71. Content Dictates Form

Too many novice screenwriters let form dictate content. Learn why it is important to let content dictate form!

Transcript

Content Dictates Form

Lovinder Gill: [00:00:00] I am your host Lovinder Gill, and this week want to talk about. Probably one of the biggest mistakes that most novice screenwriters make and, even some not so novice screenwriters make when they are trying to develop a screenplay idea. And that is the notion that. Form dictates content. So basically what I mean by that is. Something that I did when I was a young screenwriter is I would think about my genre. 

I would think about the cool elements in the screenplay and like the time period and all these things first. 

And I dictate what the form was. And then based upon that, I will start breaking it down and try to fit, a story, some emotion, some things that, maybe would impact people that are watching this film. Internally. And try to fit it in. And it was just a struggle that. [00:01:00] I had a really hard time with when I was taking my first screenwriting class had a wonderful teacher and she taught me a lot of great stuff. This is the three act structure. 

This is what goes in the first act. The second act. And then your third act and so on and so forth then said, okay, now come up with an idea that fits into this. And. I had a really hard time with that because. I wasn't taught how to develop the idea. Okay. I wasn't. Taught how to develop the content that shouldn't go into that idea. I was given the form and to force fit the content into that. And I remember I came up with this first screenplay was a crazy idea. 

It was this fantasy action romance movies set in two different time periods and this fantasy world. And. It was, it was a lot . And to this day, I'm still probably not sure what that means, but at the time, that's what I want to do. And I believed in it and I worked hard. And to be honest, it had [00:02:00] a couple of cool things in it, but it just didn't work. And a lot of that had to deal with the fact that it was the first screenplay that I wrote. 

I had no idea what I was doing. And I struggled for a while. And eventually I came across this quote from a famous Broadway composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. And it says content dictates form. Which is the exact opposite of what I was doing. I was having my form dictate my content. And so I started looking into it and when Sondheim writes and composes, he doesn't want to be told what type of song to create. Or what musical genre to write it in. 

He doesn't want to be told what key to write it in or any lines that have to be in it. He wants the freedom to study and digest the essence. Of the scene. He wants to be able to take his time, to analyze it and ask, what is this really about? What do I have to say about It what's in this, that is important to me? What am I [00:03:00] hoping people get from this? 

Once he gets the answers to those questions. 

He can finally decide the best way to deliver the content so that people receive it in a fulfilling and entertaining way. 

He'll make these decisions and based upon them, he'll decide the genre. The notes, the lines that will convey the emotions he wants the audience to feel. This is how content dictates forms. So if you're like me, When I first started writing screenplays, we're doing it backwards. We've already doomed our scripts before they even start. Unless you truly start to understand the screenwriting process. A professional can be given a genre and put an incredible amount of emotion and stuff into it. 

We see this when they adapt, the pirates of the Caribbean movies and, things of that nature. When these huge budgeted things are being given. You're given a world genre and you have to find a great way to tell a story. We see this happening with the star wars [00:04:00] adaptations. Some of them work, some of them don't. It's all in the star wars world. They all have massive budgets and massive stars. Why do some work and some don't. It's because the content. Doesn't work. Okay. 

Within the form. I think, we think if we were hired right, a star wars movie, it would be a massive hit. And maybe for some people that would be, but for most who don't understand content. It would just be a bunch of cool lightsaber space battles happening. For no reason. And that's not gonna work. Okay. So when you're developing your idea, Answer those questions first that's Sondheim had. What is this really about? What do I have to say about it? What's in this, that is important to me. And what am I hoping people get from this? Figure out your content. And then once you really know what you want to say as a writer, [00:05:00] Then you figure out the form. 

Is it an action movie? Is it a drama? Is it a comedy? Is it a historical piece? Is it futuristic? It can be in any genre. You want it to be. But. plEase follow the process and learn from this amazing writer and composer. Stephen Sondheim. Content dictates form. Until next time.