3 Mistakes Screenwriters Make In Act 1 That Ruin A Screenplay - Michael Hauge

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In this Film Courage video interview, Michael Hauge talks about 3 Mistakes Screenwriters Make In Act 1 That Ruin A Screenplay.

MICHAEL HAUGE is a script consultant, story expert, author and lecturer who works with writers, filmmakers, marketers, business leaders, attorneys and public speakers, both in Hollywood and around the world. He has consulted on projects starring Morgan Freeman, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Reese Witherspoon, and for Overbrook Entertainment, where he consulted on the scripts for (among many others) I AM LEGEND, HANCOCK, THE KARATE KID, SUICIDE SQUAD and BRIGHT, which is currently in production.

Michael is the best selling author of Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read, as well as the 20th Anniversary Edition of his classic book Writing Screenplays That Sell.

Michael has presented seminars, lectures and keynotes in person and online to more than 80,000 participants worldwide.

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#writing #entertainment #movies

[alyssabaquir]

1. Set a clear goal for the entire story.
2. Set-up the life of the character first.
3. Build up the story before the 25% mark.

[kamuelalee]

Have a clear end goal throughout the story.

Don't rush the story; build it

[marcdraco]

That six stage plots structure makes more sense than anything I've seen for the basic 3-act. It's so clear and doesn't mince around.

[anthonylopez]

You don't have to empathize with the main character. You just have to find the character interesting enough to follow to the end.

[FlyingOverTrut]

I was so eager for Michael Hauge's help that I hired him to critique my script's key turning points. He gave a lot of advice like he did here and pointed out that nothing worked, and he was absolutely right. Now I'm moving on to writing other scripts and really trying to learn from his advice and that experience.

[ThoughtGaze]

im not a writer but this feels like good advice

[ZZZ]

Today I spent 5 hours in s coffee shop writing with my co writer. It was amazing. I feel on top of the world. It was really successful today 😍

[rajmanation]

First Mistake- Have a visible goal 0:32
Second Mistake- Establish daily life 2:43
Third Mistake- Don't rush the story, build the conflict 3:53

[AllThingsFilm]

First thing I learned about writing, is not to stick to the typical Three Act structure. You're handcuffing your story if you think it has to perfectly follow just three acts. At least, this is what I learned through John Truby's book, "The Anatomy of Story". Of course, he gives examples of several successful films to support his approach. Nonetheless I love what Michael Hauge says in this video. So much to learn from him.

[Mokkari]

The interviewer mentioned Rambo and it's true. The first time we see him in FIRST BLOOD, he's just this guy who wants to visit his old war buddy from 'Nam and is told by his widow that he died two years earlier from cancer and he's devastated. Now he's the only one in his unit left. You empathize immediately with him. If you just introduce him as this scary drifter walking by the side of the road, you would think Sheriff Teasle would be right not to let him into his town.

[juxe]

remember your character doesn’t have to change what they believe in. They can change the people around them. Look at Lou in Nightcrawler, he has the same ideology the entire movie - he can exploit people to get what he wants.

[redber]

it's not just the story, most of what people want to see is because they want to see it, a cool situation, or an engaging world or perspective. People like to see cool things but more than that only get engaged if there's emotion. Story doesn't drive story, emotion does. Without emotion, you'll forget about in the second it ends. But emotion makes you connect, makes you experience and makes you understand.

[lucashoudini]

His version of the Inception's logline is brilliant.

[WalterLiddy]

It's good to revisit some basics when you go to work on a new project. Lots of times you can forget concerns that should be at the root of your work, because you're so preoccupied with the nuances.

[LVP]

What he describes in the very first minute is why I stopped reading fiction years ago. Far too many writers get lost in the main character's inner, emotional machinations, and their (usually weak) plot grinds to a halt, with the book ending up being more character study than story. This happens because creative plotting, far more than character development or dialogue is the most difficult element of writing or storycraft.

[ryanbarker]

i've always thought that most of the best movies usually showed the characters eating/dining and where they sleep, or at least some semblance of their home life if they have one. of course that's not possible in every movie, but that holds true in a lot of great flicks, i feel.

[rinusworldzm]

Man this brings alot of clarity to a short film I've been struggling with... the brilliance here.

[trublgrl]

This explains why "hoops&yoyo's Haunted Halloween" works on such a high level. It's all about that through-line of motivation towards a goal juxtaposed with the character's identity vs essence.

[HotShot]

I desperately needed this advice, I've been stuck on act 1 and 2 for a graphic novel because I moved in too quick with the character depth, themes, and pushing the plot forward rather than dedicate these crucial segments to establishing the overall goal. I mean, the overall goal becomes apparent and the direction becomes known but I didn't realize what I needed is to make the setting breathe first rather than have it get on it's feet and sprint right away. I'll make sure to watch this video again if I still feel stuck later, but this was solid advice that I needed.

[AIFMusician]

She’s a brilliant interviewer. Love hearing her thoughts and ideas along the way. Storytelling interview.