Deadpool vs Wolverine: Action Movie Structure and Set Pieces

“…Action movies are actually built like musicals. They are built to serve the “arias” of the action sequences in the same way a musical is built to serve the musical numbers.  And just like the songs in a successful musical, what’s happening during the best action sequences is not just a bunch of spectacle taking place within a really cool set piece. Rather, just like the songs of a musical, the action sequences of your action movie must drive the story forward. That means when you're writing your action sequences, you have to think of them as dramatic sequences.  This is especially true on the page. On the screen, a great director can make a scene in which not a lot is going on look so beautiful and exciting that we forget nothing is happening dramatically. On the screen, sometimes the spectacle just carries us away.  But on the page, it is impossibly challenging to capture the full spectacle the way it will look on a giant movie screen. That means we actually have to write better than the writers of these blockbuster action franchises like Deadpool & Wolverine, who are writing for producers who already trust them, audiences who already love them, and directors who are already attached to direct them. There are lots of techniques we use on the page to help convey the feeling of how it will look on the screen. If you're one of my students, you know about Isolating Visual Moments of Action. You know about the many techniques that we can use to hypnotize our readers and allow them to ”see” what’s on the page in their mind’s eye.  But even with all of those techniques, what we can put on the page is never going to capture the full spectacle of what happens on the screen when it’s fully brought to life. What that means is on the page, it's even more important to have a dramatic underpinning to our action sequences. In other words. There needs to be an emotional transaction happening inside of your action sequence..." In this podcast, you’ll learn from Deadpool & Wolverine what a Set Piece is in an action movie, and how to get the most out of the Set Pieces in your own writing, plus: * The structure (and structural challenges) of Deadpool & Wolverine. * How the Engine of the Deadpool franchise works, and how it changes in Deadpool & Wolverine compared to the earlier installments. * How to build an engine for your own action franchise.  * How to craft compelling action sequences by treating them as dramatic scenes with emotional stakes. * How to use unifying themes to balance multiple plotlines in your screenwriting. * How to create unique, visually stunning locations for your scenes. * How to write action on the page that captures the spectacle and drama of your script. * How to balancing spectacle and emotional stakes * How to handle producer notes and development feedback * How to write action sequences with emotional depth * And much more! Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes!