Hello all, I have had a little gem of an idea which I would like to wittle up into a screenplay, however, although I am an experienced writer, this is a totally new format for me, so I would be incredibly grateful if anyone could give me a few pointers, golden rules, 10 commandments, whatever you want to call them, on how to write a screen play. Here's hoping! Matthew
Screenwriting : How do I start? Help?! by Matthew R. Davis
How do I start? Help?!
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Hi Matthew. If it's all new, a decent reference is Trottier's Screenwriters Bible - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screenwriters-Bible-6th-David-Trottier/dp/19352.... Also happy to help out when the odd questions pop up. You can get me via www.ronniemackintosh.co.uk
Cheers Ronnie!
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Read scripts, Trotter's Bible, plenty of educational resources on here as well under "EDUCATION". Check out the "Next Level Webinars and CLasses".
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Matthew, both Ronnie and David are on the money, don't look for a quick fix if you are serious about writing screenplays.
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Hi Matthew, I read 100 scripts before I wrote a line. See http://www.simplyscripts.com/movie-scripts.html Write the best and never give up. Cheers, Tom
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I particularly love Blake Snyder's 15 beat sheet, check it out. Obviously you don't have to follow it through 100% but it is a good tool to use :)
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Nothing goes on the page that can't be seen on the screen...
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A couple of really good books are: Screenwriting 434 (Lew Hunter) and "a Writer's Journey" (Chris Vogel).
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Yep, the Screenwriters Bible is a must, it will cover all your formatting questions and I second Chris' comment, nothing goes on the page if it can't be shown on the screen so no thoughts, no feelings and everything must be in present tense.
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Outline, use notecards, synopsis... anything to get the solid idea on 2-10 pages. Develop the characters and their personalities. Start with a grand opening scene and make sure the ending is equally interesting. Check on the 3 act structure to fill in the rest.
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Beyond the books mentioned I'll just emphasize: Read feature scripts. (You can also pick up most of what you'll find in books in articles online). Just remember that some of them are final drafts and can contain camera shots, cues to roll credits, etc. which yours should not have. The big transition for you though may be learning to chop those rich scene descriptions and narratives to the bare minimum. Note how feature screenplays, particularly recent ones, handle it. Good luck!
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If it is still out there, try going to Drew's Script-o-rama...lots and lots of scripts...
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Read, write, read some more, rinse, repeat.
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