photo by Rhys Asplundh
When time is short it's a good idea to be succinct.
Time is short this week. I am up to my eyes in business plans and marketing strategies. Huzzah!
So, this week, I want to write about the dangers of over plotting. In basic terms, this is when a writer looks for all their answers on the beat sheet, instead of in the script.
I know that is a fairly contentious statement. These days, the fashion is for writers to nail their plot on file cards, or on a beat sheet, so they are sure that they are hitting the main structural points. That isn't a practise I disagree with, I do the same myself.
However, the temptation when creating a beat sheet, is to over think and overwrite the structure. In particular, there is a temptation to not just identify the core of theme and situation of a sequence, but also to figure out what the characters do when confronted with this new dilemma. Personally, I think that kind of "solution plotting" can be a mistake.
For me, each sequence in a beat sheet is written as a problem for the characters to solve... but, the actual solving of the problem, I believe, should happen in the script. The drama comes out of the character's unique reactions to the situation.
What this means in practical terms is that threre are creative advantages to going into a scene with a dilemma for the characters involved, but without a solution already outlined. The scene remains open and problematic as it is being written, forcing the writer to reach out to the characters to find their own solutions to the problem. When you think about it, it makes real sense, because it is the characters who are interacting with the plot. They should be in a position, where they have to find some sense or solution out of the given situation rather than merely flapping their lips until they hit the point marked "exit".
The other point I want to make, is that for a writer there should be a sense of danger and risk in the writing process. If you know the hero is going to escape by leaping out of the window, there is no tension, the only puzzle will be how to force the character to that pre-destined solution. If, however, all you know is that the protagonist is cornered and you have no idea about how she or he is going to escape, anything can happen. Even if the character leaps out of the window, leading up to that point you will experience the tension of not knowing how the hell you get out of the hole you have created for yourself.
When you think about it, most dramas are moments of tension created by some kind of problem, which them find some kind of resolution. The tension, the not knowing, the figuring it out, are all part of the experience for the audience.
In my experience there are two kinds of extremes in writing, neither of which I believe are helpful to most people. One is the total free form. This is where the writer starts with a blank page and starts writing. They literally do all the development work by creating drafts and reworking in subsequent drafts. The other extreme is systematic writing, where every detail of the script is planed in beat sheets and character development profiles. The actual writing then becomes the simple task of dialogue and description.
Personally, I don't like either way of working. Free form is just too time consuming. All that staring at a blank page hoping for inspiration. The endless bloody rewrites to hammer the free form mess into some workable shape. I don't like any of that. I also don't like overly prepared projects, where every single movement of the plot sits on a file card, waiting to be typed up. I don't like it because it takes control of the story away from the characters.
The thing about writing as a career, is it has to be more fun than regular work. It has to be, because it doesn't come with a regular pay cheque for most people. Therefore, there has to be something about the creative experience that is more than just pragmatic. This is why, for me, beat sheets are a series of problems for characters, rather than a series of solutions. I like not knowing if or how my characters will survive. For me, that is fun. I also happen to believe that leaving the solutions open is good for the actual product. I think a lot of the flat, predictable and boring films we see are because the characters had an easy pre-planed exit sitting there through the entire writing process... and because the writer was under zero pressure in each scene, any artificial attempts to create tension come across as just that, artificial.
Anyway, talking of pressure. I must get back to writing business plans and creating a media empire...
keep writing and viva la revolution!
Posted via email from Filmutopia's Sunday Morning Movie Blog
