In this video I take the mundane and turn it into something interesting:
The story
Most young filmmakers start by writing scenes that go like this:
- Protagonist wakes up.
- Protagonist brushes teeth.
- Protagonist eats breakfast.
Then they film it, and realize it’s boring. I wanted to challenge myself, so I decided to use the exact same sequence of scenes and make something interesting.
The premise is:
The protagonist wants to turn off the alarm, but can’t!
Now let’s see how to make this interesting in steps:
1 Challenge your protagonist
If your protagonist has a goal or problem to solve, create a challenge every step of the way.
In the case of my example here’s how it goes:
| Goal | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Turn off alarm | Snooze doesn’t work |
| Speak to Siri to turn off alarm | Needs to brush teeth first |
| Needs to brush teeth | Can’t find toothbrush |
| Needs to brush teeth without toothbrush | Brushes with his finger |
| Speak to Siri to turn off alarm | Needs to brush with toothbrush |
| Ignores alarm and Siri to eat breakfast | No cornflakes left |
| Wants to just drink milk | Milk is coke! |
| Will drink coke if that’s what it comes down to… | Watch the movie! |
This is a simplistic example, but you get the idea. If I can make this mundane scene interesting, take a good scene and make it great!
2 Solve the Challenge
This part is critical. The challenges you throw up should be solved by the protagonist.
No deus ex machina! This is what it looks like:
| Challenge | Response by Protagonist |
|---|---|
| Snooze doesn’t work | Speaks to siri |
| Needs to brush teeth first | Looks for toothbrush |
| Can’t find toothbrush | Brushes with his finger |
| Needs to brush teeth without toothbrush | Ignores alarm and Siri to eat breakfast |
| No cornflakes left | Will drink milk |
| Milk is coke! | Will drink coke! |
When the protagonist tries to solve the problem, it makes him or her more interesting.
3 Film the Scene
This is so easy to do nowadays there’s no excuse for it. Back when I started filmmaking you could do it with a cheap camcorder and computer. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that hard either.
Today it’s peanuts. Everyone’s got a mobile phone with a free editing app inside. Shoot your scene with yourself or a friend(s). Edit it and see if your scene works.
It’s better than readings, and you can fix anything wrong before you show it to producers, actors or directors.
I hope this simple three-step process helps you with your screenplays.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
