How to Write a Movie Script With Kick-Ass and Awesome Characters

ScriptBully Books #3

by Michael Rogan

Learning how to write a movie script is more than just figuring out the margins and hitting a few plot points along the way. (Sorry, Syd Field.)

It’s about infusing your movie scripts with emotion, dilemma, and the best kick-ass characters you can write.

Characters aren't just simply a part of the structure of a story.They are the story.

They're the way we emotionally connect to the events in a movie.

They're the bait we use to attract Hollywood talent to read our scripts.

They're the cultural icons and visual symbols that define—and sometimes even shake--a generation.

And they're what many screenwriters royally screw up most of the time.

It’s not your fault.

I blame all the “how to write a movie script” books out therethat try to reduce the creation of characters to series of chemistry test-tube experiments. (If we can just figure out what our hero’s favorite color or what Jungian archetype he represents or what two binary “values” he then we’ll be halfway there.)

Unfortunately that’s like asking Emeril Legasse to use a Betty Crocker cookbook.

We do not pay 40 dollars a plate for Emeril to use the “right” ingredients in his gumbo, or to give us a gumbo according to a rigid structure or to make sure he followed the rules.

We’re looking for something magical. Something transcendent. Something…we’ve never had before.

And here’s a secret…

So are actors and directors.

And actors and directors get stuff made in this business.

This doesn’t mean plot doesn’t have a place. (I’ve seen enough films at
Sundance to know that character ain’t nearly enough.)

But the best way I know to teach you how to write a movie script and sell it is to focus on the characters.

Not their traits but their dilemmas. Their actions under stress. And it’s hard to create the right stress, the right dilemmas, the right plot without knowing your character really, really well.

So..how do you do that?

In “How to Write a Movie Script With Characters That Don't Suck” we’ll go over:

• How to Create Characters People Give a Crap About
• How to Create Characters That Don’t All Sound Like You
• The Whole Character VS. Plot Debate
• How to Find Great Characters Within a 5-mile radius, no matter where you live
• How to Write Villains That Hollywood Actors Want to Play

I go over some 21st-century techniques—the internet is a wonderful thing—to find characters that are dynamic, unique and, ultimately, a little more personal.
It's no coincidence that James Cameron's films all tend to be about individuals fighting against the evils of scientific progress. (The Abyss, Titanic, Avatar, Aliens)

Or that Steven Spielberg is interested in the child-like innocence of youth—and how to preserve and re-claim it against the forces that try to stamp it out. (Too many films to mention.)

You don't have to enter years of therapy to write decent characters.

But it helps to find out who the heroes and villains in your life are.

And if you stick with it, and push past your own resistance, you'll find your characters come alive.

And writing with characters like this, can be one of the biggest joys in the entire world. (Short of selling your movie script for hundreds of thousands of dollars and purchasing an overpriced Italian sports car.)

So pick up a copy of “How to Write a Movie Script With Characters That Don't Suck” and …who knows…you might just find it’s the last piece of the puzzle to take your movie scripts from pedestrian to utterly amazing. (And utterly amazing tends to sell in this business.)

Good luck with your writing!

Genres: Writing

77 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2012

Reviews

[Eugene Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book that every struggling writer needs to read!

This book was amazing. I read it to help me figure out how to turn a novel onto a screenplay. Instead, I discovered that it is a road map--with writing exercises that are essentially cheat codes--on how to write an engaging story in any genre or format. Micheal Rogan, you rock, dude!

[Cindy Appel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Digestible and insightful.

I liked the character exercises and how the author just nudges you to figure things out for yourself. Bite sized exercises that aren’t intimidating but actually go a long way towards figuring out your characters from a blank page.

[Laura Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

While you can certainly read through this book in an afternoon, you'll want to devote more time to it than that. Anyone who's ever written a movie script, either for fun or profit, will tell you that Rogan is correct when he notes that "Creating interesting, realistic characters is... hard." Why? Because there's no FORMULA for it, and any characters you create by using a formula will invariably come across as such.

So what's the trick? Where's the shortcut?

Well, kid, there isn't one. It's all about hard work. Luckily, Rogan gives plenty of tips on how to do that work and make it fun while you're at it.

Though some of the advice is fairly standard (raiding your evening news broadcast or paper, if it still exists, for story ideas), Rogan takes it a step further and explains exactly how you can translate a snippet from the news into a full-length feature film, complete with compelling characters. His suggestion to follow the Post Secret blog is also unique, as it not only allows a writer to think about the types of interesting, personal stories found on the site, but also lets them get into the heads of real people who are using their own words to tell the story. A gold mine, for sure, both in terms of plot and character development, in addition to analyzing different types of voices.

Tips on creating complex villains (even if you're working within a comic-book universe) are also worth the price. As Rogan notes, "You don't have to enter years of therapy to write interesting characters. Just pay attention..."

Short and to the point, with great functional writing exercises that'll get your characters acting like real, live humans in no time.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool and fast-paced book on writing for film. I've never written anything resembling a screenplay, but I believe every writer flirts with the idea at least once or twice, and this seems a good enough place to start. Some of his ideas even seem useful outside of film, especially the segment on dialogue (and why a character should never directly say what's on his mind). Lots of examples from well-known films that illustrate his tips in action. I can't speak to how useful this would be to anyone with experience, but for the beginner, it should be helpful in ratcheting up humdrum scenes into something a little zingier.

[Lora Covrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely buy his other books. Great "real" tips given in text that is also fun to read. The exercises helped me in the rewrite of my finished script. Thanks to this book, my script is evolving into something really good with "characters that don't suck!"

[E. T. Brother · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read