Starting out

M

Malandrain

New member
Hello, my name is michael and like many people where I want to be a screenwriter. I had an Idea for a movie, I am having a hard time sitting down and getting started on a solid plot. what is a good method to help me get focused?

P.S. I am young but very determined.
 
You can do an outline, which sums up each scene in a sentence or two, and I find it's helpful that I breakdown each of the three acts into four.

So act one is 25 pgs.
Act two (part one) is 25pgs.
Act two (part two) is 25 pgs.
Act three is 25pgs (or less).

So that's a 100pg spec.

Another great template/system to use is the Sequence Method which breaks down the above into 8, instead of four, and in each of the sections I mentioned, there's two parts, at around 10-15 pgs each.

Sequence Method is great for begninning writers to learn structure.

EJ
 
I was like you not to long ago. I've only been writing screenplays for about 6 months.

What i do to get my ideas focused and into a solid plot to begin writing with is:
-Buy a tape recorder, or if you already have one that works too, and sit there just talking into it about the idea. You can listen back this way and see what sounds better out loud.
-Grab a notepad and a pencil/pen and just start putting down your ideas. When all of them are out you can read through them and cross off what you dont like. It helps eliminate useless ideas.

I use those to help me focus on the ideas that i get. But its always good to create your own style of writing, one that's comfortable for you.

There are also a good number of books out there with tips and tricks for beginners. MY favorite is Screenwriting for Dummy's. It's simple, straightforward, and well written. Maybe some other members can point out the books they recommend?
 
There are a million ways to approach a script. Some people start with an outline...simply writing the action that takes place...main character does this, main character does that, antagonist does this....on and on. Some people like to start with the whole scene, action plus dialog, etc. Many ways to start and finish. Find out what works for you.

One thing I would suggest is to read scripts...go to www.script-o-rama.com
and read a script every day...just to get into the groove a bit.

Ask your main character questions...what happened and what are you going to do about it...what are you thinking....what are you feeling? You want characters that take action when something happens to them. Passive characters are not the norm. They have to take the lead when no one else will step up. Depends on what type of film you are writing, but for the most part that is the way they happen.

Read this article that covers a few of the screenwriting gurus viewpoitns on story structure. http://filmschoolnow.com/gurus.html
It will give you some rough outline help. Don't take their viewpoint as set in stone. Be flexible and find a way to write a unique story.

If you have problems with the links drop me an email at curtis@filmschoolnow.com and I'll get you the info.

Keep writing. Spend at least one hour a day writing...every day.
 
Here's what I would do. In order more or less.
-Get a working knowledge of three act structure.
-Read a lot of produced scripts. Read some from movies you've seen and some you haven't.
-Try and write a good scene.
-Try and write a short.
-Try and write a feature length script.
-Write another.
-Then write another. And another.
-Don't give you script to just anyone to read. Especially your mom. Most people, including half the people on zoetrope think screenplays should be fun to read. Personally I think the ability to read and accurately assess a script is a hard won skill. I've read a lot of scripts, written a few and have a lit degree from a top ten school and I don't think I can read one properly. I think that's part of the game, getting your script into the right hands. Actors can be a good bet, and a real actor, not someone who just got off the Greyhound from Topeka and spent $1200 on headshots and placed an "Actor4hire" ad on Craigslist.
-Check the "sold it" thread. Esp Kyle's last three posts with all the stuff goes into a feature length script.
-Get Celtx.
 
When I have ideas that I want to get down quickly I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking with MS Word. You use a headset with mic plugged into your PC or Mac and start talking. I find that this is a very quick and effective way to do a brain dump. Because it's in word, I can easily cut, paste, drag & drop different thoughts. You can usually find a slightly older version of Dragon on Ebay.

I also use Mindjet's Mind Manager Pro. This is mind mapping software. I can take ideas or scene titles and manipulate their order and create different sequences from what I've put on paper using Dragon and Word.

Mind Manager is also good for character development and plot creation. The human mind doesn't work in a linear fashion; different thoughts and ideas are linked to each other in different ways. Mind Manager allows you to visualize and connect thoughts and ideas in a non-linear fashion. Personally, I really like it and create a number of different maps to keep things straight.

You should also look into Celtx as brianluce suggested above.

Celtx is free and can be used to:
write scripts,
storyboard scenes and sequences,
develop characters,
breakdown & tag elements,
schedule production,
prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.

http://celtx.com/

Best of luck!
 
Last edited:
flnstudios said:
When I have ideas that I want to get down quickly I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking with MS Word. You use a headset with mic plugged into your PC or Mac and start talking. I find that this is a very quick and effective way to do a brain dump. Because it's in word, I can easily cut, paste, drag & drop different thoughts. You can usually find a slightly older version of Dragon on Ebay.

I also use Mindjet's Mind Manager Pro. This is mind mapping software. I can take ideas or scene titles and manipulate their order and create different sequences from what I've put on paper using Dragon and Word.

Mind Manager is also good for character development and plot creation. The human mind doesn't work in a linear fashion; different thoughts and ideas are linked to each other in different ways. Mind Manager allows you to visualize and connect thoughts and ideas in a non-linear fashion. Personally, I really like it and create a number of different maps to keep things straight.

You should also look into Celtx as brianluce suggested above.

Celtx is free and can be used to:
write scripts,
storyboard scenes and sequences,
develop characters,
breakdown & tag elements,
schedule production,
prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.

http://celtx.com/

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

This is a pretty cool post. I have no idea what all that stuff is about, but it sure feels 21st century.
 
Thank you all for the help. Your advise really helped and I'm startign to form the right mindset. The problem is sitting down and doing it because while it starts out so great and fun iny our head it feels draining once you start out, but I'm sure it will pick up.
 
brianluce said:
This is a pretty cool post. I have no idea what all that stuff is about, but it sure feels 21st century.
Click to expand...


Thanks. Dragon is voice recognition software. You can talk faster that you can type. Many people talk without thinking so this may be a catch-22.

Google Mind Mapping to make sense out of it.
 
Some great advice here.

For starters if you have never written one...just sit down and write.

But get uptight about structures and stories, plot and characters.

Start on a single blank page and lay out your ideas in small concise paragraphs. Tweak it as you think about it over the next few days - during those moments on the bus etc (take notes).

When that single page is an idea for a story that you feel works. Sit down and write it.

Remember you first screenplay will be horrible when you look back on it. You will make loads of mistakes and ignore structure, formatting and plot.

As suggested a short script is an excellent place to start.

But what will you have achieved? You will have proved to yourself that you can write a story. Make sure to check how it made you feel...

If you enjoyed it. Study the craft and go back and read a book or two and as many screenplays as you can find. + watch a lot of movies, pay attention to opening scenes, theme settings, 3 acts, plots etc etc

Then write another. You will improve with every draft.

But my point? Just write and enjoy it. Don't be concerned with sales and options.

When you complete a story just think back at the fact that was once a blank page and you gave it life, told a story....
 
I haven't done a TON of screenwriting, so my advice isn't probably as good as most people here, but I've taken a few classes on screenwriting and done some short scripts, an outline and the first 35 pages of a feature, etc. For me, what makes sense is coming up with the broadest points first, and then constantly narrowing after that.

So I start with the film's logline basically, or whatever is the simplest synopsis, what's the concept? That is about one sentence usually, and doesn't exactly help write much of the screenplay but it's of course where you are starting out. Then from there you come up with more of the general outline, like what events must happen, what events you think should happen around the major events to get you there, and then you get down into scene-by-scene detail.

The reason I love to do it that way is I don't get down on myself while doing that, I don't think, "Ugg, god, this dialogue sounds terrible, I will never be able to make this good!" If I outline it all first, and know what my characters' motivations are, who is going where, how it all turns out, it helps me with the dialogue when I get to that point. I don't like to write a single line of the actual screenplay until the entire thing is mapped out from start to finish in detail. I like to let my mind play with that structure a bit and write general notes for certain parts. So what's funny for me is, I will say I've been working on this screenplay for a month or whatever, if someone asks how much is done? I can't say, "Well I have 5 pages" or "Well I have 25 pages," or whatever. I might have 0 pages, haven't written a single line, but in my mind I'm at least half-way done, let's say. For this short screenplay I just wrote, I spent about a month thinking about it, considering what locations I'd use, how the plot would work, etc. When I sat down to write it, I was done in 24 hours. That was the easy part.
 
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