Subplots Screenwriting Structure Part 16
Don’t really know what a subplot is? No problem… Some writers don’t. LOL. A subplot is basically everything else going on with your Protagonist that you’re not including in the main storyline. All your other main characters are not unlike your Protagonist. Each has their very own main storyline, goal, motivation, action, events, obstacles, crisis, and resolution.
Subplots.
You’ve got a couple, right? If you do not, now might be the time to consider them… A lot of stories very naturally spin off a subplot or two and that’s a good thing but there’s nothing wrong with a planned subplot either. In fact, it’s okay to manipulate your spun off subplot into a planned subplot that helps serve the story better.
Consider using subplots to do some of your dirty work when it comes to the following…
- Theme
- Introduction of new characters
- Development of the relationship between the Protagonist and the Stakes character
- Develop/Reveal character of both the Protagonist and secondary characters
- Increase Protagonist’s conflict
- Exposition
- Breaking up scenes that run too long
- Heighten or release tension built up by the main story
Many writers call the subplots the “B,” “C,” and “D” stories… They are similar to your main or “A” story but usually lack some of the same story or structural elements. While there is certainly no definitive rule, subplots do not require the same story or structural elements as the main story and often rely on exposition to fill in said story or structural elements.
Often, by simply exploring and analyzing your main plot from as many different perspectives as possible can spin off a new subplot. This is perhaps, best accomplished by using those amazing secondary characters that you’ve developed.
Tell us your secondary character’s story…
Just as your Protagonist is a character in conflict, so should your secondary characters be in conflict of some kind and hence, we follow this secondary character’s struggles via the subplot and this subplot helps pull the main story into full focus by the end of of the screenplay.
Consider the importance of all your subplots…
Many times I will read a screenplay that puts a weaker subplot in front of a more important subplot. Meaning that there is so much emphasis on a weaker subplot that either it needs to be fleshed out so that it becomes more important or maybe it needs to be the main story. You do not want your subplots to be more interesting than the main story.
An outstanding movie to watch if you want to see a movie that caters to the importance of subplots is BEAUTIFUL GIRLS. I’ve learned so much from this movie that every time I watch it, I am amazed. The same goes for THE GREAT ESCAPE.
Intersect your subplot with the main story plot and allow this subplot to create new complications for your Protagonist. Subplots can run parallel to the main storyline or they can run in complete contrast to it but ALL SUBPLOTS SHOULD SUPPORT, INFORM, AND EVENTUALLY WRAP UP OR PAY OFF INTO YOUR MAIN STORY PLOT. Do not leave your subplots UNATTENDED. Don’t get us all spun up in a B, C, or D story and then forget to tie it up.
Either tie it up or get rid of it.
Unk
Comments
15 Responses to “Subplots Screenwriting Structure Part 16”
Leave a Reply
-
Find It
-
Recently Written
- Screenwriting Structure Part 18 Complications and Higher Stakes
- Articles
- Copyright Your Screenplay
- Screenwriting Structure Part 17 The Midpoint
- British Feature Screenplay Competition
- The Central Question Part 2
- The Central Question
- Spelling sound effects: Onomatopoeia
- Subplots Screenwriting Structure Part 16
- I Bow to Greatness…
-
Categories
-
Screenwriting Stuff
- Script Secrets
- Word Play
- Screenwriter's Utopia
- StoryLink
- Screenwriting Expo
- Celtx
- Cinergy
- Zhura
- Scripped
- Plotbot
- Script Buddy
- FreeThesaurus.net
- Mobysaurus
- Open Office
- Open Office Screenplay Template
- Abiword
- U.S. Copyright Form CO
- U.S. Copyright Form CO Instructions
- WGA West Registration
- WGA East Registration
- ScriptGirl
- Simply Scripts
-
Scribosphere
- $1000 Film
- 101
- A Place Called Say It Say It Say It
- Ann Wesley Hardin
- As Long As I Don’t Have To Leave My Apartment
- Bamboo Killers
- Between The Pavement And The Stars
- Bootstrap Productions
- Borderline Inappropriate
- Brook Brannon
- Burbanked
- Carlo Conda’s Blog
- DanielMedley.com
- Dreams of a Nobody
- Federal Income Tax Facts
- Fencing With The Fog
- Gravity
- Holy Embers Of Dreams
- If It Ain’t On The Page
- JoshuaJGreene.com
- Living The Romantic Comedy
- MichaelGorman.net
- My Excellent Adventures
- My Next One Will Be Better
- Mystery Man On Film
- Nicolle C. Jones
- On The Scene
- Our Man In Los Angeles
- Overheard Lines
- Paul Zadie
- Philosophy Of Screenwriting
- Pimped Fiction
- Planet Pooks
- Red Right Hand
- Revealing Of The Soul
- Rooneyverses
- Screamwriter
- Screenwriting Manifesto
- Script Notes
- Sex In A Sub
- Shouting Into The Wind
- Supergun Cinema SuperBlog
- The Moviequill
- The Poke Show
- The Scherer Joy Of Writing
- The Screenwriter’s League
- The Story Department
- The Unemployment Cafe
- The Word Demon
- The World’s Greatest Writerist
- Things They Won’t Tell You In Film School
- Think Virtue!
- Uninflected Images Juxtaposed
- WikiScreenplay
- Writer Joshua James
- Writing & Building
- Writing On Spec
-
Most Popular Posts
- Hit me with your best subplot...
- The Central Question Part 2
- The Central Question
- Spelling sound effects: Onomatopoeia
- British Feature Screenplay Competition
- Is imagination natural talent?
- Screenwriting Structure Part 14
- Subplots Screenwriting Structure Part 16
- Screenwriting structure Part 15
- I bow to Greatness...
-
Monthly Archives
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
-
-
“Do not leave your subplots UNATTENDED. Don’t get us all spun up in a B, C, or D story and then forget to tie it up.”
But Unk, all the big movies do it!
I know.
Unk
That’s where WE WILL SHINE! We will be that much better cause of it.
I have a question, and I’m not quite sure how to articulate it, so I’ll try this.
Is there a difference between sub-plots and elements of the main plot? I have a script in which the main character goes through an internal struggle. That’s pretty much the main plot. His friend embarks on a mission to help him through that struggle (or more accurately, sway one side of that struggle to win), against the wishes of his friend.
The friend’s “mission” often occurs in separate scenes than the main character’s journey, though they do interact in others.
Would what I described in sum be the main plot? Or would the friend’s “mission” be defined as a subplot?
What’s more important: Subplots, Subtexts, or Exposition?
Or are they all important in their own way and all need to be in the script?
I wish I knew what MY subplot was. My life is all about my A right now . . . It seems to be all A story all the time . . . unless . . . unless my “A” is really a “B” and I’m not the protog, I’m the funny friend with the personal crisis that is amusing but not enough to justify the pages that could be spent on my best friend, who is tall, handsome and a star . . . holy shit, my whole LIFE is a subplot, and here I thought I was the hero of my own story!
Dammit!
Hi Unk and all….
I know the movie LA CONFIDENTIAL had lots of subplots. It’s a masterpiece.
But why are readers and coverage providers telling me — never attempt to write anything like LA CONFIDENTIAL. They keep insisting for me to keep it simple and avoid subplots.
One coverage provider from one of the best script contest company in LOS ANGELES, took the time to rewrite my script on a treatment level. He or she took out all the subplots.
Are they trying to make their job easier or are they just a bit tired and over-worked.
Cheers,
Benny
Ryan,
EXACTLY.
It sure SOUNDS like what you’re describing is your “B” story or a subplot of the main story and probably the most IMPORTANT subplot of the main story.
I don’t even really like to label them A B C D myself but just like 3 Act Structure, it’s so prevalent today that you really ought to know what people are talking about when they ask you a question about your B story. LOL.
To me, they’re all just fucking subplots. I tend to write them out as long as I feel like it. Get on tangents. Take nice long roadtrips before heading back on the interstate. I do this because I know that even though a lot of it is going to get cut BY ME, there’s also a lot of stuff that I’m going to end up using.
For me personally, I don’t care how long the subplots go because if I try to edit and cut them short before I’m done with them, I’m afraid of losing out on some great writing.
So I just hang in there and write it all out… TO THE MAX. Then when the draft is complete, I can easily REEL it all back in. Make the most important subplots a little lengthier while shortening up the not as important ones. These days, I’ve done it so much that it pretty much comes off that way naturally.
Which goes back to YOUR PROCESS. Repeat YOUR PROCESS enough times and it will most likely become self-editing at some point.
Josh,
I got nothin’.
Benny,
I think you’re talking to the wrong readers and coverage providers. Subplots happen naturally without you having to do anything. So, for those “PROFESSIONALS” to tell you that is, in my humble opinion, irresponsible.
I cannot attest to a coverage provider from a script contest but I’ve read a lot of treatments that just dealt with the main storyline… But without knowing a little more — hard to speculate.
Unk
With what you and Benny are talking about: script contests…
Do these type of contests do stuff like this often???
I’ve never heard of that before. Could Benny’s reader just be one of those freakin’ weirdos?
I don’t really know much about these contests and I find that strange.
I’m simply asking a question.
Not trying to start a “brouhaha fest” or anything of the sort, but here’s my question…
Is the current development laws for a writer to get his/her work produced—one that works for most writers?
I reserve my next question after seeing this one answered.
“Are”.
If you decide that my comments are appropriate, please edit for me.
Thank you
Morgan:
What do you mean by “development laws”??? Unk’s post on Subplots and etc…?
Morgan,
You said:
“Is the current development laws for a writer to get his/her work produced—one that works for most writers?”
I really don’t know how to answer this… I know of no actual development law… Everybody is different when it comes to marketing their screenplay in hopes of obtaining a SALE.
I read all the books and articles when it came time for me to market my specs but all I did was read that stuff and then do what I thought was best for me. I marketed my stuff based on my strengths and not my weaknesses.
In other words, I tried to keep as much control as possible… Querying only producers and prodcos. They are the ones LOOKING for material so fuck the middleman.
I became the middleman.
I’m not saying one doesn’t need an agent of manager but one must remember that these people are in it to make MONEY. Money for the agency they work for — money for them to pay their bills.
Do they want to find the next Quentin Tarantino?
You bet your ass they do but not really for the reasons many of us might want to think they do.
Money Baby… Coin. Dinero. Moolah. Benjamins.
There are some outstanding agents out there who really take care of their writers… I applaud them.
Unfortunately, that is the exception to the fucking rule.
The rule is this…
Fuller Brush makes a new product and hands it out to all the Fuller Brush salesmen at the monthly sales meeting… LOL.
Let’s say it’s the WHIZZ-BANG FUCKING HAND BRUSH.
Now every salesman gets a few of these puppies and when they hit the field, they of course bring out the WHIZZ-BANG FUCKING HAND BRUSH…
Only one problem… Ain’t nobody BITING.
The salesmen keep trying… For a month or two. Still no bites.
What do they do? They go back to the shit they know SELLS.
If you think Hollywood is any fucking different… LOL.
Think again.
Unk
Tom,
This is an older topic now. What concerned me about reading your plot idea is connectivity and who actually IS the protagonist and whether this is, as such, an antagonist. It could almost be read that the helping friend is the protag and his mate the antag.
I’m also not sure, again, about characters not appearing in scenes. One of the issues that has repeatedly been stressed to me is ensuring that the protag is basically in basically 99% (or close to) of scenes. This is the way the audience moves through the protag’s journey with them. If you dip out for longer sequences then you are constantly breaking that connection.
I think you would have to be very very masterful to cut across that principle and be successful. I can see in my minds eye how on film it could be done but not sure if mainstream would embrace it.
basically in basically? Oh dear. :)