Writing for the Green Light

by Scott Kirkpatrick

  The Vigilante—The exact circumstances can vary drastically in these films, but they do follow the theme of our leading lady taking justice into her own hands. These stories begin with a young woman who seems to have it all together. Then, someone in her life changes that—this incident must always be an act of violence against her that steals part of her innocence, one that is usually very dark, generally a sex crime. Hurt and vulnerable, she gathers herself and reports the crime to officials. But something goes wrong. Either the officials are corrupt and they pardon the bad guy, or there is some legal loophole and the criminal is set free without punishment. Our leading lady has a choice: She can do nothing (and continue to be victimized), or she can take action and destroy her assaulter. Again, these films don’t always have to be physically violent; for example, Notes on a Scandal (2006) was absolutely a vigilante woman-in-peril thriller (even though our “hero” was the twisted one). But Double Jeopardy (1999) is probably that most cut-and-dry take.

  Don’t Take My Baby—Generally more of a TV Movie-of-the-Week, this is still a highly successful plot that offers a surprising number of storylines. Films in this category can cover a wide range, from exposing adoption loopholes to courtroom custody battles. The point here is that all characters in the film actually want what’s best for the baby, they just have drastically different views on what “the best for the baby” actually means. Incidentally, the baby can be any age; infants are just easier because of the limited time crews can work with child actors on set. These are the films where you will find a young teenage mother down on her luck reluctantly leaving her baby on the steps of a rich person’s home. Darker versions can show a court custody battle go awry when an abusive parent is wrongly granted victory and our lead must fight the system to get her child back. They must end warmly though, with the child reunited only with the character most fit to be its parent (who should always be our leading lady). These stories also work well with themes of extreme optimism, sometimes faith (but only lightly), where a mother’s persistent love is a force to truly be reckoned with.

  All three of the best-selling types of woman-in-peril thrillers are secure choices; no one type is better than another. You should aim your script to fit into TV standards since that is most likely where it will be placed, even though your script format will still be for a feature film. It is best to think out your storyline in a way that follows the standard three-act structure but that also allows for a climactic turn or plot reveal every seven to eight minutes (perfect for that commercial break).

  As with the family Christmas dog adventure, successful woman-in-peril thrillers also have their own set of guidelines for you to keep in mind. Regardless of which of the best-selling types of thrillers you choose to write, they’re all governed by these five rules:

  Your main character must be a woman! Sounds so simple, but a great deal of supposed woman-in-peril thriller scripts have male lead characters. She also must be a very good person, someone every female audience member can relate to while also hoping to aspire to be like (meaning, she seems in control of her life, is effortlessly talented, and seems to just have it all going for her). But this character shouldn’t be completely perfect; she is far from being a picture-perfect model, and so on… . She’s very pretty, but in a way that’s natural and simple (think of the “Girl-Next-Door” type). She also needs to be human (meaning she needs realistic faults).

  Our main character has two enemies: First is the antagonist directly responsible for violently taking a part of our heroine’s innocence; the second is the system in her world that allows this antagonist to walk free or continue victimizing her. The main character must fight against both of these enemies before completing her journey—how that happens is up to you.

  Our main character is the living definition of a moral compass. She’s certainly not a boring Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, but she’s comfortable with who she is and seems to have never felt the temptation to do the wrong thing. This view of life has served her very well, until the violent inciting incident throws her moral compass out of whack and pulls the rug out from under her feet. She now realizes her morals cannot prevent the wrong people from entering her life. She must confront a new understanding of what is right or wrong, realizing sometimes we must commit acts we swore we never would in order to maintain the only thing any of us are able to uphold: our integrity. (This means she must do a full 180 before our eyes in order to restore order to her world.)

  A kind, wise, and balanced character is what propels her towards the transition listed in rule #3. This can be a “new man” she meets, or it can be a close confidant (a parent figure even). When she is at her darkest moment, when her moral compass has been pushed so far out of whack that she is giving up hope, the very fact that this character has entered (or reentered) her life is the ignition switch to find the courage to complete that 180 degree transition.

  Kids are always innocent. Any character under the age of eighteen can only be presented in a way that upholds morality. Even if it is a troubled teenage character who is committing crimes or violent acts, he or she is misguided because of external factors. Infants, toddlers, or any minor, can only be—at their worst—a byproduct or victim of a broken system. They are always symbolic of hope for the future, and the optimism of a better generation ahead.

  That’s pretty much it; the woman-in-peril thriller offers a very large playing field with tons of possibilities for screenwriters. Keep the content TV safe (meaning don’t get to excessive on the graphic content and avoid non-TV-friendly language). At the end of the day, these films are really all about the character (both their development and their journey forward). Develop a very dynamic and strong leading lady, avoid clichés, and really connect with the theme of doing whatever it takes (even going against what you once believed) in order to regain your integrity.

  Get a feel for the high-stakes emotional drama from these real Indie Hollywood woman-in-peril thriller examples: The Nightmare Nanny (2013), Accused at 17 (2009), Stolen Child (2012), or Sexting in Suburbia (2012)… . You can always just switch on the Lifetime Movie Network or other similar basic cable TV station and find a movie in this genre playing.

  Gold-Mine Genre Type #3: The Family-Safe Tween Romance

  This is a very underrated genre that offers writers a lot of creative opportunities. Just like the woman-in-peril thrillers, these require strong character development and innovative plot structures; however, as with the family Christmas dog adventure, the family-safe tween romance is a much more relaxed in its requirements. It’s kind of the best of both worlds; it offers writers creative challenges within a format that won’t be too heavily scrutinized by its readers.

  Family-safe tween romances are an absolute delight for agents and distributors alike… . These might not sell as fast or easily as the family Christmas dog adventure, but when they do sell they sell big. These do very well in the TV space and home entertainment world of DVD and VOD. There are definitely theatricals of this genre type as well, but television and VOD is what really makes this a powerhouse for the industry.

  Nearly every major communications company on the planet holds two or three channels aimed at kids’ content. Schedulers for these channels always have a dilemma on their hands because they need a certain number of hours of “tween”-aged content that is less expensive than the studio titles (and there’s very little of that out there). This is where indie distribution companies come in for the save: They offer these channels packages of Family-Safe (meaning TV-safe) Tween Romances. It’s the family-safe/TV-safe aspect that gets the channels interested, however it’s actually the romance aspect that keeps tweens and teens (regardless of gender) glued to their screens—meaning big boosts in ratings, which increase the ad dollars.

  Don’t forget, this tween-to-teen demographic is the number one purchaser of Transaction VOD content… . Today’s tweens are very comfortable buying (or renting) digital copies of movies via TVOD platforms (e.g., Hulu, Amazon, and iTunes) even if presented wit
h very limited information about the film in advance.

  Family-safe tween romance films are also excellent in the marketing world; producers and production companies are provided with fantastic opportunities to cross-promote with record labels, clothing companies, and merchandising brands. Outside of the studio world, family-safe tween romances are one of the few genres still capable of garnering product placement deals.

  But business aside, the family-safe tween romance is a very fun and engaging genre that should be taken very seriously by new writers. It’s relatively easy to approach (meaning the basic story structure is quite simple), but the opportunities to make it something unique and moving are really an open playing field.

  These films always follow a young girl (age thirteen to sixteen) dealing with her first major problem: She’s the good girl, the one not noticed by the cute boys and not accepted by the popular girls—she’s also realizing being “the good girl” isn’t working for her. She’s average, but with the potential of being something amazing. She has a slate of problems, some from family and some from school (safe problems—avoid the temptation to go into anything crazy here like abuse). But her real problem is that “missing” element in her life that she longs for… . Then she sees him, that amazing boy who makes her weak at the knees. He’s so perfect—he’s also taken by some stuck-up mean girl and part of a completely different social group. (Like, what-ever!)

  We know the story from here: She ends up in some awkward embarrassing situation and that’s the first time she actually talks to him (by force, and out of her comfort zone). She feels like she’s blown it, but he seems to like the fact that she’s different. Then this boy has a problem that he cannot trust his normal social group with, so he depends on our hero girl for support. She agrees to help him, but she’s now reluctant because she must become something she’s not in order to do so.

  Finally, she gets straight about who she is and finds a way to help the boy of her dreams overcome his problem on her own terms (by doing things the right way). The day is saved and she ends up with that amazing guy she never thought she had a chance with (all just by being exactly who she always was—an amazing young woman in the making).

  Add some character names and a goofy best friend and you’re one step closer to a first draft (and your first green light).

  We’ve all been in this girl’s shoes because all of us felt insecure as teenagers! Adolescence is a terrible time: Acne, body-image problems, gym class, and on top of that we all have had that secret crush that would never be… . But this is where you as the writer get to ask the best of all storytelling questions: What if things in your own life had been different? Pull from your experiences; we all have a thousand embarrassing moments from those awkward years that everyone on the planet can identify with.

  The rules on this one are much more specific. There are five of them, and once added to the above general story arc you pretty much have all you need to get a thumbs-up from the readers:

  No sex. These are kids. Assume all are virgins and that the big kiss at the end is the home run they’re all hoping for.

  She has a close circle of three friends, each very eccentric and goofy—this is great for comic relief scenes; the circle must be coed. They are her counsel when she is obsessed with this new guy, but she will turn on them in order to help him. These friends call her out on what she’s turned into, and it hurts to hear the truth. She must go back to them and apologize, but she needs their help to set things right again. This circle of friends is a key component. Spend time—and have fun—developing them. The more eclectic, the better (as long as it seems realistic that they’d all actually hang out together).

  Our hero girl has a special talent that can be used as a secret weapon. She at first is embarrassed by it, seeing it as one of the traits which holds her back, but later realizes it’s the tool she can use to help her big crush out while also regaining trust with her circle of friends. This special talent is something simple: She’s really good at math, she is an amazing public speaker, she has an awesome singing voice, that sort of thing. It’s something tangible (meaning real audiences can identify with it) that is her fallback when everything else is going haywire. But don’t limit yourself; if you feel like pushing the envelope and having your hero possess a secret magic power, go for it! We all pretend and fantasize silly things, these are what make film fun and entertaining. Remember Nickelodeon’s TV series The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994–1998)? A totally fun idea.

  Our hero girl must have an advisor, one that is not her parents nor a part of her clique… . This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but this advisor must appear a minimum of three times conversationally (and must make a fourth non-verbal appearance at the very end—when this advisor sees how our hero girl has made the world right by trusting in herself and fixing things her way—this is when they see each other from across a room and have a personal non-verbal acknowledgement, like a wink or a nodding smile). Teacher characters are great for this, but so is an elderly character from a nearby nursing home, or the spirit or ghost of a lost friend or relative. The more creative the better.

  If any kind of spell or magic can take place to propel the story, the better. This is where your script really takes a leap from “good” to “green light”… . For example, think of a high-concept idea like having a birthday where wishes really could come true, or having the advisor offering a charm bracelet that can make one relive the same day in order to fix past mistakes and finally make it right. This is a really fun concept that we all think about—really ask yourself the “what if” questions here… . What if you could re-live your high school years, what if you had gone for that kiss you’d always wished you had, what if you could have “done it all better.” This “magic” element really makes the film click, both for the audience, and for the agents, producers and development execs who will be reading it.

  And, in a nutshell, that’s a family-safe tween romance film. The most obvious storylines involve high school scenarios—just avoid giant “stadium scenes” (for money reasons)—but don’t forget summer breaks or “forced relocation” scenarios like a family moving from the big city to a small town, which can offer extremely good story opportunities while forcing the script to have a more limited number of characters and settings. And, as briefly described in the Family Dog Christmas Adventure section, these tween films do very well with horses. If the great coming-of-age young boy story focuses on “a boy and his dog,” then the female version would be a “girl and her horse.” Just remember, horses are expensive, so keep their role in check. In addition to equestrian themes, you can also push the sports route with gymnastics, tennis, or ice skating.

  Have fun with this genre; not only is the family-safe tween romance genre a gold mine for a spec script, they’re much more entertaining to write—and read—than you might think. Here are a few real-world examples: 3 Times a Charm (2011), Pop Star (2013), or Jinxed (2013).

  Gold-Mine Genre Type #4: The Creature Feature

  Creature features are not horror films (but they can be); they’re not science fiction (but, again, they can be)… . They are a very specific type of film that can be played out and used in a variety of ways—all while striking a chord with audiences worldwide. They’re visual, easily understandable, and most importantly, entertaining.

  Jaws (1975) is considered a horror film, but it’s actually a creature feature. Alien (1979) is classified as a science fiction film by some, horror by others, and action by a few… . But, again, it’s a creature feature. Know what else is a creature feature? Outbreak (1995)… . Even though our heroes are fighting a virus, that virus is representative of a living (and adapting) entity that must be destroyed.

  The reason creature features work is because of a simple thing we like to call “subtext.” Subtext is a fancy word describing that idea we pull from a film (or a book) that isn’t actually there on the screen or page. Sure, it seems like the underlying theme or storyline is so blatantly obvious,
but if you actually watch the film (or read the dialogue) you realize everything is simply suggestive and you, as the audience member, put together the subtext in your mind. It’s like watching District 9 (2009), a film about aliens forced to live on Earth in slum-like conditions. Although District 9 is a very well-made (well-adapted) science fiction film (not a creature feature), it’s actually very honest to how humans treat one another. So while making no real direct comparisons, people from all over the world read into the film different subtextual themes. For some, they were convinced it was all about Apartheid in South Africa. For others, it was clearly about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. And still for others, it was purely a film about racism in modern society. Nowhere in the film were any of these mentioned, but viewers walked away convinced of what they just saw, based solely upon their background insights and personal experiences. The more interesting phenomenon is that despite which opinion they actually held onto about any of the above hot-button political issues, the film seemed to support their views.

  But before you get tempted with the idea of being “smart” and hiding a secret theme inside a creature feature, think again: The way quality creature features work is by not writing with a political or ideological agenda of any kind (avoiding any intentional subtext). Going in with that approach is a one-way ticket to rejection. Anytime you consciously (or “cleverly”) place themes or ideas into any script, people can smell what you’re doing a mile away and it becomes forced (which reflects very negatively on you). Instead, you’re simply going to take a giant step back, and focus only on a simple storyline and making sure your characters reflect what true human reactions and/or behaviors would be. That is how your reader or audience member will see what they want in the film—and that is when the creature feature becomes a force to be reckoned with.