LN#34 || Secret Tips to Write a Killer Screenplay.

The entire argument of good screenwriting can be summed up in one word -

Visualization.

Few days back, a friend mine called me up and asked me how can he write better dialogues and better scenes.

I told him a secret which I employ while writing my screenplays.

I told him to concentrate on visualization.

I told him to write dialogues using words that can create a visualization in the minds of listeners.

Tarantino extensively uses this technique and that is why his screenplays are so superb despite having long scenes of two-person having conversations with each other.

In the opening scene of the movie “Pulp Fiction”, we see two people, “Pumpkin” and “Hunny Bunny” talking to each other and telling each other trivia about the robbery and discussing its pros and cons.

It then moves on how to they robbed the previous times. There is a story inside the dialogues as well.

A screenplay is basically a string of stories combined together to create an entire story. Every scene should be a story in itself with a proper beginning, middle and end.

In the next scene, we see two nicely dressed people in black suits, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, in a car talking about feet fetish and telling stories about their fetish experience and opinions to each other.

Now that makes a conversation because it has a unique topic that is never usually discussed and is told with the help of stories creating visuals in the mind of listeners.

First, you are giving the audience a trivia about something and then you are telling it to them through stories that the audience can visualize.

But how do you make the audience visualize something?

Well, simple.

Use specific words that could create images inside the minds of the listener.

For Eg. What do you think first when you think of the word “Elephant”?

You don’t think the alphabets - “E”, “L”, “E”…..

No.

You think of an Elephant in your mind.

Words create images in our mind.

There are words that create images in minds and there are words that do not create an image in minds.

Using words that create an image in your mind will help the audience connect with them instantly.

Hint: Usage of objects (eg. apple, table, tree, hill, cycle) as they directly create images inside the mind and usage of metaphors help dialogue get better.

Movies are all about images. Dialogues enhance those images.

Just like the background music gives the psychological feelings in that scene and guides our behaviour.

Eg. Hans Zimmer does it best in the Dark knight and created a tense environment in the theatre with the help of music. In the movie, his background score creates a haunting feeling of anticipation of what is going to happen next.

I also love the background Score of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie.

He has a signature drum beating in all his movies and it just elevates the mood of the film to another level.

Here is a scene from Anderson’s movie (and one of my favourite movie) Punch Drunk Love.

I have seen this entire scene million of times and I can never get bored watching this scene even if I watch it my entire life.

The opening of the garage with fluctuating light - the rotation of car - the expressionless face of the girl with blood dripping from he head - cool, determined and angry, all at the same time, Adam Sandler getting out of the car - buttoning his suit up - beating goons on one hit.

The thing that makes to the top of it all is the background score by Jon Brion.

But I digress.

Anurag Kashyap also uses metaphors a lot in his dialogues to create those images.

New screenwriters don’t know this so when they write dialogues they use abstract words which generally philosophize or explain a situation but not necessarily create images. The end result being, the audience unable to connect with them.

In the first fifteen pages of your script when you are establishing characters and locations and the audience is completely blank about the story, you must employ this technique to enhance the quality of your dialogue and storytelling.

After the establishment, the audience already has images of the characters and locations and they don’t need to think from their own mental database and travel in the word you have created. But before that, make them connect with you screenwriting with the words they already know.

The people who do this end up writing brilliant screenplays.

Second thing.

Screenplays are written for entire teams so while reading screenplays everyone associated with the film should know what is happening in the film.

• If the director is reading the script, he should get an idea of the blocking and the shots to be taken.

Eg. Ramesh was standing at the corner of the window looking at the kids playing in the street. Bored he turns and moves out of his room.

• A production executive should know about the locations and the time spend in that particular scene.

Eg. INT. RAMA’S HOUSE - DAY

This will tell them about the location and the time slot they have to book the location.

• The art director should know about the action props (props that an actor used in the scene), dormant props (props lying there but are not touched by actors) and the construction of the room; maybe not in detail but a little knowledge and details won’t harm anyone.

Eg. Dev enters the room and sees that it is a tad too messy. Pizza bytes (dormant props) and cold drink cans (dormant props) are lying all around near the sofa. He moves and passes the photo of Freddie Mercury (dormant prop) hanging on the wall and reaches the study table. There is a letter (active prop) lying on it on which there is a table lamp (active prop) standing on it. He picks the lamp, clicks it on and reads the letter.

• The casting director should know about the actors he had to cast and a little knowledge about it very helpful for him understanding what kind of actor you have in mind playing that character.

At the introduction of every character, mention some specific details about the character. First, to create a live image of the character in the mind of the reader and second, to help them in finding one.

• It will also help the costume designer and makeup artists to understand the costumes he is wearing and the tone and texture of the makeup he has to wear. It also helps the director in understanding how the character looks.

The must thing to write while introducing a character are -

[Name], [Age], [Costume], [Physical Description].

Eg. Suddenly a man, Ravi Namdev (28), wearing an exquisite tuxedo, black pants and shining shoes enters the room. He has well-combed black hair with a little South Indian look and he is wearing black Ray-ban Aviators. He looks like a beefed-up version of Leonardo Di Caprio if he stopped exercising. He enters the room where Dev and Priya are fighting with each other. They stop fighting, look at him and wonder who he is.

• The cinematographer and his team should know from your screenplay what lighting they have to use and what camera settings they must use to make that scene work.

Eg. INT./EXT. tells them whether the scene will be shot indoor or outdoor

DAY/ NIGHT/MORNING/EVENING tells them what temperature and white balance setting they have to employ. Also how much light they will be needing on set and what is the best time to shoot it.

Little description in the scene helps them too.

Like -

“A ray of sunshine was falling in the room ….”

“The lamp was lit and the light of the lamp was falling on the face of Divya making her appearance eviler…”.

• Your script should also help the editor understand where he needs to make the cut and what kind of cut you are expecting.

Eg. Usage of CUT TO / PULL BACK TO REVEAL / FADE IN/ FADE OUT etc.

• A good writer also employed several techniques to give sound effects in the script to make it more alive and help the sound department understand it better.

Eg. The doorbell rang TING TONG, TING TONG abut before he could open the door, at the same time, his phone rang too which had typical old telephone ringtone, TRING TRING.

Also, use the word PBS when you insert PLAYBACK SONG so that they know where the song will begin and end.

Tell them where do you expect the BACKGROUND SCORE, but don’t just write background score, mention the mood fo the background score so that the music director understands the mood of the music he has to create.

• A good screenplay also helps an actor understand when he has to take the pause. So instead of using the confusing three dots (…), try using the more professional - (a beat) - to denote that the actor has to take a little pause.

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Every department reads the script thinking about their own skills and what will be their contribution to the script.

While writing the screenplay don’t be too assertive on your suggestions or they will be taken offensively.

You just have to throw hints because the final product will be completely different from your suggestions as there will be numerous changes that will go while the film will undergo production.

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Thirdly.

Avoid using the statements that suggest something that can’t be shown on screen.

Eg. “Ravi was looking outside his window at the kids playing football and was remembering the times when he was a kid and played football.”

Unless you have an intention of using CUT TO and going into flashback, never write things that exist inside the mind of the protagonist.

Remember, it is a SCREENPLAY. You have to show and shoot everything.

You can’t write something that you cannot show.

You cannot enter inside the mind of the protagonist.

You cannot show his inner conflict on screen.

Eg. “Sitting in his room alone, Ravi decides that he will go and take his revenge from Vijay by killing him.”

That sounds like a perfectly sound statement except that the inner conflict of Ravi making a decision can't be shown on screen.

That is why the inner conflicts are often shown with the help of outer conflicts.

Eg. The king fell from his horse during the battle. While lying on the ground injured he looked at an ant trying to pick a piece of food larger than her own body. She kept picking it but it falls down. She is relentlessly trying to pick it up and finally, she picks it up after numerous attempts and takes it to her home. This gives the king the motivation to get back on his horse and fight enemies.

In the above example, the motivation to fight the enemies back and getting back on the battleground can come in the mind of the King itself but again, how will you show it on screen.

So you show an inner conflict with the help of an outer conflict.

The change in inner conflict due to outer conflict also cause a change in the character of the protagonist. It is also called the Character Arc. If there is a massive change then it is called Character Transformation.

Another Eg. - In the movie Deewar, Ravi refuses to take the case against his brother Vijay though he is a criminal and Ravi is an honest Police officer. The DIG gives him time to think about it.

Ravi encounters a kid stealing bread and shoots him.

He gives him a punishment bigger than the crime he committed.

Apologetic and guilty conscious, he reaches the kid’s home to help his poor parents when the father of the poor kid tells him that he does not approve of his kid’s decision to turn to crime just because he is hungry.

His Father’s argument is that people cannot turn to hurt society by resorting to criminal activities just because they have to solve their personal problems or have a beaten past.

Ravi’s brother Vijay had always blamed his blemished childhood for his criminal activities and Ravi now understands that he was wrong.

He goes back and takes the case.

Movies Deewar is the perfect example of showcasing inner and outer conflict.

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So these are my few tips for making one screenwrite better.

I hope they helped you.