Getting Started
Hey folks,
I live in Des Moines, and I really want to get involved with film but find it extremely hard to get started here in Iowa.
Check also to see if there are any screenwriter groups near by. You can try Meetup. Also Yahoo has a screenwriter's group. You could put a query out there. I suggest these because it helps to have others you can bounce ideas off in person. Also, a lot of the local colleges will have drama/video departments. Student groups are often welcoming (and a great source for actors, etc.). However, I recognize that sometimes you may still be forced to go it alone.
What I was wondering, is there anyone on these boards who'd want to work together developing a script with me? Via email I guess. I think I have good ideas, but I am not confident in my writing.
There are, of course, three ways to transform your ideas into a screenplay: (1) write it yourself, (2) pay someone to write it for you, and (3) write it collaboratively. Each of these is valuable in its own right.
If you are interested in writing, option (1) is the way to go. You have full creative license. It helps to have some creative writing experience under your belt. There is a learning curve to writing in the screenplay format. And the competition to see your finished work produced is fierce unless you produce it yourself. But it has rewards.
Option (2), while the route most people choose not to go, is also a good option. Normally, screenwriters are a ... how should I put it ... paranoid lot. They have wonderful ideas that they don't want to be stolen. While it does happen, it is not that common. However, many ideas are similar so it can lead to suspicion. When a writer is hired to write, that story idea and the production remains the property of the person paying. That's why networks and studios rather pay their own folks to write. If you only have one idea, you want it done professionally, and wish to remain in control, paying someone to write your script is a good option. It just, unfortunately, costs alot. But before you invest money, check their credentials!
Option (3) I've seen work out with mixed results. Some teams work productively. In that case, the ideas are not held proprietarily but are shared. Where it has not worked out, it is because one party had very strong ideas about what should happen. Collaboration is not only shared labor but shared credit. A friend of mine worked closely with a woman to develop her idea. In the end she insisted it was her idea and did not want to share credit with him. He refused to collaborate with non-professionals after that. As with any creative business arrangement, I think it is helpful at the beginning to draft up a set of expectations from each other. It doesn't prevent misunderstandings, but it can help reduce them. Most successful collaborators know each other from other venues before deciding to write together (hence my earlier suggestions).
Anyone interested in working together? Or, does anyone have any suggestions of people in the midwest who may be in a similar boat as I?
Cheers,
Patrick
My suggestion is for you to make the first pass at writing down your story idea. It doesn't have to be a screenplay. It should be something that you can share. You must sell at least one person on the idea before it can move to other levels. This group seems fairly good at giving feedback. A good hook might interest someone here to consider collaborating.
And to be a good partner, take some time to read up on writing screenplays. Syd Field's book is good, though there are others. Be willing to be flexible and surrender some of the creative ownership if you are asking someone else to write it with you. (If you pay them, you can be a bit more insistent with your own ideas.)
Please remember that a good story doesn't mean a good screenplay. Some things just don't translate from paper to screen without modification. A good screenplay must tell a good story. It doesn't mean the idea isn't good. Many here have their own projects. Most of us start out where you are now. Take a deep breath, sit down at the keyboard, and start writing it down.
Good Luck!
