Want To Learn To Write Good Movie Scripts

A

andybiz_2005

Well-known member
Hi,

I'm totally new to the area of script writing but would like to learn how to write proper movie scripts.

What are the best wesites/tutorials on the Internet on scriptwriting for real beginners like me?

Eventually I hope to write a humourous script & film it using my DVX with the help of actors (my own friends) & probably show it on Google Video when it's done.

Any help on getting started on script writing will be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Andrew
 
1) Buy a scriptwriting program such as Final Draft. It'll cost you around $200, but if you want to do it professionally it's the way to go. It formats everything for you and also includes a bunch of features which you might not even use. But it sure beats formatting everything yourself in Microsoft Word.

2) Buy or get movie screenplays and copy them verbatim into Final Draft and/or Microsoft Word. This will give you an idea of what it's like to write a full-length screenplay, as well as to see different styles of writers and the general flow of structure. It also opens your mind as to the writing "language" used in screenplays.

3) I recommend Syd Field's Screenwriter's Workbook. I think it gives a great overview of the paradigm and helps you focus on your screenplay.

Those are my suggestions. Take it or leave it.
 
Thank you all of you for providing me weblinks. I would especially like to write movie scripts that make people laugh, as in comedy or humour. Any good comedic scripts you can recommend?
 
aravance said:
1) Buy a scriptwriting program such as Final Draft. It'll cost you around $200, but if you want to do it professionally it's the way to go. It formats everything for you and also includes a bunch of features which you might not even use. But it sure beats formatting everything yourself in Microsoft Word.

2) Buy or get movie screenplays and copy them verbatim into Final Draft and/or Microsoft Word. This will give you an idea of what it's like to write a full-length screenplay, as well as to see different styles of writers and the general flow of structure. It also opens your mind as to the writing "language" used in screenplays.

3) I recommend Syd Field's Screenwriter's Workbook. I think it gives a great overview of the paradigm and helps you focus on your screenplay.

Those are my suggestions. Take it or leave it.
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final draft is okay provided you only use one computer. If you're like me, using half a dozen computers all over the place, forget it. stay away from it.

I also don't believe copying screenplays into final draft is particularly useful. It reminds me of those 1950's school teachers that made students write "I won't talk in class" 500 times. It's a waste of time.
 
I'm a newbie at all of this but here are my thoughts:

I find that Final Draft helps me because I'm so new at all of this, I didn't have a clue as to format a script. The best place I've found so far for Final Draft is here: http://www.screenstyle.com/fidrst.html

They throw in a lot of extras and if you're a student the price is lower.


My next suggestion would be to check out Robert McKee's 'Story' seminar.

http://www.mckeestory.com/

Three days, long hours and this guy seems to hit the nail on the head. You can 'upgrade' the Story Seminar package to include Final Draft for an extra hundred bucks.

I hope this helps.:banned:
 
You should go to school. There are classes that you can take in college to learn how to write screenplays. Einstein did not wake up desiring to be Einstein. He just did what came naturally to him and he learned. If you desire to one day write a funny screenplay, you will fail or most likely make an imitation of something else. I started out writing comedy but found that I always became serious about my stories and could never really turn it into comedy. Trying to tell someone how to write or what to write is like telling someone how to make love. No matter what you do you still must have that passion within you, there must be a natural flow. So if your question is literal then go to school. If you are looking for inspiration you will never find it. This is the best advice you will ever get, if anyone tells you otherwise they are as disillusioned as you are.
 
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Any book is worth reading. What matters is if you understand what you are reading, can critique it, and be able to synthesize what you have read. You must have an understanding of life and be able to form conclusions. Although that book provides exercises from which to craft your story, so does school.

The way I work is I create concepts and organize them, in time I begin to see a relationship and I use those concepts to create a story. I walk around with a note pad and a pen at all times, or I'm scribbling things on pieces of tissue, etc.

The most important thing you must have when writing is deep understanding of the material. A writer once wrote that the greatest achievement would be to tell the story of a simple man because despite what you might think real life is more powerful than anything one could create. Being able to recognize lifes trials, tribulations, and love is powerful; and to be able to describe that defines a great writer.

The difference between screenwriting and authoring you must be able to mold characters and create scenes. In writing stories thoughts are more of the art form. In movies it is exceptional acting that brings a character to life but you will always have lines such as "whoa who turned out the lights" to reveal a characters feelings, thoughts.

As a comedian you should seek to understand life and reveal its contradictions. If you do not have interests in reading and critical thinking but simply want to be a good writer director, you will fail. That is like running a marathon without ever training. You will be nothing more than a little punk vying for the spotlight to impress people.

Check out Joe Rogan's website; that guy has some good thoughts.
 
brianluce said:
final draft is okay provided you only use one computer. If you're like me, using half a dozen computers all over the place, forget it. stay away from it.

I also don't believe copying screenplays into final draft is particularly useful. It reminds me of those 1950's school teachers that made students write "I won't talk in class" 500 times. It's a waste of time.
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I disagree. I think that copying screenplays can be useful because it helps you internalize it better than just reading it. Now granted, if you are just copying it for the sake of copying it, and not really paying attention to the content in which you are copying...then I agree it is a waste of time. But if you are copying it with the intention of actually applying yourself, I think it can really help beginning screenwriters get an idea of what it feels like to write a screenplay and the different acceptable styles of screenwriters.

It provides a sort of emulation experience that puts you in the mind of the screenwriter because it makes you go, "so this is what it's like" or "so this is how they describe the action" or "so this is what they were trying to do".

If you think it's a waste of time, then I guess all those guitarists out there who learn how to play by imitating songs and solos of guitarists are wasting their time too. I think that's the better analogy than writing the same sentence on the board 500 times.

And if you think doing that doesn't make them better or more well informed guitarists, well then...there is little else I can say.
 
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Thank you all for your insights into screenwriting. the_fusionist, your advice & suggestions are very helpful to me. Sounds like you have experience in this area.

I have also lately thought that people watching would also help. Where I observe how people relate to each other. How they react to circumstances, etc. This would help me understand the human emotions.

Andrew
 
Hey man, I'll probably get lynched for this, but stay away from Syd Field. It screwed up my writing for years mainly due to the three act structure. Don't try to put your story into a formula. Let it breathe naturally.

You want to become a better writer or good writer, there's only ONE thing that you can do to help make this possible. WRITE. That's all there is to it really. WRITE and then analyze what you wrote, what works, what doesn't, good pacing, good characters, good arcs etc. Just WRITE!

As for methods of writing I like to start out with character bios and then walk around all day thinking of them as if they were real people. If you go to a movie store, which movies would your characters want to rent. If you went for something to eat, what would they order. Think like they are right beside you, and they will start to come to life.

Also, write a treatment first. Please, for the love of God, write a treatment. Know your treatment like you know anything else and know your story backwards and forwards that way you can improv off of it when you actually write the script, but you always know where to come back to, or have a place to come back to if the improv-ing didn't work. Writing is re-writing, so it's a LOT easier to re-write 7 pages or so then it is 120.

For software, I use MovieMagic Screenwriter. It runs about the same as Final Draft, but can also be used to import your script into it's Scheduling and Budgeting programs.

As for how people react and studying people. Well, a lot of times knowing your characters and common sense will take care of that, but if you want to study people, study what they say and how they say it to get a good sense of dialogue.

There's my 2 cents.
 
aravance said:
I disagree. I think that copying screenplays can be useful because it helps you internalize it better than just reading it. Now granted, if you

If you think it's a waste of time, then I guess all those guitarists out there who learn how to play by imitating songs and solos of guitarists are wasting their time too. I think that's the better analogy than writing the same sentence on the board 500 times.

And if you think doing that doesn't make them better or more well informed guitarists, well then...there is little else I can say.
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Go ahead. Copy away. While you're at it, learn to write a novel by copying "War and Peace". Maybe you should shoot shot for shot copies of your favorite movies while you're at it--that'll teach you to make great movies...

Guess what? screenwriting and guiting picking aren't the same.

This forum is very consistent and reliable in its ability to deliver bad screenwriting advice.

Want to really learn to write a screenplay? Just start writing the damn thing. Forget the gimmicks and seminars. Read a few screenplays, but just start writing.
 
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