Mastering Screenplay

Imagine the life of a blind man. He learns about his surrounding by touching, smelling and tasting things. He has to learn not to bump into chairs, or dip his hand into hot oil and smell a rat. It will take him time but when you see a blind man who has conquered his environment, he can juggle china wares while kids run amuck in his apartment.

For the green screenwriter, screenplay can be like groping in a jigsaw puzzle. There is the 3 act-structure to grapple with, the plot, the beat, sequence, scenes, subplot, context, protagonist, antagonist, synopsis, premise, logline, treatment, step outline, 3-dimensional character, inciting incidence, climax, turning points, focal points, hook, resolution, supporting characters, emotional impact, setting, conflict, complication, screen dialogue, character psychology, prop, costume, minor characters, location, theme, development, time, back story, suspense, surprise and exposition.

In all, you have at least 41 elements to understand and master. Obviously, you can’t achieve that in a week or two. The trick is to get to write as many TV plays as possible. You will use TV plays to sharpen your skills. I call it writing out your rubbish. When you’re done writing rubbish, the process will help you gain mastery over the 41 elements gradually.

It’s like learning how to drive too. You will make the mistake of accelerating when you’re supposed to break. You probably bump into the next car. Thankfully there are no causalities but you would have learnt something vital. So practice screenwriting with TV plays and when you’ve mastered the wheel and can put the car on cruise control, you can do feature films.

You don’t have to take my advice though

A career or a calling

I promise not to bore you with the definition of a career. It’s a no-brainer. But a calling is predominantly a church lingo really. Or so I thought until I enroll for my first screenwriting course in 2005. Murtala Sule was the screenwriting tutor, a muslim and a no-nonsense scholar. On the first day at school, he gave a memorable and heartfelt speech. He said, “as a screenwriter, you’re a self-appointed prophet…”

I can’t remember the rest now since it wasn’t taped. But I remember getting home to tell my friend ‘that this is where I should have been some seven years ago’. It was an epiphany of life-changing proportion. Even though I will not like to decorate myself with a prophet title, I know I am called to be a prophet. It’s just that my pew is my pen and paper. It’s screenplay.

So for me screenwriting is a calling. But it’s okay if for you it’s just a career. It took me a while to get there myself. The journey is usually in four stages.

Stage 1: Hobby _ You love to write poems, articles and letters.

Stage 2: Career _ You earn a living as a copywriter, a journalist or a screenwriter.

Stage 3: Calling _ You start writing specific themes in your screenplays.

Stage 4: Crusade _ You begin to enlist others to write screenplays.

Most people stay on one stage for a life time while few people make that transition from one stage to the next.

Screenwriter's muscle

Have you ever seen those hefty body builders on the screen or on the pages of magazines and dailies, flexing their glittering muscles to the delight of their audience? I have. I remember the Mr. NYSC contest of my set. One of the guys, oiled himself to shimmer, did ten electrifying push ups on stage. He won because we all love his attitude and bulging biceps. It must have taken him an effort to build those impressive muscles.

As a screenwriter, what is your muscle?

In the whole skeletal framework of screenwriting, in what area are you most gifted? Yeah, when you first started out, you needed to just write but as you mature in your screenwriting experience, you must find your spark… your muscle. It is like knowing who you really are.
It is taken for granted that every seasoned screenwriter must know the structure as well as other elements but by law of natural sorting, you will discover competence in one or two elements. What have you discovered?

1. Are you a concept macho?
You are good at conceptualizing a story idea into a palette. You are stylish and not given to lengthy letters but you can capture the essence of a theme in lean visual words. You love to communicate your thought to a screenwriter who can turn your two words into 120 pages.

2. Are you a plot macho?
You are probably good with jigsaw puzzle. You know how to juggle scenes to create the maximum emotional impact. In fact, you’re so good you can make the same story either comic or thriller. You know the principle behind attention grabbing and utilize it well.

3. Are you a witty-dialogue macho?
I love this kind of fella. You write dialogue that is crisp, unpredictable, fluid and witty. That’s not all, if you have ten characters you ensure they all sound dissimilar. Now, this is an amazing talent and you ought to be proud of yourself.

4. Are you the unforgettable character- creating macho?
What do people look for in a film? Character. And you’re ace at creating 3-dimensional characters. Characters we remember long after the film is over. If this is your turf, celebrate it.

The essence of knowing where your muscle lies comes handy when you’re working with a team. You can quickly volunteer to do that which you are good at. In the end, the audience will give you a standing ovation for your shimmering muscle.

Sell a screenplay

Every amateur, non-professional writer I meet wants to sell something that seems like a screenplay. I call them non-professional because they have never sold a script successfully. By the way I am the one who thinks they are amateur and I say that because they haven’t honed their skill. They think they’ve poured enough creative juice into the script and believe that their first script is so great! They’re going to sell it and make millions of naira.

Unless you’re some sort of writing prodigy (and they do exist), your first script is guaranteed to stink. It’s like asking a medical student to perform brain surgery on their first day at medical school. As with any skill or art form, it takes time to get your writing craft up to a professional level, no matter how many books you read or seminars you attend.

The best way to learn is by DOING it and getting honest, intelligent, constructive criticism on your work. Don’t even think of sending out your work to a producer or production companies until you’ve written at least 3 scripts and they’ve been read and critiqued by either your writing peers or professional consultants. Most writers don’t hit their stride until they’ve written at least 5 scripts on average.

Selling screenplays in Nigeria is very tricky. Most producers commission a writer to write and hands out a brief the writer must follow. In the event that the producer doesn’t have a brief and is just looking for a finished screenplay, he even has specifics in mind.

The producer is like a customer going to the market to buy a pair of trousers; he already knows the color, the material and the size that fits him. So even if a writer has an archive of screenplays on his shelf, when a producer enters to make purchase, God help you if you have what he wants on your shelf.

It is okay to have five different screenplays on your shelf; you never can tell when a producer’s taste will match yours. If you must sell a screenplay at all, sell your screenplay the stellarmovies’way.

• Acquaint yourself with a seasoned producer.
• Get his email address and forward an excerpt of your script.
• Call to find out if it works for him and book an appointment.
• Pitch your story.
• If he likes it, discuss fee and royalties.
• Sign an agreement.
• Then go ahead to write a great screenplay.
• Enjoy the selling process.

The screenwriter's Journey

The Screenwriter’s journey…

Is likened to a hero’s journey in a movie, something disrupts his normalcy and he runs around, facing six hundred to one obstacle to rescue the world from destruction, at the end, he defeats all his enemies and emerges the hero, getting the ovation and sometimes a beautiful princess to take home.

What is your story? Most likely you started like me, writing poems and loving words and attracted to people who speak well. Then you proceeded to writing articles, essays and then short stories but because screenwriting is not as prestigious and lucrative as medicine, you opted for journalism or accounting.

At first it was just about writing and journalism gave a good platform but with the overnight boom in the entertainment industry, screenwriting became popular and now you want to give it a shot. My own journey differ from this as I was busy chasing a copywriter portfolio, after all they seem similar; one tells the story in one word, the other in many words.

Whatever your journey, may be you even started writing from the womb, the moment it dawns on you that screenwriting is what you’re meant to do, take a course on screenwriting. Never ever deceive yourself that your passion to write and expertise with English language will suffice. Your screenwriting journey really starts when you’re educated in the art.

Celebrity screenwriter

A certain king, who was the hero of his century, had declared war on one of his neighbours. The enemy, who was poor in resources, had not been able to make the necessary preparations, and was at a loss to defend his kingdom. Accordingly, the King sent a spy to meet the advancing host.

This spy, watching from a distance, saw advancing an innumerable host of soldiers armed with lances. Straight-away he galloped back to his sovereign. 'Lord,' he said, 'you are going to be attacked by an army as vast as a fortune; for I have seen so many lances advancing that they will hide the sun!' 'Take this robe of honour,' said the Monarch, 'If it pleases God, we will fight today in the shadow cast by the enemies' lances.' By this war-like answer he inspired his followers with unconquerable courage and valour."

So what does this story have to do with you? The truth is, as a screenwriter, it sometimes feels as if you are faced with insurmountable odds when it comes to succeeding in Nollywood. But you've got 2 choices in the matter. 

1. You can think about how the odds are stacked against you and despair.

      2. Or you can believe wholeheartedly in your dreams, use the resources you've got, and "fight today in the shadow cast by the enemies' lances." 

To hell with the odds.

To be Nollywood's most successful writers, one of the most significant traits you must have is often overlooked. And here it is... Successful screenwriters are simply better informed than other screenwriters. That's it. Sounds simple right? But the thing is, you can tell immediately when you're having a conversation with a writer who is committed to their career – as opposed to a writer who is just a "wannabe". How?

* Because they can speak intelligently about what their market wants.
* They know exactly what genre they are writing for.
* They know the difference between writing a commercially viable screenplay with a clear marketing hook - and writing a fuzzy drama that has no built-in audience.

Truly successful writers will go to great lengths to collect even the smallest bit of insider information, because they know that such information will give them that slight competitive edge that could mean the difference between their success and failure.

Do you have this depth of knowledge? Do you share this critical success characteristic of being an information maven? If you don't, it's time to start accumulating as much information as you can.

* Information about the commercially successful power-players around town.
* Information about Nollywood executives you'd like to work with.
* Updated information about who sold what to whom and for how much.
This is what separates the real writers from those who pretend to be screenwriters.

It is almost a given that a creative writer will someday get a defining career break sometimes in the course of duty but that is just luck. There are four basic things that make a writer get the big break:

Research

Timing

Skill and...

Luck.

You definitely don’t want to rely on luck alone and not hone your skill; neither do you want to carry on as if your talent is enough.

A combination of timing and research with your skill is what unlocks the millionaire’s code for you. Luck is an unprecedented windfall that happens once in a lifetime and may never happen. I will replace the word luck with ‘the God-factor’, the invisible providence that guarantees the writer’s big break and which is more certain and awaits a screenwriter who is diligent in his work. Cheers

Executive Producer vs screenwriter

The next time a screenwriter goes to a negotiating table with an executive Producer, these are the things to know.

The negotiating table

At the negotiation table, when the exec. Producer negotiates with a writer, he is quick to let him/her know he can also do the job but for his busy schedules. But that is the more reason why he has to pay reasonably, because someone has the time to do what he doesn’t have time to do.

It’s like telling a bricklayer, I can also do this but for my tight schedule, I was once a bricklayer. The fact still remains that you don’t have the time. The person who has the time deserves to be paid well. As a matter of fact, the producer is paying for the screenwriter’s time, skill, experience and resources used.

The Writer/Producer

At the negotiating table, the writer is probably green and just passionate about his talent and wants a few screen credits to his name, so his negotiating power is usually low. The exec. Producer tells him/her he can also write and even write it better. The writer should remind the exec. Producer that his knowledge of screenwriting is probably stale and he will have to brush up his skills to match up your competence. Since as a writer, that’s probably all you do, you’re specialized and more adroit than our rich producer who probably didn’t study screenwriting nor did any self development. To displace him some more, you can throw up some screenwriting lingo which he can’t understand to show your expertise on the job. Insist that you’re worth your weight in gold.

Futuristic card

Another thing the exec. Producer will tell you is that, he is just starting or doesn’t have so much money, therefore you should do him the favor and write at a ridiculously low price for future-sake. The truth is that the future never comes and he might never increase the fee. The next thing you’ll see is that he is buying new properties and your clothes are faded and you’re pinching pennies. So tell Mr. Producer that you can’t repeat that lyrics to the market woman, she won’t reduce the price of tomatoes for you just because you’re doing someone a favor. However, if you’re so hungry, accept the offer but my very good lecturer once told me that even if you’re hungry, you can call their bluff and walk away. The day he needs someone who can deliver a quality job, he will send for you.

Screen credits

Another negotiable thing is the screen credit for your screenplay. Even though some writers don’t care if they get the screen credit or not, if you want it as a writer, you must insist that your name be written in the closing credits. Some producers put their names as screenwriter just to get an ego score for being versatile at your expense, insist on it at the negotiating table. Royalty is not a common phrase for screenwriters around here but if you want to ask for it, get a lawyer and state the terms of payment and the figures.

Know your onions

After all said, be sure you know your onions as a seasoned screenwriter. It is not enough to know how to deal with our snake-oil producer; you must be competent and can deliver what you promise. It is important to note that executive producers are not the enemies to watch out for and not all of them are out to rip off the screenwriter, they just have a better negotiating skill than you do, that’s all. Writers think all they need is know how to write but there is more to it. There is the legal part, the business side of it, the marketing side, and the sales/pitch side of it and there is the accounting side of it. Sounds like a whole lot, isn’t it? They will all come handy somewhere in the line of duty. Cheers.