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Old 8th May 2018, 10:29 PM   #1
Tomtomkent
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Writing A Movie Script

So... I usually write novellas, but am trying something a little different, just for fun. Of course, I'm doing some reading on the subject, but I thought it might be worth asking here as well: Anybody got experience with scripts? Is there anything I should know, about the style of writing, and what a script should contain or not contain, that would be different from other kinds of prose?
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Old 9th May 2018, 05:59 AM   #2
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My brother's "a failed screenwriter" (his words), and in the past he's asked me to read and comment on some of his scripts. Whether that qualifies as "experience" is debatable, but I'd be happy to answer any questions or read anything.

I should mention that my brother didn't always appreciate my criticism, because I critiqued his scripts the way I'd critique a novel or short story. For example, once I wrote in the margin, "Wait a minute--you just wrote that Smith ran out of the barn without his gun; how's he shooting now??"

My brother's response was "They'd have guns in the car; the continuity editor would take care of that." I don't know how true that is, but it's what he said.

BTW, for anyone who's read the "Ten things I've done . . ." thread in Community, this is the reason I had a copy of the script for Natural Born Killers on my desk for five years before it was made into a movie. My brother would use my computer to write, and he had the script because he knew one of the (re)writers.
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Old 9th May 2018, 11:14 PM   #3
Tomtomkent
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Originally Posted by SpitfireIX View Post
My brother's "a failed screenwriter" (his words), and in the past he's asked me to read and comment on some of his scripts. Whether that qualifies as "experience" is debatable, but I'd be happy to answer any questions or read anything.

I should mention that my brother didn't always appreciate my criticism, because I critiqued his scripts the way I'd critique a novel or short story. For example, once I wrote in the margin, "Wait a minute--you just wrote that Smith ran out of the barn without his gun; how's he shooting now??"

My brother's response was "They'd have guns in the car; the continuity editor would take care of that." I don't know how true that is, but it's what he said.

BTW, for anyone who's read the "Ten things I've done . . ." thread in Community, this is the reason I had a copy of the script for Natural Born Killers on my desk for five years before it was made into a movie. My brother would use my computer to write, and he had the script because he knew one of the (re)writers.
Wow, thanks for the offer, that is awesome.
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Old 10th May 2018, 05:23 AM   #4
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A week or so in, and 45 pages down, this is what I have learned:

1) People are just as approachable and friendly in script writing, as they are in fiction writing, but there are differences in the kinds of people will want to give, which is fair enough... its all part of the learning curve.
2) Lots of good scriptwriting books available out there, and finding the right one is key...
3) Trying to meet the beat points for an average movie (the page 3, page 10, page 60 rule, for example) is a lot more difficult than I expected, so... I'm writing a draft, to get the story down, then I can edit the major beats and change stuff around to make it work after... it's a little back to front, from what I was used to.
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Old 10th May 2018, 05:42 AM   #5
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The best piece of advice I ever got was to ask myself, "Would I want to watch this?"

I threw two Trek scripts right out the window because, while the core ideas were interesting to me, my execution was boring, boring, boring.

There are also sorts of little tricks - a major change every 20 minutes; a joke every page; ect. - but the main thing a script has to be is interesting.
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Old 10th May 2018, 02:34 PM   #6
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Just for fun, try this one. Save the Cat! What every scriptwriter needs to know
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Old 10th May 2018, 03:15 PM   #7
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Generally a screenwriter does not do a full-blown movie script off the bat. More commonly they do what is called a treatment. This is a shortened version of the story, usually told in present tense. Most of the scenes that will appear in the script are here, but in abbreviated form with minimal dialogue. Here, for example is James Cameron's original treatment for the Terminator (very much considered unusually detailed).
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Old 10th May 2018, 05:58 PM   #8
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Movie Magic Screenwriter (yeah, you have to purchase it) will format it for you in proper style.
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Old 10th May 2018, 10:23 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by KatieG View Post
Just for fun, try this one. Save the Cat! What every scriptwriter needs to know
Thanks for the recommendation.
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Old 12th May 2018, 12:35 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by desmirelle View Post
Movie Magic Screenwriter (yeah, you have to purchase it) will format it for you in proper style.
Cheers, I will look into it (along with other options, and a few templates that can be applied to regular WPs).
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Old 14th May 2018, 05:42 AM   #11
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There is a "Screenwriting for Dummies" book. They're usually good as an intro.
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Old 14th May 2018, 08:43 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by TX50 View Post
There is a "Screenwriting for Dummies" book. They're usually good as an intro.
Might be worth looking up. Forensics for Dummies was my go-to for detective stories (and Call Of The Cthulhu campaigns) until Modus Operendi, specifically written for writers and less US centric, superceded it.
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Old 14th May 2018, 08:49 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Tomtomkent View Post
So... I usually write novellas, but am trying something a little different, just for fun. Of course, I'm doing some reading on the subject, but I thought it might be worth asking here as well: Anybody got experience with scripts? Is there anything I should know, about the style of writing, and what a script should contain or not contain, that would be different from other kinds of prose?
Funny thing, I come from the same type of experience. I wrote screenplays for telenovelas for about 6 years. I did write a short film during that time, which was my only other screenwriting work that wasn't telenovela-related.

The thing I learned from my experience is that, unlike telenovelas, movies have a much more visual language. Sure, there are screenwriters that are heavy on dialogue, like Tarantino and Scorsesse. But generally, you wanna be able to say more with the visuals, than with dialogue. In other words: Avoiding too much exposition, which in telenovelas is essential.

One thing I would recommend is just download movie scripts on pdf and read them, to get a feel of the pacing, because that is an element that is key: Since a movie occurs in the timespan of about 2 hours, as opposed to a telenovela which is hundreds of hours, the pacing is much more different.

I would also recommend trying not to think too much and "preparing" for it, and just writing it. The ultimate learning process is doing the thing, and then finding out by the mistakes one makes.
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Old 14th May 2018, 08:53 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Loss Leader View Post
The best piece of advice I ever got was to ask myself, "Would I want to watch this?"
True, but I think you also want to ask yourself "Would the general public want to watch this?" because sometimes, we write just for ourselves. We write things that are so personal, so exclusive to our own individual tastes, that they could basically only awake our own interest, and then we forget that most people won't connect with what we're doing.

So then comes the question of the "how". Because yes, it's totally ok to write something that appeals to our very specific experience/interests, but the "how" of telling the story should seek to connect with more universal values that other people can relate to, even if they don't share our individual point of view/experience. That way, the audience can relate our story to their own experiences in a sort of analogous way.
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Old 14th May 2018, 09:01 AM   #15
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I am not a writer BUT over the years this is the author most frequently recommended as far as screenplays are concerned: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ords=Syd+Field
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Old 26th May 2018, 06:50 AM   #16
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Thanks for the suggestions. There are some great books and courses out there. Suggestions were all very much appreciated.
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Old 27th May 2018, 03:27 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by fuelair View Post
I am not a writer BUT over the years this is the author most frequently recommended as far as screenplays are concerned: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ords=Syd+Field
Writing screenplays that sell by Michael Hauge (ETA: not Hague). Title says it all. Stick with what you know. Know your audience. Your target market. If you want to write a Hollywood blockbuster then Hauge gives you the formula. Wikipedia has an entry on him. He might have his own website.

I think one script page equals one minute of screen time. That includes scene direction and lines of dialogue. There's also a way to format and present the script page that varies slightly depending on, I guess, the medium (big screen, TV, even YouTube) and which part of the world you live in.

If you can download the script to Tropic Thunder and watch the movie that might get you some ideas. Tropic Thunder is all about breaking down the fourth wall. But then again, there's the renovation or restoration related adage... if I knew what I was getting myself into I'd never have started it in the first place.

Last edited by dellarte; 27th May 2018 at 03:32 AM.
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Old 27th May 2018, 07:30 AM   #18
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I’m still waiting on a few betas to feed back, but in the meantime a version of the edited screenplay is on Amazon... with well earned thanks to a member of the forum on the dedication page.

I intend to make it free to coincide with the publication of another work, as part of an event.
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