Scene dialogue that works
Remember, in dialogue, characters need to banter. They need to argue over wanting something and shouldn’t be granted any sort of victory. We keep the tension high that way. Meet John and Jennifer. Jennifer wants an apple. John wants Jennifer. Neither reaches their goals in this mini scene. Observe how they ask questions yet receive no answer. If an apple can cause tension in a scene, imagine what else you can do as a writer and filmmaker.
Example: Apple scene
John has a red delicious apple. He takes a bite.
Jennifer wants it. She sits on the edge of his desk. “I love apples. Doesn’t matter what kind. Granny Smith, Fuji, reds . . .”
John’s not buying it. His stomach hurts thinking about where she might have been. “Where were you last night when I went to the store?”
“I just love them.” She watches him chew. “Everything about the crispness, the taste.”
“You were supposed to go with me,” he says. “Where were you?”
“Just cut off a little piece for me,” she whines. “Doesn’t have to be big.”
John takes another bite. “You were with Peter, weren’t you? I don’t like that guy. Never did. You know he did something to Jesse Garner. Everyone knows it. Everyone except the cops.”
“Why does it matter where I was?”
John swallows, holds out the apple. “You want this? Tell me where you were, why you stood me up. Then we’ll talk about apples.”
Action moments we’re proud of
Most storytellers will say the story isn’t in the action—that action is an easy way out. “I can’t think up a good ending, so how ‘bout I blow everything up!” Okay, that’s an extreme example, but the fact is, we love action. We integrate as much as we can. Let’s face it—action will probably help you get attention with your short film. What constitutes action? Someone running. Good. Someone fighting. Even better. Find some stunt actors who need to build a demo reel and suddenly you have more options! Let’s face it: great stunts, car chases, shootouts, and zombie attacks are pretty cool. Did we mention we love action? Here are a few action moments in Hectic Films movies:
1. Explosions: They’re dangerous. Use CGI only. Either way, sometimes they look cheesy, kinda like in the movie we worked on called The Lackey. Even we think we showed too many booms. Sometimes an explosion can be as simple as pointing away from the scene and shaking the camera, then adding some noise sound effects.
2. Cutting up zombies! We sliced a few undead in Naked Zombie Girl with a trusty fake chainsaw. During a screening at Screamfest, folks watching the crazy action stood up and started clapping. Action speaks louder than words, right? (More movie magic on zombie splatters later).
3. Gunfights. We emptied our rifles in the mini-Western Mable. We think shootouts are great for just about any kind of film. Audiences perk up when bullets fly.
What makes a well-developed character?
Ah, our second holy commandment of storytelling: Characters feel everything. Well-developed characters don’t require fancy clothes and a lightning bolt scar when you’re coming up with one to base your story around. Give your character desperation and emotion. Develop that. Let the rest of the story tell itself.
Horror story moments in our films
You know the feelings of terror you want your actors to convey in a good horror scene? That’s why scream queens have to be really good. They reveal that moment of sheer terror that we all want to safely feel when watching a horror flick. Here are a few scenes in our work where we strove to capture that feeling of fright.
1. Familiar Spirit uses what we like to call the demon cam. During a ritual in the film, a spirit floats down the street into the house and possesses its victim. Frightening!
2. The Deadlines builds up a murderous character in the film by telling tales of him throughout. When he finally comes on screen, you’re already frightened. Gahhhh!
3. In the middle of a zombie takeover, we stripped Naked Zombie Girl’s main character of everything, even her clothes. We did finally give her a chainsaw. Don’t worry Mom, she wasn’t really naked. Prosthetics literally covered every family jewel.
Writing in various mediums will help you as a Screenwriter
Nicholas Belardes writes in just about every genre imaginable. He swears that learning how to be a poet (not a rhymer—there’s a difference) can truly help you with language. But you have to study poetry, learn the craft. He writes essays, too. He tells lots of personal stories in his book Ranting Out Loud: Life, Pop Culture & How We Sometimes Don’t Get Along. His short stories are highly accessible and online at various journals. Think about it: short film/short stories. Might be helpful for you to read some. Better yet, try your hand. Dig in. It will help your creativity. You can find links to these four stories on nicholasbelardes.com:
•St. Augustine the Starfighter: a monkey tale about child cruelty.
•The Middle of the Passage: two sisters on an island have a car that only drives backwards.
•Gaspar: A tough Hispanic kid learns a life lesson about tolerance and intolerance.
•A Different Kind of Boiling Point: An aged labor leader holds a secret about her youth.
Chapter Three
No Room for Crappy Scripts
Writing Films That Fit Your Budget
Checklist time. You have your location. Check. You’re gung-ho about making a short film. Duh. You understand what a good story is. Check. You have a screenwriting program to write your script. “Uh oh,” you say. “I wrote all my story notes on napkins and toilet paper.”
Hell yeah! That’s a good start; means you’re being creative. Bonus DIY points. Who cares what you wrote your story on? Write it on your forehead for all we care. Oh, wait a minute. Your entire film crew and all the actors need a copy. And the story you wrote based on the locations you acquired needs to be in script form. Crud. Better write a screenplay.
All right, let’s jump right into the cheap-ass budget method of creating your script.
First off, if you don’t have a computer, steal one. Just kidding. Borrow one when no one is looking. Again, joking. It’s 2017. You don’t have a computer? What the hell?
Seriously, the best way to write a script is by using a screenwriting program, and the best type of screenwriting program is the one that says free next to it.
Some filmmakers say there’s a certain screenwriting program that must be used in order to be a professional filmmaker (not naming names or program names—why would we do that?). Either way, not true in indie filmmaking. And to be real, we just don’t see a difference when you have a printed PDF of your script in front of you. Our experts have gone over these scripts with mega-magnifying glasses and chemically tested them in our secret laboratories. They came up with no differences!
We recommend Celtx (this can change. Do your research!). It’s free and we believe the program functions close to industry standards. We’re not forcing it on you. Feel free to browse the Interwebs and grab another free program. We just go with what already works.
All right. Got that cousin’s computer you promised to borrow for only a week? And some Internet? (Hopefully that’s free, too.)
Great. You’re almost ready to start typing your script.
Screenwriting used to require intensive formatting. Back in the