5 Common Mistakes New Screenwriters Make by Eric Edson

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#writing #screenwriting #writing101

[THOMASable]

Watching videos on writing instead of writing.

[NavasGonzalo]

His X rays eyes are saying to me "I can see the script you are writing from here and it has a lot of problems..."

[film_magician]

I could listen to this guy talk forever. Great voice.

[chocho]

this is one of the best of these videos, i have learned the most from this.
I like how he describes what is necessary for a main character, adversary, very articulately, expressively.

[diegooland]

Two ideas I take away. Be a storyteller who writes his/her story down in screenwriting format. A new storyteller can't remember all of this advice, so go back and watch these videos from time to time.

[eyenocynema]

I def made this mistake Eric mentioned, of sending a script out too soon. Ive been making films since I was a young kid and working in the business below the line for years, and bottling up my own work for too long. So then I was pressuring myself into releasing stuff, thinking people would understand the final script would be revised. Around the same time I made this same mistake with a rough cut/edit of a short film I directed. It was 30+ min long and I knew I could get it down to 15min, but found I had to keep re-explaining that to people who couldn't necessarily comprehend that rough cuts are usually much longer than the final product. Perhaps if someone is really that unreachable, maybe they aren't the best to collaborate with anyway (depending on your aims), but there is certainly something to be said for not releasing your script/work until you are sure it's ready. This video is the first time Ive heard someone else mention this problem. I can see how in both circumstances, I'd been trying to get something out within a certain timeframe instead of continuing to work until it was ready. Unless you've been hired to work on a deadline, you're not doing yourself any favors by releasing stuff as soon as you feel it's ready. Eric offers some good advice when he says to shelf it for a few months. I think the idea is, take your time, get feedback from reliable readers but keep your work to yourself. Dont be too anxious and don't worry if people dont understand the time it's taking, so long as your work ethic isnt the issue, why rush it? I was also maybe letting other ambitious, but lovely, aspiring friends/colleagues make me feel obligated to deliver as they waited to read it in the bleachers. Not really anyone's fault but maybe worth considering the social pressures of the indy scene. Better to generate a feedback loop and keep it private. I think it was John Truby who suggested writing groups. ...Also great advice!

[schuylerreid]

I came here for some solid advice on writing. And now, a hypothetical scene continuously haunts me - Eric Edson starring as, "screenwriting professor who doesn't believe in handing out A's." Here's the scene... Final grades are in for the senior-thesis screenplays. Two weeks from now, I graduate film school and head to LA to pursue the big dream. Professor Edson called me into his office for an accumulative evaluation on my script, 80% based on content and 20% based on effort. Strict, but fair. The night before, I felt proud of my work. After submitting my screenplay (three minutes before the deadline at midnight) I leaned back in my chair, smiling with a smug sense of satisfaction. I fantasized about my life months from now. I'd move to Hollywood and occupy a quaint, English Tudor apartment off of Hollywood and Vine. I'd run into Quentin Tarantino grabbing coffee at the Bourgeois Pig in Franklin Village and pitch him my best story. It's "The Matrix meets Inception, " I'd explain. The fantasy ended, and I regained consciousness; back in Professor Edson's office, hands and feet strapped to a thin wooden chair. I'm nervous... terrified. He brought his cat, Mr. Skittles, to work that day. Mr. Skittles sat comfortably in his lap, glaring at me. Professor Edson took a deep breath before he spoke. We're already off to a poor start. I mean, no one ever takes a deep breath and has something positive to say. Silent frustration weighed heavy in his eyes, a disappointed look that read, "did this kid listen to anything I said all semester?" He returned the remains of my screenplay, blown to pieces by his opinion - an expert opinion worth years of hard labor in the golden age of Hollywood. A fat "D+" proudly presented itself on the title page, as if it were 20th Century Fox's intro logo, drums beating and trumpets blaring. I stared at it, emotionless. Christ this guy was relentless! Professor Edson carved red ink into each page, enough to create bloody scars. It felt like brail against my fingers. This guy was the academic version of Heath Ledger's Joker. Question marks of various sizes littered each page, most of the dialogue was blocked off by giant X's, and a note read, "why so many parentheticals??" I looked up and met his disapproving eyes (Mr. Skittles was still glaring at me.) Finally, he spoke, verbatim to the words mentioned in this video, specifically 0:17-0:32.

"Again, it's that old thiiinggg..." 

Fade out.

[Michael-jxiz]

5:00 I couldn't agree more with this statement. The first draft for me is usually sloppy, the pacing is off, the dialogue is choppy and descriptions are vague. Going through to touch of the first draft is basically like rewriting the whole thing.

[JurijFedorov]

By far the most interesting thing he said was "sometimes liars get away with it". But that's the only thing he didn't want to talk about. God dammit.

[EasyZee]

In the first 3 minutes of this interview, he just described The Dude in The Big Lebowski... and that movie was great! Yes, in general, what he says is absolutely true, but just remember you can break the rules. That's the difference between art and paint by numbers.

[momenshakerhameed]

why go to film school when you have film courage

[WallKenshiro]

Great advice, that I'm definitely going to use..but I can't stop thinking if The Shining defies this passive main character rule. The closest thing to an active protagonist in that is Danny, and that's only because of what he does at the end. Every other main characters actions are being totally controlled by their circumstances and other exterior forces. The only other active character is the cook/other psychic played by Scatman Crothers, and he's a secondary character.

[WonderingPictures]

Woooowww what he says about "the audience becoming one person". Wow. That gave me goose bumps.

[eddyLama]

This guy is wealthy with knowledge. You can see it when he answers.there is so much he can teach.

[Guruc]

Helpful as always FC, thanks again for the great info!

[humanbeing]

Scorcese's "After Hours" is a film with a very passive central character, and it's a fantastic film.

[rogersjgregory]

First impressions count. A cliche, but still true. Good to hear again.

[patrickpoulin]

I feel like those three mistakes are more centered on traditional storytelling, and don't really encompass art house filmmaking or other types of modern writing. These don't particularly seem like rules, they seem like guidelines you COULD follow depending on what story you're trying to tell.

[ceal]

I have worked for a production company, as far as I know, there is no secret, permanent database of scripts and notes on which screenwriters to avoid of blacklist, maybe if you get invited to the board of directors this is a secret that gets shared ... JOKE, this guy seems kind of paranoid, I don't know what he's basing this on. Also, most large, reputable production companies only accept scripts that have come through an agent so someone the producer has an existing relationship with. You can't just send scripts in repeatedly under different aliases. Well, you could try, but nobody with any real authority in the company will read it.

[IANCEVER]

script is a similar rehash of a previous one you wrote?
simple, convert it to a novel. A LOT! of writers, have the same story told over and over again with different cover art. Dean Koontz and Dan Brown immediately spring to mind.