How To Write For Television by Madeline DiMaggio

Author:Madeline DiMaggio
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2008-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

11.

MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND CABLE

IN ORDER FOR A SPEC script to be purchased, it must first be a good read. A good read is one in which you are compelled to turn the page. It’s a story that immediately grabs you. The characters are alive. The dialogue is lean and has its own unique voice. Every line serves a purpose; every scene progresses the action forward and gives greater depth to the character. The narrative and locales instill pictures in your mind. There is powerful plot progression; there are powerful turning points and a strong beginning, middle, and end.

Each year, when it’s voting time for the Academy and the Writers Guild of America for best screenplay, members are sent out scripts. What a great learning experience this is. This year I received Michael Clayton, Juno, There Will Be Blood, and Lars and the Real Girl, to name just a few.

I loved these scripts. With each read I was transported, and hours passed before I realized I hadn’t refilled my coffee cup. Creating scripts with this kind of direction and focus is a monumental battle for the novice, as well as the veteran writer. I have critiqued many speculation scripts written in the hopes of an eventual sale. Too often, these scripts wander off track. It is as though somewhere the writers have forgotten what they were writing about. Other times, I find myself excited by the material, only to discover that the script shifts gears and topples into that no-writers land called the “mess in the middle.”

The script, unlike a horse, can’t afford to lose momentum in hopes of a last push for the finish line. It must remain consistent throughout. How does the writer give the script this needed direction and focus? Where does a good screenplay begin? It begins with structure, the single most essential element of all screenplays. Attempting to write without thoroughly understanding structure is like driving blindly around looking for a house when you could ask for directions. Structure keeps the screenplay on track. It is the foundation on which everything is built.

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