When you are writing a screenplay, how do you manage
to focus on originality and avoid a multitude of clichés just
slipping into the story some how?
–Christian
In the writer’s ongoing battle against clichés, he finds two basic
enemies: verbal clichés ("as easy as taking candy from a baby"),
and story clichés (the explosive with a count-down LED timer).
Eliminating the first kind is simply a matter of recognizing them and finding
something better to replace them. I work incredibly hard on the narrative description
in my scripts, tweaking it at least as much as the dialogue. With vigilance,
the night never has to be "as black as coal" or "as cold as
a witch’s tit."
The story clichés are harder to deal with, because certain genres carry
them along like parasites. Action movies sometimes have the ticking time bomb,
or mismatched partners, or heroes who somehow avoid being hit when a hundred
bullets are flying their direction.
The key — and this starts in the conception phase of the script — is recognizing
the inherent clichés in a genre, and figuring out how you’re going to
handle them. SCREAM did a masterful job pointing out, subverting, and ultimately
fulfilling teen-slasher clichés.
Sometimes, the best way to avoid story clichés is to look at the reality
behind every character, every setting, every decision made in your story. Is
Carla Ann really "a hooker with a heart of gold?" On closer inspection,
she might be a nervous, self-deprecating dreamer.
Does the police station need a squad room full of desks and detectives milling
about? Maybe your scene could take place in a courtyard, or by the photocopier,
or in the cafeteria.
Clichés are shortcuts. The more you avoid taking them, the more interesting
the places you’ll end up.