In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Emma Jane Heaton to talk about her writing and what she’s been working on. They discuss the difference between writing screenplays and writing a novel and talk about what they’ve learned doing both.
Find Emma Jane’s film work here: https://www.youtube.com/@EmHeatonFilm
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AI Summary of the Session
In this conversation, Emma-Jane Heaton and Jeff Elkins discuss the transition from writing novels to creating screenplays, specifically focusing on the differences in craft, the collaborative nature of filmmaking, and strategies for character development.
Professional Updates
Emma-Jane shares that she has recently finished editing the second book in her nine-part sci-fi series and plans to publish it by June. While her original goal was to treat filmmaking as a hobby while earning a living from her books, she finds that her film work—specifically directing, producing, and writing horror shorts—has become a major focus. She is currently entering a werewolf short film titled Lone into festivals.
Screenplays vs. Novels: The “Time Lock” and Conciseness
The speakers highlight several technical differences between the two mediums:
- Space and Freedom: Jeff notes that while a novel allows for multiple plot threads (he once had nine in a book), a screenplay is “time-locked” and requires distilling the story down to its core.
- Conciseness: Emma-Jane discusses the adjustment of moving from the “interiority” of a novel to the 10-page limit of a short film. She notes the challenge of timing her writing; while one page of script is meant to equal one minute of film, her concise writing often results in action that takes much longer to perform than to read.
- Visual Thinking: Jeff explains that moving to screenplays forced him to stop thinking about internal emotions and start thinking about what can be seen or heard on screen. He appreciates that screenplays allow him to skip lengthy prose descriptions and “red car” metaphors required in novels.
The Collaborative Nature of Film
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on how filmmaking is inherently more collaborative than novel writing:
- Writing for Actors: Jeff suggests that when writing for the mass market, characters should be written more generally—using a “blunt hammer” of only two or three personality traits—to allow actors and directors to “see themselves in it” and add their own complexity.
- Actor Backstories: Both writers admit they rarely create deep backstories for their characters. Emma-Jane is often surprised and delighted by the in-depth backstories actors bring to her characters, which frequently make the roles better.
- Partnerships: Emma-Jane works closely with a partner who is an editor; he knows how the shots will cut together, allowing her to focus on working with the actors.
Process and Troubleshooting
- Drafting: Emma-Jane loves planning but hates editing, treating her plans as a first draft. However, she has found that screenplays often require many more drafts; she did 15 drafts for one short, eventually realizing she had lost her original vision and having to revert to an earlier version.
- Handling Issues: Jeff advises that when a screenplay is stuck, the best solution is to cut rather than add. He also notes that if a specific scene is broken, it is often because the three or four scenes preceding it did not effectively “earn” the moment.
- The “In Medias Res” Advantage: Jeff points out that screenplays can skip the “warm-up” of a scene (e.g., a character entering a diner and ordering) and jump directly to the “meat” of the conflict.
Critique of Recent Media
The conversation concludes with a critique of the final season of Stranger Things. Both speakers feel the season suffered because there were too many plot lines and the writers were “too in love” with their characters to let them face permanent consequences or death. Jeff suggests that a better approach would have been to “do less” and focus on a more heart-wrenching, earned climax.