Hey, guys.
Title says it all, really. What is the biggest lesson you have learned over the years as a writer and/or performer? I have learned that videogame logic does not bode well in a screenplay, particularly one which integrates tropes and plot elements from games and/or anime/manga (example: a character with a grenade launcher attached to his rifle sounds cool in gaming but in a story it has to have practical and logical limitations). I have also learned that some stories, some plots, just cannot be filmed due to their controversial and/or highly disturbing content. What are your lessons?
S. P.
Allow me to partially disagree... I think more and more, both anime, manga, videogames and comics are finding its ways into film and television. Both characters and tropes. Sam Mendes' 1917 was shot exactly like a videogame! And arguably some of the most interesting and nuanced characters in entertainment today are coming from anime. Sure, it's hard to have an over the top concept to play out well in live-action, but both Detective Pikachu and Sonic did really good jobs I think, at least as far as anime/videogame adaptations go! I suppose it all depends on budget and how you approach those tropes.
Many years ago, I learned that screenwriting was not the best route to follow if I expected to earn a living.
I think this may be the biggest lesson I've learned: "You don't have to write every detail in action descriptions."
5 people like this
1) That anything other than story is completely irrelevant.
2) That there is no silver bullet, no magic formula, no special structure.
2 people like this
A written synopsis of any screenplay should be so inspiring that prospective buyers not only can follow the writers vision, but get so excited that they want to see the story on screen. I am doing research on this and find that a strong 'strength of voice' in a synopsis acts like a magical convincing tool. Lesson learned. With every rewrite I'm getting closer.
1 person likes this
use the most boring language possible (except for those exciting present tense verbs) when writing a screenplay... the more white and the less words means you might actually be on to something O.o
Get the eff out of my head. When I am 100% focused on the craft, my performance is so much more on.
That this business sucks.
I learned to just write whatever the hell I want. I used to think of the backlash I might get from my friends & family but now I'm like; meh, who cares?
I have been warned repeatedly that Greek producers won't dare make the series I am currently shopping, due to the political themes. But I think the story needs to be told, so either I find a local producer with some vision (talking to one at the moment), or else I will find some other way to get this made.
I did have practicality in mind as I wrote it, avoiding mass scenes, for example, but if you got something to say, I think you need to say it.
After 20 years into this...I'm just beginning.
3 people like this
99% of the people giving you craft advice, dictating the rules, telling you how to do business, lecturing you on how the industry works, judging your material, evaluating your worthiness, consulting on your career, and selling you advice via forums, seminars, YouTube, podcasts, and books aren’t making movies, aren’t getting assignments, aren’t selling specs, aren’t in writers rooms, and haven’t even managed to get a short script optioned yet they’ll gladly let you think otherwise.
Do your due-diligence or you’ll end up like them.
1 person likes this
Don't just rely on handshakes. Find an entertainment attorney you trust. Let them check out the details of all agreements, options, and contracts before final decisions. It'll save you huge amounts of $$$.
Enthusiasm overwrites sustainability and you get failed. The thought of sustainability gets you less enthusiastic and you get bored. You wake up looking for a job and afterward, you die old. However, there is a Phoenix bird within, which will let you know when the time has come to live forever. Take a bow though.
2 people like this
Stefano, the biggest lesson I've learned these last two years, now that I've come to think about all my time here on Stage 32, is:
"Jim, don't be in a such a rush to pitch your work. Get your craft down first and foremost. It's a marathon, not a sprint."
In addition, I've been trying to get it through my head to put myself in a reader's shoes when I'm writing. I'm working to do whatever it takes to make these scripts of mine easier for readers to grasp...as well as fighting to make these screenplays entertaining and fun to read in the first place.
2 people like this
CYA - Cover Your Ass!
2 people like this
The biggest lesson I learned is to be willing to learn along the way. I used to go into projects always expecting big things. You write something, it gets made, and that's it. But then I started going into projects expecting more significant growth for myself. If I can learn something from an experience then it will help me in the long run, not everything has to be the next big thing.
1 person likes this
Ass On Chair
1 person likes this
Do not start typing until you have a great logline and have figured out the story from beginning to end.
3 people like this
Life is like a video game if you keep meeting enemies you are going the right way