Screenwriting : Scriptwriting basics by Scott Michael Kimball

www.wordplayer.com

This forum. Some of the screenwriters have been produced.

Either before or after or during going to Wordplay, read a stack of screenplays until you think in screenplay. I also have a website with free script tips every day.

Reading other screenplays is definitely something I need to work on.

People say read screenplays, they don't tell you how. Read them forensically. Look at how the writer did scene description, how they handled action sequences, this is why you are reading screenplays. I read a few and then had a chat with someone that had read the same screenplays as me. I had loved the read, they saw the craft. So I went back and read them this time as a practitioner, not a fan. The quicker you get to seeing the craft in stories the sooner you'll be a writer. WARNING Once you see the craft behind the story telling movies may be ruined for you.

I agree with reading screenplays is a good thing to do but make sure you know what the difference between a shooting script and a spec screenplay. There are some differences and people that write shooting scripts tend to do some things would not want to do in a spec.

I agree with Craig. Reading a screenplay and paying attention to its format and style of writing will set you up pretty fast. Every writer has a distinct style of writing though. But there is a general method for screenplays---writing in the present tense, writing what is seen. Its cool and more fun, unlike writing a narrative for a prose or something...

Dan what are the differences between a shooting script and a spec script?

Scott, there are quite a few differences with some being very subtle, but the most obvious differences would be that shooting scripts contain scene numbers and camera directions such as PAN, ECU, etc. Formatting for spec scripts is a little more stringent as a way of showing the industry that you know how to write a script by employing the same basic format that all spec scripts should follow before you let loose with assignment writing ;)

Thanks Pierre! I would say that I'm definitely still in the spec script phase - not really in a rush to move beyond that at the moment.

Scott. What Pierre said.

Reading lots of screenplays from a variety of different genres and formats will always be helpful. The website screenplayed.com lets you download scripts. Also if you read screenplays for titles you are familiar with you can see how what was written translated into the final piece.

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SCREENWRITER'S BIBLE by David Trottier