HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY IN TWO WEEKS

By Curt Wiser

     From July 23rd to August 4th, 2014; I wrote an 87 page first draft screenplay for a movie titled SlashCam.  Why would I put myself through that? It is no simple task writing a full length movie in 13 days.  I did it because this was my first writing assignment and after hearing the premise, I knew I was the perfect writer for the job.  After writing and directing my first movie; Cam-Girl, I had already done most of my research and knew it would be fun to tackle this subject in a different way.  The two week deadline was told to me upfront by the producer and he had good reason for it.  I understood his situation, he had a fairly well-known actor who agreed to be in the movie but had been waiting a long time for a script as it languished in development.  The fact that this producer's production company also represents this actor added to the sense of urgency; they needed to stay on his good side.  These kinds of deadlines can come up during a writer's career.  As we know from the James Cameron biography The Futurist, during a three month period in 1983 he had to write three screenplays; Aliens, Rambo: First Blood part II and The Terminator which was about to go into production.  In this case it was because the writing jobs for Rambo and Aliens happened to come in at the same time and he decided to take on the heavy work load.

     Deadlines like this could be related to a pending writers' strike if you are a WGA member or if could be due to a narrow window before production needs to begin.  It could be the availability of the project's lead actor that causes the time crunch.  This may be the only writing gig you will have for years if you are starting out and if you don't take the job, someone else will.  If writing a screenplay in two weeks is a mission you choose to accept, here are some tips that may help you.

• AT LEAST HAVE A ROUGH OUTLINE BEFORE YOU START

           I always outline, I couldn't imagine not doing it.  In this case outlining was even more crucial because I only had two weeks to churn out the pages and yet I wanted a strong structure for this story as I would for any other.  With a rough outline in place I could start knowing that this script would have a viable beginning, middle and end.  Now I know there are some writers out there that never outline because they think it limits creativity.  While I respect their process, if they expect to write a production ready, full-length screenplay in two weeks without an outline; good luck to them.  The way I look at my outline is like a road map; I have these paths and intersections that are laid out in front of me, but that does not mean I don't take a detour or two along the way.

      

• DETERMINE YOUR PAGE QUOTA PER DAY

     That is the first thing James Cameron said he did when he took on the challenge of writing three scripts at once.  He knew he had three months to deliver these screenplays and he estimated a page count of 120 for each script, then divided those pages by all the waking hours he had to devote to this to find out how many pages he had to write each day to reach his goal.

One of the important questions to ask the producer, or who ever is offering a hard deadline writing assignment like this is; how many pages do you want?  Feature length screenplays range from 85-120 pages. I would never suggest any more or less than that.  Thankfully, this producer said 85-90 pages is preferred. After all this project; Slash Cam, is a Horror film that is set mostly in one location, it is not a Drama, Action or Science Fiction epic.  If your contact asks your opinion on a desired page count, play it smart; say 85 to 90 pages is all I feel we need.  Not only will this make it easier to make your deadline but I often find this to be true for most stories and nobody likes a movie that is too long.  By the time I was done outlining I did the math and learned I needed to write around nine pages a day to make the deadline. Well I succeeded, on a few days I wrote ten or eleven pages.

• ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED THE FIRST TIME

     Calling the producers several times with questions will not only make you appear inexperienced and unprofessional but it will also waste time; the one thing you cannot afford to lose.  Every project is different, but here are eight questions that you should ask with any writing assignment.

1)  What is the genre?

2)  What is the title?

3)  Are there any movies you would like this script to feel like tonally?

4)  Do you have any earlier drafts, treatments or outlines?

5)  Can I read these earlier drafts?

6)  What elements in these earlier drafts did you like or dislike?

7)  Do you want there to be sequel potential by the end of this screenplay?  (They will likely say yes but be glad that you asked and maybe give you some ideas.)

8)  Are there any specific things you have access to that you want included in this script?

     That last question is very important and will require a lengthy rewrite if you do not ask it before hand.  In this case, the producer had many characters he needed in this story because the actors were already cast. He also had unique props that he wanted the production to take advantage of.  This is the way low budget movies maximize their production value, so embrace it, use these elements in creative ways that craft an entertaining story.

• TIME MANAGEMENT AND STAYING AWAKE

      This really depends on the writer.  I am a coffee drinker, so caffeine was my close friend during this writing assignment.  You could always exercise or take showers more than once a day.  Academy Award wining screenwriter; Aaron Sorkin says that he takes showers often when he writes because it lets him return to the computer feeling refreshed and relaxed.

      You have to immediately cancel any social obligations you can.  At this time I was a single guy with no children, so this part was easy.  I spent long days writing in marathon sessions to get the first draft done, especially on the last two days.  When I went out to eat, I would write in a notebook and type it out when I got home.  Writing some of this script freehand got me away from my desk and kept me working.  That is how I managed my time, but you need to examine your own situation as it is different for all of us.  These differences make us unique, they make you the writer that you are.  So take that time sensitive writing assignment and work like hell, because afterword you will be glad you did.  Good luck.

Curt Wiser is a Screenwriter-Director and the Author of the suspense novel Box Cutter Killer.