Attaining awesomeness in your first draft outline.
Redrafting the first outline of a film script is an important step that can easily be overlooked. I've found it to be an invaluable exercise. Once I've finished the first outline, I usually have a document with anywhere from seventy to a hundred bullet points which describe the film moment by moment. And like any first draft, it's not very good. The important point however, is that I have a story completely mapped out from beginning to end. The mistake now would be to rush ahead and start writing the screenplay. Hold off just for a while longer (I know I'm really dragging this out).
Redrafting the first outline of a film script is an important step that can easily be overlooked. I've found it to be an invaluable exercise. Once I've finished the first outline, I usually have a document with anywhere from seventy to a hundred bullet points which describe the film moment by moment. And like any first draft, it's not very good. The important point however, is that I have a story completely mapped out from beginning to end. The mistake now would be to rush ahead and start writing the screenplay. Hold off just for a while longer (I know I'm really dragging this out).
Whenever you tell someone a story, you gauge their interest by watching their face. When they light up, you know you have them. When their eyes start to wander, you’re losing them fast. The tricky part about screenwriting is that you don't get that feedback. You can't see the revealing effects your story has on someone’s face. And since you've just spent days working on this outline, you’ll probably have the somewhat one-sided view that it's brilliant. It's a recipe for disaster. So here's what you do. Take your outline, open the top drawer of your desk, put the outline in, and shut the drawer. Now walk away. Find someone you trust, buy them a coffee and tell them the story from memory. Go through the whole thing as if you were telling a camp-fire story. It should take you about a half hour to tell the whole thing right. Now, as you tell it, watch their reaction, gauge their interest and take note of where you lose them and where you hold their interest. Doing this will accomplish several things. Firstly, you'll see if your story works or not. Secondly you'll discover the areas that might not be as brilliant as you thought. And third, you'll crystallize the film in your own head further.
Once you've had the chance to tell it a few times, you may find that you've come up with some much better ideas. The people you tell the story to might have some great suggestions as well. Take note of everything and try it out if you like it. Ultimately you'll want to sit down with a blank document and write another outline for the film from scratch. Don't consult the old one. Write the whole thing again from memory. You'll find that you naturally leave out the unnecessary events and get to the chase quicker. In the end, your outline will be far better off for it and much further along than the first draft. Congratulations, you've redrafted your outline.
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MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 1
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 2
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 3
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 4
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 5