For my (as of this post, still-) current script project, I thought I would give a general rundown of how I came to fashion it into what it is now, beyond merely what inspired it and what I wanted to see.
THE SPARK
I had the idea for my current script in the back of my mind for quite some time, but I had also put it there due to the older age of the character in it I had in mind for myself. When I graduated and got my Bachelors in Creative Writing, I had more free time to dive into a new script project and set it in my hometown of Nanaimo. Also, I had no other script ideas with this many legs.
THE "SKELETON"
Since this was going to be an adaptation of another screenplay, the original "skeleton" had somewhat been done for me, but I already had a good idea how the first major event was going to go in my version, even before writing it. Also, I watched the original, to get a sense of what its creators were going for, along with its tone, cultural context, cultural reference points, and its time period.
Writing the "skeleton", however, was something else. Of course, the bigger event and character changes were incorporated, but the resulting draft was still very rough, not to mention time-consuming in general. For a time, I had a different idea regarding one character's motivation, but I soon threw this out entirely in favor of another idea.
Despite being devoid of the finer character details, some nuance, and dialogue detail, this first draft still served as a vital foundation for me going forward.
THE "THINKING"
Now when I call this step "thinking", I mean thinking through the countless other changes to fully flesh out my script. What directions was I going to take? What tones was I going to shift into in addition to my main one? How nice were these characters going to be? What were their flaws? What were their inner workings and how much would they affect the story? All of the above (and more) was going to affect everything else in the script.
Since this was going to be an adaptation of another screenplay, the original "skeleton" had somewhat been done for me, but I already had a good idea how the first major event was going to go in my version, even before writing it. Also, I watched the original, to get a sense of what its creators were going for, along with its tone, cultural context, cultural reference points, and its time period.
Writing the "skeleton", however, was something else. Of course, the bigger event and character changes were incorporated, but the resulting draft was still very rough, not to mention time-consuming in general. For a time, I had a different idea regarding one character's motivation, but I soon threw this out entirely in favor of another idea.
Despite being devoid of the finer character details, some nuance, and dialogue detail, this first draft still served as a vital foundation for me going forward.
THE "THINKING"
Now when I call this step "thinking", I mean thinking through the countless other changes to fully flesh out my script. What directions was I going to take? What tones was I going to shift into in addition to my main one? How nice were these characters going to be? What were their flaws? What were their inner workings and how much would they affect the story? All of the above (and more) was going to affect everything else in the script.
THE SUBTEXT, CONTEXT, AND "WINDOW DRESSING"
Once most of the new changes and contexts were staying in place, part of the fun was adding regional detail and basing them on real civic events in my town. (Those in Nanaimo will very much know what I'm talking about.)
This also extended to culturally translating the reference points that were dated if not outright obsolete. Since I've only grown up in Nanaimo, I could incorporate its general vibe, history, economics, issues, and local hockey culture to inform the characters' dispositions and viewpoints. (And that's before getting into the role of Superman (1978).)
Once I nailed down the characters and their personalities in my script, I could add the little set and clothing touches that also provided cultural in-jokes or ironies, nostalgic associations, etc.
THE MUSIC
Since the music of Supertramp and ELO fit the dreamy, mid-to-late-70s vibe of my project, I dove into their discographies to further my nostalgic associations and "plug them into" my script. With a couple of my song choices striking such a unique tone, I partially rewrote several small scenes to fit the music. At other points, songs such as 10cc's "I'm Not in Love" help to give the audience some added subtext, etc. regarding other things about the story.
Once most of the new changes and contexts were staying in place, part of the fun was adding regional detail and basing them on real civic events in my town. (Those in Nanaimo will very much know what I'm talking about.)
This also extended to culturally translating the reference points that were dated if not outright obsolete. Since I've only grown up in Nanaimo, I could incorporate its general vibe, history, economics, issues, and local hockey culture to inform the characters' dispositions and viewpoints. (And that's before getting into the role of Superman (1978).)
A literal "T" chart updating one of my script's characters, who naturally
"absorbed" a noticeable amount of Nanaimo's sunny energy.
Once I nailed down the characters and their personalities in my script, I could add the little set and clothing touches that also provided cultural in-jokes or ironies, nostalgic associations, etc.
THE MUSIC
Since the music of Supertramp and ELO fit the dreamy, mid-to-late-70s vibe of my project, I dove into their discographies to further my nostalgic associations and "plug them into" my script. With a couple of my song choices striking such a unique tone, I partially rewrote several small scenes to fit the music. At other points, songs such as 10cc's "I'm Not in Love" help to give the audience some added subtext, etc. regarding other things about the story.
THOSE LITTLE, "EVEN JUST A WORD" REFINEMENTS
Due to the vast personality changes involved in the adaptation, I had to comb dialogue down to the letter in order to fully smooth things out. A single word can mean the difference between egotistical and modest, after all. Oftentimes, I didn't seek out these discrepancies, but rather they "came to me" suddenly, a result of having read the script over and over again. (Another upside to doing that is that you'll remember lines to a T.)
With time, some things might come to you that are so obvious, you'll wonder how you didn't think of them before.
Due to the vast personality changes involved in the adaptation, I had to comb dialogue down to the letter in order to fully smooth things out. A single word can mean the difference between egotistical and modest, after all. Oftentimes, I didn't seek out these discrepancies, but rather they "came to me" suddenly, a result of having read the script over and over again. (Another upside to doing that is that you'll remember lines to a T.)
With time, some things might come to you that are so obvious, you'll wonder how you didn't think of them before.
THE RESEARCH AND VISUALS
In addition to Superman, I wanted to incorporate Nanaimo's local nature and landscape. The view of the city skyline with Seacrest Apartments and the Beacon, the abundance of Arbutus trees, the shimmering morning waters of Newcastle Channel, the Harbourfront Walkway, etc.
Also, I had the time to go to the real-life settings in my script. Bowen Complex's pottery room, where I had volunteered in my teens, provided much detail to my script, i.e. the sounds (echoes), the tools, the personnel, the nostalgia, etc. By adding that little dose of real-world realism, the audience would better get acquainted with this setting in an atmospheric sense.
Bowen Complex Pottery Studio, circa 2000s.
Of course, gathering these details was also done in my daily life, from work to errands to other everyday activities, teaching me to be observant of even the smallest details I used to usually miss, and never seeming like actual "work" in the process.
Anyone in Nanaimo will recognize the nostalgic Canadian appeal
these images can evoke in the medium of film.
With doing all of the above in the past year or so, I've noticed my script "influence" me in terms of my outlook, in addition to what I wanted to do with its story and how I wanted it to affect people.
Also, I've gotten to really know Nanaimo, its areas, its streets, its history, and all that makes it Nanaimo and nowhere else. Since there's so much unique about it, I can't fit absolutely all of it into one film, so there's much potential for other projects to feature it in the future.
So I hope this post has shown you that any decent script takes time to write, and how my process unfolded in not only synthesizing my influences and goals, but also got me to nail down my tendencies as a writer and how to maximize their full potential.
Now here is a proper place to put this gif.
Because even typewriting monkeys need time to write Shakespeare.
Copyright © Chynna Moore
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