Why Most Scripts Are Rejected After The First 3 Pages - Cody Smart [FULL INTERVIEW]
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- In this Film Courage video interview, we ask Cody Smart her take on screenwriting, story structure and developing fictional characters.
0:00 - Biggest Differences Between A Script Analyst, Script Consultant, And Script Doctor
6:54 - Working With A Script Doctor
14:30 - Character Determines Everything About A Screenplay
24:23 - First 3 Pages Better Be The Best Of A Screenplay
42:56 - Biggest Mistake Writers Make With Story Structure
51:25 - Biggest Mistakes Screenwriters Make In Act 2
59:46 - You Can't Write A Good Story Without An Outline
1:17:10 - How Does A Writer Know They Have A Bad Premise
1:25:52 - Why It's Better To Start Writing Character Before Plot
1:37:06 - Biggest Mistakes Writers Make With Scenes
1:46:09 - 9 Common Screenwriting Mistakes Beginners Make
1:55:24 - Why It's A Bad Idea To Submit To Screenplay Contests
2:05:51 - Write What You Know Doesn't Mean Write Your Life Story
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Cody Smart is an independent writer and script doctor from Chile. She holds degrees in English Literature & Linguistics, Screenwriting, Development and Producing. She worked as a script analyst for Sony, she’s a judge for multiple script and film competitions, she’s written some award-winning shorts, she’s head of the coverage department at a script hosting site and she does a bi-monthly vlog with tips for Screenwriters for Story Data. She takes pride in helping writers take their work to the next level.
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What do you think? Which segments did you find most helpful?
This was informative, and makes me realize that Rian Johnson has never employed a script consultant, script analyst, or script doctor, and that he is in dire need of one on every single one of the movies he's written.
"The Nutshell Technique" is by far the best written on the subject.
This is Great advice. One day soon you may be interviewing me as I continue to perfect the Craft of writing. Thank you as always.
25:03 what a great analogy. Dramatic scenes are equivalent to action scenes imo gets the hearts bpm up right away
The only "normal" or slow openers I've seen that work in film are just in comedy lol or romantic comedies
A mouse-bouchée, pre-course, prelude are important! She doesn’t want to see the tagline but want to know what the pilot is about and be hooked on the first 3 pages, preferably first. Continue to read more scripts and spend less time on social media! Train your patience sense!
what total crap. I work in Hollywood. At over 10 studios. Scripts are selected based on WHO you know and WHAT friends/ties you have in the industry. And riding off the back a hit or festival darling. It has NOTHIGN to do with talent or great storytelling. We hire armies of juniors to script read and give us reports that we never read. Thats why most studio film scripts are RUBBISH. The truth is that script writers (from big reps) write the crap producers tell them to...
I believe what you wrote but I don't believe is the only way, maybe the most popular but is not absolute
I follow my sons writing career his is one of top in Hollywood no connection I find people believe they can write but work not any good the lady is telling the truth most new writer work is a as you say rubbish
I don't agree. I know two screenwriters right now who didn't know anyone. I'll even name them. David L. Williams and Nathan Graham Davis.
Honesty, I thought it was a moral construct that was extinct. Thanks for proving I was wrong.
I had just stepped into the filmmaking industry, though not in the US, so I don’t know what it feels like to work in Hollywood. However, through what I have experienced recently, I believe what you post is true (maybe not 100% true, but reasonable). Networking is insanely important in the art industry and if you are not good at it, you can still achieve your goal but it might take you a way longer route to get there😂.
I’ve read scripts from people who were in writers room of serious tv shows with large budgets and some of their personal scripts were fucking atrocious.
It’s 99% are you connected. that’s what actually gets your foot in the door. Maybe having the true talent lets you rise from there. But networking is more important than writing talent.
I wish Sony and Blumhouse was smart enough to toss the scripts for Madame Web and Imaginary.
Not as much as they do 😂
Based on this interview, I am assuming that both of those movies must have been attention grabbers in the first 3 minutes and never again after the 3rd page.
informative interview
16:21 hella fine point here! Character, especially your protagonist, will impact the driving factors of your script.
Its easy to see the structures of characters (for me) when writing, its just HOW you incorporate the rest of story with your protagonists story arcs. If done well, you get movies like Dune part 2 and Silence of the Lambs. Learn from the best and add it to your arsenal. So much work to do, but its worth it.
In my view, imposing an external template or model on a script is the worst possible approach to improving the script. How about an organic approach that accepts all art is imperfect and attempts to maximise the script's strengths and minimize its weaknesses? The point being to accept that every writer has different strengths and weaknesses which is basically what amounts to their style. Attempting to 'balance' the script probably ends up in a bland consumer product bereft of all the individuality of art. Still, the industry is interested in product, not art. So, new writers need to understand this and choose their path wisely.
Very good. content. Thanks!
Much appreciated!
I like her, and I'd hire her. But it tickles me that you have all these so-called "script experts" running around Hollywood and most of their movies still suck! 😆😆😆
love it
Who's been analysing the last 2 decades of horrendous big budget movie scripts, because they're making easy money !
If you trace it back, I think it started with the formulaic idiocy of the mystery box, and nostalgia mining that Jar Jar Abrams promulgated. So many bad new writers and directors have latched on to those concepts. Studios love formulas though, and ran with it, because you can spit out more movies that way. Hence the deluge of hollow, bland, stories devoid of characters that we weary of today.
Im working on a long story and its got more plot holes than Swiss cheese .
I can make a one or 2 page short story thats good, but long stories aren't my specialty.
Just let the protagonist continue his/her major mode of conveneyance until the end, acting as a subtext to the futility of attempting to stop and fix every hole in their life (plot), which still ends.
Interesting video but all I can think of is “Epeesode”
🎬🌲✨
I watched about five seconds of this video. If I had a dollar for all the films that were made from horrible scripts. Do a google it lists them.. A project just has to fall and be read by someone who thinks it has potential. I firmly believe that..
My friend my son no school or connection making Millions go to writer in Hollywood the problem I see is people lazy think they can. write and can't YOUR WRITING HAS TO BE BEST OF BEST out of 600 script they like three my sons was one of three he can write not believe he can TH LADY IS TELLING THE TRUTH to many big head know it all never make it my friend
By the way i am a Chaplin I tell people thing may be what you think wrong could be true but what that have to do with you get to work and stop crying that what I taught my sons get out of feeling about thing and be smart
@@SunnyNutritionThat's some interesting choice of words to string almost randomly together grammar be damned. It was almost comprehensible, but I'm guessing English isn't your first language. I'm glad that your son? sons? son's friends? I'm sure it's one of those. If they exist, I'm glad they are doing well making millions, you must have taught them well.
Thanks my friend I did well myself and his life couch most successful people don't need school @@randell9667
After a wise Script Doctor decries the obfuscation of premeditated loglines, an ironic commentor realizes the pointlessness of even writing loglines - but does so anyways.
It's pretty disheartening to hear that industry professionals have the attention span of an 11-year-old scrolling through Instagram watching dogs run into windows. Even more disheartening to hear that they incorporate their child-like attention span into assessing a story. Perhaps this sort of logic is the reason why so much film is shit and most features flop faster than a fish out of water.
Fuck my life this industry has become sad and depressing. Imagine if these folks were the ones reading stories like "Alien" or "The Shawshank Redemption" for the first time. We would never have been able to see what we do today.
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