by Jeff Kitchen
For the plot, I’ve chosen to build a comedic thriller that should make the learning experience fun. It’s hard work to internalize and master this material, so I’ve done my best to make it engaging. Keep in mind that you’re seeing only the first pass in the development of this story, which would normally be followed by rewrites and polishing touches. Regardless of the story’s merits, for someone who wants to learn sound screenwriting practices, this is the real deal. Although we’ll start with nothing but a raw idea—a single sentence—you’ll witness as the entire plot comes into existence. I will breathe life into every aspect of the story, describing in full the technique as we progress. Part Two of this book is an instructional documentary which shows the working process of a professional screenwriter.
While I’ll be using the Key Tools from Part One of the book to bootstrap the story into existence, there is a catch-22 involved. A tool can give you some traction to get a story up and running, but you can’t fully use the tool until you’ve added more story material upon which to implement it. Once you can sense the main character’s Dilemma, you can get a handle on the plot, which then allows you to do more work with Dilemma. But you also need to utilize the 36 Dramatic Situations to break out the story, to awaken it and expand on the plot possibilities. Plus, you need to use the Enneagram to create and dimensionalize the characters, all while doing ongoing Research and Brainstorming as a central part of the start-up process. In fact, I must warn you that you will be sent on one detour, steering you from a discussion on utilizing dilemma to the chapters on the 36 Dramatic Situations, the Enneagram, and Research and Brainstorming. Once I’ve developed the story further with these three tools, then you’ll be sent back to complete the chapter on Dilemma. This detour is quite manageable, but I’m letting you know about it beforehand so that it’s less disorienting. The point is that I have to use several tools at once in order to even begin to lay the foundation of a working plot. It’s hard work to invent a story and get it off the launch pad. As you start a script, there are truly neither plot nor characters nor setting—nothing to hang your hat on. It’s as if you’re sitting at the bottom of an abyss, trying to carve a few handholds so that there’s something to grab on to and pull your way out.
The battlefield of this growing story is strewn with partially completed ideas, the beginnings of structures, flights of fancy, developing characters, tunnel vision and night blindness, exploding possibilities, the obvious that has yet to be noticed, abandoned storylines, and leaps of imagination. Giving birth is neither neat nor painless. The process is definitely chaotic, but it does have a certain logic to it. In expert hands, essentially it’s loosely controlled pandemonium with lots of give-and-take. It’s part method and part madness, kind of like steering an explosion. Ride along with me and experience the fun, the pain, the exuberance, the frustration, the anarchy and pure bedlam, the excitement of cascading ideas, the hits, the near misses and total misses, the burnout, the determination, the research, the brainstorming, and the joining of various puzzle pieces—the whole building process from A to Z that constitutes the construction of a script. It’s a white-water ride with an experienced guide, and it represents the very real process that you will go through in putting together your own screenplay.
An unusual feature in Part Two is an inside look at my Writer’s Notebook. This is distinct from the process of applying the tools to the developing plot, because the notebook section displays my notes for the actual thinking, inventing, spit-balling, and seat-of-the-pants scrambling that happens as I figure out the story itself. This story development process is an ongoing progression, and the application of each successive tool raises fresh questions about the plot. In most instances I’m developing the plot in conjunction with the use of one of the tools, and so that creation process is included with the section on that tool. But occasionally I have to just stop everything and figure things out—to develop a solution or add a new layer to the plot or mull over possibilities. In these instances, having nothing to do with any specific tools, I change over to my Writer’s Notebook. This is distinguished from the rest of the text by a different font, which you’ll first encounter in Chapter 10. In this way, the full scope of my creative process is completely transparent to you without being confusing. So strap yourself in and have fun!
Using Dilemma, Crisis,
Decision & Action, and Resolution
ow let’s get started building this screenplay from square one. It will take some time to spin up a story from a raw premise, but I’ll be using Dilemma from the very beginning to help bootstrap the story into existence. I’ll also be using the 36 Dramatic Situations, the Enneagram, and Research and Brainstorming early in the process to bring it to life.
FOCUSING ON DILEMMA WHILE CREATING A STORY
I want to create a perfect crime plot with the promise of great wealth for the protagonist, but also with the threat of significant danger. Bear in mind that as I write this, I have nothing at all beyond what you see here. I’m literally building the script as you watch. There are no details of any kind—no title, no setting, no characters, and no ending. The script is entirely unformed. I played with some possibilities and came up with the following idea: A reformed pathological liar and kleptomaniac with two strikes against him gets blackmailed into a revenge-oriented “perfect” crime by his demented former cellmate, to whom he owes his life. I envision this story told in the style of Elmore Leonard (author of Out of Sight and Get Shorty, both adapted to successful screenplays)—a rollicking thriller that’s both wacky and dangerous.
Beginning with the Raw Idea
This is obviously just a raw idea that still needs everything in order to become a screenplay. At this point, I have no idea what this “perfect” crime might be, as literally no story elements exist yet except the above premise. A premise is the simple explanation of a movie idea, such as, “Three nuns accidentally rob a bank, get stuck hiding out in the criminal underground, and end up inadvertently taking down a mighty crime lord.” All I’ve got now is an intriguing premise, but a bad premise will not make a good movie, so at least I’m starting off right. Always be on the lookout for that rare great premise—one that a producer would kill for.
Developing the Story
So we’re looking at someone who used to be a pathological liar and a kleptomaniac. Let’s call him Cutter, and let’s say he’s the best liar anyone can imagine, as well as a thief par excellence. He’s got two strikes against him, so a third conviction will send him back to the pen for life. Since he’s reformed, let’s create a wife, Margarita, to whom he’s vowed he’ll never lie or steal again. Thus far, he has kept his word. But into his nice little world comes his former cell-mate, a colorful, dangerous rogue who once saved Cutter’s life in prison—let’s call him Apollo. (I found this name in Final Draft, the amazing screenwriting software that contains 90,000 names in its database.) Apollo comes to Cutter with the chance to take down a heinous villain whom I’ll call St. Nick, a guy who betrayed and murdered Frenchy, Cutter and Apollo’s closest friend in prison. Frenchy got himself off heroin, turned his life around while in jail, and became a genuinely good person. But when he got out, St. Nick sunk his hooks into Frenchy, using him in the execution of a crime, and then framed and murdered him. Apollo now has a perfect opportunity to get revenge on St. Nick and to make both he and Cutter rich for life. But he needs Cutter’s lying and stealing skills, so he blackmails him into helping.
Isolating the Dilemma
This story has a dilemma inherent in it, which not all stories have. Can you see it? How is Cutter damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t? Let’s isolate this dilemma, articulate its components, and then experiment with maximizing it. At the most basic, it’s unacceptable for Cutter to get involved in this revenge scheme because he’s sworn off crime and knows it will ruin his life, drawing him back into his addiction to lying and stealing, threatening to destroy his marriage, and pulling him into a deadly game against St. Nick, who is catastrophically d
angerous. But it’s equally unacceptable not to get involved because he would miss the chance to ruin St. Nick, a horrible monster whom he despises for betraying and killing a beloved friend—plus, Apollo is blackmailing Cutter. If the pull is equal in both directions, then Cutter will short-circuit like Robby the Robot, unable to send a command in either direction.
Building the Magnitude
Remember that the more magnitude built in to a dilemma, the higher the dramatic tension. Clearly, I need to emphasize the importance of Cutter’s marriage and his new straight life, as well as his profound need to stay in this world of stability, decency, honesty, sobriety, sanity, and happiness. I also need to make sure that St. Nick is a true monster so that Cutter’s need to take him down is absolutely critical. The more Cutter is justified in destroying him, the more the audience will connect with that half of his dilemma—that it’s unacceptable not to get in on the revenge scheme. And the more I see how much Cutter’s promise to his wife means to him, as well as how dangerous St. Nick is, the more I can substantiate the other half of his dilemma—that it’s equally unacceptable to go ahead with it. Cutter’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. This should be a ferocious tug of war, a high-stakes debate that not only traps our protagonist, but draws in the audience as well.
Exploring One Side of the Dilemma: It’s Unacceptable to Get Involved
Let’s start with some reasons why Cutter cannot get involved with his former cellmate’s plan. If Cutter used to be a career criminal, then he had some real problems. He’s done two prison terms, so with two strikes against him he cannot afford another arrest—that would automatically mean life in prison. Let’s say that Margarita is a deeply religious woman who urged him toward the straight and narrow. When he got out of prison and fell in love with her, he made a solemn vow never to lie or steal again and has lived up to his word. He is a decent, hardworking citizen, possibly even a pillar of his community. Do I want to give him children? That would certainly be another reason not to get involved with Apollo. Cutter finally has the solid life he dreamed about while in prison and he senses that, like an alcoholic, if he starts his wicked ways again, it will explode into full-fledged addiction.
What if Cutter has a son (let’s call him Mischa) from his first marriage, but he missed most of Mischa’s childhood while in prison? Cutter’s ex-wife had forbidden Mischa to be around his father, but because Mischa just turned eighteen, he’s begun spending a lot of time with Cutter. What if Mischa is a troubled youth, drifting toward criminality, and Cutter has to be a good example in order to steer him right? This can complicate Cutter’s dilemma: If he goes to jail again, then Mischa could more easily slip into a life of crime.
It could be that Mischa has heard rumors of the wild things Cutter used to do, but Cutter would downplay all that and tell him it was wrong and destructive. Mischa’s future is clearly hanging in the balance, and Cutter is determined to pull him into a good, stable life. This can be compounded by the fact that Mischa possesses Cutter’s gift of lying, but Cutter knows that Mischa’s energy and brainpower can be channeled into something better. All this would be further complicated when Apollo shows up and starts telling Mischa stories about his father’s legendary exploits, like the time Cutter stole the Rolling Stones’ limousine—with them in it—and went on a legendary three-day bender in which millions of dollars in damage was done, some people got arrested and others got pregnant, and some were even forced to flee the country, including Keith Richards. The Stones still claim that it was the single wildest party they’ve ever been to. Apollo can blackmail Cutter with this type of storytelling: “You do this job for me or I’ll tell Mischa the really crazy stuff.”
Another major factor is that the mark, St. Nick, is extremely dangerous and vengeful, so going after him is genuinely suicidal. The word among the criminal element is that years ago St. Nick got caught cheating with a horse he owned at a racetrack in a small Kentucky town and was disqualified. Infuriated, he staged an “accidental” spill of poison chemicals, killing the entire town—on Christmas Eve. Then out of pure vindictiveness he went from house to house robbing the dead, even opening presents and taking things he fancied. He was never caught for it, but this legend in the underworld is how he came by his nickname. Get caught crossing him and everybody you ever knew will get iced. He’s a treacherous, twisted monster who is also immensely perceptive and has a genius IQ.
Exploring the Other Side of the Dilemma: It’s Equally Unacceptable to Remain Uninvolved
Now let’s go deeper into why Cutter cannot walk away from Apollo’s job. Cutter should be foaming at the mouth to get even with St. Nick. Why would he? What are some of the worst things St. Nick could have done? He did betray and kill one of Cutter’s best friends, but if Frenchy was a crook killed by another crook during the execution of a crime, why would the audience care that deeply? It must be very strongly established that Frenchy had turned his life around in prison, had helped other convicts, and was loved and respected. The more the audience feels the force of Cutter’s drive for revenge, the more it will connect to Cutter and his dilemma. What are more reasons why Cutter might loathe St. Nick? The more viewers experience St. Nick as a monster, the more they’ll feel that Cutter is absolutely justified in destroying him, just the same as if there were a rabid dog loose in Cutter’s neighborhood.
What if Cutter is secretly attracted to Apollo’s offer? What if part of him is bored with the straight life and craves action? That opens another level of complication in Cutter’s dilemma by making it that much more unacceptable for Cutter to refuse Apollo. Anyone who has sacrificed an adventurous life for a domesticated one will feel that call of the wild, so it’s a universal factor that many in the audience can identify with.
Plotting the Revenge
What are some possibilities for a “perfect” crime against St. Nick? As a criminal, he probably wouldn’t go to the police to report a crime against him, although if what gets robbed is illegal, then he can’t report it anyway. He’d still come after Cutter and Apollo though—unless he believes he has seen his stolen material destroyed. What if he thinks the perpetrators are dead? Then he won’t pursue them. What if St. Nick has a huge deal brewing and is putting most of his assets on the line, leaving him vulnerable for a short period? Let’s say he wants to go legitimate, perhaps buy a bank. He’d have to convert his ill-gotten gains into legitimate assets, which would expose him to the pesky formalities of operating legally. That means St. Nick’s hidden illegal assets would come out of hiding, and when he’s in this vulnerable state Apollo and Cutter would have a golden opportunity to destroy him.
Presumably, Apollo has found out about this opportunity and needs Cutter for a specialized job—maybe with a false identity as a bank examiner, which gives Cutter access to St. Nick’s funds. Now this gives us something specific with which to construct a plot: Cutter would become the inside man and make use of his phenomenal lying abilities, putting him in a position to take down St. Nick—and making for plenty of dramatic tension.
Opening Up Plot Possibilities
As you work with Dilemma, you’ll find that by going very deep into it you can discover many story possibilities. You’ll come to understand your protagonist’s dilemma fully after you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. As mentioned toward the end of chapter 1, it can be very useful to write an essay about the dilemma—try it now for this script. Write about it from Cutter’s point of view, and then try it from Apollo’s, since he created this dilemma and will be taking advantage of it.
DETOUR: GOING TO THE 36 DRAMATIC SITUATIONS FOR IDEAS
The 36 Dramatic Situations, a remarkable brainstorming tool, are especially useful at this point in the development of a screenplay. I like the raw idea I’ve got—it’s absolutely wide open, which is really fun—but it’s still unformed in so many ways, which is also quite daunting. Part of the process at this point is to go through the 36 Dramatic Situations and see what story possibilities they trigger. This step
is like pouring gasoline on a fire—it makes everything flare up and explode. The 36 Dramatic Situations offer a complete spectrum of dramatic elements and human emotional conflicts, opening up unexpected avenues and dimensions, especially when a story is brand new. Explosive creativity is naturally a priceless asset for a professional storyteller.
It is almost time to stop reading this chapter and skip ahead to read Chapters 10, 11, and 12 on using the 36 Dramatic Situations, the Enneagram, and Research and Brainstorming in the creation of an original screenplay.
A lot of the heavy lifting of fleshing out this story and constructing the characters is accomplished there. The remainder of this chapter contains ideas that have been developed using the tools in Chapters 10 through 12. As you experienced in Part One, I teach the tools in a certain order, but using them in real time requires bouncing around to use each as needed. It’s the difference between learning how to build a house and the actual construction process itself. You study different elements in isolation, such as how to lay the foundation, frame the walls, do the electrical wiring, install the plumbing, and so on. But during the actual building process, you’re laying the foundation while you’re installing drainage and plumbing. When you’re framing up a wall, you’re factoring in the wiring, the plumbing, the sheetrock, and the exterior siding as well as windows and doors. Many systems go up simultaneously, and they’re all interconnected. This is also true of story creation. In order to get this script up and running, I need to work through the plot possibilities suggested by the 36 Dramatic Situations, develop characters using the Enneagram, and do some basic Research and Brainstorming. So skip ahead to Chapter 10 and read those three chapters before returning here for the rest of the work on Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution.