Let's get this out of the way right at the top: unless you're handing your script over to a close friend, no one reading it is giving you the benefit of the doubt.You have maybe three pages for them to decide if they're going to keep going. And if they keep going, they're probably going to decide every five pages whether to stop there.Executives, agents, and managers have a lot of scripts to read every week. They are going in ready to move on to the next one until they think they strike gold.So what can you do to hold their attention and to keep the pages turning?In his recent guide, screenwriting professor Jacob Michael, from Big Red Stripe, breaks down some popular screenwriting hacks to help.Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.com1. The Element of SurpriseOne thing that you should think about before writing anything is that you need to have a bit of a new take on any idea. Why are you diving into this story, and what do you have to say that's different than everyone else?Predictability is the death of engagement. If a reader knows exactly how a character will react to news, they’ll start skimming.The Hack: Give the audience something they didn’t see coming. It doesn't have to be a plot twist; it can be a tonal shift.Pro Example: In Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams’ character tells a story about his wife’s idiosyncrasies (specifically, farting in her sleep). It shifts a tense, guarded scene into something intimate...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday