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York_M_Chan posted:Also, I am looking for structural advice on short 15-20 minute films. Short films always seem so kitchy or almost like a joke: quick set-up, punchline. My work is more character based, which lends itself to longer pieces. Anyone have any advice or even great short films to point me towards that exemplify character based short works? I'd say your assessment is true for short films of 5 minutes or less, but then again those are sketches, and they're supposed to feel that way. I find that shorts in the 15-20 minute range are most often either very character-focused or mood/stylistic pieces, in both cases with a plot that's either non-existent or largely irrelevant. If you want to write a 20 minute character-based short that you can actually make, it's probably going to be a mix of talking scenes and visual metaphor. Just don't be boring. It's not the best but it's at the top of mind, and sometimes a failure is better illustration than a success, so I'll reference it here: Joe Lynch's "Truth In Journalism" which is on YouTube. It clocks in at around 17 minutes (too long IMO) and there's barely any plot to speak of - it's literally about a film crew following around Eddie Brock, trying to get inside his head. Then at the end, he turns into Venom and kills them all. That might be an example of the sort of "punchline" moment you're pushing back against, but having a punchy memorable moment doesn't detract from your character study at all (unless it doesn't follow). Besides, you gotta end the fucker somehow!
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Aug 29, 2014 16:58
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Just got an email from the BBC Writersroom. My children's script has made it to the final stage, and I'll be considered for the writer's workshop. Most importantly, I'll be getting detailed feedback on my script once they've made their decision. I'm in shock, but obviously delighted!
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Aug 29, 2014 17:59
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York_M_Chan posted:
I think one of the most useful things I learned about short films (from a short film Oscar winning acquaintance of mine) is that short films need to do one thing and do it well. If too much is crammed in to a short film, it makes the film feel cluttered and the emotions feel cheap and unsatisfying. That's the most common problem I see with student work, everyone wants to make the next "Casablanca" or the next "Godfather" in 12 minutes. It just doesn't work. That being said, a look at Oscar-winning or nominated short films isn't a bad place to start. They usually tend to be on the character study side of things. From this past year, "Helium" (dir Anders Walter) was quite good. It won, although I personally enjoyed "Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before I Lose Everything, dir Xavier Legrand) more. They're both character-driven, both deal with very dark subject matter, although one does so whimsically and the other in a realistic manner.
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Aug 29, 2014 19:13
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SuBeCo posted:Just got an email from the BBC Writersroom. My children's script has made it to the final stage, and I'll be considered for the writer's workshop. Most importantly, I'll be getting detailed feedback on my script once they've made their decision. I'm in shock, but obviously delighted! Congrats!
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Aug 29, 2014 20:28
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SuBeCo posted:Just got an email from the BBC Writersroom. My children's script has made it to the final stage, and I'll be considered for the writer's workshop. Most importantly, I'll be getting detailed feedback on my script once they've made their decision. I'm in shock, but obviously delighted! Fantastic! Keep us updated. I made it past the first stage but not further. Still, that's within 13%, which is encouraging enough for me to keep it up. My script was about a robot battle dog teaming up with a young girl to find out what it means to be human in the far flung future.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:42
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PoshAlligator posted:
 I would watch that.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:46
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SuBeCo posted:
Yeah I know, the concept was nice and the script was fun in places but as a whole series my idea wasn't fleshed out enough, I can admit that. Sometimes series overview stuff can be the hardest. I'm trying for a one shot for the Writer's Prize and SR8. Give me a bell when you're famous though yeah and we can hash out a new robot dog thing? It goes without saying that the dog was full of sass. e: In all seriousness though if anyone aiming for the next Scriptroom or the Writer's Prize want to set a soft deadline where we can swap scripts I'd be up for that, and I'm sure AngstyFerrets would be too. PoshAlligator fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Aug 29, 2014 |
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Aug 29, 2014 22:26
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Nah, I mean, I'll just steal your idea - although the BBC have almost certainly already done so. That's how it works, right? Any interest in swapping scripts/synopses? I had no idea how to do the synopsis and just kind of winged it. It'd be interesting to see someone else's take. Edit: saw your edit. I mean swapping the kids' scripts from Scriptroom 7.
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Aug 29, 2014 22:30
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SuBeCo posted:Nah, I mean, I'll just steal your idea - although the BBC have almost certainly already done so. That's how it works, right? Any interest in swapping scripts/synopses? I had no idea how to do the synopsis and just kind of winged it. It'd be interesting to see someone else's take. Great minds, man. I'd be down, though I don't know what to do with the script now. Wild Seed or other places I guess. Hope you got PMs so I can shoot you some DB links.
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Aug 29, 2014 22:41
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(Sorry if there are typos, writing from my tiny cellphone) @poshalligator: I actually tried trawling twitter for awhile, but it's hard to see who is a good writer since I'm always never seeing a portfolio (or real name to imdb). I did discover some interesting trends, like how many male writers are mostly following female accounts. I think this is a male trait in general though :P. I'll definitely email everyone that mentioned wanting to help when I'm back from vacation on Tuesday. If anyone is interested in sending their portfolio I'll take a look. I can't guarantee anything, but at least you know it is going to be read (or scanned if I get too many). Just PM me your email and I'll contact you from my workmail. Not too comfortable with putting my company name but I'll write about some of our unique story problems and appeal in lieu of a job spec (which will probably give the company away) We have a universe that already has over 100 characters and the writer's job is to find the unique appeal and feel of the next character and write a lot of short pieces to explore and flesh out their story, kind of like how a concept artist will go through many iterations before landing on the final look. You'll also work on promo pieces - some past stuff have been short animatics, song lyrics, poems, etc. A lot of our characters, and worldbuilding in general, were originally written to be serviceable. Now that the game has blown up, the low quality of it is pretty glaring in comparison to newer content and since the worldbuilding was pretty rudimentary, it is holding is back from better storytelling. It is being fixed while the plane is in the air so to speak. We have a huge, global, and passionate playerbase. Your work will have a ton of exposure; millions of players will read your work, and many many more will be interacting with the character you helped conceive. Anyway, that's the associate and mid position. We are also looking for senior writers to work on secret projects  .
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Sep 1, 2014 07:03
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Sounds awesome!
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Sep 1, 2014 07:22
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Lucubrations posted:(Sorry if there are typos, writing from my tiny cellphone) Sounds interesting, I'll PM you my details. I'm not sure if that's true for my Twitter, but as a male I've always seemed to have more female friends. That could be because most subjects I've studied academically have typically had more female peers, or, as my girlfriend says, it might because I'm "nonthreatening". I don't really think about it. e: or just email me at (myusername) @ gmail PoshAlligator fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Sep 1, 2014 |
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Sep 1, 2014 13:34
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Lucubrations posted:
I'm not seeing PMs enabled for your account, so would you mind emailing me at segconnolly at gmail dot com ? Cheers!
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Sep 1, 2014 15:27
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As far as a portfolio I've got maybe one screenplay I can show you and it's not fantasy-oriented, so I don't know if you even want to bother. But I can't help but be curious. If you're willing to talk, shoot me an e-mail at "divisionpost -at- mac -dot- com" and let's see if we're a good fit.
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Sep 1, 2014 15:38
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I'm a retard. Forgot that PMs are for platinum accounts only. I've been lurking for too long :/
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Sep 1, 2014 21:44
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Make a temp email account so we can spam you with requests for work without encroaching on your person/professional life.
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Sep 1, 2014 21:57
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Just made another gmail account: LucubrationsSA. No need to email if you already wrote your email in the thread though...
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Sep 2, 2014 20:29
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Lucubrations posted:Just made another gmail account: LucubrationsSA. No need to email if you already wrote your email in the thread though... Just got the email and responded. Very informative about the position.
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Sep 2, 2014 22:12
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I'm struggling to go from prose to screenplay. If a few people could look over my script and give advice on what description elements to lose but still keep the atmosphere/perspective etc I would be grateful.
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Sep 18, 2014 13:10
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Lethemonster posted:I'm struggling to go from prose to screenplay. If a few people could look over my script and give advice on what description elements to lose but still keep the atmosphere/perspective etc I would be grateful. I don't know how long it will take for me to read the whole thing but I can definitely scan it and give you some quick tips quote fast. I took a lot of scriptwriting classes and had issues myself going from prose to script so I probably know some things to look out for.
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Sep 18, 2014 15:42
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Lethemonster posted:I'm struggling to go from prose to screenplay. If a few people could look over my script and give advice on what description elements to lose but still keep the atmosphere/perspective etc I would be grateful. I wouldn't mind giving it a look-over. Credentials: a BFA in the only industry left that doesn't require schooling.
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Sep 19, 2014 01:42
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I got my read over back from PoshAlligator and it was very helpful and polite. I know some people are concerned about getting things looked at that goons will be mean and snarky but he was just useful and thorough. It's been good having other people to say what they do and don't need to read when I'm trying to pull out unnecessary detail.
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Sep 19, 2014 16:20
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Lethemonster posted:I got my read over back from PoshAlligator and it was very helpful and polite. I know some people are concerned about getting things looked at that goons will be mean and snarky but he was just useful and thorough. I'll give it a look-over if you still want more feedback. Feel free to PM me.
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Sep 19, 2014 17:36
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I am going to fix some really stupid errors first. I think I'll just get the same feedback otherwise. Then I will abuse people's good will for more!
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Sep 19, 2014 18:17
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Lethemonster posted:I got my read over back from PoshAlligator and it was very helpful and polite. I know some people are concerned about getting things looked at that goons will be mean and snarky but he was just useful and thorough. Finding good people who will give constructive criticisms without being afraid to be honest are lifesavers. I send all my stuff to a couple people that I know will be brutally honest in tearing my work apart--not because they're mean, but because they want to help me make my story better. The worst part of screenwriting classes or writer groups are the people who just say, "It's good," because they don't want to hurt my feelings or, "it's bad," because they get off on feeling superior.
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Sep 20, 2014 02:34
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Thank you, I am pretty great. My scripts are not, however. Committing to churning out a script just feels a lot harder for me to do than, say, whack out a prose short story. I guess a bad prose short story can be polished and used for something eventually without having to shop it around producers and enter it into competitions and such.
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Sep 20, 2014 02:44
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PoshAlligator posted:Thank you, I am pretty great. A script, unlike almost any other art form, isn't a finished product. It's more a blueprint than a house.
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Sep 20, 2014 02:56
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hotsoupdinner posted:Finding good people who will give constructive criticisms without being afraid to be honest are lifesavers. I send all my stuff to a couple people that I know will be brutally honest in tearing my work apart--not because they're mean, but because they want to help me make my story better. Before I went to law school I was a script reader. If you want feedback, I'm happy to read stuff.
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Oct 11, 2014 01:54
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Cheers, all. First timer here. Just gonna have to say yes, my username is pretty on the nose, but it's been my email address for over a decade and I'm a creature of habit so deal with it ... ... which is a HORRIBLE thing for a screenwriter to say. Dialogue should not be on the nose. Change it. You should never use flashbacks 'cause it's poor writing. You should never mention songs in your scripts. Less is more. A script only has 3 acts and for 120 pages (a script should be no less than 90 and no more than 120) the first act should end around page 30. Etc. Etc. [Insert more do's and don'ts from every screenwriting book ever written ...] Like you, I've read all the books and wrote, scribbled, typed, cursed, rewrote, restructured, killed my babies, got drunk to break writer's block and ended up with a trainwreck hangover and nary a new word on the page. Then started all over again. It's what we do. As for the rules above, ever read a working screenwriter's screenplay? They break them all. IF you're a working screenwriter. I'm not a working screenwriter, although I am working. Which is to say I'm technically a professional because I've been paid for it, however I have yet to get the monster paycheck that justifies quitting my day job. To date, I've had a couple scripts optioned and one script come THIS close to being greenlit, but the A-list director who wanted it was offered another film by some studio which should have done fantastic at the box office (it was a franchise film), but instead bombed and now the moneylenders wont trust him with $70 million to make my movie. $600k would have been mine for the purchase and then more for the initial rewrites. Poo. I'm currently adapting a book about motorcycles and Africa and suicide bombers for a new production company. The above wasn't to boast (I have nothing to boast about ... I still have a day job!), but to lend some credibility to this statement: I might know something. William Goldman is famously quoted as saying that, "Nobody knows anything." Well, he's right considering the context. That was originally a comment he made regarding what stories would sell and what wouldn't. The craft of screenwriting, however, has a few guidelines. So, again, I might know something. Whatever it is that I know, hopefully I can pass it on to anyone who wants it! I like helping other writers from time to time. So as my entrance into the legendary forums of SA, I'd like to offer my services if anyone has a script that needs an opinion. I was a judge in several competitions over the years, worked as a reader at one point, but mainly wrote, wrote, wrote. So I understand the struggle and self mutilation and try to give constructive criticism in a way that doesn't end in the writer kicking over a rickety stool. But I will be honest. Hell. I may not be right ... but I'll be honest. Hopefully it will be equally helpful! *grin* EDIT: I also love to gab about storytelling in general. I'm passionate about it, you might say. So if there's options that need to be explored in your own story, toss em into the room here and let's see if we can crack your script and tell it the best way. surfwriter1 fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Oct 20, 2014 |
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Oct 17, 2014 09:30
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Heard back on Scriptroom 7 - made the final cut, so I'll be heading off to chat with development sometime soon. Any tips for meeting with people who actually have a say in whether or not to give me work?
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Oct 30, 2014 23:51
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Don't sign poo poo without a lawyer, make sure to ask "What are you working on" after a good pitch.
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Oct 31, 2014 01:42
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Golden Bee posted:...make sure to ask "What are you working on" after a good pitch. I hate to ask a really loving stupid question, but what kind of answers should I want to hear? What answers are red flags?
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Oct 31, 2014 03:25
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DivisionPost posted:I hate to ask a really loving stupid question, but what kind of answers should I want to hear? What answers are red flags? "We have a lot of interesting stuff" is bad. "We're kicking around a carebears reboot" is good. ["We don't even want you to read the old script!" is really bad; you're another person in the Dev Hell conga-line).
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Oct 31, 2014 07:07
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SuBeCo posted:Heard back on Scriptroom 7 - made the final cut, so I'll be heading off to chat with development sometime soon. Any tips for meeting with people who actually have a say in whether or not to give me work? Congratulations, you really deserve it!
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Oct 31, 2014 13:25
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Sorry if this comes up a lot, but what do you guys think about The Blacklist? https://www.blcklst.com/about/ Even though it's got all of this heavy industry backing the pricing feels sort of scammish. Anyone have any experiences with it, good or bad?
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Dec 19, 2014 22:04
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In theory, the pricing weeds out the people who aren't ready for it. If you want to submit to The Black List, it's in your best interest to have re-written, proof-read, re-written, re-written, and re-written. It's probably the best and most well known reading service at the moment, and if you get a high score from your readers the potential exposure is highly valuable. But you've got to be ready, or you'll get a 6/10 and feel like you've wasted your money. There have been some complaints about the quality of notes, but that seems like a vocal minority, and the company seems good about responding to feedback.
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Dec 19, 2014 22:40
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Anyone have any connections at UTA? Can be reached by PM as well to explain more. Thanks!
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Dec 29, 2014 03:20
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Lethemonster posted:I'm struggling to go from prose to screenplay. If a few people could look over my script and give advice on what description elements to lose but still keep the atmosphere/perspective etc I would be grateful. It's a good topic to talk about in general since I switch between script and prose quite frequently and while I found that prose writing bleeds into script writing, weirdly I don't find the opposite to be true. I think the biggest danger is overwriting everything. The thing I found I was doing was adding too much to a character's description or a frame of mind. I don't feel like the dialogue really alters between the two because they seemed to serve the same function to me.
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Jan 7, 2015 16:28
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I'm curious about the BBC Writersroom competition. I've been learning a lot about screenwriting lately, and I think I have an idea I could enter with later in the year (or maybe next year). I certainly don't expect to get very far but it might be fun to try. Does anyone know, however, how they feel about submissions that are sort of "part one of two" things? Do they only like complete stories?
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Jan 23, 2015 01:14
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If they're going to read hundreds of entries, you should give him something full. The rest is presumption.
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Jan 23, 2015 19:01
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