I've Been Teaching Screenwriting For 25 Years... Here Are The Most Common Mistakes - Matthew Kalil
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2024
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Matthew Kalil is a writer, director, script editor, author and speaker. He has written and co-written over 40 produced episodes of TV and has received various grants, development funding and awards. Matthew’s productions have been screened and broadcast in Canada, Denmark, Morocco, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and the United Kingdom. Since receiving his MA in Screenwriting, he has been teaching, writing and mentoring students for over 20 years. Matthew has developed a unique system of screenwriting theory that helps beginners as well as established screenwriters get in touch with their creative core. His book, The Three Wells of Screenwriting, published by Michael Wiese productions with a foreword by Christopher Vogler, has been describes as a “breakthrough in the writing craft.” His workshops have touched and inspired thousands of participants and his gentle and insightful script editing guidance has helped many writers realize the stories they were always trying to tell. A charismatic speaker, Matthew has enjoyed presenting many times at the London Screenwriting Festival, the Cape Town International Animation Festival and the University Film and Video Association. Matthew is currently an Assistant Professor at the David Lynch MFA in screenwriting in the USA.
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#writing #screenwriting #writer - Фільми й анімація
Do any of these mistakes ring true for you?
📚📝🤔 I've certainly over explained.
I definitely make this mistake all the time, being to vague. Like, INT. HOUSE. DAY. or a man walks into the room. This interview has changed my writing starting right now, I am reworking my current script to fit his advise.
Can we have you the interviewer give your best tips that you have learnt over the years? Really liked your input. And his advice was really good to. Even for someone who wants to write novels.
Not a one.
The big three he mentions:
1. No such thing as a "House". (Be a bit more specific in your descriptions of things and people but don't overdo it. Enough to activate the camera in the minds eye but be brief.)
2. The introduction of your characters should give enough information to aid in casting them. (Your description should capture the 'spirit' of the character and means something very different to a casting agent than to a regular reader.)
3. The order that we read is the order that we see. (Set scenes and Reveal information with the understanding that all of this is new to a reader and they can't know about anything until you've told them it exists. Finding a fun and interesting way to reveal such is up to you.)
1 is b.s. a house is just a house. Let the set designer do their job. Unless it's important to the plot don't try to do other peoples' work. 2. Is good. 3.
@@paulpena5040 Yeah, that's what I've heard as well. Not sure why we need to know the type of tree or type of house if it isn't related to the story.
This one might be worth coming back to from time to time.
Nothing wrong with that! Cheers Lon!
I'm more of a novel writer but I like to see what I can glean from screenplay writing, especially with how to be more direct with descriptions.
We have a new video with a novelist going up tonight at 5pm PST.
Lots of new faces. Film Courage is on the grind. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
Checks latest script “int bedroom late afternoon”. Damn, he was right. Great video and great tips.
He’s a great teacher!
His point about the house is important. Think about the two chairs in the montage at the beginning of the Pixar movie UP. The description of the chairs is essential into conveying ideas - visually and implicitly, who that couple were, the type of people they were and the dynamic of their relationship. Thats really good storytelling. The montage was a film all by itself.
Loved this video! As an aspiring screenwriter, I found Matthew's advice and insights to be incredibly valuable. It's reassuring to know that even experienced writers like myself are prone to common mistakes. Can't wait to dive into his book, The Three Wells of Screenwriting, for more guidance and inspiration. Thanks for sharing your expertise, Matthew!
Good info! Thanks!
Be visually descriptive while using the minimum amount of words.
so i'm writing out my first draft script, and i'm experimenting somewhat on the sluglines... EXT. CHARACTER'S HOUSE, and then some info on it; not the whole house; just the rooms in it, and editing it as i go. establish who's house... and there's your anchor. yeah descriptive of the location doesn't have to be a lot, just what is needed for the reader. also if you've already established the location, i'm not continually telling it's in that general location, just the specific location, maybe even the time of the day as well.
i've not fully detailed some of my main characters, except one, putting in VERY specific things about what they are wearing. to guide and waypoint the reader as to who it is, but it can also be mysterious or unknown, for the time in the story. as for descriptive in character eg "they are like something", i am NOT doing that, just superfluous info for me. for now, apart from any descriptive of the character, parenthesizing their AGE and GENDER... even if it's obvious. anything like that has to have a follow through, in order to have importance.
yes, describe the SCENE as fully as possible, that's what i didn't at the start, trying to keep things mysterious. and have each character already mentioned too. what you described are BACKGROUND (B), MEDIUM (M) and FOREGROUND (F) details. but that second example of the order wouldn't work, that would be F then B, and that's not logical in terms of shot progression. example being HOUSE OF GAMES, where Margaret arrives at the aforementioned place and looks at the neon sign, and it's shot progression was slightly off, just switching two shots would have made more logical IMO. using the BMF method (tm😅) brings the reader into the story better, instead of jumping around... IMO. you are writing a SCRIPT not a SCREENPLAY, establish what is in the scene.
the new element of the example (the thousand dollar shoes) is still foreground.
learning as i type it down, it's all learning.
look at me with the big words
first time i've replied to film courage, but i've watched quite a few of your vids, been excellent so far!
Cheers! Good stuff. Thanks for posting!
I feel as though this is the first video on UA-cam that has focused on action lines. I've been asking for this for years. Awesome. Thank you... But more please :D
Here's another one - ua-cam.com/video/rXz0DTX3db0/v-deo.html
Wow! Very very good.
Cheers Daniel!
Wonderful information….Thank you Matthew✨
Thanks Katya!
I have a writing problem and I'm asking for advice. I have a character who is seen several times by the protagonist, but she never speaks and is barely aware of the protagonist. Do I introduce her on the first page she appears with a generic name like FEMALE STUDENT along with a few words about her character or should I introduce her briefly as a female student and many pages later give a better description of JANE DOE, the female student, just before she speaks?
I am open to any suggestions for formatting. Thanks.
I think the first one imo. [Requesting others to please reply to this too].
Later on, more description can be added to her as plot unravels.
first time she appears, full name in CAPITALS. what she is is her descript
I think it entirely depends on how important the character is to the protagonist. If she's pretty or eye-catching in some way and the protagonist wants to know this person more, then give a first page description to reflect that the protagonist notices her. If she's not that important add the description before she speaks, throwing in something like "I've noticed her here and there before. She normally doesn't say much..." etc.
I'm not an expert. I'm trying to learn.
I suggest just writing both, and then choosing when you are almost finished editing.
in writing my pilot script, i have been drawing out locations because it's going to be 2D animation, the main location is a school and i want to look a neglected, somewhat underfunded so i started off made the floors a bit untidy and dusty
but it's still useful for me to give an effective description of a room for example, because it helps "paint a picture" so to speak, in that it can be a way to convey information to the reader of the script and ultimately the viewer
i need to learn how to do this for the main characters now lol, it seems choosing the right words is an artform in itself,
I’ve tried very hard to make sure all of the details are relevant to the story. For example, don’t say a tree… maybe a stunted tree. But why a stunted tree? Is it a comedy featuring an out-of-luck botanist. An enigmatically unkempt house?
In short, the “No such thing as a house” rule always haunts me because, as he said, I assume the audience can see the story with me. I try to use this urge as an opportunity to add personality that supports the story.
He's a very good teacher, without a doubt I'm going to revisit this video again to study.
But I disagree with him about the description of the house.
You should describe the protagonist's house, because it tells about the protagonist's taste and his/her social status.
Though, you don't have to describe each house of each character, mainly if they are supporting characters.
I read the oscar nominated screenplay "Babel" by Guillermo Arriaga.
He sometimes describes the houses and sometimes doesn't.
For example, in that screenplay there's a mexican woman who takes care of 2 american children:
int. t.v. room. L.A. house - night
In the action lines, Arriaga doesn't describe the house.
You already know that those kids are from an upper middle class family, if their parents can afford a mexican nany and also living in L.A.
He describes the houses in Morocco, Mexico and Japan because are exotic places
Screenwriting is telling a story to create emotions in the reader that will translate to the screen. If the location is not relevant to the story beyond its practical purpose then what's the point of being specific? Is it not better for the director to know that it's not a particular kind of house and he can choose whatever he prefers or whatever the budget will allow. I just have little patience for people who nitpick and present personal foibles as essential to the work. This only happens in screenwriting. All the other crafts are BS proof. When Roger Deakins or other great DPs talks about cinematography there's never any dogma involved. It's all about expression and communicating intentions.
The writers on the Acolyte (Star Wars) need to hire you for some basic - and I mean basic - classes in screenwriting...... I mean, how did those people get hired in the first place........
The last point about symbols is also huge. It's so tempting to be obscure and expect the audience to figure out your intention in this sort of "aaah i get it i get" sort of way. Because it strokes your ego a bit as a creator, and you don't want to give away some deep meaning that you purposefully hidden underneath. But it's important to remember that it's only the best works of art earn that kind of attention of analysis. But before that, you need to create something that will catch attention by itself.
Lots of scholars probably overanalysed Lord of the Rings and its deeper meanings of devastation of war etc, but it became so popular as it was because it was an imaginative and immersive story first and foremost.
💯
I'm curious why "never met a steak he didn't like" isn't a valid character description but "looks like he carries the weight of his world on his shoulders" is. They both conjure a certain "image" and seem like they could even work in tandem.
Is there any channel from you which focus only on the written Novel and everything about it?
Here are some novelists who we have interviewed - ua-cam.com/video/rQI-XnJgF0s/v-deo.html
ye
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I HATE how hot he is😂😂😂
I'm working on A screenplay I'm working on a kid's cartoon. I also have a reality TV show to pitch. I just need the help being creative is not hard easy for me. If I can get some help. I can make us some money. 💯
Do you really think people are gonna help you just like that?
@@patricksleep9787yes, he does. He will learn.
This is all so basic. Really reminds you how just about everyone thinks he or she can be a screenwriter.
Is he writing a new book?
Gonna be honest, chief. The advices are sound, but I looked up this dude and I dont see any notable screenwriting work for movies & television. Maybe the info isnt up to date and/or he focuses more on theatre, but... eh. It's a shrug from me.
Matthew's credits may be a little harder to find as he worked in the South African film industry.
Those who can’t do, teach
Isn't the statistic something like 10% of published authors make 90% of the money? Clearly there is room for less successful but still talented (have you seen how bad some of the successful stuff produced by working writers is) writers to educate others on the craft who may go on to have more commercial success than the teacher has had. You may also find that teachers also work as consultants. Also, think of football. How many average players have become amazing managers? Quite a few.
Garry Winogrand taught photography at college level in the 70s to support himself and his family, despite being an established and highly regarded freelance photographer. Even today he is widely known within the photography community as being one of the greatest ever alongside other legends of the craft. I would pity anyone who would dismiss Winogrand's wisdom, work or technique. YMMV
Look at most of what Disney is putting out. They're not teaching and they definitely can't write a story or make a show or movie that appeals to more than 3% of the population.
I trust this guy more than hollywoke or Disney.
@@Ruylopez778 cool if I’m ever interested in photography I’ll try to remember that and look him up