College Student Need helps with devolping script and making a movie!

[dreaming big]

Hey,
I am a current freshmen at a college in the US. I LOVE watching movies, and I recently joined the film club. For this club, we need to develop and script a short film. The moderator of the club said:

a short script works should focus on one of two characters and explore their dramatic condition visually, rather than verbally (all films should actually follow this rule). And by visually, I don't mean fancy special effects, but good use of light, camera angles, props, locations, and costumes to convey meaning. Remember, you're working with about 10 pages (maximum), so you really want to think about imagery and symbolism, even if it means not everyone is going to get it.

As I am a newbie, I have no idea where to start and what to do. I have a few ideas which I could use, but I don't know what I have to write and how to write it. Also, is ten pages considered a lot?

I have done my research though (not that I understand it ): Here are some sites I found about writing short scripts:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/tips_shortfilm.shtml




For some special effects, I have found this really cool site called video-copilot. I saw some effects I liked there, which I could potentially do. I was wondering if someone could tell me how to verbally write out the effect shown in these two links:
http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/earth_zoom/

http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/magic_glass/




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you guys could help me with this it would be great! I need to have a basic concept or functional idea by January 20th, so im kind of under time pressure. Thanks!

 

[Zensteve]

I have no idea where to start and what to do. I have a few ideas which I could use, but I don't know what I have to write and how to write it.

For the how, you'll probably find the free open-source CeltX screenwriting software useful. It has a few optional extras that you can opt to purchase for a small amount, but overall it's a handy package in its original free download.

Not really sure what you're after, in the what to do.

Also, is ten pages considered a lot?

I guess that depends on what you consider to be "a lot".

A crude rule of thumb is:

1 page = 1 minute

That's obviously going to vary (in some cases wildly), but overall it still seems to hold.

_______

Video CoPilot's an awesome site, yah. Great tutorials.

However, I'm not sure you should be looking to incorporate any of the SFX right now. It sounds like you are starting from scratch, and you'd probably get more out of learning basic editing/pacing techniques - not to mention good tips on how to write an interesting/complete story.

SFX will enhance a good project; not save it from a crappy story.

Spoiler

You listenin', Mr Lucas?!

_______

So is everyone in your club working as a team? Or are you each doing your own solo thing?

Good luck with it!

.

 

[dreaming big]

For the how, you'll probably find the free open-source CeltX screenwriting software useful. It has a few optional extras that you can opt to purchase for a small amount, but overall it's a handy package in its original free download.

Not really sure what you're after, in the what to do.




I guess that depends on what you consider to be "a lot".

A crude rule of thumb is:

1 page = 1 minute

That's obviously going to vary (in some cases wildly), but overall it still seems to hold.

_______

Video CoPilot's an awesome site, yah. Great tutorials.

However, I'm not sure you should be looking to incorporate any of the SFX right now. It sounds like you are starting from scratch, and you'd probably get more out of learning basic editing/pacing techniques - not to mention good tips on how to write an interesting/complete story.

SFX will enhance a good project; not save it from a crappy story.

Spoiler

You listenin', Mr Lucas?!

_______

So is everyone in your club working as a team? Or are you each doing your own solo thing?

Good luck with it!

.

Thanks for the response, I really appreciate it. Everyone in the club is writing there own. Two things:

1. For the SFX - Our club moderator REQUIRES that we have at least 2 special effects, and he pointed out VC to us. Thats why I was asking if you guys could show me how to 'write' those special effects out.
2. Do you guys have any examples of a 10 page scrpt? I just want to see what the proper format is and how it is supposed to be.

This project is very important to me; I want to do a great job. However, many people in the club have been doing this for YEARS and I dont want to look bad. So any help is good help!

 

[Smith]

Hey, I'm also a film student, I've done some writing and producing before so I hope I can help you out:
* As far as scripting goes as Zen said... Celtx is brilliant for what you need & it's free and contains no viruses.
* When you write, you don't "tell" the director, cameraman or editor what to do... you write what the audience sees/hears. E.G. if you write "the bullet hits the gas tank, there is a pause, then the car explodes" the editor knows to put in gun sound effects/ visual explosion effects / explosion sounds.
* With reguards to script format, if you get Celtx it auto formats everything correctly, and also contains an example of a finished script.
* Check out raindance.tv for some really good short films (just make sure you filter out "interviews", there seems to be a lot of them crowding the "Watch" page at the moment)

 

[wheatgrinder]

With celtx its a bit cryptic if you don't know ANYTHING about screen writing... the "tab\enter" functions are a bit wacky, but work great once you get the concept.

When you install it, you can read the demo screenplay that is automatically installed.

Google screenwriting 101. Terms like Scene heading, dialog etc. Are very specific formats to screenplays. I found that once I started writing with these formats in mind, the writing of the screen play improved and goes much quicker. The formats aren't just ways the text is presented, its also helped me to "frame" my vision.


http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html

Thanks

 

[dreaming big]

1. For the SFX - Our club moderator REQUIRES that we have at least 2 special effects, and he pointed out VC to us. Thats why I was asking if you guys could show me how to 'write' those special effects out.
2. Do you guys have any examples of a 10 page scrpt? I just want to see what the proper format is and how it is supposed to be.

Can anyone help me write out the 2 special effects? I REALLY REALLY REALLY need this.

Hey, I'm also a film student, I've done some writing and producing before so I hope I can help you out:
* As far as scripting goes as Zen said... Celtx is brilliant for what you need & it's free and contains no viruses.
* When you write, you don't "tell" the director, cameraman or editor what to do... you write what the audience sees/hears. E.G. if you write "the bullet hits the gas tank, there is a pause, then the car explodes" the editor knows to put in gun sound effects/ visual explosion effects / explosion sounds.
* With reguards to script format, if you get Celtx it auto formats everything correctly, and also contains an example of a finished script.
* Check out raindance.tv for some really good short films (just make sure you filter out "interviews", there seems to be a lot of them crowding the "Watch" page at the moment)

Thanks for the help man! What are some important things which a short script should have?

With celtx its a bit cryptic if you don't know ANYTHING about screen writing... the "tab\enter" functions are a bit wacky, but work great once you get the concept.

When you install it, you can read the demo screenplay that is automatically installed.

Google screenwriting 101. Terms like Scene heading, dialog etc. Are very specific formats to screenplays. I found that once I started writing with these formats in mind, the writing of the screen play improved and goes much quicker. The formats aren't just ways the text is presented, its also helped me to "frame" my vision.


http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html

Thanks

Thanks for the advice man. How long does it take for you to come up with a vision and such? And do you have any other advice (even something really basic, I don't know much )?

 

[Smith]

Most commercially successful scripts adhere to the three act story structure. However when writing a short film it is difficult to play out all three acts in just a few minutes. So, it tends to be like writing a sonnett instead of a novel; with a novel the writer can explore many different themes and ideas, aswell as introducing subplots and minor characters. In a sonnett the poet has just 16 lines to say what he wants to say, and this means sucessful sonnetts are always focussed exclusivly on a single theme or concept.

If you focuss your short film to conveying a single idea, you will not only have a much simpler job when it comes to writing (as you will be focussed) but the end project is likely to be richer and more fulfilling than if you had tried to condense several ideas and not done them justice. -does that make sense?

When it comes to writing, be careful not to rely on dialogue to convey your message, pure cinema (showing rather than telling) is what will make you stand out from novice filmmakers.

The single most important thing, which lets face it, is what you really need, is a decent idea. With reguards to this I cannot help; in fact i would be astounded if anyone would be stupid/kind enough to gift you a fantastic concept, as they prove to be elusive and precious things.

Good luck with finding inspiration,
hope I've helped,
Smith

 

[dreaming big]

Most commercially successful scripts adhere to the three act story structure. However when writing a short film it is difficult to play out all three acts in just a few minutes. So, it tends to be like writing a sonnett instead of a novel; with a novel the writer can explore many different themes and ideas, aswell as introducing subplots and minor characters. In a sonnett the poet has just 16 lines to say what he wants to say, and this means sucessful sonnetts are always focussed exclusivly on a single theme or concept.

If you focuss your short film to conveying a single idea, you will not only have a much simpler job when it comes to writing (as you will be focussed) but the end project is likely to be richer and more fulfilling than if you had tried to condense several ideas and not done them justice. -does that make sense?

When it comes to writing, be careful not to rely on dialogue to convey your message, pure cinema (showing rather than telling) is what will make you stand out from novice filmmakers.

The single most important thing, which lets face it, is what you really need, is a decent idea. With reguards to this I cannot help; in fact i would be astounded if anyone would be stupid/kind enough to gift you a fantastic concept, as they prove to be elusive and precious things.

Good luck with finding inspiration,
hope I've helped,
Smith

Hey, thanks for your reply! I really appreciate it. Question: is this what you mean by like a single conceptnot my idea btw)
A character is walking through the woods with a basket. The character has to get through the forest alive.

In terms of this idea, how would I build the cinema aspect to get my message across. Like instead of the guy only screaming when he sees the big bad wolf, how would I covey it cinematically? How would I give it 'justice'.

Im sorry if I sound stupid, but I really am trying to learn this stuff! As for the idea, im working on it at the moment.

 

[Smith]

What you have there is a simple narrative, which is fair enough, however, the concept i'm talking about is the message behind that narrative, like a moral in a fable. You have to think first of all "what do I want to say with this short film?" and "how do I want the audience to react".
So say you came up with the concept of "forbidden love"
This concept can now filter through every aspect of your film,
*You can have little red riding hood fall in love with the wolf in the narrative
*The soundtrack could have a heartbeat motif... maybe with the sound of crossing swords at key pints during the narrative
* the lighting could place the wolf in harsh shadow
* the costume for little red riding hood could be a black cape with a red hood
* she could wear a necklace with a caged heart depicted in it
* it could rain with the sound of thunder at the end when the wolf and the girl kiss... contrasting against romantic convention. (:weather reflecting mood is called "pathetic fallacy")
*etc. etc. etc....

You see with a simple concept you can affect all the aspects of your story, it is usually a good idea to think up your story in the following order, taking into account how previous decisions might effect your current step:
1) Concept/theme/idea/moral
2) Narrative
3) Characters

Once you have these three key things in place, you can build your script, placing in costume, sound, props, lighting etc. that reflects your theme.

If your really keen on getting to grips with writing as a career I can reccomend the book "raindance writer's lab: write and sell the hot screenplay"

Hope I didn't take too long to reply... i'm aware there's a big time difference between the U.K. and the U.S.

feel free to ask more questions,
I'm really excited at the moment because the rough cut of the feature film i'm producing is arriving from our editor today

SMITH

 

[dreaming big]

What you have there is a simple narrative, which is fair enough, however, the concept i'm talking about is the message behind that narrative, like a moral in a fable. You have to think first of all "what do I want to say with this short film?" and "how do I want the audience to react".
So say you came up with the concept of "forbidden love"
This concept can now filter through every aspect of your film,
*You can have little red riding hood fall in love with the wolf in the narrative
*The soundtrack could have a heartbeat motif... maybe with the sound of crossing swords at key pints during the narrative
* the lighting could place the wolf in harsh shadow
* the costume for little red riding hood could be a black cape with a red hood
* she could wear a necklace with a caged heart depicted in it
* it could rain with the sound of thunder at the end when the wolf and the girl kiss... contrasting against romantic convention. (:weather reflecting mood is called "pathetic fallacy")
*etc. etc. etc....

You see with a simple concept you can affect all the aspects of your story, it is usually a good idea to think up your story in the following order, taking into account how previous decisions might effect your current step:
1) Concept/theme/idea/moral
2) Narrative
3) Characters

Once you have these three key things in place, you can build your script, placing in costume, sound, props, lighting etc. that reflects your theme.

If your really keen on getting to grips with writing as a career I can reccomend the book "raindance writer's lab: write and sell the hot screenplay"

Hope I didn't take too long to reply... i'm aware there's a big time difference between the U.K. and the U.S.

feel free to ask more questions,
I'm really excited at the moment because the rough cut of the feature film i'm producing is arriving from our editor today

SMITH

Hey,

I really appreciate the response! Question: as you talked about HOW to use cinema to portray little red riding hood, is there a site or something which lists like themes and how to portray them?

For example, I was thinking about writing about the current recession and how someone becomes depresed at not having anything and how hard times are. What are some ways I can cinematically portray that?





And also, could you help me 'write out' my two special effects? I need to have those for the script, the professor wants to see it.

For some special effects, I have found this really cool site called video-copilot. I saw some effects I liked there, which I could potentially do. I was wondering if someone could tell me how to verbally write out the effect shown in these two links:
http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/earth_zoom/

http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/magic_glass/

 

[wheatgrinder]

Hey,

I really appreciate the response! Question: as you talked about HOW to use cinema to portray little red riding hood, is there a site or something which lists like themes and how to portray them?

For example, I was thinking about writing about the current recession and how someone becomes depresed at not having anything and how hard times are. What are some ways I can cinematically portray that?





And also, could you help me 'write out' my two special effects? I need to have those for the script, the professor wants to see it.

For some special effects, I have found this really cool site called video-copilot. I saw some effects I liked there, which I could potentially do. I was wondering if someone could tell me how to verbally write out the effect shown in these two links:
http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/earth_zoom/

http://videocopilot.net/tutorials/magic_glass/

You gotta check out screenplays to see how this is done.
From what Iv read you dont "write out" what you see, rather you describe the scene, the Director and FX folks work together to create on the visuals that best realize the vision of the script. I read that it is a big "no-no" to write things like "we see a space ship, and the camera zooms in" I found that giving up that crutch made my writing much better.



Here is a great example from Aliens. Notice how the "descriptions" of the settings create a special effect in your head! Also, in relation to your earth zoom effect, notice how the first two scenes get progressively closer to the action.. like a zoom ..

(dang if Cameron isnt a genius.. first paragraph with a line like..
" The stars shine like the love of God...cold and remote. " )

(http://www.scriptologist.com/Directory/Filmmaking/Screenplays/ScreenplaysA/screenplaysa.html)



ALIENS

FADE IN

SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE - SPACE 1

Silent and endless. The stars shine like the love of
God...cold and remote. Against them drifts a tiny chip
of technology.

CLOSER SHOT It is the NARCISSUS, lifeboat of the
ill-fated star-freighter Nostromo. Without interior
or running lights it seems devoid of life. The PING
of a RANGING RADAR grows louder, closer. A shadow
engulfs the Narcissus. Searchlights flash on, playing
over the tiny ship, as a MASSIVE DARK HULL descends
toward it.

INT. NARCISSUS 2

Dark and dormant as a crypt. The searchlights stream
in the dusty windows. Outside, massive metal forms can
BE SEEN descending around the shuttle. Like the tolling
of a bell, a BASSO PROFUNDO CLANG reverberates through
the hull.

CLOSE ON THE AIRLOCK DOOR Light glares as a cutting
torch bursts through the metal. Sparks shower into the
room.

A second torch cuts through. They move with machine
precision, cutting a rectangular path, converging. The
torches meet. Cut off. The door falls inward REVEALING
a bizarre multi-armed figure. A ROBOT WELDER.

FIGURES ENTER, backlit and ominous. THREE MEN in
bio-isolation suits, carrying lights and equipment. They
approach a sarcophaguslike HYPERSLEEP CAPSULE, f.g.

LEADER
(filtered)
Internal pressure positive. Assume
nominal hull integrity. Hypersleep
capsules, style circa late twenties...

His gloved hand wipes at on opaque layer of dust on the
canopy.

ANGLE INSIDE CAPSULE as light stabs in where the dust is
wiped away, illuminating a WOMAN, her face in peaceful
repose.

WARRANT OFFICER RIPLEY, sole survivor of the Nostromo.
Nestled next to her is JONES, the ship's wayward cat.

LEADER
(voice over; filtered)
Lights are green. She's alive.
Well, there goes out salvage, guys.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - TIGHT ON RIPLEY - GATEWAY STATION 3

She's lying in a bed, looking wan, as a female MED-TECH
raises the backrest. She is surrounded by arcane white
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. The Med-Tech exudes practiced
cheeriness.

MED-TECH
Why don't I open the viewport?
Watch your eyes.

Harsh light floods in as a motorized shield slides into
the ceiling, REVEALING a breathtaking vista. Beyond the
sprawling complex of modular habitats, collectively
called GATEWAY STATION, is the curve of EARTH as seen
from high orbit. Blue and serene.

 

[wheatgrinder]

... I read that it is a big "no-no" to write things like "we see a space ship, and the camera zooms in" I found that giving up that crutch made my writing much better.

...

Of course, as soon as I espouse a rule.. I read other scripts, great movies, that blow this idea completely out of the water!

An American Werewolf in Paris
BLACKNESS.

Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon (Brain Damage)" plays as WHITE TITLES
appear over black. As the song crescendos at the first chorus, SUNLIGHT
flares over the lunar horizon and a crescent sliver of THE MOON is
illuminated- huge, filling the screen f rom top to bottom. We're in space,
circling around from the dark side until a HUGE FULL MOON fills the screen
with whiteness- TITLES continue as we pull back from the moon, into the
earth's atmosphere, through CLOUDS, until we reveal



or this one...(Apocalypse Now)

1 PRIMEVAL SWAMP - EARLY DAWN

It is very early in the dawn - blue light filters through
the jungle and across a foul swamp. A mist clings to the
trees. This could be the jungle of a million years ago.

Our VIEW MOVES CLOSER, through the mist, TILTING DOWN to
the tepid water. A small bubble rises to the surface;
then another. Suddenly, but quietly, a form begins to
emerge; a helmet. Water and mud pour off revealing a set
of beady eyes just above the mud. Printed on a helmet,
in a psychedelic hand, are the words: "Gook Killer."
The head emerges revealing that the tough-looking soldier
beneath has exceptionally long hair and beard; he has no
shirt on, only bandoliers of ammunition - his body is
painted in an odd camouflage pattern. He looks to the
right; he looks to the left; he looks INTO CAMERA, and
slowly sinks back into the swamp, disapperaring completely.

Our VIEW HOLDS, We begin to HEAR natural, though
unrecognizable JUNGLE SOUNDS, far off in the distance.
We PAN TO REVEAL a clump of logs half submerged in the
swamp; and part of what seems to be a Falstaff beer can
in the mud. A hand reaches out, and the beer can disappears.
As we TILT UP, we NOTICE that the log is hollow
and houses the rear of a M-60 machine gun, hand painted
in a paisley design.

Now the VIEW MOVES AWAY, ACROSS the ancient growth, PAST
the glimmer of what seems to be another soldier hiding in
ambush, wearing an exotic hat made from birds and bushes.
ACROSS to a dark trail where the legs of those in black
pajamas move silently across our ever TIGHTENING VIEW.
Their feet, boots and sandals leave no impression; make
no sound. A slight flicker of light reveals a pair of
eyes in the foliage across the path, waiting and watching.

The VIEW PUSHES ALONG WITH the Vietnamese, MOVING FASTER
AND FASTER WITH them, until suddenly, directly in front
about ten feet away, an enormous AMERICAN clad in rags
and bushes and holding a 12 gauge automatic shotgun
casually at his side, steps in front of them. He smiles
laconically, and BLASTS OUT FIVE SHOTS that rip THROUGH
US. By the second shot, the whole jungle blazes out
with AUTOMATIC FIRE.

Out VIEW TURNS as the men around us are thrown and torn,
screaming and scattering into the jungle. More AMERICANS
appear; unexplainably, out of the growth. It is now that
we fully SEE the bizarre manner in which they are dressed.
Some wear helmets, others wear strange hats made from
feathers and parts of animals. Some of them have long
savage-looking hair; other crew-cut or completely shaved;
they wear bandoliers, flak jackets, shorts and little else.
They wear Montagnard sandals or no shoes at all, and their
bodies and faces are painted in bizarre camouflage patterns.
They appear one with the jungle and mist, FIRING INTO US
as they move.

 

[dreaming big]

Can anyone help me write out the 2 special effects? I REALLY REALLY REALLY need this.

can anyone help please?

 

[Dreadylocks]

a short script works should focus on one of two characters and explore their dramatic condition visually, rather than verbally (all films should actually follow this rule). And by visually, I don't mean fancy special effects, but good use of light, camera angles, props, locations, and costumes to convey meaning. Remember, you're working with about 10 pages (maximum), so you really want to think about imagery and symbolism, even if it means not everyone is going to get it.

If this is your assignment then I would say if you just indicate an angle or light source in an action portion of your script, that's all you need. The instructor said that they don't need to be fancy special effects, so no need for video copilot, unless you've already done them?

Look at an example of a screenplay and steal two action lines that indicate camera angle or lighting or whatnot.

EDIT: it looks like wheatgrinder has helped you out a lot on this. sorry to be redundant.

 

[dreaming big]

If this is your assignment then I would say if you just indicate an angle or light source in an action portion of your script, that's all you need. The instructor said that they don't need to be fancy special effects, so no need for video copilot, unless you've already done them?

Look at an example of a screenplay and steal two action lines that indicate camera angle or lighting or whatnot.

EDIT: it looks like wheatgrinder has helped you out a lot on this. sorry to be redundant.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. There are two 'moderators' - one checks you up on your content, the other checks you up on your effects. For the 2nd guy, he demands two effects; hence the VC.

 

[Dreadylocks]

A GIGANTIC ASTEROID cuts into frame, Burning into EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE and
striking down in the currant area of Guzumel, Mexico.
That's from Armageddon, now, let's just adapt it to the special effect you mentioned in an earlier post. Someone who knows more might be able to make this formatted/sound better, but this is your first student project so...

A field of stars.
CAMERA PANS right. Planet EARTH is at a distance.
ZOOM on EARTH, North America, New York City, Manhattan, City Block, Rooftops, Window, Bedroom

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

etc.

As for the camera moving through glass effect, you could probably find an example of how to write it in an Alfred Hitchcock screenplay. Or else a Mel Brooks film, I recall he has gagged the idea of the shot where cameras move through glass by having the camera smash through it. It was in both High Anxiety and Robin Hood: MiT, so you might look to those.

But I've done enough of your homework, I'm not your mother