Donald L. Vasicek

Category: Other Musings

  • Screenwriting – Making the Audience Part of Your Movie

    Writer’s Question:

    As a fellow writer, I want to know in your opinion, what makes a good book. I have had some pretty crazy ideas for screenplays/movies, they almost seem too “out there” sometimes. I really want to pull some of these ideas together, because they’ve never been done before and I feel like I could really make a difference in the world of literature and film. When writing a screenplay, what should you include to really make the reader/viewer feel like they are part of the scene?

    Thanks for your opinion.

    Don’s Answer:

    The questions you ask are penetrating and require some thought.
    It would take some time and writing to give answers that could be
    helpful to you.

    Film is a visual medium. Screenwriting requires screenwriters to
    write visually. To make the reader/viewer feel like they are part
    of the scene, the screenwriter must show, not tell, what is going
    on in the scene. Think about it. What attracts you to a scene in
    a movie?

    It is the actions of the characters in the scene, the images showing
    what is going on in the scene, and of course, what the story is
    about and what the theme is that is being portrayed in the scene,
    but yet, ties together with every scene in the screenplay.

    There are numerous articles on my screenwriting blog at
    donvasicek.com. You might want to check some of them out.

    I hope this is of help to you.

    Best Regards,
    Don

    Donald L. Vasicek
    Olympus Films+, LLC
    The Zen of Writing and Screenwriting
    http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
    dvasicek@earthlink.net

    Allexperts.com

    Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek on Location in Clinton, Oklahoma
    Award-Winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek on Location in Clinton, Oklahoma

  • Screenwriting – Character Introductions

    All character introductions, regardless of who they are, should be introduced like this:

    JASPER WILKINSON, 40’s, adjusts his glasses with a pencil.

    Give all of your characters first names and surnames, and a physical and mental attitude when first introducing them just like this example.  This makes each character come alive in your screenplay.   This gives the actor, the director, the producer, the cinematographer, the sound person, etc. an idea about who this character is and how they act and react. This kind of introduction sets the tone for how this character will be throughout the film.

    Donald L. Vasicek
    Olympus Films+, LLC
    The Zen of Writing & Screenwriting
    http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
    dvasicek@earthlink.net

    Donald L. Vasicek - Alfrech "Heap of Birds", Cheyenne on location in Clinton, Oklahoma during interview for the award-winning documentary film, "The Sand Creek Massacre"
    Donald L. Vasicek – Alfrech “Heap of Birds”, Cheyenne on location in Clinton, Oklahoma during interview for the award-winning documentary film, “The Sand Creek Massacre”

  • Screenwriting Interview – Donald L. Vasicek