Give Your Character A Signature Look

Sherlock Holmes had his pipe and Dracula his cape and fangs. My assistant has a friend who only wears short pants regardless of the weather.

Shelly Winters and Marilyn Monroe, who were roommates at the time, went shopping. While in the dressing room, Shelly was practicing a breathy laugh and speaking voice. Marilyn asked her about it and Shelly said she was using it in a scene study class. Marilyn asked if she could have it and the rest, as they say, is history.

As an exercise:
1) Determine what sets your character apart. Think of Angelina Jolie's lips, Woody Allen's thick rimmed glasses, Hitchcock's girth.

2) Once you figure out what your character's signature look or behavior is, interview and write a story about how they got it. You will learn interesting details about their past and present.

The Language of Mad Men

In the past I have discussed the importance of finding a compelling time and place to give your story an interesting layer.

But don't forget about language.

I just finished this article about Mad Men. It's an interesting look at the language spoken by the characters on the show. Yes, they are living in American but the expressions they use are definitely of their time and place.

As an exercise:
Where and when does your story take place? What language do your characters speak? Is it considered an upper or lower class dialect? Which expressions are common to their time?

Long Island International Film Expo

A lot of writers based in NYC complain that it's tough to get Hollywood to "notice" you and your work but they are forgetting about all of the outlets and resources available to creative East Coasters.

This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking about screenwriting at the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE). It was a terrific experience and I had the opportunity to meet a number of filmmakers truly passionate about their craft.

For more information about the LIIFE, visit:

http://liifilmexpo.org

I look forward to seeing all of you there next year :)

The Screenwriter's Heart

The Village Voice had a very interesting cover last week that included a picture of a human heart and then broke it down based on what was most important to a new immigrant to America.

It's a wonderful idea and a useful tool for your writing.

As an exercise:
Take a moment to consider your main character. What kind of heart would they have? The heart of a warrior? A Salesman? A Doctor? Now decide what things make up his/her heart. Is their family most important to them? Their job? Their legacy?

By deciding who your character is and then what makes them who they are, you can learn important information to use in your story.

Bonus tip:
Complete the exercise for your villain, mentor, sidekick and other characters :)

The One

My very talented friend Caytha Jentis sent me a link to the first sneak peek of her new movie The One. They used my office for the location in this scene and if you look carefully, you can see one of my paintings.

Congratulations, Caytha! Can't wait to go to the premiere.

Screenplays vs. Movies

Last night we held an extraordinary event in my office: The first full table read of my student Cooper’s screenplay, Siam.

What was extraordinary wasn’t that she finished it or even that the script was great (that happens a lot around here). No, what made the event so extraordinary was that all 20 people who attended the reading said they didn’t feel like they were listening to a screenplay, they felt they were watching a movie.

I don’t teach students to write screenplays, I teach them to write a movie on paper and I was ecstatic to see that’s exactly what Cooper did.

The screenwriters behind The Matrix included a graphic novel with their script for the reader to appreciate what they were trying to do but usually you don’t have the luxury of including additional material with your script.

That’s why when you write you need to write graphically. No one should ever have to read your script. They should be able to see it. If they can’t, you have a problem.

In order to do this, you must “see” your story first and that’s what my writing system is all about.

Congratulations, Cooper!




NOTE: If you have a completed screenplay that you’d like to showcase, please feel free to contact my office at 212.600.1115. We have access to locations, actors and videographers to make sure it’s presented as professionally as possible.

World Cup Of Sports Movies (Winner): Hoosiers

Rocky put up a great fight but, just like in the movie, fell to a bigger, stronger opponent. Or, maybe Hoosiers was just the little team that could. Either way, congratulations to Hoosiers and thank you to everyone who voted!

Next week, as a thank you, I will be sending out a free movie breakdown of Hoosiers to everyone on my mailing list. If you haven't signed up - you can enter your name and email in the box provided.

Us, Robots

In today's paper there's a piece about robots teaching humans, and an accompanying video, which shows tiny children interacting with robots made to seem human.

I find this disturbing, because I see it as confusing children about what is real and what's not, doing away with jobs, and really, to my way of thinking, wasting time money and resources on this when we could be working on solutions to cancer, world hunger and war.

The video seems so innocent and wholesome but have we learned nothing from the movies? The Matrix, Minority Report, 2001 and Wall-E clearly warn what happens when the balance of power shifts. Why is this robotic research even being done? Please convince me there's a purpose.

World Cup Of Sports Movies (Finals)

Well, it's all come down to this...The clash of the titans.

Hoosiers vs. Rocky.

Who will win the World Cup Of Sports Movies? Vote below.

Thank you for your participation. The voting is now closed. The winner will be announced on the blog on Monday.

Beach Blanket Character Work

When I was in Ocean City MD last week, I saw so many children and adults at play on the beach. Since a lot of what I teach has to do with helping writers refine the process by which they create, it seemed to be a worthwhile exercise to consider how the writer would entertain themselves on the beach, and then to imagine how the main character and villain or obstacle would play.

For example, since I was acting as an observer, clearly my form of play was recording and interpreting events through imagery. The charming man who offered to carry my bag was using it to work his lats and biceps. I don't know about whether it's important to do the exercise for the character as children or grown ups, but try it and let me know.

Good luck and happy writing.

Wake Up

A lot of students ask me: When is the best time of day to write?

The answer is different for each writer but I encourage all of you to start writing as soon as you first wake up - dreams can lead to terrific snippets of inspiration - and keep going throughout the day. The past few days I've been struck with inspiration the moment I woke up. I took note of what I was thinking and feeling and it helped me tremendously in my writing later in the day.

Note: A notebook is your best friend as a writer and you should have one next to your bed and in your pocket/purse during the day.

As an exercise:
What does your main character think about as soon as he/she wakes up? I have been stating with a 3-minute interior monologue for whichever character's scene I am writing. Try it, let me know what you find out.

World Cup Of Sports Movies (Semi-Finals)

It's been a long competition but we're finally near the end. Like in the World Cup of Soccer, there have been the favorites (Hoosiers), and the underdogs (He Got Game). We have seen surprises (Mighty Ducks beats Bad News Bears).

If you want to see your sports movie classic make it to the finals, vote below. One movie title per box.

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Hoosiers vs. Caddyshack

He Got Game vs. Rocky


Good luck.

VOTING HAS NOW CONCLUDED FOR THIS ROUND.

Independence Day

Today is Indepdendence Day in the United States of America. It's a perfect example of a holiday that means different things to different people. To some, it means fireworks and BBQ and a fabulous party. To others, it can mean something less positive.

As an exercise:
For 15 minutes, write as your main character and describe what the holiday on July 4th means. What will your character do? Go to a party? Attend a sporting event? March in a protest? Or something different?

Writing Has Set Her Free

My friend Doug Close sent me this clip about an autistic girl who almost magically learned to type on a computer, and writing has set her free! She is now writing a novel!

I am currently working with a young man who has Down's Syndrome who has written several drafts of a short film. This clip filled me with joy, and made me cry a little. Enjoy