Sunday Picture Post 27 / Tip: Ask Questions
Photo: 1949, CB&Q via Ian Allan Library
SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: ASK QUESTIONS
Asking questions to and about your guest or host is considered the polite way to have a conversation in France.
Asking questions is also a good way to get your characters and story moving when you are stuck in a rut.
Some questions you might ask of the above picture to get your story moving are:
At what is everyone looking?
From where are they coming?
Where are they going?
Do they know each other?
Are they general passengers?
When was the last time the blond lady had sex? With whom? Why?
Where did she get that pearl necklace?
In life, you can look at anything or anyone and ask questions. The answers will give you story and color your characters.
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUNDAY PICTURE POST
For The Sunday Picture Post, we flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday, I post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, using the image above, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
Comments
4 Responses to “Sunday Picture Post 27 / Tip: Ask Questions”
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Jaden,
Good questions. I have this feeling: What happened before the magic bus? Flash back to this.
We could start with the blond lady. Her facade is beginning to crack. Maybe there are a few people in the bus that are also unhappy. Like the guy directly behind her, and the women a few rows back who looks like Margaret Thatcher.
Sorry I didn’t set it up the appropriate way today – just a rough sketch.
That is really good! I like the magic bus idea a lot.
I was taught that about questions too, and how it benefits the audience who may be asking the same question a character asks, especially if another character has a very important secret that is about to be exposed (this is relating to something new I’m working on).
I don’t have a title, but the word would be “innovation.”
The scene is either an opening or the big reveal of this revolutionary futuristic building that a select few people get to enter. A mix of Fantasy Island meets the World Fair (in Queens).
t.sterling — Sounds like a cool new project. Glad to read.