Writing your first screenplay, how was it?

T

tomperson

Active member
My first experience with a video camera was something like three years ago. My first foray into filming were a couple of shorts with friends, mostly improvised, no script, no budget, quite cheesy. I certainly don't think I would include those on a CV. Since then, I've done a few videoarts, a mini documentary and I'll be filming a music promo soon.

Now, it's been a while since i've been feeling this itching...This STRONG URGE to film a story. A real one. With script. With real characters. With some kind of aesthetic aspirations. And some sort of plot

So, the first step in this process is...coming up with a story. I don't know anyone who writes, and I feel this is such a personal endeavor that it only makes sense for me to write it. This is something I've never done before. I have this "collection" of images, ideas, concepts, but I don't really know how to tie them together and create a coherent whole. So I thought, well, if I don't start actually writing, I'll never get to know how to approach this, and i'll never get to make my short.

Now I have as much enthusiasm as I have skepticism, I'm all confused and doubtful. I don't know what will work and what not. I mean, when did I start thinking I could actually WRITE a screenplay? And then there are those that say your first screenplays will suck, so you should throw them away. I can't afford that. I have a day job, hence limited amount of free time...So i better get it right the first time.

So, how did you FEEL when you started writing your first screenplay? What were the most difficult parts? How did you work out how to get over the doubts? What worked? What didn't? Did you have any kind of workflow?
 
Well, my journey into the "screenplay world" began............hmmm..........about a week ago. I also have a "collection" of images, ideas, concepts etc but never acted on those ideas until now. I just jumped straight in and pumped out the first draft of my first screenplay. It's a 12 page short that explores the mind of a serial killer who's caught up in the lime light of the media (there's obviously more to it, but you get the picture).

It's still early days in the project but i can see the end result in my head already. Now i just need to top up my writing skills, ideas, concept, characters etc. and get the project to match up what i see in my head.

Sure, practice makes perfect. But the way i like to see it is "practice makes progress"

After i had started to get my ideas down it was such a great feeling. Felt great to put my ideas out there, see what works and what doesn't, experiment and actually start writing.

I think i might upload my draft and get the guys on the forum to tear it apart and give me some feedback. That's another great thing about this forum.

Doesn't answer all your questions but i thought i may as well put forward some of my thoughts.
 
tomperson said:
What were the most difficult parts?
Click to expand...


For me, simply getting started was the rough part. I have read alot of books on writing scripts, and browsed tons of websites on the subject.

The problem I had was I would just lock up mentally when it came time to write.
So I spent my time researching screenwriting software, templates, blah blah blah.
Hero's journey, 3 Act structure, all became good distractions to keep me from actually writing.

Once I finally let go and said 'Hey, I am going to write a rough draft, and its going to absolutely suck' I was fine.
Of all the books I read, this one actually helped me get started. Sure, its a formula, but the writing exercises got me going.

And once I actually got writing, the pages poured out.
Of course, they were jumbled, and at times went off in directions I didn't plan on, but that's ok, because I already said I was going to write a horrible first draft.

But it did help me find the story I wanted to tell. I am on my second revision, and am way happier with the story I have now.

On an aside, I have been using Celtx instead of Final Draft, and I am very pleased with it so far.
And you can't beat the price...

Good luck on your writing.
Don't be afraid to write something terrible.
I look at my first rough draft like a sculptor looking at clay.
Get it out of your head, onto the paper, *then* rework it until it's great!
 
Theses where the first lines of my first script.

Int. Room -

Leonard 32, sit's in the dark, looking down at something, eyes blood shot red, his hairs a mess. He looks like he hasn't slept or taken a shower in a couple of days and has just had one hell of night.

Leonard (V.O)
Psychics, I don't believe in psychics. You know
those people, that tell you they can speak to
ghosts; or for a hefty price contact your dead
aunt Esther to find out where she left the will?
Well...they're full of it, that John Edwards he's
full of sh!t. No one ever really sees ghosts;
because if you did see ghosts you would'nt
end up on the Sci-fi channel with your own
prime-time television show. You'd be here
writing another Fukc!n9 suicide note, that makes
no god dam! sense... just...like... me.


I swear after this I was like, "okay so now what do I do?" I honestly had no idea what to do next, 2 weeks went by and nothing came I was like maybe I'm not cut out for this, I was about to give up.

By the end of the year I had written 209 pages of a really awsome orignal idea, a pshycological ghost story that has nothing phycological and no ghosts at all. It was awsome and I was so proud. Everyone that I gave to read was like "that was pretty cool" I got great reviews.

A year later I read it again and it was still a good idea. Great twists and plot points and an amazing surprise ending that would blow "the six sense" out of the water, but lines seemed cheesy and I knew it needed some fixing. Now I'm doing a re-write on it. I'm glad I didnt give up beacuse now I'm going to make it so much better.
 
Like pulling teeth...

...from a geriatric shark.

The subsequent scripts, however, took forever. I basically used up all my ideas on the first, giving me a deceptive mindset of how quickly I could write.
 
I think Brendan said it best, for me my first script was 'Resident evil:rebirth' back in 2002, I got into film after seeing a game I really thought would make an epic monster/psychological film, turned into a a 3rd rate action film that had nothing to do with the games at all.

I even made a formula for adapting a video game into a film, not its 6 years later and I havent finished draft 4 of this script yet, ha ha. But its hard when you second guess yourself so much. I still have a damn good story that works with the video games storyline and as a film(least I think) there is always the problem with making it a more 'mature' story than you have.
 
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