John August

QandA

Various locations

Formatting, QandA

Can you tell me what is preferred/correct for this situation? Mabel is moving through a house (and, if necessary, outside):

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

EXT. STREET – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

Et cetera. Thanks very much.

–Arnold Sable

Yeah, that pretty much sucks, Arnold. Unless you are repeating the sentence for some effect, perhaps showing how intensely single-minded Mabel can be, almost anything else would be better.

The simplest choice would be to use a different scene heading that encompasses all needed locations, such as:

INT. HOUSE – VARIOUS ROOMS – DAY

Or, if you do want to show each location, try varying your descriptions of Mabel’s search so that they don’t repeat.

Finally, you could consider using a montage format:

MONTAGE as Mabel searches for the cat:

— She pulls open the dryer in the laundry room.

— Checks the kitchen cupboards.

— Searches under the porch with a flashlight.

— Pokes the broom under the sofa.

— Rechecks the kitchen cupboards again.

What format you choose really depends on the situation, and how much information you need the reader to know.

Western’s out?

Genres, QandA

Are western’s out?

–Mark Barragar

Yes. So write one if you feel like it. By the time you’re finished, they’ll
probably be in again, and you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Generating ideas

QandA, Writing Process

Do you have a method to generate your ideas?

–Dean

Not really. I’ve never found it particularly hard to generate ideas. Most
of the time, I have far too many different things I want to write, and
the challenge is deciding which ones are actually worth the investment
of time and thought. So I don’t really have any methods for generating
ideas. I don’t brainstorm. I don’t draw mind-maps. I only outline if
I’m concerned about fitting the pieces together.
In fact, 90% of the time, I’m trying to find methods for shutting competing
ideas out, so that I’ll actually get my work finished. Or get to sleep.
I’m drawing a distinction here between coming up with new ideas (“a biker movie in space”) and figuring out how to solve specific problems with a story or scene (“how should the villain capture the Millenium Harley?”).
Obviously, every writer is going to have to find ways to get over these hurdles
when they come up. A few techniques that often help include:

  • figuring out what the outcome needs to be, then working backwards;
  • deciding what caused the problem in the first place, and whether it can be changed or cut;
  • looking at the moment from another character’s perspective;
  • quickly writing several different solutions, then judging whether one or a combination of several best address the problem.

For all the talk of high-concept comedies or big-idea action tentpole movies, a screenwriter’s daily life is almost entirely about coming up with the “little” ideas that help get the story told.

“Fictional events” disclaimer

QandA, Rights and Copyright

At the end of the credits of every movie, I read the
message saying, "The
events depicted in this movie are fictitious. Any similarity to any person
living or dead is merely coincidental." However, in a number of interviews
with screenwriters and on several DVD commentary tracks I hear a writer talk
about a real person or experience that he or she used in the script. Why do
you they get to put that message at the end?

–Ryan

This disclaimer is there strictly to help protect the studio and filmmakers
in case someone comes after them, claiming libel or defamation. Let’s say the
movie has an evil drug dealer named Joe Thompson. If some guy named Joe Thompson
in Wayzata, Minnesota decides the movie has defamed him and tries to sue, the
studio can point to that disclaimer and say, "Look, we said this character wasn’t
based on anyone."

Since you seem to like to watch the credits – God bless you – pay close attention,
because that disclaimer isn’t always exactly the same. In the case of a movie
like ALI, many of the characters obviously DID exist, and a lot of the events
portrayed in the movie DID happen. So the disclaimer at the end might say something
like, "This story is based on actual events. In certain cases incidents,
characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters
may be composites, or entirely fictitious."

Among recent movies, CHICAGO, ADAPTATION and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN are based
on true stories, but each has taken considerable dramatic license. You’ll see
that reflected in the disclaimers at the end.

When you listen to DVD commentary tracks, you’ll often hear that a character
was "inspired by" a real-life person or events. For instance, GO
features a telepathic cat named Huxley, who is based on my friend George’s
telepathic cat named Huxley. The threeway, the strippers and the burning hotel
room all happened – at different times, to different people – but in stringing
them together, I created a fictious work that is not really "based on
actual events."

By the way, the screenwriter gets no say in what kind of disclaimer is put
on the movie. That’s generally handled by the studio lawyers.