The Rewrite

Hey everyone!!! By now you have already completed your first draft of your script, correct? CONGRATULATIONS!!! Give yourself a pat on the back. It's a rewarding feeling to have finished writing your first screenplay. All the blood, sweat, and tears you have gone through to get a finished product. I know it wasn't easy doing the research, reading the many books, and putting the words on paper. I applaud you at this stage of your writing. But now comes the REWRITE and EDIT!!! I know this part sucks but it CAN be rewarding as well. During this process you may be moving things around, adding and taking out, or deleting a scene or two! Don't worry, it's okay...this too shall pass! I know you may have just did the biggest sigh but I PROMISE I have some notes that will make it better! As you all know or if you don't I'm getting my Master's Degree at Full Sail University in Creative Writing where I learned about writing screenplays, games, animation and more. I just finished my screenplay in a month. You must think I'm crazy right? With the tools and the books and applying yourself you too can do this! Now, don't get it wrong it was so much hard work because I had deadlines and it's crunch time! But, whether you are doing this for school or as a goal you can get things done in an ample amount of time if you have this...TIME MANAGEMENT! Time management isn't one of my best friends at all, but we have learned to get along for the better! For the big REWRITE, I have some great notes for a book that I'm using for school called Rewrite by Paul Chitlik. Let me tell you...I thought it was going to be boring like most text books but this one is AWESOME and easy to read. So let's get started...I'll write the first  chapters of notes for you. If you have any questions please comment below! 

                                                                         Chapter 1

                                                   Clarifying Story and Structure For Impact

Does your film have the 7 points that provide the bare bones of the body of your movie? Here are the seven points: 

1. Ordinary Life- getting to know who the central character is and what his issue (flaw) is. We see the protagonist in his usual surroundings, dealing with the usual people in his life, but we also see that he has some issues and that there is a need for change. He may or may not know that. 

2. The Inciting Incident- this shows up usually around page 15 (or 15 minutes into the film), give or take a couple pages. Something happens to your protagonist that will change his life forever. Eventually, it will compel him to act. It will help him define his goal. 

3. End of Act One- when your character decides on a course of action in order to deal with whatever the inciting incident brought up. Usually another major event forces him to decide that he must take action. A plan is part of that. It usually occurs between pages 25 and 35. 

4. Midpoint or Turning Point- Yes, this does happen right around the middle wherein the action takes a sudden and new unexpected direction. The goal may change. The central character may realize what his flaw is. 

5. The low point- End of the second act. The all is lost point in terms of the goal. It appears there's no way in hell he'll ever reach his goal. Happens around page 75-85 depending on the length of your script. 

6. The Final Challenge- AT the beginning of Act 3, your protagonist sees something, hears something, or even remembers something that reanimates him and gives him the will to continue. The he prepares to face the final test, the final barrier that your character must overcome in order to reach his goal. The last, biggest battle.  

7. The return to(the now- changed- forever) normal life. Two or three pages to show us that life goes on and that our character has triumphed and changed.

GUIDELINES, NOT LAWS

The seven points are only guidelines, of course. But the inciting incident should come as early as you can get it while still showing us who the main character is and why we should care about him.

There are scenes between these points-important scenes and many barriers to get through and many people to relate to, but these are the major signposts along the way of your protagonists journey. 

HERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Briefly outline your story in terms of the seven points. Write no more than a sentence about each of the seven points. Make sure that each of the seven points. Make sure that each point after the inciting incident relates to the goal of your central character. 

THE BEAT SHEET

Now it's time to really see where you are in your structure. Were all your points expressed in terms of the protagonist's goal? Were they in the proximity to the balance described above? Now we're going  to get intimate with your script. YES....INTIMATE!  Without making any changes to your story yet, we need to see what exactly what you have in terms of scenes, so let's write a beatsheet of your story.  

A beatsheet is a list of the scenes of your story to remind them what each scene will be. 

*But the beatsheet you wrote when you started your script might not correspond to what ended up in your script. You may have added scenes, changed them,taken some away. That's the process* 

When you you do your rewrite, you've got to be ready to do this, too, so you need a new beatsheet to get the lay of the land. The best way to do this according to some screenwriters, is to write each beat on index cards. (BY THE WAY IF YOU HAVE THE FINAL DRAFT SOFTWARE, INDEX CARDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU.)

DEVELOPING SUBPLOTS

 By this time you should be thinking of two main subplots that is the " B" and the "C" of your story, the emotional subplot and the personal growth subplot. In most stories, the central story is the "A" story. In romantic comedies, it's the emotional, or the "B" story.  The protagonist isn't the only person in your story. He has friends, lovers and enemies. Each of these people can have a subplot on his own. 

RAISING THE STACKS 

Here when raising the stacks you've got to set up your story so that each step, it gets harder and harder for your protagonist to get past the obstacles in his way. What is the penalty of your central character doesn't achieve a short-term goal and eventually, the long term goal? In other words, what are the stakes? What is the jeopardy for the protagonist? If he drives too fast, his car will slide off the road. If he fails his test, he'll have to start over again.  As you progress in your script, you should be continually raising the stakes. Do you?

TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!

What happens to your central character if he fails his quest? What are the consequences of failure? Write one or two lines describing the stakes.

WHO IS THE REAL HERO?

 One of the MOST difficult things about writing a feature film is to figure out who the hero is. Yes, hero. The hero is the person who has to overcome adversity to reach his goal.  

 

TO DO!!!!!! ( Last One, lol)

Write in one line what your protagonist does to overcome the big barrier in the final challenge. He can have help. but he must lead the charge, whatever form that charge takes. 

Now in this chapter if you have done ALL the work provided...you have worked hard. Take a time to relax and do something fun. Watch a movie or read a book for fun. 

Discussion Question: Do you feel that these notes will help you advance and make your screenplay better? Why or why not? Comment below PLEASE!!!!