To learn the ins-and-outs of authoring, I paid maybe $10 for a variety of e-books from talented author, Joanna Penn. After authoring, I wanted to also learn about screenwriting, so I purchased a $90 Masterclass hosted by TV titan, Shonda Rhimes. How great is it that we have access to these kinds of learning resources, literally at our fingertips? And for so cheap?
Now, while I highly recommend both to anyone with interest in either pursuit, the second part of any education came next: execution. This leaves us with two phases.
- Strategize (Masterclass, books, college)
- Execute (Do)
With two books now published and a third on the way, I can say execution is a far more important way to learn. With so many educational resources out there though, it’s easy to bury yourself in them and stall on taking action. This is something I’ve done to myself plenty of times, so I’m with you if you’re in this boat. If I had to estimate though, I’d recommend focusing 20% on learning to strategize and 80% on learning through action.
With this in mind, here’s what I’ve discovered so far through my screenwriting execution!
What I’ve learned so far about screenwriting
- Formatting matters – a screenplay follows a specific format. For anyone starting out, I highly recommend using Scrivener. This software provides hints and drop-downs for how a certain section should look so you don’t need to adjust margins or fonts at all.
- No narrator – one of the most interesting things for me in this process has been the challenge of telling the same story in two different ways. Where a novel’s narrator can get inside a character’s (or characters’) head, a screenplay is much more focused on what is seen. The latter relies more on actors/actresses to bring the characters’ interiority to life. In this way, the script almost feels to me like a picture painted with words.
- Story-boarding – my current task. Along with the script, story-boarding is also necessary to set up the scenes frame-by-frame. I’ll just be drawing with crappy stick figures, before going to the set and scoping out the frames which will be used.
- More of an outline – a novel is the final product for an author, but a script isn’t really the final product for a screenwriter. As such, I think of the script as more of an outline for what’s going to be said/seen on film. Maybe every other screenwriter agrees with this too and maybe none do. I’m still figuring things out obviously. But there somehow feels like a bit less final-product pressure in writing the script than there is for a book. This might also be because I am using a book as an outline though, so we’ll see if I still feel this way on the next project!
For all who are interested, below I’ve shared the script itself. Beyond excited to be shooting it next week and I expect to have it released by mid-February!
To those skilled screenwriters out there, I’m still learning the composition. It is also too much work to do perfect margins here in html. As such, if you could forgive me for any screenplay formatting sins, I would appreciate it. 🙂
Civilands Live Action Trailer
TEASER
EXT. FOREST – DAY
A forest blanketed in a thin layer of snow. Puffy, gray clouds fill the sky overhead. Birds are chirping, likely celebrating a day off from the snowfall.
JEANNIE (V.O.)
(Panting and crying hysterically) Momma!
JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)
(Men roaring, the sound of a fire) Jeannie–Jeannie put on your coat, baby.
JEANNIE (V.O.)
No! Momma no!
JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)
There’s no time to waste, Jeannie, do it now. For me, okay?
Put on your coat, run out back into the forest and don’t you stop running.
One of the wider tree trunks has CLAW SCRATCH MARKS torn through it. Five symmetrical, jagged lines stretch along its aged exterior. They go deep enough that the tan inner sapwood is revealed.
JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)
(Jeannie crying) Your daddy and I need to fetch your brothers upstairs now.
JEANNIE (V.O.)
(Sobbing and panting) I can’t go.
JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)
I know, baby, but you need to. Go and find Chieftain Arkouda.
Don’t stop until you do. Okay? He’ll keep you safe.
JEANNIE (V.O.)
I can’t leave you. No.
JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)
(Embrace) I love you, baby. Momma loves you and will
always be with you. (Both crying) Now go. Please. And quickly.
Aside from the scratch marks, there is stillness and tranquility in the forest.
But then, from in the distance above the trees, we see the beginnings of a SMOKE CLOUD rising. The wispy, black body thickens quickly but still, we have tranquility. Until…
…from behind the trees, a YOUNG GIRL suddenly appears, running in our direction opposite the smoke. She looks disheveled in her long dress and what must be her father’s coat, thrown on in improvisation. The movements she makes aren’t blissful over the crunching forest floor.
As she comes further into view we begin to hear the ferocious barking of HOUNDS and the cheering of MEN. The group as a whole sounds so vile that it’s difficult to distinguish which noises are the men and which are the dogs. The only indication is a drawl that overtakes the others.
UNKNOWN PURSUER
Oh, Jeannie! We ain’t gonna hurt you, Jeannie!
Jeannie maneuvers forward, close enough to see that she’s crying and screaming and panicked, but then…
…WHOOSH! She runs right past us in our view of the forest setting. The smoke behind her now fills the sky.
EXT. RIVERBANK – DAY
The sound of her pursuers remain, but now we see Jeannie from her back, panting before a river. From behind she looks defeated and exhausted for at first, until she stands up straight and her hand balls into a fist. It’s clear she’s prepared to cross in order to escape them. It’s clear she’ll have her revenge.
*
Thanks for reading and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!
