The Essence of Character by Linda Cowgill

Just like real people, characters are defined by their actions more than their words. Linda Seger gives you three rules that will help your characters become more human.

Great movies constantly replay in our imaginations, on the same bill with other memories, fantasies, and dreams. How do they get there? What makes us include them in that highest of personal repertories? Unlike other memories, we haven't directly experienced "the plot" of the mo...

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These tips can also be found on Script Angel and are based on excerpts from John Yorke in for his excellent 'Advanced Story Course'

 Story

1. Get your hooks in early – the first 10 pages are the most important. If the person reading the script is bored, so will an audience be watching it and they’ll switch channels!

2. Have a narrative thread running right through, it doesn’t need to be continually taught but it mustn’t break or the audience will drift away. Create a sense of forw...

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Re-read your screenplay and ask yourself these questions :

1. Are the parts castable? Does the film have roles that stars will want to play?

2. Action and humor should emanate from the characters, and not just thrown in for the sake of a laugh. Comedy which violates the integrity of the characters or oversteps the reality-world of the film may get a laugh, but it will ultimately unravel the picture. Don't break the fourth wall, no matter how tempting.

3. Audiences want to see characters who car...
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Re-read you screenplay and ask yourself these questions :

1. Is it properly formatted?

2. Proper spelling and punctuation. Sentence fragments okay.

3. Is there a discernible three-act structure?

4. Are all scenes needed? No scenes off the spine, they will die on screen.

5. Screenplay descriptions should direct the reader's mind's eye, not the director's camera.

6. Begin the screenplay as far into the story as possible.

7. Begin a scene as late as possible, end it as early as possible. A screenpla...

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Re-read you screenplay and ask these questions : -

1. Imagine the trailer. Is the concept marketable?

2. Is the premise naturally intriguing -- or just average, demanding perfect execution?

3. Who is the target audience? Would your parents go see it?

4. Does your story deal with the most important events in the lives of your characters?

5. If you're writing about a fantasy-come-true, turn it quickly into a nightmare-that-won't-end.

6. Does the screenplay create questions: will he find out the truth...

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