LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: DEVELOPING THE SCRIPT
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard people tell me that ‘everything comes from the script’ how they loved ‘the script’, how ‘you have to get the script right first’ only for the final product to be a bag of ass. These things are a bit like saying ‘I love you’, it’s easy to say, but it’s worthless unless you actually mean it, and will probbly get you into a large amount of trouble too. The thing is, it’s absolutely one hundred percent true, you really do, but producers and directors say it because it makes them sound like they know what they’re doing. For me, it shouldn’t even need saying. Scripts always need developing, and you will continually rewrite your story even into the editing process because until you lock the cut it’s all up in the air. Ever seen that trailer for Top Gun that makes out it’s a gay love story? That’s what I’m talking about.
There’s no room for scenes that don’t create a struggle
I think the problem stems from the fact that people on the whole don’t really know how to attack a script, interrogate the crap out of it and make every word fight for its place on the page. You’ll often find lovely pieces of writing sandwiched between work of pure blandness and the trick is to take the scenes that don’t appear to achieve so much and force them to justify their existence. So, how do you do this? Well, this isn’t a screenwriting masterclass and I’m not prepared to give up every working principle I’ve developed just yet, but there are a few things you should always do with your writer before you ever shoot a single frame. I’m mainly talking about scripts that are nearly shoot ready, not ones that are still being developed, though these ideas aren’t a bad idea either to run past your characters and dialogue. BTW, I know some people think he’s a hack, and others think he’s full of shit, but I’ve been to two Robert McKee seminars and his ideas heavily informed the way I go about this process. I don’t agree with everything he says but his insistence on making every single beat of your script earn its place is something I hold very dear. Story is highly recommended reading even if you disagree with every single word – it’ll make you think.
Test friendships and make them work for their place on screen. Otherwise you end up with characters who are no more than patsies or sidekicks and that’s going to be the first character you axe in the edit
Firstly, look at your characters. What do they want, what do they really really want, so much that they’re prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to get it? Do they get what they want? If not, what prevented them and how painful was it, if they do get it, how hard have you made it for them and what did they have to give up or sacrifice in the process? Next, ask yourself what’s the worst thing that could happen to your characters, and how could it turn out to be the best thing? Equally, what’s the best thing that could happen and how could it turn out to be the worst? These kinds of questions help you focus the drama of your story into something really meaningful, really dramatic. The whole point of drama is that it’s a struggle, we’re drawn into stories by the way in which characters overcome huge difficulties. Without conflict it’s very boring, which is why many romantic comedies run out of juice by the second act. You have to be strict when interrogating your script. Even if you love a scene, if it doesn’t work the characters then get rid of it. There’s no room for scenes that don’t create a struggle. It doesn’t have to be a monumental one, but at every stage you need to be thinking about how to make your characters’ lives harder. The most disappointing word to read in a script is ‘Okay’ – it normally implies that somebody got what they want without any kind of struggle. Equally, characters playing friends are inherently boring if they always agree with each other. Test friendships and make them work for their place on screen. Otherwise you end up with characters who are no more than patsies or sidekicks and that’s going to be the first character you axe in the edit.
Moving onto dialogue, here’s how I work on spoken words. Less is more. Always. If you can cut a line, cut it. It’s a truism to say that cinema is a visual medium but until you understand exactly what that means you will forever be locked into the misguided importance of words on the page. Words on a page are just that. Nothing more. As often as possible you need to try and allow the image to tell the story and that means allowing actors the room to play dialogue without uttering a word. For instance, if we cut the word ‘Okay’ and instead allowed an actor to convey assent with extreme reluctance with a simple twitch of the lips then you leave room for ambiguity and subtext. Taking away the spoken word allows more freedom and subtlety of expression. You may be in love with witty dialogue but believe me, the most potent moments in cinema are those where no-one says a word. Of course dialogue is essential and you do need it but try and keep it minimal, bitty, conversational and real. Remember you’re not actually presenting real life, but a facsimile.
You never want dead space, duff dialogue, empty scenes, there just isn’t time in dramatic film, so get rid of them
The other thing to remember is that dialogue on screen is a battle. I always think of it as a game of tennis. You exchange shots backwards and forwards trying to outwit your opponent with variations of pace, length, power and guile. When players just knock the ball back and forth it’s boring, but if they’re constantly hitting angles, making miraculous recovery shots, hitting smashes, then it’s exciting. Dialogue is exactly the same. Remember, characters should always have a very clear desire in a scene and fight hard to attain it. Whether they do or not hinges on the turning point, where the value at stake in the scene changes and the scene justifies its existence. So, every beat of dialogue needs to play a role in the characters strategy in a scene as to how they’re going to get what they want. Equally their antagonist, the obstacle to them getting what they want, should also play a key role as the opponent. This may all sound a little action movie relevant only, but believe me, even in the subtlest scenes, being aware of how characters play games with each other is so so important. If you’ve got a straight choice between a character saying yes, or a character saying no, always go for the no option first and see how it plays. It might well be that yes plays better but you should always look at the conflict option first.
Robert Lucas, the writer of Ladies and Gentlemen, sat down with me a few weeks before we started shooting, to discuss the script and we did exactly what I’ve described, testing the characters, testing the ending, testing the dialogue, making every scene work for us. We actually introduced very few new scenes but we did make the script significantly better and more dramatic. I’m still very new to this but I know what I like and it definitely helps having a strong process for really testing the worth of your story. You never want dead space, duff dialogue, empty scenes, there just isn’t time in dramatic film, so get rid of them. We did just that on Ladies and Gentlemen and you can read a comparison of the first draft of the script with the shooting script to see exactly what we did differently. For me it was all about ebb and flow and making sure our scenes never sat at the same pitch throughout. Feeling that modulation in tone, pace and emotion is so important when shooting a story dealing primarily with relationships. Life is complicated and messy and if you can reflect that in your story then you’ve done really well.
