Shownotes
Episode 90 - Character Development and Script Writing Strategies
In this episode of the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast,Jaclyn and guest Shelly Paino discuss essential screenwriting techniques, delving into the value of thorough character development, realistic conflicts, and rigorous pre-planning to avoid extensive rewrites. Collaboration and feedback are highlighted as crucial elements in refining scripts and gaining new perspectives. The episode underscores the iterative process of scriptwriting, the necessity of constant revisions, and never settling for less than the best output.
Highlights Include:
- Writing Strategies for Minor Characters
- Brainstorming and Character Development
- Attracting Actors with Memorable Roles
- One Location Characters
- Character-Driven Storytelling Techniques
- Learning from Mistakes
- The Importance of Organizing Your Story in Advance
- The Value of Peer Feedback
- Getting Professional Feedback
- Setting your Script Aside
Bio:
Shelly Paino is a produced and award-winning screenwriter who has been writing for 25 years, completing over 50 projects including feature scripts, shorts and pilots. Produced works include an adapted feature film, two award-winning shorts and two series pilots. She regularly writes on assignment for producers and directors with several projects in development starring talent such as Eric Roberts and Todd Terry.
Most notable awards include Best Screenplay at Canadian International Faith and Family Film Festival in 2020 and Content Media Conference and Film Festival in both 2020 and 2021.
Crowning Lori Website: https://crowninglorimovie.com
Shelly on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9627536/
Shelly on FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/shellypaino
Shelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-paino-06a4a85b/
Screenwriting Foundations Class: https://www.faffassociation.com/screenwriting-foundations
VIP Producers Mentorship Program https://www.faffassociation.com/vip-producers-mentorship
The Faith & Family Filmmakers podcast helps filmmakers who share a Christian worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. Releasing new episodes every week, we interview experts from varying fields of filmmaking; from screenwriters, actors, directors, and producers, to film scorers, talent agents, and distributors.
It is produced and hosted by Geoffrey Whitt and Jaclyn Whitt , and is brought to you by the Faith & Family Filmmakers Association
Support Faith & Family Filmmakers Our mission is to help filmmakers who share a Christian Worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. If you would like to assist with the costs of producing this podcast, you can help by leaving a tip.
Enter the Faith & Family Screenwriting Awards festival
Faith and Family Screenwriting Academy: https://www.faffassociation.com/
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Copyright 2024 Ivan Ann Productions
Transcripts
You're listening to the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast.
Jaclyn:My name is Jaclyn, and today I have Shelly here with me, Shelly Pano.
Jaclyn:This is the second interview, and so if you want to get to know Shelly, you can go back and listen to her first interview.
Jaclyn:But I want to get into some writing strategies.
Jaclyn:At the end of the last interview, we started talking about minor characters, and writing minor characters in a way that makes them interesting.
Jaclyn:And for example, you wrote a specific character in a project that was a minor character, but you wrote him in a way that made him unpredictable and interesting and it attracted an actor.
Jaclyn:is that something that you keep in mind when you're writing?
Shelly:I do now.
Shelly:I didn't always, especially when it is a minor character, but that's where you can kind of play with, somebody's personality.
Shelly:I got that One time I was writing a romantic comedy and the male was the main character and the love interest.
Shelly:When somebody else read it, they said, you haven't written this to attract an A lister.
Shelly:what are they gonna see in this role?
Shelly:What is the love interest
Jaclyn:Mm hmm.
Shelly:see in this role that they want to play this?
Shelly:And I hadn't thought of that.
Shelly:I was focusing on the main character.
Shelly:So, I think brainstorming comes into it so much.
Shelly:You can just throw a hundred things at the wall.
Shelly:What if he's this?
Shelly:What if he's ? What, what if she.
Shelly:You know, and I think in that one, I, I had this whole thing with, her dad who was gone now, and, he said, look for somebody funny, and she ends up falling in love with a, comedian, but she's very serious.
Shelly:So there was a lot to explore there, where I had, left it unexplored before.
Shelly:So I think brainstorming comes in so much more than I ever thought it did.
Shelly:And, And I can tell when I don't do enough of it, when somebody reads something and they kind of say, well, what about this?
Shelly:And I'm like, I never got into that person's.
Shelly:past and their personality.
Shelly:this person who I'm writing comes with a whole past and experiences.
Shelly:So, can I make them weird?
Shelly:Can I make them super serious?
Shelly:Can I, you know, it's to explore all the options because it might be the 10th one that you go, oh, that could be really fun.
Shelly:And, and all of a sudden it just, it's writing itself at that point.
Jaclyn:Yeah.
Jaclyn:I definitely do the same thing.
Jaclyn:My writing mentor told me something very similar.
Jaclyn:He told me, you know, you want to write to attract a good actor, right?
Jaclyn:And especially, you know, when you're starting out as a writer, and potentially moving into producing something of your own, if you can write something that would attract an actor to be willing to work for a lower rate, uh, because they just love the role.
Jaclyn:Um, that's moving your project way further ahead, not only because you're actually attracting a good actor, but because that means that the project is probably going to be better received.
Jaclyn:be able to get distribution and stuff.
Jaclyn:So it helps the whole thing along just from the writing process if you can write in a way that would attract actors because then most likely it's also going to attract an audience.
Jaclyn:so let's kind of talk about some different strategies for how we do that.
Jaclyn:I'll start with one that I focus on is when I know that I have an actor or a character, let's say, um, a character that is going to be in the same location throughout the entire story.
Jaclyn:I definitely want to write that character to be a character that would attract a bigger named actor.
Jaclyn:The reason is because when it's filming, if all of that character's, scenes are in one location, that means that they're going to film them all at the same time.
Jaclyn:And so bringing in that bigger actor means that they're going to be on set for one, maybe two days.
Jaclyn:You know, so they're spread throughout the movie.
Jaclyn:So the audience isn't going to feel like, I only ever saw them twice, you know,
Shelly:ha,
Jaclyn:you want to see them throughout the movie, but, you know, in that location, the fact that they're only ever in that one location.
Jaclyn:And so, of course, you have to write the character that it makes sense to be only in that location, like maybe it's a coworker.
Jaclyn:So you only see them at work or something like that.
Jaclyn:Um, but then, you know, that.
Jaclyn:it's going to be easier to afford to get somebody to fill that role.
Jaclyn:And I love writing roles where it's like, this character is at risk of stealing the entire show.
Shelly:I love that.
Jaclyn:Yes,
Shelly:That's what people are going to remember about, we very rarely remember the main plot line of a movie.
Shelly:We like all the other stuff.
Shelly:you know, the main plot line is just like the track that it, it travels on, but it's all the other stuff that's going on in the,
Jaclyn:Yeah, and that's where all of the, you know, any one liners that could come out of it.
Jaclyn:It's going to come from those characters, not usually going to come from the main character.
Jaclyn:You know, I mean, look at Princess Bride.
Jaclyn:Like, who is even the main
Jaclyn:character in that one?
Jaclyn:Like, if you think about it, because there's so many characters that are so lovable and that you want to follow all of them, right?
Jaclyn:And, and there's So many one liners that have come out of that movie and just, yeah, when you can write characters in a way that are going to be so memorable,
Jaclyn:it's gonna be gold,
Shelly:right.
Shelly:And you don't even care who's the main character.
Shelly:I'm like, what is even, do I even still remember the plot?
Shelly:It was like,
Shelly:he's trying to start a war, you know, he's in the war making business or something, but that's not what we remember.
Jaclyn:Yeah,
Shelly:movie.
Shelly:We, quote movies all the time in my house.
Shelly:It's
Shelly:like our love language.
Jaclyn:That's funny.
Jaclyn:Um, yeah, so do you have any other strategies or things that you do for, um, for writing memorable characters?
Shelly:I've gotten to work with a lot of actors in developing things.
Shelly:If they have an idea, I kind of, um, and I know I'm going to be writing it.
Shelly:We kind of go back and forth and I was working with an actress recently, and I think we were trying to brainstorm together on the phone and we were kind of getting are wires crossed and everything.
Shelly:I was like, what's happening right now?
Shelly:And I realized she's thinking of character first, and that writers don't do that.
Shelly:Writers think of story first.
Shelly:And she kept saying, Who's the character?
Shelly:Who's the character?
Shelly:And I was like, I don't know yet, because I don't know what the story is.
Shelly:We have to figure out what the story is.
Shelly:Then I choose who that character is for that situation to make it the most
Jaclyn:Mm hmm.
Shelly:you know, just used a random example with somebody, I'm like, if I tell you that, I'm coming up with something where, a guy finds a treasure map.
Shelly:You're like, okay, well, that's, been done, but it's interesting.
Shelly:and then we say, okay, who's this character?
Shelly:Maybe he's somebody who's afraid to go outside.
Shelly:Maybe he has phobias.
Shelly:So it's like for that storyline, who can we make this person into that's going to have the biggest experience over the adventure.
Jaclyn:Yeah, yeah.
Jaclyn:Like, what does it take
Jaclyn:in order for this adventure to happen?
Jaclyn:Okay, that's what this character is not
Shelly:right, yeah, exactly.
Shelly:And how are they going to be at the end, and how far away from that can I take them
Shelly:So that what they do is stretching them so far.
Shelly:and what you were talking about, I was just talking about this with somebody that there have been actors who have won Oscars, who were on the screen for less than 15 minutes.
Shelly:So it's these minor roles that these actors can really dig into and do something amazing with.
Jaclyn:Yeah, yeah.
Jaclyn:And giving them something that is a challenge, something that would get them to stretch themselves, right?
Jaclyn:Because, like, when you think about, say, for example, a rom com, typically, there's not a lot of room for how the leads are going to move.
Jaclyn:be portrayed.
Jaclyn:I mean, yeah, they have their own character, but you know that there's going to be this love interest and they're not going to like each other at first.
Jaclyn:And then they're going to be forced into a situation to spend time together.
Jaclyn:And then they're going to develop a respect and an appreciation for each other.
Jaclyn:And it'll work into, you know, a love story in the end.
Jaclyn:Okay, there we go.
Jaclyn:but in order to you know, write something that would be to make that story something that's interesting and not just like, there's the predictable pattern.
Jaclyn:Well, you already know the predictable pattern.
Jaclyn:You're in it for the characters, right?
Jaclyn:Like a lot of movies in the beginning, first 10 minutes in a movie, most of the time I already know exactly what's going to happen.
Jaclyn:So watching it all the way through, it's not about seeing if I'm right.
Jaclyn:It's watching how do they get there and enjoying the characters along the way.
Jaclyn:It really is about being able to connect with the characters and enjoy them, because most of the time, you know how it's going to end.
Jaclyn:Even if you're not exactly sure, you've got a pretty good sense.
Jaclyn:Like, you know, okay, I know I'm watching a rom com.
Jaclyn:Doesn't matter that they hate each other right now.
Jaclyn:I know they're going to end up together.
Jaclyn:the question is how, and, so then the how includes all of these other characters that are involved in, in the journey.
Shelly:yeah.
Shelly:And is this relatable?
Shelly:Do I know people that are like this?
Shelly:I put so many, I've never written anybody based on somebody I know, but there's little fragments of probably everybody, you know, and their experiences.
Shelly:when I'm brainstorming, it's like, Okay, well, I can use my grandparent's divorce, which I wasn't even around for, you know, I can use, something that my best friend went through and, what she told me about, or, you know, what if this person that I know who's very quirky was in this situation?
Shelly:So I we do draw on things that we've been through and, and I think that makes it relatable to people it is real because it's real.
Jaclyn:Yeah, exactly.
Jaclyn:And that's, how we connect with the characters, even when they are extreme, you
Jaclyn:know, and, and a lot of the time, the more extreme characters are more fun.
Jaclyn:but you know, another reason.
Jaclyn:Why I like to write, very different characters is because then that way they all have their own voice.
Jaclyn:And, you know, when you can read a script, and you don't even have to really pay attention to the character name, you know who's talking.
Jaclyn:You can hear them, like, you, you know.
Jaclyn:and you can actually pick out, like, there's been times where I, you know, I have someone look at one of my scripts in an earlier draft, and they tell me, like, did you mean to write this other character here?
Jaclyn:Because this line doesn't sound like this character.
Jaclyn:I'm like, oh, yeah, you're right.
Jaclyn:That was supposed to be that one, not this one.
Jaclyn:Um, but they could tell, because the characters had very distinct voices, that when you accidentally write the wrong character name above the dialogue, it's obvious that's got to be a mistake.
Jaclyn:It's not.
Jaclyn:that character talking, that's not how they talk.
Shelly:Right.
Shelly:Yeah.
Shelly:And every character has a goal in a scene.
Shelly:I didn't think like that at the beginning either, but everybody who's participating, even if it's just, I'm trying to get this paper signed, or I'm trying to leave for the day, so somebody always has a point of view and a thing that They're trying to do, and that's where the conflict comes from.
Shelly:I used to think of conflict, like arguing, fighting.
Shelly:it's not that at all.
Shelly:It's just that this character wants this and another character is opposing them in some way, not even on purpose sometimes.
Shelly:So it's like, ugh, this person is talking to me and I'm trying to leave
Shelly:. Jaclyn: Right.
Shelly:Yeah, Yeah, That's awesome.
Shelly:So what other kind of, tips or tricks or tools, what do you use to get a script to be the best that it can be so that it can win awards or get produced?
Shelly:I have learned from my mistakes and I have written down questions that I ask myself about every script.
Shelly:And every idea that I get, I put it through like the gauntlet.
Jaclyn:Mm
Shelly:and it usually changes the idea.
Shelly:So when somebody else comes to me and they have an idea, I start putting it through this gauntlet and it starts to change and they start to get uncomfortable with that.
Shelly:But, I'm like, I'm doing this for a reason.
Shelly:Cause I've written whole screenplays.
Shelly:For example, one of them, the first one is what's the hook.
Shelly:if you write an amazing film.
Shelly:And film it, spend millions of dollars.
Shelly:But if people don't want to watch it based on what you said it was about, if they're not like, Oh yeah, I want to watch that.
Shelly:and that's, You know, it just comes from pitching stuff people you write it.
Shelly:my next one is main character, what's their goal and what's the obstacle?
Shelly:I wrote an entire screenplay where the main character is just reacting to things that are happening to him.
Shelly:He doesn't have a goal, and I couldn't figure out, I kept rewriting it and rewriting it.
Shelly:And I finally figured this out.
Shelly:yeah, you have to have basically a process that you take a story through before you just start writing Fade In.
Shelly:I think that's really important.
Shelly:Why people get really excited about something and then they get partway through it and they're like, oh wait, so a fan of save the cat But even you know a lot of people they don't like to beat sheep that I do like to I prep a lot and it saves me.
Shelly:It's it's It doesn't mean that I don't have to rewrite.
Shelly:I always have to rewrite.
Shelly:the rewriting is almost never done.
Jaclyn:Right.
Shelly:Um, which you know, any time I start to be like, okay, now it's good.
Shelly:I'm like, I should know never to say that
Shelly:because there's always something else.
Shelly:But, Yeah, just putting it through the paces and running it by other people and seeing if somebody else might see something that, you don't see.
Shelly:So does your main character transform?
Shelly:Um, are there high stakes?
Shelly:I think I've written, screenplays.
Shelly:I think the romantic comedy might've been one of them.
Shelly:It's like, well, what happens if they don't get together?
Shelly:Oh,
Shelly:well, you know, plenty of fish
Shelly:in
Shelly:the
Shelly:sea.
Jaclyn:guess they just, go back to their own lives,
Jaclyn:no
Shelly:I know, make a dating profile, because that
Shelly:didn't work out.
Jaclyn:Yeah, exactly.
Shelly:So, so yeah, it's, it's just learning from the mistakes.
Shelly:I even got asked recently when I pitched a movie that I had written, they said, well, what's the takeaway?
Shelly:And I did have an answer, but I almost didn't.
Shelly:So, it's like, I ask myself that.
Shelly:What other movies is it like?
Shelly:I ask
Shelly:myself that one, because they're, people are going to want comps,
Shelly:and you don't want to write it and then be trying to find comps.
Shelly:you want to write a movie that is similar to something that did really well,
Shelly:so that you can say, it's like this, But a little bit different.
Shelly:And then already they're thinking, because the people you're going to pitch it to are going to have to sell it, not only to the actors, but to the audience.
Shelly:And to the funders, you know,
Shelly:so yeah, you got to be thinking like a producer when you're, writing it, which a lot of
Shelly:people are like, but, but it's art.
Shelly:it
Shelly:is, but,
Jaclyn:it is, but
Jaclyn:it's
Jaclyn:not a hobby.
Shelly:exactly.
Jaclyn:It's also a business.
Jaclyn:I like what you were saying about being organized and, you know, whether you use Save the Cat or some other method, the point is to know where you're going, right?
Jaclyn:Like to get organized and make sure that you have all the pieces that you need in order to make it work before you dive in and start working.
Jaclyn:Because if you realize while you're in the middle of a project, Oh, I actually don't have this piece of it.
Jaclyn:Then you have to figure out how to rewrite it in a way that brings that into the story.
Jaclyn:And that can be very difficult.
Jaclyn:And I will say that from experience because that was my method for a long time because writing, was a hobby for me.
Jaclyn:And so then I would just write what I wanted to write.
Jaclyn:And I didn't really think about, you know, like, does this have to even be a good story?
Jaclyn:It was just, I like these characters, and I like this situation, and so I'm going to write it, and
Shelly:Right.
Shelly:I
Jaclyn:so I just ran with it, and so that was definitely something I had to learn the process of getting organized before I sit down to write, but man, being organized, I can write so fast now.
Jaclyn:Like, now that I know these are the questions that I need to answer in order to know that I have a story that's going to work,
Jaclyn:okay, once I can answer those, and then I write, like, the writing practically writes itself, because now I know all the things that I need to know, it's not like I'm sitting there watching it unfold in my brain and then typing it onto, my computer and kind of figuring it out as I go, and I have written scripts that way, which means that I have rewritten multiple times.
Jaclyn:Yeah.
Shelly:Or sometimes, just walked away.
Shelly:I'm not fixing
Jaclyn:yeah, exactly.
Jaclyn:I have some where I'm like, you know what?
Jaclyn:I had fun writing it and that's not gonna get rewritten because it's just, it's gonna be such a mess to try to get back in there.
Jaclyn:And, and to be honest, some stories aren't really worth it in the end.
Jaclyn:I think it's important when you're a new writer to understand that.
Jaclyn:The first few scripts that you write are most likely going to be a really good experience and exercise for you, but you may not have, um, the story itself may not have the depth that it needs in order to actually move into production.
Jaclyn:and not to take that personally.
Jaclyn:That's totally fine.
Jaclyn:Or you may have to rewrite it entirely in order to make it be something that would be worthy of producing.
Jaclyn:But I think it's important to, to go into writing, with realistic expectations and to know that, you don't necessarily have gold the first time
Jaclyn:you try something.
Shelly:Right?
Shelly:It
Shelly:doesn't start out perfect.
Jaclyn:exactly, exactly.
Jaclyn:And that's where having, you know, other writers to talk to, and to share stuff back and forth, that's definitely going to help the process of improving your, your skills.
Jaclyn:And even, the process of giving feedback.
Jaclyn:Like when you and I started sharing scripts back and forth, and you asked me for feedback on one of yours, it made me think differently, right?
Jaclyn:It made me put on a different hat, and so I was reading more objectively, and it really taught me how to, um, I guess how to see my own work that way as well.
Shelly:Yeah, somebody's gonna read this
Shelly:somebody's gonna hopefully want to make this movie.
Shelly:Can I back up what I have put in here?
Jaclyn:yeah.
Jaclyn:yeah.
Shelly:What I was thinking about too is that it's way easier to rewrite an outline than it is to rewrite an entire script.
Shelly:And It's a lot less work when it's in a short form.
Shelly:You can see the plot holes a
Jaclyn:yeah.
Jaclyn:yeah.
Shelly:So it, it does help to do that prep work.
Jaclyn:Yeah, actually, people come to me sometimes to ask, like, because I do offer, uh, consultation, and, and so they ask, like, so should I come to you at the beginning, or do you want me to write it first, or whatever?
Jaclyn:And I'm like, okay, here's where I think the best bang for your buck is gonna be.
Jaclyn:When you have your idea and you have written out your outline, like in, or you at least are in the process of developing all of that, that's where you want to get your consultation.
Jaclyn:You want to make sure that your story is something that is ready to write.
Jaclyn:So that's where you want to get consultation then.
Jaclyn:And then, you want to do your writing, your rewriting, your, you know, sending back and forth to other writers.
Jaclyn:want to do all of that work where you don't have to pay for it.
Jaclyn:Um.
Jaclyn:And then once you have the best that you can come up with on your own with your other writing friends, like your script is the best that it could be, then you want to move on to getting the professional feedback as well, right?
Jaclyn:because that's where you can get the best bang for your buck, because you don't need to pay somebody to tell you the things that your peer writers can tell you for free,
Shelly:right?
Jaclyn:right?
Jaclyn:Like, just because the thing is, like, you can't necessarily address.
Jaclyn:everything, um, in one consultation.
Jaclyn:And so, do you want me to address these other smaller issues, or do you want to address those on your own, and then come to me with the bigger ones, you
Jaclyn:know?
Jaclyn:So,
Shelly:Like, when you, you and your peer writers, which it's a give and take for sure,
Shelly:um, have gotten it as best that you can, then I do actually pay for professional script consultation, because I just don't want to send it off to, a producer
Shelly:and here, well, the script's not ready.
Shelly:And have heard that
Jaclyn:Yeah,
Shelly:from a producer,
Jaclyn:wow.
Shelly:like,
Jaclyn:Yeah, and I do the same thing too.
Jaclyn:And so this is kind of where, you know, I'm kind of speaking to maybe newer writers or people that are wanting to break into the industry or whatever.
Jaclyn:Like if this is the process that we go through and you and I have already won awards, we've already gotten stuff produced, like we're already, you know, at that level.
Jaclyn:And we're still going through this process of rewrite and rewrite and rewrite and paying for feedback and stuff like that.
Jaclyn:So, if you're competing in the same competitions that writers who are doing all of this level of work for, like, You need to step up your game and make sure that you're actually putting in that degree of work.
Jaclyn:And I'm not saying that to, discourage anyone, but rather to give them a, real heads up, you know, that if you actually want to compete on that level, if this is going to be a business for you, if this is a passion that you're pursuing, that's what it's going to
Jaclyn:take.
Shelly:Right.
Shelly:And I don't ever want to leave anything on the table.
Shelly:I heard from a writer's group.
Shelly:I was a part of that.
Shelly:A filmmaker group came to them and they wanted to show their short film to them.
Shelly:And they showed it.
Shelly:And these writers were like, Oh, it's not good.
Shelly:But what do we say to them
Shelly:now?
Shelly:It's filmed.
Shelly:So I don't ever want to watch something that I wrote and think to myself, I could have done more, I could have done better.
Shelly:You
Shelly:know, so maybe that's a little bit of perfectionism.
Shelly:And, and you can go too far with that where it can keep you from putting it out there into
Shelly:the world.
Shelly:But, um, it's just always being open.
Shelly:to another change.
Shelly:you know, when I fight changing things or rewriting things, try to tell myself time I do a rewrite, as painful
Jaclyn:mm hmm,
Shelly:it results in a better
Jaclyn:yes.
Jaclyn:And sometimes, for me, when I know I have to rewrite something and I have that, tension and that, uh, resistance toward it, typically what I've discovered about myself, what that means is I need to take a break from it.
Jaclyn:You know, and, and I know that's not always possible.
Jaclyn:If you're on a deadline and you're getting paid for something, like, yeah, okay, maybe you might not be able to, but if you have the opportunity, if it's a spec script, you know, you still want it to be the best that it can be.
Jaclyn:If that means you need to set it aside for a month or something like that, and then come back to it with not only fresh eyes, but like, uh, a renewed sense of, I can do this, you know,
Jaclyn:you know, you'd be in a better position, uh, to actually, to write that well.
Jaclyn:And I've, discovered that.
Jaclyn:about myself, um, when I had thought to myself, like, No, I'm done.
Jaclyn:I'm not rewriting this.
Jaclyn:It's done.
Jaclyn:I set it aside.
Jaclyn:And then I went back and read it.
Jaclyn:I think it was a few months later, and I was like, Oh, no, this needs to be rewritten.
Jaclyn:But at that point, I knew what to do with it.
Jaclyn:And I was able to make it exactly what it needed to be.
Jaclyn:And then the person that I was working with, because it was a co writing thing, He was super excited with it.
Jaclyn:He was like, yes, this is exactly what I wanted.
Jaclyn:but like it took me having to set it down for a while, and letting go of some of the ideas that I had, because I think that my ideas were good.
Jaclyn:It's just that that wasn't the story that, My co writer wanted to tell, and it was his idea to begin with, and so I was brought on after the fact, uh, and so my role was to, you know, strengthen the story to make it the best that it could be, not necessarily to change it, and so my
Jaclyn:idea,
Jaclyn:though,
Jaclyn:was to, Oh, but if we changed this part of it, which then of course means we have to change that part of it, and then this other part of it, and then it all works, you know, and he's like, yeah, but I don't like that part.
Shelly:and you don't ever know when that inspiration is gonna come, where you could be driving somewhere or working on a different script.
Shelly:I've had that where I'm typing on something, I'm like.
Shelly:Oh, you know what?
Shelly:That script I wrote three times ago, that doesn't have this
Jaclyn:yeah,
Shelly:needs it
Shelly:or something, you
Jaclyn:yeah, exactly.
Jaclyn:Like there's been times where you've sent me back a script and said, yeah, it's, It's sweet.
Jaclyn:Um, I think you need a bad guy in here.
Jaclyn:Like, there's no adversary.
Jaclyn:And I was like, wait, but, but it's supposed to be a sweet movie.
Jaclyn:You're like, yeah, but where are the stakes?
Jaclyn:Right?
Jaclyn:Like,
Jaclyn:and that has definitely been one of those notes that I've had, on occasion.
Jaclyn:So,
Shelly:when you go from not seeing it to seeing it, and then I'm like, oh man.
Shelly:And there was one where I went and I looked back, I think I got feedback from, it may have been you or somebody else.
Shelly:And I was like, but that's on my list of questions.
Shelly:I know I asked myself that.
Shelly:And I went back and I looked at my list and I was like, I never answered that one.
Shelly:It was the one that I didn't
Jaclyn:Oh no!
Shelly:skipped it.
Jaclyn:Wow.
Shelly:but I just plowed through and wrote it.
Jaclyn:Um, I am sure that we could talk on for like hours
Jaclyn:more about this for so many reasons.
Jaclyn:but, uh, we gotta wrap up this episode.
Jaclyn:I want to thank you so much for being on the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast.
Jaclyn:This has been Shelly Pano, everyone.
Jaclyn:Is there a way that people can, you know, find your work or, maybe if they want to hire you for anything, how do they get ahold of you?
Shelly:I am on LinkedIn and Facebook and, can go to crowninglauriemovie.
Shelly:com if they send a message through there, I'll get it,
Jaclyn:We're going to
Jaclyn:have
Jaclyn:all those links in the show notes for everyone.
Jaclyn:So, uh, definitely
Jaclyn:go and
Jaclyn:check it out.
Shelly:so much, this was a
Jaclyn:Yeah, same here.
Jaclyn:Oh, thank you.
Jaclyn:God bless.
Shelly:Bye.
