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Usenet Posted 18 years ago
Screenwriting
Single-page synopsis
I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing one-page synopses of three of my screenplays for a producer.
Here's what I learned: if you can't write a gripping one-page synopsis of a screenplay, your plot points aren't very dramatic.
Two of the scripts proved pretty easy to summarize and make dramatic (well, as dramatic as you can make something when describing it in one page). But with one of the stories I kept writing out the dramatic moments and then having to describe why they were turning points when, on the face of it, they didn't sound very dramatic. And after a bit of head scratching I realized that I had simply failed to dramatize the moment adequately.
I just bought and re-watched "Get Shorty", and there's this moment where Gene Hackman's character is trying to explain to Chili Palmer why he had blown a wad of borrowed money in Vegas, and Chili cuts him off with something like, "Harry, you did something stupid and you're trying to make it sound like it wasn't stupid, and that's hard to do." It's a great summation, and it's exactly what I felt while I was trying to summarize my own story.
What I ended up doing was writing the best single-page version of the story I could, then altering the script to match the better description. Interestingly, this was a script I've never pitched verbally and I wonder if I wouldn't have fixed the problems after I'd failed to pitch it well. I also think the single-page version was even better than doing a verbal pitch because the one-page limit pressures you into presenting just the skeleton, and if a story isn't interesting in that form, no amount of window-dressing is going to help.
Alan Brooks
A with an Underwood
Maybe if we put the
*** on a lower shelf
and move the trash
to the top...
MWSM FAQ: http://www.panix.com/~mwsm/faq.html
Filtering Trolls: http://www.panix.com/~mwsm/trolls.html
Here's what I learned: if you can't write a gripping one-page synopsis of a screenplay, your plot points aren't very dramatic.
Two of the scripts proved pretty easy to summarize and make dramatic (well, as dramatic as you can make something when describing it in one page). But with one of the stories I kept writing out the dramatic moments and then having to describe why they were turning points when, on the face of it, they didn't sound very dramatic. And after a bit of head scratching I realized that I had simply failed to dramatize the moment adequately.
I just bought and re-watched "Get Shorty", and there's this moment where Gene Hackman's character is trying to explain to Chili Palmer why he had blown a wad of borrowed money in Vegas, and Chili cuts him off with something like, "Harry, you did something stupid and you're trying to make it sound like it wasn't stupid, and that's hard to do." It's a great summation, and it's exactly what I felt while I was trying to summarize my own story.
What I ended up doing was writing the best single-page version of the story I could, then altering the script to match the better description. Interestingly, this was a script I've never pitched verbally and I wonder if I wouldn't have fixed the problems after I'd failed to pitch it well. I also think the single-page version was even better than doing a verbal pitch because the one-page limit pressures you into presenting just the skeleton, and if a story isn't interesting in that form, no amount of window-dressing is going to help.
Alan Brooks
A with an Underwood
Maybe if we put the
*** on a lower shelf
and move the trash
to the top...
MWSM FAQ: http://www.panix.com/~mwsm/faq.html
Filtering Trolls: http://www.panix.com/~mwsm/trolls.html
Top answer
[nq:1]I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing one-page synopses of three of my screenplays for a producer. [/nq] Amen. If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.
- [nq:1]I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing one-page synopses of three of my screenplays for a producer.
- [/nq] Amen.
- If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.
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9 Answers
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[nq:1]I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing one-page synopses of three of my screenplays for a producer. Here's what I learned: if you can't write a gripping one-page synopsis of a screenplay, your plot points aren't very dramatic.[/nq]
Amen.
If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.
Amen.
If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.
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Is there a specific format to a screenplay synopsis, or do you have flexibility to write it any way you want as long as it gives an accurate description of the story?
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[nq:1]Is there a specific format to a screenplay synopsis, or do you have flexibility to write it any way you want as long as it gives an accurate description of the story?[/nq]
Single-spaced one-page, space between paragraphs, each paragraph roughly the major beats of the story.
Single-spaced one-page, space between paragraphs, each paragraph roughly the major beats of the story.
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[nq:1]Here's what I learned: if you can't write a gripping one-page synopsis of a screenplay, your plot points aren't very dramatic.[/nq]
I'm not surprised. Eminem's songs "Lose Yourself", "8 Mile Rd", and "Rabbit Run" each tell a better story than the movie that spawned them.
I'm not surprised. Eminem's songs "Lose Yourself", "8 Mile Rd", and "Rabbit Run" each tell a better story than the movie that spawned them.
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[nq:1]Is there a specific format to a screenplay synopsis, or do you have flexibility to write it any way you want as long as it gives an accurate description of the story?[/nq]
This was a special case, and the producer told me exactly what they needed, which was: single-page with decent margins and spacing, and make it as interesting as possible.
Basically, I was writing a sales brochure
This was a special case, and the producer told me exactly what they needed, which was: single-page with decent margins and spacing, and make it as interesting as possible.
Basically, I was writing a sales brochure
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[nq:2]I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing ... synopsis of a screenplay, your plot points aren't very dramatic.[/nq]
[nq:1]Amen. If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.[/nq]
[nq:2]Two of the scripts proved pretty easy to summarize and ... can make something when describing it in one page). [/nq]
Your homework: pitch at least 3 of the f
[nq:1]Amen. If you can't pitch it in two sentences, it probably sucks.[/nq]
[nq:2]Two of the scripts proved pretty easy to summarize and ... can make something when describing it in one page). [/nq]
Your homework: pitch at least 3 of the f
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[nq:1]I just went through an interesting and instructive exercise; writing one-page synopses of three of my screenplays for a producer. ... to summarize and make dramatic (well, as dramatic as you can make something when describing it in one page). [/nq]
At UCLA they let us start with 2-3 pages, then one, then the logline. It's a great tool to make sure you know your theme from your plot and y
At UCLA they let us start with 2-3 pages, then one, then the logline. It's a great tool to make sure you know your theme from your plot and y
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[nq:1]At UCLA they let us start with 2-3 pages, then one, then the logline. It's a great tool to make ... your plot and your subtext from your cause and effect. You can do the same with many a fiction novel...[/nq]
THat's why I've always liked the idea of those four word movie reviews, like:
TRUTH ELUDES THIEF / COUPLE
MONOLITH CAUSES COMPUTER MALFUNCTION
SUPERHERO SAVES BIG CITY
THat's why I've always liked the idea of those four word movie reviews, like:
TRUTH ELUDES THIEF / COUPLE
MONOLITH CAUSES COMPUTER MALFUNCTION
SUPERHERO SAVES BIG CITY
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[nq:1]Your homework: pitch at least 3 of the following in 2 sentences.[/nq]
I can't do it, but I have a well-thumbed copy of "Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos 1999" which is brilliant at summing-up movies in a sentence. I have no idea who wrote it, but for pithy summaries and spot-on judgement, it can't be beat. (OK, they love 30s and 40s movies too much, but I have learned
I can't do it, but I have a well-thumbed copy of "Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos 1999" which is brilliant at summing-up movies in a sentence. I have no idea who wrote it, but for pithy summaries and spot-on judgement, it can't be beat. (OK, they love 30s and 40s movies too much, but I have learned
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