The
old cliché, "if it ain't on the page, it ain't
on the screen," is a good
one to live by.Whenever
one sees a bad movie, it's because the script sucks. The
movie might have good actors and production values (and
this often hides how bad a lot of movies are), but, if the writer
didn't do the job right, it's going to be weak. Notice the
word "weak," and how above, the word "strong"
is used. This is because art never has to be great or compelling.
It simply has to be the result of a competent artist. The
audience takes it from there.
If
an artist is competent at being the artist he/she is and can connect with an audience,
that artist's work will succeed. A competent artist does
strong work because he knows what tools to use, how to
create his art, is well acquainted with the human experience, and knows how to draw people
into his story.
As
long as the acting is strong, the writing and directing
is strong, etc., audiences will have no choice but to
say, "That was pretty good." Write it and shoot
every picture with the same loving care David O. Selznick
gave to Gone with the Wind:
Every
movie, expensive or not, must begin with solid, strong
writing, a good story, told well through interesting
characters. If one has this, one can confidently move
forward into production without second-guessing the
script.
A strong screenplay allows the filmmakers to completely
plunge into the filmmaking process with pleasure because
it has been worked out in advance that the script is strong
and that, simply by shooting this script, it would be difficult
to make something bad. In other words, it should be the
cast and crew's movie to blow, never the writer's!
[Editors' Note: The concluding piece of advice should be taken with a grain of salt.
Though the reading of too many screenwriting books can certainly cause confusion, the reading of a few select books, especially those based on a specific genre and storytelling in genral can be very helpful, especiall for beginning writers. -JH]
One
of the number-one causes of second guessing, in my experience,
are screenwriting books. Throw them all out! If one knows
how to format a screenplay and understands basic three-act
structure, screenwriting books have nothing more to tell
except to confuse writers by contradicting each other
and giving endless examples of scenes from movies. It
is rare indeed that a single one of these books is written
by a known screenwriter. So, why listen to them? You're
the filmmaker, not them. They're basically writing about
their favorite movies and using screenwriting as an excuse.
The
only book recommended by me is, Screenwriting from
the Heart, by James Ryan, because it focuses on
strong characters. Again, one need not take every word
as gospel but the fact that this book gets you thinking
about strong characters and how the character's decision
determines the direction of the story is much more practical
to a writer than, "by page 36, this should happen
according to our formula." Michael Corleone and Luke
Skywalker are two quick examples of characters whose every
decision determines the plots of The Godfather and Star Wars.
Again,
when one knows how to identify a strong screenplay and
feels that he has written one, there is no reason not
to go forward confidently into production. Always remember
the basics, to keep dialogue short and visual information
high. Don't feel, especially on a no-budget movie, that
it needs to be too long. Seventy to 90 minutes is ample.
When making no-budget movies, less is always more.
Nick
Moretti is a filmmaker and journalist based in Warren,
MI. By completing a competent first film, he has been
hired to write, direct and co-produce a six-figure film
so there's hope for all of us!
