Su-City Pictures East, LLC

Screenplay & Film Consulting By Susan Kouguell

Category: WRITING CHARACTERS (page 3 of 3)

Susan’s ScriptLab article: The 14 Vital Points for Outlining Characters

July 26, 2014 / / Comments Off on Susan’s ScriptLab article: The 14 Vital Points for Outlining Characters

 

Readers must have a clear understanding of who your characters are and the reasons why they take the actions they do in your screenplay; otherwise your script will be rejected.

Successful characters are multi-dimensional with distinctive physical attributes, emotional traits, appearances, personalities, intelligence, vulnerabilities, emotions, attitudes, idiosyncrasies, a sense of humor or prevailing despair, secrets, and hopes and dreams. Writing solid and memorable characters also means digging deep into their past and present.

There are several ways in which to delve into characters, such as writing character bios in the character’s voice.  (I offer various templates and examples in my book Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays!).  Use whichever exercise works best for you.  The bottom line is that you must know your characters inside and out.

The 14 Vital Points to Address in Your Character Outline

The following points to address for each of your main characters and for your significant supporting characters:

1.     Character Arcs:  How do my characters evolve in the beginning, middle, and end of the script, as they attempt to achieve their goals?

2.     Journeys:  What do my characters learn about themselves and others, and what do my characters gain or lose, as the plot unfolds?

3.     Multi-dimensional:  What are my characters specific emotional, mental, physical, and/or social behaviors and traits? How do my characters see themselves and how do they relate to others?

4.     Empathy: What elements make my characters likeable and unlikable?

5.     Goals: What are my characters main goals and why are these goals important? How do my characters plan to achieve these goals?

To read more:

http://thescriptlab.com/features/screenwriting-101/2773-the-14-vital-points-for-outlining-characters

Susan’s Screenwriters Utopia piece: David Cronenberg, Subplots, and Plot Twists

July 25, 2014 / / Comments Off on Susan’s Screenwriters Utopia piece: David Cronenberg, Subplots, and Plot Twists

On a recent trip to Amsterdam to the EYE (national museum of film)  I visited the major exhibition of director David Cronenberg’s work. One section, featuring clips and information about his film, A History of Violence, reminded me of this powerful work that I also referenced in my book, Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! – specifically in the chapters in which I discuss subplots and plot twists.

TOM STALL In this family, we do not solve problems by hitting people!

JACK STALL No, in this family, we shoot them!

Tom slaps his teenage son, Jack.

In A History of Violence (screenplay by Josh Olson), family man and small town Indiana diner owner, Tom Stall, becomes a local yet reluctant hero after he shoots two thugs, who attempt to rob him.  National news coverage of this event prompts the arrival of Fogarty and his two henchmen from Philadelphia to confront Tom.

Plot twists can be illustrated through character revelations; who they truly are and what they are capable of doing for survival, loyalty, love, and so on, or during the story when an unexpected event occurs. In the case of this film, the plot twist unfolds when it is revealed that Tom Stall is not only Joey Cusack, an ex-killer from Philadelphia—but he has kept his true identity secret for twenty-years from his wife and their two children. Hence the title A History of Violence — the underlying meaning for Tom Stall centers on his own personal history of violence.

There is nothing more satisfying to an audience when they are taken by surprise, but plot twists should be true to your story and not tacked on just for the shock element.

To read more: http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/af5ed45a

My latest article:
http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/af5ed45a

SUSAN’S Top Tips to Finding a Good Script Consultant in Screenwriter’s Utopia

June 28, 2014 / / Comments Off on SUSAN’S Top Tips to Finding a Good Script Consultant in Screenwriter’s Utopia

 

Let me start by saying that in full disclosure — for over twenty-five years I have worked as a script consultant — first for studios and then as chairperson of my company Su-City Pictures East, LLC.  I am often asked, and again recently asked (which inspired this article), why writers should hire a script consultant and what to ask when looking for one.

When working on a screenplay for weeks, months, and possibly years, many screenwriters become so close to their projects that they lose objectivity and are unable to see problems in their work.  This is often the time a screenwriter might consider hiring a script consultant.

Submitting a script before it’s really ready to be considered jeopardizes your chances. Screenwriters generally have only one shot when submitting a script to a company and/or agent—once the script is rejected it’s nearly impossible to have the same script considered by the same company or agent even if you’ve done a brilliant rewrite. Film industry folks are inundated with material and the competition is fierce, so submit only your absolute best work.

Top Tips

  • Find out what projects the consultant has worked on, his/her professional background and accomplishments, and clients’ successes. Ask for references.
  • Choose someone with extensive industry experience and a solid track record.
  • You must feel comfortable, and you and the consultant should be a good match for you and your project. Trust your instincts.
  • A good consultant will offer objective feedback letting you know what the industry expects of your script and to what degree your script meets these expectations.
  • The consultant should provide a safe, non-threatening environment yet be honest, telling the screenwriter not just what he or she wants to hear but what he or she needs to hear.
  • The consultant should provide the necessary feedback and tools to make sure the script is ready to be submitted for consideration.
  • The consultant must have good communication skills and good attitude.
  • The consultant needs to listen and address the writers’ concerns and questions.
  • Many screenwriters receiving feedback feel very vulnerable and sensitive, so a good consultant should be mindful of this and of course, show respect for their clients’ work.

To read more:

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/e0c50cec

SUSAN’S TOP TEN LOGLINE TIPS for SCREENWRITERS UTOPIA

May 23, 2014 / / Comments Off on SUSAN’S TOP TEN LOGLINE TIPS for SCREENWRITERS UTOPIA

 

 

“What is that script about?”

A logline is a one-sentence plot summary; it is also known as a written pitch. The first step in writing a logline is to ask yourself: “What is my script about?” and then answer the question.

A logline is not a tagline, as seen in a movie trailer or movie advertisement, such as in this example:

BAD LOGLINE EXAMPLE #1

Will Jenny overcome her demons before it’s too late?

WHY IT’S BAD

•           It sounds like a movie trailer.

•           It doesn’t tell us what the story is about or what the major conflict is.

•           The phrase “too late” doesn’t tell us what’s at stake in your story.

•           It includes the character’s name, which loglines should not.

•           Jenny could be a child, a teen or an adult.

•           It doesn’t tell us who Jenny really is.

Loglines must clearly and succinctly convey what the core of your story is about, using your story arc as your guide.

BAD LOGLINE EXAMPLE #2

It’s a story about a teacher who learned life lessons as she discovered the meaning of life.

WHY IT’S BAD

•           It’s written in the past tense.

•           “It’s a story about” is too wordy and unnecessary.

•           We don’t know what type of teacher or person she is.

•           “Learns life lessons” and “discovering the meaning of life” identifies the themes of the story, and it repeats the word ‘life.”  (A logline must not include the theme of your script; it should be evident.)

•           It doesn’t tell us what the story is about or what major obstacle she must overcome.

TOP TEN LOGLINE TIPS

  1. Describe your story and setting, your protagonist, and his or her major goal and conflict/obstacle.
  2. Use present tense.
  3. Every word must do double duty. Less is more.
  4. Indicate how your characters are distinct by using strong adjectives to describe them.
  5. Show the reader how your story is different and unique, and what sets it apart.

To read more: http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/a4d71de0

 

SUSAN’S TOP TEN TIPS FOR WRITING DYNAMIC DIALOGUE for SCREENWRITER’S UTOPIA

April 28, 2014 / / Comments Off on SUSAN’S TOP TEN TIPS FOR WRITING DYNAMIC DIALOGUE for SCREENWRITER’S UTOPIA

 

TOP TEN TIPS ON WRITING DYNAMIC DIALOGUE

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Who else but Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind could have said this memorable line?

Characters’ voices must be distinctive and not interchangeable with other characters. Readers must be able to identify who is speaking without needing to look at character headings. Always make every word count; sometimes less is more and the less said can prove more poignant.

Ten Top Tips to Writing Good Dialogue

1. Dialogue must clearly convey emotions, attitudes, strengths, vulnerabilities, goals, and so on, while revealing the details of your plot and advancing your narrative.

2. Every word of dialogue must be true to your character. Always consider your characters’ behaviors and motivations when they speak.

3. Consider silences and pauses your characters might use, or another character’s interruptions, to further convey tensions, actions, moods, and emotions.

4. In real life, most people do not always speak with flawless grammar in complete, formal sentences. Dialogue must not sound wooden or stilted.

5. To make your characters’ dialogue more identifiable consider using contractions, colloquialisms, slang, and so on, when true to your characters.

To read more:  http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/68334a30

Susan’s Screenwriter’s Utopia Top Treatment Tips article

April 1, 2014 / / Comments Off on Susan’s Screenwriter’s Utopia Top Treatment Tips article

 

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/c5e408b6

 

What is a treatment?

A treatment is a detailed overview of a script idea or screenplay, which is used as a marketing tool for both spec and for-hire screenwriters to sell their project. While treatments and synopses are both marketing tools to sell a screenplay or script idea, there are differences. A synopsis is generally one-page only and includes only the main plot points or your screenplay, while a  treatment is a more comprehensive and detailed overview of your script.

Do you really need to write a treatment?

It depends on the scenario.  It’s not really necessary to write a treatment unless it assists you in fleshing out your ideas and developing your screenplay. Studios, production companies and/or industry folks might request you submit a treatment to them after you pitch an idea and they are interested in your project.  They will tell you approximately how many pages to write for the treatment.

Top Ten Treatment Tips

  1. Your goal is to entice and excite the executive to want to see this treatment made into a movie. This also means that your writing talent and distinct voice shines through.
  2. Write your treatment in prose form and in the present tense.
  3. Make sure that you consistently follow the conventions of your script’s genre.
  4. Follow your main character’s journey and the major plot points. Indicate your protagonist’s goal and the major obstacles in his or her path, including the antagonist.
  5. Include dialogue snippets (using quotation marks) only when absolutely necessary to highlight a poignant or critical moment of your script.
  6. Your treatment should be a clear and accurate reflection of your script idea and/or screenplay.

To read more go to:

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/c5e408b6

Susan’s ‘Top Tips about Antagonists: How to Make the Film Executive Love to Hate Your Antagonist’

February 22, 2014 / / Comments Off on Susan’s ‘Top Tips about Antagonists: How to Make the Film Executive Love to Hate Your Antagonist’

Photo…Eve Harrington in All About Eve

Direct link to this article in Screenwriters Utopia: http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/e6879136

Why do we love to hate antagonists?  In a successfully crafted antagonist the reasons are clear — we understand their motives, we somehow relate to their actions, and we are drawn in because they are so plausible that we cannot believe what they are doing to achieve their goals.

Often known as the villain, the antagonist is the character whose objective is to prevent the protagonist from achieving his or her goal. However, antagonists do not have to be villains — (‘the bad guys’) — but they must demonstrate some type of opposition to the protagonist’s goals.

Film executives must empathize with your antagonist.  This doesn’t need mean sympathize — they must feel something for them such as hate, disdain, outrage, and disgust. Readers can disagree with the means by which your antagonist is going about taking action against the protagonist, but they should understand or even relate to why he or she is doing so.

Let’s turn the clock back to 1950 and the film All About Eve written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Why do we love to hate Eve Harrington? We are drawn into this memorable antagonist not only because she is duplicitous, scheming, and lies about her true identity, but she is smart, charming, and her goal to become a Broadway star is surprisingly realistic — she is a talented actress.  Eve will stop at nothing to achieve her goal — to become a bigger star than protagonist Margo Channing, who — eventually catching on to Eve’s intentions — leads to one of the film’s most famous line spoken by Margo: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Here are some tips for bringing out the best of your antagonists in your screenplay:

Top Tips

  • Avoiding one-dimensional or stereotypical antagonists will help you to avoid your script getting rejected.
  • Create empathetic, multi-dimensional antagonists whose motivations and behaviors are clear and plausible within the context of the plot.
  • Establish what’s at stake for your antagonist, and what he or she gains by succeeding in achieving his or her goal.
  • Antagonists who are emotionally complex, mysterious, flawed, vulnerable, and/or have a sense of humor are engaging to readers.
  • The antagonist’s true identity can be revealed in any act of your screenplay; however it’s best to establish the antagonist’s goals and intentions in Act 1 to raise the stakes in your protagonist’s journey.
  • Generally, antagonists are the ones who receive their punishment or retribution by the script’s climax. (For example: The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.)
  • Fully develop your antagonist’s character arc.

To learn more about writing and developing antagonists, as well as all your characters, read my book SAVVY CHARACTERS SELL SCREENPLAYS! Analyzing and referencing over 220 films, offering 34 screenwriting exercises, and providing six templates from fictional scripts, to inspire screenwriters to unleash their ideas, break through stumbling blocks, and strengthen their characters. (Save $1.00 off the $14.95 price by clicking on www.createspace.com/3558862 and use DISCOUNT CODE: G22GAZPD.  On Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SB8Z7M (discount code does not apply).

Susan’s Top Ten Tips about Writing Minor Characters in Screenwriter’s Utopia

January 24, 2014 / / Comments Off on Susan’s Top Ten Tips about Writing Minor Characters in Screenwriter’s Utopia

Minor characters are the small yet important characters in a screenplay.  Don’t short change them; take the time developing them.  They must be as distinct and as interesting as your major characters.

Read my top ten tips for bringing out the best of your supporting people in your screenplay.  http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/baeb8c80

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