Plotting Meeting #1 (aka "The Importance of a Scene-By-Scene Outline")

Some might argue that thinking of an idea for a film is easy. Everyone's had a moment where they've thought "that would be a great idea for a movie!". They've got a beginning, they've got an end, maybe some cool characters, maybe even some cool scene ideas and set pieces.

That's kind of where Nitecrawlers has languished since this past summer. The first draft of the script was written by myself in October 2009, without a "proper" outline. Instead, I worked off a long and messy series of notes and computer documents containing broad scene ideas and super-specific plot elements. The result was a first draft of the script that addressed many individual scene ideas but lacked a cohesive narrative structure. It was more an exercise in writing than a true first draft.

Previously, when Mike and I would come up with a cool scene idea, we would assign it a single descriptive phrase (like "Jason Makes Enemies at School", just to give an example). This usually captured the essence of the scene, but gave no details as to what actually occured. Who is present? Where is it taking place? What is being said? Most importantly, what purpose does the scene serve? What does the scene accomplish in terms of advancing plot points, conveying knowledge to the audience, or giving definition to the characters?

What we lacked (and what I realized was ultimately preventing the script from moving forward into an honest 2nd draft) was a comprehensive scene-by-scene outline. Several popular novelists, including Stephen King, downplay the necessity of an outline. King in particular notes that he used to work off long and elaborate plot outlines, but nowadays just sits down and starts writing, letting the story take him where it may. As someone whose primary craft isn't writing (see my previous blog post), however, I realized that I needed to have Nitecrawlers in front of me in outline form before I could proceed with the 2nd draft.

Plotting a movie is also a lot more deliberate than plotting a novel, even more so if that film is an independent film being done on a limited budget, like Nitecrawlers. Beyond conveying the story, the writer must remain cognizant of both time and budget restraints. For me, simultaneously processing these elements while still trying to move the plot forward was too arduous a task without an outline in front of me, on which most of the "processing" had already been done and laid out.

That's why Mike and I spent most of the day today hashing out Nitecrawlers scene by scene. We started at the beginning of the film, listing the scene number, scene title (that one line description I mentioned earlier), characters, location, and a fleshed out description of the key points and motivations that each scene is responsible for conveying. I found this process to be immensely cathartic, and I highly recommend doing it for any film, and especially doing it with someone.

For one, Mike and I were able to debate each scene and ensure that we were both on board with the plot points and general idea of the scene. Plotting scene by scene together also helped us to recognize any potential plot loopholes, inconsistencies and vagaries and cut them off at the head. We forced ourselves to identify the specific purpose of each scene. On a $200,000 budget, we need to strongly enforce a strict economy of scenes. If it doesn't have a purpose, we can't shoot it. As a film based in the horror genre, we also have to juggle conveying backstories without allowing any one scene to get bogged down with talking heads. And as an ensemble cast film, we need to meticulously plot each scene so that no character gets left behind or their arc neglected.

We made it about halfway through the film today, and we expect to continue tomorrow. Then I'll take our scene-by-scene outline and begin the 2nd draft next week, for a February 1st deadline.

- K