“Barney Lichenstein: A Story Analyst’s Top-10 List”
I’ve known Barney Lichtenstein for several years now. In fact, he was a guest speaker at one of my Writers Studio workshops a few years back. Barney is a great guy and hugely popular as an instructor through UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program.
Every month since May, Barney has been doling out his Top-10 list re screenwriting on the Scriptmag.com website. Here are links to the five tips available thus far:
#1. The First Page
Does the screenplay grab you in the first page, ideally the first sentence? It doesn’t have to be a bomb going off, but some aspect of characterization or plot which foreshadows or puts into motion a larger hook to come (mother packing bags at outset of Kramer vs. Kramer sets up walking out on marriage). Also, does it begin in the right place? Sometimes the perfect opening may be buried pages into the text — keep an eye out for it.
#2. Setting the Tone
Look for predominant tone established quickly and kept consistent, balanced. “Seeds” should be planted if the tone is going to change significantly (i.e. a serious prologue at beginning of Life is Beautiful suggests darker events to occur in a film which begins as a lighter comedy; mother’s concerns about crib death at the outset of Terms of Endearment create the same effect). Too often, scripts either start as humorless and heavy-handed, or too light and frivolous. Make sure the author is clearly creating a specific, effective tone.
Writing should make the most of a lead’s entrance (the back of Sean Connery’s head in first James Bond film; Bugs Bunny leaning on Elmer Fudd’s shotgun). The opening line of dialogue from the lead should let us know much about the character (“Bond … James Bond;” “What’s up, Doc?”). Even if someone is just commenting on the weather, ideally it should reveal something (sees storm clouds coming when there aren’t any — pessimist; expects sun when pouring — optimist).
Do secondary characters and even minor ones speak with their own distinct voices? Not every extra or store clerk must have something witty or profound to offer, but whenever appropriate, supporting or minor characters with distinct points of view should be adding color to the mosaic (i.e. Oracle’s musings in The Matrix; “plastics” touted by a materialistic party guest in The Graduate). Secondary characters who interact with your lead throughout the plot should ideally bring out some inner quality in your hero we might not see otherwise.
#5. The Big Payoff
Look for strong set ups, or what I call “planted seeds” and their payoffs. An additional tip here: the greater the irony in the payoff, the better: The warden in Shawshank Redemption, a man who perverts use of religion, discovers Andy’s Bible to contain a small pick ax, explaining how Andy escaped; in Star Wars, Luke not believing in the Force at first, but finally using it at the climax to defeat the Death Star; air tanks and their volatility are referred to several times throughout Jaws, but it’s the cop, the one man scared of the ocean, who resourcefully uses a tank to destroy the shark; in The Wizard of Oz, ruby slippers — cinema’s greatest MacGuffin — are touted from the outset as possessing mysterious powers which endanger Dorothy, their magic revealed at the climax as they help bring her home. When a writer offers these types of setups and ironic payoffs, even if the structure of the material isn’t perfect, he or she is more likely to improve it in development.”
So that’s 5 of 10. What about the other five? Presumably they’ll be available one-per-month over the next several months on Scriptmag.com. But for those who can’t wait, here is the full list of 10, albeit in a truncated version.
Which of these 10 tips resonates most strongly with you?
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