Scripting Part 1: Treatment to Script

I spent this weekend and this morning working on the treatments for Urban Numina, and as predicted there were some interesting changes.

One of the key ones is that I'm inclined to drop the first season down to three episodes. The reason being is that the treatment for episode three feels like a really good cliffhanger ending. Anima shows up, Devon and Deus' burgeoning relationship looks to be over before it began, Mel and Urge hook up and Andrena thinks she's close to exposing the Numina's motives.

This feels like a great point to leave off and get the fans begging for more. I'm holding off on episode four now just to see how the first three scripts develop.

Another interesting development from the treatments is the creation of a seventh character - Carey. This character had been in the back of my mind when I was initially conceiving the show. He's a nice everyday guy, a researcher of some kind, who has an on again, off again relationship with Andrena. I found that he kind of worked his way into the story as I wrote it, being the guy that Andrena can turn to because Mel and Devon are too wrapped up in the Numina.

In a way he's the compass for Andrena and the others. When they overlook something obvious, he guides them to look at it. He spots the things that they ignore and he plays a bit more of a sceptic role. He challenges the Numina to prove they are supernatural and he suspects certain things about Deus and Urge's relationship to each other.

So now it is time to start writing scripts. I'm happy with the treatments and the outline they have given me. The first few episodes are strong, in my opinion, and have suitable structure.

But what do I need to know before I start writing a script?

Two excellent resources I'd recommend are The Guerilla Filmmaker's Handbook by Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe; and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting by Skip Press.

Both of these books provide invaluable advice regarding scripts. There are certain conventions and format rules that are used in the professional industry - and it is well worth learning these conventions. It is also worth noting that film and television do have slightly different rules - but these can be overlooked.

Now obviously you don't want to be pissing around with too much formatting while you are writing. There are two ways to tackle this. One is to just write normally and apply formatting afterwards. I personally find this a bothersome method and a poorly advised process to follow. I would not recommend it and I would question the wisdom of anyone who did especially when there are so many excellent programs out that for screenwriting that do all the work for you and let you just get straight into writing.

The best, I feel, is Celtx, which is not only an industry standard application, but also a free one. You can also buy a support application for iPad and iPhone that allows you to write on these devices and sync the scripts up on a server to download to your computer - which means you can take your scripts anywhere and update them on the fly. Very useful when making changes mid shoot or when you suddenly are inspired regarding a scene while out and about.

Some professionals will pooh pooh the idea of trying to write a script on their iPhone, but I managed to write 70 pages of my revised Winding City script in exactly this way during lunch breaks. The Celtx app is extremely intuitive and easy to use. I find it makes writing anywhere hugely easy and removes one of the greatest obstacles of writing - time. If you can write anywhere there is no excuse for not having the time to write - and because it syncs up with my iPad and laptop, I am always up to date on the script and even if I just add a single line - all my copies get updated with that change. An excellent way to manage one of the more difficult parts of the process.

So now that I have my treatments, my scriptwriting application and an idea of characters - it's time to go to it and start writing the script.

There is no fixed way to do it, but the key thing when diving into a new script is to make sure the first scene has a punch to it. This doesn't need to be an obvious action scene, but it needs to grab the audience to get them watching straight away. There are all manner of methods to do this. James Bond, for example tends to start of In Media Res - in the middle of the action with all manner of things going on. Vampire Diaries usually starts with some standard action which suddenly reveals that something you had thought you understood was in fact something different. Glee tends to have some kind of funny quip that suggests the theme of the episode to come.

Your first scene is a tricky one because it sets the tone for the entire episode. My thought is that I will be starting with a funny argument between Mel and Andrena. It should tell us a little about the two characters, be witty and it will end with Devon showing up followed by Deus. When Deus appears, Devon is going to say "I think he's God" at which point we'll go to the titles.

Now this scene could take 2-3 minutes to run if I'm not careful. That's half of the episode, as I plan to make each episode 7 minutes long. So I'll be starting the argument In Media Res and keep it to maybe two lines each and a line from Devon before Deus shows up. In total, I expect the scene to be about a page long - which is roughly a minute of screen time. This is an acceptable length of time, I feel. The titles should not be longer than 30 seconds. We then can have a 2-3 minutes sequence of Devon, Mel, Andrena and eventually Carey dealing with Deus' arrival. A minute of Devon and Deus. A minute of Devon, Mel, Andrena and Carey. A minute of Deus and Anima. That should bring me to seven minutes and will cover the entire first episode treatment.

It is vital to plan these things - not so that you stick to the plan, but so that you have a roadmap of what you are trying to achieve and to keep you from wandering off course too much. It is too easy in this kind of set up to milk a 5-6 minute comedy debate that really doesn't move the story along and - while funny - drags things out. In webshows you need to get to the point and be punchy with each scene to keep viewers watching. In a way, a minute in a web show can feel like a really long time - especially if there are lag issues.

It's important to keep things moving.

Next - Scripting Part 2: Writing Episode One

Conan

The Treatment: Getting Your Story in Order

Now it is time for me to work on the treatments for the first four episodes. I have a concept, I have an idea of the cosmology - not that I have actually shared that with you all yet. (Hey, got to keep something for the final show, right? :D) Now I need to get the story in order and ready for scripting.

What is a treatment?

In the simplest terms, a treatment is a short story that covers what will be in the episode. It doesn't have to be literature, but it does need to clearly outline the story and events that will be filmed. Most treatments are literally written as short stories. They tend to be 3-6 pages long, although more ambitious projects can have treatments that are 60 pages long and outline setting details, history and all manner of other information that will be vital for the production. In many ways a treatment is a kind of series bible.

Why do I need a treatment?

As I mentioned above, treatments can become series bibles. They help the writers keep the story straight and see at a glance if there are any issues they have overlooked. This is especially important when you're dealing with scripts that are 60-120 pages long. A script focuses on each scene and what happens, a treatment focuses on the story first.

Having a treatment allows you to have a series of signposts while writing your script. When you are script writing it is easy to get distracted and off course. Your treatment will help you keep focused or even identify where you need to change things in your story.

The other benefit of a treatment is that it is easier to read than a script and as such is a good tool for pitching your idea to investors/producers. In some cases you even need to get more simple - for example the NZ Film Commission expects one page summaries of your film when applying for grants or funding. Having a treatment makes it easier to then cut down to a one page version that identifies the key plot points you want to hit.

How do I write a treatment?

Well this is the million dollar question, really. Like so much writing, there is no sure fire way to do it. Each writer has their own method and style of writing that works for them. My advice is to keep the salient points. Reading a treatment should help me visualise the series, have a solid idea of what is going to happen in an episode and what big secrets will be revealed.

If possible it will have a bit of the series tone in it, but most of all it needs to hit all the beats. By reading a treatment I should get an inkling of the pacing of the production.

Some treatments explicitly spell out the acts of the episode/film, some are more dry and just get down to the guts of what is going to be made.

No matter how you do it, aim to keep it simple. You'll be able to flesh things out in the script when you get to that point.

A treatment shouldn't be more than about 5 pages if you can help it. Again, this isn't a hard and fast rule, but I tend to find that if you are starting out it is important to be as straight forward as you can with your idea.

Given that Urban Numina is going to be 7 minutes an episode, each treatment should be between 1/2 a page to a page long.

My core storyline will follow these beats.

1. Deus shows up
2. Devon and Deus start dating
3. Deus starts dreaming of Anima
4. Urge shows up
5. Andrena tries to make sense of what is going on
6. Urge meets the others
7. Devon discovers that Deus is asexual
8. Melissa starts spending time with Urge
9. Devon and Deus break up.
10. Anima vanishes from Deus' dreams
11. Andrena tries to convince Devon to give Deus a chance.
12. Melissa and Urge get closer
13. Anima shows up in the real world

That's a lot to try and squeeze into four 7 minute episodes. So there is a good chance that I wont be able to cover all that. Naturally there is more to this than I've revealed. But as I said, I want to save something for the show. :)

Series Bibles

I touched on this before. It's not so important when I'm the sole writer of the series, but when you are dealing with a group of writers it is very handy to have a series bible. This is a set of "rules" and notes about the setting, tone and details of the series. The point of this is to ensure consistency among the writers as they can be working on a number of episodes all at the same time.

It helps them keep on the same page, as it were. I will be working on some ideas for a bible - but it is unlikely to be as detailed or big as more professional shows are.

Next Up: Scripts

Conan

Characters - Part 1: Broad Strokes

I have a concept and a plan in place. Surely now I can dive into writing, right?

Wrong.

Well. Kind of wrong. A good plan of attack when you are about to leap into scripting is to first do characters and then a treatment. I'll go into more details about what a treatment in the next post, but for now the best way to think of it is a short story of what you intend to write a script of. This helps to focus your ideas and often exposes any inconsistencies.

It's not 100% vital, but most producers and grants will require you to provide a treatment before they even look at a script. So I will be taking that step next.

In order to get the most out of my treatment, I'm going to write up the characters first.

There is no right or wrong way to do this. I feel that it helps to not detail characters too much. A common rookie mistake is to develop the characters in amazing depth at this early stage - but you have yet to cast them. It is better, in my mind, to have a broad vision of the characters. What are the really, really important things to know about them. This is what we need right now. Through the treatment and first draft process the characters will grow - and we can then add detail at that point. Right now, I just need to have an idea of who they are - with the knowledge that by the time the scripts get written and the roles are cast, these characters may change.

The Flatmates

Firstly, let's look at the three mortal characters. These guys are our main leads and will be the characters that hopefully the audience will identify with most.

Andrena - Unwilling Responsibility - Andrena is the eldest flatmate and likely the lease holder. She's friendly but a bit motherly. I see her as wanting to be more like Melissa, but unable to let things go into complete anarchy. She's a balancing influence who takes the responsible role because nobody else will. Responsible, Balancing, Motherly.

Melissa - Care-free Chaos - Mel is almost the opposite of Andrena. She throws herself into the chaos of life and milks every drop of enjoyment she can out of it. She likes to keep people off balance for her own amusement. If she wants a party, she throws a party. She loves Andrena as a friend and probably uses her a bit too. I see her key relationship with Andrena being one of little sister trying to help big sister loosen up. Ironically, this probably causes Andrena to become more responsible rather than less. Mel is likely to be very emotional. Carefree, Emotional, Unpredictable.

Devon - Confusion in Love - Devon is newly out of the closet. He's likely fooled around with a couple of guys and had one boyfriend. He is more like Melissa than Andrena, but is less likely to go off the deep end. He desperately wants to be loved but isn't really sure how to tell when he is in love. He is very physical and likely measures things by their more tangible qualities. Hence his troubles with more emotional issues. Loving, Confused, Physicality.

The Numina

Although the series is being pitched as Three Flatmates, One God - the series actually will involve three Numina. Numina is the name I am giving the gods of the series. I've decided that humanity's understanding of gods is flawed and that the Numina are the actual beings that we base mythology on. This allows me to create vague Numina that the audience can debate about which mythology (or mythologies) they inspired. It should also become fairly obvious that each Numen is a partner to each mortal in regards to theme.

Deus - Lost in Translation - Deus is the primary Numen in the show. He's the first that the characters will meet and initially appears delirious and barely able to speak. When he is first introduced, Devon will misunderstand his statement "I am a god" as "I am God." Deus will have a very alien perspective on humanity and the world. He perceives everything in spiritual terms. Here is the twist as to why I decided not to outright make him God - he will fall in love with Devon. I thought a while about this character trait, and I really want to explore this relationship because it will be revealed that Deus is asexual. Not in the no bait and tackle sense, but in the emotional sense. Asexuality is an orientation that is not explored much and has a lot of confusion about it. I really am interested in having a core relationship that looks at the gay prejudice towards asexuals who want love and intimacy but not sex. Who better than a spiritual being to act as a catalyst for exploring that? Deus' other theme is being lost. He's not sure why he has shown up, and is looking for answers. Enigmatic, Loving, Reserved.

Urge - Passion Unleashed - If Deus is reserved and hard to fathom, Urge wears his nature open and proud on his sleeve. He's not evil, but he is all about himself and doing whatever he wants. This will naturally make him appealing to Mel. Urge is the initial antagonist of the series. He knows the score, and is taking advantage of Deus' confusion and weakness. He will be a wedge in a number of relationships and will likely cause all manner of disruption. Disruptive, Passionate, Unrestrained.

Anima - Order and Mystery - if Deus is a twin to Devon and Urge a twin to Mel, Anima is the twin to Andrena. She will not be known to any of the other characters initially, being a vision in Deus' dreams. Anima is going to be trying to help Deus remember who and what he is and will be very responsible and controlled. But she should also be the greatest enigma in the series. Is she a part of Deus? Or is she something else? Mysterious, Aloof, Ordered.

And there you have it. The six core characters outlined in broad strokes. Enough for me to be able to write my initial treatment.

Next up: The Treatment.

Conan