How to establish a more holistic approach to storytelling.
M.04.23
I have done extensive research in the past, read the holy grails, but the concept that improved my writing the most was learning the concept of a "beat sequence." It not only improved the way I write plot, but it also improved my ability to digest a movie or story properly. I am a firm believer of understanding trends, and within those trends seeing what common throughline all creatives have accepted.
As Edwin Catmull explains in his memoir, Creativity Inc., “Craft is what you are expected to know (the rules, the form, etc…), art is how we use it.”
The best resources for understanding how to use a beat sequence and how it is applied in story are - (1) https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-beat-in-screenwriting
The beauty of being a blog reader is you never know when a blog will become inactive, and then be wiped off the internet. Because all blogs are finite, I do my best to internalize the golden nuggets I come across and transcribe any epiphanies I come across.
A quick google search for the story concept for Stranger Things will bring you to a full bible for the pop cultural inception of one of the best Sci-Fi stories of our generation. A lot of finding good resources is having the vocabulary or jargon under your belt to find what you are looking for. I came across the term "Bible," listening to a Ryan Coogler interview about the consultancy and conceptualization it took to create Black Panther.
* Stranger Things Bible - http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/Stranger_Things/Stranger_Things_-_Bible.pdf
For Black Panther, part of production was dedicated to giving Coogler a vibe of Wakanda equipped with source material for language, culture, fashion, and specific details in Africa that would also translate well to film. This was deemed as a 500-page Wakanda bible. Visiting the Kingdom of Lesotho, Gugulethu, and Kenya were integral parts of the vision.
After researching some of the best methods used by film and novel storytellers, and how to pitch a story idea leading to story conceptualization and consultancy I came across three vital trends:
(1) Create a one-pager
(2) Create a treatment
(3) Create a bible
In simple terms, a one pager is a pitch consisting of a short and more extensive logline, story set up, and reference points of tone and style for your story. The treatment is a brief overview of your story, more so in summary form than in script form. The bible, is a more extensive take on your story with possible posters, artwork, screenshots, and intricate details of story, structure, tone, style, genre specific breakdowns, character dynamic/development, and potential to expand brand and content moving forward.
I took time to develop my own style for a one-pager, but for the likes of a treatment I took a lot of inspiration from reading the treatment for Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It also goes without saying I enjoyed experiencing the Stranger Things bible.
So far, I have the first 10-15 minutes of the script for NWTHAS, creating a short for my idea until I can bridge the idea into a full act and transition it into two other acts. I am very proud of the script, but I want to flesh out more of ACT I before I put it out in the universe publicly. Nonetheless, in terms of this meditation the script is not as important as mastering these pre-writing techniques.
Below is my one-pager, and treatment. What I learned from this exercise years ago is going from a one-pager to treatment, helps you get to a more polished version of your story before you write it in script form. The bible can be looked at as a more on-going process that will evolve before, during and after you finish your script.
Quick recap, after researching all the books on how to write a story lock in on mastering the craft of a beat sequence. Look for it in stories you watch or read. Especially short films or short stories. Get a one-pager going, then flesh out ideas in summary form this is a treatment. Finally select a good software to use to archive and write your script - I like to use Scrivener for writing scripts, and I have written some scripts on my phone. If all else fails find Chuck Palahniuk's 36 Writing Craft Essays, which he has now turned into a book called Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life...
Enjoy the process.
One Pager
Treatment
“Craft is what you are expected to know (the rules, the form, etc…), art is how we use it.”
- Edwin Catmull
1.29.23
- MCMXX