How To Write A Beat Sheet For A Screenplay - Paul Chitlik

[@filmcourage]

Thank you Shawn for supporting Film Courage and for sponsoring this video!

[@filmcourage]

We think Paul shares a lot of great info on beat sheets in this video. We hope it helps you and your process.

[@Sims8705]

Paul shares great information in this clip. I agree with him about treatments and beat sheets preventing writer's block. I wrote an outline with a "beat sheet" that helped me write my first book in 2019. The process was enjoyable, I currently have multiple projects in development.

[@fiercemonkey1]

WE NEED MOR!! This guy is awesome!

[@filmcourage]

More to come!

[@JamieEvansBooks]

I've been a loyal viewer of this channel for 11 years now. My first video I watched was about screenwriting, and ever since then, I've been hooked. I must say, out of all the writing videos I've watched, this interview series with Paul Chitlik stands out as the most exceptional. It's incredibly informative and easy to grasp, making it the top choice for me. As I work on my third novel, I'm implementing the techniques from this video, and I'm confident that it will make for a smoother writing process compared to my first two novels. I'm grateful for this video and for Paul Chitlik's fantastic insights.

[@Shamsulrosunally]

I had the privilege of taking Paul's MFA class at UCLA in 2006. His class was the one that every student knew they had to take. The front heavy structure of beat sheet writing is so incredibly valuable for anyone who wants to learn to write quickly. I can testify his class was absolutely terrifying. Perhaps his approach is not the most organic but if you want to generate pages then there's nothing faster. I still use Paul's method to this day and I highly recommend his way of writing.

[@matthewpaul6904]

Beat sheets alleviate the "why?" and the "how?" in your story because you've already hammered that out.

[@chrismartin745]

For the first several minutes he just repeats himself continuously on how important a beat sheet is. Finally at 6 minutes in, he gets to the meat of this video's title and magnificently and succinctly explains exactly what a beat sheet is. Then at 9:35 he then says, "A beat sheet should have 3 elements in it. 1. Who's there. 2. Where they are? and 3. What's the conflict." - Genius!

[@soft8460]

Thanks film courage, being an independent screenwriter for the last 7 years, I have done treatments but never beat sheets, thanks to this video, now I see its value.

[@augustosandino7968]

Smart advice. Thank you for saying this. It's hard to deal with writers who don't have a methodology worked out

[@mickeyaugrec7560]

Moscow On The Hudson! By the great Paul Mazursky. Excellent vlog as always - thanks Film Courage!

[@Khatoon170]

Thank you for wonderful channel I learn terms and idioms with every video you posting screen play is written work for film , tv show or other moving media , that expresses movement action , dialogue of characters . Beat sheet in film is simple document that outlines your entire story from first act to final image . Mr Paul chiltik is American author, tv film writer, producer, director.

[@ccwoodlands1565]

So many people think they can just wing it and have the story work out. I’ve done this and it’s a disaster! Paul is 100% correct!

[@BrianCouch-u6n]

'Thanks' Paul... for explaining beat sheets. I never knew what the term meant until you explained it... although I've done it as part of my process for a long time. Today, 'thanks' to you, I did a short beat sheet for an essential scene I've been chasing in the dark. Brian Couch

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for sharing Brian!

[@faa9261]

Beat sheet helped me improve my storytelling💯

[@Upploadz]

Film Courage, you read my mind. Been looking for a beat sheet interview. 👍🏿

[@filmcourage]

You got it! Here is another good one - kzbin.info/www/bejne/emOQmYKlgtGMqMk

[@OJR-vs1fg]

Thanks Paul and FC. Great instruction.

[@filmcourage]

Paul is great!

[@apocalypsetedium]

Great video! Moscow on the Hudson, is the Robin Williams film.

[@candellina6]

I have never heard of a treatment before. I've realized all of my beat sheets always turned into treatments lol

[@RaulRomero-ud1kj]

Excellent perspctive and strategies, thank you! 💪🏻

[@filmcourage]

Thank you Raul! Glad it was helpful!

[@jordangloss]

Fabulous. Thank you!

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for watching Jordan!

[@geoffhoutman1557]

A ten page beat sheet IS an outline/treatment right?

[@nicklang6798]

Always write a best sheet or outline

[@charlessmyth]

[12:20} I was thinking of the scene in 24 se04 ep01 where the computer hacker guy, on a bike (07:58:14), has to escape the assassins :-)

[@BêReynaud]

I once entered a flight to the wrong country. I visited a volcano for the first time. I think it's amazing to enter a journey without knowing its destination.

[@E91medi]

Perfect 🥰 channel all the time

[@carlostomas1917]

Good information 👍🏽

[@venenum1684]

I love this video

[@filmcourage]

Cheers!

[@vincenttavani6380]

I imagine how much is imagined of the scene that needs to be expressed in few words of dialogue or direction (if something can't be seen ir heard, it doesn't exist, unlike narration in prose). And most of the work is in the story mechanics - I don't think formulating a satisfying climax is any different if it happens in only 5 pages rather than 100, since the story beats still have to be designed to resolve and reveal the character, and it's the designing that's the work, not the description.

[@orionlord]

Moscow on the Hudson (1984) @ 5:18

[@filmcourage]

Indeed! That is the image we used in the beginning of the segment.

[@NotMolly-jf2rh]

Lew and Linda pulled that division crap during the colonies. Moscow on the Hudson?

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

Please EXPLAIN/DEFINE a Beat Sheet!!! You've had previous conversations with other guests where Beat Sheet was mentioned. Not once (that I've seen) has Beat Sheet been defined - only talked about as if everyone knows.

[@CinemaWithSeth]

He goes to the bathroom. Two words, I mean 3 words. Actually it’s 5 😂

[@filmcourage]

We enjoyed that part as well!

[@dai19721]

beat sheets work well in writting comics too.

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

"Moscow On the Hudson" is the Robin Williams movie.

[@filmcourage]

🙏

[@ElenGlazova]

When you have no plan and on a journey, that's exactly when you will make new discoveries.

[@leetaylor781]

Even with a map you can still take a detour and explore.

[@Wordsley]

These Rock!

[@filmcourage]

Paul rocks!

[@dashlaru2]

Is a beat sheet musical?

[@dashlaru2]

Oh, it is music...

[@paolobellucci-g9n]

Do you study such banal things in American film schools? (Paul from Italy)

[@MANZANOADRIAN]

Just let it flow

[@omniscienttentertainmentgr2583]

😂😂Moscow On The Hudson by Robin Williams

[@Matt_Mosley1983]

_"You might end up on a desert island"_ *no airports on desert islands.* _"You might end up in a Communist country"_ *....and?* _"You might end up in a war zone"_ *can't image their airports are very active.* _"You might end up on a beach in the Bahamas"_ *Oh dear God!* _"You write yourself into a corner, and then you don't know how to get out of it"_ *unless you're a good writer in which case you find your way out.* I've written 3 scripts where I made it up as I went along and it made me a better writer because it forced me to find my way out of a corner. It's a great exercise to have people do. Start with an idea, a character and a setting... then go. See where it takes you. You become an audience member as you write.

[@jim9685769]

Agreed. And I’m willing to bet every single one of your movies would be 1,000% better than any of the overly-planned and safe drivel Hollywood is putting out today.

[@NotMolly-jf2rh]

Never trust ANYone in the production tier.

[@wackywankavator]

20 pages a week?!? What makes script writers so much more precious about writing? Scriptures are 50% blank space and another 20% on top of that formatting and jargon.

[@jimjo8541]

Yeah especially an early draft if you have a beat sheet/outline??

[@SacWebDeveloper]

12 actually. 1 ppm, right?

[@thejammod]

My beat sheets are around 40 pages. I write the whole script in the beat sheet, then write the script very quickly.

[@christopherk222]

Interesting 🤔 Yet I think Stephen King would disagree

[@filmcourage]

There are two types of writers - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ep2qe5meqtOibMk

[@christopherk222]

@@filmcourage 👍

[@c.s2193]

Great example. He’s the only successful pantser I know, but at the same this is exactly the reason why I can’t read his books. There’s so much unnecessary information and drawn out scenes that carry no importance. He just writes and writes without a clear understanding of what’s supposed to happen I feel.

[@christopherk222]

@@c.s2193 Oh well. . .

[@christopherk222]

@@c.s2193 Oh well 😄