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Do you always write a plot before the screenplay?

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I've co-written two feature length screenplays. We make sure we understand what we want the characters to experience before we bother too much with how it happens.

Nothing fancy, just a structured methodology that works well for us. Here was our approach:

1) Idea in the form of a 2 pages "Is this interesting?" treatment.
2) Research.
3) Outlining & Structure (by far the longest part of the process).
4) Create Scenes and what needs to be accomplished in them (This happens during the end portion of outlining).
5) Start first draft (first go at dialogue).
6) 4-5 passes covering various areas we are focusing on.
7) Send to our consultant for a first look.
8) More writing.
9) Send out to 10 industry contacts and friends for their impressions.
10) More writing.
11) Send to consultant.
12) First draft complete.

There is no right or wrong way to write; writing is writing. But, if you are going for a specific result (a screenplay) and don't know how to get there, I suggest you do some research and follow the steps outlined in a book that resonates with you.

ROK
 
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SplinterX said:
If yes, what is usually the format of a Plot? Can you give me an example?
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"You" as in plural? As in a rule? If so no. Everyone has their own process. If a literary piece looks like a screenplay and you say it's a screenplay, it's a screenplay. Try and give your story a beginning middle and end and see what happens. Watch that beginning, it's the most crucial, it's usually going to set up everything that happens so there has to be some dramatic potential inherent in that setup. Good example, Tom Cruise's movie "Collateral". A killer spends 8 hours with an LA taxidriver. That's ripe stuff.
 
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What works better for me is to come up with the plot first, then the characters. A lot of writers decide on character behavior first, but doing that for me, hasn't worked in the past, cause then the scripts takes twists and turns that feel forced for the characters. I came up with twists and turns first, then give the characters personalities, to fit those decisions and motivations. I have written one feature length so far, and half finished another.
 
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Lump of clay .... finished sculpture, and a million ways to get there.

You'll need to try several approaches. Clarity may take time and lots of patience. You may not know what works for you right away, but you'll definitely know what doesn't work right way.
 
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In short, Harmonica's advice is either:
a) Bad
b) Absolutely perfect

It comes down to your own approach to screenwriting, and since you don't know what your style is (yet), I'd suggest you take Harmonica's advice, and see whether your result is A, or B. We cannot help you with that part.

ROK
 
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Nine! Nine! Nine!
Zehre iizonely vuuun vay, VUN VAY! to make-uh zee screenplay!
Vu must sit-ah vu tukahss into zee chair in front of zee komputair!
And then type, type! TYPE! vrom page vun to page vun-hundred-ten!
No schtopping!
Nine!
Nine!
Nine!
No schtopping!
And zee screenplay must be perfect on zee first draft.
If first screenplay draft not perfekt, zhennn... you. Are. Not. Perfekt.
Off to zee showers viz vu!

avatar_713c9c2f2bc0_64.png
 
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I go about things just a little differently.

When I start writing, I normally have an idea of what my overall plot line will be. i.e. I know that I have a character that will start off at point A end will end up at point Z. And sometimes, I may already know what a few of the points in between are, but not always.

Knowing that each act in a 5 act structure is meant for a specific part of the story (I prefer writing in a 5 act structure) I'll use said structure to start building my story, literally writing down Act 1 - Act 5 and placing each idea in its appropriate spot. I'll try to get the general idea of each scene down in as few words as possible. Once I have everything mapped out, I'll start writing the treatment using a slug line and one paragraph for each scene. Although the one paragraph thing is a rule of thumb. I often write much more per scene including any dialogue I might want to include.
 
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Absolutely always.

In fact, the screenplay is the LAST thing I do.

First, I get an idea. Usually this idea, if I'm lucky, comes with a few plot points, endings on the side. I develop these into a bullet-point of the story.

Then, I fix these bullet-points around until its perfect and examine the themes, characters, why something happens/someone does this or that, THEN I write the full plot. Sometimes they range from 2 to 7 pages in 12pt font.

With this in hand, I divide the plot into thirds. I ruthlessly edit each and every one of them and then split the thirds into scenes.

Now, I make a bullet-point outline of every single scene in the film that I have in mind. I handwrite on legal pads/notebooks the screenplay (dialogue, action, scene headings, everything). The dialogue I first write freestyle on paper (almost shorthand) in order for me to pay attention to it being fluid.

With my handwritten screenplay, THEN, and only then, I type it up.

The bottom line is that writing a screenplay without a concrete plot is, at least in my opinion, almost foolish. You need to know where your script is going if you want it to be a nice, clear narrative.

My two cents. :D
 
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I rarely ever write out a synopsis or treatment before I start writing. Sometimes I do a quick, informal outline of the major plot points, but not always.

I always make sure I have a very firm grasp on who my characters are, though. Characters should drive the story, and if you have solid characters, the story will generally write itself.

But when I first started writing, I had to do a lot more planning and plotting. To the point I had multiple index cards of info for every scene. As I got more used to storytelling and writing feature-length scripts and novels, I started being able to do most of the planning and plotting in my head, rather than on paper.
 
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cameronchapman said:
Characters should drive the story, and if you have solid characters, the story will generally write itself.
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I've heard a lot of people say this, but I've never been able to write that way. Characterization can drive individual scenes for me, but I normally have the plot and various elements already worked out and will shape my characters to fit within the structure of the story.
 
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LasVegasIRA said:
I've heard a lot of people say this, but I've never been able to write that way. Characterization can drive individual scenes for me, but I normally have the plot and various elements already worked out and will shape my characters to fit within the structure of the story.
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I guess the main thing I mean is that the characters need to cause things to happen, rather than simply having things happen to them. Even in plot-based stories, the characters still need to be active participants. There needs to be cause and effect, and the characters are a big part of that.

For me, it's easier to figure out the characters first, but I can see where other people would do it the opposite way. In some cases I get a basic idea of the plot and then figure out characters who naturally fit (and generally take over), while other times I think of the character first and then figure out their story.
 
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I think of an interesting situation, consider the characters involved in that situation, then reverse engineer everything forward and backward into a plausible premise.
Go back, hammer out my plot points by general timing across whatever act structure I feel like.
Start fleshing out details of who is doing what to whom and why.
I'll do all of that on a spreadsheet so that I can easily move items around.
Then start actually writing the screenplay.

Now, if this is something for me write and direct I need to include the added difficulties of considering my location, talent, equipment and budget resources immediately after the situation was conceived.
No point in writing a pie in the sky story I can't produce if I intend to produce it.
If I can't then I should go full bore studio budget in the story's design.
 
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rayw said:
Now, if this is something for me write and direct I need to include the added difficulties of considering my location, talent, equipment and budget resources immediately after the situation was conceived.
No point in writing a pie in the sky story I can't produce if I intend to produce it.
If I can't then I should go full bore studio budget in the story's design.
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Excellent point! :yes:
 
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