u/incapacitant

Hello,

My screenplay is set in Mexico, in a given state, I won't give any more clues, I don't want to spoil it as I hope you all end up watching the movie down the road. :)

The thing is at one point there's a car chase and derailing.

Doing some research on the area on Google Maps I found the perfect location for it, and it happens to be right where it suits my plot. However, no trespassing is allowed in the area as it's a mining operation.

What would you think if I used it anyway? Would you consider it creative license or plain cheating?

I know scenes that are supposed to take place in a jungle are shot in a big garden all the time, but I guess this is different? I mean, the place is the right place, but the action couldn't possibly happen there. Am I overthinking it?

Hi,

I'm writing the treatment for a screenplay and was struggling with how long the events would take. The plot dictates they must happen in two or three days, but I didn't have a clear idea in my mind what scene happened when, it was so foggy.

When I started writing the headers and sluglines, something was off. I knew what was supposed to happen plotwise, but I didn't exactly know when it happened. Does it happen on the first night... the second night, in the daytime, at night?

My task for today was to expand the window and create a whole diagetic schedule of what happens prior to and after the events in the story.

I thought it would be cumbersome, but I've found out... I'm loving it. It's like fitting jigsaw puzzle pieces together, and once you manage to make them fit, oh, man, is it glorious.

Not only that, in doing so, I've found new possibilities that add to the plot and new ways to raise the stakes. That's all, I'm excited and wanted to share.

I think this should be a mandatory step in building a story. I'm sure it is common advice already—duh—but I wasn't aware. I had heard about writing "tails" for your characters' backstories, but this is a whole new deal.

I encourage you to do it if you're struggling with fitting your scenes in a timeline.