Dispatch from The Quest: Jordan Earls
Last week as we did here on GITS, the Quest writers focused on the fifth week of Prep. Today’s dispatch: Jordan talks screenwriting art and craft:
Screenwriting is a blend of art and method. I know a lot of people say screenwriting isn’t an art because it’s a blueprint for a film. In my opinion, that’s crap. Screenplays tell stories and storytelling is man’s oldest art. With screenwriting, the art is there from the get go: all the character work, set pieces, jokes — whatever parts of the story pour out of you in the beginning of the prep process.
Hopefully you’ve all gotten a sense of who I am from my previous articles. It should be clear why I love screenwriting. I’m a girl who’s so in love with Shakespeare, I consistently try to discuss his brilliance every time I have a glass of wine with friends (and, yes, my friends have thrown drinks at me for doing so). I’m also someone who was excellent at math BUT I absolutely loathed the classroom aspect of it. A blend of using analytical method to get art would, of course, appeal to me.
These last few weeks all us Questers have cinched our stories closer and closer to represent something like a movie. Yet, as soon as I think I’m getting there, someone points out a gaping problem. Now, I’m not complaining by any means. In fact, the problems that are pointed out are usually ones I’ve realized. But I’m a stubborn scrooge and forced those problems to the corner of my mind because I didn’t want to recognize my baby’s flaws. The fact that others point these issues out, though, shows me one thing: trust your instincts.
Working, reworking and reworking is apart of the process. If the thought, “Gee, I’m not sure if a group of serial-killer-clowns is right for this coming-of-age comedy,” crosses your mind — I’m going to take a gander and say you’re probably correct. Scratch that, you’re definitely correct. You don’t need to wait for someone to be like, “Da fuq?” to realize it’s not working. Yet, the brilliance of TQ and the GOYOQ initiatives is that there are second opinions. I hope the entire GITS community is utilizing the community boards for this reason.
It’s been all about method this week: Realizing something doesn’t work, analyzing why and, then, taking a step back and figuring out how to make it work. Figuring out how to get across that a character is lonely without someone being like, “Gosh, you’re really lonely, aren’t you?” Figuring out how your third act’s final struggle uses the information the protagonist learned in the second act. Figuring out what the hell your protagonist learned in the second act. It’s all apart of the process.
The last two weeks of The Quest have been so exciting for me, I’ve lost a handful of hair. That’s what excitement feels like, yeah? Our outlines continue fleshing out. I’m sort of nervous my script’s going to become a full-bodied woman like it’s from some freaky, outlandish science experiment (check it, that’s an 80s movie reference for all you film savants out there). As much as I love Shakespeare and the art of storytelling, the method is vital. Putting the sweat into your script is what gets it on its feet so that you’re ready to type FADE IN. That day is nearing quickly. Now is the time to “get ‘er done” as they say. Method the crap out of your scripts, GITS community, and get ready to rumble this coming Monday.
This idea that a screenplay is a blueprint is, as Jordan points out, a flawed one. Yes, at some point, a script can become the basis of making a movie, actual people involved in actual production use it to guide their work. But from a creative standpoint, the term denigrates what screenwriters bring to the process. And while screenwriting is most definitely a craft, there is a kind of artistry to it, everything from visuals to dialogue, character articulations to scene transitions.
Today as many of you stand on the cusp of typing FADE IN on Monday as you Go On Your Own Quest, let’s embrace the craft, the creativity and the artistry of what we do as screenwriters!
About Jordan: Portland based writer. Connoisseur of film with an affinity for Nolan, Boyle and Jackson. Twitter: @jordanpaige00.