The Screenwriting Process: Where to begin, and how to proceed.

[Isaac_Brody]

I thought it’d be useful and enlightening to talk about the writing process. Feel free to add your own process to this list. Here’s mine.

1. I'll usually get an idea and write it down first as a short summary. Sometimes I'll break it down into three acts, I'll talk it out with a friend, ask myself what's interesting about the idea. Usually I'll try and see if the idea has legs before I progress.

2. Then I'll write out the script as a rough short story. Sometimes I'll even put in lines of dialogue.

3. Sometimes I'll start writing, and try to bang out ten pages or until I run out of steam. I find it necessary to go right in to get excited about the project. I also find that immediately starting gets me to that wall, that point when I need to go back and figure out all the background information.

4. I'll usually do character bios at this point, going moderately deep with the main characters. I don't like to spend too much time on bios since I find they tend to sap my excitement for a project.

5. Then I'll do a rough outline of the first draft. If I have the energy I tend to figure out the ending at this point, the point I'm trying to make, etc.

6. Writing. At this point the writing tends to go in spurts. Some days are good with about 5-7 pages, other days are 1-3 page days.

7. About a month into the writing I start to get lost in the forest and I'll have to read everything up to that point. Rereading the beginning tends to reignite the fire and helps focus things more.

8. The "This script is a piece of poo poo stage" I'm tempted to rewrite things but I force myself to keep going until it's finished.

9. Rough draft finished. I give myself a few days. Sense of elation.

10. Restless Stage. Time to clean up that rough draft. Fix spelling mistakes, grammar, do some rough trims and general cleaning.

11. Copyright the work.

12. Send it out to get feedback from close friends and readers.

13. 2nd, 3rd, wash, rinse, repeat, a serviceable draft. The work is never perfect, but it's good enough at this stage.

[EJ Pennypacker]

For me, logline, research, outline & bios, 1st draft, 2nd, 3rd, etc...

EJ

[Alex DePew]

That seems like a pretty good process. Much like many people I follow much of the same progression. Though poo poo part comes earlier for me and I ususally have to fight through that to get to the rough outline.

[CineMischief]

From my springboard (character, what if, line of dialogue, etc.) I figure out the ending and work backwards. I am a firm believer that the ending is 75% of the story. The audience is far more forgiving if your movie ends well after starting slow, rather than awesome 80 minutes and a crap ending.
Write story out in prose (sorta treatment, but more artsy) as fast as I can. Gets the tone and story beats out. You can find real gems this way b/c you're writing subconsciously, paying less attention to 'rules and logic'...just letting everything tell you what to write (more organic).
Put it away for a bit to get distance, objectivity, sharpen sword to kill yer babies.
Go over it in passes: story, structure, story holes, etc.
Have a rough outline of scenes, lines of dialogue, sequences, etc. on notecards put in order of where they "belong" in your story. I like notecards b/c they give you a map when you get lost, but can be reshuffled if you want to zig where you had planned to zag in the orginal. Always good to let yourself the freedom to explore in the actual writing of the story if it feels right.
Finally, purchase hours of music and a pair of good studio monitor headphones. I recommend Sennheiser HD 25-1 (Europe model) or some other type that shuts off all outside noise. I know others need to work differently, but I can't write anything without music of some sort going.

[Blaine]

I get the story idea and write out the premise so I can come back to it when I have time. I figure out the opening and ending then give myself a few key points. I then start making bullet points (which will later become scenes) to move along the path to my key points and ultimately the ending. 80-150 bullets later, I write the screenplay. I basically have all the scenes and then I get the characters talking to each other.

This may sound simplistic but after a lot of writing I have found that this is a method that works for me. It allows me to write very quickly, once I have it laid out. I've tried outlining...doesn't really work (although you could probably say that what I'm doing IS outlining) for me. Hate the 3 x 5 cards. I've done the treatment thing and only use it now when someone demands one of me. It's all a matter of finding what works for you...this works for me.

[joe 1008]

For me cards don´t work neither. Having made up the basic idea I going from scene to scene in Microsoft Words. Each scene represented just by few words. At that point everything is very flexible, still, 99% is happening in my imagination and is not fixed on paper, yet. So I can swap scenes, change them, skip them very easily. When I´m in the right mood it´s like the story is finding it´s path by itself. When everything is fixed, the scenes, the plotpoints, the main events and characters, I´ll go in the details until I have got a complete and well working treatment. I only start to write dialogues when I´m sure the story is well, but VERY WELL fixed.

[Brandon Rice]

The way I usually like to write is to get a full story outline down. Characters/Backgrounds/Motivations/Events and then flesh those out, filling in gaps along the way.

[capitalP]

What I do is develope my characters first, actually I write down the subject, you know the tagline of what the story is about in one sentence, then I do my character bios, I find when I do the bios it let's my story stretch.. after I do the bios, I go into the treament, then begin writing the actually screenplay, ACt 1 2 ect.. then clean up the first draft, second draft and the final product... it's a long process but worth it..

And Isaac great idea about the copyright first than have friends read it, I usually have friends read it for feedback incase I need to fix any small things, but I think the copyright is the way to go first...

[omar_]

but I think the copyright is the way to go first...

How are you guys copyrighting your scripts? poorman's copyright?

[EJ Pennypacker]

LoC & WGA(e).

Do only them. Either or both are fine (although LoC is MUCH better, but slower)

Do not do the 'poormans' thing.

EJ

[Cryogenic Filmworks]

How are you guys copyrighting your scripts? poorman's copyright?

I could have some unsealed envelopes stashed around which I had previously sent to myself, which now have a postage seal on them. I see your script. I like it. I replace your coverpage with mine, put the script in one of my envelopes and seal it. Now my envelope seal pre-dates yours. I make a movie using this script, you sue. In court I will win. In the unlikely event that you win, all you get to say is "I WON".

Copyright (http://www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html) is now 45$ (just went up from 30$ at the beginning of July). Should you have it copyrighted, and I steal it then the balance is all the way in your favor. I will almost definitely lose and since you have copyrighted it, I will have to pay damages. Always copyright. It's there to protect you.

[SKY 27]

i perfer WGA it way better then LoC

[Justin Kuhn]

Wow, y'all are organized....I like to just come up with some characters I like and let them create the situations. It's easier if I've worked the characters out a bit beforehand, of course--that's why I like writing series or re-using characters.

I admit this "method" takes a while, but I'm not a high-volume writer in the first place.

[donkathon]

Organize everything.
Ive gotten through 4-5 feature length scripts. My problem is I've thrown them all away/deleted them all because I didnt like how they turned out.

[SloMocean]

I suck at writing stories from scratch ... by far my biggest weakness... I probably don't give myself enough time to hash things out and try and make it work before scrapping the idea...

I need to start making a real effort to write just for the sake of writing, even if it's crap ...

Thanks for sharing your workflows... it's good to see how others work through the process

[Beau Goldly]

With the advent of the Internet it makes no sense to waste postage and mail a script to yourself (ever hear of mailing an empty envelope and stuffing it later when someone else comes up with an idea? Crooks abound, laddies). Domain names would be one way (they are date and timestamped for all the world to see).

My scripts have been shared with others (I'm not afraid of my ideas being stolen - like a man accused of murder, if I am in the company of hundreds of people during the time of death, I have an alibi. If everyone knows my script idea for years before someone else comes in and claims it for their own, I have witnesses. They come in real handy during the civil trial) ad naseum.

But, if you must (even though the words you write are "copyrighted" when written) spend the 45 bucks and copyright away. If you believe in your project enough, that's very little money (just don't go out to eat one weekend or give up beer for a week or two).


______________________________
LunarLodge: "The Last Best Space"®

[OldManWinters]

if you spend $45 on beer during a 2 week period, you should base your screenplay around that! good lord man! ha...

[kalbashir]

just use the Hero's Journey; i'm not kidding

goto http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html

[agcohn]

My process has changed dramatically from one scriptto the next, but the best stories have always evolved out of my struggles with other ideas.

I spend a long time thinking about a story, envisioning the characters and key plot points in my mind. Then I try and create a great logline from the idea. If I have to change something in order to make the logline great, then I will. If I can create a good high concept premise for a movie, then that makes writing the script that much easier.

Often I will write a treatment and beat sheet, and then jump into the first draft of the script. Once I have finished the first draft I sit on it for a while, and then I compare it to the logline. Is the movie I have written an adequate rendition of the logline? Is it better, is it worse?

Then (and I have only yet done this once, but need to do it with more of my scripts) I go back to an outline, and reshape my script into a more solid product: refining stuff, developing subplots and characters, heightening the conflicts and obstacles.




I guess the most important thing I do in the process of writing my movies is the imagining of my script as the movie I want it to be, though I have never completely succeeded in writing the movie of my dreams. That is what future revisions are for, and I am never satisfied with my current drafts.

Some people seem to have problems where they write a mediocre movie, and think it's great. I have never really had that problem. If I write a mediocre script, and most will be mediocre at first, I know that it is mediocre. I am very critical of my work. Not to the point where I throw everything out ever 10 days or anything like that, but being critical has always allowed me to develop okay ideas into great ideas.

However, I will admit that some of the stories I originally thought were "great" concepts have really just seemed like cliched, rip-offs several years down the road. That is why I do not like to be that attached to any of my scripts. A writer needs to much more than his ideas, and he or she will always find new ideas for movies. Though some of my scripts might be based on better ideas than some of my later scripts, the later scripts are invariably superior, because they show a much more mature story arc and boast infinitely stronger 2nd acts than my earlier scripts.

[dougspice]

Like others, my process is similar, because it works. However, I do like to take various breaks for "communication" between my ideas.

I almost always start from a key scene or philosophical concept of sorts (the latter works far better, but I take what comes). From there I am spending a fair amount of time germanating on characters for this story/world, researching the world, and basically hooking stories and scenes to the story spine that way. Once I feel like I have real momentum, I start into writing the "treatment" - I use quotes because this treatment is exclusively for my own reference, just a non-stop, basically unformatted list of "things that may happen" which I would never show to anyone else.

Right now my characters are either having their own lives, or they aren't. If they aren't, I stop to work through backstories, motivations, hopes and dreams, and all that. If they are (that is, if my characters are organically coming to life through the treatment) then I'll keep moving along.

This is the big "So what?" moment, usually. I'll review everything I've done and ask myself that question. Is this story unique and interesting? Does it have gravitas? Would anyone else care? Is the answer is no, then of course I'll try to ask for some advice, see if I can find a solution. But if that doesn't work then the whole idea may go in the closet. I have a LOT of ideas in the closet. Sometimes years will pass and I'll suddenly realize exactly what I need to do to make a story completely work. I've rarely experienced a shortfall of ideas, so this isn't a problem for me. For someone working solely as a professional writer, this might be a big problem indeed. I'm sure at some point I'll find out.

The writing? The writing is easy. When I'm in the flow, I can easily knock out 10, 15, even 20 pages a day. Getting a first draft done is rarely a challenge once it's come this far.

Re-writing... well, that's another story.

[EJ Pennypacker]

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMERICAL IDEAS (before you actually write the script).

I just wanted to chime in here and lend a hand to those writers who are on a more advanced/ intermediate level (for those that might have stopped writing those ‘practice projects’ and have learned their craft, revised their craft, and are ready to write a more ‘commercial’ based project with the hope of landing an agent/manager/exec sale, etc).

This whole thread talks about the “process of writing” a script, but I wanted to highlight a critical factor into what will make or break your script, even before you write it…

THE PREMISE

The big idea. Concept. It’s got different names, but it all means the same.

What makes your story different and unique from what’s already out there?

I just want to press the importance of having a solid, commercial idea (if you’re not into writing that type of story, then stop reading now) that is the type of material that will hopefully start -- or sustain your career.

Obviously when you solicit your material to agents/managers/production execs, you’ll send over a query with a logline. And it’s that logline that obviously sells your story. Because at this stage, your script actually won’t. But in most cases, it’s that logline that DOESN’T SELL YOUR STORY and gets passed on. “Thanks but no thanks!”.

We’ve all been there before (most experienced writers at least). We’ve sent out 50 loglines, only to have a handful of people respond with questions or DING-DING get ‘read requests’.

But obviously, the more commercial and broadly appealing the concept is, the more your chances will increase of a request to read.

IMO, it doesn’t always need to be HIGH-CONCEPT (click here for a thread on what constitutes HIGH CONCEPT (http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=21328)), but instead just be original and striking, something that POPS and makes people who you tell it too (could be friend, lover, mother) eyes spring open, mouth go gape, and they exclaim: “That’s a really good idea!”.

AGENTS/EXECS/ETC

Think of it from the agents/managers/producers end. They want something that people flip the hell out over. Something that when they pitch to someone in their office, they scream: “Excellent idea!”. Something that will make plenty of $$$$.

Obviously those ideas are few and far between, but this ain’t easy. Nor is it meant to be.

A good internet source for checking out on what’s currently selling, is sites like www.trackingb.com and www.donedealpro.com. The first is free for the info over two weeks old (that’s fine with me) and the second is worth the $23 per year (but is updated daily and gains you accesses to the vast database of other stuff).

I didn’t want to write this to bash all those people who are writing personal/intimate projects that’ll probably do well in contests and alike (with perhaps those ideas being mostly un-commercial), but this is just a highlight to the newbie-to-intermediate wannabe who may be mulling over their next project, and may take on the challenge of writing a more commercial, broad appealing, dare I say “studio” script.

Because at the end of the day, I see it as a clear two step to landing a deal. Getting the damn script read in the first place, then executing the idea in a manner that convinces the person to part from a lot of money.

EJ

[Sherri Sheridan]

I was hoping digital filmmaking would cut out the need for the agent/Hollywood deal path! It costs a few thousand to make a digital feature film these days. Where are these great no budget films? I have not seen many great stories lately from the big guys in Hollywodd or even the little ones. Our world is in desparate need of new stories now from new voices using all this cheap digital filmmaking technology.

This is a great thread! I was sent over from DVinfo.net to let people on this forum know what I am doing these days. I have spent the last 10 years teaching high end 3D animators and digital filmmakers how to write scripts fast perfect for their production platform. It is different to write a screenplay for a film you plan to make yourself using digital tools.

I spent the last 3 years making a 20 hour DVD workshop "Writing A Great Script Fast" based on my book "Developing Digital Short Films" (2004 Peachpit). Many of the things mentioned in this thread I use in my process. It basically takes you through a start to finish screenwriting process in about 20 hours. There is a 94 minute nutshell version online for free at www.MyFlik.com with a workbook. I would love to get feedback from anyone who has time to try out the online version.

We do not need Hollywood anymore. This is what digital filmmaking is all about for me and the people I am talking to now. I am going to start a new thread on Digital No Bugdet Screenwriting for filmmakers looking to create stories perfect for making themselves. This is a new mindset to embrace in a way.

Thanks for having a focus on screenwriting on this forum - without the story you have nothing! Who cares what kind of camera you are using if the story is unwatchable!

[EJ Pennypacker]

Just an additional posting further to my concepts one above, but it's well worth opening a (free) account with Chris Lockhart's site www.twoadverbs.com and clicking and reading the following two links below to learn more about just how critical your concept/premise/idea/logline is to the people in 'power'.

Important posting on the critical view of the logline (http://www.twoadverbs.com/sc/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2644&start=0)

Important posting on the critical view of the logline #2 (http://www.twoadverbs.com/sc/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3949)

EJ

[pest22o]

I just write...uhh type.

[agcohn]

Ideas and premises are highly overrated, because you always need a script to back it up.

A good writer will be able to take virtually any premise, and develop a compelling story out of it. Who cares if the idea is fantastic, or strange, or original, if you can't create a compelling story?

Make every story as compelling as possible. Ask yourself as many questions as possible. Why is your character doing this? Why is he doing that? You think long and hard enough about anything and you'll find your answers and more. You'll find the answers to something else you weren't even thinking about, which takes your story in a newer and better direction.

If you don't understand why or why not your character is the way he is, your story is going to be shallow and not very compelling.

[bill totolo]

I believe everything is derived from the dramatic question (aka, premise) of your screenplay, which is usually the result of your inciting incident and your 1st turning point.

In other words something happens to alter the status-quo of your protagonist. What is their reaction to this event? Do they struggle to restore balance to their universe? Does the reaction reflect the psychological drive of the character?

Something happens and the character reacts to this event. What question is created in the mind of the audience? What are they expecting the conclusion to be, and how will you fulfill it?

Will you answer their expectations or play against their expectations? Will you reward them with surprises of insight? What universal questions about the human condition are you exploring in unique and interesting ways?

[galapagos]

is there a certain pattern how to create a good suspense in a thriller movie?

[seunosewa]

A good writer can tke a boring promise and make a good movie out of it. But nobody is going to watch such a movie because they believe it will be boring. And for that reason, no studio is going to finance such a movie. It's common sense, at the end of the day. People won't risk their ten bucks on a potentially dull story!

[brianluce]

is there a certain pattern how to create a good suspense in a thriller movie?

Yes. 3 act structure is the pattern. The idea is the hardest part.

[Indywannabe]

What do you do when you have too many ideas?

The potential characters and scenes just wash over me sometimes.

My fear is that I'll waste a good scene/character/line on a particular storyline, when that same setup would work in another storyline as well.

I just can't seem to decide on the best storyline to invest in.

ARRGGGHHH!!!

[dougspice]

Ideas are a renewable resource. This notion that "I'll never come up with another great idea" is no good, and just commit to putting them down on paper. If it seems like it's working; it's working, and you can tell. If it's not, pull it out, store it for something else. But you'll never know if you don't try it.

This is very related to "killing your darlings", which is another essential skill to learn.

[agcohn]

What do you do when you have too many ideas?

The potential characters and scenes just wash over me sometimes.

My fear is that I'll waste a good scene/character/line on a particular storyline, when that same setup would work in another storyline as well.

I just can't seem to decide on the best storyline to invest in.

ARRGGGHHH!!!
Do whatever you can to make your current story as good as it can be. It's better to have one well developed story, than a couple half-baked ones. If you have an idea that you think could work in the script, put it in.

If you are really a good writer, you will find more stories to tell when you are working on your next script.

[filmmaker98]

I dont know whether any of you are facing this kind of problem..

I get ideas randomly when I don't even think of them and at that moment I think its a great wonderful Idea and try to develop the script but after two or three days(I usually write daily) I think I'm getting stupid.....

Am I really missing something .....any body has the same problem???

[brianluce]

I dont know whether any of you are facing this kind of problem..

I get ideas randomly when I don't even think of them and at that moment I think its a great wonderful Idea and try to develop the script but after two or three days(I usually write daily) I think I'm getting stupid.....

Am I really missing something .....any body has the same problem???

I get ideas like that too--they're like fluttering butterflies and if I don't write them down I can't remember them.

What I do is proceed from the premise that I'm already stupid, so there's no issue of "Getting stupid" since I'm already there.

Also, not all ideas are created equal. Some are more stupid than others. Just keep working with them and believing in them and sooner or later a good one will come. When that happens, pull its wings off and put it in your collection jar.

[filmmaker98]

then I'm on the correct road :) ...thnk u

[EJ Pennypacker]

I employ the "sleep on it" test.

I get an idea. I write it down. I sleep on it. If it's still good the next day, then I move forward to playing with it.

EJ

[filmmaker98]

funny....I mean you the expression of your explanation

[sfoster]

I usually will create my characters. Then I find my story, whether researching things, or reading the newspaper, my dreams, talking with friends, etc. Once I have a good concept, I write it out as a short story minus the who. I simply state what happens. Once this is finished I bring my characters into the situation and decide who is going to be who. Sometimes at this point I have to recreate the characters back stories and do some behavior modification. Finally I ask what would happen if character A did this or I throw the situation at the character and decide how they would react. This is my sort of rewrite, but not. Once I've finally made it to the end with the characters, I write a new back story of my characters and make sure that I didn't cheat. This is the technical part where I make my story not only creative, but logical. AKA 2nd Draft. For the third draft, I read to make sure there are hills and valleys, the emotional roller coaster. Finally I check for form and story structure to make sure it isn't too far off, or too slow of a beginning, or if I don't introduce the characters well enough or make them hard to relate to.

I register with the WGA

THEN I have several people read it and comment on it. Then I rewrite it all over again based on what I think needs to be changed according to the feedback I receive.

I register the final with the WGA and start shopping it around while I write the next script!

By the way, Begin at the beginning and proceed with caution!

[thebullfrog]

With registering, i'm in Toronto, Canada, is there an equal organization like that here?

Edit: i'm stupid, just needed to google WGC and there it is.

[Randall_Oelerich]

Wow. Encouraging words and steps that ring true, having recently finished my first screenplay (4th draft) and working on two others. Good to hear that what I am doing, what I experience, is the norm, the method. I write the idea, the beat sheet outline, then a narrative short story with pieces of dialog -- then I hit the wall at that 30 page whateveryoucallit that has the three acts, turning points, some but not much dialog; and I think, is this really going to be enough to make into at least 85+ pages? Somehow I think it will (as I work on my second and third screenplays which are at this state), as this was the way things went on my first screenplay. Somehow those 30 pages blossum, grow like the blob; in fact on my first screenplay I am looking at a 118 page supernatural thriller that started out as those 30 pages, it is 4th draft, and I plan to maybe even hone that down to 100 pages lean and scary.

[quote=Isaac_Brody;463891]I thought it’d be useful and enlightening to talk about the writing process. Feel free to add your own process to this list. Here’s mine....

[Randall_Oelerich]

Ditto! I would listen over and over to the soundtrack from "The Return" when writing my supernatural thriller, inspiring. Also other film soundtracks like The Fountain, Gladiator, etc. Whatever music moves oneself, but film soundtracks inspire me that I am writing a potential film.


...
Finally, purchase hours of music and a pair of good studio monitor headphones. I recommend Sennheiser HD 25-1 (Europe model) or some other type that shuts off all outside noise. I know others need to work differently, but I can't write anything without music of some sort going.

[troopercooper]

Soundtracks that I listen to to help me write:
Gladiator
Miami Vice
Terminator
Requiem For A Dream
Saving Private Ryan
Band Of Brothers
Letters From Iwo Jima/Flags Of Our Fathers

The one soundtrack that I simply cannot get, and which I desperately want, is Sunshine (2007). It looks like that soundtrack will never see official release because of rights issues. Real shame.

[Movie_Dude_3]

The process changes up every so often, but it generally remains consistent. I don't like making it too systematic and I really prefer not to plan it out so much.

The idea will pass through my mind and I'll jot down some notes in a notebook. From there, I'll get a general story description. I'll come up with a main character and write some background. This stage has gone either way - one time, I wrote some history for the character. Another, I wrote a few 'blog entries' in the mind set of that character to get a feeling for how they'd act. I preferred the latter since it flowed so much easier and didn't feel as structured and forced as the other.

From there, I'll get a general story/character arc and have an outline in my head. After that stage, I jump into the first draft and get started right away. I'll finish it up, leave it be and feel good for a few days. I'll come back and then work my way to the second draft and so on. I like to get to the first draft as soon as possible, because my belief is that I want to get the clay out there so I can start sculpting something out.

EDIT: If you're looking for the Sunshine tracks, the only one you can find on the internet is 'Surface of the Sun', which is arguably the best song in the flick. I find that Dredg helps me out too.

[filmmaker98]

sfoster that's another dimension,for me, of building a story . Helps a lot.

[Movie_Dude_3]

I like to give myself some breathing room for my mind, where I might take a walk outside or just lie down with the iPod on. It's best, in my opinion, to pick up on ideas when the mind is relaxed, as you're not self conscious about your thoughts and you can just "net" anything that goes by through writing it down on paper.

I also like to do something that hasn't been mentioned yet - orally explain my story idea to a friend, girlfriend, family member, etc. To be blunt - if I feel pretty stupid telling them my idea, it's not working. If I feel confident about it and manage to tell my summary without feeling embarrassed, it's working. Stupid ideas still tend to sound pretty good when you're just thinking about it, but once you hear them out loud, it's a totally different ball game.

EDIT: Wow, had no idea I posted here before.

[filmmaker98]

excellent point...but dont you think a good idea is the fuel for the writing process!!

[B. Wayne]

As far as the progression I use. I generally have everything written into a "Bible!" Characters, ideas, situations, plots, beginnings, middles, ends, character flaws, feats, etc...

Then once I have something that I feel worthy to progress with- I pluck from the bible some things. Most of the stories I write take place in a city I made up. So having a place I know from back to front is key.

Other than that.

It breaks down like so:

1) If something I find strikes an idea, though, and or story. I see what can be made of it through longhand.

2) Flesh the story out to a two-page short story. Give it a round with my friends. See what they think. Tweak it if needed.

3) Write a Draft. Show friends. Tweak. Draft 2, 3, and beyond.

4) Write a 'Final Draft' or 'Spec Script.'

5) Copyright

6) See if it sells!

[Zim]

I'm going to try my first script. I tossed around the idea of doing it in a novel form first but I'm just going to think it out as a movie and write the script. This is based on all the letters my Dad wrote home during the battle at Okinawa. So really the story is already wrote. I just have to put it all together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GTdHnPq0k

[joeykangaroo]

Anyone attending this festival this year? It looks like everyone in Hollywood-producers, agents, managers, executives- come out to meet with new writers, directors. Figure it's a great way to hit the entire town in one weekend.

[JonathanLB]

Organize everything.
Ive gotten through 4-5 feature length scripts. My problem is I've thrown them all away/deleted them all because I didnt like how they turned out.

That's high standards, though, which is always good. I mean it happens to everyone that some work just doesn't work out.

I've written three non-fiction manuscripts. Two of them I published. The third was about 75% complete, I mean it was almost a full rough draft, but I didn't have the original interview commentary I needed or the flair and it just wasn't working out. It was basically a mess of facts, without a lot of style or originality. Unfortunately it just did not fly. It was hundreds of hours of wasted work, but this kind of thing just happens unfortunately.

I would say my style is very similar to the OP, as far as writing in general, and the way I've done short film scripts has been much the same, but now I'm doing my first feature script.

The issue for me, which would come before all of this, is I write down ideas fairly regularly throughout the year. I don't mean I have a ton; I do not. But if I come up with maybe 10 ideas in a year, or even 6, whatever it is, then I write them down and they go nowhere for quite a long time. I generally let them sort of just sit there, intentionally, and forget about them except that they are recorded somewhere. I go back to my list of ideas from time to time, to take inventory, and at that point I re-evaluate what is lousy, what is ok, and what is good, and good means it has potential to be great if it was executed well essentially. I would say of any 10 ideas, I end up thinking 7 are just flat-out crap. They were stupid, I have no idea what made me think that moment they were good, but they were not, haha. 2 more are just ok, I really am not excited about developing them, so I don't. The last one is something good that I keep revisiting again and again, and every time I do, I always say, "Hmm, that is a good idea, I really do like that one." I find if I keep saying that about an idea for 3 months, 6 months, a year, two years, whatever it is, over a long period of time, there has to be some merit there and some potential. It could still be totally ruined in the writing phase and end up being awful too, but the kernel of the idea has merit and is worthy of some additional thought.

The exception is actually the feature script I'm writing now, which this basically never happens but I came up with this idea in mid-June actually, I soon after wrote it as a short film script, and it kind of went from being something I was hoping would be like 6-7 pages into 10 pages, which isn't a huge difference but I realized that it was basically not working that well even at 10 pages, it felt kind of hollow somehow, like it was just not complete. After sending it to someone I trust (an actor), I got some great feedback and he suggested I may take it in the direction of a feature. At first I wasn't so sure but I agreed it wasn't working as it was currently, the characters were just not well enough developed, and the story was too intricate to develop either of them very well in that length, which I've been able to do with other short ideas. This particular idea just couldn't fit into a short. So as I've been outlining it, I've come up with a solid feature-length outline that makes sense and really does justice to the characters, and I think ultimately it was the characters who drove me in the direction of writing it as a feature, to tell their stories. This is one case where I haven't sat on the idea for a long time, but it seems to be an idea that has merit.

I have another feature script I really want to write, but I've been thinking it over for years, and it is a great idea, but I prefer to have my mind sort of work on it behind-the-scenes for a while longer before I commit anything to paper. So I admit my process is well slower than most. I don't think I would at all make a good TV script writer, no matter how talented I became, or how skilled a screenwriter, I'm not the type to force ideas. I like them to come to me.

I have never been able to sit down and force an idea. Ever. Ideas come to me whenever they choose to, and I have very limited control over that. My only solution is to place myself into lots of new situations, read a lot (news articles mainly, philosophy, etc.), and talk to people. A lot of interactions or different scenarios makes ideas flow. Sitting at home in front of a computer does not. It's the worst possible way for me to think of a new idea.

[zoob]

^^ same here...Staring at a dusty keyboard and flatpanel monitor is hardly inspiring.

I wonder if using a portable tape recorder would remedy a creative moment? However, ideas rarely ever come in order. But then the idea is totally out of order on playback messing up my train of thought...oh well...back to the drawing board

[dougspice]

I usually carry around a little moleskin notebook, because I often do think up little scene ideas or solutions to problems I've been grappling with when I'm out and about. Sometimes the key to a problem is to not think about it for a while.

I tried the pocket recorder thing for a while but I always felt ridiculous using it.

[Yeddi]

How about doing a creative writing course? Some universities/colleges do them by correspondence. I've been writing both prose and scripts for some time but my writing improved and became more refined after doing one. While they wont help you with screenplay structure, they're really good at teaching you to come up with ideas, learning when and how to take criticism and use it effectively for you, and it helps with the treatment and synopsis phase of writing, which is quite different from screenwriting, but a good screenwriter needs to be able to do both well.

The scrapbook idea is also really good. I do that too.

[Max Lamare]

I'm entering High School, and I was wondering if it would help to take a writing class? I want to be able to produce better stories.

Thank's Guys.

[Max Lamare]

Guys?

[Eximious]

I'm entering High School, and I was wondering if it would help to take a writing class? I want to be able to produce better stories.

Thank's Guys.

Yes. A creative writing class should help improve your storytelling.

[anon3196]

I could have some unsealed envelopes stashed around which I had previously sent to myself, which now have a postage seal on them. I see your script. I like it. I replace your coverpage with mine, put the script in one of my envelopes and seal it. Now my envelope seal pre-dates yours. I make a movie using this script, you sue. In court I will win. In the unlikely event that you win, all you get to say is "I WON".

Copyright (http://www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html) is now 45$ (just went up from 30$ at the beginning of July). Should you have it copyrighted, and I steal it then the balance is all the way in your favor. I will almost definitely lose and since you have copyrighted it, I will have to pay damages. Always copyright. It's there to protect you.

The terminology is a bit sloppy here, i thought i should clarify some misnomers:

(1) Courts have an uncanny ability to sift the lies from the truth. that's their job. if someone has in fact stolen your expression without paying for it, the courts should be able to catch them out. submitting it to some guild etc IS NOT TAKING OUT "COPYRIGHT".

(2) as for paying for copyright - you already hold copyright in whatever novel/book/screenplay that you create which limits what other people can do in relation to it. you do not need to pay $45 to pay for a copyright in your own works because you already have one. we are not in patents here - and even if we were, just because you take one out doesn't mean you are protected.


CONT"D from Previous

So if i'm not taking out a copyright in my work then what am i doing by paying $45 or whatever it is in your own country etc?? You are simply registering.

There are distinct advantages to registering than to not register. So as the poster above suggests, if you wanna make some money out of your screenplay, registering IS A MUST.

But we have to use correct terms here. Just to clarify.

I really hope some of you foudn this post beneficial. have a basic ideas of whawt is going on by perusing through the following: http://www.copyright.gov/

[johnt55]

You may want to check out this article about screenplay structure:
http://www.easy-budget.com//articles/articles.asp?article=screenplay (http://www.easy-budget.com//articles/articles.asp?article=screenplay)

[ghzakaria]

First, I'd like to explain something as fast as possible: I earn my living from writing for TV. I'm from Syria and working for TV dramas is a bit different here. [I'm starting to create staffs for writing and FINALLY it's working].

A typical TV series in Syria is a 30-episode story that is written by one writer and directed by one director. No Seasons, no weekly shows, no creator and staff writers, etc. You might think of it as a 22.5 hour long film that is divided to 30 parts, 45 minutes each part.

Of course, I'm not gonna go into the process of how I write a TV series of this type (1200 pages in total), but I'll rather tell you some of my writing for feature films experience.

Usually, I write the idea in anyway it comes to my head. I re-write it once or twice into an outline of 1 page, maybe 2.

I never start writing anything further until I figure out my first scene. I find that remarkable first scenes are essential for a great piece. (It's really similar to the first sentence in a novel).

After I get my first scene, it usually guides me to other key scenes that I write rough summaries of. I stop there and start building characters. I'm convinced that well-built characters are the real key to great screenwriting. I spend a good time on creating the characters using everything comes to my mind (including bios, resemblance with real life people, maybe even other characters in other films, plays and novels, etc.)

After that, I start writing the treatment, making each scene into a paragraph. I examine my treatment well then I start writing drafts until I'm satisfied.

Needless to say, the material produced during that process is very flexible and "subject to change" when I feel that something else is better than something I've written. On the other hand, I always involve opinions from friends, family and colleagues.

Excuse my English if it was messed up in some places. :)

[greymog]

each scene into a paragraph?

Please explain 'subject to change'.

[Sherri Sheridan]

What a wonderful idea for a thread! Without a great story you have nothing to shoot or animate. And if you do not know how to juggle plot, character and theme effortlessly in a visual story you are shooting in the dark!

How I use to write: I have 1000’s of short stories in lots of notebooks and five unfinished novels in various states, along with several screenplays some of which are finished. I would start out with a story based on a cool idea about a character in a place doing something original and interesting. I would spend too much time and writing energy explaining how things looked, and how the character felt which was not visual enough. Occasionally there would be some type of plot goal or conflict or antagonist, but not often and rarely all three. I did not know how to use a hidden theme yet so there was no deeper meaning just a bunch of emotions shifting and strange things happening to keep the story going.

I would write until something happened or until I ran out of steam then try to pull it all together for an ending that did not really work since it was tacked on after the initial story was written. Later during rewrites I would try to excavate the best parts of the short story into something longer. This would be hard to do since the whole story basically wandered looking for a plot, and to try and stick one in later in was like trying to replace parts of a suspension bridge without the whole thing snapping apart. I would write and write and write then forgot what I had written later. Every time I wanted to work on that story again, I would need to sit down and reread everything which would then make me too tired to fix it since it seemed so complicated and I did not really know how to fix everything. I thought I knew what I was doing but could tell things were off in places and missing. I found it very hard to keep track of all the little details that add up to carefully constructed plot. Rewrites were very painful and difficult because I still did not understand things like 40 plot points for a feature, theme, suspense, ticking clocks, the importance of plot goals and a scary antagonist and 1000 other things I still had to learn.

How I write now: After teaching over 4000 graduate 3D animation students how to write a short animated script in 15 weeks, and writing 3 books on the subject, plus a 20 hour DVD workshop I now write completely different.

1) I still start with a spark of a cool idea usually with a character in a situation and make sure the opening hook is really original, strong and interesting. I see the story as a movie unfolding in my head and make sure it is one I would want to see. After watching Avatar I often see the movies now in 3D and add a Z plane.

2) After the first sentence my mind starts asking key story questions automatically: “What is the main character’s plot goal? Who is trying to stop them and why? What is the theme or hidden message I am trying to communicate on a deeper level, and how can I do it visually using metaphors and symbols? What kinds of sudden twists or shocks can I include for suspense? What is the conflict for the main character and the plot? What are the metaphors and symbols that will repeat and change to tell the theme and story visually? How can I show don’t tell more without using much dialogue and more action and events? When a character does speak how can they have a unique voice? What type of genre story am I telling and what is the plot structure (Hero Journey, Tragedy, Postmodern, City Symphony, Ensemble or combo)? What are the setups and payoffs that link together for the plot goal? How do I make sure every character is one the audience will love with lots of character identification? How does the story end with a big unexpected twist?”

3) If the story is looking really good and something I may want to turn into a feature or novel, I will do a 40 plot point outline fast with one sentence for each one. Then I do paragraphs for each one and really work on the plot structure with goals and setups and twists linking together. Each plot point gets a really cool unique symbolic setting, color, emotional mood and time of day.

4) I then start writing the 40 scenes of the story asking these types of questions: “What is the subtext of each scene (hidden emotions beneath the surface)? How many scene reversals can I include (unexpected scene twists and turns)? What is the emotional arc of each scene and how many strong emotions can I pack into the scene in + - + - - + + type structure (starts happy gets really sad, joyful then big death moment)? What is the plot goal and conflict of each scene? How can I use all four basic types of conflict in each scene (inner, social, environmental and personal)? Where is the antagonist and how can I make them scary and cut back and forth to them coming after my lead character? How many ticking clocks can I add to each scene? What are the main character's basic trait sets? How do I link each scene together in an interesting way?...” I then create a one page scene worksheet for each plot point that answers these questions to organize the structure.

5) If I am having fun with the story, I will write a short story for each plot point keeping in mind all of the above then rewrite it in screenplay format later. I generally do one plot point a day using the scene worksheet for that one in the morning and write about 3 pages. In 40 days the story is done.

6) Rewrites are more of a fine tuning process now instead of a nightmare since the story is already in place and does not need a lot of fixing. Sometimes new ideas come up while writing that are easy to incorporate since the basic structure is sound.

There are over 30 free YouTube videos including ones on 40 plot points for a feature film, 15 plot points for a Hero Journey and ones on pretty much everything I mention above at YouTube.com/MyFlik1 or MyFlik.com if you want more information on how I do story structure. Everyone has their own process, like everyone says so you need to find one that works well for you. Good luck with your stories!

(I forgot I posted earlier on this thread and wanted to answer the question a little better.)

[polfilmblog]

Linda Seger and others talk about the two big plot TURNING POINTS, the foundation of the story's structure. These two divide the film into the three acts. The first Turning Point or twist is what changes the protagonist's world such that he can't go back after this point (Like NEO learning about The Matrix, taking the correct pill).

From that point on, you are in Act Two. The situation has changed radically and carried the audience along into this new situation (piquing their curiosity and giving them a lot of hope that this is actually going somewhere), somewhere they have hopefully never been before. Act Two is crucial for carrying your movie. This is the escalation, the struggle, the war ... most of it.

The second Turning Point is a little more dicey, and I often get hazy about which event truly ushers in the final resolution. This is where Act Two become Act Three. That event is pivotal, and it changes the situation again. It is often a reversal, where the hero gets captured, for example, or his love interest does and he finds out about it. He is summoned by the villain for a final confrontation. But, that's just one particular kind of story, and I wouldn't presume to limit the storytelling to this type of plot device.

Often lots of subplots have opened up. Act Two has complicated the world, and the journey of the protagonist. Act Three tends to re-focus on the initial story question, the initial injustice, the original intractable problem. It will reference things from Act One, hopefully. Something is going to have to be resolved.

Anyway, I never start writing without a clear idea of the acts, and how they are different from one another. Then comes theme.

Some interesting links.

Plot Point (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_point)

Screenwriting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriting)

Save the Cat Strikes Back (free peek) (http://www.blakesnyder.com/2009/10/12/your-sneak-peek-at-blakes-third-book/)

[bigscreenwriter]

I get a movie in my mind and I start writing from Fade In. I use no outlines or anything. I go from scene to scene because the whole movie is playing in my mind. This may not be the best way because I have yet to sell one of my screenplays. LOL

I have researched the art and I feel like using any other method clouds the judgement of the movie I see in my mind. I sent a first draft into the Page awards last year and made it to the Quarterfinals. :) We will see what my final draft brings this year. LOL

Good luck in any form you choose because it is ultimately up to the writer.

I can tell you 20 years ago I started truck driving and I was a Natural. I drove perfectly. But when I actually learned the rules and regulations and I studied for my CDL test...my Natural ability diminished and I was not perfect anymore, grinding gears and hitting curbs. LOL

Just an example of how rules and regulations cloud the mind from the intended ART!

[lockpicture]

Thought I would drop this site/

Excellent info on Studios & Agent Submissions.

Scriptflags.com (http://www.scriptflags.com/)

E.

[chetanhsk]

I use Celtx

Idea straight into outlines broken into scenes then write a sentence for each index card and expand it into a paragraph, as a whole it becomes a treatment....then add dailogues to it...first draft is ready...rewrite it again.....

[texvanwinkle]

The only thing I've ever done is, first (generally by hand), draw out the general movement of the acts and major incidents: inciting, Act I TP, MP, Act II TP, etc. Once I get that general outline, I convert that to an outline in Word. And I don't mean an official outline—I, A, 1, a, indents and all. I mean

1)
2)
3) ...

I'll separate my major events by 10 steps or so and begin to fill in the blanks as I develop the sequences and scenes within them. (Incidentally, thinking of your script in terms of sequences—Indy pursuing the idol in S.A., being told about the Ark, going to see Marion, etc.—can make the script much easier to block out and visualize.)

I keep all my notes, from whatever source, in a manila folder together—sometimes grouped by act, if I know to what and where they pertain—as I get them typed into a Word file so I have them all together. Then as I create the official outline, I'll have both files open so I can include my notes at what seem to be the appropriate spots. It's a very loose process, because it almost has to be. But at least your notes are then in one place, and easily transferred to your official outline.

That said, what I'm doing with a page-one rewrite of my first script is to break it down according to McDonald's seven steps: Once upon a time / Until one day / And because of that / etc.

It sounds simplistic, but it's a marvel how much it concentrates the mind on the most important movements. It's helping me flesh out the structure of my script much more quickly than in the past.

That's what works for me. I view it like a funnel, into which I pour all these random thoughts and notes and slowly create order. The basic process has helped me complete three feature-length scripts in three different genres.

But the most important part of the whole process is learning the questions that help you generate and organize the material. For that there's the "What three screenwriting books?" thread.

[DDiLeo720]

i think it is so interesting that we all have different methods of approaching a story... Personally, I love to just write in a notebook. As freely as possible about my story, After about a week of that i have a pretty good feel about what i am trying to achieve.... good luck to everyone with your scripts

[jenny@scripped.com]

Hi all,

This thread is awesome for screen writers. I am pretty impressed and strongly feel that the audience of this thread should know about our contest.

I am Jenny Jones, the Director of Outreach for Scripped.com.

We're running an 80s-themed short screenplay contest, and we are actually producing the winner's work.

You can enter here: http://scripped.com/contests/eighties. Email me if you have any questions - I'm at jenny@scripped.com.

Thanks!

[bwwd]

Nobody takes into consideration camera work? Do you for example write in what viewers will see and what they wont see until for example very end of the movie so they dont know if someone survived or not because of camera work and editing wont showing everything.
This is very imporant IMO.

[dougspice]

Write only what they DO see, simple as that. Getting any more specific with descriptions of camera work in the script is usually a mistake.

[UAChad]

This has been the most awesome thread ever. Thanks for the help folks...seriously.

[texvanwinkle]

Write only what they DO see, simple as that. Getting any more specific with descriptions of camera work in the script is usually a mistake.

This is exactly right, and to tee off further from this, I've found it helpful to consider how to tell my story in strictly visual terms, sans dialogue. Film is obviously primarily a visual medium, and while I love dialogue perhaps more than I should, approaching your story this way helps reduce it to the bare necessities in terms of how you advance your story. It doesn't mean you aim to drive a scene with no dialogue, only figure out how to use as little exposition as possible.

While I'm at it, this exercise reminds me of another mental exercise/visualization I've found helpful. I'm a firm believer that every scene needs to be doing something in terms of advancing some plot line. I picture each scene having knobs which control each plot line. Each scene can turn one or more knobs to advance the story. If you can't easily see how a plot line's knob is being turned in a scene, it's either too vague, or the scene as a whole is deadweight and needs tossing.

[CheapFilmmaking.com]

Once a story pops into my head I immediately write it down on celtx already in the right format, just so I won't lose it. Doesn't matter if its the beginning, the middle or the end. This is the time where I'm usually so amped up that all I could think of is to write and try to catch up with the ideas in my head. A couple of pages after this, I slowly loose steam and stop. I'll re-read whatever I wrote and start dissecting: what if this scene goes here, character could say this, etc etc. Then I would start my notes, copying down stuff for research, putting stuff in bullet points so it would quicker and easier to read. These bullets would end up to be the other scenes or parts of dialogue. After this I'll start again with the script.

I find this to be an efficient way for me to write the first draft. It may seem like I have a lot of confidence in myself, but I find it that not thinking twice about it too much and just letting it flow really helpful. I could always clean it up in the 2nd draft.