Film Directors - How do you handle this?

Kid_Filmmaker

Kid_Filmmaker

Active member
I, being a new filmmaker have been becoming quite overwhelmed by this entire industry or business. I thought I'd come here and find out what other filmmakers do when they become faced with dilemmas and become overwhelmed and feel like - well like, giving up. Yes, I never went to film school, I actually learned about filmmaking by reading tons and tons of filmmaking 101 books - I went the "Quentin Tarantino route". However, I have to be honest with myself, I have NO idea how to write a screenplay, despite me reading again and again how to write a screenplay the right way -that is just not my specialty - writing screenplays.

What happens with me is this, I'll have an idea for a story/film in my head and I'll envision how I want it to be filmed - scene by scene, from beginning to end but then when it comes time for me to write it down on Celtx, I have no idea how to - and I have to be honest. I do not enjoy screenwriting, I enjoy filming the film, not writing the story. So what do indie filmmakers do when they don't want to be the screenwriter (because they don't know how) but only the director? I read in several books that you're to find a screenwriter to write the story for you, I was told in these filmmaking books that I could even find a screenwriter to write on deferred pay basis - so I tried putting out ads everywhere for a screenwriter for a deferred pay project and either I got ridicule for daring to even ask for a screenwriter to even work on a deferred pay basis or I got no responses at all or mean, cruel responses insulting me in every sense of the way and now I usually have thick skin and I mean very thick skin and I don't let things bother me but that did: And I know I could pay for a screenwriter but right now because of the living situation I am in with my parents and little brother, I really don't have the money to pay for a writer - not right now anyway, not until (hopefully) the film gets funded and I can compensate the writer, and actors.....Anyway...

It got me very overwhelmed because when you have a serious story that you have a driving passion to tell and to share with the world but the thing that's holding you back is that you have no idea how to get that story on paper and when you try to get others' help with writing it on paper and you fail to find that help - you tend to get very overwhelmed, depressed and it makes you feel like you're faced with a huge dilemma that you can't get around and I literally have no idea how to solve this dilemma. I have no idea how to get the help I need to make this story what I want it to be and I know being a filmmaker is what I was born to do, I mean I have these amazingly great story ideas and visions of stories running through my head constantly but I just don't know how to get them on paper and I've been seriously working on getting my filmmaking career up and running for three years now but haven't been able to do so until now because of family issues - deaths, living hardships and when I finally get the chance to get my career going with this great story idea, I can't bring the story idea to life because of something simple as not being able to get it on paper or get someone's help with getting it on paper and it's all discouraging and depressing and making me almost feel like well - giving up.

So, I wanted to ask fellow screenwriters, what would you do in my situation and when you feel overwhelmed with dilemmas such as this (if you ever have), how do you handle it? I mean, I'm sure all of you were new filmmakers at one time, how did or do you handle situations like this?
 
The first relevant question is where do you live?

Filmmaking isn't a solo endeavour - it's a collaborative medium. You need to connect with other interested parties to achieve your goals in this field. I'd recommend joining local film clubs or volunteering/interning with those who are already making films - you'll learn far more about how to get things done by getting your hands dirty than you will ever learn from reading about it, and you'll meet people (some of them writers) who will help you get your ideas on the screen.

Whenever I strike up a conversation with a new intern on set, they tell me about how much more they've learned from us in just their first day there than they ever learned from books or school. Actually being on set is the best film education and networking opportunity there is.
 
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You have to write if you want to be a director. No one will trust you with their script if you haven't produced something of quality already. So write.
 
Kid_Filmmaker said:
So, I wanted to ask fellow screenwriters, what would you do in my situation and when you feel overwhelmed with dilemmas such as this (if you ever have), how do you handle it? I mean, I'm sure all of you were new filmmakers at one time, how did or do you handle situations like this?
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I write short scripts. When I first got my DVX100 and began to collect enough people to 'make a film', I realized 1) most people who are not working for pay, don't have the commitment to months/years on projects. So, short films that can be shot on a weekend, are a much more likely project to complete than making some 'feature length' film. 2) writing a 'feature length' script that eventually ends up as a watchable movie takes quite a bit of work. And most 'pros' spend years getting to the point were they make a sale, and then once sold, can frequently 'kiss that script goodbye' as the production company will most likely have it rewritten, several times, and quite possibly shelve the project after some amount of work. If one is not writing a 'feature' for spec sale, but rather to make that film... then there is even more woe to be had...

So, if one wants to see one's work on any screen, then one will be more likely to do so if they write and make their own film.

That requires the filmmaker to be come a writer, write a script, short enough to get made, and pitch said script to other to work on the project.

If one is not willing to do that... well... there's always internet multiplayer games to spend one's time...

That said... if you have a skill such as photography, then you should be at the very least testing your camera against a variety of situations, learning how to do lighting, how to dress a set, even at 'no budget'... ok for $20 at Goodwill for costumes... or perhaps $100 for a crappy living room couch... provided of course you have a location...

But in any case, you should be shooting weekly in some way or another... even if it is just to learn how to hold a camera with out $10,000 worth of 'steady cam', or how to get a good exposure with an under $1K camera...

And did I mention... write short film scripts... even if you don't like to...
 
Every writer in every medium suffers this same problem to some degree - a perfect idea in our head, which then falls to pieces when we try to write it down. It's because we don't think in words, but obviously words are what we have to write. Ok, writers in visual media like film do suffer it worse, but it even happens to poets and song writers whom you might expect to think purely in words.

Practice makes it easier, but the problem never goes away.
 
That feeling of imagining something perfect in your head then putting it into words on a page, only to feel that it's utter garbage, is called "writing." The feeling becomes more tolerable with practice.

To give more practical advice-- if you don't want to be a writer, you're going to need to shoot somebody else's scripts. If you want to be the one who imagines a story and then have somebody else write it for you, you will need to pay them.
 
Kid_Filmmaker said:
And I know I could pay for a screenwriter but right now because of the living situation I am in with my parents and little brother, I really don't have the money to pay for a writer - not right now anyway, not until (hopefully) the film gets funded and I can compensate the writer, and actors..
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why not film some one else existing script as you are unable to attract writers to write your script? There's plenty of free scripts floating around the net and you can surely find writers who are happy to get their scripts filmed even by a new film maker.

It seems that you need to improve your "attraction" skills because film making costs money one way or another. If you do not have money to pay people (actors, crew, post production) you need to attract the right skilled people and to motivate them to work for free by offering something they desire.

It will take a lot of energy and needs leadership skills. If you are not prepared for that amount of effort, a good idea is to work on someone else's project for free and assist in fulfilling their dream film and make friends with the crew and talent and attract them to your dream film.
 
Being a new film maker, you want to begin at a small steady pace. Thinking big does not mean the last movie you saw in a theater. You ask a very broad and loaded question about what you should do when you have a story you want to tell but can't figure out how to tell it. You are putting a lot of pressure on yourself by contemplating what you should do. Film making is a collaboration, regardless of whether it takes 5 people to make the film or 200. A seasoned screenwriter spoke at my work once, and I explained to him that I write occasionally but I have trouble staying focused on writing on a day to day basis. He said "I force myself to write, even if I am not in the mood to write. I write because I have to write, not because I chose to write". So does he enjoy writing? Maybe. You have a story, so learn the screenplay format and write because nobody else is going to at this point in your life. Is your screenplay going to be any good? Probably not, but who cares. You wrote it, you had that experience and be grateful you did. You needed that experience. Should you revise your script and make it better? Have someone read it and tell you what they think. How are you going to know if it's good enough to go to the next step if you don't get an objective point of view? You don't have the money to hire someone, you don't know anybody willing to write for you, and your story just sits on the shelf in your head.

So what are you going to write about that's going to motivate you to continue to sit down and write daily? Write what you know.
 
For the beginning and to give you a direction you might want to check out Robert McKee or Syd Field. Though I do not believe in standard techniques, reading or listening to their seminars you can figure out how you want to approach your writing and perhaps what components you lack at this point.
 
I'll envision how I want it to be filmed - scene by scene, from beginning to end
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.

If this is how you think, start by storyboarding each scene. Start with very quick sketches, then go back and rework. Add detail. Not in your head - use lots and lots of paper. Mix and match, rework and refine. When you're satisfied, decide if you really need a written script, you should pretty much have a visual one. Do you have enough to start shooting. If you do actually need a script, it should almost write itself at this point.

It's your story - don't get stuck playing by others rules.
 
I myself don't have a problem sitting down and writing a script, so I'm going to put myself in your shoes and tell you what I think might work. Since you think you already have the movie playing through your head, getting someone else to write it might not be a good idea. What if you pick one scene, it don't have to be the first one, maybe pick the one that excites you the most. Tell yourself "I'm not writing a script, I'm just gonna get this scene on paper," Then 10 minutes, the next day, a few days later, pick another scene and do it again.

Eventually you'll have your script, It may need some polishing but by then you shouldn't have a problem getting the way you want it.

It's not how you write your script, it's THAT you write your script.
 
Well, do you really have "a serious story that you have a driving passion to tell and to share with the world"?

Because, seriously, nearly 100% of the people banging out this hyperbolic stuff are completely full of s*%t. If you had such an obsession with telling this story, odds are you would have been writing a hell of a lot of notes to that end. That's where screenplays come from, the primordial ooze of it all.


So, I'll tell you how I come up with scripts. I babble endless audio notes into my recorder, with a little simple code as to where the scene should end up: beginning, middle or end. Then transcribe everything, arrange it properly and see what you have. The notes evolve as new information informs the story. Scripts evolve right up until you yell “Cut.” Be open to improving the material, but keep the script current with where it's supposed to be.


There are also storyboards and improvisation. There are many ways to prepare to shoot.



 
And I have idea for a beautiful skyscraper.. how can I build one, without spending years learning for an architect, and spending a tons of cash for construction material and all the builders involved???

there is a thinking that everybody who have 5 min of time can be film director..
I just came to London to shoot some music video..and I heard from three so called cameraman that all they can do is ask 350£ a day..

they don't know what the composition is and they can not tell difference between C300 and BMD raw..
and are eager to bring audio equipment on the set for music video..

:)

Business like that..
 
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Kid_Filmmaker said:
I, being a new filmmaker have been becoming quite overwhelmed by this entire industry or business. I thought I'd come here and find out what other filmmakers do when they become faced with dilemmas and become overwhelmed and feel like - well like, giving up. Yes, I never went to film school, I actually learned about filmmaking by reading tons and tons of filmmaking 101 books - I went the "Quentin Tarantino route". However, I have to be honest with myself, I have NO idea how to write a screenplay, despite me reading again and again how to write a screenplay the right way -that is just not my specialty - writing screenplays.

What happens with me is this, I'll have an idea for a story/film in my head and I'll envision how I want it to be filmed - scene by scene, from beginning to end but then when it comes time for me to write it down on Celtx, I have no idea how to - and I have to be honest. I do not enjoy screenwriting, I enjoy filming the film, not writing the story. So what do indie filmmakers do when they don't want to be the screenwriter (because they don't know how) but only the director? I read in several books that you're to find a screenwriter to write the story for you, I was told in these filmmaking books that I could even find a screenwriter to write on deferred pay basis - so I tried putting out ads everywhere for a screenwriter for a deferred pay project and either I got ridicule for daring to even ask for a screenwriter to even work on a deferred pay basis or I got no responses at all or mean, cruel responses insulting me in every sense of the way and now I usually have thick skin and I mean very thick skin and I don't let things bother me but that did: And I know I could pay for a screenwriter but right now because of the living situation I am in with my parents and little brother, I really don't have the money to pay for a writer - not right now anyway, not until (hopefully) the film gets funded and I can compensate the writer, and actors.....Anyway...

It got me very overwhelmed because when you have a serious story that you have a driving passion to tell and to share with the world but the thing that's holding you back is that you have no idea how to get that story on paper and when you try to get others' help with writing it on paper and you fail to find that help - you tend to get very overwhelmed, depressed and it makes you feel like you're faced with a huge dilemma that you can't get around and I literally have no idea how to solve this dilemma. I have no idea how to get the help I need to make this story what I want it to be and I know being a filmmaker is what I was born to do, I mean I have these amazingly great story ideas and visions of stories running through my head constantly but I just don't know how to get them on paper and I've been seriously working on getting my filmmaking career up and running for three years now but haven't been able to do so until now because of family issues - deaths, living hardships and when I finally get the chance to get my career going with this great story idea, I can't bring the story idea to life because of something simple as not being able to get it on paper or get someone's help with getting it on paper and it's all discouraging and depressing and making me almost feel like well - giving up.

So, I wanted to ask fellow screenwriters, what would you do in my situation and when you feel overwhelmed with dilemmas such as this (if you ever have), how do you handle it? I mean, I'm sure all of you were new filmmakers at one time, how did or do you handle situations like this?
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You really need to get to know people. Find others in your area who are interested in making films. Get to know them socially. Exchange ideas. Team up with them on projects. Everyone will have things about filmmaking they're most interested in. Someone in that group will be a writer.

People want to work with people they know and like. You don't know anybody, so it's going to be tougher for you. Get to know them.
 
Hmmm, okay, I'm going to post. Ever thought of drinking?

I find myself having ideas but sitting in front of my keyboard not writing anything down. I have a few drinks, play music in the background and off my little fingers go like crazy and I can't stop.

I think having a few drinks makes takes away inhabition, and since I have everything ready to go in my head, the words pour out of me. Note, the booze thing doesn't always work, but give it a try on a night or two. A great writer once said, write drunk, edit sober. The next day you will read your stuff and it will be full of typos and there might be some weird stuff you wrote but you'll be surprised to know that the ideas in your head are now on the page and you have a good launch pad to edit it into something great.

Also as a filmmaker, I get frustrated on how things don't always work out and I get stressed out. Lot's of setbacks. Actors who drop out for one reason or another, not finding the right location, money. I took the approach that if 100 things were to happen today and 99 of them went wrong, well then it's been a pretty good day.
 
A couple of things, I use yellow legal pads for first drafts. It gives me something to come back to. I make a dictionary of words phrases certain characters might use. It also gives you a way to create a world that is your own. Some filmakers who are writers also make up scrapbooks of clippings from magazines books newspapers of images related to the story they are working on. Find a quiet area in a library and stay until you've written some thing. Get some coffee by yourself with just your notepad and pen, sometimes the activity in the background can focus, inspire or just bore you into writing. Mamet wrote a book about writing in restaurants. Leave the phone at home.
All of these can keep you working when you're stuck. All else fails hand copy a section of a play or screenplay. Hunter s thompson when starting out used to copy his heroes work just so he knew what it felt to have genius coming off his fingers (he used a typewriter). At the end of the day it comes down to how badly you want to do it.
 
Booze is a way to lower inhibition, but it can dull you and also become dangerous longer term. If you must seek chemical help, coffee is another way to go - it's a stimulant (alcohol is a depressive) - and many writers go that way (like Balzac and Voltaire, but also other artists like Bach and Beethoven) and it's far less destructive than alcohol (avoid stronger stimulants - also used for that purpose, usually prescription meds like Ritalin etc.). However, chemical help is never going to substitute for technical chops or actual skill - at best it can liberate or stimulate what is already there. But it sounds - with all due respect - that you are missing too much for mere chemical help. Get involved in a filmmaking community and see if you can find collaborators. Also just an observation: filmmaking, especially directing, is essentially problem-solving; you describe a lot of problems that are preventing you from directing - ahem... complaining about problems existing is like complaining about gravity - that's the very job of a director, to overcome problems - the nature of the problems may change as your career develops, but there will always be problems... you mention Tarantino, but don't seem to realize that he too faced problems not dissimilar to yours, and so did Rodriguez and a ton of directors starting out, no money, family situations etc. Everyone wants to be Jesus, but nobody wants to hang on a cross. Best of luck!
 
Nobody will be more passionate (especially for no pay) than you about this script, learn how to write one and write one. You wrote plenty in your post and it looks like you know how to, the formatting of Screen Plays is fairly simple and could be learned relatively quickly.

Just write it. I don't mean to sound rude, but maybe you're making excuses for why you haven't written it yet. Read this article, it may help you get started: http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html
 
It's a question of getting to understand the basics of the screenwriting medium.
Read Syd Field's book The Foundatons of Screenwriting to begin with.
At worst it will be a great way to further procrastinate.
 
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