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Mordiceius posted:
This is normal at every level. Stories evolve and your brain will make better connections between what works, what doesn't, and what your story needs as you're writing it. IMO if your finished product is exactly like the first outline, it's probably terrible.
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Apr 8, 2015 07:04
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I always feel that if you don't hate 80% of what you've written after reflecting a little bit, you are probably doing it wrong. I've got about 80 pages of a screenplay on the shelf and I know there are only maybe ten usable pages in it.
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Apr 10, 2015 15:28
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Sataere posted:I always feel that if you don't hate 80% of what you've written after reflecting a little bit, you are probably doing it wrong. I've got about 80 pages of a screenplay on the shelf and I know there are only maybe ten usable pages in it. I'm working on adapting SCRUM from programming into a viable writing method. I'm testing it out and sharing the results VIA tumblr. Don't have a computer at home right now so progress has been slow, but steady. Iterative design is a super cool concept though and I think it's got a lot of potential. Basically the goal is to produce everything in multiple sprints, improving on the final product every time. So basically with screenwriting you would have something like: SPRINT 1: Production Goal = Narrative Outline Character Development Story Worldbuilding Plot Outline ----------------------- Final Product = Narrative Outline Written in Final Draft/Script Software. //The Goal With The Narrative Outline is to convey the setting, action, and story and summarize the dialogue in a manner that is easily formatted in the next draft. EXAMPLE: code:Once you've got your narrative outline done you go through, double check for continuity/gaping plot holes - touch up the concepts. Take a couple of days break from it, then start at the top hit Insert to start overwriting, and polish it off. Once the first draft is done you get fresh eyes on it to proofread/give notes then edit again. It's still a rough process but it's been working way better than discovery writing/traditional outlining for me so far. I'm working on a submission for final draft's new contest so I'll have a better idea of how it works by the 30th.
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Apr 11, 2015 07:06
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I'm going to start with a simple confession: I've yet to finish reading every previous post so far, so forgive me if anything I address has already been covered in detail. This is my first post in threads like this. I am an aspiring writer/director, and have written a few projects, directed two of them, and helped with peers' projects, mostly as DP and AD. That said, I realize this is the screenwriting forum, so I will focus on the story I am currently working on. Without going into any grueling details, my main issue right now is trying to figure out how to take the treatment I currently have and turn it into a screenplay. It's the first time I've had this issue, and it's due to pacing. In the past, I have tried to keep my short films fifteen minutes or shorter, but lately I keep hearing that the pacing of my writing leaves people wanting my shorts longer. This isn't something I am used to. I am used to hearing that films of this sort are never short enough, but here I am being told that I need to pad it out more and make it longer. So, for my current project I wanted to look into a serial of sorts. It could be edited into a single feature, I suppose, but I was thinking maybe it'd be best to break my current project into two or three installments. Where would one go about bouncing ideas off of fellow screenwriters without having to post our projects in the forums, thereby A) making them more public than desirable and B) gumming up the thread with my stupid ideas?
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Jul 26, 2015 23:22
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Hello screenwriting thread, I am new to the whole screenwriting thing (one month and counting) and wanted to get opinions on this script I wrote. It's inspiration was a New York City Midnight sample template. (They give you three words and you have to write a short script based on them.) I had to write a less than eight page script based on these words; "Ghost" "Oath" and "Chef." If anyone would be so kind as to critique this 1.5 page script. I appreciate all the help I can get as I am trying to write scripts the "right" way and not just pump out crap. The Chef Log: Henry is late to his niece's birthday party.
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Aug 22, 2015 08:04
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Rabble posted:Hello screenwriting thread, I am new to the whole screenwriting thing (one month and counting) and wanted to get opinions on this script I wrote. It's inspiration was a New York City Midnight sample template. (They give you three words and you have to write a short script based on them.) I had to write a less than eight page script based on these words; "Ghost" "Oath" and "Chef." Congratulations on making the plunge into writing! Everyone thinks they have a great script idea, but the people who actually put finger to keyboard and are willing to work to improve their craft are far fewer. The story is rough. It's not incomprehensible, but the voice is stilted and unnatural. I think most of your problems can be solved by reading more professional, current scripts. Get a feel for different voices and styles and piece together something that works for you. From a story perspective: There is no conflict. Henry is late to a thing and then goes to the thing and everything is fine. What makes this a story? More importantly, what makes this a story worth telling? What could happen to Henry to make this something more than "Henry is at one place and drives to another place?" Why is it only 1.5 pages? You have six and a half more pages to add conflict, motivation, and characterization. From a structure perspective: The story is pretty front-loaded. Why do we need to see him chopping vegetables? Why is this the set up? It's literally just there so the story can be called "The Chef." If you cut out the first half page it would still be exactly the same story. From a craft perspective: Fade in on the left. I know programs have that transition on the right, but read any current screenplay and it will be on the left. "Henry stands as the BROTHER, a 30-something male wearing casual clothes," --who cares what the brother wears unless it's important to the story. You do a lot of direction and over-explaining in your action. "He jerks the GEAR SELECTOR into reverse" "he pulls his keys from the ignition" -- too much info that is really unimportant. He reverses, parks, and rushes out of the car with his backpack. That's the important part. The audience knows how a driver makes a car reverse and knows that people take their keys out of the ignition when they leave a car. It's insulting to the reader to add all the banalities of every action. Only include things like that if they're somehow not normal or important. Like if he were to accidentally leave his keys in the ignition which in turn causes a problem later on. If a character does something in the normal way, there's no need to describe it. From a style perspective: You use the verb "is" a lot. It's a boring verb. "Henry is expertly chops vegetables." 90% of the time there is a more active word to use than "is." "Henry expertly chops vegetables" is so much more visually appealing. It's kinda hard to critique a script that is less than two pages long. Please don't let any of these notes dissuade you from continuing. I think the biggest problem a lot of new writers have is that they're unable to take criticism. Use criticism to make something better. Criticism doesn't mean someone hates your story. It means someone cares enough about your story to tell you ways to make it better. It will always hurt to have someone say something negative about something you've written. But it feels a lot better knowing that they pointed out a weakness so that you could turn it into a strength. Nothing is worse than someone telling you "this is good" or "this is bad" with no context. It means that the reader didn't care enough to tell you what they really thought. I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope so. Don't give up! Always push forward.
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Aug 22, 2015 09:53
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hotsoupdinner posted:(a TON of helpful information) Well, I don't think I have a great script idea and I am very aware of the fact that I'm just a hobbyist in a sea of people trying to "make it big." But I absolutely want as much constructive feedback I can get and your post was awesome. I made a couple of changes to this thing from a technical and story standpoint, but I'm not sure how well I fixed the conflict because it's just a "moment in time" story. I also agree that him being a chef is inconsequential, it's really "Guy is busy and is unaware of the time" but since I had to use "Chef" he became a prep-cook. I don't think its perfect but I'd like to know if you think its better from a technical standpoint. The Chef V2 Per your suggestion I will look into finding scripts to read. Thank you! Rabble fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Aug 22, 2015 |
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Aug 22, 2015 20:22
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Read Dan Harmon's series on story structure. Start with the first one. He makes the case that humans naturally respond to stories that follow a certain circular pattern: a character is in a zone of comfort, but wants something. He enters an unfamiliar world to seek it out, adapts to his new circumstances, finds what he's looking for but pays for it somehow, and then returns to the beginning -- having changed.quote:If you were hired to write a script for a race of super-evolved spiders, you might find that they prefer a more linear model. In the spider version of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack might build his own beanstalk, find a sandwich at the top of it, eat some and save some for later. The End. That's not really inspiring to us. We like us some circles.
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Aug 23, 2015 15:41
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Charlotte's web did great in that demo.
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Aug 23, 2015 17:16
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Been reading through the thread because I've reached the point where I need to get some of my ideas down on paper. I don't expect it to go anywhere from there. What I was wondering if you've collectively made a list of scripts to read that clearly define the genre? What is the best example of and action script, a romantic comedy, a coming of age drama, horror movie? Also are there any scripts of documentaries that would help define the style? Thanks for any help you have.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:39
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Rabble posted:Well, I don't think I have a great script idea and I am very aware of the fact that I'm just a hobbyist in a sea of people trying to "make it big." But I absolutely want as much constructive feedback I can get and your post was awesome. From a structure perspective it's definitely improved. It flows better. The sentences are more active. There are still a couple moments where "is" is used as the verb. Another way to catch yourself from doing this is to also change any "-ing" words like carrying. In the line "Henry, now carrying a BACKPACK, runs towards his CAR," there is no written "is," but it's the implied verb for "carrying." From a stylistic perspective you could still cut your sentences shorter. I once heard an interview with a writer who said that the goal of writing is to "Write something and then write it in half the words." This is doubly true of screenwriting. A good exercise is to avoid using commas and to avoid linking phrases with "and." Chop them up into short sentences instead and play around with the wording to make it flow. From a story perspective it still runs into the same problem. You've hit the nail on the head in saying that it's just a "moment in time." The thing about a moment in time is that it isn't a story. But you do have story threads running through it, things that could have been picked up on. Like the ticket on his car. Why is it there? What problems will it cause? That's the first interesting thing that happens to him and it's ignored. Same with honking at the light. Those are the two moments where the character makes a decision. These are the moments where story could flow from. Which brings me to character. Character is the most important thing in a story. It's a shame that this character is just a guy who is a prep cook only because the contest rules called for it. Stories are characters making decisions and dealing with the consequences of their decisions. Plot and character are intertwined. There would be no plot without this specific person making these specific decisions. If you have a story where the characters are interchangeable without changing the plot, then you have poor characterization and a weak story. I would recommend reading, "The Art of Dramatic Writing," by Lajos Egri. It's got some cool theories about how character drives story. I don't always agree with the theories, but it's definitely broadened my thinking and made me a better writer.
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Aug 26, 2015 18:44
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djwetmouse posted:Been reading through the thread because I've reached the point where I need to get some of my ideas down on paper. I don't expect it to go anywhere from there. I think the way to go is to read the best of every genre. Read the best horror, comedy, romance, action. Read both the classics and the modern classics. Modern scripts often sound different than older scripts, so it's important to see how styles have changed over the years. You can often find the "for your consideration" scripts for recent awards-driven films online legally on blogs. I would also say it's important to take the genre you'd like to write and, in addition to reading the best scripts, read the worst scripts you can as well. Read the flops so you can get an idea of why they didn't work.
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Aug 26, 2015 18:53
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Hey quick question for you goons. Google-Fu has yielded mixed results in finding 'official' scripts and specs and I was wondering if you had any leads. It seems like mypdfscripts is down for the time being. I'm going to be taking a crack at the CBS and some other studio fellowship when it rolls around again in 2016 and since it is a studio environment I want to make sure I nail the look and feel of the 'Episode' script. Basically CBS fellowship, for those unfamiliar, has submission requirements of an original episode of any currently airing (any broadcaster) program, and a pilot episode for an original series of the same tone as the series ep. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Aug 29, 2015 08:40
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There's some scripts for TV shows on Reddit, if that helps
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Aug 30, 2015 03:30
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That looks really outdated. Also most of the TV scripts posted there are from this site. Or wherever that site admin gets ahold of them (I've seen the scripts posted on that site "for sale" on other places). Even with the above you would get really lucky to find a script for the show you want that isn't the pilot or the pilot isn't just a early draft or a middle of the road production revision they ended up editing even more. At the very least try the site above if you have an idea what you want to write a spec for. OF course I hope you've been watching the show intently, that should be a given though. Recent screenplays on the otherhand usually are easier to find, especially after awards season. If you've written any other screenplay or teleplay then you shouldn't have to worry too much. From what I have noticed there aren't huge differences and writing in spec is gonna be that. Speculative as hell, especially since if you could easily get your hands on a middle of the road episode teleplay for whichever show you were writing a spec for, well you're already a few steps ahead of everyone else. I don't think they are expecting you to have all your sluglines formatted precisely like they're using because you have no clue (for example), you just have to approximate that stuff. What I'm sure they're looking more closer at for your spec is that you can write their characters and write to their tone/style/pacing and all that. Basically write fan fiction without it turning into fan fiction
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Aug 30, 2015 06:53
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SkaAndScreenplays posted:Hey quick question for you goons. https://www.scridx.com
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Aug 31, 2015 20:08
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Mike Works posted:I'm always surprised so few people know about this: This is really great, and I hadn't heard of it. It's pretty much exactly what I've been looking for, thank you.
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Aug 31, 2015 20:22
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SkaAndScreenplays posted:Good rule of thumb - Narrative Action should only include things that can be seen. I feel like that's fine as a general thing to keep in the back of your mind not to go overboard with but I don't think it should be touted as a hard and fast all-caps italics rule. sometimes it's useful to clarify a character's feelings rather than merely describing the generic action. In the example you quoted (It could be done more gracefully but) these goons could have been backing away for numerous reasons: strategic, for example. Sometime's it seems okay to just go with something like "The goons all stumble backward, scared" rather than searching for some verbose way to depict the fright with sweat, worried eyebrows, and shaking knees for instance. We know what a scared backward stumble is. So in a way it is indeed something you can see. I recently read Gravity and it has a lot of this, though I reckon there's obviously more leeway in a script that the writer will direct. It still reads wonderfully, unseen things described and all.
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Sep 8, 2015 20:13
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Mike Works posted:I'm always surprised so few people know about this: marblize posted:I feel like that's fine as a general thing to keep in the back of your mind not to go overboard with but I don't think it should be touted as a hard and fast all-caps italics rule.
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Sep 16, 2015 10:41
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Coming up with movie titles that haven't been used and aren't cliche and poo poo is ridiculously hard. Especially when your movie is set in space. Anything with "star" or "galaxy" in it sounds lame. Sorry, I just enjoy complaining.
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Sep 28, 2015 00:16
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Anyone have any short screenplays they're willing to give up to be produced? I'm in film school and we have to do produce some shorts, but they can't be our own writing. Many are just pulling short scripts off random internet script sites, but I figured I'd turn to see if any of you have anything. It would need to be about 4-8 pages long with 2-4 characters. Preferably in some "normal" settings. I won't clog up the thread with conversation or back and forth on this, so if you have anything you're willing to let me work on, just send me a PM.
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Sep 29, 2015 23:55
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Can you post some of your previous work? What locations and actors do you have access to?
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Sep 30, 2015 00:54
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Golden Bee posted:Can you post some of your previous work? What locations and actors do you have access to? Definitely wanted to ask this myself. A lot of writers would feel more comfortable giving up an old short script if they know that it's in good hands.
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Sep 30, 2015 04:10
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We're going to be doing a casting call and casting local amateur non-SAG actors. It's a student film with our film head Chris Coppola overseeing the project. Here is some of my past work: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1HzDB_0bI2LGJlvkKIAwiCLSo-31rZPa It's quite amateurish, honestly, but it is mostly from my time in the military where I was the entire film crew and when I went to Boise State, where the situation was much the same. This will be my first time working with an actual crew (all classmates, but it's still more than just myself). I totally understand if no one is willing to offer up their works, so I don't mind if we have to go grab some free public script online.
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Oct 1, 2015 00:33
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Are there any themes you want to explore? Your filmmaking is competent (which for college is above average), but I didn't get a huge idea of what kind of director you want to be.
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Oct 2, 2015 00:00
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Don't worry about clogging up such an inactive thread. Chat back and forth away! Most of my simple scripts are a bit longer than your limit but would love to hear if there are indeed any particular themes etc. you're looking for.
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Oct 2, 2015 02:04
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Has anyone gotten feedback from submission contests like Screencraft? Put in 2 pilots and got feedback. Didn't know they scored the things but I wished they were more specific about what they mean in each category. Sometimes they give you a poo poo score or a really good score but don't say anything about it. The thing that really irks me is Screencraft's feedback (at least for their pilot contest) has "format" as a category but I have no clue what it means at all.
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Oct 4, 2015 23:34
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If you want feedback, The Blacklist is useful. The fee goes directly to industry readers, not random internet peeps.
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Oct 5, 2015 01:02
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Directly is a little strong. Reader only gets half the fee.
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Oct 5, 2015 01:22
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Golden Bee posted:If you want feedback, The Blacklist is useful. The fee goes directly to industry readers, not random internet peeps. Also, what happens if I unlist my scripts, does that mean my membership lapses until I keep at least one script hosted with them?
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Oct 5, 2015 01:57
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Mordiceius posted:We're going to be doing a casting call and casting local amateur non-SAG actors. It's a student film with our film head Chris Coppola overseeing the project. What are you looking at for runtime/theme? I've got a few things I've been looking to punch up that I would be willing to throw your way. Most is <= 30 mins.
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Nov 6, 2015 08:36
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Ah. I completely forgot about my posts in this thread. I was mainly looking for short projects (sub-10 minutes) that don't require much (if any) budget. I've mostly put any work like that aside while I design and write an FMV game.
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Nov 6, 2015 23:30
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Hi folks! I'm an NYC-based actress/director/voice actor, and instead of waiting for interesting projects to fall into my lap, I'd like to start producing content myself. I have a great network of actors, filmmakers, and other creative folks to whom I can reach out to help create such content. I am not, however, a writer, and so I would love to team up with writers who have ideas they'd like to see produced. I'm looking for a variety of ideas for a variety of media, primarily for short form content--short films, webseries, super short stand-alone web shorts, even Vines--and I'm open to adapting work in other areas (short stories, etc). If you're interested, please send me an email at me [at] melanieehrlich [dot] com with some ideas/samples of your work that you think might fit the types of media I mentioned--I'd be happy to take a look at anything from finished scripts to starts of ideas to one- or two-line gags, to anything in between. Hope to hear from some of you soon. 
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Nov 18, 2015 04:00
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So you have some clips?
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Nov 18, 2015 05:15
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Golden Bee posted:So you have some clips? Of my own work, you mean? Not many--which is why I'm planning on producing some of my own content to begin with. But some of my work is up on my website, http://www.melanieehrlich.com. I'd say the ones that give the best idea of my general temperament/tone are this performance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osnLzSfM4g4 and this clip from an animated series I worked on recently (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5JCB84xzHA). I have some clips of my on-camera work in film/TV, but it's not current and I'm not happy with any of it as being representative of my abilities. There's a clip on there of a commercial I have running nationally right now that I quite like, although it's a suuuuper lo-fi clip (iPhone held up to a TV).And if it helps, a bit about me personally: I'm pretty bright/cheery generally and have done a lot of comedy, but I really am open to anything, be it comedy, drama, or anything in between/outside those lines. I like things that are smart, fun, positive...I guess things that reflect what I consider my best qualities, now that I think about it. I'm happy to talk more with people about specifics, and am open to anything from a one-off collaboration to a long-term partnership. If there's anything else that might help guide the right people to me and vice versa, feel free to ask either here in the thread or via email and I'll be happy to respond.
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Nov 18, 2015 23:36
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Hmm, question in general, how does everyone feel about people who post screenwriting jobs on say Craigslist, or is this a scam (even if you can find way/they are offering to pay you)?
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Nov 19, 2015 00:19
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Sober posted:Hmm, question in general, how does everyone feel about people who post screenwriting jobs on say Craigslist, or is this a scam (even if you can find way/they are offering to pay you)? You'll get hosed. Anyone with any modicum of acumen can find a writer friend and not rely on strangers. Melanie: I like your stuff, will see if I have anything that fits. Golden Bee fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Nov 19, 2015 |
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Nov 19, 2015 01:35
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And even if they do end up paying you, you'll be hosed because you'll be making a pittance writing someone else's lovely lovely script instead of writing your own ideas and developing your own backlog of work. I know a couple people who take on such jobs and basically it's someone who has no concept of visual storytelling giving you a nonsensical first draft or outline and giving you a couple hundred bucks while also constantly giving you conflicting notes.
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Nov 19, 2015 02:41
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I don't know if it matters or not but even though I live in Toronto the list of opportunities isn't that great, at least what I'm aiming for. There's a lot of people who bounce around trying to do smaller projects but personally I'd rather be doing the grunt work of writing on a series. The only problem is the TV writing scene in Canada in general is pretty dire vs. going to the US. So as much as I would love to just sit around and write a bunch of stuff I can one day try to pitch I feel like I'm missing something in the meantime. Networking is super hosed too, there's literally only one or two avenues to meet either other screenwriters who are at my level (have written but nothing produced to show for it) or working writers/writer-producers, and you're lucky if they decide to show up to those. So as much as it sucks it feels like even the non-scammy ones are either decent networking opportunities or I should just double down for LA somehow by trying to get into production studio programs over there. There's literally a single screenwriting program in Canada, it only takes 8 people in the entire country per year, and apparently people who have gone through it are still backlogged on finding work through agents they meet through that most of the time.
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Nov 19, 2015 09:15
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Sober posted:I don't know if it matters or not but even though I live in Toronto the list of opportunities isn't that great, at least what I'm aiming for. There's a lot of people who bounce around trying to do smaller projects but personally I'd rather be doing the grunt work of writing on a series. The only problem is the TV writing scene in Canada in general is pretty dire vs. going to the US. So as much as I would love to just sit around and write a bunch of stuff I can one day try to pitch I feel like I'm missing something in the meantime. I feel your best bet might be to send stuff to reputable competitions or fellowships. That way you're constantly developing your skills, building a backlog of work, and getting that work seen in some capacity.
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Nov 19, 2015 19:17
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