Writing your protagonist is writing the antagonists

The above image is from Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, NY, a film I can't wait to see, even though the critics didn't go wild at Cannes. But somehow I don't believe critics (I thought 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days wasn't THAT great) and I think festivals are just money machine and a good reason for the movie biz people to travel.

Today I want to talk about how you write your protagonist. Since you discover a character by the choices one makes, you should give your protagonists some tough choices to make. And he must face obstacles on his way. The harder the obstacle - the stronger (and better defined) your protagonist is.

Obstacles demand conflict. Without conflict there is no story. There must be something or someone standing in the way of your protagonist reaching h/her goal.

Obstacles are not only fire and big hairy men. It might be a character flaw (but that's the hardest obstacle which should be overcome at the end of the film, like the man in Jaws who is afraid of the water). We call this psychological obstacle. It can be a seductive woman (hello film noir fans), or an over protective brother: a relational obstacle. It can also be a phisical obstacle, such as a mountain or a very fast train the hero must jump from.

Tel Aviv Student Film Festival

I took this photo using my cell phone. It was a very hot day in university, and the black guys painted the black boards white.

The student film festival starts next week, so all classes are canceled (so we can enjoy the festival's screenings and workshops). I hope to get a seat for the meeting with Godard, and for the screenwriting workshop (they only allow 35 students in this one, which is really too little i think).

I have tons of writing to do so this week off works great for me. My teacher loves my idea for a feature, and I should spend some time developing it.
In the UCLA writers' program course i must write 20 pages to my script. I feel slightly lost there. I think it's because I know too much. I need to leave some holes for myself, so writing the actual thing (after completing the outline) still has some enigma in it, for me.

Michael Moore discovers Madonna

The documentry controversial filmmaker Michael Moore thinks the ex-pop queen is a natural born filmmaker. "She's sort of entered my realm," Moore said. "When I saw it, I thought, 'Wow, it's like she's been making these films for years.'"

Madonna's film, I am because we are, takes place in Africa. I still remember watching "Swept away" (directed by Guy for his wife) and thinking the original Italian movie was so good and the remake simply suck. I'm very curious about how good, or bad, this film is.

I Am Because We Are illustrates the poverty that children of the southern African country face, how the AIDS crisis is claiming lives, and the conditions that cause disease and other misery there. But the film urges people to volunteer and tries to offer hope.

"She takes the viewer through a very personal journey and tries to connect us, living here in the U.S., giving us a window into the way it is for other people in the world," Moore said. "You're extremely moved when you watch it. You understand very clearly why she's devoted so much of her life to the people of Malawi."

A day at the beach

I was supposed to work today on the next 10 pages of my feature script, and also do some rewriting on the first act. But instead I went to the swimming pool in the morning, and then met my friend Sharon in the afternoon on the beach. But, writers must live too! So I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about it. Just write faster.

Writing dialogue - one more tip

The pink capsule is the last thing I was able to do on photoshop before school started again. Since then I didn't touch photoshop, dreamweaver, and I miss it very much. I just received a tutorial from Lynda.com that I can't wait viewing. In the summer, I guess.

Anyways, here's a great tip for writing dialogue. We had to go and record conversations and bring it to class, so I did some eavesdroping the other night. It's hard to get the good stuff on tape if you don't have the good gear, but there are still some quite places around.

So actually this was the first good thing I've got from this writing/recording excercise: I listened. I've noticed how the world sounds, how the human voice mix with its surroundings. How in this chaos you can sometimes find a corner of order, and meaning.

The other thing I've learned was of course - how people talk. It's messy, rough, most of the times the people don't answer each other but more talk to themselves. Especially women (so i've noticed, no sexism there).

The most beautiful thing was hearing the things they don't say. Call it the subtext, internal dialogue or whatever, this is where things get interesting. Because it's not about words, or stories, it's about emotions. And emotions are mostly hidden. those two teenage boys I recorded, they found two florecent bulbs on the road and started to play with them like they were light swords from Star Wars or something. then they started to get more violent to each other, their ego controlled them. Then when I passed them and reacted (smiled at them) - their behavior changed. The one who was more afraid started to act fearless and the other one became softer.

So dialogue (and actions of course) should reflect the want and the need of the characters, even those that are not clear to the character itself. And remember, those wants and needs are changing all the time, because people react to other people's actions, and other changing situations.

Steve Kaire's 5 tips for a successful script sale

Steve Kaire, the pitch guru, or the script sale guru, or simply a very talented man in getting those lights turning GREEN, has some tips. He says it's the material the scriptwriter chooses that makes all the difference. So writers should think good before they start writing their scripts. Here are his tips:

#1 (most important; most difficult): Your premise has to be original and unique; or it must at least have an original hook, a “high concept” hook. For example, kidnap movies are generic, but RANSOM with Mel Gibson had a high concept hook. Instead of using the ransom money to free his son, Gibson uses the ransom money to put out a contract hit on the kidnapper.

#2: Your idea has to have mass audience appeal: “Most writers just don’t know what will work and what won’t work,” says Steve Kaire. “So give yourself the acid test. Ask, ‘Would you pay $12 to see this movie?’ After asking yourself, ask your friends and your family. I always ask my sister who’s a housewife, but has a good innate sense of what will or won’t work. If your script idea doesn’t pass the test of would you pay $12 to see it, then you don’t have a movie. When you’ve got a slam dunk idea you’ll know it because people’s faces light up and they say, ‘Why hasn’t this been done before?’ That’s how you know you’ve nailed it.”

#3: Your pitch has to be story-specific: Details are important. A generic idea isn’t enough. For example, years ago I pitched a script called “Worst Case Scenario.” This was before 9/11 and before all those “worse case scenario” books hit the market. The phrase was fresh at the time. I based my pitch on a newspaper article I’d read about the fact that the U.S. government has a special department that comes up with worst-case scenarios. I came up with a twist which is what made it a slam dunk. Here’s the twist: The most brilliant member of that department turns traitor and uses the information against the United States in the biggest terrorist act in history. It sold it immediately -- and then the studio I sold it to changed hands and that was that. No go. But that was a slam dunk.”

#4: The script’s potential should be obvious: In pitching your script, listeners should be able to see the set pieces and laugh at the comedy. Just the title and a brief “what if…” sentence can do that.

#5: Have your pitch come in short: Your pitch should be four or five sentences only. Tell what your story is about; not what happens in the script. And tell what it’s about in an exciting way. See if you can tell your story in just one sentence incorporating the 5 essential elements.

Writing characters

The characters you choose define the action and carry your premise through to its conclusion. They must have in place on page one, the power and will to engage the central conflict of your story.

Knowing your characters

You should know your characters well enough, so you could write them into any situation. Scenes from the past, day dreaming scenes, or any other scene that might not be in your script. This way you're sure you know your character.

You need to know where the character is coming from to know where they’re going. A character’s actions at all times needs to make sense and have consistency. Backstory is not something you see, but it's something that happens through present actions. Your character behaves the way it does because of her backstory.

Creating three dimensional characters means you must apply them the 3 aspects: physiological, sociological and psychological. Together they give reason for every possible human action. This is what will define the character's motivation. Motivation is the reason for taking action to solve a problem: why a character acts the way it does. This also relates to Stanislavski 7 questions.

Character's arc

Transformational Arc is the dramatic path of growth of your main character. The choices your character makes along the way will change her, so at the end of the journey she shouldn't be the same. If this didn't happen, there was probably not enough conflict.

Some tips on writing dialogue

Dialogue has two functions, to give information and to reveal character. It represents the internal and external life of your character. External dialogue is what you say; internal dialogue is what you mean.

• The way a character speaks provides the context of the character’s world in terms of culture, class, age, region, time, education, attitude and personality.
• Listen to your characters speak. In an orchestra different instruments make different sounds. Your characters are like instruments. Each voice has to be distinguished.
• The basis of good dialogue is conflict. Set up your characters in conflict, not conversation.
• Keep dialogue lines short, one or two sentences, avoid long speeches (a monologue is another story.
• Good dialogue illuminates what the character is not saying, the subtext. It reveals your character's inner life, its wantings, its true intentions. We almost never say what we think, and people who do are usually are defined as mentaly ill.
• Dialogue will move your story forward: it's the external dialogue. Decisions, commands, spoken intentions.
• Motivation is action; the audience should see motivation, not hear about it.

And remember, with different film styles go different dialogue style. Charlie Kaufman said in an interview that the work on the dialogue for Internal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was very easy, because there was a very natural style to it. The characters just spoke. Being John Malkovich, on the other hand, was a much more stylezed piece, and demanded a very thought-of dialogue.

Script Analysis: coverage for Benny and Joon

For my course at UCLA Extension I had to write a coverage for Benny and Joon. When writing coverage, you want to focus on 2-3 main issues, strengths or weaknesses of the script. You write a synopsis (1.5-2 pages) and comments (1 page). The comments include your opening paragraph, a paragraph on plot, on characterization, on dialoge (not a must) and a summary.

Writing Coverage: the opening paragraph

This should be 2-3 sentences that mention your overall feeling about the script, the premise and theme (and the execution), and audience appeal.

Writing Coverage: the plot paragraph

Here you mention structure, act breaks, turning points and climax. Also: how did the subplots added to the main storyline?

Writing Coverage: the characterization paragraph

The main character, the villain, the supporting characters. Did the protagonist's arc exist? Were the characters too flat? Too cute rather than dramatic? Not funny (if comedy)?

Writing Coverage: the dialogue paragraph

This paragraph is not a must, but be sure to include it if you have something to say: was the dialogue too simple? 'on the nose'? No subtext? Talking heads? Not witty or funny (if comedy)?

Don't forget to write your final paragraph. it shouldn't repeat the first paragraph, it should sum it all up and also mention what rewrite is needed (if relevant).

Here's my script coverage for Benny and Joon (the script is very different than the movie, especially the character of Sam (Johnny Depp) which was my biggest problem there).

Benny & Joon
Synopsis

Under a car in his "Auto Clinic" garage we meet BENNY PEARL (early thirties) as he makes sure all is ticking around him. Everybody's waiting for his word – the delivery man, a customer, and ERIC, his employee and friend. Benny is on top of it. After work Benny goes straight home, where he lives with his sister JUNE PEARL (late thirties). Before he enters the house he meets MRS. SMAIL, the housekeeper, who announces she's quitting her job because she can't handle June anymore. Benny begs her to stay, but her mind is set.

Benny calls Eric, to tell him he can't come to
their poker evening because June can't be left alone. We understand June has a
pyromania issue, and that Benny doesn't want her to be left alone in the house.
They decide June will come with Benny. During dinner (peanut butter with celery
for June, pasta for Benny) Benny asks June what happened with Mrs. Smail. June,
fluent with words, says she left the house alone and that she met people. Benny
doesn't take this easily, saying it's dangerous for her. He tells her she joins
him for poker. Later, at Eric's, Benny and the guys are playing cards "for
keeps": each player writes on a note what he bets on (a snorkel mask etc.) and
places the note in the pot.

Benny meets with Garvey, June's
doctor. Benny is looking for a new housekeeper for June, and Garvey tells him to
consider a group home. Benny refuses, saying he's June's family and they should
stay together. Garvey takes Benny to the group home to see how it is. The home
is a good place for the schizophrenics, as we learn June is. Even one of the
managers is schizophrenic. When Benny's on his way back home, he finds June in
the middle of the road, with a cop questioning her for making a commotion on the
road, wearing the snorkel mask Benny won in poker. Benny talks to the cop and
June is saved. Benny asks his poker friend THOMAS, who works in the psychiatric
hospital, to help him find a housekeeper, but this leads to no result. June
plays with fire at home (in her basement painting studio), and Benny again finds
her on the right moment.

June invites street friends to the house,
while Benny's at work. One of them enters Benny's room and injects June's
medication into Benny's fish bowl. When Benny finds his fish Steve floating on
his back, he thinks June did it. Benny visits the group home again, to sign June
in. He has one month before admittance to tell June about it. In another poker
evening at Eric's, June joins the game when Benny's not there. She loses, and
gets to keep SAM, the unwanted cousin of one of the poker guys who came to stay
with him. Benny tries to evade this, but June insists it was a fair game. Benny,
June and Sam drive home. Sam is obviously a different kind of a guy, with a kick
for Buster Keaton. When they stop for a bite on the way, Sam starts a one man
show, a combination of food and acrobatics, and entertains the entire
restaurant, including June. Benny is simply stunned. RUTHIE, the waitress, is
not at all amused by his games, but once Sam recognizes her as an actress from
an old film he loves – she starts to like him as well.

Sam gets
the sofa in June's studio. Benny informs him June is mentally ill. When Benny's
off to work, Sam stays with June, who makes him her peanut butter shake. They
are getting close, June seems to like Sam. When Benny returns, he finds dinner
is ready: Sam and June are in the kitchen, Sam irons cheese toasts. Later Benny
talks to Sam, offering him the housekeeper job, and Sam accepts it, surprised
that someone wants to hire him. Benny, June and Sam visit the deli where Ruthie
works again. Benny talks to Ruthie, they get closer. Benny speaks of Sam with
high appreciation: he thinks he should use his acrobatic talent and perform.
After Sam entertains a crowd on the street, Benny tells him he should do it more
professionally and "be something". June says Sam is already something. After the
four of them cook dinner together at home, Benny drives Ruthie back home. We
learn she's the building's manager. Benny enters her flat but leaves quickly.
Ruthie is disappointed, but they set to meet again.

Benny and
Ruthie go to a posh restaurant. Benny is a novice, can't even order the wine
properly. Still they have a good time and talk. Later in front of her building,
Ruthie invites Benny to come up. He refuses, says he must hurry home. Ruthie is
hurt, quickly leaves Benny's car. Meantime at the house, June and Sam put their
love into action. It's a very tender love making, and Sam tells June he loves
her. When they hear Benny arrives, June tells Sam not to tell him anything, and
hurries to her room.

Benny tries to build a career for Sam: he
talks to a customer who has a comedy club, and is excited by the thought of Sam
performing in places like LA. Benny organizes Sam a performance at the club's
amateur night. June is angry, fearing Sam's new career will take him away from
her. Benny goes over the material for the show with Sam. Sam is torn between
Benny and June. When Sam tells June he won't perform at the club, because he'd
rather work in the streets, June is thrilled. She then says they need to tell
Benny about their relationship, though she fears Benny will be mad at her. When
Benny wants to tell June about the group home, June and Sam try tell him about
their relationship. When Benny understands he gets furious. He kicks Sam out,
and June goes up to her room, crying. Benny confronts June, telling her she
can't love Sam because she's crazy. This makes June go mad, and she jumps on
Benny. They roll on the floor, and out of Benny's pocket the group home brochure
falls. June sees it, and enters a catatonic state. Doctor Garvey arrives to give
June mediation. June refuses to talk to Benny.

Benny goes to see
Ruthie at the deli. She is not at all surprised about June and Sam falling in
love. At home June is burning an old photograph of her and Benny, when suddenly
Sam calls her from the window, and they run away together. When they are on the
bus, the house starts to burn behind them. June is in a bad shape, hearing
voices, mumbling and pounding on her head. Sam tries to calm her down but can't.
The bus stops when an ambulance of the psychiatric service arrives to take June.
Benny arrives home, where the firemen are already on their work. He then goes to
the direction of the bus, trying to take June away from the doctors, but it's a
lost battle. He confronts Sam, who imitates Benny as the one who tries to
control June's lives.

June is put to a psychiatric hospital, where
Thomas works. Benny arrives there, tries to get her out, shouting madly at the
cold admitting nurse who calls the guard. The next day, Benny drives his car at
high speed. We see flash backs from the car accident in which he and June lost
their parents years back. Benny avoids a fatal accident in the last moment. He
goes to see Doctor Garvey, who tells him June wants to stay in the hospital and
doesn't want to talk to nobody. Benny is in bad shape. He goes to Ruthie's
apartment, looking for Sam and finds him there. Benny says he doesn't want to
run June's life for her anymore, and the three of them go to the hospital to try
and get her out.

At the hospital Benny manages to enter the sealed
corridor where June is kept, but then the orderly catches him, thinking him for
a patient. Thomas rescues Benny, and Benny stands outside June's room, talking
to her through the small window. June doesn't believe Benny when he says he'll
let her live in her own apartment. Benny tries to convince her that his
intentions are real, that he accepts her falling in love, and admits he has a
problem falling in love himself. June is not convinced, but then she sees
outside the window Sam, performing another Keaton's acrobatic trick for her.
Garvey arrives, and June says she wants to be released. After some persuasion
the doctor agrees, and June is released. She gets a flat in Ruthie's building,
where she moves in with Sam. When Benny comes to visit, he brings flowers to
both June and Ruthie, who now gives him a smile again.

Benny &
Joon
Comments

A controlling man and his schizophrenic sister -
this may seem like a dark and heavy subject. The way the author chose to deal
with it, however, makes the premise almost irrelevant, and in a twisted way the
film more appealing. The writer finds easy resolutions to difficult issues, thus
the drama feels a bit underdeveloped. But the theme of a man that must learn to
let go in order to live, though unoriginal, is only the background for the
encounters of eccentric characters, almost "out of this world", that make this
script unique and even exciting.

The author does not create the
required balance of screen time between plot and characterization, and the
conflicts are too easily resolved so there is no real sense of urgency. The
romantic subplot of Benny and Ruthie does not feel real and the way Ruthie
becomes the solution (a flat for June, chance for life for Benny) is
implausible. The second act evolves around the character of Sam, with the first
half focusing on "Sam heals the family" and the second half on "Benny builds Sam
a career", but the real drama – the one between Benny and June – ceases to exist
almost entirely, and again it feels like the author chose the easy way out. The
climax, however, brings Benny and June together again, while Sam is left outside
the room. After the second act this feels like a mistake, since the relationship
between Sam and June has taken a priority over June's relationship with her
brother.

The choice of the writer to prefer fantasy over drama goes
hand in hand with his choice of characters, while the author prefers "cute"
characters over dramatic ones. June's schizophrenia seems inconsistent, and
except for the scene on the bus she seems just like an intelligent,
over-sensitive person. Her mental illness becomes only helps in portraying her
as a different person. Same goes to Sam, who is described as a very eccentric
young man, a "free spirit" with a big mouth and a weird sense of humor. Sam is
the catalyst for some of the plot turns, but not really because he's doing much
– it's more because of his being. With June and Sam portrayed as quirky figures,
their resemblance hides the main conflict of the story, between Benny and
June.

The main problem is with the dialogue given to Sam, which
grabs most of the attention with his endless jokes that are not understandable
to anyone but him. Also at the climax, the dialogue between Benny and June is
too obvious, almost melodramatic.

This script suffers from
inconsistency in tone. The choice of fantasy over realism does save this script,
making it appealing for a larger audience, but it also causes problems to be
solved too easily. Some changes to the characters have to be made, after a
consideration on which is the main relationship in the story – Sam and June, or
Benny and June. Besides that, the author's unique voice is certainly a major
asset of this script.

Act I - make sure you got it all

Every story has a beginning, middle and an end – setup, development and resolution. In the setup we’re introduced to the world of the story and the characters that inhabit that world. What is the story about? What is the world like? What time are we in; present, past or future? What is the genre, drama or comedy, mystery or horror, sci-fi or fantasy? Who is your main character and who supports h/her? What is your main character's flaw, what is their goal?

It is very similar to the 7 Questions of Stanislavsky, only at a much bigger scale: the entire story, the world of your script, etc.

In Act One we need to establish the film's world. In many cases that world will be revisited at the end of the story, changed because the events of the story have changed it, for better or worse.

Something must happen to precipitate change - something that motivates the main character to act. The inciting incident, or catalyst, is the call to action. It jump-starts the story’s forward movement.

Also included in the Act One setup is the central question. Also called the dramatic spine or the dramatic premise, everything in the story feeds off the central question, which will ultimately be answered in the third act climax.

The first turning point happens toward the end of the first act and drives us into act two. It is a decision that sets your main character’s goal. It frames the central question and moves the story into act two with new purpose and drive.

The Opening is very important. So much depends on what the eye sees first. A strong image is a strong opening.

It’s also time to introduce your major supporting characters. Supporting characters support the subplots that give dimension to story. The love interest, the best friend, the antagonist - all reveal character and add layers of interest to a story.
Act one is setup – foundation. A story succeeds or fails on the strength of its setup.

A good dialogue exercise for scriptwriters

Write a monologue of yourself. It should be a story taken from your life.
Then put the page aside and say the monologue out loud.
You'll find out how different things are said when they are actually SAID.

This excercise works best when practiced in a group, because the main thing that affects the way you speak is the listeners. This is why on the written monologue you probably mentioned things you didn't say when you had listeners, or maybe you said it different: maybe on the paper it was a tragedy and spoken it became a comedy. Or maybe you weren't the center of the story when you wrote the monologue, but when you said it it was all around you.

Cannes opens tomorrow and I'm so curios about Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche NY. There are several other films that I would very much like to see, but after reading Kaufman's script for Synecdoche, I really want to see how he made it look. I was very happy when I saw the cast for the movie. It seemed accurate, though perhaps a bit too accurate (meaning, predictable). Philip Simor Hoffman, I really love this actor, but maybe this role fits him too well.

I'll have to wait, at least for a screener of some sort to come around. Probably the film will come to the cinemas in Tel Aviv only in half a year.

Stanislavsky's 7 questions for actors (and scriptwriters)

Stanislavsky wrote seven questions any actor should ask himself when approaching a play. This works great for writers as well, also writers for the screen. At the end, it's all about the human drama. Stanislavsky developed those questions by asking actors he thought were good how they did it. He believed any actor can be a good actor, it's only a matter of technique. Here are the questions:



1. Who am I?

Here you must think of the 3 aspects of your character, physically, sociologically and psychologically. Also, for each scene you write, think of the current state of being of this character. If he just found out his girl is cheating on him, he would not be exactly the same person as in the scene before. The scriptwriter must be specific enough as to what character is it. It cannot be played by either De Niro or Gerard Depardiue, it needs to be a clear picture.

2. Where am I?

And what is the relation of the character to this place - a familiar place, first time there, doesn't fit, etc.

3. When?

Day, year, weather. Why now? What happened before? It relates to what we wrote on the first question: the time of the scene creates the specific state of our character. If I just came to a date after a sweaty bike ride, I won't act the same, I won't sound the same.

4. What do I want?

This changes from scene to scene and even inside the scene. Each unit in the scene has its goals and actions of the characters inside it. Say I want to kill a spider. But then I look up closely and I'm amazed by its beauty. Now I don't want to kill it, I just want to catch it. so I do what's needs to be done, gets a nice jar and all, only to find out the spider is not so beautiful from inside the jar. So I want to let it go. But not in my house. So I go downstairs and let it free in the garden. Then I see this really cute guy. And again, I have a new goal...you get the point.

5. Why do I want this?

You always need to know the Why, which is by far more important than the What of the action. It gives the action the life it needed (no, it's not in the gasoline!). Say your character needs a coffee in the morning. She needs it real bad, because she hasn't been sleeping and she has a very important meeting in an hour. Now she finds out the coffee's over. She reacts differently than just a person who likes to drink coffee in the morning.

6. How will I achieve my goal?

Simply put, the actions I need to perform to get what i want. Open the drawer and get that Jacob's, to make myself the coffee I want.

7. What must I overcome?

So the coffee's over. I must go out to buy. But it's too early and the 7/11 is a bit far out, in the rough area of the city. I must overcome my hesitations first, than the actual trip to the area. Maybe a gang or two.



I find those seven questions to be extremly helpful for scriptwriting. If you as a writer cannot answer them, the actors will do this without your help. Your script might end up being a totally different thing than what you had in mind. So it's self protection. Use it.

Bill martell's tip for screenwriters: Late Start

Just saw that Martell's new tip is about late start, which is a crucial factor of a good script that grasps you from the first frame. Here's the link. Many have said before, start latest, finish earliest. It may not be good for every aspect of life, but for scriptwriting it's a sure bet.

Getting up early to write

A serious writer writes every day for a certain amount of hours. A serious writer doesn't need to find that time frame every day, it's more like a computer program that works on schedule. I've decided the best time for me is the morning.

5 good reasons for writing in the morning


1. It's early, your mind is still blured, you're almost between the dream world to this world. It varies a lot, some people experience awakening as a very long process. I think it's great for writers. It's kind of the same for people who wear glasses: they can experience a blured world or a focused world. This quality is very good if you're a painter. Being blured is good because your mind is easier, less analytic, more creative. It's related to the alpha waves in the brain, but I don't know enough to explain it here. Lets just say, your mind is more creative when sleepy. So use the time before you're getting too sharp.

2. Less interupptions. It's a very good habbit, to put the phone on silent mode and switch of that email notifier, and if possible to disconnect from the internet at all, when you sit to write. But then there's this small chip in your brain that reminds you you're on silent, and maybe from time to time you'll check to see if any interesting calls/emails arrived. Bad, very bad. You really want to dive into your story when writing, so you must forget about yourself. in the morning it can happen quite easily. The phone will stay silent (usually, for me, until 9AM at least), and the only mails you get are newsletters and such (or from your overseas friends). Well, maybe disconnecting the internet is not a bad idea in the morning as well.

3. The very good feeling of productivity. Even if you just sit and stare at the blank page, getting up to write makes you feel very productive. It's amazing, but trust me - even if you write just one page, but you did it early in the morning - you'll feel better the rest of the day.

4. Leaves you with a day to live. Use the active hours of the day to be active: walk outside, watch people, live a little. Use this world, don't hide in your room and type. When you write in the middle of the day there's always something you miss. Of course, sleep is a factor as well, but when you get used to it, 6 hours are just enough.

5. No cancelations. Probably nothing will come up at 6AM that will make you stop writing. You won't meet a friend, or have this movie you really must see, or this opening or whatever. No surprises for the early writing birds!

I hope I can remember all those rules myself tomorrow when my alarm screams...

The busy student

There's never an end to the process of learning, and that's a great feeling. However, I am just too busy at the moment to really have the time to write nothing, or write bad scenes. I am a student, which means I must write very good scripts, or I'm wasting valuable time. Not yet money, besides my own, but hey, that's even more important.

So I sat down to write the next 10 pages of my script, pages 11-20. I had a few ideas of what must happen, and the rest just came from itself. I don't think you should really be so hard on yourself when writing your first feature script.

Don't get stuck on research

I'm writing about something I don't know enough about. It's a field of science, and I don't know how those guys talk, their jargon/slang, I don't know which positions at the lab are responsible on certain things, etc. I've also never been to the city I'm writing about, somewhere in the California desert.

So I read about it, to make my thinking clearer. It also gives me new ideas, opens my head. But the most important thing at this phase is the actual writing of the script. It is the story behind that matters, and if I get stuck on research I won't be able to write at all. So some balance is needed.

Know your spine, then let your mind go

You've made your step outline (beat sheet) an you know where you;re going. Great. You know what each character symbolizes and what should happen with its want/need. You have your A story, B story, C story. Wonderful.

Now put that to the side and just write. Write your first act, based on what you know should happen. You have those 10 main beats that must occur, and the rest is yours to play with.

I'm talking about beginner scriptwriters, those who are still confused by the whole process. I feel it is very important to keep an open mind while writing, cos at the end - that's all we've got.
:)

Olmert corruption secret

news are part of screenwriting. So here's the latest issue around here. I'm not saying it's worth a script, but for sure it's worth publicity.

Here's the NY Post article on Israel's PM Olmert newest scandal, that maybe, finally, will bring him down.

Study screenwriting and getting excited

The semester started yesterday. So far I'm really excited cos my courses are so interesting, and I can't wait to sit and write the assignments. One course is less scriptwriting and more prose, which is something I for sure enjoy. The teacher is Sami Berdugo, who's also nominated this year for the Sapir Prize. I need to read his book. Funny thing, Berdugo reminded me of this man I once knew, and who today I discovered was the real character behind Alex, the character from one of the scripts I write now. A dedicated scientist that forgets to be human. It was funny how it all connected in one secong of enlightment: this man from the past, Sami and Alex. I guess Sami is the present and Alex is the future. In a way.

Great things also on the UCLA Extension program. I got an interesting comment from my tutor, telling me my story is complex and i should focus on the emotions. He also said my non-native English style only adds to the eeriness of the script. Now I should start working on the next 10 pages. I already wrote down the main things that will happen, but as always, writing the script is the best way to let my mind talk.

I'll be working this semester on 3 different projects: one UCLA feature script, one TAU feature script (taking place in Israel and written in Hebrew) and a TAU tv series. It's really exciting, I feel so alive. OK, it's only the first week and probably i'll get tired slowly, but i'm just happy to be on this screenwriting program. It's so right.

For next week at TAU I need to write a fragment, prose, with a single person in a closed room. I also need to post my synopsis for the feature film, and the class will discuss it next week. I'm quite nervous about it. I'm not so sure about big parts of the script. The real issue here is the tone. At the moment it seems to be quite a melancholic piece, like "the tenant" meets "the Fisher King" meets "Inland Empire". The last thing I want is to be influenced by Lynch. Lynch does Lynch best and better let him have his own kingdom to himself. He's doing great. I don't want a sad disturbing end. I don't feel like it now. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, maybe because we moved out of the city not too long ago. But I feel like an up-ending for my script.

OK, back to work. Must send a coverage for Dave to my UCLA tutor.