How to Master Structure
Solid structure, as we all know, is the foundation of crafting a good screenplay. It is one of a screenplay’s most crucial core components and immediately gives the writer who has mastered it the edge over one that hasn’t. A studio script reader simply won’t read past page 25 (or page10 these days) unless they have noted a clear set up and catalyst. At SRP, however, we receive many, many scripts that overlook these basics of structure.
We all know the importance of outlining a script before writing the actual thing. Robert McKee swears by it and most professional screenwriters outline heavily before writing a single word of dialogue. In fact, outlining is the hardest and longest part of writing a screenplay, (apart from Tarantino, of course, who just dives right in, but he’s very much in the minority.)
How many of you, though, know of the importance of writing outlines of films as you watch them? This is an invaluable exercise and we can’t stress enough the benefits it can bring to your writing. It will improve your sense of story structure no end, and the more you write the better.
Simply sit down with a laptop and write exactly what happens on screen as you watch. Each scene in a film fulfils a specific function, and it is this that you need to capture in your summary.
Sentences should be short and to-the-point, describing only the basics of what happens and avoiding extraneous details.
For example, in There’s Something About Mary the scene in which Ted is questioned by the police over the highway murders should read something like this:
“At a police station, Ted is interrogated by two cops. Having found a body in his car they think Ted is a serial killer, but Ted thinks he’s been arrested for picking up the hitch-hiker.”
It’s always a good idea to start with a location, as in “at the police station” in order to establish the scene. Only the major beats of the scene need recording, so you should never write anything about how someone’s dressed, for example, unless it’s important to the story.
At the end of the film you should end up with an outline 3—5 pages long. The next stage is to break it down into its relevant acts and sequences. You can do this by double-spacing at the end of each sequence/act and writing the major plot points in bold directly onto the outline.
For example, at the end of Act Two in There’s Something About Mary, you could write:
“Ted comes home to find Mary sitting with a letter. She asks if he hired Healy to spy on her. He admits it and she shouts at him to get out. Ted leaves and opens a note with an address on it.” (Act Two Climax)
The more outlines you write of films in any genre, but particularly the one you’re interested in writing for, the better. You will soon not only start to gain more of a sense of structure but also of characterization, scene construction, dialogue etc. because you are being forced to watch films critically and not just for enjoyment.
What are your experiences of writing outlines? Has the method improved your writing?
