May 16

The History of the WGA

By Karl Williams Screenwriting 101

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has a rather … storied history.

Rimshot!

(I apologize. To quote a legendary American hero, “I yam what I yam.”)

Serious face: ON.

The labor union that represents screenwriters in the United States, the WGA has existed in name since 1954 — but its origins stretch back further than that, to over a century ago. Screenwriters banding together has been a thing for almost as long as movies have.

Unions, in general, have a somewhat fraught, rollercoaster ride of a past in the US, so it’s helpful to ask:

What exactly is the WGA? Where did it come from?

Courtesy of the WGA Foundation -- "The Writers First Annual Cramp on December 1, 1921. Held at the newly opened Ambassador Hotel, located in what is now Koreatown. Photographed by Los Angeles banquet and panoramic photographer Miles Weaver. Digital copy in the Mary H. O’Connor Collection. Scanned from the original held by the Harry Ransom Center."

The Pre-WGA Era or “The Salad Years”

In the early days of cinema, (the great-great-grandpappy times of the 1910s and '20s), “photo-play” writers were more like scenarists typing out lists of shots that could be quickly turned into a filming schedule. Often, the stories told in these pre-sound era movies were assigned to them by a studio, star or director, and there was no question of ownership or copyright for a work that was rarely original and barely even a script.

That started changing with the addition of title cards and dialogue, along with longer running times and more developed storylines. But Hollywood writers still didn’t have the artistic credibility or cachet of a playwright or novelist, so they started forming societies and leagues — basically, clubs — both for social purposes and professional development but also for reasons that would be familiar to any modern-day support group: the reinforcement of, “Nope, you’re not crazy, we see it, too.”

A precursor to the WGA was the Screen Writers' Guild (SWG), formed in 1920 to protect the interests of screenwriters by standardizing contracts, establishing minimums, promoting the profession and regulating a system of credits, among other goals. The SWG thrived for a while (they even had their own magazine, The Photodramatist, a word I sort of wish would make a comeback) but by the end of the '20s the group had become less active and relevant.

From the WGA Foundation - "The July 1921 issue of *The Photodramatist,* published by the Palmer Photoplay Corporation, was the inaugural issue as the “official organ” of the Screen Writers’ Guild."

The Studios Push Back

To my knowledge (and if I need to be corrected, please send them my LinkedIn profile), no business entity has ever really been a huge fan of its employees organizing to charge it more money. The big Hollywood studios were no exception.

Recognizing that the labor movement was quickly gaining popularity and power during the Great Depression, Louis B. Mayer (the second "M" in MGM) launched the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927 as an organization intended to negotiate between the artists and studios. Six of its original members were screenwriters, and everyone who joined seemed generally well-intended.

Some suspect, however, that Mayer's idea was more of an effort to grab control of the unionization wave and head it off at the pass. If so, it didn't stick. AMPAS still exists today — it's the same Academy that awards the Oscars — but it's a historic preservation and arts advocacy organization, and no longer plays its original intermediary role.

That has since been handed off to a group called the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), which is, essentially, the official representative body of the studios and networks, and the organization against which other unions and guilds go on strike.

How to Land a Job on 'Ted Lasso' According to Coverfly Writer Emma Jay

A Union is Born

Screenwriters got their second wind during the rise of the labor movement and in 1933 reorganized and revitalized the SWG, leading to a series of negotiations, disputes and legal wrangling with the studios that went on for the rest of the decade. The studios didn't recognize the union until 1939; the first Minimum Basic Agreement (it's still called this), outlining minimum basic pay for various screenwriting jobs, was signed in 1942.

In 1954, the SWG folded into the Writers Guild of America (which has two branches due to their slightly different origins: the WGA East and WGA West).

Courtesy the WGA website - "Oscar-winners on the picket line during the 1981 writers’ strike."

The Strikes

The WGA has gone on strike several times during its long history since then, and it's helpful to the process of understanding screenwriters and their union to examine what demands its members were making in those negotiations (it's also a fascinating record of cinema and television history). Many thanks to the guild's source for this information, A History of WGA Contract Negotiations and Gains.

(One quick note: "residuals" are payments generated to the writer when their work is reused in a different medium than its original format — reruns, syndicated sales, licensed to streaming services, movie re-releases, etc.)

1960: A 22-week strike that established a theatrical and television residuals system, a pension plan and industry health insurance.

1973: A four-month strike that resulted in a cut of gross receipts from videocassette sales and pay TV fees, among other gains.

1981: A 13-week strike that gained better residuals for writers in television, both from made-for-TV movies and shows syndicated to basic cable.

1985: A short, 2-week strike that resulted in an improved formula for residuals from home video sales.

1988: Another 22-week strike, slightly longer than the one in 1960, and the longest in the WGA's history to date. Increased residuals for various types of basic cable programs and improved rights for creators of original scripts for theatrical and TV movies. Also established more oversight of the process of calculating residuals.

2007-08: A 100-day strike that brought the WGA further into the digital age, establishing minimums for new media content, digital downloads and programming for ad-supported Internet outlets.

The Billy Wilder Reading Room at the WGA Library, which has over 40,000 items in its archive. (Photo Courtesy WGA Foundation).

Today

The WGA still exists and maintains its original purpose of representing screenwriters in film and television. As of this writing, a strike is currently in progress, as the guild tries to address significant issues impacting its members such as streaming residuals, mini-rooms and the role of AI.

The guild has also expanded over the years to provide more than just collective bargaining power. It offers a range of services from script registration to credits arbitration, maintains a library of classic scripts, hosts screenings and panels related to screenwriting, produces a writing-specific awards ceremony every year, and runs a foundation that offers veteran services and mentorships to emerging writers, among other programs.

The union's members have rewarded the WGA's devotion to their craft with a unanimity that is rare among any organization, especially one with approximately 20,000 members. The current action's authorization vote received an astounding 97.9% support.

Though rarely as glamorous as what's depicted on screen, Hollywood history is endlessly fascinating (I didn't even touch on the McCarthy Era and the Blacklist here, which hugely impacted screenwriters, because that's a WHOLE other article — but for more about the WGA's origins, Hilary Swet's The Screen Writers' Guild: An Early History of the Writers Guild of America was an excellent source of information for this article.)

As current events prove, that history is still being made every day, and the members of the WGA continue to drive that narrative.

Read More: New to Coverfly: WGA Verification

Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA. In addition to teaching, Karl blogs about screenwriting for Final Draft and co-hosts the screenwriting advice podcast Get Your Story Straight.

Apr 07

Love1

How Does Aaron Sorkin Tackle His First Drafts? Let Him Tell You

By Shanee Edwards Screenwriting 101

Do you draft like Aaron Sorkin?

For most of us, writing a first draft of a screenplay can be exhilarating -- creating a new story, new characters, possibly writing in a new genre all adds up to a fabulous new adventure. But not all writers adhere to the same process when starting a first draft, and it can be really helpful to learn how others approach their first drafts. So, what about Aaron Sorkin?

Script Apart, a podcast hosted by Al Horner, actually features interviews with some of the most renowned writers in the industry to garner insight into how they craft their first drafts. The latest episode features the great Aaron Sorkin as he details the process he used to write the first draft of his Oscar-nominated film The Trial of the Chicago 7, a project that required dozens of drafts over its 14-year development.

Listen to Horner's excellent interview with Sorkin below, and then continue on for some of our takeaways.

To Outline or Not to Outline: Aaron Sorkin...doesn't

Sorkin says he’s never been a meticulous planner and, though it’s hard to believe, has never written an outline for a play or screenplay. “The closest I’ve come to planning,” says Sorkin, “is if I’ve come up with a first scene – a strong first scene with a strong intention and obstacle, a fun way to start, and I kind of know what the second scene is and a little bit about the third, then index cards will go up on my corkboard. It’s a lot like walking in the dark with a flashlight. You can only see as far ahead as that beam will go but the farther you walk, the further you can see.”

Do you like to outline and plan as you work out your screenplay's structure or do you "walk in the dark with a flashlight" like Sorkin?

For Aaron Sorkin, It's Just About Getting to "Fade Out"

Aaron Sorkin encourages writers to get through the entire first draft before going back and making changes. “I tell people when you start writing a first draft and you get to page 40, and you’re starting to change your mind about things, don’t go back to the beginning and start again, says Sorkin. "Get to Fade Out, because by the time you get there, you’ll have learned a lot about what you’re writing.”

Think about the great sculptors, he suggests, comparing the process of writing a first draft to Michelangelo putting a slab of marble on a table and chipping away at the excess. “You get to the end of your first draft and you can start knocking away everything that isn’t David and building up the parts that are,” he says.

Writing a first draft can also be a time for exploration. Not everything in the first draft will make it to the final version so remember you will need to cut scenes – sometimes the scenes you love the most. For Chicago 7, Sorkin’s first draft was closer to a dramatized Wikipedia page about the events than a fully flushed out screenplay. But he says the process helped him figure out which scenes he would – and ultimately wouldn’t – include in the film.

'The Trial of the Chicago 7'

Don’t Judge Your Characters

All human begins (and characters in films) are seriously flawed. The bigger and clearer the flaw, the bigger the arc in a screenplay. Sorkin says you need to write characters like they’re yelling at God from the gates of heaven making their cases as to why they should be let in. “It’s most important if you’re writing an antihero,” says Sorkin. “If you’re writing someone like Nicholson in A Few Good men or Zuckerberg in The Social Network, you can’t judge that character, you can’t decide they’re a bad guy. You have to write them as if they’re making their case to God why they should be let in to heaven.”

Aaron Sorkin Says "Parachute Your Audience" Into Your Opening Scene

The opening scene of Chicago 7 begins with historical newsreel footage of President Johnson discussing the Vietnam War and the need to draft an increasing number of young men to go fight. Images of American flag-draped coffins let you know from the jump the stakes of are life and death. But this isn’t a documentary. Not only did Sorkin want to give context about the Vietnam War, but also introduce his leading characters.

“There were eight members of the Chicago Seven and they were not all the same stripe,” says Sorkin. “You can’t put them in the box of, ‘Oh they’re hippies. They’re high, they’ve dropped out, they’re all about the Summer of Love.’ These are eight very different people and I wanted to show that while introducing the main characters. I also like to parachute the audience into a situation that’s already going a hundred miles an hour. Anytime you can get the audience to participate in the story, get their minds working, make them sit forward, it’s exhilarating for an audience. Finally, I needed to show a country coming off the rails. I needed to show the temperature going up.”

Keep in Mind That Your Ending May Change

When we sit down to write a first draft, most of us know how the story will end, especially if the story is based on true events. But an ending can shift or change as you get more intimate with the story and your characters. Sorkin says the ending of Chicago 7 had different versions early on, but after all these years, he can’t remember specifics. But from the very beginning, however, he knew he wanted the movie to have a happy ending. “I want people to have that goosebump, lump in your throat experience,” says Sorkin. He wanted the ending to be, “a valentine to courage, to protest, to standing toe to toe with power.”

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The Trial of the Chicago 7 is currently streaming on Netflix.

Shanee Edwards is a screenwriter, journalist and author. After receiving her MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, she was hired to adapt various stories for the screen including Apes or Angels, the true story of naturalist Charles Darwin, and Three Wishes, based on the New York Times best selfing novel by Kristen Ashley. You can listen to her interview Oscar-winning screenwriters on The Script Lab Podcast, or read her book Ada Lovelace: the Countess who Dreamed in Numbers. Follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

Dec 14

Love1

The 2020 Black List

By coverfly Screenwriting 101

‘Tis the season when end-of-year screenplay lists are announced! Today The Black List 2020 was announced via Deadline, and the team at Coverfly has prepared an interactive presentation of the data for you to explore.

What’s special about Coverfly’s presentation of The Black List 2020?

Coverfly uniquely aggregates data from all of the industry’s top surveys, lists, talent-discovery programs and fellowships, to help executives quickly identify rising talent and projects.

For instance, exclusively via Coverfly you can see that this year’s Black List writer Chaz Hawkins (THE SAUCE) was a Final Draft Big Break competition finalist and was selected back in July for Coverfly's Endorsed Writers Program. We covered the writer's meteoric rise here. Congrats to Chaz on making it onto this year's Black List!

Another example: you can see that this year’s Black List project, GOOD CHANCE by Tricia Lee, was selected as a semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship 2020. It also won WeScreenplay’s Diverse Voices competition in 2020 and the writer participated in Coverfly’s Pitch Week Fall 2020.

In all, more than 20 writers on this year's The Black List have Coverfly accounts with lots of data for you to uncover insights like the above on rising talented writers.

Additionally, via Coverfly you can explore past years of The Black List’s publicly announced projects and writers going back to 2005. And there are many more annual lists to explore on Coverfly, including top lists like:

If you’re keeping an eye on emerging talented screenwriters, there’s no tool more powerful than Coverfly to aid your talent-discovery.

Coverfly is the industry’s leading data aggregator for emerging writers, and we’re especially excited to share this interactive and dynamically updated exploration of The Black List 2020 (along with dozens of other cross-referenced industry lists)!

Apply for Industry Access

(it's free!)

Jul 31

Love5

Getting the Most Out of Screenplay Coverage: Expectations

By Kevin Nelson Advice, Screenwriting 101

Once a screenwriter sends their work out for feedback, their mind will undoubtedly start churning. The anticipation that comes with waiting for feedback can be anxiety-inducing.

A screenplay is never really finished until the film is wrapped, and even then the story evolves in during production. So it’s vital that writers learn to receive and apply notes with humility and grace, recognizing that it's a collaborative effort with many creative minds. When receiving notes, a screenwriter needs to leave their ego at the door and accept feedback with an open mind. Sure, not every note will need to be (or should be) applied — all notes should all be considered with a proverbial grain of salt.

Take the notes as simply one reader's reaction to your material. Just as every film has people who love it and people who dislike it, so will your script. Don't take any praise or criticism personally.

Most scripts undergo dozens of rounds of notes and rewrites before going into production. It's true that writing is re-writing.

To help manage your expectations, here is an example of the general format most script analysts follow when reviewing your screenplay:

Basic screenplay coverage usually touches upon the top portion of the graphic, providing you with the title, format, budget, genre, setting, logline, summary, and comments.

For more in-depth coverage, the script analyst will break down the strengths and weaknesses of each story trait found in the bottom of the graphic. These analyses can range from 5-10 pages. Traits evaluated could include Concept, Story, Characters, Structure, Pacing and Originality.

Here is a great example of coverage from our partner WeScreenplay.

As you break into the industry, one of the first lessons you’ll learn is that film is collaboration. There are many reasons an idea might work on the page but cannot practically be produced.

A producer may provide notes that ask you to cut back on an action sequence because the budget just won’t allow two car chases. Or the director may not believe a character’s goal is clear enough. It’s the writer’s job to fix these issues, and a writer will fix them. If your partners trust in your adaptability, hopefully you’ll be the one making the changes.

Over the course of your career, you’ll learn that a film is made through collaboration and that combining excitable minds will only make the final product that much better. Practice embracing notes now with peer-to-peer script exchanges and coverage services to help improve your work.

Here’s what you should NOT expect from your coverage.

All the Answers: A script analyst might provide some general suggestions, but they will not give you answers to the issues they highlight. That’s your job.
Ultimate Praise: Although a reader will hopefully lend some encouragement, don’t expect them to laud your work as the next great masterpiece. It’s their job to pick it apart.
Ridicule: Even if you really miss the mark, you should never be subjected to ridicule or demeaning language from your script analyst. If the abuse is coming from an organization, be sure to report it. If it is coming from a fellow writer or friend — you deserve to be surrounded by people who exude positive energy.
Subpar Coverage: You’ve invested plenty of time into writing the script, and you’re investing hard earned cash to get constructive feedback. So it’s only right to expect analysis that shows the reader actually read your work. Most reputable services will provide thorough and insightful critiques of your script. If you feel a coverage falls woefully short, politely reach out to the organization and they’ll most likely work with you to rectify the issue.

And another main reason that writers get feedback on their scripts is to increase their Coverfly Score. As a project improves with re-writes, each subsequent evaluation can count toward the aggregate weighted average of your Coverfly Score which in turns can help your project attract attention of industry professionals.

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Jul 13

Love1

A Guide to Agents and Managers for Screenwriters

By Jeff Kimball Advice, Screenwriting 101

One of the most common questions we get at Coverfly is “How do I sign with an agent or manager?” There is no clear answer or path, and it is one of the aspects of the business of screenwriting with the most mystery and uncertainty swirling around it. With the help of several industry professionals, we decided to demystify this for you.

And to be clear: just because you may have representation does not mean the rest of the screenwriting journey is smooth sailing. In fact, many writers have multiple reps over the course of their careers. Like any human relationship, the writer/rep relationship can be fraught with difficulties. Issues with personality, work ethic and expectations for your career can derail what should be a positive and symbiotic relationship.

Fortunately, the panelists in the Coverfly Career Lab’s second panel shared a lot about great ways to ensure that you have the right representation for you.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT

As an up and coming writer, jumping at any agent or manager interested in repping you can set you up for trouble. You as the writer should know your wants and needs, and it is important to know these at the start of the representation pursuit. “It’s like a relationship,” says Matt Dy, a lit manager at Lit Entertainment Group, and he’s completely right. The best relationships develop naturally and are the ones where wants and needs are aligned.

Parker Davis, a lit agent at Verve Talent Agency, offers the helpful tidbit that “new writers should seek new managers.” Writers will often go through more than one manager or agent during the course of their career. Starting with a rep who is closer to your career level can help you team up with someone who is hungry, driven, and eager to get your work out there.

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH

Another way you can know who the best reps are for you is to do your homework! “Do your due diligence” says Parker. By doing your research, you demonstrate that you’re proactive and understand the industry., Managers and agents are always eager to work with writers who aren’t afraid of doing the work.

It can also help to lean on other writers to get this homework done. Matt suggests writers groups as a great way to figure out the right reps for you (as well as commiserate with people going through the same journey as you). Not only that, but according to Ava Jamshidi, lit manager at Industry Entertainment, “building your network is how you build your opportunities.” Always remember that writers can help other writers!

Another effective way to connect with managers and agents is via reputable screenwriting competitions which showcase their winners and finalists to their industry partners and judges. Hundreds of writers have signed with their first reps via industry writing competitions. Coverfly has a list of reputable screenwriting talent-discovery programs with upcoming deadlines. Click to submit your script here.

FIGURE OUT YOUR WORK PROCESS

Difference in work schedules and processes can also create a divide between writers and their new reps. You may be a seven outline kind of writer, but you could find yourself with a manager who wants to read a full draft first. Or you could have a micromanaging manager when you work much better independently.

So how can you avoid this pitfall? Write a lot of material (especially at the beginning of your career). “Make an effort to give us stuff to do stuff on your behalf” says Ava. It is important to remember that high output is vital. Telling reps how much you write is really important. Also, Matt Dy offers a good piece of advice; “operate like a working writer”. That means treating your writing like your job and showing up every day to write pages and make progress on your scripts.

DON’T LOSE YOUR VOICE

You’ll probably see this running motif through these blogs, but having a unique voice is one of your most important assets as a writer. Finding and keeping your voice establishes your brand as a writer. Your unique voice helps showcase your passion as a writer, and “passion stands out” says Parker. Matt also encourages writers to use their “voice to stand out in a crowded field.”

So how does that translate into getting reps? It is important to use your voice to keep the work you are presenting consistent. This helps a rep know how to market you to the industry so you can get hired for writing assignments, sell your projects and get staffed on television shows. Also, it is crucial to learn how to keep your voice present in writing script after script. “Don’t dilute your voice writing in ten different things” says Ava, which is important to establish for a successful career.

And be sure to write a great professional bio for your Coverfly profile. Agents and managers are perusing Coverfly's database every day looking for emerging writers who are ready to sign with professional representation. Having a great Coverfly profile can help you stand out.

Curious about the difference between agents and managers? Check out this blog post from our partners at ScreenCraft: 8 Differences Between Agents and Managers

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Jul 08

Love5

Improving Your Screenplay's Dialogue

By Kevin Nelson Advice, Screenwriting 101

Great dialogue has provided some of the most memorable moments in film history and can make or break the viability of your screenplay.

Dialogue is the expression of your character’s point of view and the relationships between characters. It serves as a vital tool for developing your characters, establishing back story and tone, as well as advancing your plot. But a word to the wise, dialogue when written poorly can be a clunky vehicle for exposition. As screenwriter Josh Friedman said, “Bad exposition is like bad lighting. It exposes more than it illuminates.”

Your dialogue should feel natural and real while being carefully crafted to serve the narrative.

Dialogue also serves to build a bond with your audience by inviting them to understand what the characters say "between the lines." The subtext of what a character says is often more important than what they say literally. And a character's action or silence in a scene can signify much more than what they say with words. As Billy Wilder famously said of Lubitsch: "Let the audience add up two plus two. They'll love you forever." This is true with plot as well as with dialogue. Let the audience have an "aha!" moment when reading (or watching) your characters' dialogue.

Here are some ways to improve your screenplay’s dialogue.

1. Every Character Needs Their Own Voice

Seldom should two characters have the same cadence and word choice. Their dialogue needs to be suited to their personalities.

It’s best to leave things like dialects up to the actors because it can become distracting to readers. Remember, you want your screenplay to read as flawlessly as possible. Instead, try and squeeze in some regional words used by the locals of your setting.

2. Make Each Line Matter

The main way that dialogue in screenwriting differs from how we speak in real life is that there is no time for filler statements or superfluous monologues.

Every element of your script needs to be moving toward the climax as a cohesive unit. Dialogue included. Remain on topic, and always ask yourself whether a particular line of dialogue needs to be said.

Your dialogue should reflect the theme and tone of your screenplay while advancing the plot. Don’t waste time explaining things that your characters can show through action. Go through early drafts of your script and cut out any filler.

3. Action Speaks Louder Than Words

Your characters don’t always need to announce what they intend to do or how they feel. You’re likely to lose momentum that way. Don’t stop the narrative so that a character can plan out the rest of the movie. If they’re sad, show them listening to love ballads and crying.

If a line of dialogue can be shown through action instead of being stated, the writing becomes more engrossing to a reader.

4. Don’t Say Anything at All

Silence can be louder than words. Sometimes what is left unsaid rings out louder than a shout and creates a deeper sense of understanding between the audience and your characters.

Misunderstanding based on miscommunication can create a lot of conflict in your script.

A great example of this is the Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You.

The main character replays his memories, picking up on subtle hints that lead him to believe his wife is having an affair. Through minor mannerisms and silent gestures, he’s able to piece together the truth behind his paranoia.

5. Subtlety and Elusiveness

Keeping certain information from either the reader or characters helps keep the action intriguing. It also shifts the power dynamics of the relationship. Don’t show all of your cards right away. Up the stakes by raising the bet and keep your hand close to your chest.

You can utilize the hidden information based on the genre you’re writing for. For instance, when an audience knows a killer is lurking somewhere in the shadows but the character is unaware, you can create a real sense of dread and fear.

If there is a big reveal at the end of your script, include some instances of foreshadowing in the dialogue throughout the screenplay that point toward the reveal without giving anything away.

6. Build Up Suspense

Expository dialogue can lose the reader/viewer’s attention if it doesn’t lead them to some sort of payoff.

A great example of this is the basement scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.

When American troops posing as German soldiers are cornered into a small room with only one way out by actual German soldiers, there is an impending doom that cannot be ignored — regardless of how long the conversation becomes.

Readers and viewers know something is going to happen — so suspending that explosive moment for as long as possible while increasing the tension can have a dramatic effect.

As a jovial drinking game is played, little bits of information are revealed through the dialogue, until a seemingly mundane hand gesture increases the tension to a simmering point and leaves the audience on the edge of their seat waiting for the ball to drop.

7. Interruptions and Ellipses

A great way to capture the emotion of your character is to interrupt their speech with a double dash (--) at the point of interruption, or an ellipses (…) if the dialogue is interrupted by action. Be careful of overusing the ellipses. This is a common mistake made by aspiring writers.

Another way you can use an interruption to your advantage is to interrupt long stretches of action with a reactionary line of dialogue. This helps create a little white space. If your character shoots a basketball and misses, will they be silent with their reaction?

8. Dual Dialogue

Dual dialogue is another way to make your dialogue more realistic. If two characters are in a heated argument, they’re not going to wait for the other to finish their sentence.

Characters shouldn’t just wait for the other to finish their line — they’re engaging in a conversation. They should listen, ignore, interrupt, talk over, and react to what is being said to them.

Writer and director Greta Gerwig managed to flawlessly pull off dual dialogue in Little Women by making uses of slashes (/) to signify the interruption point.

For example:

Dual Dialogue Little Women

Gerwig has stated that her dialogue forms a rhythm, so having specific points where the characters interrupt each other allows the story to remain on beat.

You can create dual dialogue in Final Draft by highlighting two characters’ dialogue and pressing command + D.

9. Avoid Clichés

If it’s been said before, say it differently or don’t say it at all.

It is often said that dialogue is the element of your screenplay that can really make the difference between a great script and one that isn’t quite there yet. With a little refinement and rewriting, your dialogue could help your screenplay catch the eyes and minds of the right people.

If you’d like to do more research on ways to improve your dialogue, seek out and read your favorite screenplays in the genre you wish to make your brand. Take notes.

How are the lines delivered? What are the commonalities and differences between scripts? How does each line of dialogue capture each character’s personality?

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Jun 29

Love4

Improving Your Screenplay’s Theme

By Kevin Nelson Advice, Screenwriting 101

Theme is defined as the central and unifying idea developed throughout a work of art. It could be your central dramatic question, or the meaning your protagonist finds through their journey. Your theme holds the narrative elements of your story together. It is the core of your story summed up in one or two words. Theme is referred to as the one big idea.

If you’re having trouble pinpointing your theme, try to focus on the main conflict and the main force that drives the story forward. Start by generalizing the main conflict between the protagonist and antagonist.

Is your character falling in love with an opposing personality? Is your character coming to terms with the struggles of adolescence?

One exercise that might be helpful: try to simplify the heart of your story into a single word that flows throughout the entire body of work.

Here are 30 themes commonly found in stories. Can you find the general theme of your story?

And there are so many more to explore and choose from.

The theme of your story is revealed through all of your screenplay’s traits and elements — character, dialogue, description, setting, tone, genre, tropes, etc.

Here are some tips on improving your screenplay’s theme.

Character

Theme is intrinsically connected to your protagonist and their goals. Think of the theme as the stakes behind their actions. Oftentimes, the theme is the catalyst behind your screenplay’s conflict.

A catalyst is considered a substance that causes a reaction between two forces without itself being affected. It’s rooted in the underlying systemic issues already present in your characters’ world before the inciting incident occurs. Your protagonist may be unaware that these problems even exist.

The inciting incident then thrusts them out of their comfort zone and forces them to confront their flaws (or the flaws of their world) by overcoming some great obstacle.

What is your characters’ emotional connection to the conflict? What do they need to save or protect? What are the stakes? Why tell their story? Theme lies in the answers to all of these questions. Yet, that’s only one aspect.

Setting

Setting is an important thematic element simply because it’s the time and place where the conflict unfolds. If your story is a quest, surely the terrain along their journey cannot be friendly. The setting informs the motivation behind your character’s decisions and the obstacles in their path.

Your characters’ upbringing and worldview impacts their decision making, as well as their immediate setting. During our partner ScreenCraft’s 2020 Virtual Screenwriting Summit, filmmaker Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Series, Armageddon) discussed that it’s important for a character’s behavior to be real and responsive to his or her environment by knowing and utilizing the physical space the character inhabits.

The setting should also thematically reflect the tone, genre, characterization, dialogue, and other traits of your screenplay. The tone of a dark noir would be better set in the underbelly of a major city while an ensemble comedy would work better in an office building.

Dialogue

Dialogue is a great way to make the theme of your screenplay known. After all, everyone knows that with great power comes great responsibility. Taglines can encapsulate the entire driving force of your story.

It’s important to not come across as too preachy or hit the reader over the head. Avoid being hyperbolic or melodramatic. Thematic statements made by characters should feel natural.

You can establish your theme before The Lock-In at the end of Act I with a single line of dialogue that really drives home the point.

Thematic Patterning

One way that you can improve your theme with subtlety is through the use of recurring motifs or symbols. These details help reinforce and highlight your theme.

A motif is an image, narrative device, sound, detail, object, action, or line of dialogue that has symbolic significance in developing the theme.

In Psycho (1960), Norman Bates sits underneath birds of prey poised for attack while speaking to his next victim. In The Godfather, oranges represent death or danger. It’s no mistake that Harriet Tubman takes her first steps as a free woman at sunrise in Harriet (2020). The setting acts as a motif that’s symbolic of her transition from being enslaved to a free woman and the elements work together to keep the theme of freedom alive.

When all of the traits and elements of your screenplay work together to inform upon the theme, your screenplay becomes more cohesive. Work through each of your screenplay’s traits and make sure they all work toward the same goal: a screenplay unified by theme.

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Kevin Nelson is a writer and director based in New York City, baby. He has written and produced critically acclaimed short films and music videos with incredibly talented artists, worked with anti-human trafficking organizations in Nepal, and would rather be in nature right now. Check out his Coverfly profile, see more madness on Instagram or follow his work on https://www.kevin patricknelson.com

Jun 29

Love4

4 Tips for Improving Your Brand as a Screenwriter

By Jeff Kimball Advice, Events, Screenwriting 101

So you have a few really strong scripts under your belt that you’ve been rewriting constantly, and now you’re ready to use them to start your writing career. But before you simply send those scripts out, you need to figure out your brand.

At the end of the day, reps look at your writing and your brand. This not only includes what you love to write but also your background, your personal connection to your projects, and your unique voice as a writer and a person.

Here to help are the panelists from the Coverfly Career Lab’s first panel, who had a lot of helpful advice on how to improve your brand.

Be Open to Pivot

Even if you think you know what your brand is at the start, it is important to be prepared to make a change as you start taking meetings and getting your work seen by professionals. You may think of yourself as the romantic comedy expert, but a producer could see potential for horror or thriller based off of a meeting with you. A good example of this comes from panelist Monica Macer, the showrunner for Netflix’s Gentefied, who remembers how an early pivot from action to character driven work helped her establish her brand and that becoming “a better character writer has made [her] a better action writer.”

Another writer who shared a similar experience is playwright and television writer David Rambo, known for his work on Empire and CSI, who found himself having to pivot in order to focus on story instead of character. “I was always known as the character guy,” says David, “it took me a long time to learn story.” Being open to these changes can change what you believe your brand is, but could show you aspects of your writing you may not have considered as your strongest assets.

Maintain Your Voice

No matter how much you pivot, it is crucial to maintain your distinct voice and keep it consistent regardless of what you are writing or demonstrating as the strongest part of your brand. You are a distinct person with a unique perspective to bring to the table, and it is important to see this in your writing as part of your brand. This is something that can really help your brand stand out, and when you’re taking meetings, according to Monica, it’s a great way “to be memorable in a day of ten meetings”.

Maintaining a clear voice is something that Eric Fineman, the senior Vice President of Pascal Pictures, really values when it comes to finding new writers to work with. “Find a personal connection to each project...you want to feel a real passion and urgency to write the script, which hopefully will translate to the urgency for the audience to want to watch it.”

Be Open to Opportunities

Both David and Monica emphasized the importance of being open to opportunity, both for brand as well as for career. “No job is too small. Put in the work...opportunities need to be capitalized upon” says Monica. It also helps to take these opportunities to test the waters and see new genres and stories that could really help your brand. These opportunities also help create a bigger backstory for you as a writer, providing pieces you can use to help contribute to your brand.

Bios and Loglines

So after a lot of deliberating, opportunity taking and pivoting, you’ve finally figured out your brand that combines your voice and the work you excel in. The last step comes with putting this into a package that is easy for managers, agents, and execs to read and understand who you are. This comes both with a bio for you as a writer as well as loglines for the scripts in your repertoire.

Eric’s big piece of advice? “Consider bios and loglines from an analyst perspective” and ask yourself “how does the information correspond with what you’re seeing in the industry?” For more information on writing a strong bio, check out Coverfly’s blog Writing a Great Writer Bio for Your Coverfly Profile.

Jeff is a Los Angeles based writer and a Senior Story Analyst at Coverfly. He has served as a reader for various production companies including Blumhouse and Valhalla and is a lover of genre and creepy stories.

Jun 22

Love5

Tips for Screenwriters from a Professional Story Analyst

By Micah Goldman Advice, Screenwriting 101

In my role as Sr. Story Analyst for Coverfly, screenwriters are always asking me how they can make a great impression on readers whose job it is to sift through piles and piles of scripts. So, let’s take an in-depth look on simple ways writers can separate themselves from the pack.

First, what is a story analyst? A story analyst’s primary role is to read screenplays and provide evaluation and insight into the elements of the story. I may conduct this service for a producer, production company, studio, agency, management firm, screenplay competition, or script coverage service.

My expertise is in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses in screenplays.

There are three ways story analysts like myself can approach their analysis.

Recommend, Consider, or Pass — Comes with short and succinct coverage meant to gauge an industry insider’s interest. Highlights strengths, weaknesses, budget scale, and potential.
Grading Scale - Utilized by screenplay competitions. Story traits such as characters, format, structure, dialogue, pacing, plot, tone, etc., are graded and tallied.
Coverage - General coverages are short and touch upon 3-4 major improvements that need to be addressed. More in-depth coverages can span up to seven pages and dive deep into all of the story traits judged by readers.

Now that we have a better understanding of what a story analyst does, here are some tips I’ve accrued from my time reading a wide-range of screenplays and pilots:

1. Be professional

When reading your script, I will immediately take note of the formatting and writing style.

- Formatting - There is an industry standard in formatting that writers shouldn’t deviate from. Make sure to use screenwriting software to get the margins and alignments right. Resist the urge to delve into prose and alway write action in the present tense. I’ve found that reading produced screenplays available online can be a big help when it comes to formatting.
- Writing Style - Story analysts like myself are drawn to a screenplay if the writer’s voice matches the genre. If you’re writing a horror film, your tone and delivery should be scary and foreboding. If you’re writing a comedy, you gotta make ‘em laugh. Use an active voice instead of a passive one. Also, avoid using too many -ing verbs (gerunds).

For example: Don’t write: He is running.

Write: He runs.

Don’t drown the reader with details they don’t need. Details should function either as plot devices or to create a sense of tone or mood. The adage, “Don’t describe a tea cup unless it has poison in it,” applies here.

2. Establish Cause & Effect

It’s important to hit certain milestones in the story, particularly when it comes to introducing the inciting incident within the first fifteen pages. I’ve found that after a while it’s hard to become invested in a screenplay if the plot feels like a series of random events. Early on in the story I need to know who the main character is, what they want, and what the stakes are.

Try to create a sense of, “This happens because this happens,” instead of, “new things just keep happening.”

Further, don’t make life easy on your protagonist! The other common mistake (particularly with pilots) that writers tend to make is to avoid throwing conflict and obstacles the protagonist’s way. The pilot is the writer’s one opportunity to show what makes the series great, so don’t wait for episode two to put your hero in a difficult position. The main character needs to struggle early and often.

Speaking of the protagonist, it’s important that they be proactive throughout their journey. The protagonist must have a sense of agency and make bold decisions from beginning to end. The best way to reveal character is through their actions (both good and bad), so make sure they are the one driving the action, as opposed to just getting pulled along for the ride.

Also, establish the premise early on. Don’t wait until the last few pages. This is something that beginner writers often do in their TV pilots that I always caution against. If the premise of your pilot is centered on a fire house, don’t end the pilot with your protagonist entering the fire house for the first time and meeting a whole bunch of supporting characters that we no longer have enough time to explore. Lead with it so the reader can get a better picture of what the series might look like over multiple episodes.

3. Be Original

Find your voice. It takes time to develop but ultimately it comes down to a writer’s delivery and the unique perspective they bring to the story. How does your own personal life experience permeate through your writing? Your voice is the soul of the screenplay.

A screenplay stands out when the writer has the ability to visualize a unique worldview and bring that world to life. The writer’s passion and perspective should be on full display.

4. Subvert Expectations

“Readers in general are drawn to things that are new and different. So they might read a script where they think, ‘You know what? This is a really tough sell but at the same time it really stands out to me.’ I think managers and agents appreciate that too.”

So make it fresh. Avoid repeating the same boring tropes, clichés, and genre conventions unless you plan on subverting them. Be aware of what came before, but don’t be afraid to step outside the confines of genre to create a memorable experience. For example, I’ve read dozens of pilots that begin with the protagonist getting dumped by their significant other and then fired from their job. Instead, consider showing the protagonist’s life falling apart in a new and compelling way.

5. Show, Don’t Tell

Okay, we’ve all heard this before. It’s the most elementary writing lesson taught to writers. That’s because it cannot be emphasized enough. We all fall into the trap of taking the easy way out from time to time.

Showing a character lose their temper or “making a mountain out of a molehill” will always be stronger than telling me they have a temper in the description. Express their anxieties, strengths, and flaws with mannerisms and actions that speak for themselves. You’re writing for a visual medium, so every scene should be imagined visually.

As a story analyst, I’m always encouraging writers to push their work more towards what’s unique and different, as opposed to what they think will sell. These days, it’s not enough to simply write a screenplay that feels commercially viable; it needs to stand out and be different from all the rest. By heeding the advice of experienced story analysts, your words can linger in their minds long after they read FADE TO BLACK.

Make it memorable!

Micah Goldman got his start as a production assistant for multiple seasons on the NBC show The Office. Later on, he wrote and executive produced a pilot presentation for Fox Television Studios that was released on Hulu.com. Currently, he provides detailed screenplay and pilot notes for both established and up-and-coming writers.

Jun 08

Love6

Screenwriting Plot and Story Structure

By Kevin Nelson Advice, Screenwriting 101

The plot of your screenplay is the sequence of events that acts as the backbone of your story, and is driven forward by your protagonist’s motivations and actions. In this article we'll examine the traditional three act structure and five plot points. This is by no means the only approach to plot and story structure, however it is the foundation of nearly all great stories in film and TV, and all beginning screenwriters would do well to master these concepts.

A simple way to approach your screenplay is: CHARACTERS + PLOT = STORY

To better understand how to improve the plot of your screenplay, it’s important to look at the elements that form the foundation of basic story structure.

Basic Three Act Structure

Every story has a definitive beginning (Act I), middle (Act II), and end (Act III), and each act serves a specific purpose.

Let’s take a closer look at the primary elements of the three act structure.

Act I - The Set-Up

The Set Up introduces your setting and characters while establishing the rules of their world, the tone of the story going forward, and the protagonist’s weaknesses and strengths. It hooks both the reader and the characters into the action.

Act II - Obstacles

Act II is a series of rising tensions and obstacles that accumulate at the climax of your plot. It’s perhaps the most difficult section of your script. Act II is filled with minor successes and major failures that force a character to evolve in order to conquer their main flaw and face their conflict head on. It’s the heart of your story, so take care of it.

A good exercise in your first or second rewrite is to go back and make sure all the story threads and subplots introduced in Act I connect with the obstacles of Act II.

Act III - Resolution

Act III moves fast and is with precision. The main conflict and subplot collide with a twist or resurgence of a threat, and the character has to use everything they learned in Act II to conquer the final obstacle. The solution is often in contrast with the character’s main flaw. Once the conflict is resolved, there is a new status quo.

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The Five Plot Points

From the foundation of the three act structure, let’s look closer at the five plot points of a basic story arc.

Inciting Incident - The introduction of the main conflict that threatens normalcy.
The Lock In - The protagonist becomes locked in to face the main conflict.
First Culmination - The midpoint where the character finds a solution that might work.
Main Culmination - The climax of the screenplay where the peril and magnitude of the conflict seems to overpower the protagonist.
Twist - The final culmination and change in direction where the plot and subplot collide.

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The Eight Sequences of the Three Act Structure

Within the framework of the five plot points, a screenplay typically contains eight sequences that hit on similar beats.

ACT ONE

Sequence 1 – Introduce Main Character/Status Quo

Plot Point #1: Inciting Incident/Point of Attack

Sequence 2 – Set Predicament/Establish Main Tension

Plot Point #2: The Lock In

ACT TWO

Sequence 3 – First Obstacle/Raise the Stakes

Sequence 4 – Higher Obstacle

Plot Point #3: First Culmination

Sequence 5 – Subplot/Rising Action

Sequence 6 – Highest obstacle

Plot Point #4: Main Culmination

ACT THREE

Sequence 7 – New Tension

Plot Point #5: Twist

Sequence 8 – Resolution

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Advanced Structuring

Once you have the fundamentals down, you can begin to look at more advanced modes of structure for inspiration. You can rearrange or reverse the order of events, use other structuring principles, and even discover your own techniques.

One popular story structure technique is explained by writer Dan Harmon's Story Circle. Harmon (creator of Community and Rick & Morty) distilled Christopher Vogler's book, The Writer's Journey, itself an elucidation of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, as follows:

A character is in their comfort zone,
But they need something.
They enter into an unfamiliar situation,
They adapt to it,
They get what they wanted,
They pay a heavy price for it,
Then they return to their familiar situation,
Having changed.

Some great resources for advanced story structuring can be found on our partner ScreenCraft’s blog:

10 Screenplay Structures that Screenwriters Can Use

Unconventional Story Structures for Screenwriters

The 12 Stages of the Screenwriter’s Journey

The structure of your screenplay is essential to holding your audience's attention. Each scene serves a function of the plot, which is an extension of the leader character(s) goals and arc. Understanding these concepts can help you choose to eliminate unnecessary scenes that might slow your story down and make for a more engaging read.

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