How Filmmaking Has Helped Me Write Novels
Writer: Timothy Reinhardt
It’s common to hear avid readers pan any movie adaptation with the condescending comment, “It doesn’t compare to the book.” It reminds me of people who drink red wine, as a smear against white wine drinkers, who’ll say, “I prefer red wines because they are more complex.” There seems to be intellectual pressure to judge films as inferior, but that’s been far from my experience. During the never-ending cycle of revising and editing my first novel with no end in sight, a friend asked me to write a screenplay. Although untrained, I read a few scripts and welcomed a change from my fruitless endeavor to write the next great American novel. I not only co-wrote a script, but I had the privilege to be on set when the written word came to life. Here are five ways filmmaking helped my novel writing:
- Words are precious. Being a Russian history major, I have a fondness for thousand-page novels. One screenplay page translates into one minute of film. So, I immediately faced having my script slashed. Appalled at first, I grew to understand how precious each word was. An actor brought this point home to me, when he saw my draft and commented, “This isn’t dialogue, it’s a series of speeches.” I did not initially agree, but then listened as this talented person reshaped my words to be sharp and witty. I soon changed my style of crafting dialogue.
- See value in detail. My first day on set, during pre-production, the crew shocked me with their keen evaluation of my writing. Being ignorant, I assumed the crew simply showed up, assembled the equipment, and let the actors do their thing. I was wrong. Each crew member from lighting, to the makeup artist, to the set designers had read the script and pelted me with insightful questions. Why was this character wearing this type of shirt? Why did the character pick the item up with their right hand? I always think of these crew members whenever I write description.
- Pretend to be a camera. My dear friend, the one who approached me about writing the screenplay, is a magician with a camera. He is responsible for making sure everything critical in a scene is contained in the shot. During filming, he diligently planned and plotted the course of the camera. It astonished me how many factors, such as angle, lighting, cropping, and sequence, all added to the tone and emotion of a scene. Before I even write a scene, I pretend that I am the camera, then I let my written words construct the visual I want my audience to experience.
- Flow of the story. I love Russian novels, but I have met few people who finished War and Peace. There’s a reason for that. Leo Tolstoy diverged from the main plot by describing dry details of Russian army tactics. Did it slow the story down? I thought so. I skipped these sections during my first reading. You do not have this luxury with film. Each scene takes tremendous effort, so you learn to remember your story arc. Now, I use a script format to outline my stories. I imagine a Christmas tree. My script outline is the trunk and branches of the tree. The scenes are the ornaments, and I must have a solid branch to support them.
- Remember your audience. When you write a novel, it’s difficult to get real life feedback. I can’t sit in the library watching my readers turn the pages. A filmmaker can get instant feedback. Not only do you get it at the theater, but you can see it on set. I am a comedy writer and there was no greater thrill than to have the crew laughing at jokes you had written while they are being performed. During one late night of shooting, the director cleared the set because people were laughing so loud it was being picked up on the mic. On the other hand, there was nothing worse than people grimacing at material that fell flat. I’ve since begged my actor friends to go through important scenes to test their quality.
I consider myself both a filmmaker and an author. I made a short film of my last novel, Jesus’s Brother James and I am in pre-production for my next book, Not Far From Nothing. I’m not going to compare my books and films. I’m going to enjoy and learn from both.
About the Writer
A veteran of the pharmaceutical industry, Tim Reinhardt has traveled the world extensively and studied many diverse cultures. His travels, coupled with an eventful childhood, shape his thought-provoking perspective on life. He enjoys writing comedies placed in dramatic settings most of all because he likes the contrast between genres. Tim knows life can be challenging and thinks stories like these make the tough times a little bit easier to handle. Tim is the writer of the Academy-Award qualifying film Crackers, as well as the author of Afaq: I’m Trapped in India and Jesus’s Brother James.
Website: timreinhardt.com
Writer’s podcast episode, HERE.