“It always gets back to the words”

“The point of view that words should be minimized in movies is just ridiculous! The technical aspects are not important. It’s the words, it always gets back to the words. The people who suffered the highest percentage of failure were novelists and short story writers. Because, in their form of choice, if they came to a scene that was tough they had dots. So they’d write, ‘There was a terrible quarrel.’ Dot, dot, dot. In a screenplay, you have to put down the words in the quarrel.”

Perhaps you’ve heard the name Julius Epstein. If not, does the movie Casablanca ring a bell? Julius Epstein and his brother Philip, along with Howard Koch received credit for writing that classic movie’s screenplay.

So when Julius Epstein talks, we listen.

Specifically Epstein is talking about the fact that screenplays traffic in an externalized reality. We have dialogue. We have action. Unless we use voiceover narration or enter into a character’s mind-state through dreams, nightmares, fantasies, or flashbacks, our focus is on what transpires in the physical world where an audience can see it or hear it.

Dot, dot, dot does not suffice. We have to use actual words to describe actual events that happen in the external world.

That’s one thing. In a more general sense, there is this: Every word matters. First draft, we pound out the story, getting it down as best we can as fast as we can. But as we move into rewrites, word choice becomes more critical.

It’s the difference between walk and burst.

It’s the difference between look and ogle.

It’s our job to create visuals, atmosphere, tone and feeling in the mind of a script reader.

In other words…

“It always gets back to the words.”

The Quest” has entered Week 23! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s a 24-week immersion in the screenwriting process and you can do it here — for free!

Today and every Monday through Friday for 10 weeks, I’ll use this slot to post something inspirational as GOYOQ participants pound out their first drafts.

For background on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” go here and here.

For all the previous weeks of Go On Your Own Quest posts, go here.