Need help to sort out a complication

[anonymous]

I'm trying my best to keep it as simple as possible, and I will too. So let's see how the draft comes out and if something is amiss, I can always count on you guys to advice me on how to wriggle out of it. Screen writing is a collaborative process, isn't it?

[rnbrewer]

There's always the possibility of simple exposition too. For instance, if Mike and Karina are meant to become close in anyway he could simply (very simply) explain his past and she could do the same. It can be tough writing expository dialogue and more often then not you should always try to SHOW the story, but sometimes there's just no way around it. It's rare, but it does happen.

I would also bear in mind the audience. It's quite possible that the past could simply be implied by the overall story and we won't actually NEED any exposition.

I too would advise trying to fix it in a re-write. Sometimes we just need to get the story out of our heads before we fully realize what the story is and how to tell it. Write it, step back for about week, and then come back with a fresh mind. You might be surprised by the outcome.

[anonymous]

Wow! Thanks for the advice Don, I'll give the draft a stab and if something doesn't look right, I'll fix it on the re-write.

[ScriptNurse]

This sounds like a very complicated story ... very Mission: Impossible-ish.

You're going to all of this trouble an issue "might pop up?" Let it pop and then deal with it at that point in the story. Most stories are not perfect and often "artistic license" is taken, sometimes for expedience and sometimes because it's necessary to NOT introduce another and often distracting layer of complexity to the story.

[anonymous]

Thanks for the tip Don. I do have a story outline in place and honestly I've tried different approaches to lead me in but I'm finding it hard because if I cut out any of the three scenes, somewhere along the line the question: "how and why did this happen?" might pop up. So I'll clarify the story up a bit to give a more complete picture. It isn't the typical log line but well...maybe I'll need some help to develop it into a high-concept story.

The story is about a Mike, a former special agent who has to privately marry, Karina, a terrorist he has illegally ferried into the country to avoid media attention that may dig up a past he's trying to forget, and get her a green card so she/he can't get in trouble with the authorities. But someone else wants Karina for different reasons forcing Mike to get back into a world he's trying to escape from but to find Karina he must get to the bottom of something much bigger going on behind the scenes, an illegal operation that the people involved in it want to remain secret no matter what it takes.

[ScriptNurse]

What's the story REALLY about? WHO is it about?  Why are you writing scenes without a story outline? That said ... then which of these approaches will get you to the meat of the story the FASTEST? I would try and avoid flashbacks ... just show it and get on with it.

[anonymous]

Hi!
I have just started drafting a script but ran into complications right at the start. There are these three scenes  which provide background information about the story and events which happened that affect what happens in the present so, they all have to be in the set-up. The complication is, if I place them back to back, they'll definitely appear disjointed. To give you a picture of what it's all about, below is a sketchy outline of the scenes in question:

1. X's family, held hostage by terrorists, die in an abortive rescue mission headed by Y.
    (X is negatively affected by his family's death)

2. A terrorist, attempts to blow herself and a group of soldiers on patrol. She's arrested.
    (She comes to play a major role in the story)

3. X attends a meeting, they discuss something of vital importance.
    (The story concept is based on the outcome of this meeting)

So, how do I get these scenes in the set-up so I can avoid slipping them in as flashbacks, the problem being that between these scenes and the fourth one, there's a transition across time, two years to be exact.