John August

QandA

Heroes: Origins: Gone

Follow Up, Projects, Television

I can confirm that the plug got pulled on the six Heroes: Origins episodes, one of which I was slated to write and direct. The possiblity of a WGA strike ((I’m bucking convention by not saying “looming” in reference to the strike.)) made NBC hesitant to prep a series they might never be able to shoot.

I had literally just hit “Print” on my revised outline when I got the call from Tim Kring. So, yeah. I’m bummed. But I get it: It was a lot of money to spend in a very uncertain time. And if the labor situation resolves in an orderly fashion, the series could find itself out of the deep freeze for next season. ((One favorite topic of conversation is what will happen to this TV season if there is a prolonged break. It’s not unlikely we’ll get a second, shorter season to finish up the year.))

In case we never get to shoot it, my episode is/was called “Rehab.” Not everyone is good with their powers. Not everyone is good, period.

What does he want?

Education, QandA, So-Called Experts

questionmarkWhich screenwriting rules can you break and which ones can you not?

I have read so many times that your character has to have a goal and an opposition and so on and so forth. In these books and classes, they really limit examples to scripts with relatively simple solutions. I have heard everything from Indiana Jones to Romancing The Stone to Ghost. Of course we can pick out the goals and oppositions here.

For instance, in your script for “Go”, who is the central character and what is their goal and opposition? I get so stuck on these rules and it really discourages me in my writing because I don’t feel I have the right answers. I don’t know, but I am so afraid of being one of these awful writers described on your site.

-Robert V Gallegos
Chicago, IL

You might be an awful writer, but it’s not because you have a hard time figuring out how to implement the so-called rules. Most of them were dreamed up by non-writing film enthusiasts, who decided there had to be an underlying template behind all great movies.

I think there’s a place for the guidebooks, but only to degree the help lessen the stress of “getting it right.” There’s one I [recommend, with reservations](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/hollywood-standard). And it’s important to be able to talk about “second act breaks” even if you don’t really believe in them, since you’ll be hearing terms like that for the rest of your career.

In terms of the specific rule you cite, I think it’s always fair to ask, “What does this character want?” The answer to that question may or may not be the driving force of your story, but if you can’t answer the question at all, there’s probably something fundamentally wrong with your script.

Let’s look at Go. You have to approach it as three separate stories, each of which has a central character (or duo).

* In Part One, Ronna wants to make a very tiny drug deal in order to get enough money to pay her rent. Every decision she makes after that point stems from that desire.

* In Part Two, Simon wants to go wild in Vegas. That seems like a nebulous goal, but he’s weirdly aggressive about fulfilling his vision of a perfect night in Vegas.

* In Part Three, Adam and Zack want to finish the terms of their deal with the police. Individually, they each want to know who the other one is sleeping with, which becomes the primary goal once the business with Burke is finished.

None of these stories have a classic protagonist/antagonist setup. The central characters experience great obstacles, but the movie deliberately undercuts any sense that, “This was the night that everything changed.” A bunch of shit happens, then it’s over.

Asking what the characters want is something real screenwriters do. In two of the projects I’m writing at the moment, the biggest decisions are about exactly this issue, since that informs every action and the overall tone of the story. Often, the best answer is the simplest: something physical and achievable.

Advice for terrible writers

Education, Psych 101, QandA

questionmarkI looked through your archive and saw that you suggested [bad scripts serve a purpose](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/does-bad-work-spoil-mine), and after a year of being a reader, I can see why they’re helpful. At the same time, they’re killing me. I feel emotional destruction every time I read another page of these godawful things.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the worst of these didn’t come from my screenwriting class, where I have to critique other’s screenplays. I’m trying so hard to be nice and also give suggestions but it gets harder each time I read the same, unchanged terrible screenplay week after week. How can I emotionally remove myself from the situation? Because it seems too personal right now.

— Kathleen

The reader’s job is frustrating: You’re forced to finish and summarize nearly-unreadable scripts. But at least there’s the veneer of anonymity, since you likely don’t know the writer, and they have no idea you’re writing coverage on their crapterpiece.

In a class situation or writing group, all of that anonymity is stripped away. So you need to find a way to offer constructive criticism while defending your belief in what good writing is. Here are a few suggestions:

1. **Ask questions.** Rather than saying, “This character’s choices make no sense,” ask the writer why the character is doing this specific thing at this specific point.

2. **Focus on points of confusion.** Be clear and direct, especially if the script isn’t.

3. **Use analogies.** It can be painful to talk about terrible writing, so talk about good movies that do the kinds of things you’re talking about.

4. **Quit the class.** At a certain point, if all you’re getting out of the class is negative energy, stop going.

Pre-Lap

Formatting, QandA, Words on the page

questionmarkThanks for posting [the script to The Nines](http://johnaugust.com/downloads). In it, you give some dialogue a “(PRE-LAP)” extension. This dialogue begins in V.O., bridges us to the next scene, and continues onscreen. Obviously, it’s a useful and commonly used device.

The term “Pre-Lap” makes obvious technical sense, but is it common enough for us unknowns to use in our scripts? I’ve seen some scripts that use “(BRIDGING)” or “(BRIDGE)” – or even put some explanation in action paragraphs. I’d hate to adopt “PRE-LAP” only to find that low-level readers think I’m making up my own neologisms, or using obsolete technical terms like SFX or M.O.S.

What would you recommend?

–bagadonuts

Pre-lapping is when dialogue begins before we’ve cut to the scene in which it’s spoken. Here’s an example from The Nines:

He turns his back to the foyer, listening to the instructions on the phone.

GARY

Nine leopards run through the jungle.

(listening)

I bought two cakes at the store.

His identity evidently confirmed, he hangs up. He looks back into the foyer.

GARY (PRE-LAP) (CONT’D)

The house is haunted. There’s a zeitgeist, or something.

EXT. UPSTAIRS DECK – DAY

Margaret has brought coffee and pastries from Susina.

MARGARET

Poltergeist, and no. Maybe they were rats. L.A. is teeming with rats. They live in the palm trees.

Often, it’s a choice made editorially, during post-production, but you can also write it in if it helps sell a joke or moment. It’s common enough — and simple enough — that I think most readers will understand it in context, even if they’re unfamiliar with the term.

You should know that some readers despise pre-laps, despite their usefulness. If you use them, you need to have a vigilant script supervisor, because these dangling lines of dialogue can find themselves forgotten in the rush of production.