• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

amateur in everything in real life seeking help.

happy new year people! :D

can anyone help me with my infinite querries? and maybe work with me on some scripts? i wanna start writing (again) but i lack the basic knowledge about everything: politics, sociology, law, psychology, you name it. i tried wikipedia but it was confusing. (if only there was a website with user friendly interface that helped scriptwriters...*sigh*)

for example, i have the very basic concept for a politics-war script, but when it comes to writing the details, i'm lost. any ideas? (it's not only helping a fellow scriptwriter, it's also helping a human being.) :blush:
 
I am writing project B and revising project A. By next month, I plan to pursue project C. Since project C is set in ancient Egypt, I am now immersing myself in information. I love documentaries whenever available. That's my approach. The internet is full of info, especially if you have no moral hindrance to being a pirate ;). When you can't find what you're looking for it normally helps to be more specific. For instance, I'd have to get a better idea of your politics-war script to say where I would start my research. What did you have in mind?
 
I'm a screenwriter. I cannot teach you advanced knowledge
about everything: politics, sociology, law, psychology, you
name it. I don't know much about any of those things.

I have offered to help you in the past. I'm still willing to help.
I can't teach you about politics, sociology, law or psychology.
I suggest you write a screenplay about something you know
about. Even a politics-war script is about people. Write about
the people.
 
Hey Nikki,

This is the only part of filmmaking where you really don't need the commitment of other people. You can just sit down and do. So I would do just that. Sit down and do :). Here's how you do it.

1. Take a break :)
2. Go for a walk - to the nearest stationary. Buy a pack of flash cards.
3. Come home and sit down.
4. Think of all the cool concepts and important moments in your movie and write them down on different cards.
5. After you have enough cool moments and important scenes down (you can always add more later), jumble up the cards, and try to see what order they should happen. Put the cards down in different order and see if the new order makes sense.
6. Once you like an order of scenes, now join them with random stuff that happens between them. You can add the random stuff on more flash cards if you like. And then later, when you sit down to write, go card by card, and expand on each point.

This is not a proven system by any means. And I'm not a professional writer. I'm also not naturally creative, or talented. But I do write a lot for my own projects. Therefore, I need a system. And this is my personal system.


What do you mean you lack basic knowledge about everything? The Greeks invented "knowledge," "thought," and "politics." :)

Just dive into it!
Happy New Year!!
 
thank you all for your feedback!

"time2focus", the politics script i wanna write is about a modern dictator who creates a huge army, much worse than the Nazis, and in the end, they win. :P the problem i'm facing is that i don't know how politics work. how did the dictator rise? who voted for him? is it gonna be a dictator that creates this army or a paramilitary group? :huh:

"directorik", i'm so sorry but i didn't understand you when you said "write about people". :blush: i don't know how to write about people since i know nothing about politics. and i'm also VERY thankful that you care to help me, i hope we collaborate soon. :)

again, apologies if i sound stupid. :blush:
 
Read about the October Revolution in 1917 (and the period before) and the years after (how Stalin took control after Lelin died), about the rise of Hitler, about the καθεστώς των Συνταγματαρχών and about Franco in Spain. Should be enough inspiration to find a foumula to seize power.

Usually people are frustrated and afraid. Someone offers a solution and an external enemy and then slowly takes away freedom.

Direktorik means that even if it's about politics, it is still about people: people that have dreams, fears and emotions and take action (or not). Every script is about characters, not about a system. That's just a setting in which characters live.
 
to be more specific, the script is about a material that exists only in the subterrain of Iceland. with this material the indestructible army will be made. the point is who is gonna start drilling underground. a dictator? a paramilitary group like it came out of a "call of duty"? or just a filthy rich evil person? that's my problem. and thanks a lot for your advices, they came in handy. :D
 
to be more specific, the script is about a material that exists only in the subterrain of Iceland. with this material the indestructible army will be made. the point is who is gonna start drilling underground. a dictator? a paramilitary group like it came out of a "call of duty"? or just a filthy rich evil person? that's my problem. and thanks a lot for your advices, they came in handy. :D

Googled for you. How about if it was discovered by accident:

http://www.nea.is/geothermal/the-iceland-deep-drilling-project/

And a rogue researcher or energy company executive were to attempt to sell to the highest bidder? Something along those lines...
 
"directorik", i'm so sorry but i didn't understand you when you said "write about people".
the point is who is gonna start drilling underground. a dictator? a paramilitary group like it came out of a "call of duty"? or just a filthy rich evil person? that's my problem.
That's what I mean by write about people.

The writer makes that decision. The writer doesn't need to know
about politics to make the decision about who is going to start
drilling underground. What person interests you? Write about the
people in the story. You are struggling with what many writers
struggle with; you have a situation but you don't have the people
you want to about. When all you have is a situation you don't have
a story so you think you need to be an expert in the situation. "Star
Wars" isn't about an attack on a space station; it's about the people
who attack it. Write about the people.

YOU make the decision between the dictator or a paramilitary group
or a rich evil person. Each person would send the story in a different
direction. It's still about a material that exists only in the sub-terrain
of Iceland but now it's about the person who wants the material and
why. Why the person does what he does. Then you find the PERSON
who wants to stop the bad guy. Why the person does what he does.
And THAT'S your story.
 
thx a lot joelhall, i googled it myself before, but i messed it up. xD
could sure use the types of characters you mentioned. :yes:


directorik you are my idol in this forum. :D i will write about people, but what about the real-life-fact details? general knowledge. how the army ranks work like for example. i have to wiki everything? :)
 
You started this thread saying, “i lack the basic knowledge about everything”.
The way we all go about learning more advanced knowledge is to look things
up. Read books, use on line sources. So yes, when you need to learn how
army ranks works you look it up.

My advice is to not think about those things while writing your first few drafts.
Find your story. Develop your characters. The details will be wrong but what's
important, what the audience cares about, will get better and better. Then you
can research and learn about the specific details to make the little details more
accurate.
 
As Walter said, research other great (evil) dictators. Understand the conditions in which Hitler rose etc.

If you want a ficitonal example, the final season of the Legend of Korra (a teen show by all means, but one well written enough to be enjoyed by adults) deals with a similar concept to what you seem to be suggesting. A dictator rises through circumstance, playing on people's fear. The dictator even has the mining thing you've got. Actually, most of Avatar (both the Legend of Korra and The Last Airbender) deals with dictators.
 
can anyone help me with my infinite querries? and maybe work with me on some scripts? i wanna start writing (again) but i lack the basic knowledge about everything: politics, sociology, law, psychology, you name it... i have the very basic concept for a politics-war script, but when it comes to writing the details, i'm lost. any ideas? (it's not only helping a fellow scriptwriter, it's also helping a human being.) :blush:
A: Appreciating something is not the same thing as producing it.
Example: I enjoy music, and appreciate it, but cannot produce music.

Quit trying to write a political something you don't know anything about.

Watch 'After Earth' and 'Snowpiercer' for examples of idiot storycraft.

Write what you do have an insightful understanding of, even if it's seemingly "lame."
If you know about working retail - then write a story about that.
If you know about waiting tables - then write a story about that.
If you want to spice it up with a retail employing robbing a bus boy then write about that.


B: Are you writing to sell, a spec script, or writing to direct/produce?
 
Last edited:
Being creative requires a lot of hard work. Every artist needs to hone their techniques and their understanding of their craft. Most writers do research - LOTS of it.

As WalterB mentioned, do research on the rise (and fall) of dictators. Then do research on corporate structures and process with regard to the exploitation of resources (minerals, oil. natural gas, etc.); while your at it, you may want to look into mining, etc. Then research the military, if you are going to get them involved in your story.

The biggest part of your research will be out "in the field." Sit in public places to observe - and eavesdrop - on people. Volunteer at a senior home/community and talk to some older folks; they often have amazing stories to tell. If you don't have a regular job wander through a series of temp jobs.

Well, you get the idea. If you don't know, get off your freakin' arse and find out.
 
I do know quite a bit about the social sciences, Nikki, because I have substantial education in those areas. You didn't mention your age, but, to learn about these areas, the best route is to get formal education in them, as I have done. If you don't want to do that, then you should perhaps take some courses, so as to get a basic foundation, and then start writing. I say this because, if a person doesn't have that foundation, especially if he does not get feedback from experienced professionals, he will take things out of context, and it will show - I know this because this happened to me, and, after my education, I've seen it in the younger generation.

Other people have gotten informal education, and some have even become proficient authors in those fields. But they still have to talk to the learned scholars before they can become experts, and, quite honestly, I'm not sure how that can be done because I've never gone that route. I don't recommend it, but it has been done.
 
To go further on this topic, Nikki, I don't know about your age or education, but many younger people need training not just in the basic knowledge of their chosen areas but also learning how to think for themselves.

To use the Cold War (1948-1989) as an example, you may read books on history on this subject, but, in school, you would be asked questions like the following:

1) In history class - "when did the Cold War start, and when did it end? Explain your answer using references to specific events.

2) In a class on international politics, properly known as international relations - "how does the theory of great -power struggles explain the Cold War?"

The two questions deal with the same event but are subtly different, and, to answer them, you would need not only to read the relevant materials but also to get feedback from scholars in their respective fields. If you do so, you would have a great time, because social sciences are fun. :)
 
Back
Top