How Movies Help Writing Skills

[Music Playing] Hi everybody, I am Jon Bard, Managing Editor of "Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers" at Fightin' Bookworm-in-Chief at the CBI Clubhouse, the new community just for Children's book writer. If you haven't had a chance to come visit us, please do. We have got tons of information, for beginning and working children's book writers that can really help you make it big. We've got a step-by-step writing course to work you through a manuscript. Of course, the Children's Book Insider Newsletter, tons of videos, articles, eBooks, interviews with top children's authors and so much more. So head on over to cbiclubhouse.com and come hang with the Fightin' Bookworms. Today, get published by Going Hollywood. Want to do some serious notes to the grindstore and research that can help you get published? Just go to the movies. The big screen is filled with great story telling techniques that you can employ to improve your own writing. Here's just some of what you can lift from your favorite films. Opening scenes, how does the screenwriter or director draw you into movie from the very beginning? To the opening scene, set the tone, introduce the setting, dive right into the action or begin to plant details with the story's conflict. Compare opening scenes for several movies and think about which are most effective. Are the first few minutes of a mystery different from a comedy? These scenes would equate to the first couple of pages of your novel or the first paragraph or two of a picture book. How and when does the audience meet the movie's protagonist? What did the writer or director decide to initially reveal about this character that would influence the audience's first impression? The catalyst, that's the moment in the story where the main character is confronted with a problem, that disrupts his ordinary life and gets the plot rolling. Generally, it happens about 10% into the script or after 10-15 minutes of the movie. How much did you know, about the protagonist before the catalyst occurred? What did the writer and director hold back until later in the film? Don't ignore secondary characters. Notice how they are brought into the story, does the audience see them objectively? Or through a main character's eyes. In films, as in books, each character has a distinct role in the plot. Which characters fill the role of antagonist or villain, which support the protagonist? Does some character switch roles, part way through the story? Very few movies have a narrator. So the writer, director and actors have to show the characters including their personalities, emotions, thoughts, hidden agendas and motivation to the audience through their actions and dialogue. Notice how little quirks of character come out through body language, tone of voice, choice of clothing or daily habits. In books, it's much more interesting to show your characters through these details than to simply describe the character for the reader, in a long third person narrative. If a movie does have a narrator, it's generally the protagonist and this is similar to writing a novel in first person. The narrator's point of view will affect the entire film. In this case, pay attention to how the narrator's interpretation of events squeeze the development of the plot. Foreshadowing and Details: For this exercise you'll need to rent the DVD of your favorite film. Watch the movie through once, then watch it again, while listening to the director or screenwriter's commentary. You will learn how seemingly random details were carefully placed foreshadow later events. What provides subtle clues to the story's conclusion? If the DVD has a tribute track, turn that on and learn interesting tit-bits about the research that went into the script where certain scenes were crafted to pay homage to classic films that influenced the film makers. Don't forget animated movies. Though many animated children's movies, have tried predictable plots, most have one or two characters who really stand out. Maybe it's time to discover why your kids insist on watching Ice Age over and over. Animated characters often have a hook to their personalities that turns the plot in different directions. This is especially true for secondary characters or the hero's sidekick. Think about all the characters in the Shrek movies whose quirks cause trouble for the Ogre, sent him in the wrong direction or helped him get back on track. One hook many animated characters possess is a subversive sense of humor. While the protagonist can't get away with jokes that are slightly off color or just plain stupid, the friend who insists on tagging along, certainly can. Use these techniques to your advantage when writing easy readers or chapter books. The beauty of studying movies is that any good film can work, you don't need to restrict your research to kid's films, because solid story telling techniques work for all ages, but do focus on quality movies. Ones that you cant stop thinking about after you leave the theater. Be sure to enjoy the show. And also be sure, to visit the CBI Clubhouse for lots more information, about making it big as a children's book author, the Fightin' Bookworms are just waiting to welcome you in. Until next time, this is Jon Bard reminding you, keep writing.