The Unnecessary Kills Screenplays - Jeff Kitchen

BUY THE BOOK - THE HERO'S DILEMMA: Drama at the Heart of Your Story

BUY THE BOOK - WRITING A GREAT MOVIE: Key Tools For Successful Screenwriting

JOIN THE SCRIPT.KITCHEN SUBSCRIPTION

FREE CLASS ON REVERSE CAUSE AND EFFECT WITH JEFF KITCHEN

MORE VIDEOS WITH JEFF KITCHEN

CONNECT WITH JEFF KITCHEN

SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A MEMBER

CONNECT WITH FILM COURAGE

BUSINESS INQUIRIES

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

LISTEN TO THE FILM COURAGE PODCAST

PROMOTE YOUR MOVIE, WEBSERIES, OR PRODUCT ON FILM COURAGE

Stuff we use:

AUDIO

*These are affiliate links, by using them you can help support this channel.

#writing #screenwriting #screenplay

[heyheytaytay]

Then how did the screenplay for Cats get greenlit?!? LMAO.

This is helpful but we can't objectively agree on what is and is not needed in a script, especially when there is usually massive studio interference.

[larrysolidarity]

This interview will be added to my favorites (of all time). Great info!

[ajtaylor]

It's hard to truly know what is and isn't necessary in a screenplay because everybody involved has different ideas of how the story should be told. However, I think Jeff's point is that the unnecessary kills are those that take away from what the story is actually about but having unnecessary moments that aren't needed. In my experience, I would get to my final draft and have things that seemed unnecessary at first that hold actual weight to the story, which led to them being put back in but no matter what you'll always feel like something couldn't been added in or taken out.

[teacherofteachers]

In a podcast a person said of a particular film, "It has too many 'and' scenes, not enough 'because' scenes." This interview fills out that distinction. To really get this it has helped me to suffer through some of the less interesting low budget independent films, where it seems this storytelling mistake might be more common.

[westernnoir]

Pour the cement; build the frame, roof, add the plumbing, electrics, before adding the frilly furniture.

[HobzyMcRuse]

A car that runs on goldfish. Brilliant!

[squatch]

How did The Room get made? Tommy Wiseau made it himself.

[YewrinePish]

This guy talking through his process was more informative to me than anything about beats or page counts

[PoetryInHats]

My main takeaway was the process he describes. Start with your necessary sequence, the things that must happen. Then fill in the necessary connectors. I see myself with events printed in large letters on separate paper sheets pasted to my wall going all the way around, then tacking on connecting bits on smaller paper sheets. My story is way too complicated!

[brandonterlecky]

The most frustrating thing in this business is: everyone has their own preference. Distributors and organizations may pass on your story and say: “This won’t work”

Then you get another pitch and they’re like “We can do this.”

It’s just finding your voice, believing in yourself and never giving up. That’s the hardest part.

The biggest self doubt is writers self doubt. And if you can take all the negativity and criticism along your journey, that to me, is some kind of superpower.

Pay the bills but keep writing.

[incognitomcde]

I would have to disagree. I think the average viewer doesn’t need their life to change by Transformers. I think they want two hours to be entertained. I also think when he says a script doesn’t work, he needs to add the caveat “for this project.” Telling a writer a script doesn’t work is the same as telling them it’s garbage and you can’t write. But then he went on to explain it didn’t work for his specific criteria, which implies the writer didn’t do their homework, not that they can’t write. The former of which is much more soul crushing. The latter is something they probably know. If this helps, it’s to know how jaded and deflated the readers of scripts can get so I guess that’s something to keep in mind.

[thethseven]

Can tell if someone can write in the first sentence?... Hmm. I would advise her to check again. First sentence is not a great place to bet her professional judgement on.

Like, if someone comes with a script that involves horror and all that. But the show is intended to be light hearted family friendly. Than yeah. First five sentence you can tell. But if it's another family friendly script. How can she tell if it doesn't work just by reading the first sentence?... I don't understand. She can say she's a pro. It still don't make sense unless she can accurately predict the contents in the script to a T. Had she said she can tell from the first page that would be more acceptable. I'm sure she's great with experience to the roof. But that first sentence statement of hers. I call that Capping.

Great video he gives solid advice.✨

[passdasalt]

This has me thinking my draft is bloated. Time to cut the fat, and get to the bones of the story.

[insanejughead]

I wonder how this applies to auteurs?...

Tarantino, PT Anderson, The Coens... I think they might go tell you to eat it if you tell them their scripts won't work.

Speaking of auteurs, Orson Welles was never truly popular, but the scripts he wrote (most of which got ridiculed at first) are now some of the standard fare by which scripts are now judged.

[alexpollock]

On the point about other people saying somethings unnecessary when the writer thinks it is. In Don Coscarelli’s book, true Indie, he talks about how he told Quentin Tarantino to drop the opening of Reservoir Dogs because he thought it was unnecessary. He than said he was grateful that Quentin didn’t listen to him. So it can be tricky sometimes. Maybe you do know what’s best for the story and other times you might have fallen in love with something that drags it down.

[filmcourage]

What are your main takeaways from this video?

[EastVanGuy]

I find that I feel like I have a lot of raw material which is good, but it is probably too much for 1 movie. I'm sure I have material that shouldn't be there. It's overwhelming because it's a lot of material and the concept of completing a screenplay is overwhelming. I literally am taking this step by step.

[john]

I 100% agree that remove the unnecessary is crucial, this mindset even works in novels.
However, it's more like: I know it will works when I see it. The status of pros is backed by their experience. But for the field of show(or film) making, you can't get into the business unless you're already inside it. It's not like open-mike in stand-up, and according to JRE you need 2-5 years to at least start to make some decent jokes. Imagine, there's no way you get into the field 'cause you're not in it, and you STILL need the 2-5years of experience.
Or you can just like Ty in The Expanse that you have a director can be your free tutor.

[LeonAllanDavis]

He needs to diagram this on a white board.

[postworld]

Speaking of weak predictable choices, why are indy's so predictable today. 99% of them are a protagonist struggling with coming of age and dreams of being more than the coffee barista who spends weekends reliving high school with 2 goofballs who remained in town who constantly offer advice they don't take, and who has a parent with dementia or a disease, and an ex that haunts them, and an older neighbor downstairs who rarely speaks, but has all the wisdom and answers. In the end of course the lead stands up to his ex, buries his parent, inspires his friends, gets a haircut and puts on his dead fathers sports coat w the elbow patches with the final scene showing the lead driving off to Calif or NY in a 40 yo classic but beaten up dusty sports car the neighbor had in storage and had intended to restore. Oh, sometimes the lead is a female coffee barista with the exact same issues.