So for my current feature script, which I wanna shoot myself, perhaps I should stop and hold off on it till I get good enough on writing a script that is great for a real successful movie. I thought my new one was good enough for that, idea wise, but not sure how the actual writing is. Especially after feedback on my previous. How many scripts should I write before I know I'm good enough for the big one, to make into a movie you wanna distribute? Or a better question is, how many has it taken you guys on average? Should I practice buy just writing short films, or is features a safe bet?
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How much writing practice do you guys have before...?
- Thread starter harmonica44
- Start date
You should write a ten page short story and have others review the whole thing stem to stern, take your educational beatings, go back, rewrite until others think that story makes sense.
Then write another story. Repeat process.
And again.
And again, until readers stop b!tchin' about your format, characters and premise, and begin b!tchin' about personal preferences of how the story goes.
When readers start noticing the girl and not her clothes, shoes, hair and makeup then you know you're writing well.
Then write another story. Repeat process.
And again.
And again, until readers stop b!tchin' about your format, characters and premise, and begin b!tchin' about personal preferences of how the story goes.
When readers start noticing the girl and not her clothes, shoes, hair and makeup then you know you're writing well.
Sure. I've had friends review a couple of shorts and my previous feature, but I don't think my friends are the ones to be asking. I can write a new short and post it on here. Having it make sense isn't my problem, it's the dialogue and possibly the story tones that may be for me.
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Exactly. I don't know if my stories are good, the way they are executed in the script necessarily. My previous script and my current script have ideas I have never seen in other movies, as well as a future script idea I wanna write so far. But I need to get feedback on if my execution of my ideas is the best too.
Don't sweat dialogue at early stages. It's something you either get already and are honing or you don't and you really get a sense for it after a few actualy projects, auditions, etc. Most writers are terrible at dialogue that translates to screen.
Tone comes with age. You achieve it through the things unsaid and unseen as much as the opposite. So it's another thing you really learn after seeing your work produced.
You can also just ingest more movies and read the scripts for them.
Make those same shorts PDFs and load them up onto google docs, we'll all snap on some rubber gloves and give 'em a good going over.
Here's a short of mine written specifically for a challenge using some pretty arcane mythology from the UK region, so don't expect to immediately grasp the nature of the critters, just pay attention to the general gist of the story.
RING OF DECISIONS
Here's another short written as an exercise to include as many different spec format styles as I could cram into a dozen pages.
THE MANSOUR CIRCLE INCIDENT
Here's a third short written as an exercise to include very little action or description to bring attention just to character development primarily through dialog.
SMALL POWERS
Write.
Rewrite.
Get PEER review.
Rewrite.
Write again.
Repeat the beatings as often as necessary.
Sure I'll finish a short I have, and think of some others, and post it. And I'll pay even more attention to the movies I watch, and get the tone thing right.
Well I was told I have a tendency to have poor editing and I overexplain. So that's what I need to work on I think. My new script I am working on is much more tightened up, or at least I wanna make it. But should I hold off on it, till I get better for sure, or should I just keep writing it, and making changes till I get it right?
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There is really only one thing you gain from "writing practice" and that is the self discipline to make yourself write regularly and in format.
I do try to level up at writing, but I don't do it by writing, I do it by reading scripts. People send me scripts, and I read them. Dozens of them. I give feedback as thanks for the script, and if it's great, I pass it on for review by a few producers I know.
But even more than that, I find and read scripts for great movies I've already seen. This gives you experience specifically in seeing how scripts translate to the screen. Also, you should always be trying to learn from someone better than you, and not trying to get another white belt to show you how to be a black belt.
This form is sometimes a good way to do that, and get quick answers to specific questions, but it's not a replacement for serious study.
Want an original idea? Focused study on an area of cinematography? Don't watch movies, read books, books force you to think and use your imagination. Half of what's wrong with indie film today is that we are seeing copies of copies of ideas.
I do try to level up at writing, but I don't do it by writing, I do it by reading scripts. People send me scripts, and I read them. Dozens of them. I give feedback as thanks for the script, and if it's great, I pass it on for review by a few producers I know.
But even more than that, I find and read scripts for great movies I've already seen. This gives you experience specifically in seeing how scripts translate to the screen. Also, you should always be trying to learn from someone better than you, and not trying to get another white belt to show you how to be a black belt.
This form is sometimes a good way to do that, and get quick answers to specific questions, but it's not a replacement for serious study.
Want an original idea? Focused study on an area of cinematography? Don't watch movies, read books, books force you to think and use your imagination. Half of what's wrong with indie film today is that we are seeing copies of copies of ideas.
writing
Just keep writing, writing, writing.
I mean, your ideas at 15 years of age are probably as good as when you're 50. But your writing isn't. Because it's a disicpline, you learn to get better. And you learn how to tell more with less, and how to do surprising things in subtle and unexpected ways. It's amazing how similar most 1st, 2nd, and 5th screenplays are.
But by time you're on your 20th, you find your voice.
Watch 'SENNA'. See how Ayrton mastered his driving through years of practice.
Read Steve Martin's 'Born Standing Up' - he'll tell you about eight years of doing stand-up comedy to nobody.
Read Eric Lax's book about Woody Allen. You'll see how they made Woody play in clubs to nobody for a whole year, failing miserably as no-one understood his jokes.
That's art. You gotta keep working. Keep creating. Keep writing.
It's amazing how good you get when you keep going, keep doing it. You can't buy that. You can only practice and learn.
Every working screenwriter who I respect has this story, the same one, of writing and writing and getting better and better, they learn through their misteps and misfires.
Good luck, stay inspired!
Daniel Johnson
Just keep writing, writing, writing.
I mean, your ideas at 15 years of age are probably as good as when you're 50. But your writing isn't. Because it's a disicpline, you learn to get better. And you learn how to tell more with less, and how to do surprising things in subtle and unexpected ways. It's amazing how similar most 1st, 2nd, and 5th screenplays are.
But by time you're on your 20th, you find your voice.
Watch 'SENNA'. See how Ayrton mastered his driving through years of practice.
Read Steve Martin's 'Born Standing Up' - he'll tell you about eight years of doing stand-up comedy to nobody.
Read Eric Lax's book about Woody Allen. You'll see how they made Woody play in clubs to nobody for a whole year, failing miserably as no-one understood his jokes.
That's art. You gotta keep working. Keep creating. Keep writing.
It's amazing how good you get when you keep going, keep doing it. You can't buy that. You can only practice and learn.
Every working screenwriter who I respect has this story, the same one, of writing and writing and getting better and better, they learn through their misteps and misfires.
Good luck, stay inspired!
Daniel Johnson
I have written scripts based on the writing styles and formats of others script writers such Christopher Nolan, Tony Gilroy, and Jeb Stuart, but then after I got feedback, I was told those writing styles were wrong and outdated though.
The biggest problem with most scripts is the same thing: EXPOSITION.
Once you start thinking about your characters living your story instead of telling your story, you'll notice how much better your scripts will become.
Also, if you've never done the following try it. After you've finished your first draft, instead of running out and having people read and comment on it. Put it aside for a few weeks and completely forget about it. I mean forget about it. Then a few weeks later go back and re-read it. You'll find most of the errors yourself. Then once you complete your second draft, you'll be ready to really show it around.
Once you start thinking about your characters living your story instead of telling your story, you'll notice how much better your scripts will become.
Also, if you've never done the following try it. After you've finished your first draft, instead of running out and having people read and comment on it. Put it aside for a few weeks and completely forget about it. I mean forget about it. Then a few weeks later go back and re-read it. You'll find most of the errors yourself. Then once you complete your second draft, you'll be ready to really show it around.
Lots of sound advice here. Another book worth a read is Stephen King's "On Writing".
Okay thanks guys. Yeah for my previous script I re-wrote the whole thing probably 10 or more times. But even then it had problems. So I wanna be able to re-write the new one over and over till it's good, but still have an idea of what good is, to hopefully get the process done quicker, or with more certainty. But I will finish it, and keep re-writing it for now.