Coe William K. The Screenwriting Bible

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

fulfillment you will achieve with your writing, not just on whatever

delayed rewards may await you somewhere down the road. If you choose to

pursue screenwriting on that basis, because it is your goal and your

dream, you can empower yourself to do so by developing your own

creativity, knowing what is required and helpful at each stage of the

writing and selling process, and intelligently focusing on methods that

have proved successful.

That is what this book will teach you.

Qualifications, Disclaimers, and Excuses

Finally, before launching into the meat of the book, a few words about

my particular point of view in approaching this subject.

Even though working, experienced, living-on-the-beach-at-Malibu

screenwriters can find value in the enclosed information and

principles, I'm assuming that most of you reading these pages are

beginning writers attempting to launch a career in feature films and

television. Therefore the book is geared toward the screenwriter in the

early stages of his or her* career. Certainly the book will be helpful

to anyone writing screenplays, even if you've sold a dozen.

But don't worry if you've never even read a screenplay, let alone tried

to write one. By the time you finish the book you will have sufficient

information to know how to complete a screenplay, starting at square 1,

and how to market it when it's done.

Similarly, though the principles included (particularly the artistic

ones) apply to nearly all films and screenplays, many of the commercial

considerations do not apply to established filmmakers.

If you are in fact at the early stages of your screenwriting career,

you must understand that principles which apply to Woody Allen, William

Goldman, and John Hughes do not necessarily apply to you. Particularly

in the arena of commerciality, there are certain criteria, standards,

and restrictions to which you must ad- here, restrictions that those

established filmmakers can ignore.

Woody Allen can write any screenplay he wishes and get it made. Zelig

is a terrific film. But it is not a screenplay that would serve a

novice screenwriter well in attempting to launch her career. Usually,

those ground-breaking exceptions to the principles and standards

outlined here, those films on the cutting edge of cinematic

achievement, were written by established writers. Until you are in that

situation, and can call your own shots, you must give much greater

consideration to the tried and true rules of screenwriting.

This book also assumes that you are pursuing the American (U.S. or

Canadian) film market, so the rules and standards for screenwriters

working for the markets in France, Germany, Japan, or India do not

necessarily apply to you. If you are a screenwriter in England or

Australia, almost all of the writing principles will apply to your

work, but some commercial considerations will differ, and you will need

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to research the current screenwriting market in your own country in

choosing your story concepts and marketing methods.

To illustrate the principles I outline, I will be using American movies

made within the last decade or two. Even though Casablanca can still

turn everyone to mush, my assumption is that if you are reading this

book, you are pursuing a screenwriting career today, and principles and

commercial considerations apply to you that might not apply to

screenwriters writing in other countries or other eras.

The book outlines screenwriting for what I call "mainstream , film and

television": fictional feature films that are distributed nationally,

prime-time (network and cable) TV movies and episodic series, and short

fictional films. We're not talking about documentaries, industrials,

Saturday animation, daytime soaps, commercials, news, sports, or

weather. But again, the goal of all of those forms is to create an

emotional response in the audience, so many of the principles will

overlap.

I will talk a lot about Hollywood in this book. By Hollywood I do not

mean the city in southern California that could make Sodom and Gomorrah

blush. Rather I mean the power structure and purse strings of the film

industry. So if you're pursuing Hollywood, it could mean that you're

approaching an investment group in Des Moines.

Finally, this book is filled with personal opinions. The principles

which constitute good screenwriting can be verified by looking at those

movies which have been commercially and financially successful by

virtue of their box office returns or Nielsen ratings, or by looking at

films which have garnered awards, strong word of mouth, cult standing,

etcetera. But emotional response is purely; personal, and in talking

about how movies have succeeded in creating emotion, I'm obviously

talking to a great extent about how they created an emotional response

in me. So don't be overly concerned with your agreement or disagreement

with my evaluation of a film. Focus on using the examples to increase

your understanding of how the principles involved apply. And in turn,

you should repeatedly verify the principles I outline by using your own

favorite movies, those which created a positive emotional response in

you.

Use and enjoy this book in whatever way is most helpful to you. Read it

through once, then focus on the sections where you're feeling weakest.

Or use the checklists after you have done one or two drafts of that

facet of your own script. Or read the book just to decide if

screenwriting is for you. Or lay it on your coffee table to convince

the woman down the hall that you really are in show business. Or put it

under the short leg of your typewriter stand to keep it from wobbling.

But at some point, put the book away. Screenwriting books, like

screenwriting classes, run the risk of becoming a substitute for

writing rather than a supplement to it. It's better to attempt your own

screenplay, then go back to this book and its checklists after each

draft. Then read other screenwriting books or take a writing class to

get additional points of view prior to each screenplay you write.

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In other words, somewhere along the line you've got to trust that you

have enough information. Then you must call on all your courage, get

out some paper, dig into your soul, and start writing.

Are You Ready?

This year (1980) more than 18,000 screenplays and teleplays will be

registered at the Writer's Guild of America-West. Out of all these,

less than 80 films will be made in Hollywood. Despite this, the

eighties will be remembered as the decade of the screenwriter. More

people are writing screenplays than ever before. And within the next

few years, the number of people writing for the film medium-film, TV,

cable, and disc - will double and triple in size.

We have evolved into a visual society; less than 30 years ago, we were

still essentially a literary society. That changed with the growth of

television, and is now changing again as we move into the age of the

computer. We are in the midst of an information revolution. Children

grow up playing video games, they learn how to program in grade school.

The marketplace for the screenwriter is changing; within this decade

the need for film writers will explode. The vast spectrum of cable will

stabilize, and companies will soon be producing specialized material.

The entire motion picture and television market will be something other

than what it is today. No one knows exactly what this market will be,

but one thing is certain: the opportunities for the screenwriter will

be enormous. If you're serious about writing a screenplay, now is the

time to sharpen your skills and perfect your craft. The future is now.

It takes time, patience, effort, and commitment to write a screenplay.

Are you willing to make that commitment to yourself? Are you willing to

learn and make mistakes? Are you willing to do the best job you can?

What's really important about writing a screenplay is doing it. You set

yourself a goal, a task, and you achieve it. That's what it's all about.

The Goal of a Screenwriter

The primary goal of any filmmaker is to elicit emotion in the audience

and reader of the screenplay [love, hate, fear, passion, excitement,

humor]. In order to succeed, your screenplay needs to accomplish the

following objective: enable a sympathetic character to overcome a

series of increasingly difficult, seemingly insurmountable obstacles

and achieve a compelling desire.

The four stages of any screenplay are: Story concept, Characters, Plot

structure, Individual scenes

Avoid Writer’s Block

The great pitfall of screenwriting is writer’s block, which is rooted

in fear of failure and desire for perfection. To prevent block,

alternatively brainstorm for a quantity of ideas and edit for quality.

Don’t get it right, get it written. Keep an open mind to allow

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creativity to flow for your screenplays. Stay away from your own

judgments and opinions limiting your ideas.

The Life of a Screenwriter

There are two big advantages to screenwriting:

- You get to tell stories for the movies.

- You can make a lot of money.

There are three major disadvantages to screenwriting:

- You don't get to weave magic with words.

- You have no control over what is done to your screenplay after it's

sold.

- Screenwriters don't rank very high in the film industry.

If you choose to pursue screenwriting, you should:

- Establish a regimen.

- Immerse yourself in movies.

- Acquire information on the film business.

- Start making contacts.

- Join a writers' group.

- Pursue other markets for your work.

- Consider moving to Los Angeles (but not yet).

- Periodically evaluate your goals.

The Power of Screenwriting

From almost the first page of this book, I have been talking about the

need to create emotion in a reader and an audience. For you as a

screenwriter and for all filmmakers, that is the primary goal.

There are two direct paths to eliciting that emotional response in an

audience. One is through the head. The other is through the glands.

The first path gets people thinking, gets their wheels turning.

The second path gets their blood racing, gets their juices flowing.

Both paths are fine. There is nothing inherently good or bad out either

method. But each, if used exclusively, becomes esoteric. That is, each,

when used alone, limits your potential audience.

If you go strictly with the glandular approach-trying just to get

people frightened or turned on- you end up with splatter movies and

pornography. And there is a limited audience for those.

If you attempt only to get people thinking, the result is at best a

provocative intellectual exercise that is seen by six people in a

college basement. Because there is a limited audience for those films

as well.

The tragedy of the first situation is the abundance of films devoid of

any apparent thought or any contribution to the human condition. The

even greater tragedy of the second situation is that filmmakers with

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important ideas to offer humanity are unable to find an audience or

even to get their movies made.

The solution to these situations is combining the two approaches. If

you can see the effectiveness of getting people excited, frightened,

laughing, and crying and then can use that ability to really get them

thinking, then you have tapped into the immense power you can wield as

an artist, a screenwriter, and a filmmaker.

That is what I call reaching people through the heart.

That is also what I wish for all of you reading this book.

Now be joyful, get in touch with your own power, and start writing.

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STORY CONCEPT

Every story answers the question What if such and such happened? Ex:

What if a third-rate fighter had a chance to fight the heavyweight

champion of the world? (Rocky)

Leads to a plot structure (a town terrorized by a shark in Jaws, ghosts

and demons plaguing New York City in Ghostbusters), or to a character

or characters (an indestructible cyborg from the future in The

Terminator, a group of former 60s radicals in The Big Chill). You will

be looking for a character to best enhance your plot or the plot

situation to best bring out your character.

Expressing the Story Concept

A story concept can be expressed in a single sentence: It is a story

about _ (character/subject) who wants to_ (action/predicate)

(respectively). Can also include a character who wants something

visible, even within this sentence: It is a story about a wealthy coat

hanger manufacturer who wants to befriend a bum (Down and out in

Beverly Hills).

The visible motivation on the part of the main character or characters

is the cornerstone of the entire screenplay. All 4 stages must

contribute to the main character’s motivation (a story revolves around

this person).

Finding Story Ideas

To originate story concepts for screenplays, it is almost always

necessary to stimulate your own thinking by observing, recording, and

reacting to all of the potential material that confronts you everyday,

and to use that material as a jumping-off point for your own

brainstorming and creativity. Creativity comes and goes, and sometimes

needs your kicking to stir it!

Go to the following sources for ideas:

Adaptations of books, plays, and short stories – already provides a

plot, get rights to the works. Consider these points:

Great literature doesn’t necessarily mean great cinema. Bad qualities

to bring from books: rich, textured writing; lots of interior thoughts;

feelings, and descriptions; an expansive, convoluted plot; and an

abundance of symbol and allegory. Good: character and plot; a style,

mood, texture, and structure of own. Don’t assume because you like it

others will to.

You must be truer to your screenplay than to your original source. If

you must alter or eliminate parts of the original, do it.

Be very wary of adapting your own novels and plays.

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Contemporary true stories – Consider:

• A story isn’t necessarily appropriate for adaptation for a

docudrama just because it is true.

• A true story is often more effective as a small segment for TV or

the like, not for features.

• Be truer to your screenplay than original source. You may have to

spice up events and characters while still maintaining the

accuracy and details of the true story.

Historical events

All principles for true stories also apply here.

When all principle characters in your dramatization are deceased, then

there is no need to obtain rights to the story and are probably in the

public domain.

The greatest added difficulty with historical adaptations is

commercial. It is a big cost in production and audiences generally like

to relate to contemporary characters and events.

Using a single book as a source for a historical adaptation means you

still must obtain rights to do so.

The strongest and most effective historical screenplays are those which

involve some contemporary issue, theme, or plot situation placed in a

period context.

Often the best use of historical events is as a jumping-off point for a

fictional story. Ex: Hoosiers

Headlines – from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio. You don’t care about

facts or details as you will take the matter in the direction you want

it (Mars Attacks).

Best example: Karate Kid. The producer based it from a boy in the San

Fernando Valley who stopped getting picked on when he learned karate.

This story led to a movie which included romance, an aging Okinawan

instructor, a transplated high school student, and a climatic

tournament.

Combine two unrelated story topics.

Personal experience – Most people’s experiences are not at all

interesting enough for a movie or can blind you from proper format.

Write about situations and emotions with which you’re familiar.

MAIN RULE: NEVER EDIT, JUDGE, OR BLOCK YOURSELF AS YOU SEARCH FOR AND

RECORD IDEAS!!!

Selecting the best story concepts

Select ideas from your records with both commercial and artistic

potential. Commercial potential is the ability to convince the people

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who make movies and TV shows that the movie of a screenplay will result

in profits or high ratings; artistic potential means that a screenplay

sets out to do something of value and can succeed on its own terms.

Story Concept Checklist

Must-Have:

1. Hero – main character (human, animal, machine, etc) on screen most

of time, whose visible motivation drives the plot, and with whom the

audience is deeply involved

2. Identification - Reader must identify with hero. Reader must put

self in character’s shoes, experience emotion through character

3. Motivation – An objective which the hero hopes to achieve by the end

of the story by wanting something. Drives the plot forward. Examples:

finding a treasure, getting the girl, stopping the killer

4. Obstacles – Serious challenges, hurdles, and obstacles in pursuing

motivation. Something has to stand in the way of the main character

reaching their motivation, there must be conflict.

5. Courage – to overcome obstacles. The hero must be frightened of the

obstacles or something must be on stake for the hero. The audience will

stick around to find out is your hero finds what they need or it is

unresolved.

6. A high concept – story idea and title sufficient enough to draw in

audiences

7. Originality and familiarity – something never seen before. All

successful contemporary films draw on situations that have been

explored before: disaster movies (Armageddon), gangster movies (Boyz in

the Hood). Your elements must be different enough to grab an audience.

Use from a winner and be ready to defend your idea’s familiarity and

originality.

8. Second level of sell and subplots. Second level of sell – gives

story concept added originality and depth; a second story line, of

equal importance to your original story concept, which also involves

your hero and a second, equally important visible motivation for your

hero. Ex: E.T. “alien from outer space” and “boy and his dog” (second

sell). Usually the second sell is love: A married woman fights to lose

weight and meets another man and then loses weight as this new man

gives her confidence to do so (A New Beginning), or better, An

alcoholic actress convicted of murder and trying to prove her

innocence, the second sell is her wanting a relationship with the ex-

cop who helps her (The Morning After) .

9. Familiarity of setting – urban or suburban parts of America in the

present. Audiences may fail to relate to foreign places and times in

foreign countries with no American culture. Some settings may not be

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contemporary but familiar enough for a screenplay: old west, World War

II, and outer space

10. Genres (Categories) – Write movies in selling categories. Difficult

categories*:

 Musicals – all singing, all dancing (Oklahoma)

 Westerns

 Period pieces (Pre-1970)

 Biographies

 Science fiction – special effects requires lots of money

 Horror – Best for independents, studios rarely produce original

horror films

Best Categories:

 Action-adventure

 Suspense-thriller

 Love story

 Comedy

 Drama

 Any combo of these