September’s Buzz:

THE SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE: AVOIDING CLICHÉS IN STORY
Part 2 of 2

(Copyright 2002)

By
Kathryn McCullough

Clichés can invade every part of a script. If you count up the number of times you have seen a familiar plot point or action set piece in a movie, you can be sure that the average story analyst or movie executive has encountered this cliché a dozen times more in the scripts they have read. This is why it’s important you rid your script not only of clichéd characters, but of other trite components as well.

Setting: Certainly movies will always be set in Los Angeles and New York City, especially if they are about Hollywood or Wall Street. However, be aware that movies about Hollywood and Wall Street are clichéd. If you’ve chosen this subject matter, make sure you have a fresh angle for your story. If your script is simply an urban tale, try setting it in a city we don’t see much on film: Pittsburgh or Houston, for example. This automatically adds texture to your story, because the location becomes a unique character in the piece.

Plot twists: The police captain is corrupt; the best friend is a traitor; it was all a dream. A professional reader or experienced movie-goer can see these dramatic bombshells coming before you’ve even lit the fuse. One way to keep the suspense alive is by sleight of hand. Just like a magician, keep the reader’s attention diverted by other plot or character developments, so that the big revelation really does surprise. Another tactic is to milk every moment for suspense. If there are three main male characters in a serial killer script, and one of them is the bad guy, make sure that all of them are at one moment or another a credible suspect.

Romantic entanglements: It is a joke among readers that the hero and heroine in a script always seem to have sex on page 70. While this may actually make sense structurally, don’t throw the leads into bed just because that’s what’s supposed to happen in the middle of the second act. Develop their relationship believably, so that their tryst does not feel contrived. Or, consider increasing the dramatic and emotional tension by keeping them out of the sack.

You will certainly be able to come up with dozens of other clichés yourself. Make lists of them: the crash through the store window, the chase to the top of the water tower, the fight on the catwalk. Post them over your computer and avoid them. Or at least find a way to spin them on their heads, so that they still shock, surprise and/or amuse. Stay ahead of your audience and they will love you for it.