Screenwriting Contest 2018 | CLOSED

BLOCKING & PARENTHETICALS

INT. HARD IRON GYM - MIDNIGHT

The Screenwriter pumps iron. They -

Flex. Pull. Lift. Struggle. Sweat. Repeat.

Rep after rep.

Hard Iron is packed for such a late hour.

College kids & fit moms battle for spots at the weight machines. No one notices -

As Screenwriter ducks out.

CUT TO:

INT. GYM BATHROOM - MIDNIGHT

Modern, but basic. White walls with motivational posters. One sink, one urinal, one stall.

Toweling off sweat, Screenwriter flexes in the mirror.

THE SCREENWRITER
Blocking is a lot like going to the gym with a fitness plan. You have all your moves that you need to do in order to get a good workout in, and usually you only have a certain amount of time to do it in. The difference is, blocking isn't always a workout. Blocking can be a little thing like...

The Screenwriter snags their water bottle off the sink and gulps liquid.

THE SCREENWRITER (CONT')
Like drinking water. Or dropping a spoon. Or eating a hot dog. The best way to write blocking is to try and write a small scene without any dialogue at all. None. And your character can't be a mime, they can't mouth out words, they can't sit writing a diary about what they think. You can only make them do things without talking.

Screenwriter bites their lip, thinking. Then adds -

THE SCREENWRITER (CONT')
To make it a little easier, you're allowed ONE other character. But the second character can't be awake or conscious. They have to be asleep, unconscious, or dead. And, here's the kicker, your scene should reveal something about this character that we did not expect out of them. Here's a rough example:

" INT. DORM ROOM - 11 A.M.

The after party ended here last night. Trash, booze, and other human waste covers every inch of the room. Dead center -

A giant pile of clothes.

It moves. A small shake. Then the clothes tumble as -

COLLEGE BOY emerges next to COLLEGE GIRL, who is asleep.

He blinks and squints at the lighting, clearly hungover. When he tries to get up he finds -

His arm is stuck under College Girl! He's trapped!

He tries to tug it out without waking her, but it's no use. He searches left and right for something to help and sees -

A wine bottle. Perfect!

His free arm stretches to reach it, barely grasping the neck of the bottle before pulling it in. With one smooth tug -

He pulls his arm out from under the college girl and replaces his arm with the wine bottle. She doesn't wake.

College boy stands, finds clothes that fit well enough, and bolts.

But -

He comes back. Plucks a rose from an overturned vase and sets it beside College Girl. Kisses her cheek goodbye.

Then he leaves for good. "

That's a scene with no dialogue that tells a story! It also features a twist ending in which we find out something about our character that we didn't expect. He's a gentleman! Not a schmuck like we thought he might turn out to be! How unexpected! So, now it's your turn! Short, simple, and end it with a twist. Only describe the main important actions. I don't need to know every breath they take, or every time they pick their nose. Good luck! Comment your finished scenes here!

(Story idea credit: Jonathan O'Brien)
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

THE SCREENWRITER (CONT')
Now, onto parentheticals. These are used before or between dialogue to help the actor understand any important mannerisms their character goes through. A parenthetical would look like this:

DUDE MAN
(Laughs)
No way. I'm not dressing up as a clown for a bank heist. That's sooooo Heath Ledger.

Or, it can look like this:

RAD GIRL
You better believe it...
(then, solemn)
...She's dead. For real this time.

Or even this:

BOB
What's that thing called again? Is it -
(he smirks, then whispers)
- cheating? Cause I'm pretty sure going to a hotel with a woman while your wife's away is cheating. And... I've got the pictures to prove it.

🚫BUT, BE CAREFUL‼️Parentheticals are NOT blocking. Here's what not to do in a parenthetical:

🚫CHARACTER
(turns her head, arches her back, stirs her coffee, takes a sip, drops the coffee cup)
I wish it was Friday.

Make sure your parenthetical gives an actor EMOTIONAL direction. When they do something like drop a coffee cup, that is blocking. Not a parenthetical. ❌Do not ever use a parenthetical like this:

❌MONICA
I guess it would be nice to see her.
(beat)
Except she's a horrible person.
(pause)
But I still love her. She is my mother.

🚫Never use "beat" or "pause" as a parenthetical. It's the telltale sign of a novice screenwriter.🚫 If your dialogue is good enough, the actor can find moments of pause in it without you putting in a hundred beats/pauses. Trust the actor to understand your dialogue. A good actor can understand their lines, and understand when to pause. Now, with that said... it's time to make your own!!! Give me a short bit of dialogue with one of the styles of parentheticals shown above! Comment yours below!!!! I read everything!