First Feature script

JoseLuis

JoseLuis

New member
I've written 12 short scripts and I am about to start work on my first feature length. Any advice?
 
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Be disciplined. Set a time and place for writing and stick to it. Even if what you write is crap, if it the time and place to write, write something on your feature. Try not to be too critical of yourself as you write, because you can make it better latter. I have written two feature scripts, and don't let any one fool you, it ain't easy. Stick with it.
 
I have written eleven entirely original shorts. The other was an adaptation of "The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether" by Edgar Allan Poe.

The feature length script I plan to begin soon (I'm doing research) will be a home invasion thriller.

Thanks David, I expect it will be difficult but hopefully this will be the first of many. It makes sense to set a schedule and treat it like a pay gig.
 
Get to it sailor. Lol. I remember that day I started writing my first feature. I got six pages in and was about half done with my story lol. Two years later I've written 3 screenplays and made one into a movie. Just keep pushing.
 
Now that you have an opportunity to use the full length of a feature, have a look at one of the good structure books like those by Syd Fields, or Blake Snyder, even if its just to refresh your memory.

Then when you outline, write a few notes before you begin you'll have an idea where you want to go.
 
Don't try to stretch a short story into a feature. It took me five feature scripts to get away from the short film structure. What I found works well is to list out the key scenes and events. If it feels feature length, then I start writing the script. At that point it's just a matter of fleshing out the points from the outline, and coming up with connecting scenes to join them all together.
 
The outline is key, I agree. It's all about a great outline where you know that you have a film and that it's going to play out to the right length. I outline broad details first, then keep getting more specific until I have every scene mapped out.
 
Yeah, certainly outline the entire story, from beginning to end. Nothing uber-detailed, just enough of a blueprint for you to work from while actually writing the script.

Also, for tips and inspiration, be sure to check out the script for Panic Room by David Koepp. Not only is it the same genre (thriller) but also the same sub-genre (home invasion). Back in the day, that script had a lot of buzz because it was tightly written and that it read really fast.

Good luck, sir. Keep us posted on your progress.
 
Yes, an outline, a synopsis, whatever/however you call it is really valuable. It lets you get a sense of what you've really got, particularly in the all-important area of storytelling, before you get caught up in the thrill (at least for me anyway) of writing dialog and action. If you start out writing the latter with less fully developed idea of the story you're much likelier to end with crap, even if it's got clever dialog and intriguing action. The synopsis makes it so much easier to spot where your story problems are, and they're a lot quicker to work over in that form than a fully formatted script.

Hitchcock, one of the most brilliant, story-driven filmmakers ever (IMHO), made a very telling reference to this exact thing. He said: "once the script has been written, and the dialog added, ..."

I love that quote, and in recent months have made a point of watching several of his films that I'd never seen before (he was very prolific, so I've still got quite a few more to check out). So far, they *all* feature solid fundamental storytelling. Every last one of them. I wish that were more true of most films...
 
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