Don’t forget to take a look at Pilar’s website and screenwriting podcast in iTunes.

Importance of note cards

• allows you to visually see your story in front of you
• allows you to easily rearrange, add, and delete scenes, characters, and sub plots without doing too much damage
• complete freedom in regards to creative story development

What should be in your screenplay treatment or “brain dump”

• producers want to know what happens next after your initial “idea”
• helps you pitch a story and not just a story idea
• makes writing your script less stressful and allows creativity to focus on action and character
• allows major story changes to not set you back or require massive rework
• treatments should exist on many levels, free form brain dump, short story structure and flow, story and character short summary

Leave us your pre-writing methods in the comments section below. I always enjoy learning about other writers methods.

In this episode Andy and I talk about some of the ways we try avoid writer’s block and methods we use to work through it when it does strike. Below are some show notes and topics.

How to work past writers block while continue working forward

• go back to your note cards
• get yourself re-inspired about your story
• watch your movie in your head
• write character back stories
• do whatever you can to get the creative juices flowing again
• take an entire week off
• write in small chunks, 30 min
• write a side story about one of your characters to find that joyful writing place again
• feel free to skip around your story, you don’t have to write from page 1 to 110
• write where in your story you are inspired to write

How to avoid writers block altogether

• be prepared, plan, plot, scheme
• KNOW YOUR STORY BEFORE YOU WRITE
• write a treatment/outline
• have confidence in yourself and ability to write a good story, wait till after to hate your work
• be a complete egotistical maniac asshole

• Character has to have understandable wants and needs
• Story needs to reveal a clear and consistent goal for the protagonist
• Needs to be able to realisticly overcome obstacles
• Let the character show the audience who is not tell us through dialogue
• Audience needs to care about the protagonist
• Don’t wait too long to introduce your protagonist, they might fall for someone else
• Needs to have a clear antagonist

Get organized as soon as possible.

• Keep a calendar and develop a production schedule (OmniPlan)
• Invest in a rolodex or group contacts together. Schedule meetings with your principal crew (Google Groups)
• Keep a running to-do list (Evernote)

Delegate!

• Assemble a good core of principal production people (i.e. DP, assistant director, PA’s)
• Trust the people you delegate responsibility to. They’ll do your job if you let them.
• Collaborate BEFORE production. Nothing halts production more than a director and DP who can’t decide on the best way to do a certain shot. Plan out things like shot sheets before hand. Again, be flexible and leave something’s for the set

Casting is key

• Find actors that are above all easy to work with. At this level of film making a difficult actor (or director, for that matter) can implode a production
• Uses asides from your script. Actors auditioning will have a better idea of the tone of the film and there will be less surprises. (Skype)
• Rehearse your actors but let them find their characters. Again at this level, the more you can delegate the better. Everyone learns from everyone else and many times a talented actor will bring (and should bring) something to the character you never would have thought of.

Be courteous and professional with everyone you deal with.

• Be prompt in responses
• Be assertive of your needs up front
• Be ready to adjust if need be
• Know when to direct and when to watch.

Leave your pre-production tips, tricks, and strategies in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your experience with some of these topics.

Get organized as soon as possible.

• Keep a calendar and develop a production schedule (OmniPlan)
• Invest in a rolodex or group contacts together. Schedule meetings with your principal crew (Google Groups)
• Keep a running to-do list (Evernote)

Delegate!

• Assemble a good core of principal production people (i.e. DP, assistant director, PA’s)
• Trust the people you delegate responsibility to. They’ll do your job if you let them.
• Collaborate BEFORE production. Nothing halts production more than a director and DP who can’t decide on the best way to do a certain shot. Plan out things like shot sheets before hand. Again, be flexible and leave something’s for the set

Casting is key

• Find actors that are above all easy to work with. At this level of film making a difficult actor (or director, for that matter) can implode a production
• Uses asides from your script. Actors auditioning will have a better idea of the tone of the film and there will be less surprises. (Skype)
• Rehearse your actors but let them find their characters. Again at this level, the more you can delegate the better. Everyone learns from everyone else and many times a talented actor will bring (and should bring) something to the character you never would have thought of.

Be courteous and professional with everyone you deal with.

• Be prompt in responses
• Be assertive of your needs up front
• Be ready to adjust if need be
• Know when to direct and when to watch.

Leave your pre-production tips, tricks, and strategies in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your experience with some of these topics.

After we get past all that dribble we get on to the main topic, working with a writing partner. We discuss some of the methods and writing strategies that we are exploring as a new writing team.

We encourage you to leave us some comments below. Tell us how crappy we are. It’s cool we can take it. Seriously though we really want some audience participation here people, so get commenting!