I've never even considered writing one. I mean, I have ideas, but I just never felt like there was a point, you know? I'm not a filmmaker, and it would bother me too much for my ideas to never go anywhere. Plus, I just wouldn't know where to begin.

So I was wondering what all your screenplays consist of, as far as storyline, characters, plot, and everything else involved. where you guys start, how you decide the order of what all you do, pretty much a detailed explanation of what all you do. If I decided to write one, I want to be able to compare my methods, so I can be more prepared, do you understand? Any ideas and help you can give would be much appreciated.

Gore

Well you really just need the basis of creative writing, don't you? I am still in school and still taking classes on the subject, but I do not think that I am that bad at coming up with stories, or at least deciphering them. There are hundreds of key elements that you should know to assemble a decent story, sometimes those come natural to writers and other times writing courses are required.

You should really just start out with an outline, that is what I do for any short stories or essays I write. Make sure each character has his place and that there are no real slow bits. Mainly, you need structure. That is my opinion anyways.

*whispers* You really need to ask Astral, he is the guy who chugs out these things like they are fiber byproducts.

Yes, I was hoping he, Deathboy, and Ben Pierce(if he ever comes around anymore would put in their two cents on this one. Thanks Meph

Ben Pearce does not write. He shits on a piece of paper while filming himself and then calls it a movie... If you do not believe me go look at the section which we have tried to confine him to, it should be in the general horror section... but be forewarned, you will never be the same again.

I never watched anything of his.. I just always read that he does a lot of film work.

Ugh *cringe*

http://boards.nbcuni.com/chillertv/index.p...0&start=200

I warned you...

I guess Gore's face melted off and his eye sockets were filled with the residue of his facial hair.



Looks like we are going to have to find another replacement.

Meph, that was the funniest thing you have ever said.

LMFAO

OH SHIT! HE HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!

SHOOT FOR HIS FUCKING HEAD!!!!

I hope Astral shows up tomorrow to lend his advice.

What? I am no good at giving advice?


I guess we could get Deathboy in here, but I am not promising that he will be in normal attire.

lol, when is he ever?

There are countless books available as well, everything from step by step processes to general thoughts. You might want to check out a screenplay from a favorite moveis as well, it lets you see the transition from paper to film, and how they explain some of the shots.

My advice: Write

No, seriously, you just have to force yourself to write as often as possible. If a good idea strikes you, write it in a notebook that you must keep close to you. Keep it by your bed and write down good dreams as well. Anything that sounds good, just write. I've used bits of dreams, small ideas, real situations and conversations, stuff I've read in the news, etc... all in my screenplays. If it fits, use it.

Formatting is the easy part now, since there are programs that do it for you. Start out with the free software Celtx at www.celtx.com. It's similar to Final Draft, the industry standard. Trust me, it saves a lot of time when you're actually writing, and it's more reliable than Word templates.

Go here:

http://www.script-o-rama.com/

To read screenplays for free to see how the pros write them.

Basically, you have your Scene Headings (Slugline), your action, your Character Heading, and your dialogue. Those are all the essentials you really need to make a good screenplay in the correct format. Once again, a program like Celtx can format those things automatically.

Scene Headings are where something takes place and will look like:

EXT. STREET - DAY
or
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

EXT. is exterior and INT. is interior, and it's all in caps.

Action is simply what happens. It is ALWAYS written in the present tense and active voice, like:

He runs to the door.

NOT

He ran to the door

OR

He is running to the door.

Keep the action simple and to the point. Never have more than 3 or 4 sentence per block of action. And don't be descriptive or poetic like you would want to be with a novel or short story; the best screenwriters hide their writing talent in favor of clear and consise action. The first time character's names are mentioned in action, they are in caps. An external sound that is not a person's voice is in caps (SIREN, WIND, HORN), although some writers don't do that, and it's okay.

Character Headings are simply the character's name who is speaking, and it's all in caps.
JESSICA

And dialogue goes beneath it. Again, screenwriting programs will capitalize it for you and align the spacing correctly for these things.

If you have someone's dialogue, then action, then the same person speaks, you write:

JESSICA (CONT'D)

Try to make dialogue sounds real. Don't write what you think sounds good, but actually speak it out loud and have other people read it out loud as well. Try to keep dialogue blocks short, as in, don't have dialogue run on for pages and pages without any action (unless you have talent with dialogue like Woody Allen or Kevin Smith, but even they break it with action).

They way you actually write is up to you, and different for each person. I usually start off by writing down a premise, a very general idea. Then I'll jot down more ideas as they come to me. I'll also flesh out my main characters - what are his or hers personality traits, what is their goal or desire in the screenplay, what is their life story, etc... Sometimes a detailed scene will come to me, and I'll write it out as a scene and tune it later. Eventually I'll try to write a brief treatment or outline. It usually has a clear beginning and for my screenplay, and a middle that is vague but gives a general impression for what I want to happen. And sometimes I just sit down and write in screenplay format, which can be creative and rewarding. If the mood catches me right, I can spit out 20 pages or even more a night. This is not common - you're usually lucky to get a couple. Sometimes, when I feel I have a firm grasp on the story and the plot and the images, I write a very detailed 5-10 page outline of every scene. Sometimes I don't. What I'm trying to say is, every writer has their own way, and for me, my own way changes all the time depending on what I want. You have to be flexible.

So yeah, you have to have good characters, and you have to have something interesting happen to them. There are other complicated things you could consider, like a graph of the plot. You need an inciting incident within the first 10 minutes, the thing that kicks off the story (think of the first zombie attack in Night of the Living Dead, or Luke seeing Leia's message in Star Wars, or Marion stealing the money in Psycho). You need a turning point 1/3 of the way through the story (Maximus is betrayed by the new Emporer in Gladiator, Luke joins Obi-Wan after his family is killed), which ends the first act. The second turning point kicks you into the last act (Lando betrays the group to the Empire in Empire Strikes Back). I know I'm using Star Wars a lot, but it has the classic structure! Then of course there is the climax (Death Star!), and the resolution. If you're going for experimental, you can break all of these rules (although it's good to know what you're breaking beforehand). If you plan to sell to Hollywood, you need to follow the rules. So some good books to read are

Screenplay, by Syd Field
The Screenwriter's Bible, by David Trottier
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting , by Robert Mckee

A lot of the shit they say is similar, but some is different, and they're all good to read. I'd also read Aristotle's Poetics. It's old-school, but very good for the structure Hollywood still uses to this day.

You also have to think about your long-term goal. So if you don't plan on producing or directing these yourself, then you plan on selling them to others... which means you have to write to please others. Consider the business side - pick a type of movie you want to write and look up similar movies. Then see what companies made them, which will be your target prospective buyer. Don't make a gritty necro movie and try to sell it to Warner Brothers or Disney, and don't make a Fantasy comic movie and try to sell it to Troma. Know your speciality and follow it through. Know that your movie may very well never see the light of day, and accept that fact before you start writing. Thousands upon thousands of screenplays are written every year, and only a handful ever get produced... and only a handful of them ever get distributed. Your best bet is to write something in the no-budget category and try to "sell" it to a low-budget, no-name company who will actually make it. You might not get any money, but you'll get credit.

Remember to copyright your material through the U.S. Copyright Office, and you should register it with the WGA as well.

Also try for screenwriting competitions, which I am doing right now myself. Look for ones that not only have cash prizes, but also give coverage feedback to entrants, and also send the finalists work to agents and producers.

This is really just an introduction, an overview of steps you need to consider. Basically, you need to learn the format, learn the rules I outlined, and write, write, write... and then re-write, re-write, re-write. It's not easy learning to write in the screenplay style, and it takes practice. So if you're serious, it only takes your own motivation to do this. That's the beautiful thing, why I am focusing on screenwriting now more than directing. With directing and producing you need money, you need resources, and you need people. With screenwriting, all you need is a computer, motivation, ideas, and some know-how.

Thanks so much for your help, Astral.

I'm working on two screenplays, and I don't have any good advice. I do not write it on any special program, just Microsoft Word. I sould still use advice, Astral how do you write yours? Like this:




Or:

Deathboy: I am so stubborn, I can't even deal with voting for something that's slightly different.

Yojimbo501: Yes, we all know that.

Is there a proper way to write it? Anyways, my writing is pretty crappy, it basically has no point.

Everyone says their own writing sucks, including me. I'm a cynic and pessimist myself, but don't be so hard on yourself.

The proper way is like this:






No colon, name in caps, name centered and dialogue centered beneath it. But like I said, those programs do that work for you! And look at that site for professional scripts to see the format.

I say anyone who has an idea and wants to write a script, just got for it! What do you have to lose? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Just constantly think think think about your screenplay and the rest will come to you. When you're driving or riding somewhere, go over it in your head. When you're sitting on the porch enjoying a drink, go over it in your head. When you're at work or school and bored, go over it in your head.

Yeah. The way I write is:

Yojimbo501: I write this way.

But that is because I use Microsoft word, and I don't feel like pressing "Center" every time I'm on a roll.

CELTX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get it now... FREE.

And even Word has the screenwriting templates.

After only ten minutes use, I'd recomend CELTX to anyone.

Well, I have decided to write my first screenplay. I have a general idea. I will be doing alot of brainstorming before I take my ideas any further.

Brainstorming is always good.

I always seem to be able to brainstorm but I never go through with any of my ideas...

I figured I would start with an easy story first. A backwoods slasher. I mean, it's been done alot, so that way I can have something to model the progression of my story after. Atleast until I get more comfort with progressive creativity

Don't be afraid to think of something new, or use an old technique or story. Look what happened to Stuart Coopers 1975 Overlord. That film used documentary and archival footage to add realism, yet it intertwines it while something happens, even if it's just a guy walking to a train. That added a sort of surreal quality to it, but I don't think it's a good quality this time around. I think it almost twists the story into something that doesn't let us care for the characters, or even know them well.

A movie a came up with a while back. It disturbs me so that I am not at the age to be a scripwriter. However, I have a solution. Most of the peeps on here are over 18 right? Well, I thought maybe I could have somebody write it for me. Whoever is a good scripwriter, can you please do this for me? Whoever wants to write this, I will give an origin story to work with. Also, the company I would like you to pitch the idea and script (if somedody actually agrees on it, and completes the script) is Twisted Pictures. If Twisted Pictures doesn't accept, then try Dimension Films, then New Line Cinema, then Rogue Pictures wher it will most likely die out after the first film. Als, I forgot to mention, whoever agrees, whenever you finish the script, could you please post it here for me to read before pitching the idea. I mean, I did come up with it in the first place.

Jason_Rulez!, I merged your topic with this one to keep all screenwriting topics in one place. Plus, there is some good info and advice here to read through for you. There is no age to be a scriptwriter, as you say. Anybody can do it. Of course, for legal reasons you cannot enter any contracts yourself until you are 18, but really it's unlikely that you'll have to before that point. But if you get started on the craft of screenwriting (and writing in general) now, maybe you'll have a sellable script by the time you reach that age that you can send to those companies that you listed. But asking someone else to write it on a forum is a little impractical. Writing a script takes a lot of time and hard work. I personally have about 2 features now that are "finished" (I put quotes on that word because they're never really finished until they're filmed and released), 3 features that I am actively working on, and numerous shorts... all of which have been in the works for years (two have been in the works for over 8 years now). We put so much effort into these things that it becomes an obsession. So it's not as simple as taking a basic idea or premise and cranking it out in a week. That's why I suggest learning the craft of screenwriting yourself. It'll be your own project stemming from your own ideas, and it'll be something that you can feel proud of creating. If you feel like you need help, I suggest collaborating with a friend who lives close to you. Find a peer who is also interested in movies and who might want to write a script, because then you can make the voyage with someone and have another mind to bounce ideas back and forth.

Oh...well...in the past two days, i've been copying scripts and screenplays so that I can read them and figure out how to write one. I have been getting general ideas for Redtown for zbout two years now, and I am really intrested with what I have com up with. You see, my point with this film is to bring to life a brand new horror movie icon. His name is David Madlock. He is some kinda' serial killer to begin with, but he get caught by the police. Unforunatly for him, the officer who catches him...his entire family is killed by David. So, the officer pushes him out into traffic, where he get ran over. 3-5 years later, a shaman resurrects David. However, David did not want to be disturbed. He strangles the shaman, finds stuff he can use to cover up his rotten flesh(he wears a black shirt, blue flanel jacket, jeans, muddy boots, some rubber gloves, and bandage over his head and neck...but his still remaining right eye remains uncovered), gets an ax(this will be his signature weapon), and goes on a killing spree.

Like I've told others here, check out the free screenwriting software program called Celtx. Do a google search or I believe it's just celx.com. It's a program that helps format the text into the proper script format for you. It also does other powerful things like scheduling shoots, breaking down the script into shots with index cards for info on each scene, storyboarding, and creating PDFs.

sweet!