Write Outlines of Films as You Watch (pt 2)
Welcome to part two of our how to master screenplay structure posts. Let’s take a look at There’s Something About Mary as an example. In 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.
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