Im completely new
- Thread starter Blankso
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Read plenty and write plenty.
If you write 1000 screenplays at least one of them is bound to be Box Office gold!
And shoot films as well, so that you know what works as a writer...
If you write 1000 screenplays at least one of them is bound to be Box Office gold!
And shoot films as well, so that you know what works as a writer...
That is so true...
It's like in music,
Someone wrote me a part to play on the guitar which was written on the piano.
He never tried playing it on the guitar.
So when I got it, I had to have 8 fingers on my left hand to be able to play it... It didn't work.
lol
Knowing the action of filmmaking is extremely important as a writer IMHO.
My advice is "don't stop." A lot of people start strong and then just "stop" for whatever reason. The most common excuses include: I'm busy with school/work/dating, I don't have money, I don't know any actors, I don't have a camera, I don't know how to write, etc.
Just keep going. Remember that it's OK to make mistakes. No one writes a masterpiece in the first draft.
Write a movie. Make a movie. Then make a slightly better one. Then a slightly better one and before you know it - you're golden.
"If a Shark stops swimming it will die. Don't stop swimming."
(Insert other cliches here)
Just keep going. Remember that it's OK to make mistakes. No one writes a masterpiece in the first draft.
Write a movie. Make a movie. Then make a slightly better one. Then a slightly better one and before you know it - you're golden.
"If a Shark stops swimming it will die. Don't stop swimming."
(Insert other cliches here)
Pretty much, yeah 
Is your ultimate goal to write or direct/produce what you write?
Is your ultimate goal to write or direct/produce what you write?
Exactly!
Every director you like started making movies on their own for practice.
You should do that, too. Start small - a cheap camcorder, a few friends
as actors, a simple script. Make five. If you still like doing it and if the fifth
one is better than the first one, you can upgrade your equipment and
'earn more about making movies. But you gotta start somewhere, right?
So a camera a cheap editing program and a few actors is the way to go!
Hi Blankso, you should start by reading this book, it is gold: Syd Field's 'Screenplay'. You should also read a script and then watch the movie just so you can see how they relate (while having fresh in your mind the plot points and key incidents, for example). Also, unless no-one else is going to read your screenplay, never, ever, adopt more roles in writing than the screenwriter has responsibility for. What I mean by this is don't include things like camera placement or direction. This is for two reasons, 1: If you write, for example, "The camera swish pans to reveal the monster at screen-right" then the person reading it will become aware of the movie-making process and thus break the spell of the imagination, lessening the impact of your creative writing; 2: it will piss off the cinematographer as that's his/her job along with the director to visualise how something is revealed. In other words, using that age old wisdom: show, don't tell. If a swish-pan is important then change how you write it:
The impact sets Tony spinning.
His vision is blurred.
The creature drops from the ceiling.
Tony stops spinning.
They are face to face.
Definitely read that book though, and good luck
Steve
The impact sets Tony spinning.
His vision is blurred.
The creature drops from the ceiling.
Tony stops spinning.
They are face to face.
Definitely read that book though, and good luck
Steve
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Pretty much, yeah
Is your ultimate goal to write or direct/produce what you write?
Well, I dont have an exact goal yet. Im still thinking about that but so far yes.
Directing my own screenplays sounds like a good idea because I like the idea of showing I envision what I wrote...If that made sense.
And thanks for the advice everybody!
