The Mechanics of Writing a Script Part One

Hi! Welcome to our weekly Fred & Dan Newsletter Why Aren’t You Famous Yet? This installment was written by Giovana and it is truly a treat for any artist. It doesn’t require much more of an introduction so happy reading and thank you for being here!

The mechanics of writing a script at this point feels like second nature, it only took us six years to get here but hey, here we are!

As this is a blog about all things film, Janette and I thought we’d show you the process of how we go about writing the damn thing through the lens of our newest script The Fox And The Moon. This is a great blog for any screenwriting beginner, or any type of artist in general. All in all this is the process that works for us, but feel out what works best for you. It’s a feeling really, you’ll know it when it happens.

“Doing art” in any medium can feel intimidating so break it down into smaller pieces. For us we always start with “the gap in the market.” 

Part I 

The Gap In The Market:

1. An idea that is sparked is taken through the filter -

   • Who else has done this?

   • Was it done well? 

   • What’s been missing? 

   • Can I do it better? (yes, to that question, you always you can always do it better)

In the case of The Fox And The Moon:

Witches: 

• Everyone has done it 

• Disney and Harry Potter has done it well 

• What’s been missing - Fun yet adult magical stories 

• Hell yeah I can do it better

2. What’s the bigger question you’re trying to answer? Every story (every good story at least) is asking and answering a bigger question about the human experience. When you lead with that in art you always have a north star. So what question do you want yours to answer?

For The Fox and The Moon:

• How interracial relationships (romantic or not) are integral to progress of humanity.

• That women play an integral part in community/society and should be seen as such.

Now that you’ve decided you’re the person for the job, time to put some thoughts down. That doesn’t mean it’s time to write though.

Part II

Comps and vibes:

1. Compile those doing similar work and hone the vibe you’re going for. In the case of this script Janette and I watched, read, and chatted at length about who had the pieces of story we were trying to capture, here’s what we came up with.

   • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Show

   • Pocahontas - Movie

   • The Ex Hex - Book

   • From Blood and Ash - Book

   • Coco - Movie

   • Encanto - Movie

   • Like Water For Chocolate - Book

   • House of Spirits - Book

   • The Covenant - Movie 

2. Make a mood board

   • Compile a smaller body of work. It can be messy and imperfect but when you sit back and take it in it captures the essence of what you’re going for. From the color palette, to textures, to the emotion you hope to evoke, this mood board can be a compilation of images from the internet, a playlist, a table set up. Whatever helps you bypass your frontal cortex and skip right to your limbic brain to let your creativity take the reins.  

   • There’s no right or wrong answer, this should be fun but if you’re not used to letting yourself “just do” this might be hard, so have patience and push yourself to follow a feeling.

   • This is another place you’ll really want to lean on that feeling. You’ll know it’s done when you can’t stop looking at it and think, “exactly.”

   • For this script we knew we didn’t want it to be too dark but nothing as light as a Disney movie so we spent a lot of time trying to strike a balance. We used both images and music to help us find our north star.

We’re right before the point of “doing.” And whatever you choose is right!

Part III

1. Start with an outline. 

   • This will move and change but you’ll have some point you’re trying to arrive at.

   • Whether you’re reading this for your screenwriting journey or a painting or another piece of art, outlining can take the guess work out and allow your creativity to move freely within the lines you’ve drawn.

2. Send it.

   • If an outline seems too restrictive, throw it out. We’ve written scripts by compiling vignettes and cobbling together a story that came out great!

   • Each body of work is different and should be treated as such in our eyes. 

   • If you’ve worked through the previous two parts of figuring out what question it is you’re answering and you’ve put together a mood board, you may not need an outline and can get right to it.

   • If you find midway through this isn’t working, stop and write an outline. Trust yourself.

Now we’re at the point of doing. So get to work, and go balls to the wall!

Each part of this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months, that’s okay that’s your process! 

Parting note: 

I personally don’t believe in writer's block or any artistic block. The block, my friend, is you, standing in your own way, trying to be a perfectionist. 

Art is a living embodiment of you, and an extension of you as expressed through your medium. Let it ride! When you feel “blocked” step away, think about why you’re blocked. Usually it’s your indecision about making a choice that doesn’t feel perfect. Just pick one and go for it, if it doesn’t work you can change it or use it to redirect. It was meant to be exactly what it is. I know that might sound a bit esoteric but it’s not. There's a reason people use art as a form of therapy and healing. 

When you fully trust yourself and stop listening to your inner critic, your art becomes so fully baked that it’s a mirror for viewers to see their own experience or peek into a world they know nothing about. Either way, your audience will leave changed. People need your art. 

Kant was the one to surmise that we only perceive the world through our senses, not as “ding an sich,” the thing in itself.  So I’ll leave you with this quote from the art critic Robert Hughes I found in the book Art & Physics by Leonard Shlain, “The essence of the avant-garde myth is that the artist is a precursor; the truly significant work of art is the one that prepares the future.”