“I think if people try a few screenplays and they just fall apart in the middle, or people say, ‘It was great until this happened or that happened,’ then maybe they can read one of those [screenwriting] books, but there are not three acts in a screenplay. There may be seven, there may be two… I think it’s a huge mistake. If you go in with formula, you come out with formula. The whole thrill of being a writer is to do a prototype every time out. And you can do it, something that nobody ever wrote before. If you confine yourself to three acts, you’ll find yourself writing something you’ve seen already.”
– David Seltzer (The Omen, Punchline)
I love quotes like these from established writers. They are inspiring. Justify our existence as "artists." They're also complete bullshit. Maybe David has convinced himself that his work transcends that of a three act structure. The problem, David, is that your work is of public record, and your screenplays are textbook three act structures with all the formulaic trimmings. And if you didn't structure them that way, maybe the writer that got paid to fix them did. And if you did structure them that way then you are either full of crap, or you've found some way to "free yourself" as an artist, while subconsciously writing within a very defined structure (i.e. formula). Wow. Even I think I sound like a jerk at this point, but the reason Scott has one of the best blogs on writing is that he tempers this kind of esoteric gobeldygook with the hard reality of becoming, and working as, a professional writer. I'd love to be a fly on the wall listening to someone who has taken this advice to heart try to explain to the VP of production at (name a friggin studio) how their take on fixing said script is to just "let it happen" … "The structure will come to me while being an artist" … "might be 2 acts, might be 6" … *insert joint whiffing sound*
That hilarious scene, however, will never happen because a writer that actually thinks like this will never get in that room. The most freethinking (working) writer we have right now is Kaufmen, and maybe his best work is the one about an "artist" relenting to the necessity of structure in movies. Irony anyone? And he did what we all need to do — make that an awesome, original ride, on the rollercoaster that we know takes X amount of time, and has X amount of big drops, etc.
Guys like Sheldon Turner, Gilroy, Helgeland, and the 6 other fixers that get 95% of the rewrites in town love hearing advice like Seltzer's, even give it themselves from time to time, because they know that anyone that thinks like this will be writing scripts for themselves, or their mommies, until they figure out the business. Does that mean these guys are lesser writers? Absolutely not. If you want to be a pro, and actually get paid to be a screenwriter, you need to figure out how to bring something really interesting to the table within the confines of the structure. We are not writing novels. We have 120 pages or less to tell a compelling story. The art, the profession, is knowing that certain things must happen at certain points and then filling in the pages in between with compelling story and characters. You want to be an artist and just let it happen… write some poetry, maybe a stream of consciousness short story with no punctuation, but if you want to get paid to write movies then you need to pull your head out of your artistic tookus and get to work. And please don't take my word for it. Read any of the specs that are selling — they'll have great concepts, at least good, decent characters, decent structure. Then read the production draft that lists the fixers on the cover — usually more than one — and compare scripts. Did they mess with the formula? No they did not. They probably made it more structurally sound, and then they amped up the characters and the scenes those characters are in. That's the job, that is the profession. You don't want to do that? Bohemia Cafe' has open poetry readings on Wednesday nights. Maybe you can pass the hat after.
@CrashDaily: I was hoping someone would post something akin to your comment.
Please lob me an email:
scottdistillery@gmail.com
I love it Crash!
Very well put.
Damn those successful screenwriters lying to us, or themselves, so they can feel like artists or keep the wannabes down.
Actually, I come to this blog to read the excellent primary source material, such as working writers gobbledygooking esoterically about their craft. That and the virtual drinks.
@OutofContext — I get it. Believe it or not I'm with you. I'll look anywhere and listen to just about anything if there is the slightest possibility of inspiration. Lying to oneself is an art — I'm sure Seltzer believes what he says here, or did when he said it. But break down some of his scripts and then read that quote again after you've skipped your morning coffee and you might have a response akin to mine. Write from the heart … (and make sure something big happens by page 10 or I'm putting your script down)
@CrashDaily–Firstly,I like your screen name–reminds me of a 30's serial character.
And I get it, too. I know Hollywood is a business. I've been in business a long time–I've even done a little TV business (just once) and I treated it just as I did any business enterprise. You are essentially asking a banker for a huge investment and he/she has to be comfortable with that investment and you. It is important for amateurs to become familiar with what is expected in the business and to behave professionally.
I also don't have a problem with formula–many of my favorite directors worked within the studio system, which was more overtly formal than today's Hollywood. I just think something like what Seltzer said could almost fall in the level of semantics. Maybe your version of Act II of one of his works is his Acts III-VI. In the end Hollywood movies, and independents and even most art movies have a beginning middle or end. Does the beginning have to be 30 minutes, the middle an hour (or can it be four 15 minute pieces) and the end 20 minutes? I think that's what annoys the 'artistes' like Seltzer, who is, after all, in his sixties and has earned the right to tell someone to get off his lawn.
I believe this interview is from the Dialogue Series and, if it is, I can highly recommend it. He tells some great stories, especially about Willy Wonka.
As for the first 10 pages of my screenplays–well, let's just say I'll never work in your town. But you can walk on my lawn whenever you like.
Good conversation to have. Thanks.
@outofcontext — You're 100% correct about multiple acts, but they always fall within the three biggies (almost). And although my post seems disrespectful to Seltzer, I admire his work very much. I wrote, particularly harshly, for the purpose of making a point to whom I believe to be the average reader of blogs like these — the novice that is trying to break in. For this person, quotes like these can be a serious set back. Scott and I had a nice exchange about this yesterday, and I think we both agree that the rules can be broken, especially by pros like Seltzer, but you better damn well know exactly what they are before you start tinkering. But again this advice is only for the aspiring pro — artists, please, go to town. Just take a peak at early works of Pollock or Picasso…
Pingback: Yosh
Pingback: housebreaking a puppy
Pingback: online marketing blog
Pingback: free niche site ideas
Pingback: Oberschenkelstraffung