How To Outline A Screenplay - Glenn Gers

Glenn Gers has been a full-time professional writer of movies and television for 25 years. His credits include theatrical features, no-budget indies, TV staff and episodes, original movies for cable and streaming, such as BROTHER'S KEEPER (2002), FRACTURE (2007), MAD MONEY (2008) and many more. He has won multiple festival prizes and an Emmy. He provides tips for writing on his KZbin channel Writing For Screens and offers script-consulting via his website Writingforscreens.com.
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[@agoogleuser4410]

I like Glenn Gers. I've seen all his videos. He's knowledgeable and informative ... without the ego. A very nice man.

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you! I will try to live up to this estimation of me ! (Glenn Gers)

[@hooshyarkarimi9524]

@@writingforscreens I just subbed to you.

[@writingforscreens]

@@hooshyarkarimi9524 Great - thank you!

[@danieljackson654]

I've heard this before in other interviews; but, two things here clicked: the core of the story is in every scene and the Outline is a list of Scenes. Both are obvious, on reflection; but repetition is the key for learning.

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for posting Daniel!

[@danieljackson654]

@@filmcourage No. Thank YOU for posting. I'm just following the steps.

[@writingforscreens]

(Glenn Gers here) It's funny how you never know when something will "click." There are so many things I've thought I knew - and then abruptly I'll "get it" and know a whole new dimension. While it's frustrating to think we all have so much yet to learn...the good side to that is we never stop learning and growing! Thanks for your comment!

[@danieljackson654]

@@writingforscreens Avec plaisir; thank YOU for the session.

[@GuidedSpirits]

Most people say that they find the core of the story pretty much later they just allow themselves to go with flow and see where they are later. Keeping that in mind without knowing the core of the story before writing scenes won't be possible ? Because in that case the core ain't found till now . What do you think ?

[@josephsanchez2159]

Took me two years to outline my script. I finally got the puzzles together, now it’s time to frame it!

[@user-dn9om6cx6q]

Congratulations on your tenacity and your outline!

[@fotipitrakkos1193]

It's a real shame this film didn't get made. Honest and true depictions of mental illness are so important to share, and it is through story that we find common ground with one another and thus expand our own perspective. Great interview.

[@sayadaramdial1700]

Really enjoying hearing these interviews. He's such a good teacher- brings across his point clearly, in an engaging way and without a whiff of arrogance.

[@ellenlewitt]

I absolutely love Glenn Gers' videos. He has a way of disrobing technical jargon that, for me, is oftentimes confusing. And his personal examples of what he means about any given thing really adds to my understanding. Lots of a-ha moments! Thank you so much for having him on your site.

[@filmcourage]

Great to hear Ellen, thank you! Not sure if you have seen his channel but he is live streaming his screenwriting process daily - kzbin.info/door/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA

[@OseFilmWork]

Currently writing my feature screenplay based off the short film I recently uploaded and I got stuck on a certain scene. I don’t have much of an outline either so this video came in the most perfect time!

[@writingforscreens]

So glad it's helpful! (Glenn Gers)

[@chairsdotnet5188]

Just saw your two shorts and wow! Keep it up man!

[@OseFilmWork]

@@chairsdotnet5188 thanks man!!

[@wolfpowers2867]

Glenn Gers is a brilliant writer and teacher. His videos here at YT have really changed my writing life for the better.

[@drordror3]

I took a script consulting session with Glenn. He's by far, the best instructor I've had so far. One hour with him sent me to another 6 months of work on a new draft. He pointed out so many things and was truely amazing and professional!!

[@juju10683]

What were his fees?

[@drordror3]

@@juju10683 please ask him directly. Sorry but I don't feel comfortable to share fees in front of the world:(

[@finnandcork]

truly

[@nilserhard2895]

I'm gonna come back to this in about ten years (tops) and find a way to get this story produced. It's brilliant and it NEEDS to be created!

[@TheWorld_2099]

This was so fantastic, his anecdote about the struggle to find alternate ways to make the story work was really inspiring and relatable to my own struggle.

[@EasyZee69]

That's exactly how I work. I have every single scene planned/outlined so there is never any guess work or getting stuck on how to get from point A to point B. It is so reassuring to hear that I am going about it the proper way.

[@ZoomBoxEntertainment]

My two big takeaways: 1) put time and effort into an outline & 2) right with the end in mind. Great video!!!

[@234picapica]

Check out his channel @writing for screens he is currently writing a screen play live and interacts with the audience and answers all questions.

[@JD-zw5os]

@@234picapica Thank you for this x, you’re a star

[@234picapica]

@@JD-zw5os his audience is small and the project fun. I learned more from his course than from all the creative writing books I read, because he teaches how you deal with concrete problems.

[@ronaldmayle1823]

I agree with what you say, but sometimes during the course of writing your story, you come up with better ideas. Then the ending doesn't fit the story.

[@ShirleyDeeDesigns]

I'm glad to hear the outline is hard work. I thought I was just stupid, LOL.

[@bdslade]

Glenn's movie idea sounds fantastic! A shame that it didn't come to fruition.

[@writingforscreens]

(Glenn Gers) - I don't legally "own" it any more...but I'm thinking of slipping a copy of each version on to my Writing For Screens website. If I do, I'll make a video explaining the process it went through, first. :)

[@maisey2363]

I would have watched it! Sounded awesome!

[@michaelchurch8666]

Someone else did it....The Girl on the Train

[@AltairZielite]

I'm hearing many parallels to my own process here. I pretty much just give each scene a title, and that's my outline. I've been struggling on my treatment, I'm going to go back with this advice to identify 'the core action', and see where that takes me. More parallels to count, and probably to suffer the same fate... I doubt any studio will ever pick these 2 features up. But continue forward I will as it has been the most spiritually rewarding process I've ever undertaken.

[@magnuskallas]

I kind of share your story and generally agree with the process. Got 2 treatments out a few weeks ago... Let's see. Only one thing I can't fully agree is setting backwards writing as a rule. It's a fact some of my favourite stories-films had issues with the ending. Especially David Lynch is known to start production without an ending, and I've noticed myself changing the idea of an ending in the course of writing - poems, anecdotes, and now treatments.

[@Sophia-wv6yf]

Thanks for sharing your story about the removal of one of your core characters. Don’t kill you darlings, learn from them!

[@JD-zw5os]

I’m learning sooo much from you various guests , and particularly this one. Taking notes and playing back. Thank you for this vid

[@filmcourage]

Love to hear it! If you enjoy learning from Glenn we highly recommend you check out his channel as well - kzbin.info/door/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you! (Glenn Gers)

[@FeTheStampede]

Such a genuine man. Love him

[@snarly7346]

I find him so unbelievably helpful. Thank you for making this available.

[@robertshirley662]

I loved this interview. Beyond his intellect and insight, Glenn seems like a wonderful person.

[@filmcourage]

Glenn is awesome! We agree. Grateful for his time. Also, check out his channel Writing For Screens for screenwriting advice.

[@robertshirley662]

Thank you@@filmcourage I've just watched two of his videos, I'm hooked! Have a good night.

[@waltermanson999]

Amazing video ! Thank you for the great manny of fantastic interviews you provide. These resources are stellar !

[@filmcourage]

Hi Walter, happy to hear you find value here. Glenn is great. Our best to you on your own creative works.

[@lesmenezes9784]

Absolutely glued to what he says in every video. Don't really need all those expensive books that I clung to. I listen and the art of screenwriting seeps into my blood and vitalises my creativity

[@SDW90808]

I’m not a writer but fascinating to hear the process.

[@KathyJeanActress]

Thanks for the learning opportunity.

[@EyeoftheBeholder582]

Great video. Thanks for sharing!

[@marias8007]

This is great advice, thank you

[@TheCharlesJackson]

Right on time 🙏🏾

[@jamonlewis6466]

Very valuable information.

[@NIKONGUY1960]

I definitely would watch that movie. And this is good advice.

[@AnyDayNow360]

"Onions have layers. Ogres are like onions" - Glenn has so many layers! I loved this particular interview along with that production/writing story - and the heart of what Glenn tried to connect. Too bad it wasn't made, but alas, C'est La Vie.

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Great advice.

[@YountFilm]

It's good to hear about a creative person working with a group or committee, where the committee has to veto or change something that's difficult for the creative, and yet the interactions remain positive. Oftentimes we see movies, shows, or just anecdotes, where this situation occurs, and instantly the committee is the "bad guy", and the creative a victim. But it doesn't need to be that way.

[@johnferriso4377]

Great work involving your ideas for NYPD story.

[@Dramastag_Theater]

yeah i really love to play around with that

[@wolfrhymesfreestyle5748]

Very valuable to know. I would write basic outlines but I see your point that the outline should be much more structured and there should be more writing in the outline than in screenplay. It makes sense because the other way you end up with holes in a screenplay and it's like sailing blind trying to figure out what comes next or how to resolve tricky conflicts and when to add plot twists.

[@frdtoom]

Great information, thank you Glenn. Is an outline the same as a beat sheet?

[@osw330904]

One of the better vids

[@filmcourage]

We like this one. Thanks for watching!

[@AntonioSilva-ld4dq]

wich parr of this video was more helpful? Was full of insights about what the outline means, and the development of the writting a script that is accepted by someone and then just need to get the support of a studio and be operationally possibly.

[@danielkey99]

Is the full interview available anywhere?

[@234picapica]

Check out his channel @writing for screens he is currently writing a screen play live and interacts with the audience and answers all questions.

[@filmcourage]

Here's a link - kzbin.info/door/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA

[@faibabernard]

The latter part of sacrifices fascinated me

[@chriswest8389]

I've been thinking a lot about this. I'll bet , I hope, I'll certainly be in good xompany, I'll come across the near identical concept here perhaps. The idea of a scene arc that is. One setting, multiple scenes essentially. Perhaps at number 3 in the story circle- the conflict or number 4 ,the complications resulting from the conflict.

[@atomsofstardust]

I’d totally watch that movie had it been made! Sounds really intriguing and suspenseful. Is there any way to at least read the screenplay of that movie?

[@filmcourage]

Maybe visit with Glenn on his channel and find out - kzbin.info/door/E-jmjAfrk-Ls95wGLluPNA

[@rhizomorph-music]

That's my kind of movie too. I'm going to guess that Jodie Foster ended up subsequently being able to scratch a similar itch with FLIGHTPLAN, a story where a whole planeload of people don't believe her character as she tries to convince them of something. After hearing the basic thrust of this schizophrenic protagonist story, I doubt that Jodie would have wanted to do it *after* having done FLIGHTPLAN (too similar).

[@writingforscreens]

(Glenn Gers here) I don't actually "own" the script any more (such is the life of screenwriters) - but I am thinking of making a video about the process of rethinking it and putting both drafts on my Writing For Screens website... this comment is good encouragement to do so! Thanks!

[@GumshoeGamer]

I hope to get to a point where I can make an outline in just a day's time.

[@russellpuerini7573]

Often the answer to “What is the story REALLY about?” Means cutting out great characters and that’s hard when they are key to the core of the story. Very difficult to do.

[@genxfilms1450]

Currently outlining now..it's definitely a process 😅🤎🤗🙏🏼

[@filmcourage]

Here's our playlist on outlining if you'd like to hear more perspectives on the process - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ep2qe5meqtOibMk

[@genxfilms1450]

@@filmcourage awww awesome! I really appreciate this.🤎💫

[@filmcourage]

@@genxfilms1450 Nice!

[@MahmoudFarghal3422]

I think it's best to ask every writer how old they were when they started writing professionally. And how they did it.

[@filmcourage]

Thanks Mahmoud, often times you will hear those answers when you watch our full interviews. Here is how Glenn got his start writing Hollywood movies - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fabHq5Shj9ysf6M

[@MrSchelling]

“Know the ending” this is what the so called Star Wars sequels lacked.

[@chrisoliver3642]

Do architects (those who outline and plan the story) make better screenwriters than gardeners (those who plant seeds and follow the story)? Glenn's advice is solid but contrary to what I've heard from Stephen King (for example), making me wonder if writers are drawn to their medium because of how it aligns with how they conceptualize a story.

[@johnnhoj6749]

It certainly aligns with their personality and ways of thinking. Some people are great meticulous, logical planners in all aspects of their lives, some aren't. The outliners who can really do it will certainly work more efficiently. Those who really can't outline to the end to start with will hit a lot more dead ends and need a lot more rewriting and probably have a pile of unfinished scripts. But this last group can't just be blithely told "always outline to the end before you start" because they may never manage to even complete an outline, let alone a script. For those finding it impossible to outline, I'd suggest a halfway approach. Write in the linear way you prefer, starting from the beginning and working through to the end, but do it in a very brief prose way. That will take less time than a complete script with all the dialogue and action but still achieve the end of finding the characters, motivations etc as you go along. Once you have the prose version of the whole script with a few lines for each scene then it will be a lot easier to edit and relatively painless to go back and flesh it out.

[@kb2vca]

@@johnnhoj6749 I wonder , though, whether the need to write from an outline or write organically largely depends on what you are writing. The screenplays bought by the studios to make features that cost millions and millions of dollars and so must be viewed as appealing to millions and millions of people tend to be stories structured in very predictable ways. They are basically engineered stories and they are engineered in order for the audience to be drawn INTO the story and for the audience to get the payoff that they expect. Literary writing - that is writing that is outside of any genre - where the writer's voice and the writing itself is as much of the story as the characters' arcs can be far more organic. It is not so much a focus on the protagonist who is actively seeking a resolution but its focus is ALSO on the writer as a voice that draws the reader in and the payoff is far more the thrill the audience gets from that writer's use of language (or image) at least as much as their ability to tell a story. With such stories the arc of the tale, the denouement, is no more or less critical than the shape of a lone tree. It has no purpose but itself and what it can produce in the audience or the reader is a sense of awe. Awe can sometimes, but very rarely, be engineered but it seems to far more readily be created organically

[@234picapica]

Glenn has more a gardener approach. He makes the outline process flowing and natural. Highly recommend for other gardeners. Check out his channel @writing for screens he is currently writing a screen play live and interacts with the audience and answers all questions.

[@chrisoliver3642]

@@234picapica Funny you see it that way. Glenn comes across to me as very much an architect, not gardeners like the King and I.

[@234picapica]

@@chrisoliver3642 in this vid totally. Sorry for being not clear enough. I’m watching his daily writing course and he is doing outlining like it was gardening. Hard to explain, watch one of his vids , he uploads them after the live sessions. He admitted that in he was not outlining at all in his early days. I’m totally a gardener, but my current novel project has so many protagonist that it got confusing to juggle them. I profit a lot. I will never become an architect, but I don’t want it eaten up by the ugly slugs of useless new ideas. The course helps me a lot to tame the garden.

[@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers]

Feels like Glenn's talking about theme 🤔

[@robertkulb6640]

Glenn is the genuine article -not like a lot of these other false gurus selling snake oil.

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

"...if a lot of people are telling you a something isn't working for them..." Then a lot of people are [just] wrong! More than likely it wasn't working for those people because it wasn't "sexy" or violent enough for them. Glenn Gers needs to revisit this script and go to different people. Go to other atypical studios, actors, producers who aren't the same ole same ole'. I'd luv to see this movie!!! Plus this is 2022, who doesn't have empathy for people with a disability in these times? So Netflix, Amazon, HBO or one of many contemporary film studios wouldn't want this story??? Dude needs to shop this story around again.

[@troopdog2003]

Interesting his point about the importance of working backwards, that you must "Know your ending" to develop the outline. Makes sense, but just watched a KZbin video about the making of 'Casablanca" [kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3WWnWicjN95n9E] which claims they --Epsteins, Curtiz, Wallis -- didn't know how the film was going to end until the final day of shooting, They didn't have the story worked out. A lot of the dialog and relationships of the characters were actually made up on a daily basis. Ironic that one of the greatest screenplays of all time broke the rules for writing great screenplays.

[@michaelchurch8666]

Umm.....he just described The Girl on the Train lmao

[@BoomerZ.artist]

Writing the ending is what I tell everyone. Know where you are going. You can fill in the details of the journey later. But if you know where you are going, you won't write yourself into a corner.

[@corpsefoot758]

I’m reminded of a computer game from way back in my childhood, called “Pipe Dream” :)

[@BoomerZ.artist]

@@gianthills it's not written in stone. You can change things but know where you are going.

[@therealmogod]

Early bird get the worm….

[@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers]

Jodie Foster would have killed in this role