Science fiction movies create new worlds for audiences to partake in. Identifying and showing the rules for these worlds are important tasks when explaining the plot. The Exercise Write a three-page science fiction script. Before you begin, identify two rules for your new world. For example, is there gravity? Make up the rules and write ...
Let’s use the ending of a film to practice creating scenes. Your Task: Pick a movie – any movie. After watching it, jot down 4 alternate possibilities for an ending. Now, pick one of your 4 new finales and use standard screenplay format to write out one of these endings. ...
Explore structure. The Exercise Create a mind map to help you brainstorm the structure of an idea. Place your story idea in the center of the mind map, and see what comes out. ...
When I’m writing a story, I like to get descriptive. When I’m writing a screenplay, I try to narrow that long-winded drive into shorter sentences with fewer words. This gives the production crew an easier time in bringing the script to screen. The Exercise Go somewhere you want to write about. List ten words that ...
Relieve writer’s block by finding new stories to tell. If you’re not planning your own adventure, check out weird stories from around the world. The Exercise Navigate to an online search engine and query “weird news”. Pick a site, then a story. Imagine the actions and dialogue that make this story a reality. Write a ...
Research is a great way to learn more about our characters. Your Task: Pick a subject that your character is familiar with that you might not know much about. Research and list 15 facts on that subject. ...
A producer calls you. He wants to see you work on the fly. He wants to see how creative and sharp you can be. Your task: Come up with 25 original movie titles in 10 minutes. ...
Here’s a test on creating effective character descriptions. The Exercise Pick ten characters you’ve seen in movies. Write a 1-sentence description for each of them. Make it as accurate as possible. Bring these descriptions to friends who have seen these movies. Can they guess who you’re referring to? ...
The three-act structure has been one of the most influential tools for screenplay development. An understanding of its history and applicability is essential to the burgeoning screenwriter. The Exercise Write a four-page essay on the three-act structure. Where did it come from? What is it and how is it used? What are some of the ...
Written/Contributed by Hal Ackerman In a series of one-line (or at most, two lines) impressions, make a litany of all the times you “broke the rules,” Lied, cheated, stole, set fire, pilfered, prevaricated, deceived. (eg: Poisoned my sister’s gold fish. Enjoyed it. Took joy rides in the family car at age 14 while parents were ...