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Truestar's Screenwriting Challenge

I'm going to undergo a major challenge. Next week I intend on writing a screenplay in five days. monday - friday. I intend to keep updates on this site and write everything on the spot with very little character development. I hope you all take a look at it and give me your feedback.

thanks

- d

*note - afterwards, if it turns out decent, which I will find out, regardless, I intend on doing many rewrites to it.
 
I'll give you my feedback right now.

Nobody cares how long it took you to write. They only care if it's exceptionally good, and they can't stop reading.

5 days?

Not bloody likely.
 
I'll give you my feedback right now.

Nobody cares how long it took you to write. They only care if it's exceptionally good, and they can't stop reading.

5 days?

Not bloody likely.

I'm guessing that he's not doing this to produce the highest quality of work that he can, but to set a deadline and work to it so that he has something to work with...

It's like NaNoWriMo (which incidentally is coming up in a week), where the goal is to write a novel in a month, not so that the novel will be great but to get people off their ass and writing.

If you know where the script is going and you are willing to do several fine tooth comb redrafts at a later date then I think this is a commendable idea.
 
I'll give you my feedback right now.

Nobody cares how long it took you to write. They only care if it's exceptionally good, and they can't stop reading.

5 days?

Not bloody likely.
I'm not sure if you're aware, but i'm attending my own film school and i'm the only student.
If I was trying to sell the screenplay, then I might approach it differently.....

But i'll likely film this myself someday.

Paul Schrader wrote "Taxi Driver" in five days. Werner Herzog wrote "Aguirre, The Wrath of God" in 2 days.
Do I have the ability to pick a topic and write a screenplay in five days that doesn't completely suck?
lets see........

If you thing this is a dumb experiment, you must be crazy.....
 
I'll give you my feedback right now.

Nobody cares how long it took you to write. They only care if it's exceptionally good, and they can't stop reading.

5 days?

Not bloody likely.
Such cynicism. Nothing wrong with a personal challenge. Ever heard of the 48 hour film challenges? Come on man... support him.

Good luck!
 
I think setting deadlines is great motivation towards a goal. You learn from every experiment you try. Good Luck, Truestar! I look forward to your journal.
 
I think this would be considered a "forrest person" approach. Broad and sweeping. As opposed to a "tree person". You know the type that does a character break down for each-and-every-character in the story, then does all kinds of research, and this and that before they ever start writing. Neither is wrong just different. I myself am a forrest person. Oh and I should explain. Remember the old saying: You can't see the forrest for the trees. That's where I get the comparison. ANd from a screenwriting book I'm reading right now.:)
 
I feel you murdock. This is why i'm trying something new.

I usually write 25-50 page character analysis'.

I've read steven king would even write his first drafts with very little character development, and then add them in in the later drafts.

I begin now. wish me luck.
 
one more thing. don't be alarmed if the dialogue isn't razor sharp.
i'm not trying to write a witty, dramatic screenplay.
I'm going for an off-the-wall comedy that's "so bad it's good".
expect the scenes to be awesome, but expect something like "troll 2", or "showgirls".
 
5 days?

Not bloody likely.

Too much of a challenge? Setting a deadline is pretty daunting,
isn't it? Setting a challenging deadline really forces you to work
hard.

Interesting that you can say "Not bloody likely." without even
knowing him. I take it you couldn't do it - I know I could. Or at
the very least I know I would give it a good try.

I wrote a feature in five days. When we finally made it two years
later the only change I made was the location. Other than that
we shot the script I write and we won several awards. I think
it's very likely that a writer can write a screenplay in five days.
 
Too much of a challenge? Setting a deadline is pretty daunting,
isn't it? Setting a challenging deadline really forces you to work
hard.

Interesting that you can say "Not bloody likely." without even
knowing him. I take it you couldn't do it - I know I could. Or at
the very least I know I would give it a good try.

I wrote a feature in five days. When we finally made it two years
later the only change I made was the location. Other than that
we shot the script I write and we won several awards. I think
it's very likely that a writer can write a screenplay in five days.

I think this is a good point. My only other question would be how many hours a day did the writer write. I know if I'm "in the mood" I can sit and crank out 20-30 decent pages easy, and quickly. Even on a bad day I can do 10-15 farely rapidly. They won't be as good as if I'm into it, but hey are still usable.
Point being, ifTruestar is working on and off all day(8-12hrs) then yeah he should finish, maybe sooner than later.
 
Hey guys, I'm just finally finishing up the scenes right now. I've finished all of the character development in three hours. I was contemplating whether or not to include voiceovers in the screenplay, since the main character doesn't have any friends (with the exception of 58 cats) and i'm telling the story from his perspective. I generally don't like using voiceovers unless I have to. But I can always revise this in the next draft.

note - this is probably the most off-the-wall funny story designed in a LONG LONG Time. Don't be shocked at what you're reading. And no, it's not going to be like little joshua eating a bologna sandwich in front of trolls to stop them from trying to eat him. But it will be pretty close to this in how ridiculous it is and what actually happens. The theme is still incredibly strong though, and that's what I think counts.....

"Cat Opera"
page 1.

Fade in -
 
"I wrote a feature in five days ... we shot the script I write (sic) and we won several awards. "

Should I be reading something into the fact that you neglected to mention the title?

Where can I rent this opus?

I have no doubt that one can write a screenplay in five days.

I have this nitpicky, disagreeable attitude about it being "good."
 
Further,

I think "good" is highly underrated in some quarters.

As the internet is basically drowning in bad scripts, it might merit a serious discussion.

Again, speed is incidental at best. Research, depth, working out a coherenet plot all take time. Letting your mind germinate ideas and come up with new scenarios also takes time. Speed is not a factor that anyone writing spec scripts should bother with, ever. Taking all the time necessary to produce exemplary work should be the modus operandi. This should be pretty much obvious, but sometimes one must come right out and say it.

I give a script about a page or two to hook me, and if it suddenly craps out before the midpoint I'll toss it. It has to be EXCEPTIONAL, something truly groundbreaking and inspirational for me to invest my time and effort reading it at all.

The last thing I give a shit about is that someone crapped it out in a couple of days. That's an easy way of turning people OFF, not generating interest in ACTUALLY READING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY.
 
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