Coe William K. The Screenwriting Bible

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

Steps 1-5 should be your set up, the beginning of your story. Steps 6-

25, for a drama, 6-35, for an action / adventure, will be your

complications. And the remaining steps are where you reveal your ending

and aftermath of the story.

Creating a Step-Outline!

There are usually forty to sixty scenes in a movie. Each index card

will represent one scene in your movie. On one side of the index card

tell yourself what the scene is about, and on the other side identify

whether it's a major turning point like the inciting incident, first

act climax, or resolution. Index cards are great because you can

rearrange scenes in your story without having to rewrite everything. If

you're using regular paper, that's OK, just be prepared for possible

rewrites. Every writer has a unique way of working. Find what's best

for you. Each step in your outline consists of a one or two sentence

statement clearly describing what happens in the scene. Don't worry

about fancy writing because the step-outline is strictly for your eyes

only. Remember, this is your roadmap to telling a high quality story.

I've broken down a movie that you've probably seen so that you can

follow how the outline could have been written. You can follow the

step-outline and see how the story unfolds into a beginning, middle,

and end.

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Project Plan

Title:

Genre/description:

Target Market

What is the best market for your script?

What is the best venue for your project? (Where similar products can be

found)

List producers and production companies that produce for this market.

If appropriate for your market, list the actors or actresses you feel

would best fill as cast to your movie.

List potential direction for your project.

List individual agents if you plan to sell to agents.

Making Contacts

Who in the film business has read your work and responded favorably?

Who do you know in business you can refer you to someone else otherwise

helpful?

List friends, family, associates, etc. who might have business contacts.

List places you can go to network: writer’s groups, clubs, seminars,

etc.

List other marketing research sources (trades, directories).

List other ideas that might be right for your script, such as contests.

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Positioning Strategies

(not part of plan, only to help)

How is your project similar to other projects in the medium you have

chosen?

How is it original? What fresh twists does it add?

Draw a movie poster and ad for your movie. How will it be sold?

Which of your script's pluses can you emphasize in the selling process?

Commerciality-Will the resulting movie be a cinch to market?

A role that an "A" actor or actress will covet.

A story that is visual, active, and fresh, that doesn't rework

other movies.

An ending that is emotionally satisfying.

A character (and characters) that is believable and interesting.

A script that is not too similar to a recent failure, yet has

some- thing in common with a past success.

A script that is in correct spec format, and that flows like a

river when read.

A one-sentence concept, hook, or logline that says, "This is a

movie. Buy me!"

A concise, hard-hitting, saliva-inducing query letter.

Will the resulting budget be unreasonable for the genre, with a dozen

far-flung locations shot entirely at night in the water with animals

and children, and with hundreds of special effects and opticals.

What personal pluses do you bring to the table?

Enthusiasm.

Objectivity-Can you separate your ego from your work, or are

you defensive?

Ambition-Do you love the business and want a full-time writing

career?

Grace-Do people enjoy working with you? talking to you? meeting

you?

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IDENTIFYING PROSPECTS

The next step in your plan-once you have completed the above worksheets

and the "positioning" worksheets that follow-is to begin your marketing

research and networking. You will also begin to approach people you

suspect might know someone in the industry.

Now, select your best prospects (producers, talent, directors, agents,

and contacts). Generally, you will work with about eight people at a

time. You will not contact any of them until you have done your

homework (completed the worksheets).

Name Title

Company

Buying (and/or other) history

Budget range (if applicable)

Current needs/wants

How he/she prefers to be contacted

Name Title

Company

Buying (and/or other) history

Budget range (if applicable)

Current needs/wants

How he/she prefers to be contacted

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Weekly Action Plan

Main goal

Key milestones 1

Time commitment

What specific actions will take you this week to achieve your

milestones?

Marketing research

Meetings, pitches, groups, networks

Query letters

Cold calls

Follow-ups

Contests

Other

Notes:

ASSIGMENTS

• Complete all plans and other documents within this chapter.

• Contact agents and production companies and send your scripts

when asked.

Before you submit your script, do the following:

• Get feedback from writers' group members.

• Consider hiring a professional reader or script analyst.

• Make adjustments. Is your script a "good read"?

• Be sure the script looks 100% professional and that it is

formatted correctly. Register your script with the Writers Guild

of America and copyright with the Copyright Office.

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Appendix

Sample Screenplay Opening

FADE IN

Sunlight spills through the narrow blinds of a large window and down

onto a plush red carpet. A vibrator is heard humming in the background

along with the voices of a man and a woman, FLOYD THURSBY and BAMBI

SHARPSTEIN.

BAMBI O.S.

Wider... Oh, please... Open wider!

The man's response is a garbled, inaudible groan.

FLOYD O.S.

Rowrafrooahara.

The camera moves up from the carpet to reveal the feet and legs of the

man, twisting and writhing in a horizontal position on an extended

lounge chair. They are clothed in black wing tips, brown socks, and

gray polyester slacks. Draped over the man's legs is one of the woman's

shapely calves, highlighted by her sheer white hose and white shoes.

Moving up the two intertwined bodies, we see that the woman is draped

over the man's chest and is massaging his gums with the rubber tip of

an electric dental vibrator, while he squirms apprehensively in a

dental chair.

BAMBI

You've got to start flossing more, Mr. Thursby.

She pushes her fingers deeper into his mouth.

BAMBI (Cont.)

We don't want to let Mr. Plaque get the best of Mr. Molar now, do we?

FLOYD

(longingly)

Fruhroorahayia.

We move into a CLOSE-UP of Floyd's hand as it grips the arm of the

chair passionately.

CUT TO:

EXT - CITY PARK - NIGHT

Floyd is sitting on a lonely park bench, looking distraught and

disheveled. He is surrounded by pigeons and is clutching an old

toothbrush. He stares blankly into space.

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FLOYD V.O.

My life dissolved the day I met her.

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Paradigm Structure

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Step Outline

1) Inside a house

a) A photo of a loving family. In background, we can hear the sound

of a children's party in progress.

b) Into the party steps Seamus, a tall, good-looking man in his mid-

thirties.

c) The family makes a fuss of him. The kids sit on his lap and kiss

him. He is a popular and familiar guy.

d) The father of the family takes Seamus to one side.

e) A little later, one of the little kids looks out of the window

and watches as her father is shot by Seamus.

f) Seamus walks off

2) Seattle city center

a) The tall buildings framed against the mountain backdrops twinkle

underneath the canopy of a serene dusk. Underneath and underscoring all

this, we hear the strains of Bruckner's 2nd Symphony.

b) We start to drop slowly, till eventually a large hall comes into

view, filling frame.

3) Seattle symphony hall

a) The conductor cuts his baton through the air as he guides the

Seattle Symphony through a thumping allegro section.

b) Pushing past various musicians, we finally land on a beautiful

woman cellist in her late twenties. This is Kate Gerard.

c) As the music builds to crescendo, she looks up and sees a

familiar face in the audience. It's a young man of similar age to Kate.

She smiles at him.

d) Outside, Kate, cello case in hand, runs down the steps of the

concert hall and flies into the arms of the young man. They hug and

kiss.

e) She asks him when he got in.

f) He tells her he's been back just over a week.

g) She playfully starts to beat up on him. This is Erik, her brother.

4) Apartment Block

a) Kate is walking a few paces behind Erik as he walks down the

corridor toward the door of his apartment.

b) Balancing an enormous pizza box and a bottle of wine, Erik opens

the door to his sparsely-furnished apartment.

c) He kneels down, his eyes coming into line with a fine cotton

thread stretched out across the doorway about knee height; the thread

being hooked around a small tack. Seeing that it is still intact, he

quickly unwinds the cotton and lets it fall to the floor.

d) A beat later, he steps aside to let Kate step through the door

with her cello in tow.

e) Inside the room she comments on how sparsely furnished the place

is.

f) He tells her he’s only been back a few days.

g) She asks him what new job is he up to now.

h) He lifts up a huge envelope and tells her it's a travel book that

he has been working on for some time. Kate is impressed.

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i) He tells her that it is finished and that he has a publisher here

in town interested in buying it – which is the reason for him coming

back.

j) She seems pleased for him.

k) He tells her that it should have been mailed today.

5) Erik’s Car

a) Driving Kate home, Erik asks her if she still has "dad's old

tub”-- her father’s boat. He asks her if he could use it on the

weekend.

b) She laughs. "What's all the big interest in sailing again?" "The

last time he went sailing was when we were kids."

c) Erik tells her he has changed his mind. That he's been stuck in a

car - land locked - and that he just wants some time to himself.

d) Erik tells her that if it's okay with her, he'll come over

sometime over the weekend and pick up the keys to the boat.

e) She tells him that it’s no problem, gets out of the car and

watches him drive off.

6) Erik’s Apartment

a) Erik opens the door to his apartment.

b) He stands for a moment in the doorway and again kneels to check

the cotton alarm system. But this time the cotton has been broken.

c) He stiffens and fingers the limp cotton between his fingers.

d) He enters the apartment and surveys the room. Nothing looks as

if it's been disturbed.

e) He calls Kate, who is awakened from her sleep by the call.

f) Erik tells her he's coming over right now for the keys to the

boat.

g) She sleepily agrees and tells him to come over and collect them.

7) Johnson Quayside

a) Erik gets into a small sloop. From his demeanor, he is no great

yachtsman.

b) On the horizon the clouds look thick as we push in close to the

boat, so close we can make out its name, The Mary May.

8) Harbor Patrol hut

a) The next day a young harbor patrolman - feet up on the table - is

watching TV.

b) Distracted by the buzz of the phone. He picks it up and answers

it.

9) Out at Sea

a) Somewhere out at sea, we see a couple in a boat. They look

concerned.

b) Surrounding their boat is the wreckage of another boat - the

nameplate, The Mary May can be seen floating.

10) Police Station

a) Kate stands listening to a detective inside a police station.

b) Her young daughter blithely stares out at her tearful mother,

crying silently behind an office divide.

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