Of all forms of fiction the screenplay demands the greatest economy from the writer. To succeed must satisfy on every page as many as thirty different concerns. The result must serve the disparate needs of actors, directors, producers; their story development teams; later on production teams and finally the movie's audience.
In software engineering, architecture one may have to satisfy as many concerns - but rarely more than five in one unit of design. In composing a musical score is a similar need to handle many concerns simultaneously - but this time only about ten concerns at a time.
The only reason that experienced screenwriters can handle so many technical concerns is because they have reached a point where they have sublimated the theory and can write either instinctively or according to a careful calculated design . Even so to persistently improve on a working draft by rewriting requires that screenwriter keep a clear perception of his goals. Only writers who have thoroughly mastered the technical challenges of the craft can hope to consistently realize their artistic potential.
I have been creating a new approach to handle the technical side of screen writing called "Patterns Of Screen Writing". This innovative approach is based on pattern languages - a paradigm used to reduce complexity in architecture and software development. Here are some of the films which I used to illustrate the techniques from the book.
- Reservoir Dogs
- Chocolate
- Pulp Fiction
- Juliette of the Spirits
- Big Fish
- The Big Chill
- Barton Fink
The pattern system starts with common problems and the techniques best suited to handle them. As writers progress they will be able to do more on any given page and it will be time to attempt more advanced techniques. By limiting what you ask at each stage of planning and writing you can learn to work in greater economy. You will learn to ask the minimal set of questions needed to describe your story, characters, and their actions.
As the text gain in maturity I am becoming more critical of new materials for the book. I hope that by sharing some of my thoughts I will provide further illustrations of the pattern system. Some materials are too detailed or too advanced to go into the book.
Currently I recommend Micheal Hague work as a basic starting point and Robert McKee's less accessible Story for the more advanced writers. For detailed analysis consider Syd Field's Four screenplays.