First Seven Days Writing A Screenplay by Jay Duplass Video Lecture | Screenwriting: From Beginner to a Pro - Career Development

what's your first seven days working on
a new script well before I write
anything I just think about it a ton and
I and I really make sure that I feel
like I have the arc of the story and the
characters and I know where things are
going roughly but you know once I have
that and decide that I'm going to take
the time and write this thing the first
seven days honestly are just writing
feverishly in a row without ever looking
back so that I don't have a chance to
destroy the idea before it has a chance
to live that's really what it's about do
you do composites of these characters I
mean do you also do a whole write-up on
this person's life from birth to middle
age or whatever even without putting
that in the script but that you fully
know that character um sometimes we do
composites of characters or we'll just
think about backstory but honestly the
story comes first because I think part
of writing a story is is figuring out
who these people are and at least for me
the people are not necessarily that well
defined you may find that the story
needs to go in a different direction in
that that character that you're
originally thought of might not do this
so to me the story arcs and the and the
plotting of the story is also is
malleable as well as the characters are
like everything is this tornado that
unfolds and then once that first draft
comes out back you kind of look back and
then you start figuring out hey I
thought this character was really like
my sister but it's not actually it's
like a blend between my sister and you
know this this girl that I dated or
whatever it may be so I think you know I
just try and leave it open but once
we're ready to shoot we know who these
people are and can probably talk about
them for a long time any tips on
figuring out the ending seems to be
sometimes a very difficult thing people
have a great finish great middle
um I find endings to be easy I do they
tell it tells me the story tells me how
it wants to end the characters tell me
what needs to happen I think the hardest
part for me is the middle is like you
know creating you know a situation that
has real conflict and real confusion and
real stuff to work through
that's not that's not just cute or
convenient for for a script you know
have you researched any of the quote
gurus are you fans of certain
screenwriting teachers school of thought
I don't I don't subscribe to
screenwriting gurus because most of them
have not written great screenplays I do
I do love the war of art that's the one
book that I love Stephen phosphine yeah
because and I don't think it's a
coincidence that he's a good
screenwriter he's one of the few who is
a you know has really written great
things but to me it's it's it's not
about form and it's not about teaching
you how to do it it's really more about
inspiring you you know and getting you
unstuck and I think that that book has
been super helpful to me
you