#scripnotes

[scriptwriters-network]

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[mam-te-moc]

Hi, could you please provide some source about that Lord Petersen guy? I know him from Dangerous Secrets, and I know he was also present in Twisted Tales version of Frozen, but I've been wondering if he's a real thing confirmed by the creators

Ok, when you asked, I totally can't remember a source providing his name. The idea of a regent comes from Jennifer Lee, she talked about it in Scripnotes no 128, from February 2014, she even had in mind Luis C. K. to play him

Since Elsa is 18 yo when her parents die, she really doesn't need a regent before her coronation at 21 yo. But Agnarr, who is only 14, definitely does.

[the-scar-factory]

How to Write When You’re Scared to Write, a novel by me: Someone who is terrified of writing.

I always read advice to beginners from professionals and they make it sound so goddamn easy: “Just do it!” “Start now!” “Just write a bunch/film a bunch” - It’s great advice and we should all follow it, but it’s more than that. Starting shit is scary as fuck y’all. 

So here’s my advice as a beginner to beginners: 

Keep a little notebook with you and write down every idea. Every. Single. One. You think you’re gonna remember them - “This is such a fantastic idea, it’ll stay in my brain, I don’t need to write it down.” WRONG. Write that shit in your little notebook because before you know it you’ll start thinking about what you want for dinner and it’ll be gone forever. I favor the little 3 pack Moleskine notebooks because they fit into my back pocket. 

Alternatively: Get a voice recorder. And get used to looking like a weirdo when you talk in it. I drive a lot for work, so I can’t always pause to write down an idea. THIS one is only $40 for a ton of memory. Also, the little buttons are nice so you’re not fumbling with the voice recorder app on your phone while you’re driving. 

Now for the fun part- 

Writing exercises. Just beginning to write your own shit is scary as fuck. You have to make up characters and plotlines, witty dialogue... Incredibly rewarding, but scary. Some more good advice I’ve heard is to “Just write a sentence. You don’t even have to keep it in the story, you can edit it out later. Just write a sentence.”

However, sometimes you gotta warm up your creative juices. Just get all them juices nice and warm. Ew. And it’s easier to do this with a throwaway story, or some creative exercise that doesn’t require you to create characters or plotlines. This is the reason I primarily write fanfiction. It’s nice to just WRITE and use characters who are already developed. 

One of my favorites is- If you’re warming up to write a screenplay, pick a scene in a book you love, or even some random book off the shelf, and write it in screenplay format. Not word for word, that doesn’t count. Imagine the scene and write how you see it. How the audience would see it. I’ll attach an example. 

On the other hand if you’re writing a novel, pick a scene from a movie or TV show and write that in novel format. Pick up on the subtext, what the characters might be thinking, decide whose point of view it is, how do those characters feel? Describe this visual scene in your own words. If you wanna take it farther, you can unpack the sentences. How?  

These are good ways to get into the writing mood without having to stress out too much. And now you’re warmed up and all ready to write your own shit. 

Okay that’s all I have for now. Time for me to go write some throwaway sentences. 

In the meanwhile, listen to this episode of Scripnotes https://johnaugust.com/2017/getting-stuff-written And then go and listen to ALL the episodes of Scriptnotes because they’re fantastic. And go look up John August on Youtube. 

My novel to screenplay exercise example under the cut. It’s a scene from Tithe by Holly Black that I like a lot. I didn’t edit it or do much besides write what I saw in my head. 

[thepixelpeeps]

The Importance Of Costume In Character Introduction

In Scriptnotes episode 237 John August (@johnaugust) and Craig Mazin (@clmazin) discuss the importance of hair, makeup and wardrobe in character introduction and description. They don’t give much in the way of concrete examples, so here’s one that comes to mind from the DVD extras of Shakespeare in Love. Geoffrey Rush is interviewed and says that costume designer Sandy Powell told him, “I think your character is a one-outfit-kind-of-guy.” She issued him his costume and that’s what his character wore throughout the whole movie. Rush thought this was wonderful and credits the insight with helping him get a more perfect take on his character.

I’m sure the script by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard was excellent and helped Powell come up with this insight, but this could have easily been done by the screenwriters. Rush’s character could have been introduced as a “one outfit kind of guy,” and the reader (and costume department) would have been privy to this notion from the start. Of course, it is impossible for one person to have every idea, and this just proves how collaborative a medium film is, and how important all the departments are to the finished film.

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[scriptwriters-network]

Writing Programs and Fellowships for Emerging Writers. A series of moderated panels discussing the application submission processes, including the importance of submitting the right scripts. Take a look at the programs and click links for submission dates.

The discussions explored the application submission processes for the writing programs, including the importance of submitting the right scripts which best showcase the applicants writing and the selection process.

Click here to view the Writing Programs and Fellowships for Emerging Writers Page.