I started a new spec this week, and the first thing I did was go back to Michael Arndt's video on the subject to center myself. There's something calming about listening to a more experienced and wiser writer take you through the motions. Beginning a screenplay is hard. You need to figure out how to introduce the characters, set up the stakes, and make sure the audience understands the tone. Plus, you need to have a great first ten pages. Today, I want to go over Michael Arndt's advice on all this via his video and talk about what the best beginnings do and how we can mimic them. Let's dive in. Michael Arndt on BeginningsBefore we jump into the Arndt advice, I want to throw my two-cents in here. You really have to stringently outline before you dive into a screenplay. It will save you so much time and contribute to writing a faster first draft. When Arndt writes, he uses the metaphor of climbing a mountain blindfolded to describe the difficulty of writing a screenplay. He says that the hardest part is not the climb itself, but finding the mountain in the first place.I think the outline helps find the mountain faster, at least for me. You can use the Pixar rules for storytelling, which Arndt uses heavily. They're also so helpful. Arndt outlines a four-step process for setting up a story:Introduce your main character and their world. Show them doing what they love.Give your character a flaw...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Wednesday, 17 April