Ok, here's my problem...everytime I get an idea for a story, it usually begins in the middle or something. So, I can never come up with a beginning or an end. Also, I can come up with a synopsis of a story but never be able to elaborate on it. Is this a problem that I can develop a solution to on my own with a little tutoring or should I just find a compatible screenwriter who would be willing to take my ideas and develop them for me?
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screenplay ideas, but can't write scripts
- Thread starter scrappydy
- Start date
Collaboration is always helpful - just having someone to bounce ideas off, brainstorm, or whatever. If you can find someone to work with - and it doesn't necessarily need to be a screenwriter - you may have more success fleshing out the beginning or ending of a story.
If you're having trouble ending the story, try to fix the conflict (dramatic tension in your story) in your mind and identify the resolution. When it's resolved (in most cases) the story is over. Try a couple of different resolutions and see which one fits.
If you're having trouble ending the story, try to fix the conflict (dramatic tension in your story) in your mind and identify the resolution. When it's resolved (in most cases) the story is over. Try a couple of different resolutions and see which one fits.
i agree with discussing ideas with someone.
Do you make outlines of your stories? I try to do that... actually it ends up mostly being a list of major events.
Have you tried writing your ideas down into story form?
I once read that once you start writing it opens like a flood gate a lot of the time and you'll get on a role
I find that when I just start writing, the ideas start coming as I write about the story. Although I do have problems with beginnings a lot... hence, my zombie post LOL
Do you make outlines of your stories? I try to do that... actually it ends up mostly being a list of major events.
Have you tried writing your ideas down into story form?
I once read that once you start writing it opens like a flood gate a lot of the time and you'll get on a role
I find that when I just start writing, the ideas start coming as I write about the story. Although I do have problems with beginnings a lot... hence, my zombie post LOL
Beat Sheets and Treatments
Most screenplay concepts come with a couple of really clear scenes. I have a friend who always knows how his will start and end, but not what happens in the middle. With me, it's always almost always a key moment for the main character, usually related to a philosophical exploration of morality.
However, this then has to be translated into a whole story, which to be fair, is the hard part.
Thre are two tools that help with this:
1) The beat sheet
2) The treatment
The beat sheet is the story broken down into events, described in single sentences. For example
Pongo and Purdy the Dalmations have a litter of dalmation puppies
Cruella DeVille wants to buy the puppies, but the owners won't sell
Cruella hire two incompetent burglars to steal the pupies
Purdy is very unhappy, so Pongo sets off to find and rescue the puppies
etc (Hmm, if I replace the word puppy with word Nemo does this still work?)
Now the great thing about this, is that you can write it from any direction. You can start from a scene in the middle and work out what must have happened before this scene, or you can int he normal direction to the end. In each case you just work out what happened before or after the event you already know about. The trick is to remember that each scene hould happen because of what happened previously.
The great thing about this approach, is you can do it in a note book, pretty much anywhere and you can rewrite the story dozens of times in a relatively small space of time.
A good trick is to transfer the beats onto individual file cards, you can then change the order of the scenes and see what it looks like. it also makes it easy to weave in subplots.
Once you're happy with you beat sheet, fire up the wordprocessor, take each of the beats and write a descriptive paragraph of what happens, how the characters react and what the film looks like. This is your first draft treatment
If your beat sheet runs to about two pages, 12 point courier single spaced and your treatment runs at between 10 and 30 pages, then you've probably got a feature length story.
All you have to do next is fire up Final Draft, look at the description you wrote in your treatment, describe the locations and action, write down what the characters say as dialogue and it should top out somewhere about the 120 page mark.
On the other hand, you could just find someone who likes doing this stuff to write it for you. In my opinion it's more fun to write it yourself.
Most screenplay concepts come with a couple of really clear scenes. I have a friend who always knows how his will start and end, but not what happens in the middle. With me, it's always almost always a key moment for the main character, usually related to a philosophical exploration of morality.
However, this then has to be translated into a whole story, which to be fair, is the hard part.
Thre are two tools that help with this:
1) The beat sheet
2) The treatment
The beat sheet is the story broken down into events, described in single sentences. For example
Pongo and Purdy the Dalmations have a litter of dalmation puppies
Cruella DeVille wants to buy the puppies, but the owners won't sell
Cruella hire two incompetent burglars to steal the pupies
Purdy is very unhappy, so Pongo sets off to find and rescue the puppies
etc (Hmm, if I replace the word puppy with word Nemo does this still work?)
Now the great thing about this, is that you can write it from any direction. You can start from a scene in the middle and work out what must have happened before this scene, or you can int he normal direction to the end. In each case you just work out what happened before or after the event you already know about. The trick is to remember that each scene hould happen because of what happened previously.
The great thing about this approach, is you can do it in a note book, pretty much anywhere and you can rewrite the story dozens of times in a relatively small space of time.
A good trick is to transfer the beats onto individual file cards, you can then change the order of the scenes and see what it looks like. it also makes it easy to weave in subplots.
Once you're happy with you beat sheet, fire up the wordprocessor, take each of the beats and write a descriptive paragraph of what happens, how the characters react and what the film looks like. This is your first draft treatment
If your beat sheet runs to about two pages, 12 point courier single spaced and your treatment runs at between 10 and 30 pages, then you've probably got a feature length story.
All you have to do next is fire up Final Draft, look at the description you wrote in your treatment, describe the locations and action, write down what the characters say as dialogue and it should top out somewhere about the 120 page mark.
On the other hand, you could just find someone who likes doing this stuff to write it for you. In my opinion it's more fun to write it yourself.
I tend to be the same exact way.
That's some good advice you have there. I find that often when I come up with a key scene I can usually determine what the ending will be like. What is really interesting is to see how the "key scene" changes and splits off into a multitude of directions. It's rather hard to keep the story focused at times
.Re: Beat Sheets and Treatments
this is the point at which i get stuck. i've used my brother's copy of final draft... and i just can't navigate the program. There's nowhere for me to find out the etiquette for screenwriting. I read other screenplays to see how it's done, but when it comes time to use the same format for my own ideas, i never know what goes where. I wonder "Am i talking about camera angles too much? Does a change in camera angle constitute a new paragraph? Am I going on too long about his physical features?" etc etc etc. I need a place where it's just laid out, very straightforward. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SCREENPLAY. Start with this. Describe this. This is basically the dead end i've run into, and the reason why all my ideas are still just ideas
clive said:
this is the point at which i get stuck. i've used my brother's copy of final draft... and i just can't navigate the program. There's nowhere for me to find out the etiquette for screenwriting. I read other screenplays to see how it's done, but when it comes time to use the same format for my own ideas, i never know what goes where. I wonder "Am i talking about camera angles too much? Does a change in camera angle constitute a new paragraph? Am I going on too long about his physical features?" etc etc etc. I need a place where it's just laid out, very straightforward. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SCREENPLAY. Start with this. Describe this. This is basically the dead end i've run into, and the reason why all my ideas are still just ideas
I wouldn't worry about that right now, if I were you. If you have an idea, write it down. Use MS Word if it's easier for you. Don't let your experiance (or lack thereof) get in the way of turning your idea into a script.
From there, you at least have something that you can show to people, and you might find someone who is interested and knows how to write a properly formatted script. Or you'll learn and can then transfer your idea into a "real" script.
From there, once you know how to write the script, you can do all your scripts in Final Draft.
From there, you at least have something that you can show to people, and you might find someone who is interested and knows how to write a properly formatted script. Or you'll learn and can then transfer your idea into a "real" script.
From there, once you know how to write the script, you can do all your scripts in Final Draft.
Clive, great advice you've got going there. I'm going to start working on writing a feature soon, and I'll definitely be looking back on this thread.
Normally, my story ideas come to me in the form of an ending that transforms the character. My trouble is getting to that ending. More often than note, the "ending" becomes the middle as I start working the script. My previous method of just writing the script has worked fine for shorts, but I'll definitely need more organization for a feature.
Normally, my story ideas come to me in the form of an ending that transforms the character. My trouble is getting to that ending. More often than note, the "ending" becomes the middle as I start working the script. My previous method of just writing the script has worked fine for shorts, but I'll definitely need more organization for a feature.
OK. Here it is.
Your script is split up into scenes. A scene is defined as "any time you have to move the camera to a new location"
So if you are inside a house and then the action moves to a forest, this means you need to start a new scene.
If you are inside a house and then you go outside, this is a new scene.
OK?
At the begining of each scene you write a lug line. (Final draft has a setting called SCENE HEADING)
This has the following information in it: The scene number 1,2,3, Whether the scene is inside INT or outside EXT, a description of the location THE SPOOKY HOUSE, and whether it is day or night. So it should look like this
SCENE 4: EXT: SPOOKY HOUSE: NIGHT
Now all you have to do is describe who is there, what they do, what they say and what happens to them.
Forget camera angles at this point, they aren't part of the script. Just visualise the action
JANE creeps along the flower bed, in front of the spooky house, she's very nervous.
There is a scream from inside the front room. She looks in the window.
and write the dialogue
JANE
Oh my god! That woman is being murdered!
In Final draft there is a setting called Action, which formats all of your descriptive passages. A setting called CHARACTER which you use to write the name of a character who is about to speak and another called DIALOGUE, which formats your dialogue.
In terms of format there are other issues, but for now this is all you need.
I suggest that you stick with Final Draft and just use "help" to learn how to navigate the programme. It's not that complicated and much easier to work in, than MS Word which is the work of Satan.
writing
I ussually try to brainstorm out the entire movie in my head before putting it to paper.
I will write down any really good basic ideas that I have and am afraid I may forget, and I just think about it in my head.
I heard Richard Linklater say in an interview once that he does the same thing sometimes for years, and at that point if he is still thinking about it, he knows to write it down, if not than he feels that film doesn't really need to be made, because it has been in his head and it's over.
Sometimes I get my characters in a situation and them just free-form write the action on the spur of the moment.
It's a little different every time, I don't think there's any one way to do it. Just get the ideas out, find a way that works for you and do it.
I have written treatments or scripts derived from a clever title that someone suggests or a phraze someone says.
It's also very hard to write something no one has seen before, because we've pretty much seen it all.
I've heard if you can consider your movie a cross of three different movies, you're probably allright. this helps me write sometimes, because I can take a little hint from some of my own faorite films, but put a new spin on it.
For instance, the film I am shooting in OCT is a cross between TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, WRONG TURN, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.
Just my 2 cents.
But I really think the more time you spend going over the story in your head, the more focused it will be when you get it on paper.
I ussually try to brainstorm out the entire movie in my head before putting it to paper.
I will write down any really good basic ideas that I have and am afraid I may forget, and I just think about it in my head.
I heard Richard Linklater say in an interview once that he does the same thing sometimes for years, and at that point if he is still thinking about it, he knows to write it down, if not than he feels that film doesn't really need to be made, because it has been in his head and it's over.
Sometimes I get my characters in a situation and them just free-form write the action on the spur of the moment.
It's a little different every time, I don't think there's any one way to do it. Just get the ideas out, find a way that works for you and do it.
I have written treatments or scripts derived from a clever title that someone suggests or a phraze someone says.
It's also very hard to write something no one has seen before, because we've pretty much seen it all.
I've heard if you can consider your movie a cross of three different movies, you're probably allright. this helps me write sometimes, because I can take a little hint from some of my own faorite films, but put a new spin on it.
For instance, the film I am shooting in OCT is a cross between TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, WRONG TURN, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.
Just my 2 cents.
But I really think the more time you spend going over the story in your head, the more focused it will be when you get it on paper.
recommended book on screenwriting
I recommend a book by Denny Martin Flinn called 'How Not to Write a Screenplay'. It has a section that talks about how to structure your story in a cohesive manner which can help you in finding a good beginning and end for all those darn middle ideas that pop up. I get them too and write them down to use later if the chance arises.
It sells for about $17 and I was hooked from the beginning. Denny has a unique background in reading tons of screenplays for a major studio so he knows all the pitfalls and amature mistakes. It's a great book.
Eric
I recommend a book by Denny Martin Flinn called 'How Not to Write a Screenplay'. It has a section that talks about how to structure your story in a cohesive manner which can help you in finding a good beginning and end for all those darn middle ideas that pop up. I get them too and write them down to use later if the chance arises.
It sells for about $17 and I was hooked from the beginning. Denny has a unique background in reading tons of screenplays for a major studio so he knows all the pitfalls and amature mistakes. It's a great book.
Eric
Let your characters tell you what's happening...
Lots of good advice on this thread... My two cents:
I've been writing screenplays for over 10 years now and I like to let my characters take me through the story... How do I do that?
Pretty simple really...
You GOTTA know your characters...
So once you come up with your idea, it's useful to create backstory/backgrounds on all your main characters. Base them on people you know or make up the background but know your characters. The more you know about your characters, the less writer's block you will have as you complete your screenplay.
I've also helped a lot of others write screenplays and without a doubt, when most of them are stuck at some point in the story or screenplay, I find out that they nothing about their characters... You really should know when they were born... Down to an actual date. How they grew up. What were their parents like. Likes/dislikes. Hobbies, etc. Everything.
Of course know up front that a lot of this information might not make it into your story or screenplay... All this is really for is so that your characters come ALIVE to your brain so that they are constantly reacting to situations the other characters are putting them in...
Does this always work... Not always, but most of the time. The more you know your characters, the more your brain will have them react and lead you through your first draft.
When you really get stuck, another good exercise is to make up even more backstory/background about your character... You can either write it down or think it through... I like to write it down, myself...
But for instance...
You are totally blocked at a point in your story/screenplay. You pull out the character's background file and create a totally new unrelated incident (unrelated to your story/screenplay) that your character went through... Could be divorce. Could have been a cheating incident at college. Could have been an affair... Whatever. Make it as crazy as you want. Maybe the character killed someone when he was a teenager... Whatever... Just create the incident and tell yourself what the character went through... Write as much about it as you can until that entire incident/situation has been EXHAUSTED. What you've done is OPENED your character up even more to your conscious mind... Even though the story is unrelated to your story, you've learned more about your character... Maybe enough more that he or she is now ready to guide you through the rest of the story or at least through to another writer's block.
In other words, each time you get blocked, learn more (make up more thereby learning more) about your character(s). Almost always they will guide you through the first draft.
What's nice about writing this way is often, the more quirky your characters are to your conscious, the more quirky they act in your story/screenplay. Just remember to NOT make them cliche in their background/backstory. Make them totally different from anyone you know but also take personality traits from those that you know and implement these traits into your characters... The wackier the character (from my experience) the better the story/screenplay.
filmy
scrappydy said:
Lots of good advice on this thread... My two cents:
I've been writing screenplays for over 10 years now and I like to let my characters take me through the story... How do I do that?
Pretty simple really...
You GOTTA know your characters...
So once you come up with your idea, it's useful to create backstory/backgrounds on all your main characters. Base them on people you know or make up the background but know your characters. The more you know about your characters, the less writer's block you will have as you complete your screenplay.
I've also helped a lot of others write screenplays and without a doubt, when most of them are stuck at some point in the story or screenplay, I find out that they nothing about their characters... You really should know when they were born... Down to an actual date. How they grew up. What were their parents like. Likes/dislikes. Hobbies, etc. Everything.
Of course know up front that a lot of this information might not make it into your story or screenplay... All this is really for is so that your characters come ALIVE to your brain so that they are constantly reacting to situations the other characters are putting them in...
Does this always work... Not always, but most of the time. The more you know your characters, the more your brain will have them react and lead you through your first draft.
When you really get stuck, another good exercise is to make up even more backstory/background about your character... You can either write it down or think it through... I like to write it down, myself...
But for instance...
You are totally blocked at a point in your story/screenplay. You pull out the character's background file and create a totally new unrelated incident (unrelated to your story/screenplay) that your character went through... Could be divorce. Could have been a cheating incident at college. Could have been an affair... Whatever. Make it as crazy as you want. Maybe the character killed someone when he was a teenager... Whatever... Just create the incident and tell yourself what the character went through... Write as much about it as you can until that entire incident/situation has been EXHAUSTED. What you've done is OPENED your character up even more to your conscious mind... Even though the story is unrelated to your story, you've learned more about your character... Maybe enough more that he or she is now ready to guide you through the rest of the story or at least through to another writer's block.
In other words, each time you get blocked, learn more (make up more thereby learning more) about your character(s). Almost always they will guide you through the first draft.
What's nice about writing this way is often, the more quirky your characters are to your conscious, the more quirky they act in your story/screenplay. Just remember to NOT make them cliche in their background/backstory. Make them totally different from anyone you know but also take personality traits from those that you know and implement these traits into your characters... The wackier the character (from my experience) the better the story/screenplay.
filmy
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