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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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
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.
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
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 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.
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.
Currently in the midst of trying to write what I'm hoping to turn into a feature and literally everything he's pointing out about failing to describe your house or car or whatnot is currently every mistake that I've already made. Which is good to know for the next draft.
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........
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.
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.
I believe in the rule but also one of the comments, "be more specific!" rather than ramble on. We are the students you are the Teacher. Is it having to change the slug line or description?
He's South African. Our understanding is that a lot of his credits are not listed online anywhere. We believe in our last interview with Matthew he talked about writing a horror movie that he wasn't proud of. Lastly, it is common for screenwriters to write a lot of work that never gets produced.
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. 💯
His coments about "house" is not true. You don't have to describe everything to It's smallest detail. You do that and youre writing a book, not a screenplay.
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.
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.
You can always give the details of the house after the scene heading. EXT. BOBS HOUSE. DAY. Bob cautiously approaches the front entrance of his large double bay window town house........
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.
I agree! People that cannot afford to be in his classes but watch Film Courage, may not understand.
This one might be worth coming back to from time to time.
Nothing wrong with that! Cheers Lon!
i wrote all these scripts and just learned so much in this video. I would go back but have to put it in my new writing...
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. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
As a complete novice and aspiring screenwriter this is incredibly dope!! Thanks for this!! ❤❤❤
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.
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!
Checks latest script “int bedroom late afternoon”. Damn, he was right. Great video and great tips.
He’s a great teacher!
Wow! Very very good.
Cheers Daniel!
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,
❤❤❤
Quite enlightening
Great to hear!
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
Wonderful information….Thank you Matthew✨
Thanks Katya!
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.
Good info! Thanks!
This one was exceptionally insightful
This gentlemen seems an excellent teacher, South Africa I think. Or possibly Zimbabwean. All the best from the U.K.
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
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.
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.
Be visually descriptive while using the minimum amount of words.
Currently in the midst of trying to write what I'm hoping to turn into a feature and literally everything he's pointing out about failing to describe your house or car or whatnot is currently every mistake that I've already made. Which is good to know for the next draft.
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........
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.
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.
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
💯
I believe in the rule but also one of the comments, "be more specific!" rather than ramble on. We are the students you are the Teacher. Is it having to change the slug line or description?
🌞👍
I think Mamet might disagree
ye
🫡🫡🫡
He hasn't written a feature.
He's South African. Our understanding is that a lot of his credits are not listed online anywhere. We believe in our last interview with Matthew he talked about writing a horror movie that he wasn't proud of. Lastly, it is common for screenwriters to write a lot of work that never gets produced.
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.
I HATE how hot he is😂😂😂
His coments about "house" is not true. You don't have to describe everything to It's smallest detail. You do that and youre writing a book, not a screenplay.
Is he writing a new book?
This is all so basic. Really reminds you how just about everyone thinks he or she can be a screenwriter.
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
I thought adding too much detail takes away from the director or limits your ability to sell the script?
You can always give the details of the house after the scene heading.
EXT. BOBS HOUSE. DAY.
Bob cautiously approaches the front entrance of his large double bay window town house........