Screenwriting

Made it to the semifinals of the Screenwriting contest. Fingers crossed for the finals.

Season 1 of my web series is finished. I have a zoom table read on Saturday. I have two ideas/stories that stick out in my mind, it's usually one that nags me. One is a another drama/thriller about this modernized vampire world where humans are extinct, well kinda, and a girl that has been manipulated by her father's enemy claims her birthright. The other is a romantic drama about a sole survivor who gets his identity swapped and loses everything.

I don't know which one to do first? Or is it possible for me to do both? Or should i just focus on the series?

Anyone willing to read my script it's called hard rock hotel. I've received good feedback, but of course, my script has issues. I am willing to be co-writers on this script. If interested, send me a message.

Hi everyone! Sorry for the inconvenience, but how frequent is for writers to share their scripts for others? Frankly Im terrified for the whole myth of stealing the idea but if it is normal, does anyone want to trade and see each other works? Thanks!

Hey folks! Wondering if anyone out here has had the experience of taking a script and converting it to a graphic novel. Would love to chat about your experience with the process and even pick up a few pointers. On its face it seems pretty straightforward, but once I dive into the template and try to imagine the panels and illustrations it starts to get pretty curvy.

I'm trying to come up with a title for the horror/thriller script I'm writing, and I can't seem to come up with anything that works. What is everyone's process for coming up with titles for their movies?

Had a stage 32 script consultation on Tuesday and as we finished up the producer said "Netflix would love this. Send me your proof of concept video and Look Book."  A few minutes later she had it. I was wondering how many people have a Look Book ready?  As important as it is I was thinking people new to this process might not be aware of what they are.

You've got your sales pitch and your script ready to go, great, just to add another layer to your portfolio a Look Book can really help your project. It gives you a chance to show a producer the feel of what you are doing. It can give them more details about your project than the pitch sessions have time for. It's especially useful if you're working on bigger projects, limited series, etc. It's not quite as extensive as an actual series bible but it's step in the right direction. Photos, character notes, plot points, other things to help build the world you imagine your story would take place in.

Originally Look Books were developed in the fashion industry but have also been used in other forms of entertainment like what we do. Found this online:

Cinematography

Whilst the lookbook term has become more prevalent in recent years through fashion vloggers, lookbooks have long been associated with cinematography. Whereas a fashion lookbook has more in common with a portfolio, cinematography lookbooks will contain a collection of reference images illustrating scene layout, setting and lighting. This may be used to be shown by a cinematographer to a director to illustrate or communicate the intended result from a scene, or vice versa when the director has something particular in mind. 

Look Book or lookbook? I've noticed different places spell it differently.

Either way, just something to have in your arsenal to help you sell your work.

For the time being hoping Netflix loved like she predicted.

Good Luck.

Bill 

I'm working on Revenge of the Cat Robots. I found the screenwriters and directors. I'm looking for the rest of the cast and crew. We start next fall.

So I just saw this video of Stephen King explaining his writing process (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxgiV-NtQvQ&t=41s). The thing that he does not "plan his plots", I tried to include it in screenplays.

I would like to ask more experienced screenwriters out there whether it is better to follow a particular structure (any structure for that matter) or to go the "Stephen King style"?

Or maybe his style might be suitable for novels only and not screenplays?

I specifically want to know about the writers of high grossing films-- that whether they use structure for their movies or just go about it one page at a time?

I'm a multiple Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated hit songwriter for songs such as RUN TO YOU by Whitney Houston. Been focusing on my other creative LOVE, screenwriting (film and TV), for the last year or two and have some nice stuff going on. But I love bouncing ideas and collaborating. Looking for someone with whom I can do one or both! Anyone interested please shoot me an email: jud@judfriedmanmusic.com. Thanks!

Recently I posted a synopsis for one of my Godzilla scripts. It was for Godzilla Against the War-Relics, the 2nd instalment in a Godzilla trilogy I'm working on titled Elder Godzilla Trilogy. The 1st instalment in the trilogy I've begun writing and it's titled Godzilla and the Technicolor Guards. Here's its synopsis for anyone interested:

The year is 10.547, and almost all of Earth’s people reside inside one enormous metropolis, while those who feared the Utopia's ideals chose to live far outside its borders. The city is protected by an invisible circle made of energy, has cured all illness, its people grow to reach an average of 10-feet tall, and they develop numerous technologies.

Earth has become a dumping ground for monsters from other worlds whenever a planet doesn't have the capacity to destroy the giant creatures. So they have Earth’s greatest champion, Godzilla, destroy the monsters for them.

Earth receives over fifty shipments of Infant-Tier and Juvenile-Tier monsters. They are teleported to a vast battleground where they all duke it out for supremacy. A heavily battle-scarred Godzilla arrives and wipes out many monsters. A spaceship lands outside the battlefield and shoots Godzilla with a tractor-laser that lifts him off the planet and sends him far out into the galaxy. All those inside the invading ship commit suicide, except for one. 

The Utopians learn from the survivor that the ones who took Godzilla are from a planet that refused to sign over the deed to their home planet in exchange for Earth using Godzilla to vanquish a monster terrorizing their society. 

The Utopians retaliated by teleporting an even more powerful monster to the alien planet to destroy its people. The planet under attack sent the most intelligent into space to perfect the technology that will transport Godzilla away from Earth.

A group of twelve children are part of A-Squad, meaning they're the top cadets at the academy where they are prepped to become Earth's saviours. Four of them attempt to become the Astro-Team responsible for finding Godzilla, while the others train to become the soldiers that will vanquish the monsters stuck on Earth if the astronauts fail.

The four child astronauts from A-Squad are chosen to go looking for Godzilla, while the eight others from the squad continue their soldier training. 

After fifty years, the Utopians have long lost contact with the Astro-Team and surmise that the astronauts will fail. The Utopians equip their greatest warriors, those from A-Squad, with their finest hi-tech gear and send them out to destroy all monsters! 

The seven Technicolor Guards and one Shade Guard exit the Utopia. The second-best combat experts, the Technicolor Guards, fight together in unison. The top combat expert, the Shade Guard, fights alone. 

There are twenty-three Spurt-Tier monsters still alive on Earth. Outside of the Utopian city, the world has devolved into a New Stone Age. The Shade Guard arrives at a large stone city and saves its citizens from a monster. The Utopian soldier is thanked and treated like a God. 

In space, the Astro-Team has located Godzilla. He is trapped inside a giant cage floating in space. The Astro-Team board the ship generating the cage, and a gun battle ensues in which two of their members are killed. The two remaining astronauts take command of the ship. 

The Shade Guard returns to Utopia. He has grown used to being pampered by the New Stone Age people and does not want to give up his high status. He overthrows the government and takes rulership over Utopia. 

Using their Utopian technology, the Astro-Team re-animate Godzilla and teleport him back onto Earth. Then the astronauts begin their five year trek back to Earth. 

The seven Technicolor Guards find out about what the defective Shade Guard had done to Utopia, and they return to their home-city to challenge him. The Technicolor Guards also lose two of their members from the battle, and the rest are forced to surrender. 

The Shade Guard discovers Godzilla was indeed found and sent back to Earth. Knowing his power and how he has toppled false governments in the past, the Shade Guard assigns more soldiers to hunt Godzilla, so he can continue living in luxury for many years. Ever since surrendering to the Shade Guard, the Technicolor Guards have sworn not to interfere with his quest to murder Godzilla. 

The Astro-Team land back on Earth and see much of the planet is now in ruins. They touchdown inside of Utopia and are greeted by the Technicolor Guards, who tell them the world is being destroyed by the battles between the Shade Guard's soldiers, the ten Peak-Tier monsters left on Earth, and the one Elder-Tier monster, Godzilla. 

The two astronauts are convinced by the surviving Technicolor Guards to don the deceased Yellow and Pink Guards's equipment and train to take their place.

The Shade Guard has been trying for the past five years to murder Godzilla. His Utopian soldiers do the fighting for him while he watches from his throne. 

Godzilla has acquired two bodyguards, Chainviper and Gnasher, together they defeat two other monsters. After the battle between the giants is over, the humans begin their attack. The monsters battle the humans and kill the soldiers quite easily.

After an intense battle, Godzilla and his bodyguards kill an enormous loner monster. The three giant monsters are weary from their previous battle. The Shade Guard’s soldiers have a slight advantage. The soldiers murder Chainviper, who sacrifices himself so Godzilla and Gnasher could escape to the ocean. 

The astronauts-turned-Guards prove themselves by helping battle two monsters who travel and fight together and are on their way to invade Utopia. The Technicolor Guards fight in unison to murder the monsters before they have a chance to destroy Utopia entirely.

The Shade Guard finally has lured Godzilla into one of his camouflaged Teleportation-Tower traps. The teleporter starts to warm up and whir. Gnasher recognizes the sound and pushes Godzilla out of its energy-stream, and she gets caught in it instead. Since matter can only be teleported once, Gnasher explodes from the inside out, into chunks ranging from tiny to large. 

The Shade Guard's soldiers attempt to kill Godzilla now that both his monster defenders are gone, though he is too powerful and makes quick work of the soldiers. 

The Shade Guard learns there are only three Peak-Tier monsters left for Godzilla to battle, and they are all converging at the monster battlegrounds. The Shade Guard finally joins the fight and he and his soldiers travel to the final showdown. 

The new Yellow and Pink Guards convince the other Technicolor Guards their purpose is not only to defend Utopia, they must also help defend Godzilla and kill the Shade Guard since he is Utopia's biggest threat. 

The monsters arrive at where they first met. Godzilla battles the main monster’s two bodyguards first. The Shade Guard and his soldiers arrive and decide to wait until Godzilla defeats the first two monsters, then help the third finish him off. 

Godzilla defeats the two bodyguards and before the Shade Guard and his soldiers can attack, the Technicolor Guards show up to stop them. The Technicolor Guards convince the Shade Guard’s soldiers to join their cause. The Shade Guard murders his former henchmen then fights the Technicolor Guards. Godzilla battles the final Peak-Tier monster on Earth. 

The Technicolor Guards have a chance to defeat the Shade Guard and instead they help Godzilla when he’s close to death, then they return to their initial battle. The Shade Guard has recovered and defeats the Technicolor Guards. Before he ends their lives, Godzilla kills his monster enemy and turns his sights on his human enemy. 

Godzilla breathes radioactivity onto the Technicolor Guards to help them recover rapidly. The Technicolor Guards get up and stand next to their saviour. Together they kill the Shade Guard. Godzilla stomps away, and the Technicolor Guards return to Utopia.