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I've been writing screenplays since I was 14 or 15 (now 21). I'm really only particularly proud of two or three of them but in general I feel very good about it. I have absolutely no clue about what to do professionally, i.e. if I should go to school for writing or a general film school or if film school is bogus or, anything really. I'm very serious about writing, and I'm dying to get into many other aspects of filmmaking as well. Don't really know to get started. I found the easiest thing to do was to get a camera and start filming stuff on my own, so I decided to try writing short films. Man, is it hard. Brevity is not my strong point yet. Short films are a complete different beast than features.
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Nov 9, 2010 05:07
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the Bunt posted:Short films are a complete different beast than features. Yeah, every filmmaker I know says that shorts are much harder than features. Sadly I need to do three more shorts before I can make a move towards anything else :/
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Nov 9, 2010 06:53
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the Bunt posted:I found the easiest thing to do was to get a camera and start filming stuff on my own This is the best advice I can give anyone. DIY + networking. Entertainment is not an industry of "what can you do?" it's "what have you done?" Write stuff that's produceable, then make it. Keep it simple, use locations that are available to you. Find a director to shoot it. Or direct it yourself if you're up for it. Find local actors. Get a musical buddy to score it. Make good stuff. Make bad stuff. Learn from both. If you're thinking about film school, here's my input. I went to Columbia College Chicago, where I earned a post-baccalaureate certificate of major (read: second BA) in television writing and producing. Pros: - learning all the technical stuff that goes with the art - environment where you can make mistakes and it doesn't really matter - if you actually put effort into it, you can build a portfolio or reel to have when you get out of school. A reel is way more valuable than any resume. - teachers (at columbia at least) were all current or former employees in the industry - got to try everything in production at least once, from directing to holding a boom mic - got to enter my first job with much less of a learning curve than going in green - one of my teachers hooked me up with my first job, and the producer I worked with has brought me with him onto all of his projects. So I basically owe my career to one teacher. Cons: - No one in the industry really cares where you went to school. Or if you went to school at all. - Columbia was super expensive. Like, retardedly so. It's a private school. I'm sure state colleges have more affordable programs. - The business side of the industry has changed so much in the past decade that a lot of my professors' career advice was terribly out of date. - A lot of what I learned in school, I could have learned in one season of being a PA. Not everything, but a lot. - The people who are in film school go into it with way too much focus on art, and not enough focus on actually working in the industry. - Your classmates, especially in directing classes, will be intolerable douches. - Seriously, most directing majors are complete douches. I'm glad I went to film school (well, TV school), but I have no idea if I'd be farther along in my career if I had skipped it and just moved to LA. It was worth it for the connections alone, as I got my first job through a teacher. If you work hard and STICK WITH IT, you will make it. Also, if you're serious about screenwriting at all, move to LA. Too many writers have this fantasy that they can just write screenplays from a cabin in the woods and mail them to Hollywood. Nuh-uh. Getting a script read is all about connections, and you need to be living in LA to make them.
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Nov 9, 2010 07:06
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So I've never written a script outside of intro to film production class. I don't really want to write anything, however now that I'm looking to transfer to some film schools to finish off my BFA in production I must submit a film to them. I have several films that I've DP'd, because that is where my focus lies; but Chapman University does not give a poo poo about whether or not you are a cine or a directer when you apply, the process and selection is the same. They also really only care about whether or not you can tell a short story in picture form; and not how cinematically beautiful it is. So, my goal is to write a cute or uplifting short without any dialogue that I can make with ease. What do you guys think about choosing a quote by someone famous and then expressing the meaning of said quote in a short? Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
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Nov 9, 2010 08:10
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One of my favorite short films was made incredibly easy, you just have to be clever about it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR9q_pWOn-8 The quote thing is fine. Since you're not going the festival route I'd say go for it, if that's what interests you.
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Nov 9, 2010 09:23
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I've been doing a lot of scriptwriting in a couple of different mediums. My friends usually ask to take a look at whatever I've been working on at the time. Consequently I have a drawer full of scripts in various drafts that will soon overflow. I'm thinking of having a website devoted to my writing, and have either on-site viewing or PDF downloads. Also, since I like feedback some sort of comment system would be cool. I feel like a blog would be a good match, but a full blown website would be even better. Anybody know any free web design services or sites that might match what I'm looking for?
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Nov 14, 2010 01:57
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Oh, what the hell. Here's a little ten-pager I've written in preparation for the Digital Filmmaking class I'm (re-)taking next semester: You'll Be All Right, Charlie ("Charlie tries a curious method of soul-searching in the hope of understanding things") I'm still thinking about trimming it considerably (I could probably even get it down to five or six pages, and thus it would qualify for the first six-minute project) but I'm happy with the overall structure. I love taking advantage of local stuff and the "farmland" is something I actually live right across the street from. It looks really neat, big telephone poles stretching way down to the horizon, enormous open skies, good for sunsets. Edit: HERE is a trimmed version, cutting the opening scenes and the Franklin character completely, and making the final beach flashback a little more of a climax. I think this is the only time a film has ever just rolled into my head in one big slab. I woke up and there it was in my brain in its near-entirety. Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Nov 15, 2010 |
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Nov 14, 2010 19:21
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Bonk posted:I'm working and studying in Vancouver 'Sup Vancouver screenwriter, and fellow VFS writing grad. I can attest that it's a great program. (but, those looking for advice, don't go to school expecting to get a job, because that's all on you, bro. Out of 30 grads in my class, only two or three of us are working in the industry, and only one of us is a working writer.) I actually graduated fairly recently, and now that I've found a job, I'm trying to find regular time in my routine to keep writing, and re-writing.
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Nov 15, 2010 08:19
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Scooty Puff Jr. posted:I can attest that it's a great program. (but, those looking for advice, don't go to school expecting to get a job, because that's all on you, bro. Out of 30 grads in my class, only two or three of us are working in the industry, and only one of us is a working writer.) I'm not sure that's what I'd call a great program.
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Nov 15, 2010 08:37
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Is New York all that different from LA in terms of trying to make connections? I have a few different things I am writing and I would like to stick on the east coast if that is all possible if anything does come out these things i'm writing (optimism, woo). Also, I read on the WGAe website you can submit your scripts to them for a fee so in case someone takes it you have proof of your work, but does anyone actually do that? One more thing, do agency companies usually go for a specific genre or do they generally shop around scripts that are popular (like romantic comedies or whatever)?
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Nov 17, 2010 06:28
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Cynical Tyrant posted:Also, I read on the WGAe website you can submit your scripts to them for a fee so in case someone takes it you have proof of your work, but does anyone actually do that? As I understand it, they pretty much just time-stamp your script and file it. Then, if a dispute does come up, there's proof that you "officially" completed X draft of Y script on Z date. I really would recommend it for people who plan on whoring their scripts out to various writing contests, and posting them online. Also, gonna say that purchasing Complete Screenwriter's Manual : A Comprehensive Reference of Format and Style is a good idea. 200+ pages of formatty goodness that you won't get from the "How to Write a Story/Musical/Porn" books.
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Nov 17, 2010 18:57
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In addition to registering with the writer's guild, its usually suggested that you register with the Library of Congress, which gives you a copyright. You have to make sure it's a final draft though (at least for as far as you're going to take it) because subsequent drafts require re-submission to be legally copywritten. And that poo poo costs money. Been doing rewrites on my series based on the feedback I've been getting, and I set this weekend as my deadline for having a new draft done. I've also been beating out a treatment for a short that I'm very excited to start working on. Hopefully it won't take me more than a month to write. I've been really good about actually getting writing done this week. Waking up early, going to a coffee shop and working on notes for an hour or two puts me in the mood. Even when I don't have time to sit down and commit anything to Celtx/Final Draft, it'll get me thinking about the script for the rest of the day. Note cards and white boards are the best investments I've made so far.
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Nov 17, 2010 20:57
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Screenwritersblues: I promise I am going to send you an email this week. Now that I have no motivation to keep trucking through the third act of a feature length and there's been a lull in work I actually have time to write something up!
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Nov 17, 2010 22:35
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Oh Mister B posted:Screenwritersblues: I promise I am going to send you an email this week. Now that I have no motivation to keep trucking through the third act of a feature length and there's been a lull in work I actually have time to write something up! No big deal. I kinda forgot about that I sent a script to you. Hey, if it's good feed back I might start rewriting at the end of December.
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Nov 18, 2010 06:08
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Aspiring screenwriter checking in. I write on nights and weekends as I'm in Melbourne working as a journalist full-time. I'm currently writing the first draft of an action/drama flick and I've nearly finished the first act. Should have a first draft done by the end of the year. Not sure if I'm going to get anywhere, but I figure, can't hurt to try. I know a site was already posted, but does anyone have any good other places for finding scripts?
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Nov 22, 2010 04:15
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Hey I was wondering what everyone's work format is like? Like what you do to get ready, where you write, how you form ideas and structure and things like that. I am a total wanna be writer but I really don't know where to start. I eventually want to have my stuff made into movies but I just don't have the motivation behind my writing. I have tons of ideas just jotted down on paper or on my ipod and they sound pretty cool when I tell them to others (Or watch them in my head) but when they ask "What happens next?" I just say, "What do you mean? I don't know, hollywood will do the rest right?" and I get left alone to my corner. This is what I have in my head: take a story or short and build a character, give him a love interest and an obstacle/opponent/dilemma. Begin writing story arc and then finish with a "The End" Is this right? Also, how long does it take you to finish a draft before you start cutting it down or adding things? I have enough material to write a nice short film but idk how much time I should devote to writing per day. Should I just sit down, turn everything off and focus on my empty word document or just add to it throughout the day here and there?
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Nov 22, 2010 08:41
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Lando360 posted:Hey I was wondering what everyone's work format is like? Like what you do to get ready, where you write, how you form ideas and structure and things like that. This is going to sound rude, but I swear it isn't: have you ever read a screenplay?
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Nov 22, 2010 12:07
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Yea definetly, I've got 2 sitting on my computer just for reference and things like that.
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Nov 22, 2010 16:31
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Lando360 posted:Hey I was wondering what everyone's work format is like? Like what you do to get ready, where you write, how you form ideas and structure and things like that. If you want to write a script...then write one. The only obstacle is yourself. It sounds like your ideas are vapid and formulaic. You should prove me wrong.
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Nov 22, 2010 21:42
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Lando360 posted:Hey I was wondering what everyone's work format is like? Like what you do to get ready, where you write, how you form ideas and structure and things like that. My advice is, if you haven't written something like a screenplay before, just do it. Accept that it may not make sense or come out consistent or even readable. But if force your way through it, the books and screenwriter discussions online will make a lot more sense. And when you get into the mindset of "this is a practice screenplay," you'll loosen up, and come up with lots of ideas you can reuse later. The screenwriting books and theories about structure are all important to get you from an initial idea to a polished interesting screenplay. But they'll make so much more sense once you run up into the problems that those books are trying to help solve.
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Nov 22, 2010 21:45
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You have to write to be a writer. Write even if you don't think it will work, then read it over again. Talk to someone about it and you'll realize "OH, that will work in another way. I need to move this to X, depict this instead of that", and you're well into your second draft.
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Nov 22, 2010 22:15
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My very first screenplay was a godawful teen drama about drugs written by hand. It took me forever, and it was an amazing learning experience. Some day I'll come back to that original screenplay and try to rework it, but right now I'm on a track of writing a new feature every year. I want to be able to bump it up to 2 a year. That's the only way to get good at it. Know that your first screenplay will be bad, but you CAN come back to it later when you know more of what you're doing. My problem is with focusing on one story for too long when I have so many that I want to write, but a lot of times it's good to just let ideas gestate while editing my current work. Office supplies help me immensely.
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Nov 22, 2010 23:03
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I wrote this short for a class about two years ago that became unproduced. I'm interested in some writing jobs, so I was looking if I could get some opinions on it: http://www.mediafire.com/?my7hu7v272ox368 It's going to serve as a spec/writing sample at least.
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Nov 23, 2010 17:26
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Ok, got a new draft of the webseries up. Reworked based on feedback I've received from different sources and I think it's much stronger now. I'll send it by email rather than hosting it this time. Title: Badfellas Genre: Crime/Action Synopsis: A thwarted heist leads a group of thieves on a hunt to regain their stolen goods, but a rival gang has something much more sinister in mind.
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Nov 24, 2010 20:24
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edit: removed
Very Old Twink fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Dec 20, 2010 |
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Nov 25, 2010 17:28
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Rogetz posted:Ok, got a new draft of the webseries up. Reworked based on feedback I've received from different sources and I think it's much stronger now. I'll send it by email rather than hosting it this time. Send it to Golden_Bees at HotHotWicca.blog. Golden Bee fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Nov 27, 2010 |
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Nov 26, 2010 03:09
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Hey Oh Mister B, did you ever send that feed back on my script? There's no rush, but I was just wondering if you sent it or not.
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Nov 29, 2010 03:04
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Rogetz posted:Ok, got a new draft of the webseries up. Reworked based on feedback I've received from different sources and I think it's much stronger now. I'll send it by email rather than hosting it this time. A critique of the synopsis (logline) here is that it doesn't offer anything new or explain how this is different from any other heist movie. "Much more sinister" is vague. What separates this from other offerings in the genre?
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Nov 29, 2010 04:22
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Golden Bee posted:You have to write to be a writer. Write even if you don't think it will work, then read it over again. Talk to someone about it and you'll realize "OH, that will work in another way. I need to move this to X, depict this instead of that", and you're well into your second draft. This is good advice. Get it on the page. Engage that right brain and let the left handle things later. The beauty of being a writer is that you can always *gasp* - edit! But please do edit. Edit and edit some more, I'm a screenwriting double major and it's obvious when people come into class with first drafts. More advice (or more aptly, more poo poo I want to get off my chest): 1) Get rid of adverbs whenever you can. They slow down the action and they don't give anything visual. Avoid them in parentheticals too; An actor/director (speaking as a double major in theatre performance) will usually get that a character is meant to say something in a certain way, and if they don't, a larger rewrite is usually the answer - not the insertion of a lazy adverb. Use an adjective if you have to; They're much more suited to the sensory nature of film. 2) Brevity! You're not Faulkner and you're not writing a novel. Give us what we need and nothing more. You want to keep those pages moving. Readers are looking for an excuse to throw your poo poo out - don't give them one by making them flip back five pages. 3) For god's sake people: Show! Don't tell! Film is completely VISUAL. Think in terms of the picture. There is no internal thought in a screenplay (unless it's in a voiceover, which is to be used sparingly), and there is no point in putting anything in that won't be in the movie. You can't give the internal emotional life of a character on the page (that's the actor's job anyway). Give clues through action and style that lead the actor in a certain emotional direction, but never spell it out. Write like you're watching the thing unfold in front of you in the theater... 4) But don't put in camera directions. This is an easy way to get your script rejected (it's the mark of an amateur and directors hate it), and it takes the readers out of the story (yes, the screenplay is a blueprint for the film, but it has to hook the reader as standalone story first). Find a way to give perspective without utilizing camera shots. 5) Exposition and on the nose dialogue. Always reveal plot through action, not dialogue. Character can be given through dialogue but it should mostly be given in speaking style and subtext, not necessarily content: The dominant style of film is realism, and while MacBeth may say what he means, Michael Corleone does not. If you're going to be direct, use it for special effect, so that when you are on the nose, it really means something. As someone whose strength in writing is in dialogue, I know how difficult it can be to not rely on it as a crutch - but it is always more satisfying for an audience member to build the story on her own rather than have it be told to her through exposition. Don't confuse them, but let them connect the dots. 6) Find a critic you can trust. Most people don't know gently caress all about writing. Find someone who you respect and understands what you're trying to accomplish - a professional if possible. Find someone who is going to be hard on you but is constructive as well. 7) Get a good book on style and final draft. It doesn't matter if your poo poo is brilliant, if it doesn't look right on the page, it's going to get thrown out. Know what the current accepted style/format is and stick to it. 8) Know the trends, but don't write to them. Find out what's selling, but don't slavishly write for the sell either. Always start from a place of passion. Something like 70% of what's being sold right now is adapted material. Does it mean you can't sell your original script? No, but everyone has got to eat. Know how to pitch your material based on current trends. 9) READ AND WATCH! Fucccck I can't stress this enough. Bad writers borrow, good writers steal. Find movies that you love and take from them; find writers that you adore and rob their style. Watch movies, watch teleivsion, read screenplays, READ BOOKS (take lit classes!). Yes books have internal thought and we can't do that sort of poo poo, but books (and poetry - READ POETRY) have some of the most beautiful and succinct visual descriptions ever written, and that's a huge part of our game. They also can be a great source of inspiration for character/plot/dialogue/style/whatever. It's incredible how many writers (especially screenwriters) there are, who don't loving read! It shows in their work every time. These people usually don't research, either. Please research, it only takes one glaring factual mistake to take the reader out of your story. Oh, and read nonfiction too (read the news!). I've seen great scripts written from two column articles. 10) Observe. People are loving crazy. Now, usually they're not crazy enough to warrant a character in a film (despite being dominated by stylistic realism, film isn't reality, it's heightened reality), but the crazy loving people in your everyday life can be a goldmine for character in your story. I'm writing a script that takes place in the modern day south, and you better believe I'm using the four years I spent in rural Tennessee for constant inspiration. I'm sure there are more but those are some of the pressing issues that have been pissing me off in student screenplays this semester. If I sound condescending I'm sorry, but it's frustrating to see writers who intend to stake out a career in one of the most competitive industries in the world not knowing or respecting their craft. T-Bone fucked around with this message at 13:16 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 12:37
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bartlebee posted:A critique of the synopsis (logline) here is that it doesn't offer anything new or explain how this is different from any other heist movie. "Much more sinister" is vague. What separates this from other offerings in the genre? Noted. Loglines are something I've always had trouble with.
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Nov 29, 2010 18:48
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Synopsis: A thwarted heist leads a group of thieves on a hunt to regain their stolen goods, but an odd choice emerges: sex or success? Having read your script, I think the romance between Lars and Mac is the thing that stands out the most.
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Nov 29, 2010 23:01
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Golden Bee posted:Synopsis: A thwarted heist leads a group of thieves on a hunt to regain their stolen goods, but an odd choice emerges: sex or success? I'd say that you should work a quick description of your main character in there, rather than leaving it at "group of thieves." And the ending still seems like you're playing coy. The synopsis/logline is supposed to capture everything important (story, main character, tone) as briefly as you can. It's not a poster tagline, which is supposed to pique interest without giving the plot away.
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Nov 29, 2010 23:32
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To be fair, the logline he gave was pretty accurate; it's an interesting but not very original take on the "our gang vs. their gang" story.
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Nov 30, 2010 06:42
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Golden Bee posted:To be fair, the logline he gave was pretty accurate; it's an interesting but not very original take on the "our gang vs. their gang" story. I think the idea here is to find what angle I want to take that will make it unique, and really focus on that. If this is the kind of summary I'm getting I clearly need to keep working on it until I can figure that out. I'm considering bringing another writer in to take a stab at it. It's a hit to my pride that I feel the need to do that, but I think it's more important to have a really tight, solid script so that when I do direct it I don't end up wasting a bunch of time and money on something that wasn't really worth it. Problem is, I only know a small handful of people who actually write, and they're pretty busy with their own projects. I may "hire" somebody through craigslist or something, but it seems kinda sketchy. Anyone have any experience with this?
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Nov 30, 2010 21:15
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You want to have a writer in real life. You want them to discuss their ideas with you, in person, so you can ask questions, or you're going to waste a lot of money and end up with something you hate. What you wrote is perfectly reasonable; it's just not tremendously original. You hit all the points WELL, but they're exactly the points that have been hit before. Have Moody fall for Mac. BAM, now you've got a really loving oddball scenario.
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Dec 1, 2010 10:37
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Well I've been re-working and re-working. I'm trying to do at least 2 new drafts a week but it's ending up more difficult than I expected to juggle that with work and a social life. That's the game I guess. I'd really like to get a few actors together to do a table read, ideally they'd be the same actors who end up playing parts so I can workshop characters with them. What else are people working on? Let's keep this thread afloat.
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Dec 4, 2010 19:18
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I'm working on getting a table read set up, but between graduation and the rate of shows going up, it'll be difficult. What I truly want is to get the ideal cast to read it once, even if they won't be available when the play casts in January.
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Dec 7, 2010 09:19
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But then you'll have your heart set on those actors, and their replacements won't likely be as good in your mind.
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Dec 7, 2010 18:14
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Jalumibnkrayal posted:If you want to write a script...then write one. The Screenwriting Thread: Just loving Write it Already Writers write. Seriously, do you know why so many lovely scripts get bought every year? It's because they're actually finished. You can't sell the idea you've been kicking around about, like, this guy who's really talented but can't seem to find motivation, but then he meets this girl who really inspires him but she's with some other dude who doesn't appreciate her, and I don't know it's kind of like Adaptation meets Chasing Amy, but with some early David Lynch elements thrown in AHHHH SHOOT ME IN THE DICK Find a routine. Write every day. Write anything, it doesn't have to be screenplay related. Write a poem, a song, transcribe a weird conversation you heard earlier, flesh out a thought, make up a recipe for apple pie. Just write something every day. I find that most writers (of all sorts) fall into 1 of 2 work ethics: 1) The routine. Set aside designated times to write during the week. Head to Starbucks or the park, or your backyard. Wherever you can get poo poo done. Write for an hour, no more. Leave yourself something to come back to. Keep notes, make steady incremental progress toward your work. 2) The zone. You crank through page after page in marathon sessions. Once you get writing, don't stop for anything. Crank out 10, 12, 15, 20 pages at a time. Burn the midnight oil. Read your old poo poo, scream "WHAT WAS I THINKING" and then fix it. Look at you. Look at what a romantic artist you are. I'm a #2 and I hate it. I really really long to be a #1. Trust me, folks, #2 is not the most productive way to go. Routines are where it's at.
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Dec 7, 2010 23:46
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Yeah. I'd like to be a #1 type writer too, and I can do it for a week or two before I drop the ball. Here's my issue: if I don't write every day, I lose my train of thought. I can't just pick it up and go, I need to read and reread what I have, review my notes, try to remember what I was excited about in the first place. If I have a few hours in front of me, that's OK. But if I'm trying to sandwich in an hour of writing before I have to go to work, it's not going to happen.
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Dec 8, 2010 04:11
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