Breaking the Rules
Old beliefs die hard. I get it. I really do. We are taught so many things when we are young. A man will ride up on a horse and whisk you away to a castle and you’ll never have to work as a waiter or an office temp or dress up in a costume and hand out flyers. If you work hard in school, you’ll pay off those loans in no time because the job offers will come pouring in, you’ll be rolling in dough. If you are nice to people they will be nice back to you, always. If you follow the rules of writing a screenplay and the format for making a film, then everyone will love it and you will be happy.
Being raised to follow the rules, I tried that last one many years ago. OMG. It was a disaster. I tried to write a romantic comedy and it was the worst thing on the planet. I mean really bad. I mean like it stank from here to Mars and back. Outline the screenplay? Check! Have an instigating event? Check! Boy meets girl? Check! End of Act I around page 26? Check! Boy loses girl? Check! End of Act II around page 75? Check! Boy gets girl back? Check! Screenplay around 100 pages? Check! It was done “right” and it was terrible.
Why?
It was not authentic at all. It was just an exercise in how not to write. Seriously, these structures are there as guidance, but they’ve come to be looked at as “must haves.”
I threw all that out years ago. And I’m a better filmmaker for it.
This doesn’t mean my films don’t have structure but it’s not this perfect thing and often throws out rules. My most recent film has no instigating event. That would have just given it all away. You just are in the room so to speak figuring out what is happening. And everyone who has seen it so far comments something along the lines of “I loved that you didn’t explain it and it just revealed itself as the film went on.”
Take that you instigating event, you.
I wrote and edited this film from my gut. I let my actors bring themselves to the table. We shot ONE angle for each actor with iPhones. Everything else made in post. Camera angles. Push ins. Lighting. The list goes on.
I have to say, I think it’s a great film because its authentic and its me.
Go be yourself when making films.
Stop worrying about following the rules. Rules are made to be broken. Break them.