Thank you. That is a very kind thing to say. As artists we all learn together. In the last year, just thinking about these videos has forced me to learn more. Excited about the novel. If it gets up online. Share a link and I’ll definitely share on the channel.

Thank you. I am so glad it was helpful. If you want any topics discussed, please let me know. If I cannot help, I’ll a channel that can.

Exactly. So many people don’t understand that an antagonist needs to be a fully formed character. Thanks for the comment.

@@CraigGriffiths That's why the first thing I do when I begin a screenplay is answer all the essential questions of my protagonist and antagonist. I find that once I have the answers it provides enough information to then write a logline. Then I do the outline.

I am more free form. I’ll start with an idea or a question. Then I try to find a way to look at that. Then I need characters. I’ll normally have a protagonist. But nothing starts to work until I get the antagonist in place.

I 100% agree. It would be like me saying a ran a marathon, but I was driving a car.

Thanks. All industries grow and contract. This does not mean they are dying. I see the idea of centralised power being tied to a location changing.

Thanks Matthew. This videos has done nothing. Shows what a title can do… This one just didn’t catch people’s interest.

@@CraigGriffiths I used to waste a lot of time agonising over the title in the planning phase. Now I just give it a temporary working title, simply for reference. I find that it's better to title your screenplay once you've finished it because at that point you're clear on what the story's about, so you can title it accordingly.

I usually end up with a “The” something. The Hostage, The Valley…

Thank you. Not a popular topic. But if I wanted popular all my videos would be call “7 secrets to success in hollywood”.😂😂

Also, AI is already available ONLINE so one doesn't have to use an AI 'service' -- which no sane person would use in the first place.

A recommend only carries weight if it comes from someone with credibility. There are so many people offering notes, that credibility is uncommon.

I have been using it commercially in business for years. But people are now targeting the coverage sector.

Change can never be great for everyone. A.I. is a horrible thing in a creative world for so many reasons, you are correct there. But it will be less likely to exploit. People will get bored with it. Then, I hope, that people will really study and learn the craft.

@@Sky-yj8wx thank you for your comment. Let me chase the doc down and I will post a link here for you. Sorry it did work.

Thanks Annie.

@@FernasRPG That is a really good point. That maybe what people refer to as “soft SciFi” (I have heard “hard scifi” so soft must be an option…lol). SciFi as a setting. I think there are more of these style stories. I could write that style, but some heavy tech may be a bridge too far for me. Thanks for the comment.

@@CraigGriffiths I am writing a hard sci fi novel and getting tech, astronomy straight. It is demanding, but fantasy can be demanding as well, just look what G RR Martin did with medieval times. So in the end it just how the world works. If it is fantasy, supernatural should be the basis of the world: Tolkien, George Martin, JK Rowling, Narnia and of course Star Wars. The core of the story is based on gods and spirituality. But SCI Fi to me is when uses tech as tool for "magic". Star Trek, Mass Effect and Starcraft for example uses tech to explain how things work. Religion and supernatural are there, but they are not the core of the universe. But in the end what really matters are the characthers.

@FernasRPG character is king within a good story. When it comes to world building I use PESTEL (shameless self promotion), it is a chapter in my book. Political, Economic, Social, Tech, Environmental, Legal. If you understand these elements of a world, you can write about it in a logical and coherent way.

@@craig.d.griffiths I started mine with cultural/values. What these societies values more as basic principles for their existence. When this is established I go for how these manifests in terms of Politics, Economics, Army, Legal, etc.

@@FernasRPG I lump those into social. I start with the biggest part of the world. If it was a military dictatorship, then legal etc may fill my mind. Logic in a world is all important. In the Japanese film “weather girl” two woman fight over the job of weather girl on a TV station. In the last scene, for no reason, they are suddenly magical and can fly around the studio throw spells at each other WTF. I think what we do would at least make our writing logical and consistent. Thanks for engage with the content, it is great to chat with writers.

@@mparvin77 Thank you. That is an amazing compliment. I do tend to think in music terms. I am doing another video today. I am making a music reference in that. Thank you again.

Massive value. So much of civilisation exists because of blueprint and the efforts of architects, engineers and trades people. There is beauty in much of their work, but primarily utility. A screenplay has the same but in an opposite ratio.

I cannot agree more. I feel I am constantly babbling about “internal logic”. I think I would get lost in the weeds of science. Probably why I avoid Sci-Fi.

@@craig.d.griffiths I always aim for clarity, so I try to avoid writing anything complex, confusing or complicated. I'm open to writing a sci fi story, but it would have to be something straight forward.

@@matthewlavagna6080 I like complexity in a story. But if done poorly it can easily become confusion. I am current rewrite a screenplay because the two people that read it missed the major underlying world element. So I need a better way to explain it.

Hi Bearded, I know what you mean, it is a different type of thinking. Every time I have tried, I end up just doing SciFi as a setting. Making “Hard SciFi” is beyond my brain. I heard Elon Musk make a statement about 2001. He said (in a nutshell) “don’t make AI lie” ru-vid.com8vwi_mUt66I?si=NXtpTUkO_71QU6LX HAL (the computer) was told to protect a secret and take the people to the site. Therefore he had to kill them to achieve it. That sort of thinking is something I cannot achieve. Thanks for the comment.

Thank Bearded, that very nice of you to say. I hope I can keep delivery value with these. Thanks again.

Thank you. The Wednesday videos are always fun. Looking at questions I see online. 👍👍

I am always writing a few things at once. I have the main things I am doing. But I find I need my holiday pieces. A bit of work I can visit when my brain reads a break. Currently that is a Sherlock Holmes screenplay. It will never sell, but I enjoy writing it.

Okay. If that floats your boat. I will subscribe and stay subscribed to your channel the minute you start. Go back, watch all the episodes and tell me when I claim anything you say I claim. I will donate $100 to a children’s hospital for each video. I appreciate the comments.

@@craig.d.griffiths I dont have a channel - I dont need a channel - those who can do, those who cant try to teach - or make youtube videos. Hey, Ill applaud you for managing to get on IMDB - but really - ask yourself this - should writers aim just to get on imdb with pieces of crap or should they aim to actually put their name behind something that showcases true ability - something they are proud of. I would have used a Pen name instead of saying I wrote that P.O.S. 'the hostage'

@@craig.d.griffiths Okay - I realize my comments might be alittle abrasive - only because I have a distain for all these youtubers that make these videos of how easy it is to write when the poster actually cant show the talents they are trying to teach about - bbut Ill take a step back and applaud you for starting a channel that ultimately might be able to help newcomers learn to improve their craft. So keep up the efforts - youll help some people - and others will definitely challenge you as I have - so learn to get thick skin or ignore the trolls. Sometimes I can go alittle overboard - and thats not my true intention but I do like to gauge a youtubers skill level. So if you want to write something, Ill write something as well - just send me the opening 10 pages of your The Hostage script and Ill show you an improved version of that when I have time. Today I was ready to write - but like I said it will only take me an hour. Monday is work time for me

@@jujupedals3430 Thank you. The Hostage isn’t really mine to share, A line from the start will not be an issue for me, as I am friendly with the ProdCo owner. However, if that offer stays open. I will send you something, soon. I’ll make sure it is worth your time.

For sure. I mean you could run over the scriptrevolution.com and download some of my work. But I will write an opening for you. Any particular genre, or anything. Not quite sure what the last bit means, do you then want to finish the entire screenplay. Give me a few minutes.

Okay. For speed. I went and grabbed the opening of the Hostage, something I sold a while ago. EXT. STREET NEWARK - NIGHT A LATE MODEL SEDAN makes it way down a dimly lit street lined by old factories and holding yards.

So am I waiting for your contribution or was I the only one playing?

@@craig.d.griffiths All you did was add a slugline and one action line. Is that really your criteria for an "amazing opening"

@@craig.d.griffiths wow - your slugline and your action line - bravo. Standing O "this is riveting!" I cant wait to turn the page. hahaha

Thank you for the comment. Reddit doesn’t seem to think writers are artists. Which I find strange. They seem to hold two ideas. Firstly that a screenplay is nothing until it is a movie. That a screenplay is somehow incomplete. Secondly they get so upset that blueprints are not art. That I would dare suggest that an architect was not an artist. It is like they refuse to take a compliment. I am so happy that you are an artist. We need more.

Who tells people “don’t direct on the page” should be fined for ‘false and misleading’ information. Our job is to paint a complete picture. Thanks for the comment.

@@craig.d.griffiths I've seen it and they also say that there is a difference between a spec script and a shooting script.

@@henrytjernlund A spec needs to have every visual element needed to tell the story visually. A shooting script has every visual element. In “Little Miss Sunshine” in the screenplay it says we track down the hall behind Olive. That tells us we are following close behind Olive a small excited young girl as she runs down a hallway. In a shooting script that could go further. We track behind Olive, we end at the top of the stairs before cutting to: Reverse angle on Mum showing Olive jumping off the last two steps. Shooting script have a lot ire detail.

@@CraigGriffiths Okay, the camera directions are an issue in spec scripts. But I have seen the criticism go beyond that.

Sorry for the late reply. The thing I find is that new writers do things bad. Like camera description. They get told to remove and the work looks better. Most new writers do this kind of stuff poorly. So the general advice becomes “don’t do it”. But if people learn to do it well. That advice goes away and readers will come to expect it.

Thank you. It is very kind of you to comment. Any suggestions of what I should call you people that watch the videos? I just say “guys” out of habit. Or is “guys” okay? Thanks again.

Thomas, formatting is a function of a document and not a story element. If you left justified everything, the format would be completely broken and hard to read, but the story would remain unchanged. All the camera direction examples and other things like "we see" and "reveal" are just a way of telling visual stories.

@@craig.d.griffiths you're right, formatting is a function of a document, that exactly why it exists though. That's why there is a proper and an improper way to write a script. A script is a blue print for a film, so it has very specific requirements for it's formatting. Ignoring that will just make your life more difficult in the long run. yeah, using camera directions, and things like "we see" are ways to tell the visual story... but they are the wrong way.

@@craig.d.griffiths if you just want to write a good story without worrying about formatting, then write a novel. A script is a very specific document with very specific formatting needs, and there are reasons for those needs. remember, the audience for your script is not the general public, its the production team thats making the film. those people require specific information so they can do their jobs. this is why things like blue prints are formatted in specific ways... and you need to understand that a script is a blue print for a movie.

@ThomasTulak let’s not get into the blueprint debate. Again, format has nothing to do with words, just word placement.

@@craig.d.griffiths sir, I don’t know what experience you have, but I have been on both the writing and production side. I have both written scripts and produced them. I released a feature on streaming earlier this very year… I can tell you, yes scripts are blue prints. The people who are making the film, the casting director, the wardrobe designer, the cinematographer, these people just need details so they can do their jobs. The script needs to make it easy for them to find the info they need. This is why formatting exists. If you think anything different then you’re handicapping yourself. And you’re incorrect, formatting includes word choice and word placement. It literally has to. However I can see you are married to your improper formatting, so I’m finished wasted my time trying to help you. You keep writing “we see” and “we’ll see” how much longer it takes for you to get produced. Good luck

The only thing I would ask, is it better to emulate professional produced writers or unproduced writers. No one is going to judge work based on a person’s experience. They may have expectations, or may be a fan. The work is good or not. That is not judged by the existence of two words. Bad writing is bad writing if “we see” is in there or not in there. In the “directing on the page” video released this week I give multiple examples of first time sales that contain all sort of so called “no-nos”. Thanks for the comment.

@@craig.d.griffiths in re: produced or unproduced writers... thats not the real question at hand. I can site you plenty of examples of produced scripts that do not use "we see." ...plenty of scripts with improper formatting still get made. it was just harder for it to get made. in re: good writing not judged by "we see"... True, a script is not judged good or bad based on the existence or non-existence of those two words... BUT the existence of those two words will suggest to an actual professional producer that this particular writer is inexperienced and unprofessional, giving them a reason to pass on the script. People who read scripts for producers to consider buying receive SO many scripts every day. They have piles and piles of scripts to get through. They have read TONS of scripts, and can INSTANTLY tell if the writer knows what they are doing or not. You don't want to give them a reason to put yours down. But please feel free to keep using "we see" if you feel you need to. Just be aware that you're only making things harder for yourself, unnecessarily.

I am afraid you have that backwards. Those two words have no weight or impact on professionalism or how work is perceived. However, having an overly complex sentence or more words than needed to avoid "we see". Will feel wrong, or like something is missing. I person (director, producer, financier) doesn't need a reason to say no. I had a financier ask a producer I was working with to change the inciting incident from a pandemic to an environmental disaster. I did the rewrite. They read it said no anyway. Of course there are probably more screenplays without "we see" than ones with "we see". But this is no proof that these screenplays are bad. I just found the most successful movies that came from "first sale specs". Most of them had "we see".

@@craig.d.griffiths You are absolutely kidding yourself if you think that "we see" won't reflect your level of professionalism, and that the reader won't pick up on that, and that won't effect their decision to keep reading or not. they still said no because they are in fact looking for reasons to say no. think about it, they have a pile of scripts to read, all at varying levels of experience, knowledge, and skill. when they can see within the first page whether the writer knows what they are doing or not, that will absolutely inform whether they want to stick with that writer for a hundred pages. it's an investment of their limited time. why would they waste their time reading a script written by someone who obviously doesn't know what they are doing? my point in saying there are more scripts that don't say "we see" was not to argue against saying "we see," but to say thats not a good argument. there are plenty of scripts that have "we see" and plenty that don't, so this is not a good argument either way... and basing what you do off a writer's first spec script is probly the worst thing you can do, because usually the first script is from BEFORE they learned proper industry formatting... wouldn't it be better to learn from a script they wrote later in their career, when they knew more what they were doing? My friend, you are making your life harder by sticking to these things. You're going to signal to people that you are inexperienced, and amateurish, that you wrote from hopes and dreams and wishes, instead of knowledge... which absolutely will make them stop reading your script... because if you don't even know proper basic formatting, then why would they think you can tell a good story? ...they won't even get far enough into your script to see the amazing story you wrote. and you're absolutely kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

Yes, if you do it well, you will look very professional.

Thank you. Avoiding something that is needed can only be harmful to a project. I took a look at your channel. That is a very important topic (mental health) and it is good you are creating content in that arena.

adding camera directions in your script is not only not needed, it is actually harmful. It's the director's job to decide what the camera does, not the writer. What you want to do instead is write your scene in such a way that it makes the director decide to move the camera the way you want, without the director knowing you wanted them to do it! ...Write your scene in such a way that the director can see it in their head when they read your words. Thats the mark of a good writer... If a director sees camera direction in the script they will likely throw out the direction because they will want to move the camera the way they want. Don't set yourself up for disappointment.

In my mind, I am not trying to get the director to do what I want. I am telling my version of the story. The director is an adult capable of making their own choices. If you listen to the BAFTA lectures, you'll hear David S Goyer say he adds things like camera direction (sparingly if you have ever read his work) to let the director know that he has thought it through and isn't writing something impossible to visualise.

@@craig.d.griffiths if you're not trying to get to the director then why put camera directions, when thats the director's job? ...the job of the screen writer is NOT to think about the camera, it's to tell the story. the job of the director is to figure out how to translate that story through the camera.

There are so many aspects to that as well. People cling to axioms like this as they feel secure. They don’t how to use it, so they avoid it. It would just be better to use it and learn when it was done badly. Thanks.

I have a few minor. I say that all the time. I refer to myself as “the bargain end of town”. I’ll throw my IMDB link in the notes. Thanks for this, it is something I haven’t considered. I also think the channels that do well, which isn’t really my goal, are the “5 secrets to success” or “You must have these 20 things”. I am all about writers developing their craft and then doing what they see is needed. Thanks again.

Hi Thomas, I have included your comment in the next video. Thank you for the engagement.

Thank you. Growth has been slow. But that is fine. I just love talking about screenwriting.

​@@CraigGriffiths I am interested in the differences between writing a novel and a screenplay and how to write the novel so that it can be translated almost directly into a screenplay (like the Godfather). Another topic that I'm interested in is writing specifically for Sci-Fi. I'm not sure whether it's worth a whole video, but the genre is growing so a recent comment could be helpful. Respect for the perseverance 👊

Can I use this for a Wednesday video?

It is hard to find novels written in the second person narrative. I was reading to my wife once (something I do as a dyslexia exercise) and it was a novel written like that, so annoying. “You are following him down the street. Hurry, you may lose him in the crowd.” So annoying.

That is a great suggestion. I’ll do that for the next Wednesday video. I’ll post your comment to give people context if that is okay.

Thank you for your comment and support. It is so hard as a writer to develop our craft. The easy bits will get us 90% of the way. The last 10% is so hard. So if someone offers you a shortcut like don’t use “we see”. People leap at it. Thanks again.

“The confederacy of dunces” was rejected and eventually won a Pulitzer Prize. Often I think we need to find the right customer. Rejected work can be a great indication of quality. Especially if we are trying to attract an agent. Agents after all are tasked with find customers for great quality work. Thanks for the comment. It makes me happy to chat with people that have watched these videos.

Thanks for the comment and support. Putting together part 2. Thanks again.

Thank you. It is so nice when people actively interact with things like comments and likes. Thanks for the support.

I try and post on a Friday or Saturday depending on the time I have. I focus on a topic or what I hear people talking about. I am so glad it was helpful. Thanks for the comment and support.

I think Ripley is such a great example. I just finished it last night. Even though he did terrible things, I wanted him to get away with it all, and live that high class life...even though he murdered people. I believe his actions vs words is what drew me to him. He just struggled. Like the first time he had to climb the set of stairs...right away I was on his side...

I think it worked on a few levels. We wanted him to do well because of his struggle. We were also attracted to how good he was at getting away with it.

I will include something on this is the next video.

@@craig.d.griffiths Thank you

Thank you for the comment. I am very happy that you enjoyed it.

You are part of the product. I didn’t actually say that, which is a good point. But they can buy your screenplay and never talk to you again. They could also engage you for contract work, which would be a second transaction. All business is in some way built on relationships. Which I hope I got across when I was talking about your behaviour during the pitch. You still need to have something to sell. A “general meeting” can lead to getting work. That is a specific type of customer. But if a producer buys specs as part of their business model, they have no need for a general meeting. On the Apple metaphor. My daughter works for them. Gone are the days of the queue outside the stores. No more sleep outs to get the new phone. What we are talking about there a brand. Brand is a great topic for a video. I did one a long time ago. I think it may need a refresh.

Thanks for the comment. It is really appreciated.

Have a great weekend as well. I am sure you’ll get in front of someone. I do all my stuff over zoom. Which is probably super common these days. But being in Australia I am always in a different time zone. So I am up at least an hour before a meeting to make sure I don’t look like death or half asleep. There are so many things to consider. I remember an old salesman saying never be the first to sit down. I don’t know why, that was his things.

To be honest the time does vary. Thank you for the comment. My brother Rob Mchugh ( different dad’s, long story) was a comedian and TV writer for decades. When he retired he took up teaching at college. If I ever have enough to offer I may like to try that. But I wouldn’t feel write taking money off someone for helping them. And my time is variable, I would have to dedicate more time than I have to feel good about doing it. I am thinking of breaking down a page of a screenplay into shots. Then look at a professional screenplay and doing the same thing. See how the page translates to screen time. What do you think?

​@@CraigGriffiths I think that could be a good way of teaching beginners not to provide overly detailed descriptions. You could take a beginner script that provides an overlong description, estimate the amount of time it's spending on the description and compare that to the time they should be spending. Then, do for the same thing for a professional screenplay.