Contextual Research - Screenwriting

BASICS FILM-MAKING: SCREENWRITING

Contextual Reasearch - Screenwriting

To attempt to help me with the writing process, I borrowed the book Basics Film-making, Screenwriting to look at. Luckily for me, it is extremely detailed, covering everything from the concept to editing the final draft. When coming to work on my own script, I found the sections on dialogue particularly useful, as it comments on how to make conversation realistic and how to make words count – with written examples, with scripts from films such as American Beauty (1999) and Groundhog Day (1993).

Looking at refining dialogue

Throughout the book, the authors focus on a script for A Nice Cup Of Tea. They take it through the entire process (first draft, second draft and final refining), including all three complete drafts at the end so it is easy to see how the screenplay has progressed. This gave me a better idea of how to cut down my script for my final draft, reminding me not to rely on wordy explanations - inspiring me to include more methods of showing, not telling.

I also looked at the final section of the book, in Script Editing. This was useful for reference to future projects, as it explains that writing is all about stamina, picking and picking and picking until it forms a decent shape. However, not all scripts are the same, and some will take more time than others:

"Any script benefits from a period of hibernation. At some stage, writing comes to a halt – you get stuck, run out of steam, or feel that a script is finished. Stop for a while; you can always come back to it with renewed vigour and insight later."

Basics Film-making: Screenwriting 

Robert Edgar-Hunt, John Marland, James Richards