CUT, POLISH, REVISE by Aury Wallington SYMPTOM: Your script seems “one note.” You’re writing a thriller, a murder mystery with a great detective and lots of suspense, but it feels like you’re rushing through to get to the ending. Every scene shows the detective finding a clue or chasing the suspect or solving a riddle. There’s no story other than the main mystery, and as a result, the overall script feels flat. TREATMENT: Layer the story by adding character-driven plot points. In the movie Fargo, Frances McDormand’s police officer character is pregnant. While her pregnancy has nothing to do with the main plot, it gives immense color and interest to all of her scenes, from the way people react to seeing her immense belly to the inconvenience of having morning sickness at a murder site. The main plot of the film would have remained the same whether she had a dozen kids or none at all, but by including the pregnancy as a character-driven plot point, the Coen brothers opened up the story and gave us a way to identify with the character. Think of situations you can have your characters deal with that enhance your script’s main plot. Maybe your detective is getting married in a week and wants to solve the case so he can enjoy his honeymoon. Maybe the “girl next door” in your romantic comedy needs to deal with an elderly parent.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 14:00:00 +0000