Screenwriting : I love horror/comedy/action. by James O'Hagan

Hi, James. I've been professionally editing screenplays for almost as long as I've been writing them. Transitions can be handled a thousand different ways: a line spoken in one scene can be picked up and/or answered by another character in a completely different scene; you can use a sound or image to dissolve into another; you can end one scene with a question and show the answer in the next scene, and on and on. My advice is to read MANY screenplays a week and watch the movies upon which they are based. If you want to see some brilliantly done transitions watch 'The Fifth Element'. ~ Having said all that, a screenplay is more than a group of scenes to be spliced together. One has to be conscious of tone, theme(s), structure, arcs, plot points, subtext, the midpoint and a hundred other details in order for a script to really work. And every story poses a different set of challenges. One of the best books I've read on screenwriting is Michael Hauge's 'Writing Screenplays That Sell'. It covers almost everything one needs to know to navigate the maze of writing a good script. Hope this is somewhat helpful. ;-D

Ok, thanks for the advice. Also, I don't wanna try to sell my scripts at least not at first. I want to maintain complete control over my work, so is it bad that I want direct my own scripts?

Is it a bad idea to want to direct your own stuff? Hell no! It's a smart way to go if you can swing it. It's what I plan to be doing for the next year or two (when I'm not writing or editing). I've already done a couple of shorts and my advice is this when it comes to directing your own stuff: START SMALL. Don't try to pull off anything too complex the first time around (I made that mistake with my first one and it's still in post-production...4 years later). If you start off with really simple, short scripts (or any one of the cool scenes you mentioned) there’s a much greater chance that you’ll see it through from beginning to end. ~ Regarding selling or not selling your work, that’s entirely up to you. If and when the day comes that someone wants to buy your stuff, don’t sign anything without consulting an entertainment attorney. Contests are a good way to see if your script works – I use them as measuring sticks all the time. Many writers adapt their scripts to graphic novels and/or animatic films with sound FX, music and voice actors. To protect your work I’d recommend eCopyright (http://www.copyright.gov/eco/) at $35 a pop and it lasts for 70 years after you die. Pretty sweet, though navigating the eCopyright process takes a little time. If you’re prolific (like I sometimes am) and you hammer out 3 or 4 detailed treatments at a time, you can copyright them as a batch for $55 and save some money. Keep in mind that if you register with the WGA at $20 a pop, the protection only last for 5 years so make sure you renew on or before the expiration date. Or just copyright it to start with and save some dough.

Dude, this is gold what you are telling me.

There is a great Scriptnotes episode just on transitions: http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-89-writing-effective-transitio...

Every scene should lead like a falling domino to the next and end on a hook. The hook should be "S**t. What's going to happen next?" And then you deliver it. :) We wrote a short post about it a while back you can check out here: http://www.scriptreaderpro.com/script-writing-tips/

Nah, fuck content. I just want to have a mindless movie with slashing machetes and chainsaws. Those are the big money makers. Lmfao.

What if it's like a balloon that's bigger then a satellite?

I like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Lol. I think not all films have to have this deep meaning behind them. Movies are made to entertain and not everyone is entertained by deep characters and well executed plots.