Interview Session With An Expert on Scriptwriting FAQs: What You Need To Know As A Beginner In The Scriptwriting and Screenwriting Field

 

Have you ever experienced having so many questions wandering around in your mind but no one to ask? Or starting out in a new field with no one to guide and direct you?

In this section, I interviewed an expert on FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) based on Scriptwriting. Our guest Yinka Ogun has revealed deep insight into how he started and a piece of solid advice to up-and-coming scriptwriters and screenwriters. 

Join the conversation below.

Can we meet you?

My name is Yinka Ogun, I’m a screenwriter and content developer, I am also the current president of the screen writers guild of Nigeria and a member of the International academy of television arts and sciences, host of the Emmy awards

What was your experience with the first script you wrote? Were you commissioned to write it?

My first script was a spec script and I didn’t get to sell it, but it authenticated me as a writer, and one of those I showed, commissioned a new script after that.

Can you give us the whole gist?

Okay. I just wrote my first script and pitched it. I pitched it to John Ikem and Reginald Ebere, and he was already an established filmmaker then.

So he liked it and he wanted to shoot the film, but he was torn between my script and another one, by a more established writer. So after some time, he decided to go with the other story, their validation boosted my confidence. And then, when he had another, he engaged me, I wrote a script for him and he went out to shoot it.

How many times does your script get edited throughout the filmmaking process and how do you cope with the result, knowing it may differ greatly from your original piece?

My ideology is to make as many amendments and alterations as the clients require, knowing at the back of my mind that, three people tell a story; The writer, the director, and the editor, and that of the three, I am the least powerful, as the director might decide to yank off what I consider the best scene of the film, and I have no moral or legal recourse against it. So, for the sake of my mental well-being, I diplomatically make my reservations about some required changes, but at the same time, go ahead and do what is required of me.


Did you transition into a filmmaking career or it is what you studied in school?

I studied architecture, spent a few years as a songwriter, started writing theme songs for films, felt I could do better than what I saw in the scripts I was given to read and compose songs from, and decided to give writing a go.

Wow. Did you ever at any point consider venturing into a profession related to your course of study?

I studied Architecture and I actually had a brief stint supervising sites for my old schoolmates, but it was very brief as the allure of Thea rats was too strong for me

What was the journey of BECOMING like?

My journey was very interesting because I came into the industry at a very interesting time when there were a lot of challenges like tribalism and horrible remuneration. Unlike many colleagues then, though, I refused to do ‘other things’ and stubbornly insisted on just screenwriting. It was stressful at the start, but eventually, it paid off.

That's interesting. Can You Explain what the "other things" were?

Props, locations, providing extras ... things like that.

Can you explain the difference between a script and a screenplay?

There are different schools of thought about this, but I belong to that which states that every story-based production works with a SCRIPT, e.g., radio, stage, television, and film, and that script is essentially a documented chronological progression of the story.

While radio is instinctively limited to sound, and makes use of sound effects to enhance the listening experience, Stage also makes up for its limitations by heightened sound, lights and sets, and breaks, between acts.

But for television and film, which come with more sophistication, as they are mostly pre-recorded, which allows for the story to be recorded in no particular chronological order, but later assembled (edited) in its proper order.

This SCRIPT is often referred to as the SCREENPLAY, as it reflects the convenience and sophistication the screen process brings, with tools like, dissolves, fades, cuts, close-ups, and co.

How do you start writing your scripts? Do you start in a linear or non-linear way, with structure or scenes?

I first write a very detailed treatment, using the ‘beat’ structure, so, by the time I’m ready to script, I just deconstruct the treatment and it automatically becomes a beat sheet with the requisite scenes, which I then follow for my script. Of course, a few changes will emerge while scripting, but it will to a large extent, not affect the story.

How do you come up with your characters?

I usually ask myself these five questions, and in answering them, I automatically evolve my characters…

1. What does this character want?

2. What does this character need, to achieve that want?

3. What is stopping that character from achieving that need?

4. Where is the character coming from (Back Story?)

5. What are the particular or peculiar traits that will influence the characters' journey?

Do you include a part of yourself in your scripts; your interest, beliefs, ideologies, etc?

It is very easy to infuse your personality into your story and characters, so, when I’m dealing with a character very different from myself, what I often do is, model my characters on people I know in real life, and every step of the way, constantly ask myself ‘What will the real John have said or done in this situation?’, so, that way, the characters can act and speak differently from me

How do you know your script is completed?

I know my script is finished when I write the last scene from my beat sheet


Now that it is completed, what’s next? Do you enter competitions, pitch to producers, or produce it yourself?

I don’t write spec scripts anymore. I’m either commissioned to write a script, or I’m writing it to film it myself. The only thing I write down are story ideas and sometimes their synopsis. I don’t write treatments because the progression of a story is often influenced by socio-technological influences which change with time

What advice would you give anyone transitioning into the scriptwriting career and where do you suggest they start?

My first piece of advice to upcoming writers is ‘Have another source of income till you have enough clientele to run your life decently, on your earnings as a screenwriter, the second is, your social skills are as important as your creative skills … make every client become a friend and try as much as possible to always conclude a transaction on a happy note for the client.

CONCLUSION

Which part of the discussion resonated deeply with you? Did you gain clarity or have some of your questions answered?

Let us know in the comment box.