[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: Can you tell us the process for writing the first draft of an animated screenplay?
Brandon Violette, Screenwriter / Founder and Host of The Story Series Podcast:That changed as I’ve grown professionally, but now the way I do it, the way that works really well for me is, write the bad version first.
You have to write badly.
I think early on there’s this thing that we get that professionals write perfectly and that professionals never write anything bad or it can’t be like this…that’s not true.
I really think the definition of a professional is someone who stays in motion.
Meaning an amateur might freeze. A professional stays in motion.
Even if that motion is bad writing.
The reason I think that’s important is because you need to get to the end and you need to get to the middle of the end.
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Especially in screenwriting and especially in TV where it’s shorter than [a] feature.
It’s real estate.
To see the skeleton of something is so crucial because how often have we all done it or read scripts where the beginning is perfect. Then the ending wraps up so quickly.
It’s because it’s all the time we spent earlier in the script writing it and making it perfect.
Then the ending is almost an afterthought.
I think by getting just the bad version down, you can see where things fall, how much space you might need or time you might need to tell this part or this part, this part.
Again, the key phrase for being a professional is Writing is rewriting.
We hear that in class or film…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
Brandon Violette was most recently the Head Writer for RoboGobo and Pupstruction at Disney Television Animation and the Co-Creator/Head Writer of CoComelon Lane (Moonbug/Netflix), one of Netflix’s top-performing preschool series. His writing credits span hit shows including Dew Drop Diaries (DreamWorks), Pupstruction (Disney Junior), T.O.T.S. (Disney Junior), Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! (Mattel), and Stretch Armstrong & The Flex Fighters (Hasbro Studios).
In addition to his screenwriting work, Brandon is the host of The Story Series Podcast, where he interviews writers, showrunners, filmmakers, author and creators about story structure, character development, pitching and the creative mindset.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Brandon studied at the Beijing Film Academy and continues to return to China as a guest lecturer, sharing insights on storytelling, animation, and the global landscape of entertainment.
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New book from Film Courage! – See it on Payhip here
New book from Film Courage! – See it on Payhip here
