still have rewriting to do, but the exercise will be more about fine tuning than finding your story.

Hope that helps!

Comment on Demystifying Story Structure by Phoenix

Phoenix — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Yes. I have been hearing about structure all the time.
But I believe “structure review” comes in play after the 4th or 5th draft. If you worry about structure while writing the first draft, then one might face writer’s block. Yes?

Comment on Demystifying Story Structure by Guest Post at ScriptXRay » scriptwrecked

Guest Post at ScriptXRay » scriptwrecked — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:47:39 +0000

[...] a big fan of the web site ScriptXRay for a long time. So I was very excited by the opportunity to contribute today’s guest post for their site, on the subject of demystifying of story [...]

Comment on Your Ideas Will Be Stolen – Sharing Your Script by Justin Smith

Justin Smith — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:27:00 +0000

My screenplays are all adaptations of my novels (one published and another soon to be published) so it would be hard for a company to steal my screenplays. It would be extremely easy to prove they stole something (when you can buy a book on Amazon that has all the same characters and situations).

At least they would have to pay for movie-rights.

Comment on Writing a Screenplay with the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet by ChristopherR2D2

ChristopherR2D2 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:40:26 +0000

@Phillip — not sure why you’re so offended by my follow up comment, but as stated, it just wasn’t working for me.

I never said it didn’t work and that other screenwriters should avoid it.

There is no right or wrong way to write a screenplay — and there’s certainly no truth to be told about screenwriting. The only thing we can do is explore the art and craft and experiment what works and what doesn’t — not necessarily everything that worked will continue to work today (just look at the talkies).

I pretty much disagree with you on all levels — a screenplay is not a technical art form, it’s a story that happens to be formatted pretty technically. The beat sheet isn’t hard to follow — there are 14 points to guide you while writing a 90 to 120 page piece of work.

Believe me, I know why people like the idea of formula — of beat sheets and structures and paradigms, but in my experience it’s been the studio executives that have sworn by these because it’s how they understand story and it’s how they can tell whether or not the material has a good shot at entertaining audiences. There are certain elements and patterns found throughout all stories that we can learn from, but it’s not a formula — If there was a formula to screenwriting, everyone would be writing exceptional work that sold to the studios.

And not all storytellers believe in manipulating their story. It sounds to me like you’re approaching screenwriting as if there’s a definite right and wrong way to go about it, which we all know there is not.

Have you completed a screenplay using the beat sheet method — if so, which I’m hoping you have due to your strong reaction to my opinion, how did it help you personally?

For everyone else out there, how do you feel about Blake Snyder’s beat sheet? Do you make use of beat sheets — if so, what do they look like in comparison to the one above? If not, why?

Comment on Writing a Screenplay with the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet by Phillip

Phillip — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:49:10 +0000

It not working for you only means that you couldn’t work it. It’s not at the fault of the beat sheet. The truth is that most screenplays, if even by accident, work on the beat sheet. It isn’t a rule that Blake Snyder invented, it’s a pattern he observed. Truth be told, it’s a very hard formula to follow, but when you do, the result is almost always a play on what an audience instinctively wants to see on screen. You come up with a story on your own, your own imagination and creativity, sure, but when it comes down to writing a screenplay, which is a technical art form at it’s core (it’s a skeleton on which you rest a story) the beat sheet gives you a good road map on where you need to turn and where you need to climb.

Formula is there for a reason. If you were creative enough come up with the story, you’re creative enough to manipulate it. Or are you not?

Comment on Write for Scriptxray by Become a Contributing Writer at Scriptxray | scriptxray

Become a Contributing Writer at Scriptxray | scriptxray — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:03:32 +0000

[...] interested, please check out our guest post guidelines for more about how to become a contributing writer at [...]

Comment on Writing a Screenplay with the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet by ChristopherR2D2

ChristopherR2D2 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:31:10 +0000

@GuyGallo — well put.

As mentioned in the post, I was going to attempt to stick as close as possible to blake snyder’s beat sheet … but as I progressed I found it rather difficult — mainly due to the sparse nature of the beat sheet (14 points) as well as my nature of working (chaotic).

I’m writing a post to follow up with this experiment, detailing why it didn’t work for me.

Comment on Writing a Screenplay with the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet by You know you’re a writer when… « a romantic enters the world

You know you’re a writer when… « a romantic enters the world — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:01:40 +0000

[...] Jump to Comments You know you’re a writer when you use plot structure tools like Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet to analyze your love life. Is the dark night of the soul over [...]

Comment on Writing your Screenplay on the iPad by Tristan

Tristan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:43:15 +0000

I would love to write a screenplay on the ipad! With the success and versatility of the iPhone and iPod Touch only make this an actual possibility for writers. I can’t wait to try it out!