August 17, 2009
My brother, Dino, suggests I complete a beat sheet as a beginning step. Of course, I have no idea what a beat sheet is, so he explains that a beat sheet is used by screenwriters to outline the major dramatic moments, or beats, in a screenplay. OK, I can do that. 16 beats - beginning, middle, and end. I'm a school teacher and that's how I teach the writing process. Same thing, right? Well, not exactly.
I plan and write my beat sheet. About half way through, however, I realize I've forgotten an important thing Dino had told me. You must limit each beat to one sentence. Hmmm...I am already on page 6 and each beat is paragraphs long. Oops. I am adding way too much detail, even dialogue and camera angles, scared that I might forget a really good thought if I don't add it. My film involves flashbacks. How do I write a one sentence beat that shows two separate events?
I keep writing. Pretty soon, I have a lot of pages of pretty good stuff. I have a solid beginning and a solid ending. There is a lot of middle. I'm worried that there is too much back and forth - flashback, flash forward, flashback, flash forward. Will the audience get lost? Dino says the audience is intelligent; you must give the audience credit for its ability to fill in the gaps that are unspoken.
Although I realize I'm not following the "rules" of beat sheet writing, I continue to write long paragraphs for each beat because I want to include everything that's in my head today. I finish. Good job! I sleep like a baby because my head is cleared.
Today, I reread the "skeleton" of my screenplay and I'm proud of myself. I take a look at beatsheetcentral.com by Nicholas Jarecki, which is a collection of beat sheets from screenfilms. Ah, I'm starting to understand the one sentence thing. Dino's going to send me examples, too. Thanks, little bro! And thanks to my friends who have been encouraging me - Susan, Katie, Debbie St., Debbie B-G, Angela, and Michele. I'll see you on the red carpet, baby.
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Jarecki's beatsheetcentral.com is a great resource. The sheets done by JC Khoury are nice and tight, but I wish he would use the character names instead of actor names... weird!
ReplyDeleteNotice how these are mostly 40-some beats? Interesting. I think you should keep focusing on the 15 main beats for now, as they relate to essential structural elements.
Note how the sample sheets describe actions, actions, actions. "John tries to get her to stay" is a better beat than "John says 'I can't live without you.'" Your beats can be much more general than specific for now... what's important is that they keep the story unfolding: this happens; this happens; this happens. A series of events and actions, NOT of thoughts and feelings and opinions.
Again, you're on fire. Amazing process, eh? Put the play away for a few days... PLEASE.
dp
Don't you wish your creativity could just flow without you having to jump through the technical hoops - then a finished product of your genius would appear before you? Maybe that's just my generation...no respect for the means, only the ends. In any case, I admire your pursuit of knowledgeable sources!
ReplyDeleteChinese proverb: "Wisdom is a comb they give you after you've lost your hair."
ReplyDeleteBy the time an artist acquires the discipline and technique necessary for success, he has often exhausted that passionate spontaneity and playfulness so central to genius. Mastery, it seems to me, is the harmonious integration of skill and inspiration.
Laura, I'm glad I'm following your blog, because I'm learning a thing or two. Never heard the term "beat sheet" before. Who knows? If I keep reading your posts, I might write a screenplay someday!
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