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Simple: How do you write a script :(

L

locoarts

I'd figure I'd ask allot of talented guys & gals here a simple question.

Ok, as for me, I have ZERO writing skills, but I have a folder on my computer which is filled with "treatments", just idea after idea.. even a begining middle end, but all very vague. No scenes with dialogue!

I don't know how to actually go from all my scene treatment ideas into Scene #1.... and characters start well talking back and forth :(

any pointers? It's like the only thing that has held me back from making a film. I have like a million ideas, scenes, genres... but I can't write at all.

Help please :)

How do you do it? I have the Celtx. and I just look at the blank white page and Ive never gone past it. But now I am going too!

After I get draft one done. How if it sucks, but lets say it has a structure and flow... (not here - im not asking this or starting this topic to ask) Because its something I have to learn and need to learn :)

BUT how/where can I get a better writer rewrite my script?? Is there a site, is there place where I can get a writer for free or not allot of money...

I am going to make the script into a film.

Just asking, kind of new and again I see you guys/gals know more then I do.

Thanks for the help!
:)
 
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3x5 cards.

Talking back and forth is added after the script is finished! (according to Hitchcock anyway)

Story. Story. Story.

Pick one of your shortest treatments.

Find all the story events. Story events are when things happen.. Talking about your feelings is not a story event. Showing your mad can be. Each story event is one sentence.

Write each story event on a 3x5 card.

Reading the cards in order should be a good outline for a story.

You can reorder the story events. See if the story works better if you change the order.

You should not yet have any dialogue. Now, try "telling" your story from the 3x5 cards to a few friends.. shouldn't take but 10 minutes to tell the story.. once everyone likes your story.. you can START writing a script.. add more details to the 3x5 cards.. eventually getting down to dialogue..
 
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There will no doubt be a few people willing to write your script, those who have posted three times on this forum in similar threads.

So here's my two, three, four five cent.

You're so close, you have the idea, the initial basis of a story that you want to tell, and all you have to do is tell it. It's sounds as though the word "Script" is what's holding you back, tell your story in another format, be that you simply writing 'Scene 1, 2....' until it is you believe it's completed, [/I]then learn the structure, you'll find with this, the dialogue will favor the blank page of a notepad, or Word, than what now is an intimidating unknown.

Right now, to you, structure and format are crafts the are, and will follow, but the necessity, what i believe that you should focus on initially is you're ability to transfer and adapt your stories.

It's always black & white, no gray.

Like i said, you have a story, all you have to do is tell it.
 
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Here's a good website: http://www.filmscriptwriting.com/

Check out a book called: Writing Movies by The Gotham Writers Workshop or Save The Cat by McKee.

To actually realise how a script is formatted, best thing to do is read as many scripts as possible! Just google "Free screenplays" and the relevant websites will be there. I recommend these for great reading:

Shawshank Redemption
Thelma & Louise
Die Hard
Little Miss Sunshine
It's A Wonderful Life
The Hurt Locker
Pulp Fiction

There's a good range of genre, style and structure there, get reading!
 
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Well I got to say I came to the right place! All these tips have actually helped allot.. I know it is going to take me sometime, but in the long run writing your own stuff is the only way to make it.

Thanks so much,

I might write here or private message some people if you dont mind with a tip if I get stuck or something

Thanks again!

:D
 
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wheatgrinder said:
3x5 cards.

Talking back and forth is added after the script is finished! (according to Hitchcock anyway)

Story. Story. Story.

Pick one of your shortest treatments.

Find all the story events. Story events are when things happen.. Talking about your feelings is not a story event. Showing your mad can be. Each story event is one sentence.

Write each story event on a 3x5 card.

Reading the cards in order should be a good outline for a story.

You can reorder the story events. See if the story works better if you change the order.

You should not yet have any dialogue. Now, try "telling" your story from the 3x5 cards to a few friends.. shouldn't take but 10 minutes to tell the story.. once everyone likes your story.. you can START writing a script.. add more details to the 3x5 cards.. eventually getting down to dialogue..
Click to expand...

I really like that 3X5 card idea. I never would have thought of that.
 
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I know it is going to take me sometime
Click to expand...

And that is the best way to look at it if you have yet to write a screenplay. There are many approaches to the craft and there isn't one method which is easiest for all. My recommendation is to write your first one the best way you can (meaning format, structure, dialogue, length, etc.). And expect to have it shot down by many who read it because 99.9% of the time first screenplays suck. And if your friends and family aren't telling you it sucks then I will be the first one to tell you, it sucks. I'm not saying that the idea sucks but just how it looks, reads and delivered is the issue. So just write out your first one and remember one key rule which most struggle with.............. LESS IS MORE!

Case in point. I was listening to the director (or producer?) of the film Ghost Ship and I had asked him a question.

"How long was the description in the screenplay where all the passengers were cut in half?"

- Quick Note: In the beginning of the film everyone is on the ships deck dancing and partying. Somehow a cord breaks and a cable runs across the deck and slices everyone in half.

His answer, "One line of action." Something to the effect of....Cord break and slices everyone aboard the ship besides the little girl.

That's it, you don't need to tell the director and set designer and all the other professionals how to do their job. Less is more. People have imaginations.

After your first screenplay and you have the general stuff down then you need to learn subplot, dilemma, foreshadowing, montages, writing better dialogue, motifs, when to start and end your script, etc, etc, etc. But format is the first hurdle you need to jump and getting an effective screenwriting program will help with some knowledge of format before hand. Also, screenplay structure (how a movie is set up) is the other key component to understand before anything else.

Making character background stories should help make more dynamic characters.

And 90% of screenwriting process is rewrites.

Good luck.
 
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I usually start by asking a what if? question. For my new story, 'Delta 9', it was "What if an elite group of scientists were sent to a distant planet for research?". Then, I write up a list of characters, in this case:

-PFC Jake Anderson, who has a Master's in Biochemistry and Microbiology
-SGT John "Alpha Dog" Derason, who is just there to watch them and make sure no one dies
-CPL Andrew "Pyro" Johanson, who is an Eagle Scout and has a part-time job at NASA.

As for the formatting, I think the others told you that already.
 
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wheatgrinder said:
3x5 cards.

Talking back and forth is added after the script is finished! (according to Hitchcock anyway)

Story. Story. Story.

Pick one of your shortest treatments.

Find all the story events. Story events are when things happen.. Talking about your feelings is not a story event. Showing your mad can be. Each story event is one sentence.

Write each story event on a 3x5 card.

Reading the cards in order should be a good outline for a story.

You can reorder the story events. See if the story works better if you change the order.

You should not yet have any dialogue. Now, try "telling" your story from the 3x5 cards to a few friends.. shouldn't take but 10 minutes to tell the story.. once everyone likes your story.. you can START writing a script.. add more details to the 3x5 cards.. eventually getting down to dialogue..
Click to expand...

wheatgrinder said:
barnacelapse,
I cant claim its my idea. Its right out of "Story" by Robert McKee.

I have tried it and it helped me get focused quickly..
Click to expand...

Hey Wheatgrinder, that sounds like a really good idea. How detailed would you say it had to be? Is there a formula for how many cards to use (per minute?)

using the lion king as an example, would this be ok? (each line is one card):

Lion cub gets born, is heir to the throne.

evil uncle kills father while cub is still quite young so he can be the next heir.

evil uncles cronies chase lion cub off warning him never to return.

cub grows up, meets 2 friends who convince him to return.

cub returns to fight evil uncle and his cronies

cub wins and good is restored to the land.

OR, would it be even more detailed than that:

Lion cub gets born, is heir to the throne.

time passes father teaches son (cub) about life.

uncle is bitter as he was next in line to rule the land.

uncle warns cub not to venture out into the elephant graveyard, knowing he will go anyway.

evil uncle has hyena friends that he tells to kill cub while he is in the elephant graveyard.

cub is saved by father, thwarting the hyenas attemps to kill cub.

uncle stages a plan to get the cub and/or the father killed in a stampede.

Father rushes to save his son from stampede, putting himself in danger.

uncle kills father and instructs his cronies to kill the cub

They chase the cub off warning him never to return.

Cub gets lots in the desert but it saved by a hog and a meerkat, they become friends without knowledge of his royalty.

Cub accidentally bumps into childhood sweetheart and his 2 friends find out he is royalty.

cub is convinced by his 2 friends and childhood sweetheart and returns to fight evil uncle and his cronies to retake his throne

Cub wins final battle.


OR, even more detailed than that? do a card for each scene using character names?
 
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Locoarts,

Heads up. It's 'a lot' two separate words, not 'allot' one word. Just trying to be helpful : )

Are you aiming to shoot these ideas/scripts/films yourself? Are you trying to pen feature-length specs to market/pitch/sell? What budget range do these ideas of yours fall in: low, mid, high?

If you own a camera, even if it's crappy, I'd suggest shooting some of your more doable ideas just to get the feel of how a movie comes together. If you're a visual creator and words bedevil you, maybe writing isn't your thing. But if you're determined to take on the process, there's a lot to learn and it never ends.

Surely you can make a shot list, yeah? Sometimes that's the easiest way to start; jotting down a list of visuals. Do you know any actors who like to improvise? Maybe you take one of your ideas that feature a few characters and present the concept as a jumping off point?

There are merely suggestions! Only trying to help keep the sparks flying for you.

OK, that's that. Good luck with whatever approach you take! Be sure to post results here : )
 
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Everyone has their own way of adjusting to writing screenplays and there are different methods - find the one that is the best for you.

When I'm working on a script I will start with the basics - what is the story about? From there I look at what I want to have happen and sometimes, instead of just jumping from there to writing the script I will start doing a scene outline.

Now for me personally sometimes I will stick it out and write the entire scene outline but other times it will get me pumped up to start writing the script straight away.

In terms of dialogue it is something that can be worked out in later drafts. Sometimes you will have to use "place holder" dialogue, which is dialogue that's purpose is to get the story moving along. You can always change the specifics later.
 
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gibbo said:
Hey Wheatgrinder, that sounds like a really good idea. How detailed would you say it had to be? Is there a formula for how many cards to use (per minute?)

using the lion king as an example, would this be ok? (each line is one card):

Lion cub gets born, is heir to the throne.

evil uncle kills father while cub is still quite young so he can be the next heir.

evil uncles cronies chase lion cub off warning him never to return.

cub grows up, meets 2 friends who convince him to return.

cub returns to fight evil uncle and his cronies

cub wins and good is restored to the land.

OR, would it be even more detailed than that:

Lion cub gets born, is heir to the throne.

time passes father teaches son (cub) about life.

uncle is bitter as he was next in line to rule the land.

uncle warns cub not to venture out into the elephant graveyard, knowing he will go anyway.

evil uncle has hyena friends that he tells to kill cub while he is in the elephant graveyard.

cub is saved by father, thwarting the hyenas attemps to kill cub.

uncle stages a plan to get the cub and/or the father killed in a stampede.

Father rushes to save his son from stampede, putting himself in danger.

uncle kills father and instructs his cronies to kill the cub

They chase the cub off warning him never to return.

Cub gets lots in the desert but it saved by a hog and a meerkat, they become friends without knowledge of his royalty.

Cub accidentally bumps into childhood sweetheart and his 2 friends find out he is royalty.

cub is convinced by his 2 friends and childhood sweetheart and returns to fight evil uncle and his cronies to retake his throne

Cub wins final battle.


OR, even more detailed than that? do a card for each scene using character names?
Click to expand...

Sorry to bump this guys, But does anyone know about this?
 
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wheatgrinder said:
3x5 cards.

Talking back and forth is added after the script is finished! (according to Hitchcock anyway)

Story. Story. Story.

Pick one of your shortest treatments.

Find all the story events. Story events are when things happen.. Talking about your feelings is not a story event. Showing your mad can be. Each story event is one sentence.

Write each story event on a 3x5 card.

Reading the cards in order should be a good outline for a story.

You can reorder the story events. See if the story works better if you change the order.

You should not yet have any dialogue. Now, try "telling" your story from the 3x5 cards to a few friends.. shouldn't take but 10 minutes to tell the story.. once everyone likes your story.. you can START writing a script.. add more details to the 3x5 cards.. eventually getting down to dialogue..
Click to expand...

That's a really awesome idea. I've actually been meaning to try that for ages, just so I can see if I get a different kind of result from what I've been gaining so far (not that I haven't gotten strong work from just writing the damn thing from the basis of whatever idea is kicking around in my head).

At least there's treatments to mess around with. A lot of people have even less to go on than that. At least you know you're capable of focusing on an idea and putting together at least a rough idea of what you might want to do.
 
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