Interview (Part 5): Elizabeth Oyebode (2016 Nicholl Winner)

My 6-part chat with the writer of the winning script “Tween the Ropes”.

Elizabeth Oyebode wrote the original screenplay “Tween the Ropes” which won a 2016 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth about her background, her award-winning script, the craft of screenwriting, and what winning the Nicholl has meant to her.

Today in Part 5 of 6, Elizabeth discusses her approach to several different aspects of the screenwriting craft:

Scott: Let’s jump to some craft question. How do you come up with story ideas?

Elizabeth: News stories, studying visually dynamic situations, people watching. I tend to get ideas from photographs, from imagery a lot of the time. And I tend to gravitate toward stories, like this one, where you feel them in your marrow and you just can’t shake them off.

Scott: This script is obviously a drama. The script that we did at the Black List Lab was a drama, but you’ve got a background doing comedy and improv. Are any of the ideas that you’re coming up with at all comedies, or is everything a drama at this point?

Elizabeth: No, there’s comedies. There’s comedies, Scott.

[laughter]

Scott: I’d like to see some of that.

Elizabeth: One is a script based on my stand‑up routine. That one has been in the background because I’ve been focusing on the dramatic scripts.

I love writing comedy. Drama is the space that I’ve been in, but I’m definitely open to writing comedies and even to writing genre. I’m also working on a sci‑fi script.

Scott: Well then, there you go, because of the background with physics.

Elizabeth: Yes.

Scott: That’s one great thing about being a screenwriter, is that you can always spec something that’s in a completely different genre because if anybody says, “Well I don’t know if she can do a comedy. I don’t know if she could do science fiction.” Boom, you just give them 100 pages and say, “There it is.”

Okay, another craft question. How about the prep‑writing? I’m always interested to see how people approach breaking a story ‑‑ brainstorming, character development, plotting, research, and outlining. What’s your process like in terms of prepping a story?

Elizabeth: I’ll take the deep dive into research then make use of index cards and outlining. Almost always though, I start with a character.

Then after I’ve played around with character dynamics in my head for a while, I’ll come up with some cool scene ideas. After I’ve gotten to a point where I feel comfortable, I will transfer scenes to index cards, and play around with them.

Of course, I’ll fall back on foundational screenplay structure, but I don’t usually allow myself to do that until I’ve given myself permission to play around with the ideas, the scenes, and the characters for long enough to feel like I have given them room to grow in the way that they want.

Scott: I hope everybody reading this will get a transcript of that last part. Start with characters. Immerse yourself in their lives. Let them start to come alive as opposed to jumping immediately to like, “This needs to happen on page whatever.”

Elizabeth: Mm‑hmm, yes.

Scott: So how do you go about developing your characters?

Elizabeth: I will often ask myself questions about the character — What is it they want in life at that moment? What is holding them back internally from getting it? What is it that they fear most? I’ll allow myself to give several answers to those questions until I find one that feels right.

I will often put them in ordinary situations and try to come up with something that they do differently. Or have them complete mundane tasks like dishwashing to see how they perform those and what it says about them. Then I allow that to be a bridge to bigger ideas, and bigger behaviors and actions.

Scott: Hearing you talk about your story ‑‑ the script, “Tween the Ropes” ‑‑ and talking about the tools, and the rope, and the cocoon, it’s clear that you think thematically. How do you go about developing themes? Do they emerge as you’re working with the story or do you tend to start out with them upfront? How does that work for you?

Elizabeth: I think themes are tremendously important. They serve as these signposts as you write because they keep you aware of the big picture. I try not to force myself to think too deeply about message and themes early on because setting those in stone too soon can stifle a story’s full potential.

Going into this script, I knew that there were going to be issues related to legacy, inheritance, family strife, and loss of innocence. So yes, I suppose, theme is always there lurking in the background.

I don’t know that you necessarily have to have only one theme in your script. There’s going to be an overarching one, but there may be a few more, and if each scene and each main character is tied to one of those themes, then I think you’re on the right track.

Scott: Yeah, I’ve always thought that, too. Maybe there’s a central theme, but there are probably multiple themes going on. Why would it be any different than, say, a music composition or something.

Elizabeth: Absolutely.

Tomorrow in Part 6, Elizabeth offers advice to aspiring screenwriters.

For Part 1 of the interview, go here.

For Part 2, here.

For Part 3, here.

For Part 4, here.

For more of my interviews with Nicholl winners, go here.