10 Day Screenplay

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T HE / 1 0 / DA YS C R E E N P L A Y

How to Write a Blockbuster

Screenplay in Just 10 Days

-EXPANDED EDITION-

by Jonathan A. Browne

Copyright 2008 by Shamrock New Media, Inc.

NOTICE:You may not copy, redistribute, publish, retransmit, transfer, share, modify orcreate derivative works, or in any way commercially exploit, any contentcontained in the publication, in whole or in part, without the prior writtenconsent of Shamrock New Media, Inc.


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DISCLAIMER:This publication contains the opinions and ideas of the author and should beused for general information purposes only. Neither the author nor thepublisher is engaged in rendering legal, tax, investment, insurance, financial,accounting, or other professional advice or services. If the reader requires

such advice or services, a competent professional should be consulted.Relevant laws vary from state to state. The strategies outlined in thispublication may not be suitable for every individual, and are not guaranteed orwarranted to produce any particular results.

This publication contains statements and statistics believed to be reliable, butneither the author nor the publisher can guarantee the accuracy orcompleteness of any of the information contained in this publication.

No warranty is made with respect to the accuracy or completeness of theinformation contained herein. The author and publisher specifically disclaim

any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, whichis incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and applicationof any of the contents of this publication.

Each individuals success depends on his or her background, experience,dedication, desire and motivation. As with any business endeavor or financialtransaction, there is an inherent risk of loss of capital and there is no guaranteethat you will earn any money.

This publication is not officially associated with, endorsed by, affiliated with,or sponsored by any of the individuals or organizations written about in thispublication.

The names and identifying characteristics of certain individuals referenced inthis publication may have been changed.

The 10-Day Screenplayby Jonathan A. BrowneCopyright 2008 Shamrock New Media, Inc.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART ONE: Full-Speed Screenwriting .................... 5

Can YouReallyWrite a Screenplay in 10 Days? ..... 6

The Benefits of Fast Screenwriting ... 9

Its Time to Stop Dreaming and Start Writing! .... 10

Seeing is Believing ... 12

You Have More than One Shot ..... 14

To Outline or Not to Outline ..... 15

How to Use This Book ...... 17

PART TWO: Before We Start the 10-Day Course.................. 18

The Five Requirements ......... 19

The Five Movies ... 20

The Idea .... 22

Internal Conflict .... 26

The Two Key Questions ........... 30

Subplots .... 31

The Tentative Ending .... 33

The Characters ...... 34

PART THREE: The 10-Day Course..................... 35

Our Plan of Attack .... 36

Introducing the Nine Essential Chapters of Drama ...... 37

Just Do It! ...... 39

Day 1: Character Development ..... 40

Day 2: Writing Chapter One ..... 47

Day 3: Writing Chapter Two .... 50

Day 4: Writing Chapter Three ...... 54

Day 5: Writing Chapter Four ........ 56


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Day 6: Writing Chapter Five .....58

Day 7: Writing Chapter Six ...... 61

Day 8: Writing Chapter Seven .......... 63

Day 9: Writing Chapter Eight ....... 65

Day 10: Writing Chapter Nine ...... 68

Your Script Is Done, Now What?.......... 72

Appendix 1: If You Absolutely MUST Outline... 75

Appendix 2: Writers Resources... 79


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PART ONE:

Full-Speed Screenwriting


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Can YouReallyWrite a Screenplay in 10 Days?

The goal of this system is simply this: 10 days from now, you will have

written a blockbuster screenplay. Period.

Now that were all on the same page, Id like to address the question I hear

most often: Can I really write a blockbuster screenplay in just 10 days?

After all, most instructors I know say it takes months or even years to write a

great movie.

Allow me to first offer a short and sweet answer to your question: Yes, you

can.

You can write a great screenplay in 10 days and in the pages that follow, Im

going to show you exactly how to do it.

Simply follow this program and in 10 days, youll have a finished script

capable of blowing your readers away and launching your screenwriting

career!

The idea that writing a screenplay takes six months to a year is just

preposterous.

Now, do somewriters take 12 months or longer to complete their scripts? Of

course. But, most writers I know would never even entertain the idea of

taking so long to complete a script. In fact, some of the most successful

screenplays ever written were completed in just a few days.

Sylvester Stallone was living in utter poverty when he saw an unknown boxer

last nearly 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali. The idea for Rocky was born.

Stallone wrote the script in just three days and the rest, as they say, is


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Hollywood history as the movie became one of the most successful of all time

and made Stallone an international superstar.

Kevin Williamson was house-sitting one night when he and a friend started

reminiscing on the phone about old slasher movies. The conversation led to

Williamson getting himself spooked, all alone in this big house. It spawned

the idea for what would become the opening scene in Screamwith a stalker

quizzing his victims on horror movies of the past. Williamson wrote Scream

in just four days. The script created a hot bidding war and made Williamson

one of the highest-paid screenwriters in Hollywood. When the movie was

made, it rejuvenated the teen horror genre and became one of the surprise hits

of the 1990s.

And then theres Joe Eszterhas. He came up with the idea of a beautiful crime

novelist becoming the suspect in the case of her boyfriends murder.

Eszterhas sat down, with no clue how the story would end, and wrote Basic

Instinct in just 10 days. When he was finished, he shipped the script to his

agent and in just three days, he had sold it for $3 million. That means

Eszterhas went from having a simple idea to having $3 million in the bank in

just 13 days!

Arthur Miller wrote the play Death of a Salesman in just a day and a half. It

became one of the most successful plays of all time and won the Pulitzer Prize

for Drama.

Its worth noting that in the case of both ScreamandBasic Instinct, those first

drafts written were nearly exactly what ended up on the big screen. In other

words, the first draft ended up beingthe final draft.


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So let me ask you, if writing a great screenplay doesnt have to take six

months, wouldnt you prefer to finish your script in just days instead of

months? Because youre reading this guide, I think I know your preference.


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The Benefits of Fast Screenwriting

The next question I so often hear is, Why shouldI write a movie in just 10

days? This is a logical query. After all, just because something canbe done

faster doesnt always mean it shouldbe done faster.

The truth is that spending TOO MUCHtime on a script is actually one of the

worst mistakes a screenwriter can make! It leads to boring, dull, and

unoriginal scripts.

Scott Rosenberg, the hugely successful writer of Con Air, High Fidelity,

Beautiful Girls, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, and many other

top-selling screenplays, has often pointed out the necessity of being able to

write quickly.

I have friends who take six to eight months to write a script, and I think its

stupid, Rosenberg said. You're talking about 120 pages with a lot of white

in them. How can it take you six months to write that? It should be vomited

out as fast as you can manage to get it out.

The danger with taking too long to write a script is that writers often second-

guess and tweak every little scene, idea, character, and line until the

screenplay loses all spontaneity and heart. The result is that these screenplays

read like 99% of all the other screenplays out there - which certainly wont get

your script noticed or sold!

The bottom line is this: not only can it be annoying and demoralizing to hit a

dead end after working on a script for months on end, but allowing yourself to

spend too much time on a script actually makes your script worse, not better.


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Its Time to Stop Dreaming and Start Writing!

The single biggest problem most screenwriters have is that they spend way too

much time planning the perfect script. They waste months, if not years,

doing this. Ultimately, its nothing more than excessive procrastination and it

dooms 99.99% of all screenwriters before they ever get started.

When youve got an idea for a movie and some great characters, its time to

sit down and start writing!

Another bad excuse I often hear for procrastinating is when a writer says he or

she is waiting to get in the zone before they start writing. This is actually

code for, I just dont feel like writing, which is code for, Im too lazy to

write, which is code for, Although I may tell people I want to be a

screenwriter, deep down I know that Im just too lazy to do it!

This may sound harsh, but its the truth.

As they say, in this business, there are no failures, only quitters. And when

you procrastinate endlessly with either the planning excuse or the in the

zone excuse, youre essentially quitting before you ever give yourself the

chance to succeed.

Theres a clear difference between dreaming and writing. When youve got

the dream, its time to sit yourself down and WRITE THE MOVIE!

The 10-Day Screenplaysystem will force you to get your movie down on the

page; all you have to do is follow the step-by-step process laid out in this

guide.


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You see, The 10-Day Screenplay system utilizes one of the most powerful

tools a writer has: the deadline.

Steven DeSouza, the screenwriter of mega-hits like Die Hardand 48 Hours,

offers this advice, Deadlines are the greatest motivator I know; how could

they not be?

Tom Schulman (What About Bob) agrees: I can always think of a million

good reasons why I shouldnt start a project on a given day, so Ill give myself

a deadline. Its the only thing that really pushes me over.

No matter how successful and accomplished a writer may be, procrastination

is the writers ultimate enemy. However, deadlines are the ultimate

procrastination slayer and by following this program, youll be given a new

deadline each day. In 10 days, youll be finished with your script!


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Seeing is Believing

The fast-paced writing method well be using will also keep your script

exciting. As mentioned earlier, most wannabe screenwriters are clueless as to

how dull and unoriginal their scripts really are. This is because they tinker

with them until they end up reading like every other boring script out there.

By following this rapid-fire system, youll notice that your creative energy

will stay in overdrive and your movie will be spontaneous and real

throughout.

Jeffrey Boam (The Lost Boys, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal

Weapon 2) says, The biggest and most helpful rule I have is, when Im

bored, the screenplay is boring. And its going to be boring for an audience.

This advice seems to fly in the face of that offered by those famous structure

gurus who teach screenwriters to spend countless hours conforming their

moves to rigid rules.

Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise, Something to Talk About,Divine Secrets of

the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) goes a step further saying, I picked up the Syd Field

book and looked through it, and I thought, this is just way too structured, I

could never write like that. Im just going to tell this story. I know what

makes a good movie. I know what I want to see.

Amateur writers have a tendency to get obsessed about detailed outlines and

the structure rules espoused by todays latest screenwriting guru. Avoid this

temptation. You know what kind of movies you like. You know what makes

a good story. Its time to break through the rigid chains that may be bottling

up your creativity and just start writing the script!


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This means seeing your script unfold just as your audience will see the movie

play out. Joe Eszterhas has pointed out that a great screenplay, like a great

novel, reads quickly. He says, Most studio executives Ive met think that if it

takes them longer than 45 minutes to read a script, then the script isnt very

good. This is an important point to keep in mind. Many successful

screenwriters have discovered that the key to having a script read fast is

making sure that you writeit fast.


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You Have More than One Shot

Another important tool for freeing up your creativity is remembering that you

have more than one shot at writing your script. Nobody says that your first

draft has to be your final draft. You can always come back and add new

twists later. There is no reason to feel the pressure of writing a perfect script

the first time through.

Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One) says, When I start to watch the movie in

my head like a giddy fan, then I know I have something. But he also adds, I

try to write my first draft really quickly. I write the first draft with flaws and

warts and zits. But you dont show that to anybody. Thats just the document

for you to edit. Thats the slab of marble youre going to chisel.

The point is, dont sweat the small details when youre writing the first draft.

You can always go back in and change something later if you dont like it.

But first, you have to GET IT DOWN ON PAPER!

Often times, you may find that your first draft really doesend up being your

final draft, but if you start writing with the expectation that this initial draft

has to be perfect, youll rarely get past page one.


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To Outline or Not to Outline

All this leads us into the next logical question, Does The 10-Day Screenplay

system require outlining?

The answer is no. In fact, I go out of my way to discouragewriters from

outlining.

I understand that this stance doesnt sound like the conventional wisdom

youre used to hearing. But I urge you, for a moment, to take a close look at

the people who have encouraged you to outline in the past. Most likely, they

were either writing professors or seminar gurus.

I believe that most of these individuals encourage you to outline because

theyre expertise (if you want to call it that) is in analyzing scripts after the

fact. Their focus is on evaluating stories after they are created and they

normally lack the perspective of going through the actual creative process.

Therefore, they want students to do outlines so that they can decide whether

they are right or wrong before the script is actually started. This is not the

way creative people actually work.

Ive found that outlining usually stifles creativity. It causes the writer to try

and plug in stale characters into their plots instead of allowing their characters

to come first and dictate the story as it happens. This constricts the

characters voices and their actions and results in a lifeless script.

Joe Eszterhas agrees. He states bluntly, Dont do an outline for yourself. It

will lock the character in step too much and not give them enough room to

plot the course of their own actions in the script. Give them the freedom to

tell you what it is they want to do or say.


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Perhaps this is why some of the most successful writers of our time choose not

to outline. Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, Elmore Leonard, Donald

Westlake, David Benioff, Shane Blackthe list could go on and on. The

point is, contrary to what instructors with no experience actually writing may

have told you, its often a very bad idea to outline your story before you dive

in.

This doesnt mean that you should have no idea at all where your script is

heading when you start. In fact, later in this guide youll be introduced to the

Nine Essential Chapters of Drama, which will ensure your conflict

continuously rises throughout your script. But these nine chapters shouldnt

be seen as a detailed turn-by-turn road map for your script. Instead, see them

as more of a compass that will simply make sure youre headed in the right

direction.

To be fair, I will admit that some truly outstanding writersDOoutline. Some

of these writers swear that outlining is essential. Im not going to argue with

their results and try to tell them that their writing process is all wrong.

Theres no one right way to write and if a person absolutely must have an

outline to write a good story, who am I to argue with them?

All I ask is that before youre convinced that you have to have an outline to

write your screenplay, please try to follow The 10-Day Screenplay system

without an outline first. I have good reason to believe that you will find it a

much more enjoyable experience and it will result in a much better finished

product.

[Having said all that, if youre one of those writers who absolutely

positively can NOT start writing without an outline, I encourage you to keep

the outline as brief as possible and Ive included an outlining method in the

appendix of this guide.]


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How to Use This Book

It is almost time to begin your journey. But before we move on, Id like to

offer one more suggestion for getting the most out of this guide:

Dont view this as your typical book to curl up with at the end of a long

day and read while you fall asleep. This is meant to be an action guide,

which means you need to takeACTIONas youre reading it. See it not as

another screenwriting book, but as a home-study course that must be

completed on time.

And remember: there are no failures in this business, only quitters.


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PART TWO:

Before We Start the 10-Day Course


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The Five Requirements

Before we get started with The 10-Day Screenplaycourse, you need to have

five things in mind:

1) You need to have a great idea for your screenplay. This will be the

movies External Conflict, which well be explaining shortly.

2) You need to define your heros Internal Conflict, which also will be

explained shortly.

3)

You need to be thinking of any subplots that might enhance your

movies External and/or Internal conflicts.

4) You need to have a tentative ending in mind.

5) You need to make sure you have compelling and original characters

for your movie.

Well go through a simply process to ensure we have all five of these

requirements in this section of The 10-Day Screenplay.


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The Five Movies

Now is a good time to address the five movies well be using for examples

throughout this course. Instead of citing dozens of different movies for

unique scenes and concepts, I think its much more appropriate to use a few

movies for ALL of our examples.

If you havent seen or dont remember these five movies, it will be extremely

helpful if you go back and watch these movies before moving forward with

this course.

These five movies were chosen because they were all incredibly successful,

they span five different genres and several decades, they each were made

relatively cheaply (that is, they didnt rely on huge budgets to attract

attention), and they didnt rely on star power to be successful (for the most

part, the stars in these movies were not big stars before these movies were

made.).

The movies are:

Rocky Drama

A drama that was made for $1 million and grossed $225 million. It made

Sylvester Stallone an international superstar and spawned a franchise of

six movies that grossed more than $1.1 billion. The movie won the 1976

Academy Award for Best Picture and is typically viewed as the greatest

sports drama of all time.

Home Alone Family Comedy

A fish out of water family comedy that was made for $18 million and

grossed $478 million. It began a franchise of three movies, which grossed

nearly $1 billion. To this day, it is the most successful Christmas movie


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of all time (an important feat considering that there is always high demand

for Holiday movies each year).

Theres Something About Mary Romantic Comedy

This romantic comedy made both Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller hugely

famous superstars. Made for $23 million, the movie grossed $370 million

and is the No. 5 highest-grossing romantic comedy ever made.

Die Hard Action

This action movie created an entire subgenre known as Die Hard in a

Made for $28 million, it grossed $139 million and led to three sequels.

The four-film franchise grossed more than $1.1 billion. The movie also

made Bruce Willis one of the hottest stars of his day and created a new

generation of everyman action stars (as opposed to the Sylvester

Stallone/Arnold Schwarzenegger surreal action stars that were popular

at the timeDie Hardwas made).

Scream Horror

This was the horror movie that came out of nowhere in 1996 and awokethe dead genre of teen thrillers. Made for $14 million, the movie grossed

$173 million and launched a three-movie franchise that made more than

$500 million.

For ease of understanding the concepts were about to present, these are the

only five movies well be referring to from here on out. You will find that

hundreds of other movies could have been used in place of these five to serve

as examples for what you are about to learn.


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The Idea

Your movie begins and ends with its main idea. Even though characters are

what truly make a movie great, if the main idea for your movie isnt

compelling, youll be grounded before you ever begin.

When we refer to a movies main idea, were actually referring to the External

Conflict, which serves as the main plot of the movie. The External Conflict

immediately raises the movies main question that must be answered; will the

hero achieve the goal set forth by the External Conflict?

While there will also be an Internal Conflict and perhaps several subplots in

every great movie, the External Conflict is the driving force behind your story.

When people ask you what Rockyis about, you dont tell them, Its about a

timid and insecure boxer/loan shark collector who falls in love with a shy girl

and develops some much-needed self confidence and ultimately comes to

believe in himself.

Sure, the movie is about all those things (and those Internal issues are what

makes most people actually identify with the film so much), but if someone

asked you whatRockywas about, youd tell them, Its about a mediocre club

boxer who gets a random shot at the heavyweight championship of the

world.

Thatis what Rocky is about. That is the movies idea, its External Conflict.

The question that must be answered: Will Rocky Balboa find a way to beat the

heavyweight champ?

ForHome Alone, the main idea is: An eight-year-old boy gets accidentally left

home alone during Christmas while burglars attempt to break into his house.


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The question that must be answered: Will Kevin survive being at home alone

when the burglars try to break in?

For Theres Something About Mary, the main idea is: A guy wants to find his

long-lost love, but must hire a shady private investigator to find her. The

question that must be answered: Will Ted be able to rekindle his old flame

with Mary without her knowing he hired a creepy P.I. to track her down?

For Die Hard, the main idea is: Ruthless thieves take a group of people

hostage in a skyscraper and an off-duty cop must stop them. The question that

must be answered: Will John be able to save the hostages?

For Scream, the main idea is: a killer is on the loose in a small town while he

stalks a teenage girl with tactics made famous in past horror movies. The

question that must be answered: Will Sydney survive the killers attempts to

murder her?

Now its your turn. What is the main idea for your movie? Your idea needs

to be original and compelling. Sounds simple enough, but its obviously

easier said than done.

To make sure your idea is a winner, you can put it through the following five-

question idea test. With your idea in mind, simply answer the following five

yes-or-no questions:

1)

Is your idea similar to anything youve ever seen before?

If you answer yes, find ways to make your idea unique. In the case ofDie

Hard, there have been dozens of action movies revolving around a group

of bad guys taking innocent people hostage. What made Die Hard so

unique was the setting. The movie takes place in a huge skyscraper and


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our hero must climb through vents, leap off of roofs, and jump through

elevator shafts to save the hostages.

2) Is your idea big enough for the big screen?

When were talking about a big idea, were talking about something that

will take some time approximately two hours to explore. If Home

Alonewas simply about a kid being left at home over Christmas, its more

likely a 30-minute sit-com episode. There may be a few funny things that

happen to this child and to the family that left him, but it would get very

old after any more than that half-hour. Instead, Home Alone adds the

element of burglars targeting the house where Kevin is home by himself.

All the while, Kevins family is trying to get back to him after realizing

hes been left at home. Suddenly, weve got a real movie.

3)

Does your movie idea instantly present your main character with a

recognizable goal?

You dont want to have your movies main idea end up being just a

prelude to your central question or central goal. For instance, if Rocky

had fought for the heavyweight championship halfway through the movie

and then carried on with his courting of Adrian, then the main idea of the

movie would no longer be about whether he could somehow beat the

heavyweight champ. Instead, it would be about whether a club boxer was

able to find love. Certainly, the Adrian love story is a big part ofRocky

and certainly it is a subplot that made the movie much more than a typical

sports drama, but the movies compelling and original main idea is about

the mediocre boxer getting a shot at the heavyweight championship.

Make sure you dont use the movies main idea to lead into a different

central question or central goal. On the same note, be very clear about

what the main plot of your movie is and what your subplots are.


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4)

Is your movie idea first and foremost about an External Conflict and

NOT an Internal Conflict?

As you will see shortly, the Internal Conflict is hugely important to the

success of your movie, but you need to make sure the movies main idea is

about an External Conflict. This means it needs to be something we can

really see played out as someone watching from the outside. Its often

extremely difficult to make a great movie based on some of the great

novels that have been written. This is because many great novels take us

deep within the characters mind and we follow the characters Internal

Conflict in a way that is very hard to do in a two-hour movie. You need to

make certain that your main idea revolves around an External Conflict, a

conflict that is visual.

5) And finally, if you heard about this movie, would you be jumping out

of your chair in anxious anticipation to go see it?

The point here is obvious: make sure youre writing about something you

would love to see. Make sure youre creating the movie that youve

always wanted to see. Dont think about anyone else first; think about

yourself and your own interests. Trying to create a great movie based on

what you think would be popular to others is not a smart starting point.

Instead, come up with an idea thatyouwould love to see played out on the

big screen.


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Internal Conflict

Now that we know our External Conflict (the movies main idea) and it passes

our five-question idea test, its time to start thinking about the Internal

Conflict.

The Internal Conflict is the inside change your character must go through

during the course of the movie. Many screenwriters make the mistake of

disregarding a compelling Internal Conflict, but its this Internal Conflict that

is the difference between a decent idea for a movie and a hugely successful

blockbuster.

The Internal Conflict is what really connects our audience with our characters

and gives them a fulfilling experience when they leave the theater. You can

have an outstanding idea and the greatest stunts and visual effects ever filmed,

but if your audience does not relate to an Internal Conflict in your movie, it is

sure to disappoint.

An Internal Conflict is all about an internal flaw that our character must

overcome to become a better and more fulfilled person by the end of our

story. (Or, in the case of tragedies, our hero fails to overcome his flaw and

ruins his life, thus teaching the audience a lesson they can believe in.)

Not only does this internal flaw need to be overcome for the hero to become a

better person, but it also must be overcome for the hero to achieve the goal

necessitated by the External Conflict in the most rewarding way possible.

Lets take a look at the Internal Conflict in our five movies:

Rocky Rocky overcomes complacency (flaw) and takes a real shot at

life, ultimately proving that he is somebody.


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Home Alone Kevin overcomes his immaturity (flaw) to defend his

home and also learn the value of family.

Theres Something About Mary Ted overcomes his insecurity (flaw)

and wins over his lost love when hes finally confident enough to be

completely honest with her.

Die Hard John overcomes his selfishness (flaw) and saves the

hostages while also winning back his wife.

Scream Sydney overcomes her timidity (flaw) and realizes that what

happened in the past to her mother wont happen to her if she doesnt

let it (this gives her the confidence to be aggressive and fight off the

killer who is after her).

In evaluating your Internal Conflict, make sure it falls into at least one of or

all of the three Internal Conflict models that make a great movie. Defeating

the three flaws showcased here will always have universal appeal, theyrethings everyone likes to see overcome. The best movies are those in which

every member of the audience can relate to the characters on a very personal

level. Using these three models guarantees an instant connection.

1) Kissing Your Past Goodbye

This is when your hero has made a major mistake in his past, which is

eating away at him and affecting his life in a major way. The regret or

guilt he feels is keeping him from reaching his full potential in life.


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It could also be something that happened toour hero in the past. Maybe it

wasnt his fault or something he did or didnt do, but something

embarrassing (Theres Something About Mary) or horrifying (Scream) that

has happened to this person in the past.

2) Growing Up

When we talk about growing up or coming of age, what were really

talking about is overcoming our biggest fears in life. This involves our

lack of self-confidence, lack of ambition, lack of personal will-power, lack

of integrity. What causes these dreadful lacks? Fear. Fear of failure, fear

of uncertainty, and fear of being truthful and open. Facing and

overcoming these fears is ultimately about growing up.

Rocky is a classic growing up movie as Rocky must overcome his

complacency in life his fear of taking a real shot at life no matter what

the risks are before hes able to prove himself in the ring against Apollo

Creed and find true love outside the ring with Adrian.

3) Sacrificing

We love to see characters overcome selfishness and put others before

them. Along these same lines, we love to see our lone-wolf hero learn to

work with and rely on others for help. Selfishness is a major flaw that

audiences always love to see defeated.

Die Hard serves as an excellent example of self-sacrifice. John finally

realizes how selfish he has been and overcomes this flaw before heroically

saving the hostages (including his wife) from the bad guys.


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Note that each of these three Internal Conflict models can, and often do,

overlap with one another. But you must make certain your Internal Conflict

covers at least one of these three models. It truly can take your script from

mundane and ordinary to blockbuster success.


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The Two Key Questions

By this point, you should have two key questions raised for your movie:

1) External Conflict: Will our hero achieve his goal?

2) Internal Conflict: Will our hero overcome his inner flaw?

If youre not asking yourself these two questions yet, brainstorm your movies

concept until youre clearly raising these questions.


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Subplots

Subplots are the minor storylines that intertwine with your movies major

story line. They are an excellent tool for enhancing your movies External

and Internal Conflicts.

However, a big problem many writers have is letting several subplots take

over their movie without really advancing either the External or Internal

Conflict of the movie. These types of movies often become ensemble movies

and while there are extremely rare exceptions of such movies being made and

being successful, they should definitely be avoided by the screenwriter trying

to launch his career.

Let me hammer this home: every singlesubplot you choose to include in your

movie needs to in some way advance either the External Conflict or

Internal Conflict of the story. The best subplots should actually advance both

the External and Internal Conflict at the same time.

When done correctly, subplots have the power to take your movie from good

to great. When done incorrectly, they can drag down the entire script and bore

the audience.

The love story subplot inRockyenhances the Internal Conflict of the movie.

Not only does Rocky learn to overcome complacency in his boxing career, but

he also becomes more outgoing in his quest to find love with Adrian.

InDie Hard, the Internal Conflict is selfishness and John learns how selfish he

has been in regards to his wifes career. At the same time, Johns wife isone

of the hostages, making her a major component in the External Conflict as

well as the Internal Conflict of the movie.


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In Home Alone, the subplot of Kevins mother trying to get back home not

only plays up the value of family (which Kevin must realize as he overcomes

his immaturity), but it also enhances the External Conflict, raising the

question of whether Kevins family will make it home before the burglars

break into Kevins home.

In Theres Something About Mary, the subplot dealing with Healy and Tucker

is key to the External Conflict as they too are trying to win over Mary.

In Scream, the subplot of Sydney and Billys relationship collides head-on

with both the External and Internal Conflicts when Sydney is able to

overcome her timidity and open up to Billy in a loving way, just before

finding out Billy is one of the killers and reallyovercoming her timidity by

fighting back and killing Billy and Stu.


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The Tentative Ending

Before you start writing your movie, you also need to have a general idea of

how you think it will end. Will Rocky beat Apollo Creed? Will Sydney

survive the maniac killer? Will Ted win over Mary?

The tentative ending is essentially an answer to your two key questions.

But, while you should have a pretty good idea of how you think youre movie

will end, DONT BE AFRAID TO CHANGE YOUR MIND when youre

writing your script.

As youre writing, you may find that the ending that feels right for your

characters is no longer what you had originally planned.

In Stallones original plan for Rocky, it was a much darker movie and the

ending was set to have Rocky throw the fight with Apollo Creed. But as

Stallone spent time with the character of Rocky, he became a character that

would never in a million years throw a fight. Can you imagine what a

different storyRockywould have been had Stallone stuck to his original plan

for the ending?

You want to have some idea of how your story will end up, but dont be afraid

to change the course and let you characters dictate how it all ends up.


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The Characters

And speaking of characters, by now you should have a pretty good idea of the

types of characters you will need for your movie. Obviously, examining

possibilities for the Internal Conflict of you movie has already helped you

flesh out your main character. Likewise, subplot ideas have probably caused

you to give more thought to your minor characters as well.

On Day 1 of the 10-day course, well be doing some major character

development to ensure that you have gripping characters in your movie.

But before we dive in, you need to have a pretty good idea of who your main

characters are, especially your protagonist (main character or hero) and

antagonist (the bad guy remember, there is always someone who wants to

see your hero fail and the antagonist needs to be that main someone).

Once you have your main characters in mind, its time to get started on the 10-

day course


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PART THREE:

The 10-Day Course


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Our Plan of Attack

It is now time to start writing your screenplay. If you follow this program as

it is presented here, you will have a finished script just 10 days from now.

Our 10-day journey will begin with character development on Day 1. After

that, well be completing one of the Nine Essential Chapters of Dramaeach

day. Which brings us, of course, to an explanation of what those nine

chapters are


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Introducing theNine Essential Chapters of Drama

After years of extensive research into what makes a great movie great, I have

found that 99% of all great movies include nine sequential chapters. From the

audiences perspective, these chapters create a fulfilling dramatic experience.

From the writers perspective, each of these chapters presents you with clear

goals that need to be accomplished.

I want to reiterate that this is not a by-the-numbers kind of structural road

map. Instead, these chapters will become your tools for completing a

fulfilling movie experience for the audience (just like the tools used for

character development, Internal Conflicts, etc.).

As stated earlier, this should be seen as a compass rather than turn-by-turn

instructions for your journey. Its here to make sure your movie is heading in

the right direction, not to dictate exactly what must happen scene-by-scene.

On average, the nine chapters break down like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Heros World pages 1-15

Chapter 2: Catalyst I, Avoidance, Catalyst II pages 16-30

Chapter 3: The Heros Journey Begins page 31-40

Chapter 4: The Hero Looking Good pages 41-50

Chapter 5: The Midpoint pages 51-60

Chapter 6: Things Get Tougher and Tougher pages 61-80

Chapter 7: Worst Case Scenario pages 81-85

Chapter 8: The Comeback pages 86-95

Chapter 9: The Finale pages 96-110


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Please note that these page counts/minute counts are averageestimates for the

typical movie. They should NOT be strictly adhered to. You will find that

these page counts can and will vary a great deal from movie to movie. The

point to realize is that each chapter MUST occur, not necessarily that each

chapter must run the length described above.

For instance, Chapter 5 inDie Hardlasts 19 minutes while Chapter 5 inRocky

lasts just 5 minutes. Chapter 8 inRockylasts 10 minutes while Chapter 8 in

Theres Something About Marylasts just 3 minutes. Chapter 9 inHome Alone

lasts 24 minutes while Chapter 9 in Scream lasts just 5 minutes. And these

types of comparisons could go on and on.

There will be differences between every movie in how long each chapter lasts.

The page counts above, however, do represent the averages for a successful

movie.

While the titles of each chapter are fairly explanatory, well be going through

each chapter in more detail on the days that we write them.


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Just Do It!

One final message before we get started: JUST DO IT!

Once you start this course, make sure you sit down each and every day and

follow the plan. Remember, these are deadlines that you must meet.

Obviously, life can throw things at us from time to time that knock us off

course and I fully understand that. Therefore, if you absolutely positively do

not have enough time to finish the daily goals presented in this program, I

must insist that you at least do somethingeach and every day until you have

completed the entire program and your script.

Even if its just 10 minutes of writing, DO SOMETHING EVERY DAYonce

you get started. Think of it this way, even if youre only able to complete

one-third of each days task, youll still have a finished screenplay in just one

month.

What you absolutely must not do is take a day off at any time during the

process. Ive seen it way too often, once you take one day off from working

on your script, youre not afraid to take two days or three days or four days off

and then you start thinking you need to come up with a new script idea

entirely. Dont let this happen to you!

Once you start, dont stop until youre finished!


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Day 1: Character Development

Class is now in session and our first day will focus on what I feel separates

great scripts from the piles and piles of garbage written each year: characters!

An original and compelling idea for your movie is essential, but even the best

ideas will flop if the movie lacks great characters.

Dull characters are normally created by writers who get so caught up in their

plots and their big ideas that they end up plugging in stale, lifeless characters

to play out their story.

Think of some of the worst movies youve ever seen and I can virtually

guarantee that you failed to connect with the characters that were driving the

story. Those are movies that get made based on ideas alone, but end up

flopping because they dont include characters that audiences connect with.

So what makes a great character? More than anything else, its someone who

seems real. Someone who has flaws, like real people. Someone who

contradicts themselves, like real people. Someone who has a unique voice,

like real people. Someone we can identify with, like real people.

These are characters that we can understand. We can understand why they act

the way they do based on their circumstances (and note here that even if we

dont approve of or enjoy what the person does, we need to still be able to

identify with why he or she may be doing what they are doing).

Think about what makes Rocky Balboa one of the most enduring characters in

motion picture history. First off, hes the ultimate contradiction. On the

surface, hes a brutish boxer who fights at rowdy clubs by night and collects

for the local loan shark gangster by day. But when we get to know him, we


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see that this is a guy who lives his life like a beat dog, afraid to ruffle any

feathers or take any real shots at a better life. We also see that hes got a great

heart: he wont hurt the people he collects from even if hes been told to, he

tries to give street kids helpful advice even if they have no respect for him,

etc.

Then, theres the identification factor. Sylvester Stallone has said that he

believes Rocky is such a beloved character because most people are afraid to

take their best shot at life, and heres a guy who did. We can all identify with

Rockys complacency early in the movie and then wanting to prove that he

really isnt the bum people seem to think he is.

And finally, Rocky had a very unique voice. Yes, his accent is now

internationally known, but were talking about more than his accent. Lets

face it; this guy isnt the brightest person. Hes uneducated with poor

grammar and a punchy delivery. People write him off as soon as they hear

him speak. Rocky is someone most people could easily have passed on the

streets and thought nothing of, assuming that someone like this couldnt

possibly have anything of substance to say. But if we really listen to what

Rocky has to say, we hear someone who speaks from the heart. Hes nave to

the harsh realities of the world and expects people to do whats right even

though he has plenty of first-hand experience to prove that that isnt the case

in life.

This quick examination of Rocky Balboa barely scratches the surface, but we

see a lot of depth here. We see a complex character with a unique voice. We

feel like we know him and we identify with him on many levels.

And again, understand that this must be true with our bad guy characters as

well. We obviously like and admire Rocky, but we need to also understand

why our bad guys behave the way they do. We need to feel their evil and


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assume they must have had lots of evil done to them throughout life (even if

we dont necessarily learn this for a fact in our movie).

To create great characters, we must get to know them on a deep and intimate

level. As writers, we have to put ourselves in their shoes and see the world

the way they see it. This is the only way to write from the heart. We must

understand the motive for their actions. We need to hear their voices and

know why they say the things they do.

Once we get to know our characters on a very deep level, youll find that they

begin to dictate your story. This is when real magic happens for a writer.

To get to know our characters on a deep level, we must be able to answer the

20 Essential Character Questions about our characters. You dont necessarily

have to do this for every single character in your movie (although I highly

recommend that you do), but at a bare minimum, this needs to be done for

your three most important characters:

1) The Protagonist. This is our main character or hero, the person our

story is about first and foremost. Every great movie has one main

character, even buddy movies and ensembles.

2)

The Antagonist. This doesnt have to be the typical bad guy we see

in action and thriller movies, but there is always some character who

wants to keep our protagonist from getting what he wants. Someone

needs to be doing everything they can to stop our protagonist from

achieving his goals.

3) The Love Interest/Buddy. Every protagonist needs either a love

interest he is pursuing or a best friend or family member who plays an

essential role in the protagonists journey. This buddy may be


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someone the protagonist wants to save or it may be someone the

protagonist needs to learn to work with, listen to, and respect (such as

a Mentor or partner). This buddy role can be, and often is, both.

That is, the love interest in the movie may also be the protagonists

mentor or partner.

These are the three most important characters of any great movie. Most

movies will have many more than just these three important characters. You

will often want to add an Antagonists Buddy and a Love Interests Buddy.

Your Antagonist may have a Love Interest and a Buddy. He may have a Love

Interest, a Buddy, and a Mentor, etc.

In other words, dont think for a second that Im recommending you focus

your movie on just three important characters. Instead, my intention is to

point out that you must have at leastthese three roles included in your movie.

Its now time to address the 20 Essential Character Questions. It is very

smart to write down your answers to these questions for each of your

characters so that you can refer back to them throughout the writing process.

You must answer all of the following 20 questions for at leastthe three main

characters in your movie.

[Please note: Throughout this guide, well refer simply to he instead of he

or she for ease of readability. Obviously, the intention is not that your

characters be limited to males.]

The 20 Essential Character Questions

1. What was his family life like growing up?

2. Was he well-liked at school?


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3. What was high school and college like for him?

4. What kind of grades did he get?

5. What kind of activities was he involved in growing up?

6. What were his spiritual beliefs growing up and what are they now?

7. What did he want to be when he was growing up and does he still want

to be those things?

8.

Who was his first love and how did that relationship turn out?

9. What does he think of the concept of true love?

10.How does he view the world around him? (Most people arent 100%

pessimistic or 100% optimistic; try to identify the areas where hes a

cynic and the areas where hes an optimist.)

11.Does he like his career? What parts does he like and what parts does

he dislike?

12.

What past world events good and bad did he observe that had a

major impact on his life and how did they affect his outlook on the

world?

13.

What past events good and bad happened directly to him and

affected his life in a major way?

14.What are his viewpoints on money and what kind of financial history

does he have?


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15.

Where has he lived in the past and where does he live now? Where

did he love living and where does he want to live?

16.What are his closest friends like?

17.What character traits does he value most in people?

18.What is his idea of heaven on earth?

19.What kinds of entertainment does he enjoy? What kinds of movies

and shows does he watch? What kind of music does he listen to?

What kinds of books does he read? What kinds of sports does he

watch or play? What kind of physical activity is he regularly involved

with? What are his favorites in each of these categories?

20.And finally, who are the people he admires most in the world, both

current and throughout history?

Notice that you didnt have to answer questions like: is he trustworthy, is he a

person of integrity, does he treat people fairly, is he good-natured or evil, etc.

The reason for this is that by answering the above 20 questions, you will

clearly be answering those logical questions that define him as a person.

Ultimately, these answers should bring you to the biggest and most important

question of all: What is this characters biggest flaw that he must overcome?

That is, what is his Internal Conflict?

Now that we know our characters, its time to call it a day congratulations,

put Day 1 in the books!


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However, before we move on, I want to reiterate that I stronglyencourage you

to answer these 20 questions for every single character in your movie. With

each character you do this with, new layers of depth are added and what you

may have envisioned as a very minor role could turn out to be one of the most

important characters in the movie.


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Day 2: Writing Chapter One

Its now time to start writing your screenplay. Understand going into Day 2

that this is THEtoughest day in the process.

William Froug, the Emmy-award winning writer-producer and founder of the

UCLA Film Schools Writing Department, said, Writing the first sentence is

the toughest part of writing a script.

Hes absolutely correct. That blank screen staring back at you has a way of

freezing up even the most creative minds.

The good news is that once you get through this first day of writing, the rest is

all downhill.

Dont forget this crucial piece of advice from Joe Eszterhas: If youve

written the first page, the rest is easy. Now you know you can do it, because

youve already done it once. All you have to do is do it about 110 more times.

But youve done it. So whats the big deal?

Just get through those first few sentences, those first few paragraphs and

youll be onto Page 2 in just a few minutes. Once you hit Page 2, the exciting

super-slide of screenwriting has begun and all you need to do is enjoy the ride.

* * *

Today well be writing Chapter 1: The Introduction to the Heros World.

This normally runs from Page 1 to Page 15.

The main objective of this first chapter is to introduce the audience to the

heros world. It needs to be interesting and unique. It needs to pull the reader


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in. What makes this world different from anything else weve ever seen

before? What makes this world something more interesting than our own?

Its often said that the first 10 pages of your script are the most important.

This is because youve got a limited amount of time to grab a readers

attention. If theyre not interested in what happens next by Page 10, chances

are high that they wont turn to Page 11.

There are five bulletproof ways to grab a readers attention right from the

start. You need to use most of these techniques, if not all five, in the first 10

pages.

1)

Make the world our character operates in completely unique, something

we havent seen before. There arent too many people who can imagine

such an embarrassing prom experience as what happened to Ted in the

beginning of Theres Something About Mary.

2) Make our characters world a world wed love to be in right now. In

Home Alone, seeing Kevins big family in a big snow-covered house at

Christmastime instantly gives us a warm feeling and takes us away from

our current environment.

3)

Create instant sympathy for the protagonist. Sympathy is a surefire way

to get readers asking, What happens next? How can we watch the first

chapter of Rockyand not feel bad for this guy who gets no respect from

anybody and lives in dire conditions on the South side of Philadelphia?

4) Set the stage for this movie in a big and creative way. The opening

sequence in Screamlets us know were in for a wild and suspenseful ride.

The movie opens with the most creative (the quizzing about horror


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movies) and thrilling (the stalking of the teenager who is all alone)

sequence of the movie.

5) And finally, this is the most important technique that absolutely must be

included in the first chapter of every movie. We must introduce the

Internal Conflict and force the reader to ask if the hero will be able to

overcome his fatal flaw. In Die Hard, we learn all about Johns selfish

and stubborn behavior regarding his wifes career move to Los Angeles.

Chapter 1 of Die Hardends with John getting into an argument with his

wife almost as soon as they see each other. We cant help but ask, Can

this guy get over his selfishness and just show her some affection and

support?

Our main objective for Chapter 1 is making sure that we see our heros

biggest underlying flaw. Our hero will be either content with living with his

flaw (Rocky Balboa in Rocky) or they will be presumably unaware of how

fatal the flaw is (Sydney in Scream).

We also want to make sure we clearly establish the genre of our movie in

Chapter 1. The audience needs to know if theyre watching a comedy or a

drama or a thriller or a spoof, etc.

Those are our key objectives for Chapter 1. Its now time to dive in. You

should shoot for completing roughly 15 pages today. If its a little closer to 10

pages, thats acceptable, but be careful about letting Chapter 1 go on too long.

Weve got a lot to get to and if your first chapter starts to inch near 20 pages

long, you probably need to do some cutting and get strait to the objectives of

the chapter.


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Day 3: Writing Chapter Two

Congratulations, youve made it to Day 3 and now the real fun begins!

Now that weve established our heros world in Chapter 1, complete with the

Internal Conflict they will struggle with throughout the movie, its time to get

the main story moving.

Today well be writing Chapter 2: Catalyst I, Avoidance, and Catalyst II.

This chapter typically runs 15 pages long and ends near page 30.

Ive found that for most writers, Chapter 2 is usually the easiest chapter to

write. This is because A) the chapter is book-ended by two major events

what well be calling Catalyst I and Catalyst II and B) because this is the

chapter in which we establish the main idea of the movie, the External

Conflict, which youve already been giving a lot of thought to.

We want to start this chapter with Catalyst I. This is when something big

happens to move our story into motion. Something happens that changes our

heros world in a big way whether he knows it or not.

Rocky: Rocky goes to his gym and finds out hes lost his locker and

his trainer, Mickey, thinks he should retire from boxing.

Home Alone: A winter storm knocks off the McAllister familys

power and they sleep in, which forces them to frantically rush to make

their flight.

Theres Something About Mary: Teds friend, Dom, puts him in

contact with a private investigator, Healy, who can track down Mary

for him.


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Die Hard: The bad guys arrive at the Nakatomi Building and murder

the security guards.

Scream: Sydney arrives at school to find the town in a media frenzy

(once again) due to the murder of a fellow student and this brings back

horrible memories for Sydney regarding her mothers death one year

ago.

But despite this initial Catalyst, our hero tries to avoid the problem presented

by this event. During this brief Avoidance period, its a good idea to start

showing more of the heros inner flaw and addressing the Internal Conflict of

the movie, which usually means allowing the audience to learn more about the

hero and his past.

This is also a great time to start doing a little foreshadowing of things to come.

This brief Avoidance stage ends with a bang when Catalyst II comes along.

Catalyst II is an event bigger than Catalyst I that changes the heros world in amuch more dramatic way. While the hero could try and avoid the impact of

Catalyst I, Catalyst II launches the hero into a journey that can no longer be

avoided.

Catalyst II presents the audience with the External Conflict of the movie. It

gives the hero his main goal for the movie and forces the audience to ask the

question that will need to be answered by the end of the movie: Will the hero

achieve his goal?


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Rocky: Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed picks Rocky Balboas

name out of a book as the unknown fighter he will give a title shot to.

Even though Rocky himself doesnt realize this event has occurred, as

the audience, we recognize the huge and unavoidable impact this event

will have on Rockys life: Will Rocky somehow find a way to beat the

heavyweight champ?

Home Alone: Kevin is home all by himself and we learn that two

burglars, Harry and Marv, have made Kevins house their number one

break-in target. Here is another situation where Kevin is unaware of

this event and how it will affect him, but as the audience, we now

understand the External Conflict of the movie: Will Kevin survive

being at home alone when the burglars try to break in?

Theres Something About Mary: Ted realizes he was lied to by the

shady private investigator, Healy, and that Mary is doing very well for

herself. Ted decides to go to Miami himself and find her. The

question is raised: Will Ted be able to rekindle his old flame with

Mary without her knowing he hired a con-artist like Healy to track herdown?

Die Hard: In hiding, John watches the ruthless thieves murder the

companys CEO. He now knows just how dangerous these men are

and on top of that, the thieves hear John run away they now know

theres someone on the loose in the building! The question that must

now be answered: Will John be able to save the hostages?

Scream: The killer calls Sydney and tries to murder her. Shes now a

target! The question: Will Sydney survive the killers attempts to

murder her?


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By the time Chapter 2 ends, we must now have clearly raised the two key

questions of the movie:

- External Conflict: Will our hero achieve his goal?

- Internal Conflict: Will our hero overcome his inner flaw?


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Day 4: Writing Chapter Three

Were now officially into what is referred to as Act Two of our movie. (Act

One refers to the beginning, usually the first quarter of the movie; Act Two

refers to the longer middle of the movie, usually the middle two quarters of

the movie; and Act Three refers to the end of the movie, usually the final

quarter of the movie.)

This is when our heros journey the main journey of the movie officially

begins. Therefore, we call this Chapter 3: The Heros Journey Begins. This

chapter usually runs about 10 pages long and ends near Page 40.

In this chapter, our hero is typically in reaction mode. Hes slowly beginning

to contemplate that theres no way he can avoid this mess, but hes also not

aggressively attacking the situation. Hes usually timid in this chapter and

sometimes starts to make progress learning on the job.

Rocky: Rocky goes on a date with Adrian. Its awkward and Rocky is

certainly no pro at this game. He also deals with the potential end ofhis boxing career (after his trainer told him to think about retiring in

Chapter 2), telling Adrian that its now just a hobby for him.

Home Alone: Kevin scares of the burglars on their first attempt to

break into the house by simply turning on the back light and then

hiding under the bed. He tries to deal with his fear, but gets scared

back again when he runs into Old Man Marley outside.

Theres Something About Mary: Healy starts winning over Mary

while Ted gets himself arrested after picking up a strange hitchhiker.


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Die Hard: John is trying to think of ways to call the police. He pulls

the fire alarm and ends up having to fight the bad guy who finds him.

Scream: The cops arrest Billy. Sydney refuses to talk to Billy, unable

to trust her longtime boyfriend. She goes to her friends house to

spend the night in a safer environment. The chapter ends with Sydney

finding out that Billy was released from jail after proof that he didnt

make the calls the killer made.


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Day 5: Writing Chapter Four

Now that our hero has entered a new world and begun his journey, its time

for him to start doing less reacting and instead taking more action.

We call this Chapter 4: The Hero Looking Good. This chapter runs roughly

10 pages and ends near Page 50.

In Chapter 4, our hero starts getting the hang of this new world hes been

thrown into. It reassures the audience and looks like he can handle this new

environment after all.

This is typically when the guy starts winning over the girl, the victim looks to

be outsmarting the madman, the action hero starts showing off his impressive

skills at fighting the bad guys.

Your main objective in this chapter is simply to show that things might not be

as bad as the hero originally thought they would be. He starts to build his

confidence up.

This chapter will often end with the hero accomplishing his initialgoal (not to

be confused the major goal of the movie established by the External Conflict).

Rocky: Rocky starts winning over Adrian and eventually kisses her for

the first time. Back at the gym, hes told that Apollo Creed is looking

for him as a sparring partner. For Rocky, hes on top of the world and

things couldnt be going much better.

Home Alone: Kevin recognizes Harry the burglar in his neighborhood

and that night sets up an elaborate fake party to trick the Harry and


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Marv into thinking that Kevins house isnt empty for the holidays

after all.

Theres Something About Mary: Teds luck unknowingly turns for the

better as Tucker tells Mary that Healy is a phony. Ted also gets out of

jail and his friend Dom joins him on the trip to find Mary.

Die Hard: After killing his first bad guy, John gets more aggressive

and tries to find out more information about the bad guys. The chapter

ends with killing a couple more bad guys and finally getting the police

to come to the building, which was his initialgoal.

Scream: Sydney escapes the killer in the school bathroom. School is

called off and a town curfew is enacted, virtually shutting the town

down and allowing Sydney to feel a sense of safety.


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Day 6: Writing Chapter Five

Congratulations, you are now more than halfway through this 10-day course!

Just five days from now, you will have finished your screenplay.

Today well be writing our middle chapter, appropriately titled: Chapter 5:

The Midpoint. This chapter, on average, runs from Page 51 to Page 60, but

its also not uncommon for this chapter to be a short, five-page scene or

sequence.

In Chapter 5, things change in a drastic way. This is when a major twist or

reversal occurs. The hero finds this new world hes in is not what he thought

it was and this journey is changing directions or becoming much more

difficult than he felt it was.

The stakes must be drastically raised in Chapter 5. This could be when the

hero finds out hes in much more danger than he originally thought. It could

be when he finds out the girl he thought he was winning over has a secret she

hasnt told him. It could be an out-of-the blue problem that raises the stakes

of the journey for hero. Whatever the event is, something must happen that

raises the stakes of the movie in a very big way.

Another common occurrence in Chapter 5 is for the hero to be forced into

developing a new goal or plan. After an initial goal is completed in Chapter 4,

the hero comes up with a new goal and begins a new plan of attack. Perhaps

this is the point where he realizes his initial goal or plan is nowhere near good

enough to solve the problems hes facing.


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Rocky: Rocky accepts a shot at the title. He plays the part of the just

happy to be here club fighter to the public, but admits to Adrian that

being made fun of by the media really does bother him.

Home Alone: While Kevin is growing up and managing the household

chores on his own, he begins to realize how much he misses his

family. Hes no longer enjoying the fact that hes on his own and his

goal shifts to wanting his family to come back home.

Theres Something About Mary: Ted sees that Healy has conned Mary

into a relationship with him, raising the stakes of the situation a great

deal (while Teds goal is still to win back Mary, he must now compete

with Healy and deal with the fact that Healy being in Marys life is

Teds fault). Nonetheless, Ted asks Mary out and she agrees!

Die Hard: We learn that the bad guys expected the cops to show up

all along and John sees that the cops appear to be outmatched in

fighting the firepower the bad guys have. Johns initial goal of getting

the cops to arrive wasnt enough; he recognizes that he has to takematters into his own hands to stop the bad guys.

Scream: Sydney realizes that the person who killed her mother may

still be on the loose and could be the killer who is after her. The

audience learns that the killers calls were traced back Sydneys

fathers phone!

TIP: Often, about halfway through, many scripts can start to lag a little in

terms of excitement. There are three great ways to combat this all-too-

common problem.


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The first is to raise the issues at stake in a dramatic way and the second is to

force your hero to change goals, both of which weve discussed above.

The third way is to create a ticking clock for the movie. Chapter 5 is often

an ideal spot to start this ticking clock.

A ticking clock is a perfect tool for establishing a sense of urgency in our

movie and it can really accelerate the suspense level in a major way.

A few generic examples include:

The heros love interest plans to elope with her creep of a boyfriend

the next day.

The innocent mans execution has been moved up to just 12 hours

from now.

The bomb in Los Angeles has been set to go off in ten minutes while

the only person who can stop it is stuck in miles of traffic, etc.


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Day 7: Writing Chapter Six

We now enter Day 7 and the writing of Chapter 6.

Chapter 6: Things Get Tougher and Tougheris normally the longest chapter

of the movie. It normally runs from around Page 60 to Page 80.

As the title of this chapter suggests, this is when things start to look dire for

our hero. This is usually when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.

We realize that the hero starting to get the hang of things in Chapter 4 had no

idea what he was really getting into and is completely out of his league. He

really has no business in the new world and the chances of him succeeding are

next to nil.

Typically in Chapter 6, the bad guys start out-smarting and closing in on the

hero, the robbers get further away from the cops, the girl starts having second

thoughts about the guy, and friends often turn out to be foes.

However, Chapter 6 usually ends with a glimmer of hope. Something

happens to show us that the hero has a shot at prevailing after all.

Rocky: After the initial excitement of being offered the opportunity of

a lifetime, reality starts to set in. He tells Mickey that he knows hes

going to get his face kicked in by Apollo Creed. His morning run

goes horribly as he barely makes it up the museum steps. The chapter

ends on a good note, however, as Rockys punching of the meat is

shown on TV and Apollo Creeds manager is nervous of the punching

power he sees maybe Rocky will have a shot after all


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Home Alone: Chapter 6 for Home Alone is actually just nine minutes

long, as opposed to the typical length of closer to 20 minutes. In this

quick chapter, Kevin begins to accept the fact that his family may

never be coming back. On a positive end to the chapter, Kevins

mother gets a ride with polka musician Gus Polinski and is now on her

way across the country to try and make it home to Kevin.

Theres Something About Mary: Healy and Tucker both try to

sabotage Teds big date with Mary. Ted survives the event and he and

Mary start happily dating.

Die Hard: The bad guys kill a member of the party group and they tell

John that sooner or later theyll get to someone he doescare about (a

good ticking clock example) if he doesnt give them the detonators

John took from one of the bad guys he killed. John is eventually found

and loses the detonators as he is nearly killed by Hans and several

other bad guysbut, on a positive note, John does escape the gun

battle still alive.

Scream: Sydney goes to a party with her friends, where she believes

shell be safer, and the killer goes on a killing spree at the party, killing

her best friend and her boyfriend, Billy (who she made up with at the

party), along with several other innocent bystanders. Sydney

eventually escapes the killer after a wild chase and ends up back inside

the house feeling safe because she now has a gun.


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Day 8: Writing Chapter Seven

After writing what is typically the longest chapter of your movie yesterday,

its now time to tackle the shortest chapter.

Chapter 7: The Worst Case Scenariousually runs just five pages long, from

Page 81 to Page 85.

In this chapter, the worst possible thing imaginable happens to our hero and

all hope seems virtually lost. It is at this point that the hero realizes his life is

at its lowest point possible and things could not possibly get any worse.

The audience must fully believe at this point in the movie that there is NO

WAYthe hero can accomplish his goal and overcome the External Conflict.

This chapter always ends with the worst case scenario situation. Often times,

this chapter will consist of one single scene or sequence and that, of course, is

the worst case scenario being played out.

Rocky: Rockys only friend at the start of the movie, Paulie, comes

home and hears Rocky and Adrian talking about him. Paulie explodes

and tells Rocky they are no longer friends.

Home Alone: Harry and Marv learn that theyve been tricked by

Kevin and that hes home all alone. Kevin hears that they plan to

break into the house at nine oclock tonight even with Kevin inside!

Theres Something About Mary: Mary receives an anonymous letter

explaining how Ted hired Healy to find her. Ted admits to Mary that

he did hire Healy and they break up.


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Die Hard: This chapter actually runs 12 minutes in Die Hard and

includes Johns speech to a policeman about how selfish hes been and

to tell his wife hes sorry. This is John finally recognizing his major

flaw and overcoming his Internal Conflict. The chapter ends with

Hans realizing that Johns wife is one of the hostages the worst

possible thing that could happen for John.

Scream: Sydney finds out that Billy isnt dead (he had faked it) and

that Billy, along with Stu, are actually the killers! On top of that, she

finds out that their plan is to frame Sydneys dad (whos being held

hostage) for all the murders!


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Day 9: Writing Chapter Eight

Just two days to go, its time to start wrapping up the movie.

Chapter 8: The Comebackis when Act Three officially begins. It usually runs

10 pages long, ending around Page 95.

Now that the worst case scenario has occurred and all hope seems lost, this is

when the hero sucks it up and decides he cant quit. Failure is not an option!

This is often when the hero comes up with yet another new plan to achieve his

goal.

In some cases, this could be where the original goal is actually altered once

again (or fir the first time if it wasnt changed earlier in the movie). For

instance, the hero may realize theres no way he can survive the battle hes in,

but even if he cant survive it, he can find away to save as many lives as

possible while sacrificing his own life.

In this chapter, we typically see our rally the troops and were not gonna

take it anymore moments.

Its also essential that if it hasnt happened yet in the movie, the Internal

Conflict must be resolved in this chapter. The hero needs to recognize his

flaw and overcome it, thus winning the Internal Conflict and paving the way

for victory in the External Conflict.


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Rocky: Chapter 8 ofRockyincludes the famous training sequence that

became such an important part of theRockyfranchise and pop culture.

The chapter ends with a classic altered goal situation. Rocky

recognizes that theres no way he can beat Apollo Creed, hes just not

in his league. But, he tells Adrian that winning or losing doesnt

matter because if he can just go the distance, if he can just last the full

15 rounds with Creed without being knocked out, Im gonna know

for the first time in my life that I wasnt just another bum from the

neighborhood.

Home Alone: Kevin realizes that his family isnt coming home and

that its up to him to defend his home and stop being afraid. He sets

up booby traps to prepare for the evenings break-in.

Theres Something About Mary: Ted is done being the insecure and

timid nice guy. He confronts Healy and Tucker head on, even

punching Healy. He also finds out that Tucker sabotaged Marys past

relationship with the only guy she was ready to marry, Brett Favre.Ted says hes sick at what hes hearing and cant believe hes been

part of all this.

Die Hard: John defeats the toughest bad guy in a brutal fight to make

it to the roof just in time to get the hostages off of it before it blows up.

However, Johns wife is

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