Process Of Rewriting A Screenplay by Mark Sanderson

In this Film Courage video interview, screenwriter Mark Sanderson talks about rewriting a screenplay.
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[@jjkhawaiian]

I enjoy watching Mark giving us his thoughts and talking about his writing process. Since he's out there fighting the good fight, it helps us novice "boxers" get prepared and get our heads ready for the game. Another great video, FC crew!

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Thanks for watching and supporting Film Courage and all they do.

[@cjpapasito]

“The emotional highs have to be higher and the emotional lows need to be lower.” I know what that means, scene by scene rewrite.

[@screenwriterabdullahh.erak2778]

Extremely useful. Thank you Mark and Film Courage.

[@magmovies9323]

I like Mark a lot, he's got this cool attitude and sounds like he knows his stuff 👍🏾

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Thanks, Mag Movies. Thank you for watching and supporting Film Courage.

[@HippySpeedballPodcast]

Amazing video once again! My rewriting is very old school. Pen notes on a hardcopy then going straight back to the laptop. I find it's easier with a physical copy in my hand. It seems it reads differently and allows you to be more objective to your own work, at least to me. Awesome job Film Courage!

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

I agree. Reading a script in hand is a different feeling than on a screen. I like flipping the pages too. I also make notes on the page with a pen to get away from the laptop, as we spend so much time in front of that screen. Keep up the good work and thanks for watching.

[@ClintLoweTube]

Stephen King rewrites his books similarly. Works for him.

[@meg-k-waldren]

Thanks for the upload.

[@ClintLoweTube]

Good job, Film Courage. Thought I'd say it since he said it's nice to hear.😎

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

It's ALWYS nice to hear, Write Heroes! Thank you for watching the interview.

[@JacobPatrick1]

Another great video, thanks again! I especially love the details about the type of notes and responses.

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Thanks for watching and the comments, Jacob! I hope your writing is going well.

[@JacobPatrick1]

Thank you, it is going well. Two in rewrites at the moment. I hope yours is as well.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

ANOTHER great video!!! Good question... Okay, up-front, I'm not exactly a script-writer... Working toward it "Sorta"... I'm a GM (Game Master) and I've written adventures, partial as well as completely, and made fair profits helping out with others... contributory... Even done a few theatrical tid-bits and collab'ed... SO it seems, this is what I've often called "works best in small moves" OR "works best in small doses"... I particularly liked the mention of "broad strokes"... as it paints the reality that some people apparently don't even seem to know what they want! Maybe, if they did, they wouldn't need someone like me to make it for them. They could just as easily buy the thing I've got for a short-cut to the thing, and fix it themselves "on the fly"... SO there's that. Sometimes (maybe a fair chunk of the time?) you make small "fixes" to test and see if it's the desired place for fixing it, AND to be sure it's fixing in the desired direction. In reference to the "emotional highs being higher"... Well, is that the emotional angst? Emotional reaction being more visceral? Any particular emotion? Does this guy say that because he wants to cry about it or laugh about it??? SO you fix... Stuck in the dark on the matter, you can find a "cry-spot" and dig the figurative hole a bit deeper... Purple up the prose just a hair, adding a couple syllables to the emotional words and adjectives, and read aloud until the "flavor" is as salty as it should be, and then move on... Maybe as long as you're at it, you pick a "giggle spot" and swap it around for a "huge great guffaw"... angle a little more abrasively toward the utterly ridiculous... BUT you have to be careful... This gets turned in and you can expect one of two or three reactions. If this client wants more laugh than cry, he'll pull back or confirm "the emotional low is low enough"... but the high needs work... OR he's going to LOVE something, just as it is, and you can "weedle" the truth about what not to touch... Threaten a part... and gauge his reaction. You've got it right on that "high" or "low" when the script needs work, "BUT don't you dare change that... dressed as Mr. Peanut and trampled by an elephant... Genius!" AND you know a bit more about who or what you're working for... It's unfortunate that we (writers) have to play psycho-analysts so often... AND it's slow going when you can't get "straight answers"... BUT you rarely get "straight answers" out of any clients for any "art"... SO you sigh, you fix, retro-fit, recycle, rehash, and "move small" until you've probed enough to figure out what "exactly"(?) you really think you're doing. Funny enough? It's a lot like that with sketchworks, painting, and even sculpture... ;o)

[@domenico9992]

Notes or not, I always rewrite my material

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Smart move. Writing is all about - rewriting.

[@domenico9992]

@@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat Yeah! I love the extra layer of ideas and subtext one applies with each new draft. It would be nice to actually have someone read that material and appreciate that extra work. But that's a different story :) Anyway thank you very much for your advices!

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Yes, many times we don't get the validation we deserve. But I always say, we as writers know what we did and when you're on set it's the best feeling to see actors say your lines. Oh and when you get paid and a credit - that helps too!

[@JackMarchetti29]

After seeing a few films of mine get produced, I'm pretty sure there'd be no way I could be on the set watching someone else make it. The control freak in me comes out and I start losing it when actors improv a different line without thinking that the line was a set up to a pay off in the 3rd act and now that's gone - for example :) hah

[@ClintLoweTube]

Maybe you should be director, too.

[@JackMarchetti29]

I wish. I've only done a couple of shorts so I'm still not experienced enough in some network's eyes.

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Detach! It helps over the long haul. But I know what you mean. I was on set of one of my films and stood behind the star as he was scratching out lines on the sides and rewriting his own. I left and went to the craft service table! LOL! Hey, that sushi was great!

[@JackMarchetti29]

yeah I'm all for them making the lines their own but I just shake my head when they change lines that are there to setup things 40 pages later - it's almost like we plan these things out and the words aren't just randomly tossed in.

[@joshliam1967]

Incredibly inspiring video, love it. :)

[@filmcourage]

Thanks Josh, which part inspires you?

[@joshliam1967]

The part where Mark talks about the film festival! Not only because the actor he'd grown up watching turns to him after the movie to say "Great job, Mark," (Which in itself is awesome), but then in the Q&A the star of the movie says, "People always say to actors what they say is genius, but without the writer there would be nothing to say." That makes me think all of the hard work will be worth it, because having a moment like that shows good work does not go unnoticed.

[@filmcourage]

Indeed those are the special moments within a journey that includes a lot of hard work.

[@RioBroski]

Two thumbs video! 👍👍 Good stuff!

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Thanks, Maurio! And thank you for watching.

[@antoniobrewer13]

Good stuff

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Antonio.

[@robertsontirado4478]

Wonder how much does he makes each individual project. How can people see my stuff?

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Watch Film Courage videos. Write something producers just can't ignore. Network. Be a good contact. Build your professional reputation with every action you take. Build your integrity. Write another script, and another. You should have three solid scripts ready to go when you send the first one out. And keep dreaming.

[@marieb5251]

I wish you would make the distinction in your titles between film and TV screenplays. Writing for TV is a completely different game. These videos are misleading to newbie writers who watch your videos, as you can see from some of the comments below.

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

How is TV a completely different game with regards to the process of rewriting a screenplay? TV doesn't always mean network or cable TV - it's also streaming with movies produced for HULU, AMAZON, NETFLIX, HBO, etc. for the internet. Netflix produces feature films that never end up in the theaters. I've written several feature indy films for theatrical as well and there is no difference in the rewriting process. That is what this video is about. There is not some mysterious method to rewriting a script, be it a theatrical feature of a TV movie. They are screenplays. You will receive notes in the development process and hopefully you will be able to execute those notes and be the final writer until production. Yes, the time frame varies per producer, and WGA gives you approximately 3 weeks to do your first rewrite and 2 weeks for a polish. A producer gives you notes, you make the changes, they come back with more notes. There will be changes with every project. Some rewrites are more extensive than others and some polishes can take three days - you never know. This video is about the process of rewriting on screenplays - your own specs or assignment jobs for producers.

[@Doitforyoself]

man... sounds like he only does like 2 or three drafts on his scripts. I rewrote my last script before sending it out some 20+ times. Guess that's the difference between being a pro and an amateur.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

It depends... To the greater degree, it's more about "beginner and seasoned" BUT with caveats... If you've been at it for years with a particular group, you already kind of understand (automatically) what that group's "jargon" is about... Then it's possible (or more feasible) to get one or two sets of notes and the rewrites practically do themselves... Change groups, and you're "back to square one"... SO you rewrite in "small moves"... Like in the vid' where he says "You don't want to be further and further away"... BUT it's not so easy (even with "fairly" specific notes) to keep closing on the thing "they" want to fix... or in the direction it needs fixing. SO you "move small"... make little adjustments, and sometimes that's enough to incur some patience while you "decode" everything the group is asking for. I really HATE when people aren't specific about what they want... On the other hand, if they actually KNEW what they really wanted, they wouldn't need people like me to make it for them. They could do that all on their own... so just buy the bare-bones thing and fix it along the way "on the fly" so to speak... right? SO we decode. Now, keep in mind, most of my work is either theatrical in nature (still takes writing, believe it or not) OR is done for RPG's in the context of a box of instructions for someone at home to flesh out a whole adventure for a bunch of his friends... AND "Never does the right hand quite understand what the hell the left is up to." OF course, there's the "other side of the screen". He's not going to tell you just how many times he rewrote a particular script. For one, it's not particularly necessary. For another, it's different with every script. Sometimes a script is perfectly written almost out of the box, because the crew is invested in Arizona, the Script is for Arizona, and the one or two locations that might be "difficult" can just as easily be "faked" in any warehouse with a temperature range above a hundred degrees... Other times, it's got to be re-written for Alaska, because that's the only location available. "good luck"... It depends. (possibly two of the most ubiquitous words in the business with the WORST kinds of connotation)... ;o)

[@marieb5251]

No, it's the difference between writing for TV and film. Most film scripts are rewritten 100x.

[@meg-k-waldren]

I actually laughed when he said, "the first draft was solid." I thought to myself, wow, I've got a long way to go. That's cool though. As long as my finished product is good I can accept my process for what it is, and not dwell on its shortcomings too much.

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

Specs are different for sure. You don't have a contract and you are not being paid, so you can write five or six or seven drafts - or fifty until you feel it's ready. When you start working professionally, you'll learn that your first draft has to be solid if your writing for Tv movies or indie or theatrical movies. No producer wants to spend years in development. If you have a solid outline going in that has been authorized, it helps a lot. Your first drafts that you turn in have to be like a solid "7" with some room for improvement. If not, you'll get fired and they will hire another writer. When you work professionally, this is the level you must work at if you want the producer to hire you again. That goes for TV movies or theatrical films. And TV doesn't always mean TV - it's also HULU, AMAZON, NETFLIX, HBO, etc. That's why I believe if you strive for a great first draft and beyond when writing your specs, you will be training yourself for the time when you do find an assignment job.

[@MarkSandersonakaScriptcat]

And TV doesn't always mean network or cable TV - it's also HULU, AMAZON, NETFLIX, HBO, etc. You can rewrite your specs twenty times to get it right. The more you write, the better you become and the faster you become. When you work professionally, it's still different for every script and with every producer. I did eight drafts of one project as it had a number of production changes in addition I was on set doing rewrites. Sometimes you get lucky and nail it. Other times, it's a long slog. I've also done rewrites as a script doctor on projects that have been in trouble and stalled in development hell. Sometimes they've previously had seven or eight drafts, and I have to start fresh from page one - hence the term "page one rewrite." The locations are not scouted until a script is ready for the pre-production stage and locations change. So, once the director and producer take a look, they can have me do a "production polish" to make those production necessary changes. It's not changes to story or character, but the sheer technical production realities. The movies made for TV have a production development schedule that is faster than features, yes. But, I've written indie films with a fast schedule too. So it depends.