Screenwriting: Inside The Process

By D.C. Rahe

This book is a companion and reference to D.C. Rahe's workbook Screenwriting The Hollywood Way. Included in Screenwriting: Inside The Process are elements and notes from writing the "Justice" movie, the pitch, the character profiles, the outline, and the complete screenplay. Questions at dcrahe.com.

Inside the "Justice" movie
- Pitch
- Character p

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rahe
• Release date: Jul 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088039397

D.C. Rahe

D.C. Rahe co-writer of the feature-length motion picture Justice, released by Universal Studios 2017. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He has written numerous screenplays that have been optioned and sold. Currently, D.C. consults with writers on their screenplays. dcrahe.com

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Screenwriting: Inside The Process

Screenwriting: Inside The Process

Screenwriting: Inside The Process

D.C. Rahe

Rahe

Contents

1 Introduction

2 How it started

3 Pitch

4 Characters

5 Outline

6 Screenplay

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all those who helped me in my career and supported my writing: my brothers, John, Stephen, Paul, and Gary. Thank you to my children Cameron and Elizabeth, my friends, Joe B., David R., Mark S., Jeff S., Shawn J., Sean S., Susan G., Will R., Lynn S. and many more.

Forward

Why do you want to be a writer? Answer this question honestly and completely before moving forward. A writer’s life is difficult, not in a physical way, but in a mental health way. You must be passionate about it. Nothing else matters, not love, not family, not career. It is a life of sacrifice and suffering. Award shows make it appear glamours, it is not.

You’ll spend years on one screenplay, writing and rewriting. The story you must tell the world that no one else can tell. You must believe in your story and yourself above all else. Rejection is 99.9% of your career. Most stories are sold because of connections, not talent. Writers who are outstanding at networking and interpersonal communications are the most successful professional writers, not those with the greatest story ever written.

If you believe in yourself, you have a wonderful support system and loving family and can sell yourself and your story you shall succeed.

I wish you luck with hard work and dedication you can achieve your goals.

The meaning of life -- Is Love. 

D.C.'s Story

Life is a struggle, it is measured not in ones accomplishments but how many people you love and they love you.

As far as I can remember, I love to write. The home I grew up in had many books, mostly the classics. The three books that shaped me, starting at age seven, Webster's Dictionary, The New World Encyclopedia (set) and The Plays of William Shakespeare. I started writing short plays when I was 8 years old. By the time I was in college I was writing full-length screenplays. I have written over twenty screenplays. And I have rewritten many more. Words can express the human experience, but a play is where we act out these experiences of life and relationships.

I have had many life experiences, some good and some bad. I have had a couple of life changing ones. As a writer I am a chronicler of what I see, feel and hear. The most important advice I can give, is to listen beyond the words, but the intent and emotions behind them. I have written many stories, some non-fiction and some fiction. 

I hope that in this book and my teachings I can give a leg up to new writers that are just at the beginning of the journey.

1

Introduction

This book is a companion to my book, Screenwriting: The Hollywood Way which is about the process of writing your first screenplay. While this book reveals the process of writing the Justice screenplay that was written by Jeff Seats, D.C. Rahe and Shawn Justice. This screenplay is not the shooting script. The writers submitted this screenplay to the producers and director who created a shooting script that was used to produce the movie Justice which was released by Universal Studios in 2017.

The process of writing a screenplay begins with the pitch, then outlines and character descriptions, followed by the full screenplay.

2

How it started

All good stories have a back story. Prior to being asked to rewrite the Justice screenplay, I had established good personal relationships with the co-writers.

Shawn Justice, is a filmmaker who writers, directs and produces independent Christian movies. He is a fine man and father, who has deep Christian faith. I have a great respect for him and his valves. I am always happy to work with him.

Jeff Seats is an artist. Known in the theatre community as a set designer. A man with a great eye for detail. He has written a novel too. We always have great conversions. I believe we have a mutual respect.

Shawn come up with the idea for Justice he had written up a rough outline which he give to Jeff to write the first draft of the screenplay. Once that was completed, Jeff asked me to punch up the characters and dialogue and tighten up the structure. After I was done, Shawn finalized the preachers scriptures. The screenplay was submitted to the producers.

The producers were very happy with the screenplay, on its merits they raised the money to produce the movie. When the director was hired he contracted an additional writer to turn the screenplay into a shooting script. A few scenes were added and the location was changed from the Pacific Northwest to New Mexico. The completed motion picture, Justice was released by Universal Pictures in 2017.

3

Pitch

US Marshall avenges the murder of his preacher younger brother in the Old West.

The pitch is a progressive process that is designed to capture a producer’s imagination. The process slowly reveals the story elements beginning with the title, it must be short and to the point. Second is the type of story, followed by a short and succinct sentence that tells the entire story. If the producer is interested they might request a synopsis. One one to two pages that includes four paragraphs, a summary paragraph, followed by the set up, the confrontation and the resolution paragraphs.

This pitch conveys the traditional Western genre story of a good guy, a US Marshall who is seeking justice for the murder of his younger brother set in the 1870s in frontier town. The visual of every Western made before it with its deserts, rolling hills, wide open skies, cowboys, settlers, townspeople and bad guys. Justice was written as a traditional Western that were produced in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. The screenwriters of Justice were influenced by this era of moviemaking and style of screenplay writing.

Even in this new millennium there are audience members you yearn for simple stories of good and evil. This screenplay includes bible versus and references that depict a moral code to follow that these audience members find reassuring. As a writer its is good to know your audience.

Story Elements

Title: Justice

Type of story: Dude with a Problem

Pitch: It’s 3:10 to Yuma meets True Grit.

Story: US Marshall avenges the murder of his preacher younger brother in the Old West.

4

Characters

As a writer you must know yourself and know others better. You must be an observer of the human condition. How we talk, how we listen and how we conduct our relationships. The best writers are excellent listeners.

In the Justice screenplay there are five major characters:

James McCord (hero)

Thomas McCord (teacher)

Mayor Pierce (villain)

Melissa Green (sidekick)

Reb (henchman)

The following