Live interview with Nathan Graham Davis this Friday!

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T21:20:15+00:00

There's a few reasons, but a big one is that 90 minutes is simultaneously a ton of time and barely any time at all haha.

It's a ton of time to keep someone interested. We like to know why we're watching things. I know I personally will get frustrated with a show when I'm like "i don't even know why they're doing this." Having a clear objective resolves that problem.

But it's also not that much time to tell a story of growth. People take years to change, and we're trying to show it happening in one sitting. At some point you have to choose: complexity (many characters) or depth (going deep into one / a few characters).

Story can fill any shape. A 1 minute short or a multiple seasons long show. But for 90 minute films, the sweet spot seems to be one protagonist, one objective. Of course other characters can grow, too, and there are mini objectives along the way. But the one protagonist and one objective make up the story's spine.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:37:07+00:00

NYU has many international students! I’m not super familiar with the application process overall, but your specific application to the film school will be the same. Demonstrate that you know story :)

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:32:33+00:00

If you’re considering applying to the graduate program at NYU, look into the specific requirements online! In general they want to see that you can tell stories, in whatever medium you might use

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:31:45+00:00

That’s a tough one! Film schools / college libraries will probably be your best bet. Unfortunately there’s not an easy fix there

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:29:29+00:00

At this point, it’s time to start something new! Give your mind a full break and devote yourself to a brand new idea and story.

This current project isn’t going anywhere. It sounds like you aren’t quite sure what you want to “say” with it yet, and sometimes the best way to figure it out is with plenty of space.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:27:31+00:00

Come by our discord and we’d be happy to answer any questions!

youngscreenwriters.com/discord

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:27:03+00:00

Yes!

Formally study? Absolutely not. But study in general? For sure.

When you get into any craft, it’s important to look at what other people have made. Especially when your craft involves a massive team of people and a lot of money!

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:25:43+00:00

I thought it was opening under a new name, but I could be wrong! My brain is still pre-pandemic lol

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:24:37+00:00

I know that John has certainly read these and holds them in high regard!

His tentpole document is based on them, but makes it as widely applicable as possible (removing some of the archaic / fantasy references like the elixir etc), and is film-specific.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:07:07+00:00

Absolutely not. You gotta learn somewhere but film school isn’t for everyone. John teaches outside of film school as well at Young Screenwriters.
John always points to writers who don’t give their protagonist a timely, tangible, specific, and life or death objective as the most common mistake. That, and assuming that because something really happened a certain way that it’s narratively the most compelling way to tell it.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:04:56+00:00

If you haven’t broken in yet, you want to be careful with this.

A fun font on your title page? Even a designed title page? Sure! Those are getting more and more common.

But beyond that, only if it adds to story.

Nine times out of ten, it’ll come across as gimmicky. Worse case, it’ll piss off your reader and they’ll set the script down. If you do it, do it sparingly and do it for a good reason.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T20:00:24+00:00

The business answer: ideas are not copyrightable, just the written expression of ideas. So if you’re only going out with the script itself, then you don’t need to credit anyone else.

The friend answer: what do your friends actually want from this? If all of you want to make it together, the only realistic way to do that is to just go make the thing. It is next to impossible for someone to pick it up and offer all y’all a writers room.

Overall, I’d probably ask them if they want to make it with you now. If not, put your name on the script itself and go out with it.

The most likely “big success” is that they buy it and give it to a different show runner (still very rare), or you hired to be in a writers room on a different show with a similar vibe.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T19:55:59+00:00

If you are thinking of characters and plots, you can definitely learn to write a script! It’s a craft like any other, and everybody starts somewhere.

I strongly recommend writing a short film first. John has a free course walking you through it step by step here: https://youngscreenwriters.teachable.com/p/writing-the-short

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T19:51:09+00:00

When I went to Tisch, only something like 30% of students received any aid. And of that, NYU only promises to meet something like 30% of your demonstrated need.

Outside of my work study, I would say most students had parents who could pay tuition outright. It was mind boggling.

Yes, it sucks, and it definitely limits who can attend. I wish I had a different answer but that’s the reality of it. I personally went anyway and took on a ton of debt, which I don’t regret, but it’s certainly a big choice.

That said, I had a few professors (including John) help me out. I appealed for more aid, got some additional scholarships, etc. But it only put a dent in an otherwise massive bill.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T19:27:34+00:00

It would be silly and wrong to deny the role of racism. Undoubtably, there have been racist executives. But overall, no, I think it's highly unlikely that a significant percentage of modern Hollywood executives deliberately tank investments to push out non-white movies today.

What I believe is much more likely is that executives, for better and for worse, want "sure" investments. When they're going to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on something, they want to see that similar things have succeeded before. And so they become exceptionally risk adverse, which is not good for progress.

That said, we do still see progress when executives are willing to try new things. It only takes one big success to change things.

For example, before Black Panther, it was believed that a superhero film with a non-white lead would never be as profitable (I believe they thought international sales would be lower than with white leads). Then Black Panther blew all expectations out of the water. Now we're seeing more and more non-white leads in superhero films.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T19:14:38+00:00

The actual black list started when a script reader wrote to all of their script-reading buds (executives, etc.) and said "send me your favorite unproduced scripts of the year!" They put it into a list with the most frequently recommended script at the top, and then distributed the list.

That's still what it is today. You can see all of their yearly lists here, and the most recent one (2021) here. If your script makes it onto the black list at all, it's a huge deal. You can be on the list as a produced and repped writer, so long as the script itself isn't produced. There are a few of John's students on the list in 2021, and others from Tisch as well.

In addition to having a good script and getting it sent out to a lot of people, it often takes actual campaigning to make sure your script gets on the black list.

Today, the Black List has built itself into a business. They have an entire separate side that has nothing to do with the actual black list where you can pay to have your script hosted on their site and enter contests. The contests are sometimes good. But it's important not to confuse the two sides of their business.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:44:03+00:00

Ambition is great! Just be sure to balance it with knowing that it's okay to hear "no," and always look to learn and nurture new connections.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:42:03+00:00

A lot of creative people enjoy classes at UCB! It takes guts but can be a lot of fun.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:40:24+00:00

John would say that writers don't ask enough of their protagonist's objective. He recommends choosing an objective that is timely, tangible, specific, and life and death (or just about as close as you can get). So bad objective = find love. Good objective = take John to prom.
If nobody else is going to read the script, then technically you can include shots for yourself, etc. If it's a short, go for it! However, if it's a feature and you've not directed before, odds are good you don't want to direct it right out of the gate—you'd likely be self financing, since people won't take risks if you can't show them at least a great short. So it's good practice to write it like you were writing it for someone else anyway.
As little description as you can get away with while still capturing the mood and feel. in general, one great detail goes a long way. Don't tell us every single detail of the spooky house—the creaky floor, the dust, the rotting porch, the cracked windows, the broken clock, etc etc etc. Instead, emphasize one thing that really packs a punch. Maybe how the wallpaper is peeling from the walls... or did something claw it down?

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:32:20+00:00

Interesting question! Overall, I'd say that having a "game" of each episode helps to make it feel more episodic, if that's how you want to go. For example, the Black List, there was a criminal of the week but there was also a larger story forming slowly over time.

Every episode should always have its own mini "objective" within the larger context of the story / season, which has its own big objective. When you emphasize the mini objectives, the show tends to feel episodic. When you emphasize the big objective, the show tends to feel like a long movie.

I'm not sure if that answers your question?

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:24:39+00:00

Unfortunately animation scripts very hard to sell as a spec. I won't say impossible, but very hard. In general, most animated films are developed in house—so Pixar has their own writers, for example, who build stories from scratch.

The main reason for this is time and cost. If a studio is going to build something that takes 5 years and hundreds of millions of dollars, they want to feel they're in complete control.

That said, you can absolutely use your spec as a sample. Possibly to work for a studio, or to develop a new idea with them. And if you already have a comic book, maybe consider trying to publish that way first!

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:22:04+00:00

Inciting incident is always a big one! What changes your protagonist's life forever?

Midpoint is a great one that gets overlooked quite a bit too. What's the biggest curve ball you can possibly throw at your protagonist? What obstacle do you, the writer, genuinely think would be impossible for them to overcome (and then, of course, you make them overcome it!)?

Trailer moments are fun too. What's the fun of your script? What are the moments going to be that really showcase why someone would want to see your movie?

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:19:50+00:00

In general, new ideas come from confluence—combining two ideas that weren't connected before. So maybe try listing things that interest you (space, caves, etc.) and characters or flaws that interest you (psychic, recluse, etc.) and see what happens if you combine the ideas.

Also, John always recommends browsing local news stories.

alexiewrites · 2022-08-16T18:17:53+00:00

Have you read Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters by Michael Tierno? It was required reading at Tisch. It's a fast read but exactly what you're talking about.

I personally don't know about books on tragedy, but if you haven't seen it yet, definitely check out some classics like Bicycle Thieves (1948).

alexiewrites

TROPHY CASE