Screenwriting is the heavy lifting of all movie projects. Without a great script, it is impossible to produce a great film. The following articles are written by experts with years of experience writing for both film and television. Even if you do not live in Hollywood or have any industry connections, the following articles will give you actionable tactics on how to get your writing noticed, read and sold.
Even the Bible says there’s nothing new under the sun, and that was quite a while ago. Generally creativity means the combination of existing elements to produce something different from either of them (and, ideally, more useful or interesting than either of them alone).
If you haven’t thought about it already, consider what experience you want people to have. One way to focus on this is to write the review quotes you’d like to see when your film has been released–“A thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat,” or “A hilarious look at parenthood that also makes you think,” for instance. Then, as you write or rewrite, make sure you deserve those quotes.
An interesting twist on the old “write what you know” adage comes from aspiring screenwriter Mark McCann, who also is a policeman. One …
Shy and awkward is how screenwriter Seth Lochead describes himself. When he was starting out he felt he had to choose between building his career by socializing or by writing a great script.
Since starting Filmmaking Stuff, many screenwriters have written me, asking if I could provide advice on how they can protect their screenplay from theft. I usually tell screenwriters that most producers will not go through the process of raising a gazillion dollars without compensating the screenwriter fairly.
Or it may be that in the middle of my script things drag along too slowly–a common problem of first drafts. In that case, reminding myself that the traditional story model calls for escalating conflict can lead to better consideration of how I can add incidents that ramp up the tension and drama.
For filmmakers and screenwriters alike, one of the great things about Jurgen is his ability to make things happen. As you will read in this week’s Filmmaking Stuff guest article – When Jurgen was starting out, he quickly learned to stop asking permission and as a result, he carved his screenwriting career.
Earlier this week, veteran Hollywood screenwriter Jurgen Wolff stopped by Filmmaking Stuff to offer three valuable screeenwriting tips and also, tell you about his upcoming writing workshop in Las Vegas.
Based on my decade making movies (and prior to that, reading and writing coverage for a producer in New York City) – I have created a product that will provide you with a step-by-step, fill in the blank approach to writing a movie script.
Based on my decade of making movies (and prior to that, working as a reader for a producer in New York City) – I am in the final stages of production. This screenwriting system will be based on a new step-by-step, fill in the blank approach to writing a movie script.
If you’re a writer, or a writer director or a writer-director-producer, or simply a producer working with a writer, sooner or later it …
When making a movie, it’s common for filmmakers to get so excited about a project, that they forget to check and recheck the script. This becomes even more difficult when the money is in the bank. But money plus a bad script can be a disaster. Do not start production until you are sure the script is ready.