Go Into The Story by Scott Myers
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THE SCREENWRITING BLOG OF THE BLACK LIST

Open Forum: Your Questions

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If you have any questions about screenwriting – the craft or the profession – please post in comments and I’ll be happy to provide you my two cents.

You may also email your question to me:

scottdistillery@gmail.com

11 thoughts on “Open Forum: Your Questions”

  1. Scott, I've got a question:

    How do you format a scene where you want to open on an image, THEN reveal where it takes place at? The rub lies in do you have to give away the suprise of where you're at in the first shot heading, OR can you like open on an image then in another WIDER scene to reveal where the first scene took place?

    For something to play with I provide this.

    A BUSINESSMAN

    lies on his back. Hands crossed on his Armani suit he looks happy — might have have even worked for Bernie Maddoff… Too happy. No longer breathing. Eyes glazed.

    BRAKES SQUEEL, HORNS HONK from TRAFFIC BELOW. DOWN past the body to the gray cement of an overpass. The body shakes, it has been kicked. But now we're LOWER still to see…

    EXT. DENVER, COLORADO – HIGHWAY OVERPASS – PRE-DAWN TRAFFIC

    Headlights. Stop and go traffic. The morning commute made worse by the advent of white flakes.

    And that's not all that's falling, as the DEAD MAN in suit comes back INTO VIEW as he falls off the overpass and CRASHES onto the ROOF of a FORD BRONKO.

    So… What I was trying to do there was open on the body. Get the misdirection of peace. Show the body's dead. THEN introduce the setting by dropping below the overpass at which time the oncoming traffic is visible. And finally end the scene with the shock of body crashing on vehicle on the highway.

    Lemme know whatchu think.

    - E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

  2. Is the modern viewing audience too cynical for Capra-esque movies? I just wrote one and wonder if I'm battling yet another windmill. The script got some interest from a producer, but I really doubt that I'll get any feedback.

  3. Mr Scott..

    How many scripts have you written and how many were sold? How did you sell them? Any new ones sold?
    I feel that you definitely wrote something great.
    Would you mind to publish them for us to read it? All of it?

  4. I have a question about the reading of scripts. I have often read that it is most beneficial to read a screenplay in one sitting, in order to truely learn from the experience.

    I can see the wisdom of this as you are better able to pick up on rhythm and pace. Real life, however, has a way of intruding on said study periods; so my question is this: Is there value in reading a script in pieces? Or do you lose out on it's overall structure and theme?

    Now, reading of any kind is beneficial, but what are your thoughts on the "One Sitting" mind-set?

    Thanks.

  6. What are some principles you use for opening scenes? What makes an opening scene really hook the reader, and get behind our "hero" for the long haul?

  7. hey scott,

    thanks so much for answering my earlier question- very helpful.

    i was wondering if you could tell me what makes a great scene. in other words, ideally what should every scene have in it? conflict, argument, visual ques, etc? is there a checklist that you can create so that one could go through their screenplay scene by scene and make sure that all the components were there? and should individual scenes have sort of a mini structure within them- like crisis, conflict, climax, resolution?

    thanks!

  8. In regard to hooking the reader in first 10 pages… Would you say that a "hook" consists of something shocking, mesmerizing, tantalizing, OR can a hook also be something that simply sets the stage for things to come in an interesting manner?

    In other words, does a hook have to be suspenseful? And if you choose to go another route, are you essentially dooming yourself with certain pro readers?

  9. When you posted the piece on how author Don Chaon uses color coded index cards for his first draft it made me wonder how? When I use color coded cards, I use them to identify either a theme or a particular character. How do you (or would you) use color coded index cards in outlining your script? BTW, thanks for the link to the Step Sheet for Chinatown. What a great resource!

  11. Hey Scott,

    I'm hoping you come back to this post to review the questions, because I've got a question that really doesn't get much discussion. There's a lot of discussion on how to "break in" to Hollywood either by writing spec scripts or working within the industry in another capacity as a writer.

    My question is, what role does formal education have toward working as a screenwriter? I'd suspect it is much more relevant for those wishing to work within the industry.

    Are there jobs within the industry that traditionally go to screenwriters with an actual college background? If so, which jobs?

    IMHO, this might be a subject that merits its own post to cover.

    Thanks,

    Scott Hite

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