http://hollywoodformortals.com Latest info on articles and tips from Hollywood For Mortals, where we teach you how to make great movies at home, not just home movies. en-us http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/images/logo_for_facebook.jpg http://hollywoodformortals.com 200 200 http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=19
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Story telling rules are culturally/genetically ingrained. When you break the rules, audiences think it is boring. ]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=18
In the movie, it's the first moment in the story: that first impression that will grab the reader's attention and make them want to hear more. It wants to show the hero in his regular life; the world as it exists before the story changes it. It's not just a fly-through of Anytown USA. It's a specific moment that introduces character, place, time, mood, or any combination of those elements. In it, there's an everyday problem that needs a solution (not to mean that the problem is mundane - in Saving Private Ryan, that everyday problem is a battle).

This pickup line should be fascinating in and of itself. It wants to be a carefully crafted mini-movie that has a beginning, a middle and an end... an end that leads the reader to ask specific questions and read eagerly on for the answers.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=17
It's just like dating. You've got to think about where you're going to go, come up with lots of witty reparté and charm each other all evening, all so you can get together and do the same old thing we know is going to happen in the end. If you set it up just right, though... it feels like winning an Oscar.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=16 So, you start to change the story and it starts falling apart. Finally you get rid of the offending piece - that seemed like such a good idea at the time! - and get back to telling one story.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=15
The second time we went to shoot in front of the Glacier, the 'beach' where we had shot before was under water. So we had to find another spot.

Jeff spent many hours color correcting to make this film look good.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=14
We spent a very long and tiring day shooting. And much much longer editing. If you want to know more about how a certain part was done, let me know by posting a comment.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/tips.php?id=1 http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=11

• A young farmer on a distant planet joins a rebellion to save the galaxy from the evil ruling empire.


• A young girl from Kansas gets transported to a magical land and tries to get home before being captured by an wicked witch.


• Two women, having killed a rapist, go on the run to the border, but a past incident forces them to take the long route, with the law closing in.

You get the idea.

If you sent a finished screenplay to a producer, this is the first thing that would happen to it. A script reader would prepare a report of the script, starting with this one line. I think it's a good way to work with ideas from their conception. It makes you come up with one clear idea. Naturally a finished script, even a short one, will have a lot more than that to the story, but in a good script, everything will revolve around and support that one main storyline.

Every script has ONE main character. Only one. In the case of Thelma & Louise, it was about both of them as one ‘character' (the one on the run from the law). The main character does not have to be a person. In Robert Altman's
"Nashville," the city of Nashville is the main character.

Every script has ONE main action. Only one. Of course, lots of things happen in a story, but they all revolve around the one goal of the main character. Save the Galaxy; Get home; Get across the border. Notice how none of these characters started out the story working toward these goals - but that's the topic of another discussion.

Once you have five story ideas - loglines. Make a list of all the things (and people) you have to work with. If you live in Alaska, scenes on a tropical beach might not be in the budget, but the glacier would make a beautiful setting. Who is available to work on/be in your movie? We wrote a fight scene in our flick because Mukhya knew a Karate master in town, and he was willing to come with another black-belt and work with us on some kick-ass (literally) moves. We did a shot on a boat because we had one available to us. I would have rewritten the restaurant scene if we hadn't gotten the Thai place to let us in when they were closed. If your logline is really strong, you'll be able to plug any locations, characters, and situations you want into it. Thelma and Louise could be on the run to Canada from Anchorage with the roads blocked by snowstorms. Anything's possible.

Ok, you have 15 minutes to brainstorm five loglines. Ready. Set. Go!

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Any good ideas?]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=10
You should dedicate one page per scene in your film, and a scene is basically the portion of action that is shot in a single location at a single time, such as The Kitchen, or The Office on Day 1 Afternoon, or Day 3 Morning. Let's look at our breakdown page.

1. Basic information about the production
   
   
   
   1. Date - can be good if things are going to change
   
   
   2. Production Company - business stuff
   
   
   3. Production Title - the name of the flick
   
   
   4. Breakdown Sheet Number - very useful if there is more than one scene sharing a sheet (make sure to give example later)
   
   
   5. Page Count - down to the eighth of a page, because 1/8 is roughly one inch of the page
   
   


2. Basic information about the scene
   
   
   
   1. Scene Number - in the script, could be more than one scene in a sequence [ex. Script has girl getting ready for date inter-cut with guy walking up to house. Put all the guy-walking-up-to-house scenes together on one breakdown page; they all have the same elements
   
   
   2. Scene Name - the location as it appears in the scene header
   
   
   3. Int. or Ext. - are we inside or outside??
   
   
   4. Description - short phrase that identifies the scene (usually one main action) and makes it easier to remember
   
   
   5. Day or Night - is the sun involved or not?? Notice the colour code. Use coloured paper, or stick-on tabs


3. Elements of the scene - the colours and shapes correspond with the notation in the script
   
   
   
   1. Cast - Red
   
   
   2. Stunts - Orange [anything that could even possibly be dangerous, or will take a bit of working out]
   
   
   3. Extras/Atmosphere - background people
   
   
   4. Extras/Silent bits - people who don't say anything, but factor into the scene
   
   
   5. Special Effects
   
   
   6. Props - things the actors use, as opposed to set dressing which consists of objects that are not touched by actors]
   
   
   7. Vehicle/Animals - not cars you use for crew/equipment, but those that appear in the film, called 'picture cars'.
   
   
   8. Wardrobe - something specifically called for in the script
   
   
   9. Make-up/Hair - specifically from the script
   
   
   10. Sound Effects/Music - include if it will impact the shoot (a character sings on screen and you want them to lip sync to a track previously recorded)
   
   
   11. Special Equipment - out of the ordinary stuff you have to have to get the scene
   
   
   12. Production Notes - anything you need to remember for the shoot


4. Rearrange the pages into groups based upon their colour (D/N/I/E) and begin to work through them, putting together scenes that have the same elements. If you only have your friend's car for one day, you want to make sure you shoot it out!

Another nice thing about breaking down the script in this way, is that as you gather the elements together for your shoot, if something becomes undoable, or you get a better idea, you can incorporate it into the script and change the breakdown pages to match. That way, you're always up-to-date.

I can't say enough about pre production. The more prepared you are, the better the shoot will go and the more time you'll have to be creative. Doesn't that sound like just about anything you do? And the less you leave to chance, the more shoot-able your script will be because you'll be able to make changes to your characters and your story before you start to shoot. It sucks to have a scene shot, then find out that you'll have to change it to match a new rewrite that was based on a location or an actor or a car you couldn't get.

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Tell me your stories of how a breakdown helped you or could have helped you.]]> http://www.hollywoodformortals.com/article.php?id=9
Be creative with this part of the process. This is your chance to envision your film as it will look on the screen. Don't be scared by it and take your time with this part of the process. Again, the more prepared you are before you hit the set, the more time and energy you'll have to change your mind when unexpected things pop up. Make pictures of every shot you can think of for each scene. I like to put each on a 3x5 card, then spread them out on the floor. That way, I can move them around into any order I want, and imagine the best way to tell my story visually. Hey, if it weren't visual, we'd be writing a book. You can also use some visual shorthand to help you visualize how you might transition from shot to shot. Do you want to cut from one picture to another, or do you want to pan the camera?

Also, don't underestimate scenes that seem really simple, like two people talking. Do you want to show each of them in 'over-the-shoulder shots', 'clean' or 'dirty', thus cutting them off from one another, or do you want to have a 'two-shot' where we see them sitting together? Are their eye-lines close to the camera, which makes them seem more sympathetic, or do you want them looking far away from the lens, which is more alienating. As you watch well-shot movies, look for the ways directors show people and get a sense of how different shots make you feel about the characters.

When your storyboard is finished and you're happy with how the scenes look as picture sequences, it's time to translate them into a grocery list of sorts that you can take with you to set, called a SHOT LIST. Here's a list of different shots from small to large:

• ECU (extreme close up): one very small part of a person (eyes, mouth, hand, foot, etc)


• CU (close up): usually just the person's head or the object you're shooting


• MS (medium shot): the person's upper body and face, or the object with a little bit of room around it


• LS (long shot)or WS (wide shot): the person's entire body, or the object with it's surrounding area


• EWS (extra wide shot): the entire area of the scene.

When you get to set, you can change your mind about shots as much as you want, and this way, you have a mind to change.

These tools: breakdown, storyboard, shot list will make sure you're as prepared as you can be for shoot day. BE PREPARED!

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How has being prepared worked for you?
Any stories of when you were sorry that you prepared?
Or maybe stories when you thought you would have been better off if you hadn't?]]>