Lessons you can learn from “Star Trek” writers
I thought the latest incarnation of a Star Trek movie was great entertainment and I promoted it accordingly on GITS as in here, here, and here. So it was with much interest I read this yesterday at TheHeroComplex, an interview with Geoff Boucher and the screenwriting duo of K&O:
GB: It’s early days on the “Star Trek” sequel, but is there anything you can tell us about the story direction, tone or even the types of challenges you’re anticipating with this next-step project?
AK: Well, we have broken the story, which is very exciting. I think one of the weird challenges that we’re facing on this one is that in many ways, with the first movie, I don’t think people knew what to expect, so when we were in the writing process, Bob and I really spent our time going to things that we loved about “Trek” and it was a very unfiltered process. It felt intimate and small. There weren’t a lot of voices other than [producer] Damon [Lindelof], J.J. and [executive producer] Bryan Burke. Now, that first movie has come up and did well and everyone wants to know what happens next. We didn’t have that pressure, exactly, on the first one. That said, part of what we have to do is listen to it all, ask a lot of questions about what people’s expectations are — and then let all of that go when we sit down to write. We need to find our way back to the same kind of vibe that we had when we wrote the first one: What do we want to see here? What moved us about “Trek”? Where can we go from where we left off?
RO: One of the big challenges is all of the characters are together now. A prequel is a pain in the butt, but one of the nice little advantages was that you get to meet the characters as you go through the story and they get to meet each other. That’s fun. We don’t that luxury of not having the entire family there together at the start of the story. So now you want the character stories to be good for everybody but also not just be there to be stories but also fit into the plot and be organic. We’re looking at a lot of the old episodes for inspiration, still. Whereas the last movie was all about breaking free from “Star Trek” and its canon, now that we can do whatever we want, we still want it to feel like good ol’ “Star Trek” even though it’s a new story.
In terms of the sequel, this is all excellent news, and I’m sure Star Trek fans are happy to hear it. But I thought we should dig a little deeper into K&O’s comments as they reflect the way professional screenwriters think.
* “…we have broken the story, which is very exciting”: Let’s start with the obvious: K&O have broken the story in the prep-writing phase. Not typing FADE IN, then hoping for the best. No, working through the story before you start writing actual script pages. It’s hard work and it may not seem as fun as writing actual scenes and sequences, but this is how most professional writers operate. Crack the story in prep.
* “Bob and I really spent our time going to things that we loved about ‘Trek’”: One of the most important things a writer must do with any story is find their point of emotional resonance with the material. That not only helps you in the writing, enabling you to draw on your passion for the project to push you through the tough times, but also makes it much more likely you’ll be able to infuse your characters with some genuine emotion.
*”…it was a very unfiltered process.” As writers, it is paramount that we engage the story directly. It’s us and the characters, us and the plot, us and the story’s voices and moments. Brainstorming is a key strategy to do this, helping us to surface gold while digging into the story.
* “We need to find our way back to the same kind of vibe that we had when we wrote the first one.” Story development can be confounding from time to time which is why it’s hugely important for a writer to remember their first instincts about a story. Whatever those initial impulses, feelings, thoughts, and ideas, write them down somewhere so you can refer back to them throughout the process. Those instincts serve as a touchstone for you.
* “So now you want the character stories to be good for everybody but also not just be there to be stories but also fit into the plot and be organic.” There’s the Plotline, typically defined by the Protagonist’s journey. But almost all stories have other characters. And those characters often have their own subplots. As a writer, you know going in you have to service those characters and subplots. But at all times, you must be mindful of this fact: They have to be organic to the plot or else they will come off as false. The best way to do that? Drive those subplots via the essence of what each character is about.
* “We’re looking at a lot of the old episodes for inspiration, still.” This is simple: Research. At the minimum, you need to know enough about your story that you can create a credible universe, a sense of verisimilitude in what you write. It doesn’t have to be real, but it does have to feel real. And one of the best ways to do that is by researching the arena of your story.
* “…we still want it to feel like good ol’ “Star Trek” even though it’s a new story.” This is perhaps the single greatest challenge for writers working on assignment: How to make a story that is familiar to viewers feel fresh. In other words, how to make the story similar but different. You want to honor and use what viewers may know or expect, but provide distinctive elements to the story to surprise and entertain.
These are some key dynamics at play in the minds of working professional screenwriters. And it’s no wonder that Kurtzman & Orci are at the top of the trade today.
So learn from them!
By the way, next I’ll re-post a detailed analysis I wrote of the first Kurtzman & Orci Star Trek back in May 2009.
For more on the ‘similar but different’ reality of life in Hollywood, go here, here, and here.
Finally Kurtzman is directing his first movie Welcome to People. And here is a casting call for a character named “Josh.” So any of you 11-to-13 year-old boys out there, now’s your chance to star in a Hollywood movie.